Oakland, Calif. (October 19, 2010)‑Online drivers education leader DriversEd.com and In the Driver’s Seat (Zest Books) author Erika Stalder are teaming up to reach teen drivers in support of National Teen Driver Safety Week (NTDSW). Stalder will be providing monthly columns to DriversEd.com’s already robust resource material specifically relating to teen driving and safety.

This year, NTDSW’s “Ride Like A Friend. Drive Like You Care.” campaign promotes safe passenger behaviors such as reducing distractions (texting) and friends as passengers, and encourages teens to be as good a passenger as they are a friend. NTDSW runs from October 17th through the 23rd.

“Regrettably, distracted driving continues to be the number one factor contributing to car crashes among teens,” says Gary Tsifrin of DriversEd.com. “It’s our sincere desire to see all teens looking to become licensed drivers go through a structured, state-certified drivers ed program followed by professional in-car training. The more knowledgeable and experienced the new driver the better for everyone sharing America’s roads and highways.”

Stadler’s premiere column Rules for Your Ride discusses keeping teens and their friends safe and aware while they’re behind the wheel. Key takeaway: put the phone down. Keep their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road. If teens need to send a text, they should look to their co-pilot do it for them, or wait until they’ve stopped their car.

“Our sole focus is driver safety education,” adds Tsifrin. “We’ve built our proprietary courses and products to help students become well-informed, safe, and confident drivers. To that end, working with Stalder and her direct connection to the teen demographic to raise awareness of teen driver safety is a natural fit for DriversEd.com.”

In addition to being DriversEd.com guest columnist, Stalder’s publisher Zest Books is providing autographed copies of her In the Driver’s Seat for the GO Everywhere Contest The photo contest is open to teens thirteen and up. To enter teens submit a photo of themselves or of themselves in a car on the go telling us what “GO Everywhere” means to them. Other prizes include an iPad and cash cards. The contest runs now through December 31, 2010.

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DriversEd.com is the industry leader in drivers education. Founded in 1997, DriversEd.com pioneered the online drivers education space and today is the largest and most visited drivers education site on Internet. DriversEd.com provides unparalleled, state-specific, DMV-licensed online courses, in-car training and traffic school. To date, DriversEd.com has helped over 2.1 million students become safer, more confident drivers.

Zest Books is an award-winning line of smart and edgy titles that focus on the colorful chaos of teen life. The books cover timely topics in creative ways by incorporating solid life advice, practical how-to instruction, and humorous commentary. Supported by parents, teachers, and teens themselves, Zest Books is a progressive leader in teen nonfiction.