The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office is hosting several teen driver safety courses to help prepare young teens before they hit the road.
Cumberland County Investigator Sarah Smith said the two-day course teaches teens the meaning of road signs, road etiquette, and the importance of being a safe driver. Smith said the course was put together after the Sheriff’s Office was looking for more ways to help the community.
“I know here in Cumberland County, they no longer have classes in the schools for driver safety,” Smith said. “And so there is a miss, there is a blank, there is some room that needs improvement, things that need to be taught, and we are trying to get that out there to get them educated.”
Smith said, unfortunately, the Sheriff’s Office is seeing a lot of teens who are unsafe drivers. Smith said most of the time, teens are reckless when driving simply because they do not know the rules of the road.
“I do believe that a lot of it is that they are not aware of the law, and that they are just not informed,” Smith said. “The only thing that they do is they go online and they take their little driver’s test, get their permit, and then they are on the road.”
Smith said the course also tells stories of what the consequences are of not following road rules. Smith said part of the hands-on experience is to teach kids the reality of what can happen when not driving safely.
“They go through an obstacle course in a pedal cart with DUI goggles so they can see, you know, how difficult it is to maneuver that bike with the drunk goggles on, and they do distracted driving while they are texting and driving on a cart as well, just to kind of put it into a better perspective for them about this is how it can lead to injuries or wrecks.”
Smith said cell phones very often cause distracted driving for teen drivers. Smith said the ultimate goal is to make teens more well-rounded drivers and make the roads safer in Cumberland County.
Smith said the Sheriff’s Office is planning to have another course this November.
