Honda Provides $2 Million in Grants to Advance Teen Driver Safety

• Honda providing financial grants to 25 organizations seeking to improve teen driver safety
• Nearly one-third of U.S. traffic fatalities involve drivers under the age of 25
• Application process for 2023 funding cycle awards open through October 31, 2022

TORRANCE, Calif., Oct. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Honda is providing more than $2 million in financial support for 25 organizations across the United States that are focused on teen driver safety. The grants support a wide variety of initiatives aimed at young drivers in the areas of education, training and resources that supplement or go beyond traditional driver's training courses or mandated state driver's programs. 

With nearly one-third of annual traffic fatalities in the U.S. involving drivers under the age of 25,  Honda invited organizations to propose ideas to improve teen safety during National Teen Driver Safety Week in Oct. 2021. Ultimately, Honda selected 25 organizations that are working to advance driver education and safety awareness in their communities supported by the funding from Honda. The company is now accepting new grant applications through October 31, 2022, at https://csr.honda.com/community/honda-giving/ for funding in 2023.

The teen driver safety initiative builds on Honda's longstanding "Safety for Everyone" approach, a commitment to advance safety for everyone sharing the road. Honda also has added information on teen safety to the safety education section of its consumer website.  

"Honda is pleased to support organizations actively working in their local communities, and at the national level, to advance driver education and safety awareness," said Yvette Hunsicker, vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility and Inclusion & Diversity at American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "Together, we hope to identify the most effective ways to reach and positively influence young drivers."

2022 Honda Teen Traffic Safety Grant Awardees             

Advancement through Opportunity & Knowledge, Inc. – Los Angeles

Delivering comprehensive driver education, safety training and driving training to 60 foster youth in three schools.

Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation – Swedesboro, N.J.

Creating public service announcements to appeal to teens' caring and community responsibility to discourage distracted driving.

Clemson University Foundation – Clemson, S.C.

Using a driving simulator at a public high school to evaluate the effectiveness of ABS-activated emergency stopping.

Coastal Georgia Center for Driver Safety – Savannah, Ga.

Providing greater access to distracted driver education and alcohol-impaired driving prevention.

Croom Foundation – Tuscaloosa, Ala.

The foundation's Elevating Individuals Through Excellence (ELITE) program includes curriculum focusing on teen driver safety and education from pre-permit to post license.

Daybreak, Inc. – Dayton, Ohio

Providing homeless youth with services to assist with gaining a driving permit and license.

DCCCA, Inc. – Ames, Iowa

Supporting Seatbelts Are For Everyone (SAFE) program to decrease the number of teen injuries and deaths from vehicle crashes.

Edheads – Hilliard, Ohio

Updating online Crash Scene Investigation Simulation involving high school students in measuring and data collection.

Financial Beginnings California – Portland, Ore.

Educating youth on personal and financial risks of automobile ownership/use.

Grady Memorial Hospital – Atlanta

Implementing "Shattered Dreams," a distracted driving-based scenario program for middle and high school students.

Heart of Unlimited Boundaries, Inc. – West Liberty, Ohio

Working with a licensed occupational therapist to formalize a comprehensive assessment tool for pre-permit students with autism.

John R Elliott Foundation – Somers Point, N.J.

Providing traffic safety educational programs by raising awareness of the importance of being a safe driver. 

Littleton Public Schools Driver Education – Littleton, Colo.

Educating teen drivers through scholarship program, driver simulation and parent workshops.

Maria Tiberi Foundation – Dublin, Ohio

Installing driving simulators to be used by students as a graduation requirement at the Eastland Career Center's Simulator School, also to be made available to the public outside of school hours.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools – Miami

Creating an enhanced safety driving educational program that increases teacher certification, develops curriculum and provides real-world driving simulation opportunities.

Muskingum Valley Educational Service Center – Zanesville, Ohio

Serving as low-cost alternative to private driving lessons for nearly 2,000 high school students in southeastern Ohio.

National Safety Council – Itasca, Ill.

Producing parent education events and promoting DriveitHOME, free resources parents can use to help teens build experience behind the wheel and become safer drivers.

Nationwide Children's Hospital Foundation – Columbus, Ohio

Conducting ongoing research on the effectiveness of an innovative in-vehicle driving feedback technology to reduce risky driving events and unsafe driving behaviors.

Put On The B.R.A.K.E.S., Inc. – Concord, N.C.

Training teens and parents through Teen Pro-Active Driving Schools.

Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD, Inc.) – Washington, D.C.

Equipping "It's More Than Just a License" program chapters with a distracted driving toolkit and mentors to lead training to eleventh grade students.

Safe Kids Worldwide – Washington, D.C.

Partnering with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to enhance awareness of driver safety messages and promote behavior change amongst teens.

SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. – Altadena, Calif.

Implementing a digital education program across DMV offices in California with training, presentations and outreach to reduce harm to children from impaired drivers.

ThinkFirst Foundation – Naperville, Ill.

Teaching parents and their teens about the risks to teen drivers through an evidence-based educational safety program taught by health professionals and law enforcement officers.

University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB) Educational Foundation – Birmingham, Ala.

Expanding program to increase awareness of safety on roadways to positively impact around 2,000 additional students, building relationships with teen drivers and community leaders.

West Athens Westmont Community Resource Corp. – Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Providing financial support for high-risk, low-income teens and other qualified individuals who can't afford driver education courses.

Honda Commitment to Safety
Based on its vision for a collision-free society by 2050, Honda is working to improve safety for everyone sharing the road, an approach Honda calls "Safety for Everyone." The company operates two of the world's most sophisticated crash-test facilities in Ohio and Japan, and is responsible for numerous pioneering efforts in the areas of crashworthiness, collision compatibility and pedestrian safety.

Advanced passive safety features include Honda's proprietary Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure and next-generation front airbag technology, which are designed to provide a high level of collision protection for occupants. Advanced active safety and driver-assistive systems found in Honda Sensing® and AcuraWatch™ technologies, now on nearly 5 million vehicles on U.S. roads, are designed to reduce the frequency and severity of collisions while also serving as a technological and perceptual bridge to the more highly automated vehicles of the future.

About Honda Corporate Social Responsibility and the Honda USA Foundation
For more than 60 years in the U.S., Honda has been committed to making positive contributions to the communities where its associates live and work. Honda's mission is to create products and services that help people fulfill their life's potential, while conducting business in a sustainable manner and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Advancing its corporate social responsibility, Honda and the Honda USA Foundation support this direction through giving focused on education, the environment, mobility, traffic safety and community.

Learn more at http://csr.honda.com/.

SOURCE American Honda Motor Co., Inc.