Lorain City Schools Driving Towards Safer Roads with New Drivers Ed Program
Lorain City Schools Driving Towards Safer Roads with New Drivers Ed Program
LORAIN — Three seconds could be the difference between life and death on the road – and Idalyz Vazquez is counting every one of them.
Behind the wheel of the 2024 Honda Civic student-driving car at Lorain High School, the junior recites traffic laws and safety guidelines she's memorized through the school's driver education program. She's particularly mindful of the National Safety Council's three-second rule for maintaining safe following distance.
"I actually know a lot of the driving laws by heart," Vazquez said Tuesday as she prepared for another practice session. "I memorized them, along with a lot of methods I didn't know about driving, like the three-second rule."
For Vazquez and many other young drivers at Lorain High, the in-school program removes a significant barrier to getting licensed, as traditional driver's education can be cost-prohibitive.
"Without this course, I probably wouldn't have been able to take driver's ed," she said. "But I don't have to worry about that, and I think this class will allow me to be a safer driver and avoid crashes."
As National Teen Driver Safety Week (Oct. 20-26) highlights the importance of safe teen driving, Lorain City Schools is marking a milestone in its driver's education program. Thanks to a $25,000 grant from Ohio Job and Family Services, the district has fully covered the cost of driver's ed, leaving students responsible only for the driver's license fee.
The driver's education program, launched earlier this year, makes Lorain one of the few districts in Ohio to teach students about road safety, driving laws and what it means to get behind the wheel during the school day, allowing students to earn 0.5 elective credits. It was spearheaded by Executive Director of Secondary Initiatives Mic Becerra and supported by a CODE grant from the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
"The CODE grant covers most of the cost for every student to take driver's ed, but there was still a small fee per student that we didn't want to pass on," Becerra said.
Determined to make the program accessible to all, the district partnered with Ohio JFS to secure additional funding.
Becerra and Director of Operations Tony Dimacchia met with Ohio JFS representatives, who, after hearing about the program's impact, funded the additional $25,000 to cover remaining costs.
"This funding ensures more students can participate without financial barriers," Becerra said.
Teen driving safety remains a crucial issue, with state data highlighting the risks young drivers face. Ohio traffic data shows that teen drivers are disproportionately involved in crashes, making education and training vital for reducing these incidents.
Career technical education teacher Ron Sturgill, the in-car driving instructor, has noticed a common mistake students make that can mean the difference between passing and failing the state driving test.
"Stop signs. Something as simple as stop signs, a lot of kids are failing to stop properly at stop signs," he said, noting that Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers have told the teacher they see the same thing. "There are two ways to stop. If they have the stop bars, you are supposed to stop behind the stop bars. But if there are no stop bars, you are supposed to pull up until you can see. If you do a double stop when there are no stop bars, they will deduct points."
These fundamental skills, along with the program's accessibility, are already showing promise in preparing Lorain's young drivers for the road.
The Lorain Schools initiative ties directly into the state's efforts to reduce disproportionately high teen crash rates and gives students a head start in safety and independence.
Becerra emphasized the broader impact as the first cohort of students nears completion.
"This isn't just about driving — it's about helping students gain independence, get to jobs and feel empowered. It's a critical step toward both safety and opportunity," he said.