State Farm supports driver education plan

MATTAWA - Mattawa police chief John Turley is planning an adult driver education program that should make the Mattawa area safer, and State Farm Insurance has contributed $2,500 to the cause.

"We are happy to help you support the drivers education program and wish you the best of luck," said Ty Cordova, public affairs specialist for State Farm.

The driver education program could become controversial. It is anticipated that many of the participants would be Mexican nationals with undocumented status in the United States.

However, reality is that there are numerous unlicensed drivers in the Mattawa area, and Turley is looking for ways to minimize possible impacts.

"They're out there driving," he said. "We need to make them as safe as possible."

Turley has two goals. He wants the unlicensed drivers to be safe, and he wants as many as possible to become licensed drivers.

To do this, the Spanish-speaking Turley knows he must find Spanish-speaking assistance. He hopes to tap into traffic specialists with the Washington State Patrol and the Grant County sheriff's office. He hopes to enlist the help of the school district.