Defiance County General Health District was awarded a $10,000 grant that will help teenagers in low-
income families get access to driver training. The grant was awarded through Governor DeWines Drive
to Succeed Scholarship Program and Youthful Driver Safety Fund. “We are thrilled to have an
opportunity to award scholarships to teens in our community to connect them to driver’s education
training, increasing the chances of them becoming safer drivers throughout their lifetime,” said Katie
Marbaugh, Public Health Nurse for the Defiance County Health Department.
“Teen driver training courses can cost anywhere from $300 to $600 or more, which can be a huge
barrier for some families,” said Governor DeWine. “By increasing accessibility to this important training
for teenage drivers, we can better ensure their safety, the safety of their passengers, and the safety of
others on the road.”
“Every year, traffic crashes claim hundreds of lives in Ohio, and educating our youngest drivers is an
important step toward preventing crashes,” said Andy Wilson, director of the Ohio Department of Public
Safety. “We are proud that these grants will directly support hundreds of young people who otherwise
wouldn’t have had the means to complete driver education and gain the experience needed to become
safer drivers.”
According to research by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, new drivers under the age of 18 who
complete the mandatory driver education under Ohio’s Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) requirements
were less likely to crash than drivers licensed at age 18 who are exempt from these requirements. Ohio
is one of only a handful of states with comprehensive licensing requirements for juvenile drivers that
include behind-the-wheel training at a licensed driving school in addition to classroom or online
instruction, parent-supervised practice driving, and learner permit holding periods.
For more information on Defiance County’s Drive to Succeed Program Scholarship and to check program
eligibility, visit www.defiancecohealth.org or call 419-784-3818.
DEFIANCE COUNTY DRIVE TO SUCCEED PROGRAM SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE
