California Highway Patrol offering traffic safety program for teens in Santa Cruz Co.

The California Highway Patrol is offering a traffic safety program for teenage drivers and their parents in Aptos this week.

The Start Smart Program is aimed at helping future and newly licensed teenage drivers become aware of the responsibilities that accompany the privilege of being a licensed California driver. This program is designed as an educational tool for parents and teenagers in an effort to reduce the number of teenage injuries and deaths resulting from traffic collisions.

It’s aimed at providing teens and parents with a better understanding of how poor choices behind the wheel can affect the lives of others, and it also focuses on defensive driving, traffic laws and DUI awareness.

Smart State classes are free of charge.

There’s an upcoming class scheduled for Thursday, July 17 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Aptos branch of the Santa Cruz Public Library, 7695 Soquel Drive.

For more details or to make a reservation, please call the Santa Cruz CHP Office at 662-0511.