November 6, 2024

I-66 EMP Partners With DRIVE SMART Virginia To Encourage Teen Drivers To Think Fast

ThinkFast® Interactive Assembly To Be Held at Three Area High Schools Nov. 6-8

Manassas, Va. November 6, 2024– To promote safe driving habits by teenage drivers, I-66 Express Mobility Partners (I-66 EMP), the builder and operator of the 66 Express Outside the Beltway, is partnering with DRIVE SMART Virginia to bring an innovative educational initiative to three local high schools.

Centered around a program known as ThinkFast Interactive®, the initiative features a game-show-style assembly that engages students in the fundamentals of safe driving. The assemblies will be held Nov. 6 at Patriot High School in Nokesville, Nov. 7 at Westfield High School in Chantilly, and Nov. 8 at Fairfax High School.

I-66 EMP provided a substantial monetary contribution to DRIVE SMART Virginia to fund the ThinkFast Interactive program. Topics covered in the assembly include distracted driving, impaired driving, seat belt safety, and protecting roadside workers.

“We are excited to join forces with I-66 EMP to tackle one of the deadliest issues facing our youth today,” said Kristin Pettway, DRIVE SMART Virginia’s executive director. “By educating and engaging teens in a way that resonates with them, we hope to build a culture of safe driving that will have long-lasting effects and save lives on our roadways.”

I-66 EMP and DRIVE SMART Virginia launch the ThinkFast Interactive® initiative as teen driver fatalities are climbing at an alarming rate across the Commonwealth. In 2024, deaths among Virginia’s teenage drivers in Virginia have increased by 50% compared to the previous year.

“Learning to drive is a huge milestone in life. I know it was for me. Driving gave me freedom to go where I pleased, but it also gave me responsibility – a serious responsibility to keep myself, my friends, and everyone else on the road safe,” said Luis Tejerina, CEO of I-66 EMP. “That is why we’re partnering with DRIVE SMART Virginia in this mission to raise awareness and emphasize just how crucial it is to be a safe driver.”

About DRIVE SMART Virginia:
DRIVE SMART Virginia is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded on the principle that traffic fatalities and injuries are preventable. Through education and outreach programs, DRIVE SMART Virginia promotes traffic safety in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Founded in 1995, DRIVE SMART Virginia is dedicated to raising traffic safety awareness among all road users in order to save lives and reduce injuries on the roadways of Virginia. The organization is led by a diverse Board of Directors including safety advocates, associations, corporate Virginia, and law enforcement. Learn more at www.DriveSmartVA.org.

About the 66 Express Lanes Outside the Beltway:
Part of VDOT’s Transform 66 Outside the Beltway program, the 66 Express Outside the Beltway is a transformative 22.5-mile multi-modal mega-project featuring advanced dynamic-tolling systems to keep traffic flowing at all times. The lanes provide Northern Virginia commuters, businesses, and mass transit with a reliable option to move people, goods, and services throughout the I-66 corridor, allowing drivers to Sit Less, Live More. Visit www.Ride66Express.com to learn more, and keep up with the 66 Express Lanes on Facebook and Twitter.

About I-66 Express Mobility Partners:
I-66 Express Mobility Partners (EMP) is a consortium of leading infrastructure companies including Cintra, Meridiam, and APG. In public-private partnership (P3) with the VDOT, I-66 EMP is contracted to operate the 66 Express Outside the Beltway through 2066. Connect with I-66 EMP on LinkedIn.