The New Curriculum Prepping Arkansas Teens For The Realities Of The Road

The Arkansas Department of Transportation is expanding its Street Smart road safety education program for the 2026-27 school year. The program, developed with the Arkansas Department of Education, was introduced last year in middle schools and focused on pedestrian, bicycle, and passenger safety. Ellen Coulter, the section head of content and media in the communications division of the Arkansas Department of Transportation. She highlights that many students, especially those who don’t take a driver’s education class, may experience something like driving through a work zone, for the first time while behind the wheel and might not know what to do. She hopes the Street Smart program can better prepare first time drivers for a plethora of situations.