Local crash data shows Wright County’s youngest and most inexperienced drivers are involved in the highest proportion of crashes. Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for Wright County teens.

To help new drivers and their parents prepare for teens getting behind the wheel, SCWC hosts Parent–Teen Driver’s Education Presentations in cooperation with local school districts. Soon-to-be drivers and their parents attend a 90-minute presentation as part of the Driver’s Education classroom training. The presentation includes speakers who represent local law enforcement, emergency medical services, and crash survivors or crash impact speakers. The focus of the presentation is to educate the audience on the seriousness of teen driving, the real risk of teen crashes, and what parents and teens can do to make things safer when new drivers are behind the wheel. The school districts coordinate this program with SCWC as part of their Community Education or Driver’s Education classroom experiences. For more information on dates and times for these presentations, please contact your local school district.

SCWC has evaluated this program and these are the results of past surveys:

• From parents
  • 99% indicate the presentation adds value to the driver’s ed course
  • 91% will change the way they teach their child to drive as a result of the information shared
  • 88% will place driving restrictions on their child as a result of the information shared
  • 77% will change their own driving habits as a result of the information shared
• From students
  • 97% indicate the presentation adds value to the driver’s ed course
  • 94% indicate the presentation will influence their new driving habits

Putting together a Parent-Teen Presentation takes a lot of work and commitment. Key partners in this project include Wright County Public Health, Wright County Sheriff’s Office, Annandale, Buffalo, and Howard Lake Police Departments, Allina Health EMS, CentraCare EMS, and numerous other committed volunteers.

Safe Communities of Wright County won the 2006 MN STAR Award given out by the Department of Public Safety, Office of Traffic Safety for excellence in traffic safety. The award was given to SCWC for their exemplary work with the Parent-Teen Presentations in Wright County.

Here’s a picture from May of 2023, taken in Maple Lake at a Parent-Teen Presentation. Greg and Amy LaVallee are speaking about losing their son, Phillip, to a distracted driver.