FORT MYERS — The Florida Sheriffs Association (FSA) is pleased to announce that State Farm has generously granted $50,000 to the Teen Driver Challenge, an educational course that provides training to teenage drivers. The program plays as a vital contribution in protecting Florida’s teen drivers and everyone else on the roadway. State Farm has granted a total of $860,000 to the program since 2011.

“We are thankful for State Farm’s support over the past ten years which has allowed the program to be offered to Florida’s teen drivers at no cost to participants,” said FSA President and Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis. “We look forward to maintaining this partnership to keep our roads safe, and our youngest drivers informed.”

At the request of Florida’s Sheriffs, the Teen Driver Challenge was created in 2007 to lower the high crash and fatality rate of young drivers. It’s the largest commercial driving school in Florida and is offered to teens at no charge. The cost to run this program is covered by grants from State Farm and contributions from local sheriff’s offices. Instructors are certified law enforcement officers with accreditations from the State of Florida Division of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, under the Florida Sheriffs Association’s State of Florida Commercial Driving School License. The program is currently available in more than 40 counties and coming to additional ones soon.

“State Farm strongly supports efforts that increase teen driver safety in our communities,” said Jose Soto, State Farm Corporate Responsibility Analyst. “Each student who enrolls in the Teen Driver Challenge Program will learn and benefit from the special knowledge and skills of certified law enforcement instructors.”

The importance of the Teen Driver Challenge is supported by statistics. According to the Center for Disease Control, teens are involved in three times as many fatality crashes as other drivers. Vehicle accidents are the leading cause of these fatality crashes. The Teen Driver Challenge aims to lower this rate by empowering teens with safe driving knowledge and practices. More than 2,000 students successfully complete the challenge in Florida each year.

For more information on the Teen Driver Challenge, visit www.teendriverchallenge.com. To register for the program or find class offerings in your area, please contact your local Sheriff’s Office. Remember to like the Teen Driver Challenge page on Facebook and follow them on Instagram.