June 1, 2011 - Michigan State Police Offers Teens a Scholarship Opportunity to Attend Defensive Driving Class; Scholarships Made Possible by Keisha MacDonald Foundation
LANSING. The Michigan State Police (MSP) today announced a scholarship opportunity for seven teens to attend a one-day Teen Defensive Driving class taught by the MSP Precision Driving Unit.
Teens have until June 13 to apply for the scholarship for their chance to be randomly selected. To qualify, the teen must be between 16 and 18 years of age and have a level 2 graduated driver's license. To enter and for additional information on the scholarship, parents and teens should visit www.michigan.gov/msp.
"This is a great opportunity for teen drivers to receive top-notch training and to get useful tips to help them stay safe on the roads," said Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue, director of the MSP. "We hope families will take advantage of this scholarship opportunity for their teen. This class will help teens improve their driving skills, learn to make informed decisions, and to anticipate dangerous situations while driving."
The defensive driving class is tailored for young drivers and includes seven hours of hands-on training and one hour of classroom instruction. The class size is limited to 15 students to allow a three-to-one student/instructor ratio. The areas covered in class and reinforced during practical exercises include:
- Defensive driving
- Skid control
- Serpentine control
- Controlled braking
- Evasive maneuvering
- Confined area maneuvering
- Off-road recovery (emergency)
The scholarship recipients will be announced on June 14. Recipients of the scholarship will attend the defensive driving classes on June 29 and June 30.
The scholarships are made possible by a donation from the Keisha MacDonald Dare 2 Dream Foundation. The foundation was created to honor the life of Keisha Michelle MacDonald who was tragically killed in a car accident on February 20, 2007, the same day her modeling agent was in New York negotiating contracts with agencies in Asia and New York that would have made Keisha the star she had always dreamed of becoming. The foundation aims to reward teens who, like Keisha, have the courage to chase their dreams and the drive to attain success. For more information about the Keisha MacDonald Dare 2 Dream Foundation, visit www.rememberkeisha.com.
"I believe if Keisha could have taken this very important defensive driving training class, she might still be here with me today," said Ms. Linda MacDonald, Keisha's mother and president of the Keisha MacDonald Dare 2 Dream Foundation. "I fully support the Michigan State Police in trying to make a difference to help save the lives of other young teen drivers."
The MSP Teen Driving class is offered from June 27-July 1 and from August 1-5. Tuition for the program is $100 per student. For more information on the class, visit www.michigan.gov/pdu.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Tiffany Brown
Public Affairs Section
(517) 241-0970
Tarek Sasy
Precision Driving Unit
(517) 322-1507
