UPS has always viewed distracted driving as a serious issue.  It’s a leading cause of vehicle accidents, especially among teens. Distractions come from a variety of sources:  texting, eating, using phones, adjusting the radio or talking with passengers.

To help combat distracted driving, in 2009 UPS and The UPS Foundation developed UPS Road Code, a four-session safe-driving program for teens that teaches the consequences of hazardous and distracted driving. The program leverages UPS’s safety methods and strong safety record.

Offered at 36 U.S. Boys & Girls Clubs of America and taught by UPS volunteers who have a strong understanding of our safety methods – including UPS Circle of Honor drivers – the course relies on the same safe-driving principles taught to UPS drivers. Teens learn the “10-Point Commentary,” (a list of 10 safe-driving tools used by UPS drivers) and the UPS Five Viewing Habits (adapted from the Five Seeing Habits). Participants learn how to identify road hazards by playing an interactive computer-based game and they get to test their driving skills on a simulator.

As technology continues to advance, drivers are facing more and more distractions. Last weekend CBS Evening News ran a story about this very issue, featuring our own Ron “Big Dog” Sowder, retired UPS Circle of Honor driver with 50 years of safe driving. Watch the video here.