The Meridian Police Department has teamed with the Meridian Department of Homeland Security and the Downtown Optimist Club to teach teen drivers defensive driving.

"Across the United States, we lose about 4,000 to 6,000 young adult drivers to automobile accidents a year," said Mike Street, training officer.

Street said that's more than number of soldiers lost in the Iraq war, and it happens each year.

"We look at or analyze the accidents that have caused the deaths of so many youth and we've tried to implement those kinds of tactics in our training," said Street. "So that if a teenager finds themselves in a similar situation they have the tools, the knowledge, and the skills to avoid becoming one of those statistics."

Three week-long courses will be taught. They will all be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
with the first course offered the week of June 15. The second starts July 6. The final course will be offered during the week of July 20.

Instructors will teach vehicle maintenance, as well as defensive driving to the students.

Since the course started seven years ago, there has been a sixty-three percent reduction in accidents among their students.

Due to limited space for the classes, you're asked to register as soon as possible. Teens with a learner's permit or a driver's license are eligible to attend.

For more information and to register, call the Department of Homeland Security at 601-484-6890.