Jan. 18—Judge Michael DeLeone has shown since he took over the bench at the Lake County Juvenile Court that he is not about just maintaining what the normal routine has been.

One example is the new Night Court, and now DeLeone has his eyes set on keeping young drivers — as well as all residents of Lake County and beyond — as safe as possible.

DeLeone has announced a special collaboration with the Lake County OSU Extension, 4-H Youth Development Program and the Ohio State Highway Patrol to implement a special traffic safety program for first-time teen traffic offenders called CARTEENS (Care and Responsibility Teens).

DeLeone stressed the classes are open to any teen drivers and their parents in the county and is not limited to just those that appear in court.

The Lake County Fairgrounds has offered classroom space for the program, and the fee for the program is $50 to help with costs for the space and clean-up among other obligations.

“A community collaboration focused on improving the safety of our youth, families and roads is a collaboration that should be invested in,” DeLeone said. “We are excited to begin this new program that targets making the roads in Lake County safer for teenagers and families.”

This program aims to keep teen drivers safe while having fun doing it.

Youths and their parent or guardian will participate in an informational class with numerous activities. Teen traffic offenders attending this program have typically been cited for speeding, stop sign violation, reckless operation and distracted driving.

DeLeone said the goal is to get them thinking about safety on the road and decrease repeat teen traffic offenders, and he was surprised Lake County hasn’t had this program already. The judge added the initial feedback has been very positive and that the program is set up for one day for 2 to 3 hours.

“Some of the youths who appear in court will have a couple of options to complete the program and if they don’t, they may have their license suspended,” DeLeone said. “I feel passionate this is an important safety measure that will help keep our teenage drivers safe and others on the road as well.”

According to a news release from DeLeone’s office, data collected from 4-H CARTEENS participants indicated a significant reduction in second-time traffic offenses, increased use of safety belts, reduced drinking and driving, and an increase use of caution when driving.

More than 80 percent of participants in a recent survey said they planned to use more caution when driving and will increase their use of seat belts.

Lisa Manning, 4-H and Family Consumer Science educator for Ohio State University Extension in Lake County, agrees with the judge and is excited to see the program being initiated locally.

“The 4-H CARTEENS vehicular safety initiative was developed in response to a need for traffic and vehicular safety for youth, especially first-time traffic offenders,” she said. “The objective is to use this valuable program to educate Lake County teen drivers through information sharing, current laws, statistic sharing and activities that will demonstrate the risks of distracted driving, speeding, not wearing seat belts and driving under the influence, which are common offenses by teen drivers.

“Through this wonderful partnership with Juvenile Court Judge Michael DeLeone and Lt. Jones from the State High Patrol, we hope to assist youth in being aware of safer driving practices that they will put into practice when driving,” she added. “The Ohio State University, Lake County Extension 4-H Youth Development program is very excited to start this partnership.”

For more information, contact Lisa Manning at manning.539@osu.edu.