CHP to Give Teen Driving Safety Course Wednesday

By Bay City News

VALLEJO (BCN) - The Golden Gate Division of the California Highway Patrol is holding a Start Smart driving safety class Wednesday evening for teens and their parents and guardians.

The 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. class also is open to the public, Golden Gate Division personnel and local media.

The class targets teens between 14 and 19 years old who are driving or about to drive and their teen passengers, CHP Sgt. Diana McDermott said.

The Start Smart program is s 2-hour, interactive driver safety class about the critical responsibilities of driving and collision avoidance techniques. It reminds parents of their responsibility to teach their new teen driver and model good behavior, McDermott said.

McDermott said between 2006 and 2008 there were 34,086 fatal and injury collisions with at least one driver between 15 and 19 years old within the CHP's jurisdiction, according to the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System. The collisions killed 895 people and injured 53,121, according to the traffic records system's statistics.

The class is in room 250 in the Golden Gate Division Office at 1551 Benicia Road in Vallejo.

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