Ride IllinoisRide Illinois
November 19, 2018

Giving Tuesday is November 27

Give the Gift of Knowledge of Share the Road – $2 per driver education student trained

Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks; but, it is also one of the busiest travel times of the year. Many people are driving to and from relatives’ houses, as well as maybe driving to snag those Black Friday deals. How many people did you see successfully sharing the road with cyclists?

Did you do a long ride during the long weekend to burn off all of those calories you consumed at Thanksgiving dinner? Did a driver pass you too close during your ride? Do you wish more drivers knew how to safely share the road with cyclists?

Probably all of us have heard the phrase “It is a hard to teach an old dog new tricks.” We are trying to have drivers learn how to safely interact with cyclists as they are learning how to drive.

Our BikeSafetyQuiz.com (BSQ) online lessons continue to be successfully used by cyclists, drivers, students, police departments and others to increase knowledge on bicycling safety and on driving in the presence of bikes. More than 75,000 people, since 2013, have participated in our easy-to-use resource that includes IL Secretary of State approved content and provides both cyclists and motorists with interactive instruction on relevant state laws and avoiding common car-bike crashes.

Ride Illinois has received a grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to focus on educating up to 15,000 young motorists. Driver education programs will be reimbursed $2 per student completing BSQ. For this Giving Tuesday, consider joining us in this project by making a special donation, so we can reach more than 15,000 teenagers. Each $20 donation will mean we can educate ten more students.

We also welcome your help in getting the word out to the right people in your towns. We have an informational letter that you can share with your local drivers’ education program(s). Drivers’ education programs can fill out the grant application here. Please feel free to contact us if you have questions about the program.

Here is what teachers using BikeSafetyQuiz.com have to say:

“My class completed the quiz for bicycle safety and I know that they were quite surprised by their lack of knowledge.” -Clifford Wagner, Marist High School

“Thanks to whoever came up with this idea of getting this quiz to high school aged kids. I’m an avid cyclist and mountain biker and it’s good to know there’s a group like Ride Illinois to teach people about bike safety!!” – Greg Botica, Hillcrest High School