Students at every Michigan high school have the opportunity to help make their fellow teens better drivers by participating in this year’s Strive for a Safer Drive campaign. Started in Michigan in 2011, this will be the program’s 10th year.

In 2019, teens and young adults, ages 15-20, accounted for 8 percent of all traffic deaths in Michigan, with 55.7 percent of those deaths being the driver.

The campaign encourages teens to talk to other teens, along with community members, about making safe driving choices. Schools will develop and implement a student-led, peer-to-peer traffic safety awareness campaign. This project does not need face-to-face instruction to work. It can be done successfully in a virtual environment.

Participating schools will each receive $1,000 to conduct their campaign. Once the campaigns are completed and a final project is submitted, cash prizes will be awarded to the top five schools.

All participating schools will have the opportunity to send students to a free Ford DSFL hands-on driving clinic in the spring. Professional driving instructors from across the country will teach teens key skills such as hazard recognition, speed and space management, and vehicle handling with hands-on instruction.

Every Michigan high school is encouraged to apply for the S4SD campaign. Application information, including examples of winning campaigns and tips for success is available on Michigan.gov/s4sd. Applications are due November 20.