Our Vision

To establish generations of safe teen drivers in Virginia.

Our Mission

To engage, educate, and empower youth to influence a safe driving culture through leadership development and innovative outreach programs.

Making It Happen

YOVASO fulfills its mission by working with high schools, middle schools, and youth groups to establish youth-led advocacy programs throughout the Commonwealth. These peer-to-peer programs enable students to work collaboratively in either a school-based service-learning club or community youth group to develop teen-friendly strategies for addressing their number one health concern- motor vehicle crashes. YOVASO focuses on three important strategies in reaching its mission:

• Engage youth at the school and community level through peer-to-peer traffic safety programs that are innovative, impactful, and hands-on.

• Educate youth on how to be safer and more responsible drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and bicyclists through peer-led campaigns, competitions, interactive programs, and social media messaging.

• Empower youth with the responsibility, knowledge, and skills to influence a safe driving attitude (culture) in their schools and communities.

Our Story

YOVASO has been a leader in youth traffic safety and peer-to-peer programs for almost 20 years. The program was formed in 2001 by the Blue Ridge Transportation Safety Board (BRTSB) and the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to address the increasing number of teens killed on Virginia’s roadways. YOVASO quickly became the Commonwealth’s peer-to-peer education and prevention program on young driver and passenger safety. Originally started as a pilot program in Southwestern Virginia, YOVASO expanded statewide in 2007. Today, the program has active safe driving or traffic safety clubs at high schools, middle schools, and youth groups in all regions of the Commonwealth. These peer-delivered programs are recommended by state and national leaders as a key strategy in reducing teen crashes and saving young lives:

“If we want our teens to make healthy decisions, we have to Empower them to Educate and Encourage each other.” - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration & Governor’s Highway Safety Association

All Virginia schools and youth groups are encouraged to become a member and join us on the road to safe teen driving. Membership and all resources are completely free!

High School Focus Areas

YOVASO and its peer-to-peer initiatives for high schools and youth groups, address the top causative factors in teen crashes, with emphasis placed on the following:

• Seat Belts/Occupant Protection

• Obeying Speed Limits

• Underage Drinking/Impaired Driving/Zero Tolerance Law

• Distracted Driving (Texting, Cell Phones, and all Types of Driver Distraction)

• Defensive Driving/Driving Skills

• Virginia’s Teen Driving Laws

• Risky Driving Behaviors and Attitudes

• Safety Culture – Promoting a safety culture in schools where being a safe driver, passenger, and pedestrian is considered the right “cool” thing to do.

Middle School Focus Areas

Our middle school programs focus on traffic safety and helping youth develop good safety behaviors and attitudes prior to driving. These clubs address:

• Seat Belts

• Occupant and Passenger Safety

• Being a Good Passenger – Avoiding Distractions to the Driver

• Passenger Rights – What to Do in an Unsafe Situation

• Developing Safe Behaviors and Attitudes Prior to Driving

• Virginia’s Zero Tolerance Laws / Teen Driving Laws

• Traffic Safety – Bicycle, Pedestrian, School Bus, ATV

• Safety Culture – Promoting a safety culture in schools where being a safe driver, passenger, and pedestrian is considered the right “cool” thing to do.