Teen driver scholarship funds awarded

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced March 16 that his administration is awarding more than $500,000 in grants, with the Westshore Enforcement Bureau operated out of Bay Village receiving $25,000 to help more teenagers in lowincome families get access to free driver training, according to a news release.

The grants are being awarded through the state’s Drive to Succeed Scholarship Program and Youthful Driver Safety Fund, the release said.

The Westshore Enforcement Bureau Crisis Negotiation Team is comprised of 15 officers and detectives under the command of Bay Village Police Department Detective Sgt. Jay Elish.

Bay Village’s Westshore Enforcement Bureau will receive the $25,000, the release said.

The Westshore Enforcement Bureau serves a combined population of over 325,000 residents of Bay Village, North Olmsted, Rocky River, Westlake, Lakewood and Fairview Park.

Twenty-five local governmental agencies will receive a total of $575,000 as part of the new Drive to Succeed Scholarship Program, according to the release.

DeWine launched this community-based teen driver training scholarship program in December 2022.

The program was developed to allow eligible teenage drivers to attend driver training classes at no cost to their families.

“Teen driver training courses can cost anywhere from $300 to $600 or more, which can be a huge barrier for some families,” DeWine said in the release.

“By increasing accessibility to this important training for teenage drivers, we can better ensure their safety, the safety of their passengers, and the safety of others on the road.”

“Every year, traffic crashes claim hundreds of lives in Ohio, and educating our youngest drivers is an important step toward preventing crashes,” said Andy Wilson, director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety, in the release.

“We are proud that these grants will directly support hundreds of young people who otherwise wouldn’t have had the means to complete driver education and gain the experience needed to become safer drivers.”