Ford Motors to Bring National Safety Initiative to Town

Ford Motor Co. has announced that they will be making a stop in Windham during a 30-town safe driving tour geared toward the nation's high schools.

The program is called "Driving Skills for Life," and was created in 2003 as a national safety initiative. Ford partnered up with the Governors Highway Safety Association along with a panel of safety experts to organize the $1 million tour. It will make its stop in town next Wednesday, Sept 21, bringing along a 2011 Ford Mustang.

The company has listed four key areas that they are trying to help young drivers in, which are distractions and hazard recognition, speed management, space management and vehicle handling. Ford has isolated these areas as being the cause of more than 60 percent of teen car crashes.

Vanessa LeBlanc, a spokesperson for Ford and a native Granite-stater, spoke of the company's decision to come to Windham.

"Ford is proud to be reaching out and partnering with communities like Windham that realize how important programs like Driving Skills for Life are in shaping teens into safer drivers," said LeBlanc. "We're excited to be bringing this program to Windham High School as part of our 30-city tour."

The company has already taken the program just outside of Portland, Maine this week where they visited Scarborough and Bonny Eagle High Schools. These were the two kickoff events from the New England portion of the tour.

For LeBlanc, it's all about showing teens how important safe driving is.

"Vehicle crashes claim thousands of teenage lives every year – from the big cities to the small towns," said LeBlanc.

According to the company website, the program utilizes driving instructors from all over the United States, Canada and Honduras. Many of those drivers have racing backgrounds.

The tour will also make an appearance at Sanborn Regional High School one day later on Sept. 22. Student waiver forms for Windham participants are due by the end of the school day on Sept. 19.