CHP to offer Teen Driving Safety Courses through Start Smart

Traffic accidents are the number one cause of death for people aged 15-19. CHP’s Start Smart Program aims to change that. 

“With the phasing out of driver’s ed traditionally held in high schools years ago, once that was phased out in California, there was a need for getting a traffic education and safety tips and information to young drivers.They are at the highest risk of being involved in a crash, and being injured and or killed in a crash”, says California Highway Patrol Officer Paul Craft. 

This program is designed for drivers aged 15 to 20, and goes beyond traffic laws.

“They have zero experience, so they don’t know what it’s like to be behind the wheel when tires start losing friction on the roadway and they start sliding, or a vehicle pulls out in front of them. And is it safer to slam on my brakes or to steer a certain direction? We’re going to talk about safe driving techniques for collision avoidance. Would it be safer to swerve to miss a rabbit or just drive a straight line and possibly receive some damage to the vehicle from hitting something that small? So, the instinct may be to swerve and take erratic, evasive action that ends up in a crash that could be, prevented or could be a less serious crash”, says Craft. 

The Start Smart class also relies on CHP officers sharing their experiences. 

“We hope that the officers presenting the program have stories and information they can share from personal experiences that help the students to relate to where we live and what those problems and issues that they could run into would be”, he said. 

The program is free but there are a limited number of spots available. 

“Well, we are offering classes at different times. It can be difficult for a parent to come in. maybe on a weekend or an evening. So our goal is to offer this program at various times of day and different days of the week to enable more parents to be here with their students”, says Craft.

You can find more information about Start Smart at the link below, and can sign up by calling the CHP Humboldt Area office at (707) 822-5981. 

Story by Tucker Caraway