Our History
Mr. Anthony Perlongo, founder of the New York Safety Program, has been a nationally prominent leader in the field of driver safety. His accomplishments as a State and National President of the Driver Education Guild, Executive Director of the Highway Safety Foundation, New York University Instructor in Driver Education and Training, co-chairman to the Advisory Board of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, and member of various civic organizations have brought him recognition throughout the Country.
The New York Safety Program is proud and honored to have as a member of its Board of Trustees, the nationally known Dr. Leonard F. Dalton, Panel Member Education Appeal Board, United States Dept. of Education, who is known to be the “Father of the Behavior Modification Course”. In 1974, Dr. Dalton, a Public School Administrator in California and a National Consultant for the Charles F. Kettering Foundation, developed specific performance objectives for each program, and provided criterion referred pre-tests, post-tested, learning activities, media methods, references, follow-up studies and training instructors.
In the 1960s traffic violator school courses were initiated by off-duty police. Since then, the courts have offered traffic violators the choice of paying the fine in which points are charged to their record (resulting in possible insurance rate increase and possible loss of driving privilege) or attending a court-approved driver education course. Since driver attitude is THE major contribution to both unsafe and irresponsible driving, Dr. Dalton instituted the above-mentioned programs designed to change attitudes and thereby obtain a change in behavior. As pioneers of this particular program, you can be assured that we have formulated, what we believe to be, one of the best and most comprehensive courses available in the State of New York.