Every 15 Minutes

Every 15 mins

What is "Every 15 Minutes"

The Every 15 Minutes program is a two-day program focusing on high school juniors and seniors, which challenges them to think about drinking, driving, personal safety, the responsibility of making mature decisions and the impact their decisions have on family, friends, their community, and many others.

Goals & Objectives

The program brings together a broad coalition of interested local agencies with the goal of reducing alcohol-related incidents among youth. The partnering of the California Highway Patrol, local law enforcement, local hospitals, emergency medical responders, schools, businesses, and service clubs validates the importance of working together to ensure a healthy community.

The two-day Every 15 Minutes program is very dramatic and emotional-and purposely so. Teenagers are constantly reminded about the choices they have to make involving alcohol and how many others are affected by their decisions.

They know the intellectual statistics. However, many teens share the belief it will never happen to them.

This powerful program is designed to create an awareness among students that they are not invincible. This program helps open the emotional doors, and it They experience first hand how their actions affect the lives of so many other people.

Funding

With funding available from the California Office of Traffic Safety, the California Highway Patrol provides mini-grants to schools and organizations wanting to implement the Every 15 Minutes program.  

Applications are accepted each school year beginning October 1st. Applications are accepted on a first come, first served basis until all spots are filled. If you have questions about how to apply, please contact the Public Information Officer in your local CHP Area Office CHP Area office.

Contact Information

​Experienced CHP personnel are available to work with you, your advisors, and students to provide technical assistance in planning and implementing a successful Every 15 Minutes program at your school.
For additional information regarding the Every 15 Minutes Program, or to apply for a grant for your school, please contact your local CHP Public Information Officer.

Forms and Documents

​​​​The following documents have been provided to assist you in implementing your Every 15 Minutes Program. The Procedural Manual will take you step-by-step through the planning phases and shall be read prior to beginning the planning of the program.

Forms and Procedural Manual

  1. Can I get a copy of a CHP investigated collision report at any CHP office?

    ​Yes.  Any CHP office will be able to get a copy of a CHP collision report or arrange for one to be mailed to your address.
     
    For example, if you live in Los Angeles and were involved in a collision in Amador, you can go into any CHP office in Southern California and have them obtain a copy of your collision report from the Amador CHP office or arrange for the collision report to be mailed to you.

  2. How do I find out about Start Smart Classes for Teenage Drivers?

    ​Contact your local CHP Area Office for upcoming Start Smart Classes.

  3. ​Contact your local CHP Area Office for upcoming Start Smart Classes.

    ​Contact your nearest CHP Office or the Amador Area Public Information Officer for upcoming Start Smart Classes.

  4. How do I get a Commercial Citation signed off?

    ​Contact your nearest CHP Office for availability and appointments.

  5. How do I get a VIN inspection/verification?

    ​An appointment is required, and certain documents must be brought to the appointment by the vehicle owner.  Contact your nearest CHP office or the Amador Area Public Information Officer obtain further details and to schedule an appointment.

  6. How do I get help with a Child Safety Seat?

    ​Contact your nearest CHP Office or the Amador Area Public Information Officer and schedule an appointment for assistance.

  7. I heard you offer funding to schools to put on an Every 15 Minutes (E15M) program. Is that true?

    ​​Yes. With funding from the California Office of Traffic Safety, the CHP provides mini-grants to schools, organizations, or allied agencies who want to implement an E15M program. You are eligible for up to $6,000 in reimbursable, allowable costs for purchases made to implement the program.

  8. I want to put on an Every 15 Minutes (E15M) Program at my high school; can the California Highway Patrol (CHP) help me with that?

    ​​Yes. The local CHP Public Information Officer (PIO) will assist your school with the planning and implementation of your program. You can find the local PIO for your school here: Find a CHP Office.

  9. Once our Every 15 Minutes (E15M) program is complete, what are we required to do next?

    ​Once your program is completed, you are required to submit a final report package to the CHP within thirty (30) days. In addition to your reimbursement claim form and invoices, the package shall also include a detailed final report on the overview of your program, from planning through final conclusion. In addition, you will be required to provide materials that highlight your program (i.e.: DVD, newspaper articles, photos, etc.).

  10. Our school hasn’t done an Every 15 Minutes (EM15) program in a couple years. Are t-shirts and giveaways for the students and staff are still covered?

    ​​No. T-shirts and promotional items are no longer an allowable purchase under the grant. If you are planning on purchasing items like these for your program, the funding will have to come from a source other than the grant. (Many schools receive donations from elsewhere to cover these costs, or hold fundraisers, etc. to raise the money.)

  11. Our school is going to provide the audio/sound for an Every 15 Minutes (E15M) program, as well as film and produce a video. Our equipment is old and outdated. Can we use the grant money to buy new audio/video equipment for the program?

    No. The mini-grant you are receiving does not allow for the purchase of items and equipment. It does allow for the rental of sound/audio/video equipment and materials required to produce items, such as DVDs. If you are planning on purchasing equipment or items for your program, the funding for those purchases will have to come from a source other than the CHP grant.

    If in doubt as to whether your purchase(s) will be reimbursed, or if you have questions on what is covered, contact the statewide E15M coordinator with your inquiry prior to making the purchase(s).

  12. Our school would rather use the Every 15 Minutes (E15M) grant money to do a program for students on texting and driving, and distracted driving. Can we do that?

    ​​No. The focus of the E15M program is exclusively to highlight to high school juniors and seniors the dangers and consequences of drinking and driving. If you apply for and receive a mini-grant for implementing an E15M program at your school, the funding shall be used exclusively to implement the program as laid out in the procedural manual, and to discuss the dangers of drinking and driving.

  13. This is our first time implementing an Every 15 Minutes (E15M) program -or- We haven’t done an E15M program at our school for quite sme time. We don't even know where to start. Can you help?

    ​Yes. On our website, we have published a procedural manual, “A ‘How-To” Guide for Communities Dedicated to Reducing Teen Drinking and Driving.” Whether you’re new to this, haven’t put a program on in a few years, or just have general questions on what to do for your program, this manual will be a step-by-step guide and provide answers for you. You can find the procedural manual here: procedural manual.

    At any time during the process if you have questions, you should contact the local CHP Public Information Officer that is assisting you in the planning process. You can also contact the statewide coordinator.

  14. What are the current road conditions?

    ​Please visit http://www.dot.ca.gov or https://roads.dot.ca.gov for more information on the road conditions where you are headed. 

    Click on https://dot.ca.gov/travel/winter-driving-tips for useful driving tips for snow travel and https://dot.ca.gov/travel/winter-driving-tips/chain-controls for information about chain requirements and installation tips.