Alcohol/Traffic Safety and Driver Education

Alcohol/Traffic Safety (ATS) Program.

The purpose of DPI's ATS program is to develop and implement K-12 prevention curricula and instructional programs to counter the problem of drinking and driving by youth. Under s. 118.01 (2)(d)6., Wis. Stats., each school board is required to provide an instructional program on the prevention of accidents and promotion of safety on the public highways, including the relationship between highway safety and the use of alcohol and controlled substances under Ch. 961.

Alcohol Traffic Safety Grants. Districts may apply for funds to conduct alcohol traffic safety-related projects, or portions of AODA-related grants that are traffic safety-related, in a variety of ways. One avenue is through the department's State AODA Consolidated Grant Program. The Alcohol Traffic Safety Program also supports student-planned and lead projects through the agency's Student AODA Mini Grant Program . The department has also provided Alcohol Traffic Safety grants to eligible local school districts to upgrade existing driver education simulators with alcohol driver analyzer equipment and software. If you have any questions, contact the Alcohol Traffic Safety Program Consultant, Dr. Randy Thiel at: randall.thiel@dpi.wi.gov, or call Randy at (608) 266-9677.

Professional Development Activities. Through the Alcohol/Traffic Safety Education program, school traffic safety curriculum materials, in service/professional development workshops, conferences and training events are also provided. Look at the Save-The-Date events below for more information on dates times and specific events.

Traffic Safety Education/Driver Education. Wisconsin requires the satisfactory completion of a driver education course (classroom and laboratory) for persons under 18 years of age electing to be licensed after the age of 16. There is no longer a State Driver Education Categorical Aid Reimbursement Program in Wisconsin. The last aid State Categorical Aid payments to districts were made in March of 2004. Public school districts who have have students successfully completing a DPI-Approved Driver Education Program as of July 1, 2003 will not be eligible for any State DE Categorical Aid Reimbursement. Note: The last State Driver education Categorical Aid payments to eligible public school districts we made in March of 2004 (for FY 02/03 students).

Although State Categorical Aids have been eliminated, the Department will continue to administer public school driver education programs as it has in the past. Districts that are planning to continue offering driver education programs will continue to be required to submit, and have on file in the Department, an approved Program Approval Application (PI 1709). Approved and eligible districts may also continue to apply for, and issue, DPI Student Course Completion Certificates.

Districts that do not have a DPI-approved program are not authorized to issue any DPI student course completion certificates. Any district that ceases to offer a DPI-approved program, is to return all unused PI 1715 forms (Student Course Completion Certificates) to the DPI Alcohol Traffic Safety Program, 125 S. Webster St., P.O. Box 7841, Madison, WI., 53707-7841.

If you should have any questions, contact Karen Jensen at (608) 267-9239, or Randy Thiel at (608) 266-9677.

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Resources

• Save-The-Date (Schedule of Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities including Workshops and Conferences)
• Annual Wisconsin Public School Driver & Traffic Safety Education Program Snapshots Reports (FY 1999/2000 through FY 2006/2007)
• Driver & Traffic Safety Education Teacher Standards
• "Draft" of Model Academic Standards for Wisconsin Public School Driver & Traffic Safety Education Programs
• Current Month's (and past months's) Wisconsin Daily and Weekly Traffic Fatality Reports.
• New Wisconsin Information Network for Safety (WINS) Toll-Free Number is
  866-511-9467

New Online Driver Education Program Approval: A link to the new PI 1709 DPI Driver Education Online Program Approval Application/Process. We have included a question as part of the online approval process that incorporates what once was also done using a separate PI 1715 Application (applying for DPI Student Course Completion Certificates). By doing this, we think we will be able to eliminate having to have districts do a separate PI 1715, which was the application for DPI Student Course Completion Certificates. The above link became valid on Friday afternoon, 4/30/04. On that same day the DPI sent out letters to all District Superintendents which included their district's special code that is needed to have someone in the district get into the online application and key-in data. Upon completion of the actual online application districts are to print hard copies of the completed application, and have the respective District administrator sign and date a hard copy and return it to the... DPI Alcohol Traffic Safety Program 125 S. Webster St., Box 7841 Madison, WI 53707-7841.

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Schedule of Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities (Workshops and Conferences)

Should you have any questions regarding traffic safety activities or programs of the department, feel free to contact: Dr. Randy Thiel (608) 266-9677 by phone, or e-mail him at randall.thiel@dpi.wi.gov

For questions about this information, contact Randall R. Thiel (608) 266-9677

Last updated on 2/22/2008 8:00:52 AM