Sarah Lethem, a registered nurse with Valleywise Healthcare, and Firefighter Nehemiah Ponce of the Phoenix Fire Department presented the Injury Prevention Alliance of Phoenix’s "Survive the Drive" teen safe‑driver program to the City of Phoenix transportation subcommittee.

Lethem said the program is data driven, using recent city collision data to target the five ZIP codes with the highest teen-at-fault crash rates for open-enrollment classes and to tailor curriculum for the 15–18 age group. "We use collision data to ensure we are reaching the right geographical areas or the high injury networks," she said.

Ponce described two class tracks: on-request sessions delivered at schools and modular community‑center evening classes open to the public. He said community classes are free, hold 40 slots and typically require a parent to attend when the registrant is under 18. "Every class has 40 slots. They're absolutely free. No one has to pay anything to attend," Ponce said. Presenters said their sign-up platform and post-class surveys let them capture ZIP codes and pre/post test scores to measure knowledge gains.

The presenters highlighted partnerships that provide equipment and reach: trauma centers and the Phoenix Fire Department supply instructors and materials, and Dignity St. Joe’s donated roughly $26,000 in equipment and about $3,200 in instructor training. The program received the Nicholas Rosecrans award at a national EMS conference, organizers said, and reported strong engagement through interactive tools such as Mentimeter and hands-on simulations that illustrate distracted and impaired driving effects.

Committee members asked whether the program proactively places classes in school districts or relies on school requests; Lethem said sessions at the district level have been difficult to arrange and most school visits occur when a teacher or school requests a one‑day session. She added that the program is open to partnerships to broaden reach.

The committee requested a follow-up update on program outcomes and reach at a future meeting. The presenters said they have collected data since August and can provide statistics on attendance and geographic reach at a later date.