Frankfort, KY (June 21, 2004) – The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will join the nationally recognized company Driver’s Edge in Florence, Kentucky at Turfway Park on June 26, 2004 to teach safe driving skills. Over 200 young drivers and their parents will have the opportunity to attend this FREE event.

The Driver's Edge program, taught by professional race car drivers and driving instructors, will give young drivers a behind the wheel opportunity to learn how to avoid collisions, including exercises in skid control, evasive lane change maneuvers, anti-lock braking skills and panic braking technique. As part of the day's activities, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will teach teens about highway safety using their popular rollover simulator and fatal-vision goggle demonstrations.

Driver's Edge, a non-profit company founded by professional race car driver Jeff Payne, was specifically developed to help address the growing number of youth related automobile collisions and fatalities in the United States. To date, over 10,000 young drivers and their parents have attended a Driver’s Edge program. A total of 25,000 are expected to attend by year end. Research indicates that young drivers that have attended a Driver’s Edge program are 54% less likely to have a collision than those that have not attended the program. While a comparable program would cost approximately $450 per person, Driver’s Edge is available at NO COST to its participants as Driver’s Edge is funded entirely by charitable donations, public grants and corporate partnerships, including 2004 National Tour presenting sponsor Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, LLC.

In 2003, over 8,000 young drivers (aged 15 to 20) were involved in fatal automobile collisions in the United States. It is the leading cause of death for the age group, outnumbering deaths by drug use, guns and other violence combined by more than a two to one margin. Inexperience is most often cited as the cause of these tragedies.

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