Driver Education Initiative Award – Annual Scholarship Opportunity

National Driving and Traffic School is proud to announce their 2025 scholarship opportunity, entitled “In the Driver’s Seat.” The company is seeking to reward essay applicants $10,000 in scholarships- for students entering college or already enrolled in a higher education institution – on the topic of being a safer driver.

Driver Education Initiative 2025: In the Driver’s Seat

The Topic of this year’s essay submissions deals with the serious implications of being a driver. In America, an average of 34,000 people die each year as a result of driving. This is more people who have died in one year as a result of driving, than the total number of American soldiers who have died from war in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. The total number of Americans who die within the span of two years as a result of driving is more than the total number of American deaths from the Vietnam war. This is to say, driving is more dangerous and deadly for our nation than being involved in combat, and highlights the serious consequences of being negligent on the road.

Driver Education Initiative Award – Annual Scholarship Opportunity

Courtesy: NHTSA, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_military_casualties_of_war

Many drivers are not aware of these startling and very scary facts, especially newer drivers. The essay contest “In The Driver’s Seat” seeks to have applicants highlight the importance of being a safe and educated driver. This scholarship seeks to reward six students for his or her submission dealing with the importance of being a safe and educated driver. The application is handled in essay format. To apply, submit an essay of no less than 750 words in Microsoft Word format addressing the following questions:

Questions to be answered in your Essay/Application

For this round, we invite you to reflect on teen driver safety and the role of education. Your essay should address the following questions in a single, cohesive narrative:

Why is teen driver safety an important public issue, and what role does driver’s education play in addressing it?
What are the biggest challenges teen drivers face today, such as distractions, peer pressure, or lack of experience, and how can they overcome them?
Share a personal experience or observation (your own or someone else’s) highlighting the importance of safe driving habits for teens.
What specific actions can teens, schools, and communities take to promote safer driving among young people?

This is an annual scholarship program.

2025 Drivers Education

Apply for the 2025 Drivers Ed Online Contest Round 2

Submit your Essay

Submission Details

Applicants must be currently enrolled in either High School, University or College. Employees and relatives of National Driving and Traffic School are ineligible. There will be three contest submission dates. To be eligible for the contest submit your essay by one of the submission dates.

Round 1: January 3rd 2025 – March 31st
Winners: Announced May 3rd
Round 2: Accepting entries May 3rd – August 1st.
Announced September 1st
Round 3: Accepting entries September 1st – November 30th.
Announced 1/2/26

* Please note, to limit the number of entries, the minimum word requirement for the essay submissions is 750 words. Entries not meeting the minimum word requirement will not be posted.

Along with your submission please include a picture of yourself which we can post on our site to go along with your essay

The winner will be required to provide proof of successful acceptance to a Higher Institute of Learning, College or University. Payment will be made directly to the applicant’s college. If you have additional questions, please contact us. This contest is open to all students in U.S., Canada, and abroad.

2 winners are chosen for each contest: staff favorite, and most voted for. Vote tallies end on the date of the contest deadline. We award a prize of $500 to each winner every contest.

Previous winners may not reapply.
Due to the use of AI, we will be favoring more personal essays written from experience.
For the most shared essay, shares are counted by the number of people who share your post on their Facebook Page. Share counts stop on the day of the contest submission deadline.
Please note that, by joining the contest, you consent to the publication of your essay on our website.