Media Contacts: Naitore Djigbenou
502.782.4829
Naitore.Djigbenou@ky.gov
Marla Marrs
502.352.5963
Marla.Marrs@ky.gov
FRANKFORT, Ky. (March 19, 2026) – Gov. Andy Beshear today announced that registration is open for Team Kentucky’s second Safe Teen Driving Challenge, which encourages safe driving behaviors to keep our highways safe while also giving teen drivers the chance to earn one of five cash prizes worth a total of $10,000.
Over the past three years, there have been more than 49,000 crashes involving teen drivers, resulting in over 13,000 injuries and tragically, 197 lost lives. The Safe Teen Driving Challenge, managed by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), aims to reduce those numbers by encouraging young drivers to build better habits and stay focused behind the wheel.
“As a dad of two teenage drivers who mean everything to me, I know we need to be doing everything we can to keep our kids safe on the road,” said Gov. Beshear. “This competition is one way to ensure we are helping our kids develop safe habits behind the wheel, while giving Kentucky teens a chance to win cash prizes as well.”
The challenge rewards the top five drivers with cash prizes, sponsored by AAA Blue Grass, AAA East Central and Intoximeters.
“Teens are still developing their driving habits, which makes this an especially important time to reinforce safe behaviors behind the wheel,” said Lori Weaver Hawkins, public and government affairs manager at AAA Blue Grass. “Distractions can take a driver’s attention away from the road in an instant. AAA is proud to partner with Team Kentucky and other traffic safety advocates to support initiatives like the Kentucky Safe Teen Driving Challenge that help young drivers stay focused and build safe habits that last a lifetime.”
“Teen driver safety isn’t just about rules – it’s about protecting futures that haven’t begun,” said Rob Duckworth, regional manager at Intoximeters Inc. “Partnering with Team Kentucky to educate teens on the power of good decision making allows us to support the future of these teens and Kentucky.”
Winners will be announced in August, and the school of the winning students will also be recognized. Over 800 drivers participated in the challenge in 2025.
How to Join
This challenge is open to 15-to-19-year-old drivers with a valid permit or driver’s license and a smartphone. Parental consent is required for drivers under 18. To join, teens simply:
- Register online at kentuckyhighwaysafety.com/safe-teen-driving-challenge/ between Thursday, March 19, and Thursday, April 16, 2026 (cut-off is 11:59 p.m.).
- Download the DriveWell Go™ app, create a new account, and enter the contest token code.
- Drive safe, track your performance, and compete for the chance to win a prize.
Driving performance will be measured from April 17 to July 17, 2026, giving participants plenty of time to compete for the top spots.
How it Works
The app, powered by Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT), uses smartphone sensor data to identify risky behaviors like speeding, hard braking, harsh acceleration, cornering and phone use. Teens can track their progress and see how they rank on the app’s leaderboard, updated every two weeks, to provide valuable data to help young drivers become more aware of their habits behind the wheel.
The app uses machine learning to identify driving behaviors from sensor data and transform them into insights. The platform automatically determines if a person is in a vehicle and calculates if they’re the driver or passenger.
“Using tech to offer personalized driving insights can help encourage safe behaviors early in life as we look to this generation to build on Kentucky’s three-year downward trend in overall highway fatalities and serious injuries,” said KYTC Secretary Jim Gray. “Driver education plus our engineering solutions and law enforcement actions all work together to make our highways safer for all.”
The Safe Teen Driving Challenge is one of many ways Team Kentucky and its partners are investing in equipping teens to be safer drivers. Other efforts include Kentucky Office of Highway Safety school outreach events that involve rollover and drunk driving simulators, the annual Ford Driving Skills for Life event, educational campaigns and localized hands on roundabout training for high schoolers.
For more information and to register, visit https://kentuckyhighwaysafety.com/safe-teen-driving-challenge/
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