The Iowa Department of Transportation is using a new program called “Alive at 25” to help young drivers who have violated the rules for their restricted licenses. Vania Boyd is the DOT’s Driver Education Program Manager, and she says this program covers 16-year-old drivers who go into the Remedial Driver Improvement Program.
Boyd says they looked at what other states are doing for drivers with intermediate licenses.
Boyd says the Alive at 25 program is hosted by the Iowa-Illinois Safety Council.
Boyd says drivers at this level face a 30-day suspension of their license for a violation like a speeding ticket. They can take the course for a chance to get their license back faster.
She says it is a different experience from a standard driver’s ed class.
They started using the course near the end of August, so there’s not a lot of information yet on how it has impacted the behavior of young drivers. Boyd says they have seen about 50% of the drivers with suspensions signing up. And of the around 100 students who had received a suspension and registered for the class, 68 have completed the course to get the suspension lifted.
