To help raise awareness for BGCA and UPS Road Code, the No. 6 UPS Ford Fusion features a Boys & Girls Club logo. Driver David Ragan hits the track in this car at the Dickies 500 competition at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, Nov. 8.

Start Your Engines . . . Safely!
UPS delivers the "Road Code" to teens.

On Nov. 5, NASCAR driver David Ragan unveiled his newly designed UPS-sponsored race car which sports a Boys & Girls Club logo and the handprints of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas members. Teen Club members recently joined Ragan in presenting his new Ford Fusion car and to enjoy watching a racing demonstration in Dallas.

Why all of the excitement? To promote safe driving habits to teens.

Because motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, UPS and its world-renown drivers are delivering a skill-building program – UPS Road Code – to develop safe driving practices for youth. NASCAR star David Ragan is supporting this initiative by visiting several Boys & Girls Clubs to discuss safe driving tips.

The UPS Foundation, which is the charitable arm of UPS, introduced the safety program this year in collaboration with Boys & Girls Clubs of America to teach the company's industry-leading safe driving techniques to young people. Based in large part on the same safety training used with UPS's own drivers, the program – UPS Road Code – helps teens learn the code for safe driving. Using driving simulators as a teaching tool, the Road Code program is being piloted in 10 Boys & Girls Clubs across the country: Atlanta; Los Angeles; Dallas; Omaha, Neb.; Little Rock, Ark.; Oakland, Calif.; New York; Washington; Chicago; and New Orleans. The program is expected to roll out to other markets in 2010.

Did You Know? Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens.1 In 2005, twelve teens, ages 16 to 19, died every day from motor vehicle injuries.1 Per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely than older drivers to crash.2 1 CDC 2 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Photos courtesy of CIA Stock Photography Inc.