Sheriff Dawsy is committed to the safety of the community including our
youth and has implemented a number of programs directing the efforts of
the Sheriff’s Office to provide education and training to protect
them. These programs have targeted issues that concern parents, and
now Sheriff Dawsy is offering a new program specifically designed for the
teen driver. The program is known as “The Teen Driver
Challenge". The challenge is backed by the Florida Sheriff’s
Association and supported by the Sheriff.
The Teen Driver Challenge is the result of a committee assembled
by the Florida Sheriff’s Association, including law enforcement
driving instructors from around the state and the Citrus County
Sheriff’s Office.
The committee identified that 25% to 30% of teen drivers will be
involved in a crash during the first year of driving. Traffic
crashes are the number one cause of death among teens and cause
billions of dollars in loss annually.
The Teen Driver Challenge is an effective program providing
information and first hand experience. If confronted with
an emergency situation students who complete this course will
have the knowledge and skills to react accordingly and reduce
the chance of becoming a statistic.
With those statistics alone it was imperative that the committee
address ways to reduce the risk our teens have in driving and
build a program to provide instruction by Florida Department of
Law Enforcement Certified Driving Instructors. The Teen
Driver Challenge is not an advanced driving course. It is
a defensive driving program that covers the following topics and
driving exercises:
Topics (4 Hours - Classroom)
- Vehicle Dynamics
- Human Factors
- Responsibility
- Liability
- Drug and Alcohol Use
- Night Driving
- Aggressive Driving and Road Rage
Driving Exercises (8 Hours - Driving Range)
- Threshold, ABS, and Emergency Braking
- Evasive Maneuvers
- Cornering
- Backing
- Forward and Reverse Serpentine
- Figure 8
- Off Road Recovery
- Skid Control
Classes will be scheduled monthly, Friday evenings and all day
Saturday. The Teen is required to have a valid Florida Operators
License and drive a car they will be using a majority of the
time. (The Sheriff’s Office will not provide cars for this
program.) There will be a $100.00 deposit required to hold
space in a class, which will be refunded and returned upon completion
of the class. The $100.00 is non-refundable if a teen fails to
attend their scheduled class.
Please click the links below for release forms and
applications. For further information please call the Sheriff’s
Office or contact the School Resource Officer at your child’s high
school.
726-2241 Ext. 235 - SRO, Citrus High School
795-4641 Ext. 244 - SRO, Crystal River High School
746-2334 Ext. 247 - SRO, Lecanto High School