This Year, Give Your New Driver the Gift of Safety

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 2002; Searching for a last-minute gift for your teenaged son or daughter? Give teens a head start on safe driving by ordering driver-ZED, a game-like computer program specifically created to help young new drivers learn safe habits. Teens who experience all 83 scenarios learn how to scan for hazards, avoid dangerous maneuvers, and understand the meaning of highway signs and signals.

"New drivers, especially teens, just don't understand how complex driving is," says J. Peter Kissinger, President and CEO of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. "This program lets them experience dangerous situations without getting into a car. After they've used this program, we think they'll be more likely recognize what to do when they see a real crisis on the highway." Even experienced adult drivers find the program challenging, Kissinger says. "Driving a car is the most dangerous activity most people do. In fact, motor vehicles are the leading cause of death for 15- to 20-year- olds, with nearly 4,000 teens killed by cars each year. That's why we urge new drivers to use driver-ZED before they get out on the road. We tell them, 'Crash your computer, not your car.'"

Driver-ZED costs just $19.95 plus $7.95 shipping and handling. Driver-ZED can be ordered directly from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety at 1-800-407-7233 or by going to the driver-ZED website, http://www.driverzed.org . You can also order the program at http://www.aaafoundation.org by clicking on "Products" and then on "Product List."