WILLOUGHBY, Ohio — From enforcement to education, Willoughby Hills police are redirecting a portion of ticket revenue from their photo enforcement program to the Willoughby-Eastlake School District to launch the SafeTeen Driving Program.
The department has issued more than 80,000 tickets through the photo enforcement program since it launched. Money generated from speeders caught by the cameras will now help pay for the SafeTeen driving program.
"We get about 1% of the money collected from the photo enforcement in Willoughby Hills,” said Michael Pennington, assistant superintendent of Willoughby-Eastlake School District.
Police said the goal is to reach young drivers through education.
"We see it as just a great reinvestment, taking the enforcement side of things and really diving into the educational aspect of it,” said Chief Matthew Naegele with the Willougby Hills Police Department.
Pennington said the program addresses a critical need for young drivers.
"There's a lot of distracted driving out there, and there's a lot of things to look for when you’re driving. Driving is a muscle memory kind of activity, so the more training and the more experience in a safe, controlled environment we can give our students, the better they’re going to be in the long run," Pennington said.
School leaders are still working out the exact details of the program. They are hoping to offer reduced-cost driving classes and defensive driving courses. The program is expected to launch this summer, with the full program planned for the fall.
