Ellington

The Hinds County Sheriff's Department announced today the start of a teen safe-driving program aimed at reducing the number of teen deaths due to car accidents.

"Too many times in my 18 years as Sheriff, we've had to tell too many parents that their daughter or son is not coming home," Sheriff Malcolm McMillin said during a press conference this morning at the state Capitol. "The fact that Mississippi is number one in teen deaths (due to car accidents) should sound an alarm."

The program will bring students, on a voluntary basis, to the Hinds County Detention Center for a daylong education program, Deputy Chief Steve Pickett said. With the help of a $21,000 grant from the Allstate Foundation, the Mississippi Center for Police and Sheriffs will purchase a driving simulator that demonstrates for students the effects of a car crash, using crash-test dummies. Students will also receive drug and alcohol education classes and tour the detention center "to see where drugs and alcohol can take away their futures and possibly their lives or the lives of others," McMillin said.

The Sheriff's Department also hopes to partner with Hinds County Community College, where students will "see how planning a drug and alcohol-free life can lead to a bright future," McMillin added.