A pair of Livingston County high schools will be participating in a program to help keep teens safe on the road.

Brighton High School and Hartland High School are 2 of the 62 different high schools from across Michigan that are taking part in the Strive For a Safer Drive, or S4SD, program. S4SD comes from a public-private partnership between Ford Driving Skills for Life and the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning. The goal of this peer-led safety campaign is to reduce traffic crashes which are the leading cause of death for teenagers. OHSP Director Michael Prince said that inexperience and risk-taking behavior are factors that increase the risk of accidents for young drivers, and that they are aiming to increase safety and raise awareness about teen driving in a way that is relatable to the students.

Both Brighton and Hartland High Schools will receive $1,000 from the program for students to kick start their peer-led campaigns educating fellow classmates about distracted driving, seat belt use, speeding, underaged drinking and impaired driving, and/or winter driving. The students will also create and submit a video or Power Point presentation, and if they are in the top 5 from across the state, will win their school a cash prize ranging from $500 to $1,500.

Near the completion of the program, schools will have the opportunity to send their students to a free, hands-on driving clinic sponsored by Ford Driving Skills for Life in the spring.

For more information on the program, visit www.Michigan.gov/s4sd.(MK)