Car accidents are the second leading cause of deaths among young men and women between the ages of 15 and 29 in Mexico

The FINANCIAL — The UPS Foundation announced that it will provide a US $25,000 grant to Guías de México, A.C. to continue its UPS Road Code initiative in Mexico through 2018. The program educates young and novice drivers between the ages of 13 and 18 about safe-driving methods.

Thanks to the platform’s outstanding results since first introduced in Mexico in 2016, more than 800 students have graduated from the program. UPS Mexico and The UPS Foundation will continue to work alongside their community partner, Guías de México, A.C. to promote safe driving. To increase awareness about UPS Road Code, UPS will also team up with additional local organizations, including Scouts de México A.C., Christel House de México A.C., and Junior Achievement México. This year, local schools Universidad del Valle de México campus Chapultepec and Instituto Miguel Ángel have joined the program, offering their students the opportunity to take part in the initiative.

According to the National Commission for Accident Prevention (CONAPRA), automobile accidents are the leading cause of death among children between the ages of 5 and 14, and the second cause of death among teens and young adults between the ages of 15 and 29. Due to these types of accidents a total of 1.4 million people are injured, while 1.2 million end up with some form of disability. Young drivers face eight major risks while driving: lack of driving experience, having young passengers in the vehicle, driving at night, not using seatbelts, becoming distracted while driving, driving when tired, driving under the influence, and aggressive driving.

Taught by UPS volunteers and based on the company’s safe-driving methods, the UPS Road Code initiative is available to teens in the United States and internationally. The program has been extended to Canada, China, Germany, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. The UPS Foundation has contributed US $16.6 million to the UPS Road Code program since its inception. To date, more than 48,000 teenagers have participated worldwide.