The FDOT Safety Office, along with its partners, presented The Florida Teen Safe Driving Coalition’s fourth annual Leadership Academy. Starting on June 13, 2016 and meeting at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg for four days, students focused on the cultivation of teen peer advocacy groups within the State of Florida. Teens from all over the state learned about the benefits and the need for Graduated Driver’s License (GDL) laws and the benefits of safety belt use. They discussed the hazards of distracted driving and texting, speeding, impaired driving, and underage drinking as well as how to educate their peers and community leaders on these issues. Additionally, the teens were able to engage and learn from two strong advocates for teen driving safety, State Representative Edwin Narain and 2010 Rookie of the Year, Formula racecar driver, Tristan Nunez. The leadership academy is an example of how public and private traffic safety organizations can be successful when working in cooperation on a single goal – saving lives. Our Leadership Academy has been recognized by the National Safety Council and by the Governor’s Highway Safety Administration for its efforts.
The Florida Teen Safe Driving Coalition was created in 2013 to encourage teen participation in the four E’s (engineering, enforcement, education, and emergency response) by developing a statewide program that includes peer to peer education and prevention strategies in schools and communities.
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