Traffic crashes occur every 12 seconds in the United States. Vehicular crashes are the number one cause of deaths among young adults. Sheriff Tommy Ford is committed to the safety of our community including our youths. The Teen Driver Challenge Program was implemented to target the concerns of parents and the Sheriff in an effort to save lives, better equip our youths to create safer driving habits and learn skills that will better prepare them to cope with situations they may encounter while driving.
The course consists of a four hour classroom session followed by an eight hour driving session. This totals twelve hours for the entire course. Basic skills, actions and/or techniques are identified in the course where the teens need experience or training to safely operate a motor vehicle:
Classroom: Vehicle Dynamics/Human Factors/Responsibility/Liability/Drug and Alcohol Use/Aggressive Driving/Figure 8's.
Driving Exercise: Evasive Maneuvers/Threshold, Emergency Braking/Cornering/Backing/Off Road Recovery/Forward & Reverse Serpentine.
All classes are conducted under direct supervision of a certified high liability driving instructor. Instructors demonstrate the maneuver and each student has one-on-one training from their instructor while driving the course.
Classes are limited to ten students per class. Each student must have a valid driver's license or valid learner's permit to participate in the training. The classroom portion of the training will be held at the Bay County Sheriff's Office, located at 3421 N. Hwy 77 Panama City, Florida 32405. The driving portion of the training is conducted at the Gulf Coast State College driving range, located at 637 County Road 2300, Panama City, Florida 32409.
To enroll: you can download the needed forms from the Sheriff's Office website, pick them up at the Sheriff's Office, or your local Community Police Office. Some forms must be notarized prior to returning them to the coordinator. The program is offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
Do
Download Application
Download Student Information Form
Download COVID19 Waiver & General Release
Download Vehicle Owner Release
Download Student Voluntary Participation Release
