Georgia Northwestern Technical College announced it was awarded a grant in the amount of $19,940 from the Georgia driver’s education commission.

The grant, which runs from July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016, will help finance driver’s education locally by providing classes with 30 hours of classroom instruction and six hours of behind the wheel experience with a trained instructor.

“Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers and we are committed to providing students with the education and experience needed to avoid tragedy,” said GDEC chairman Harris Blackwood. “This grant will help Georgia Northwestern Technical College equip young drivers in the community to be safer when they get behind the wheel.”

GNTC is pleased to able to partner with the commission to offer driver’s education for young drivers in northwest Georgia. The training will have a direct impact on improving highway safety benefiting all the citizens of the region.

Classes will be offered on-site at Ridgeland High School, Rossville, Ga., beginning in January 2016 to students qualifying for scholarships, and behind-the-wheel instruction will be offered at Gordon Lee High School, Chickamauga, Ga.

For more information about the driver’s education program, contact the office of continuing education at 706-764-3591. GNTC is a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) and an equal opportunity institute.

(Walker County Messenger)