Driver Impact Panel

We hope you will enjoy this unique education opportunity. The Minnesotans for Safe Driving and Training Wheels have hosted Driver Impact Panels for teen drivers for over five years. We started by offering students the chance to attend the "offender" panels at the Hennepin County Government Center. We quickly outgrew the HCGC and asked the Minnesotans for Safe Driving if they would consider helping us offer monthly panels for teen drivers and their parents. They said yes and the rest is history.

This driver impact panel will feature speakers from the Minnesotans for Safe Driving, an organization dedicated to victim’s advocacy. These speakers share real life stories of the tragic consequences of motor vehicle crashes. These panels are for both parents and drivers education students. The National Safety Council and the Center from Disease Control report that traffic crashes are the leading cause of death among persons age 1-34 and the 5th leading cause of death among all persons. There is also a huge economic impact as well. The National Safety Council estimates that each fatality results in an economic loss of $1.9 million per fatality and in 2006 the total loss was over $7 billion dollars.

In 2006, 494 people were killed in traffic crashes in Minnesota and over 40,000 nationwide. And, young drivers are “over represented” in the crash statistics. We use the term CRASH because the word accident implies a random, unavoidable quality to an event. Most CRASHES can be avoided or minimized by changes in our individual human behavior. We are hoping that by hearing first-hand these tragic stories all drivers will be motivated to start taking responsibility for their actions behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. We also hope parents will be convinced of the importance of practice driving, driving limits, and experience.

Now, over 5,000 people per year hear their powerful messages and time after time, after a panel, you know that what happens at an Impact Panel is life altering. Due to the demands on the speakers, we hold these regionally. We appreciate your willingness to drive for this worthy event. As business owners and as educators, we realize the rarity of these kinds of moments. And, because of this, we have great pride in offering them.

Victim Impact Panel Agenda: A) 9 a.m. arrive and sign in, B) browse through a large photo display and be seated, C) view computer presentations, video clips, videos, etc. D) 9:30 a.m. welcome and introduction of speakers, E) Closing and dismissal. Teens and parents ARE ENCOURAGED to attend together. End time is approximate so plan a little extra time.

In 2006 2/3 of the fatalities involved drivers under the age of 25. 18% of the overall fatalities were caused by 7% of the drivers. These 7% are the segment called the "teen" drivers. They are a small segment involved in many crashes.

We use the term CRASH because the word accident implies a random, unavoidable quality to an event. Most CRASHES can be avoided or minimized by changes in our individual human behavior. We are hoping that by hearing first-hand these tragic stories all drivers will be motivated to take responsibility for their actions behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. We also hope parents will be convinced of the importance of practice driving, driving limits, and experience.

*End time is approximate. Please be respectful and do not plan to leave early. This puts everyone in an awkward situation. We do understand your busy schedules. However, we ask you to be respectful of our program and victims.

  Training Wheels Driver Education & Minnesotans for Safe Driving

For more information contact us at 612-388-3311