Team Ethanol has teamed up with Driver’s Edge, a nonprofit organization that travels the country teaching teens defensive driving techniques for free.

Driver’s Edge was prominently displayed on the No. 17 Team Ethanol car, driven by 2008 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year and 2008 Watkins Glen winner Ryan Hunter-Reay, during Sunday’s IndyCar® Series Honda Indy 200 in Mid-Ohio. Team Ethanol finished 10th in the race, making Hunter-Reay now ninth in this year’s standings.

Reece Nanfito, senior director of marketing for the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC), says they teamed up with Driver’s Edge because each year nearly 6,000 teens are killed in car accidents, making car crashes the number one killer of America’s youth. “Through hands-on education, they are teaching young drivers how to safely handle a car, while providing information so they make good renewable fuel choices at the pump,” said Nanfito.

Driver’s Edge president Steven Tepper says being featured on the No. 17 Team Ethanol car is a great opportunity to draw attention to their effort. “Most people have no idea that the number one killer of young Americans ages 16 to 24 is motor vehicle collisions,” said Tepper. “With the proper behind-the-wheel instruction, these are avoidable tragedies, and that’s what Driver’s Edge is all about.”

Driver’s Edge provides a free educational program for young drivers taught by true driving professionals through a unique combination of behind the wheel and classroom experiences. Check driversedge.org to find out where the Drivers Edge National Tour will be the rest of this year