Alive at 25

Many people know the owner of Blue Ridge Tours as the person behind the scenes who personally plans our school trips.  Steve loves to take students to New York, and Washington DC.

Steve has a unique past and present in another field, working with students besides taking them on student field trips. He is a retired South Carolina State Trooper having spent over 26 years in law enforcement, and by the way, Blue Ridge Tours went hand in hand with his chosen profession as a State Trooper as Blue Ridge Tours is now in its 30th year of business. 
While a state trooper Steve was selected to teach and conducted many safety education classes for the citizens of South Carolina thru the SC Highway Patrol. After his retirement from the Patrol Steve was able to keep his law enforcement commission via annual in-service training and firearms training. 

In 2017 Steve was approached by another retired Sergeant from the SCHP who was teaching safety education classes for the SC chapter of the National Safety Council and asked if Steve be interested in attending  a certification instructor class in Columbia.  Steve was more than glad to get back to his roots of teaching the young drivers of South Carolina and attended the 4-day course to teach Alive at 25.  

Alive at 25 is a 4 1/2-hour one day class that is taught to drivers under 25 because statistically speaking this is the age category that suffers the highest rate of fatalities among all drivers. The course requires an active duty or retired police officer to teach because of their vast knowledge of laws and personal experiences of investigating many car crashes and fatalities. 

Alive at 25 is an innovative, young driver intervention program that teaches what behaviors and skills are needed to become responsible, crash-free drivers. Developed by the National Safety Council for young drivers between the ages of 15-24, the program aims to help young drivers choose safe driving practices, to take responsibility for their behavior, and to be aware of the typical driving hazards.

The next time you see our owner Steve Sulligan driving one of your student's field trips or leading a tour to remember to say hello.
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Steve has worn many hats throughout his life, and the Smokey Bear hat was his favorite, but today we are proud he is teaching high school students how to become a responsible, confident and safe driver thru the National Safety Council Alive at 25. Steve’s favorite quote is “Once a Trooper, Always a Trooper.”

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