Colonie Central High School masthead graphic
Colonie Central High School bottom masthead graphic

 

Our Schools navigation headingclick to visit Colonie Central High School home pageclick to visit Lisha Kill Middle School home pageclick to visit Sand Creek Middle School home pageclick to visit Forest Park Elementary home pageclick to visit Roessleville Elementary home pageclick to visit Saddlewood Elementary home pageclick to visit Shaker Road Elementary home pageclick to visit Veeder Elementary home pageclick to visit Central Avenue Learning Center home page
Colonie Central High School News

skills for life logo'Driving Skills For Life' Training Comes to Colonie High School

Posted october 11, 2011

Does driving while drunk or driving while distracted really change one's abilities behind the wheel?

Colonie Central High School students learned this firsthand by participating in simulations this fall, when the CCHS parking lot was the site of a national, award-winning teen safe driving program.

Ford challengeThe Ford Motor Company brought its hands-on "Driving Skills for Life" training to only two Capital Region high schools this year as part of a 30-city national training tour. In New York state, CCHS and Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake were selected to participate in the program in October.

View a photo gallery of this Driving Skills For Life Experience

"Getting a driver's license, and the freedom that comes with it is an exciting milestone for our students,” said CCHS Principal Dave Wetzel. “Often, that excitement overshadows the reality that driving a car takes concentration and skill. Ford's Driving Skills for Life gives them a hands-on experience that shows them the importance of driver safety and responsibility.”

In addition to a morning assembly for CCHS juniors and seniors, students who were already licensed drivers took part in outdoor training modules behind the wheel of three different Ford vehicles to improve their skills in four areas: hazard recognition, vehicle handling, space management, and speed management.

These hands-on training modules included:

  • Evaluating their ability to drive around a number of traffic cones in a Ford Focus with and without distractions, similar to what occurs in driving while texting.

  • Driving a Ford Fiesta with and without "fatal vision" goggles, which simulate driving drunk.

  • Learning how to recover from a skid, such as occurs with black ice, behind the wheel of a Ford Mustang.

  • A tent full of other exercises, such as one's ability to walk a straight line while wearing the "fatal vision" goggles.

New York State Police were also on hand to simulate what a car rollover or cash as just 7 mph feels like. Quite a jolt!

Established in 2003 by the Ford Motor Company Fund, the Governors Highway Safety Association and a panel of safety experts, Ford Driving Skills for Life teaches newly-licensed teens the necessary skills for safe driving beyond what they learn in standard driver education programs.

“Inexperience is the leading cause of crashes in young drivers, and this program delivers the key skill sets that will increase their knowledge, confidence and, ultimately, their safety,” said Sue Cischke, Ford’s group vice president, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. “Ford is passionate about helping young drivers learn the rules of the road, better manage distractions behind the wheel and help make America’s roads safer for all of us.”

Vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers throughout the nation. Specifically, the majority of these crashes are attributed to inexperience in four key skills: Distractions, Vehicle Handling, Space Management and Speed Management — all areas of concentration in the Ford DSFL program.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for the most current data available, motor vehicle traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for New Yorkers age 15-24. In addition, drivers ages 16-24 in fatal and personal injury (F&PI) crashes were twice as likely as all drivers in F&PI crashes to have “unsafe speed” reported as a contributing factor (12% vs. 6% in 2009) and more than twice as likely to have “driver inexperience” reported as a contributing factor (5% vs. 2% in 2009).

"The New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee office is eager to help young drivers understand the responsibilities that come with a driver's license,” said Chuck DeWeese, Assistant Commissioner, Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. “I know that it's fun to get in the car with a group of friends and head to the lake, a basketball game, or a party. But distracted or impaired driving, excessive speed, or not knowing how to handle the vehicle properly can turn a fun time tragic in a matter of seconds. Ford's Driving Skills for Life program is one more way we can educate young drivers against those dangers."