Want to learn more about the SMARTDRIVE program? Check out some of these important and informational documents. If you have further questions, please contact us.

• SMARTDRIVE Operations Manual
  
  
• SMARTDRIVE Newsletter - August, 2007
  
  
• SMARTDRIVE Welcome Letter
  
  
• SMARTDRIVE Program Highlights

SmartDrive is operated by the nonprofit SmartDrive Foundation with support from other concerned individuals and organizations in the state of Delaware in response to the senseless and preventable loss of life among our teens in Delaware resulting from poor driving decisions and practices. The desired outcome for SmartDrive is for a significant number of young drivers to make the right decisions every time they are behind the wheel so they will never put themselves, their passengers or their vehicles in harm’s way.

These statistics based on recent driving performance by teen drivers clearly demonstrate the problem we face.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• 36% of all deaths in the 16-19 year old age group are due to fatal motor vehicle accidents.
• Persons aged 15 to 24, who represent only 14% of the U.S. population, account for 30% ($19 billion) of the total costs of motor vehicle injuries among males and 28% ($7 billion) of the total costs of motor vehicle injuries among females.

• One in five 11th graders was involved in a crash that year, while one in every hundred were involved in multiple crashes.
• One in four highway deaths involve someone aged 16 to 24, more than twice that of any other age group.
• Approximately two-thirds of teen vehicle passenger deaths (age 13-19) occur when another teen is driving.
• Two thirds of teen drivers and passengers killed in vehicle crashes were not wearing seat belts.

A 2006 study by the National Highway Safety Administration found that nearly 80% of crashes and 65% of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within 3 seconds before the event.

And, according to statistics gathered from various public safety agencies by TeenDrivingInfo.com:

• Annually, 4166 teens, aged 16-19 die in car crashes -- that is 11 fatalities daily.
• Crash rates are the highest during the first 6 months and 1,000 miles of licensure.
• While on a test track 100% of experienced adult drivers were able to stop at a red light when approaching an intersection while talking on a cell phone. ONLY 33% of inexperienced teen drivers were able to stop at the same intersection while distracted by talking on a cell phone.

In order to achieve its mission, SmartDrive delivers a compelling message; a fun interactive approach; consistent application over time and significant incentives. The heart of the program is an online instructional program that is available to all high school students regionally. The program is administered by SmartDrive with assistance from school administrators and faculty, and other concerned public safety officials and educators from the public and private sectors throughout the region.

Students complete three monthly “modules” that include objective true and false, multiple choice and essay questions presented in an entertaining and challenging multimedia format. Students accumulate points as they complete the various sections. An essential part of this program is active parental involvement with their young drivers, so it is strongly suggested parents participate, and in doing so their children can earn bonus points toward the incentives. The SmartDrive program is separated into three regions: Northern Delaware, Southern Delaware and a Pennsylvania-Maryland region. The winning student in each region in each school year receives a $4,000 post-secondary scholarship. Other students receive other cash and merchandise prizes. The three (3) schools with the highest percentage of participation in each region will win cash awards to be used for prom-related expenses.

In SmartDrive’s fourth full year of operation, the program currently operates in 49 of Delaware’s 54 schools, public and private, and in several schools in Pennsylvania and Maryland. In 2007-2008 approximately 4,800 students participated. As of January 2009, SmartDrive has expanded into the post-secondary sector with the introduction of “SmartDriveU” at Wilmington University’s multiple campuses.

SmartDrive is funded primarily through contributions from a variety of government, corporate and private funding organizations at all levels, as well as individual contributions. There is one full-time paid employee, Corporation Secretary and Program Coordinator Karen Busby, and one part-time, part-year employee. All others work on a volunteer basis on their own or through time granted by their employers.

Board of Directors
Chair:
Julian H. Booker - President/CEO, Delmarva Broadcasting Company

Members:
Honorable M. Jane Brady - Judge, Superior Court, State of Delaware
Steven R. Cebulka - William Penn High School
Karen N. Dickens – Pencader Charter School
Christopher R. Ferguson – Director of Admissions, Wilmington University
Carol Tomlinson – Better Business Bureau of Delaware

Officers

President		Julian H. Booker
Secretary		Karen Busby
Treasurer		Sally Voltz

Grading & Selection Committee
Christopher R. Ferguson, Moderator
Susan Booker, St. Paul School
Donna Hardy, Wilmington College
Maria Mockbee, Bancroft Construction
Sally Voltz, Delmarva Broadcasting Company
Kathy Ward, YMCA Resource Center/Delaware SADD-YELL Coordinator

Curriculum Advisory Committee
Julian H. Booker, Moderator
Karen Busby, Program Coordinator
Karen Dickens, Driver Education Teacher
Harry Roosevelt, Executive Director, Delaware Safety Council
Andrea Doyle, Driver Education Teacher
Cpl. Jeffery Weaver, Delaware State Police
Steven R. Cebulka, Driver Education Teacher