Okaloosa County BOCC — March 4, 2014 — FY14 TDC Budget — reading text

Sheriff Larry Ashley and the men and women of the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office are committed to improving teen driver safety. Teen drivers are three times more likely to be involved in a traffic crash than any other age group. Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death among teenagers. The Florida Sheriff’s Association and the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office have pledged to make a positive difference in teen driver safety in our community through the Teen Driver Challenge Program. The Teen Driver Challenge is an advanced driver education program that combines classroom training with practical driving exercises that are designed to give teens the knowledge and driving skills to be a better and safer driver. In the classroom, teens learn safe driving techniques, vehicle dynamics, crash avoidance, defensive driving, motorcycle awareness, safe following distances, the importance of safety belt usage, and the dangers of impaired, distracted, and aggressive driving. During the practical driving exercises on the driving pad, teens first learn how to inspect and maintain their vehicles. They are provided a checklist of things to look at and are given a tire pressure gauge to keep. They then drive a series of challenging cone courses that closely mirror a Law Enforcement Emergency Vehicle Operations Course. Each cone course is designed to teach a specific driving skill. Teens learn proper steering, cornering, emergency braking, emergency evasive steering, backing around objects and in intersections, off-road recovery, and skid recovery skills. A licensed Commercial Driving Instructor Certified Deputy Sheriff rides with them at all times. The certified instructors provide guidance to help the teens learn and succeed in each course. Teens ride the Seatbelt Convincer and use Fatal Vision Goggles to simulate impairment while they walk and balance. Teens also have the opportunity to drive an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office cruiser fitted with special hard plastic tires to learn skid recovery techniques that can save their lives if they begin to skid. The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Teen Driver Challenge instructors trained 201 teens in the first two years we offered the program and have trained 253 teens to date. The agency recently doubled the number of classes being offered to two classes per month (24 classes per year) and set a goal to train 200 teens within 12 months. We have begun posting Tuesday Traffic Safety Tips on Social Media outlets to promote traffic safety in the community. Deputies attend various military and community functions with the Seatbelt Convincer and Teen Driver Challenge vehicles to increase awareness of our program. Our agency represented the Florida Sheriff’s Association Teen Driver Challenge exhibit at the Mid-Winter Sheriff’s Conference, and we have trained 18 instructors from other agencies in how to be Teen Driver Challenge instructors. The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office recently trained new instructors and expects to have 53 licensed Commercial Driving Instructors to teach in the Teen Driver Challenge Program.  The response from the community has been tremendous, and we have received many compliments from parents and students. The following is just a sample of what Parents have said: “Our daughter attended the class in October 2012. She received her learner’s permit in September - so she still has a lot to learn. This is such a great experience for these new drivers and their parents. She is still, today, talking about her experience and how thankful she is that Sheriff Ashley implemented this program for the folks in Okaloosa County.”  Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office Teen Driver Challenge Expenditure Budget (DETAILED) thru 09/20/13 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 Actual Actual Proposed Expenditures Expenditures Budget Account Title 51200 SALARIES/WAGES REGULAR $ 282 51300 OTHER SALARY 4,982 5,000 51400 OVERTIME SALARY 8,411 44,044 34,000 52100 FICA TAXES/MATCHING 3,624 3,500 52200 RETIREMENT CONTRIBUTION 1,196 7,020 5,000 PERSONNEL SERVICES $ 9,607 $ 59,952 $ 47,500 53150 OTHER PROFESSIONAL FEES $ 600 $ 600 54041 TRAVEL AND PER DIEM $ 495 $ 2,804 $ 1,000 54251 FREIGHT & POSTAGE 55 9 - 54641 VEHICLE REPAIRS 552 109 250 54644 OTHER VEHICLE REPAIRS 1,941 3,186 1,000 54741 PRINTING 1,140 2,239 250 54900 OTHER CURRENT CHARGES AND OBLIGATIONS 781 1,952 1,000 55141 OFFICE SUPPLIES 5 100 55299 SUPPLIES - OTHER 4,172 2,000 55250 EMPLOYEE UNIFORMS 2,112 250 55255 VEHICLE EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT 2,335 55299 SUPPLIES - OTHER 3,319 1,000 OPERATING EXPENSES $ 12,735 $ 15,070 $ 7,450 56441 VEHICLES 35,000 56447 OTHER EQUIPMENT 3,246 20,898 5,000 CAPITAL OUTLAY $ 38,246.00 $ 20,897.73 $ 5,000.00 TOTAL $ 60,588 $ 95,920 $ 59,950 TOTAL CLASSES 12* 15 16 TOTAL TEENS TRAINED 144* 145 200 * Initial Program Expectations