MADISON, Wis. – A south-central Wisconsin teenager is the latest young driver to dedicate his
time and attention to ensuring the men and women working behind orange barrels in work
zones make it home safely to their families every night.
Monday, the Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association (WTBA) awarded Dakoda Funk
with its monthly Work Zone Safe Wisconsin scholarship check for successfully completing the
online course. The event was part of CESA 2’s annual driver’s education conference.
Funk, 15, will be a sophomore at Milton High School in the fall. He wants to become a diesel
mechanic or heavy equipment operator after graduation.
“I want to congratulate Dakoda and thank him and the hundreds of other students taking this
course and equipping themselves to be smarter, safer drivers,” WTBA Exec. Director Steve
Baas said. “Their investment of time and study will pay dividends in lives saved in our work
zones.”
The free Work Zone Safe Wisconsin (WZSW) provides a modernized online approach to work
zone education, teaching teens the latest laws, guidance, and information through the
personalized stories of the actual people. Students must watch all 14 videos incorporated into
the four-part course in their entirety in order to advance to each section’s quiz.
Since launching April 23, more than 750 people have taken WZSW.
Each month, a teen driver who successfully completes the course will be chosen as a winner
of a $500 scholarship. The Wisconsin County Highway Association (WCHA) is the exclusive
sponsor of the monthly prize.
“WCHA congratulates Dakoda as a monthly winner of the Work Zone Safe Move Over Safe
Scholarship,” said Patrick Vander Sanden, Exec. Director of the Wisconsin County Highway
Association (WCHA). “The more people who are aware of how to safely navigate the orange
and yellow colors of the cones, safety vest and critical signage, the better chance to maintain a
safe environment for our road crews, who need to stay focused.”
In addition to WTBA and WCHA, the program is sponsored by the Transportation Education
Fund (TEF), Operating Engineers Local 139, Wisconsin Laborers’ District Council (LiUNA),
Wisconsin Counties Association, League of Wisconsin Municipalities, North Central States
Regional Council of Carpenters, and Daar Engineering.
