Alive at 25-North Hunterdon High School

Student Program

This young driver intervention program zeroes in on drivers between the ages of 16 and 24 - the group most likely to be involved in fatal collisions. This highly interactive four-hour program teaches young drivers how to take control of situations by taking responsibility for their own driving behavior. The program will be presented to all members of the Class of 2009 during their health and physical education classes the following days: May 22^nd, May 23^rd, May 27^th, May 28^th and May 29^th. (The change in dates is due to the Biology HSPA that the juniors will be taking on May 19th and 20th) In order to obtain a parking permit on campus for 2008-2009 all juniors must attend all 5 class sessions (see attendance section below). The student section of the Alive at 25 program will be taught in 4 sections over the 5 days. The four sections are:

Session 1: Why are We at Risk?
Session 2: You be the Judge.
Session 3: Taking Control.
Session 4: Taking Charge!

Vehicle crashes are the #1 cause of death for people between the ages of 16 and 24. The National Safety Council, a leader in driver improvement training for more than 40 years, developed DDC-Alive at 25 to specifically target drivers in this age group.

Since 1995, more than 400,000 young adults have learned life-saving defensive driving skills through DDC-Alive at 25.
In a recent study by the Colorado State Patrol, 93% of DDC- Alive at 25 participants said they would change their driving behavior afterwards.

This highly interactive four-hour program encourages young drivers between the ages of 16 and 24 to take responsibility for their driving behavior. Skill practices and on-the-spot defensive driving techniques help change bravado to confidence.

Our DDC-Alive at 25 instructors use personal examples and even humor to get their point across. They use workbook exercises, interactive media segments, group discussions, role-playing, and short lectures to help young drivers develop convictions and strategies that will keep them safer on the road.

DDC-Alive at 25 teaches young adults that:

People in their age group are more likely to be hurt or killed in a vehicle crash.
Inexperience, distractions, and peer pressure cause unique driving hazards.
Speeding, alcohol, and "party drugs" greatly increase their risk of injury or death.
As a driver or passenger, they can greatly reduce their risk by taking control.
Committing to changing their driving behavior makes personal, legal and financial sense.

Attendance for Junior's during the Alive at 25 Program:

Please be aware that attendance during ALL 5 days of the Alive at 25 is MANDATORY. If you miss two or more days during the program you will NOT be able to obtain a parking permit for the first semester during the 2008-2009 school year. If you know that you are going to miss one day, please plan to meet with your teacher after school so you can receive the lesson. This is only for emergencies and needs to be pre-planned. Attendance to the program is required in order to obtain parking permit for the 2008-2009 school year.

Parent Program

Students DO NOT need to attend the program with their parents.

Partnering with Your Teen Driver

To properly prepare teens to drive, parents must have a clear understanding of the risks they face. That’s why the National Safety Council developed the Alive at 25 Parent Program. The course identifies those risks and helps parents reinforce basic driving skills and good decision-making to help teens become safe, responsible, and defensive drivers. North Hunterdon High School is making this program mandatory for parents of all Class of 2009 students. In order to be able to obtain a parking permit on campus for next year the student AND parent must attend their respective programs. Parents must attend ONE of the following sessions. The parent program will be offered on different dates to accommodate your schedule. The course will be offered at North Hunterdon High School on:

Tuesday, May 27th at 7pm in the Theatre,
Wednesday, May 28th at 7pm in the Main Gym, and
Thursday, May 29th at 7pm in the Main Gym.

Please plan on sessions lasting approximately 1.5 hours. You do not need to RSVP for the session you are going to attend as you will be signing in at the event, unless attending a session at Voorhees. If you are unable to attend the sessions being offered at North Hunterdon, you may attend the sessions being offered at Voorhees High School. The session are May 8th at 2:30pm, May 13th at 2:30pm and May 21st at 7pm. If you are going to attend the program at VHS please contact me FIRST so I can make arrangements with the VHS staff coordinating the program. You can contact me at tkraatz@nhvweb.net.

This innovative program gets parents involved in training their teens to drive safely and responsibly by:

Encouraging parent/teen partnership throughout the entire process, from learning to drive through independent driving.
Offering practical solutions so parents can take responsibility to reduce the unique risks and hazards teen drivers face.
Helping parents understand teens’ need for defensive driver training.
Examining how to approach Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) laws, in addition to those related to safety belts, speeding, and alcohol and drugs.
Providing a recommended example of an effective Parent/Teen Driver Contract and discussing the importance of how parents and teens can use it to manage their driving experience.