Greater Lawrence Technical School (GLTS) partnered with In Control Crash Prevention on June 10 and 12 to provide junior students with a hands-on driving safety program aimed at reducing preventable crashes and promoting responsible driving.
Held during students’ shop week, the program was funded by a grant and offered participants a chance to experience the dangers of reckless driving in a safe, controlled environment. The sessions focused on key risk areas including speeding, distracted and impaired driving, and not wearing seat belts.
Over two days, students rode as passengers with trained instructors in real vehicles, witnessing how quickly unsafe driving decisions can lead to dangerous situations. The 10- to 12-minute demonstrations were designed to leave a lasting impression on young drivers as they prepare to take the wheel.
“This event gave our students a truly eye-opening perspective on how quickly things can go wrong on the road,” said GLTS Principal Chet Jackson. “We are grateful to In Control and their team for making safety accessible and relatable for our students.”
Finley Hurley, an 11th-grade Auto Tech student, described the experience as both “fun” and “eye-opening.”
“I have fortunately never been in an accident,” Hurley said. “I’ve always worn my seatbelt, but now it’s an extra reminder to wear it all the time.”
In Control Crash Prevention, a nonprofit and the first state-certified crash prevention training provider in the U.S., has trained over 40,000 students to date. Their closed-course curriculum — adapted from law enforcement and European driving programs — has been shown in third-party studies to reduce crash rates by 70 percent among graduates.
In addition to school-based programming, In Control also offers free hands-on crash prevention classes for licensed or permitted teens. More information is available at www.driveincontrol.org/new-drivers.
The GLTS sessions were organized by Assistant Superintendent Brenda Richardson in collaboration with In Control Executive Director Dan Strollo, who continues to lead the organization’s efforts to promote driver safety through education and outreach.