Driving your life forward.
39%
of the urban poor in the United States do not have a valid driver’s license principally because of the lack of accessible, affordable driver’s education.
SDDA’s mission is to break through this critical systemic barrier by providing students and adults the opportunity to acquire their Class C driver’s license and launch into career pathways in the Trucking and Transportation Industry.
THE FACTS
Poverty Rate by Race
18.8% of African Americans and 15.7% of Hispanic Americans live under the poverty line in the United States.
A combined 34.5% of our Black and Hispanic population is living on under $27,000 annual income for a family of 4 as of 2019.
ZERO
The amount of Driving Schools within a 5 mile radius of South Dallas. Driving Schools are not in the Public Schools nor are they found in the inner city. They are found where the money is.
5+ Miles
The nearest grocery store accessible to a resident in South Dallas is 5 miles or more away. Residents need a vehicle to accomplish the essential need for grocery shopping.
26.9 minutes
The average travel time to work for residents in the area of Dallas ages 16 years+, between as of 2021. This means that in order for a Dallas resident to keep a job, the must have reliable transportation to make it in to work.
35%
Only 35% of our community has access to reliable transportation. Dallas has no public metro system, so residents without cars have to rely on DART buses.
1 hour and 30 minutes
A bus ride to the nearest grocery store from Bonton will take an hour and a half round trip.
Sources: U.S. Census.gov
The SDDA Progam is Changing Lives!
Hear from one of our SDDA program graduates, Germany, who is now working as a licensed CDL driver.
WHAT WAS PREVIOUSLY A BARRIER,
NOW BECOMES AN ECONOMIC PATHWAY.
Millions of young adults in the U.S. are facing social and economic barriers which disqualify them from becoming a professional driver. The vital resources to obtain a license are nearly non-existent for South Dallas yet many residents inevitably drive without their license leading to tickets, warrants and astronomical fines. A downhill trajectory of job loss, homelessness, and hopelessness often occur—all due to the lack of access to appropriate driver training.
ACCORDING TO PROJECT VOTE, 39% OF AFRICAN AMERICANS AND 29% OF LATINOS DO NOT HAVE A DRIVER’S LICENSE. THIS NATIONAL PROBLEM IS ONLY HEIGHTENED IN SOUTH DALLAS' BONTON AREA, AS WE ESTIMATE THAT NEARLY 50% OF THE COMMUNITY DOES NOT HAVE A VALID DRIVER’S LICENSE.
The South Dallas Driving Academy is a non-profit organization that provides a dual program pathway for residents of South Dallas ages 16-28 to obtain their driver's license in preparation for a career in Transportation. The only of it’s kind, SDDA program is offered at no cost to Bonton and South Dallas residents with a student course completion and program graduation of 90%.
