Team Kentucky’s second Safe Teen Driving Challenge offers cash prizes
FRANKFORT, Ky. – Teen drivers in Kentucky have a chance to win big by practicing safety on the roadway.
According to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Office of Highway Safety, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Thursday registration is now open for Team Kentucky’s Safe Teen Driving Challenge.
Officials say the challenge encourages safe driving while also giving teens a chance to win one of five cash prizes, worth a total of $10,000.
Over the past three years, KYTC says over 49,000 crashes involved teen drivers and resulted in 13,000 injuries and 197 deaths.
“As a dad of two teenage drivers who mean everything to me, I know we need to be doing everything we can to keep our kids safe on the road,” Beshear said. “This competition is one way to ensure we are helping our kids develop safe habits behind the wheel, while giving Kentucky teens a chance to win cash prizes as well.”
The challenge rewards the top five drivers with cash prizes, sponsored by AAA Blue Grass, AAA East Central and Intoximeters.
- First Place: $3,000
- Second Place: $2,500
- Third Place: $2,000
- Fourth Place: $1,500
- Fifth Place: $1,000
“Teen driver safety isn’t just about rules – it’s about protecting futures that haven’t begun,” said Rob Duckworth, regional manager at Intoximeters Inc. “Partnering with Team Kentucky to educate teens on the power of good decision making allows us to support the future of these teens and Kentucky.”
Winners will be announced in August, and the school of the winning students will also be recognized. Over 800 drivers participated in the challenge in 2025.
How to Join
According to KYTC, the challenge is open to 15- to 19-year-old drivers with a valid permit or driver’s license and a smartphone. Parental consent is required for drivers under 18.
To join, teens simply:
- Register online at kentuckyhighwaysafety.com/safe-teen-driving-challenge/ between Thursday, March 19, and Thursday, April 16, 2026 (cut-off is 11:59 p.m.).
- Download the DriveWell Go™ app, create a new account, and enter the contest token code.
- Drive safe, track your performance, and compete for the chance to win a prize.
- Driving performance will be measured from April 17 to July 17, 2026, giving participants plenty of time to compete for the top spots.
How it Works
According to officials, the app, powered by Cambridge Mobile Telematics, uses smartphone sensor data to identify risky behaviors like speeding, hard braking, harsh acceleration, cornering and phone use.
Teens can track their progress and see how they rank on a leaderboard, which is updated in the app every two weeks.
The app also uses machine learning to identify driving behaviors from sensor data and transform those into insights, official say.
The platform automatically determines if a person is in a vehicle and calculates if they’re the driver or passenger, according to KYTC.
For more information and to register, visit https://kentuckyhighwaysafety.com/safe-teen-driving-challenge/.
