The Missouri Department of Transportation’s Highway Safety Division has announced the rebranding of its Youth Traffic Safety Leadership Training program.The TEAM SPIRIT program will now be called TRACTION: Teens Taking Action to Prevent Traffic Crashes.While this is a new look for the program, it will remain consistent with the program’s goals and implementation.“The program has been in existence for over 20 years. It will have a new look, but the traffic safety messages will remain the same,” said MoDOT’s Director of Highway Safety Bill Whitfield.Traffic crashes remain one of the leading causes of death and serious injury for Missouri teens. TRACTION is designed to empower youth to take an active role in decreasing unsafe driving habits like driver inattention, the use of alcohol and other drugs that can cause impaired driving and encouraging all teens to buckle up.TRACTION seeks to accomplish this mission by providing youth and their adult advisers with the motivation, information, skills and support necessary to develop a plan of action that addresses unsafe driving habits. It also promotes safety belt usage through events and activities they implement within their schools and communities.About 100 students and 20 advisers will be selected to attend each of MoDOT’s training conferences. Over 15 high school and college students serve as facilitators for the school teams.The training is educational, high-energy and an opportunity to make a difference and save lives in Missouri. Conference dates are July 23-25 in Cape Girardeau, and July 27-29 in Columbia.For more information please check us out at MoTRACTION.com.Traction