Waubonsee program targets teen drivers

Waubonsee Community College is offering parents a free introductory course on the Alive At 25 program, a National Safety Council course for drivers ages 16 to 25.

The seminar will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Academic and Professional Center at the college's Sugar Grove campus, Route 47 at Waubonsee Drive.

Waubonsee offers the four-hour Alive At 25 program for young drivers about eight to 10 times a month, according to Kevin Sullivan, driver safety program manager at Waubonsee.

Young drivers who have received a traffic ticket and are first offenders are required to take the course to complete the court supervision program. Some take the course for insurance purposes, Sullivan said.

Sullivan would like to add the parent version of the program to the curriculum.

"We're offering the introduction in order to gauge the interest level of the parents," he said.

Sullivan said he believes parental involvement can prompt young drivers to take the course voluntarily, before being involved in an accident.

Sullivan was a part-time instructor at Waubonsee before being named to his present post in November. He worked for the Burr Ridge Police Department for 25 years before retiring.

"I grew tired of seeing young people involved in crashes," he said. "It's become an unfortunate rite of passage for young people. Too many teenagers know someone who was killed or involved in a crash. Rather than waiting, we want to reach out to them and get them involved before an accident happens."

Sugar Grove police investigator John Sizer said he would like to see the course offered by the Kaneland school district some day. He wants more teens and parents to become involved.

"If anyone in this age group of 16 to 25 is going to die, it will probably be in a car crash," Sizer said.

"Young drivers are dealing with totally different issues," he added. "When they take the wheel, they are responsible for a lot. It's something older drivers take for granted.

"As a police investigator, I'm very tired of investigating crashes where 18- and 19-year-olds are killed."

To register and for information, call the driver safety program at (630) 906-4184. Walk-ins are also welcome.

Information also is available at www.nsc.org.