Alive at 25 Defensive Driving Course for Young Drivers
What is Alive at 25?
Offered by the South Dakota Department of Public Safety and the South Dakota Safety Council the Alive at 25 Defensive Driving Course is a proven program designed to increase safe driving behavior in young adults aged 14-24.
It's a defensive driving/behavioral modification course developed by the National Safety Council, designed to prevent the number one killer of young adults, automobile crashes. The 4 ½-hour course focuses on common behaviors and decision-making practices of young drivers and passengers. Instructors hold candid conversations with students about what will happen if they choose to participate in risky behavior or other poor decision making activities while in a vehicle (as a passenger or driver).
- No driving and no test
- Certificate of completion awarded
- Taught by professional traffic safety instructors, including South Dakota Highway Patrol Troopers
What will I learn?
- Are you a potential statistic? Helps young adults face the facts: young adults are more likely to be hurt or killed in a vehicle crash.
- Recognize the hazard!Learn to recognize unnecessary risks, identify driving hazards and combat them.
- Understand the defense. How to take control of the situation as the driver or passenger. How to avoid risky actions.
- Act correctly, in time! Explore instances where you or other young drivers have lost control, and how to take charge of your actions.
These behaviors and their implications are explored in-depth through a combination of subject discussions and interactive teaching tools including:
- Risk identification
- Interactive video participation
- Experience sharing with peers
- Role-playing in various driving situations
- Distraction/Impairment activities
- Driving law review - local and traffic
Research shows the leading cause of young driver collisions involve one or more of the following factors:
- Lack of awareness of the consequences of risk-taking behavior
- Inexperience with complexities of driving
- Peers in vehicle with the youthful driver
- Driving as a social activity
- Speeding
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs