The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office has conducted its last state-funded PRIDE class. State and federal funding has been pulled from the program but Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie thinks it should continue.

Georgia Teens Ride With PRIDE (Parents Reducing Injuries and Driver Error) was a free, national award-winning two-hour course designed to help parents and their soon-to-be or new drivers, ages 14-16 and older, learn what they need to do during the 40 hours of supervised practice driving time required by Georgia law.

ECSO has conducted the class for five years and graduated 2,550 students along with their parents using a combination of the 45-minute high school program and the full two-hour PRIDE class. The sheriff believes the benefits outweighs the cost, improving safety and reducing accidents for Effingham County. The PRIDE program will continue to be taught at the ECSO.