| The Sun-Times Serving Williamsville and Sherman |
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WHS among schools chosen to participate in
IDOT Teen Safe Driving Program
Illinois Transportation Secretary Gary Hannig has announced the high schools selected to participate in
the 2009-2010 Operation Teen Safe Driving program. This statewide safety initiative is designed for teens
to educate their peers about driving responsibly in an effort to decrease the number of fatalities and injuries
involving teenagers in Illinois. These announcements come during the National Teen Safe Drivers Week
as Illinois records a decline in teen fatalities in automobile crashes this year. From January 1 through
October 10, 2009, 60 teens (ages 16-19) lost their lives on Illinois roadways. During the same time period
last year, there were 67 teen deaths.
In total, 105 high schools statewide were selected to participate in this innovative program, which utilizes
Ford Motor Company Fund’s nationally recognized Ford Driving Skills for Life program. The selected high
schools are equally distributed in seven regions across the state.
Williamsville High School was one of the 17 schools chosen in Region 4; other schools in the area
selected include Lanphier, Sacred Heart-Griffin, Southeast and Virginia.
Additional teen safe driving programs contributing to the reduction in teen motor vehicle fatalities include
the latest sweeping changes to Illinois’ teen driving laws initiated by Secretary of State Jesse White.
Effective Jan. 1, 2008, these changes gave Illinois one of the best graduated driver license program in the
nation. Graduated licensing gives teens more time to obtain valuable driving experience while under the
watchful eye of a parent or guardian (doubling the practice time that young drivers must spend with a parent
or guardian from 25 to 50 hours before the teen can obtain an Illinois driver’s license), limits in-car
distractions and requires the teens to earn their way from one stage to the next by avoiding traffic
convictions. Leading national traffic safety experts have lauded Illinois’ graduated driver license program
one that will save lives.
The selection process for the Operation Teen Safe Driving program requires students to identify issues
relating to traffic safety in their community (i.e., underage drinking, driving unbuckled, impaired and
distracted). Students are required to provide information explaining how they would combat the traffic safety
problem and implement a teen awareness program in their school and community.
“We decided to apply for this grant upon the recommendation of Officer Adam Westlake, who is the
Sherman Policse/WHS liaison,” said WHS teacher Jo Ellen Walsh, who is also the Student Council and
Prom sponsor. “Even though we don’t have a big problem with student drivers, we thought it would be a
great way to bring awareness to our students and to the community the dangers of speeding and distracted
driving.”
The program runs from Dec. 1-Feb. 27, and seven of the 17 schools will be awarded a cash prize to be
used for after-prom expenses. The top prize is $2500 and lowest prize is $500.
“I thought it was important that we focus on teen driving safety,” said Westlake. “We definitely saw the
need for something like this to promote safe driving, and I am glad we are participating in this very positive
program.”
The program is peer-driven, so teens will hear from people their own age about safe driving, noted
Westlake, in addition to hearing about it from officers like himself.
“All the planning and paperwork is done by the students,” he said.
All of the selected schools will receive $2000 in grant funding from IDOT’s Division of Traffic Safety and
The Allstate Foundation. The selected schools develop and implement a peer-to-peer based program and
present a report at the conclusion of the program. Winners are selected from each region and each winning
school will receive prize money to host a post-prom party.
The money cannot be spent on advertising, but can be spend on things like T-shirts and flyers.
The top five schools from each region will be invited to send students to a “Driving Skills for Life, Ride
and Drive” event which is sponsored by the Ford Motor Company Fund. Students will observe professional
drivers on two separate courses demonstrating critical driving skills. Teens will then have the opportunity to
drive the same courses with the professional driver sitting in the passenger seat to provide tips and
assistance.
“Saving lives and preventing injuries among teen drivers is a priority for The Allstate Foundation and our
teen safe driving signature program. We congratulate the winning schools and look forward to the great
results from their campaigns,” said Linda Moynihan, Regional Sales Leader for the Midwest Region of
Allstate Insurance.
“The strengthened graduated driver licensing (GDL) law that resulted from the recommendations of the
Teen Driver Safety Task Force makes Illinois’ teen driver program one of the strongest in the nation and,
more importantly, is saving lives,” said Secretary of State Jesse White. “I am encouraged that teen driving
deaths have dropped by over 50 percent since the law took effect in 2008. This law, in conjunction with the
Operation Teen Safe Driving initiative, is having the intended impact on teen driving safety. My
congratulations to the schools selected to participate in this important program. Working together, we can
save more lives and make Illinois roads safer for all of us.”
The Office of the Governor, the Illinois Secretary of State, IDOT’s Division of Traffic Safety, the Illinois State
Police, the Illinois State Board of Education, in partnership with the Ford Motor Company Fund and The
Allstate Foundation are all supporting the Operation Teen Safe Driving program. Also supporting the Illinois
campaign are the Governors Highway Safety Association and SADD (“Students Against Destructive
Decisions”).
IDOT Teen Safe Driving Program
Illinois Transportation Secretary Gary Hannig has announced the high schools selected to participate in
the 2009-2010 Operation Teen Safe Driving program. This statewide safety initiative is designed for teens
to educate their peers about driving responsibly in an effort to decrease the number of fatalities and injuries
involving teenagers in Illinois. These announcements come during the National Teen Safe Drivers Week
as Illinois records a decline in teen fatalities in automobile crashes this year. From January 1 through
October 10, 2009, 60 teens (ages 16-19) lost their lives on Illinois roadways. During the same time period
last year, there were 67 teen deaths.
In total, 105 high schools statewide were selected to participate in this innovative program, which utilizes
Ford Motor Company Fund’s nationally recognized Ford Driving Skills for Life program. The selected high
schools are equally distributed in seven regions across the state.
Williamsville High School was one of the 17 schools chosen in Region 4; other schools in the area
selected include Lanphier, Sacred Heart-Griffin, Southeast and Virginia.
Additional teen safe driving programs contributing to the reduction in teen motor vehicle fatalities include
the latest sweeping changes to Illinois’ teen driving laws initiated by Secretary of State Jesse White.
Effective Jan. 1, 2008, these changes gave Illinois one of the best graduated driver license program in the
nation. Graduated licensing gives teens more time to obtain valuable driving experience while under the
watchful eye of a parent or guardian (doubling the practice time that young drivers must spend with a parent
or guardian from 25 to 50 hours before the teen can obtain an Illinois driver’s license), limits in-car
distractions and requires the teens to earn their way from one stage to the next by avoiding traffic
convictions. Leading national traffic safety experts have lauded Illinois’ graduated driver license program
one that will save lives.
The selection process for the Operation Teen Safe Driving program requires students to identify issues
relating to traffic safety in their community (i.e., underage drinking, driving unbuckled, impaired and
distracted). Students are required to provide information explaining how they would combat the traffic safety
problem and implement a teen awareness program in their school and community.
“We decided to apply for this grant upon the recommendation of Officer Adam Westlake, who is the
Sherman Policse/WHS liaison,” said WHS teacher Jo Ellen Walsh, who is also the Student Council and
Prom sponsor. “Even though we don’t have a big problem with student drivers, we thought it would be a
great way to bring awareness to our students and to the community the dangers of speeding and distracted
driving.”
The program runs from Dec. 1-Feb. 27, and seven of the 17 schools will be awarded a cash prize to be
used for after-prom expenses. The top prize is $2500 and lowest prize is $500.
“I thought it was important that we focus on teen driving safety,” said Westlake. “We definitely saw the
need for something like this to promote safe driving, and I am glad we are participating in this very positive
program.”
The program is peer-driven, so teens will hear from people their own age about safe driving, noted
Westlake, in addition to hearing about it from officers like himself.
“All the planning and paperwork is done by the students,” he said.
All of the selected schools will receive $2000 in grant funding from IDOT’s Division of Traffic Safety and
The Allstate Foundation. The selected schools develop and implement a peer-to-peer based program and
present a report at the conclusion of the program. Winners are selected from each region and each winning
school will receive prize money to host a post-prom party.
The money cannot be spent on advertising, but can be spend on things like T-shirts and flyers.
The top five schools from each region will be invited to send students to a “Driving Skills for Life, Ride
and Drive” event which is sponsored by the Ford Motor Company Fund. Students will observe professional
drivers on two separate courses demonstrating critical driving skills. Teens will then have the opportunity to
drive the same courses with the professional driver sitting in the passenger seat to provide tips and
assistance.
“Saving lives and preventing injuries among teen drivers is a priority for The Allstate Foundation and our
teen safe driving signature program. We congratulate the winning schools and look forward to the great
results from their campaigns,” said Linda Moynihan, Regional Sales Leader for the Midwest Region of
Allstate Insurance.
“The strengthened graduated driver licensing (GDL) law that resulted from the recommendations of the
Teen Driver Safety Task Force makes Illinois’ teen driver program one of the strongest in the nation and,
more importantly, is saving lives,” said Secretary of State Jesse White. “I am encouraged that teen driving
deaths have dropped by over 50 percent since the law took effect in 2008. This law, in conjunction with the
Operation Teen Safe Driving initiative, is having the intended impact on teen driving safety. My
congratulations to the schools selected to participate in this important program. Working together, we can
save more lives and make Illinois roads safer for all of us.”
The Office of the Governor, the Illinois Secretary of State, IDOT’s Division of Traffic Safety, the Illinois State
Police, the Illinois State Board of Education, in partnership with the Ford Motor Company Fund and The
Allstate Foundation are all supporting the Operation Teen Safe Driving program. Also supporting the Illinois
campaign are the Governors Highway Safety Association and SADD (“Students Against Destructive
Decisions”).
Issue Date: Nov. 5, 2009