San Marcos CA— The national free teen defensive driving program B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe) will return to the San Diego area, visiting California State University, San Marcos, for the first time on Saturday and Sunday, January 19 & 20. Sessions will be held from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m both days.
Utilizing vehicles provided by Kia Motors, the B.R.A.K.E.S. program offers teens extensive behind-the-wheel instruction from professional trainers including current and former law enforcement officers as well as professional racing drivers, teaching the teens and their parents how to be safer on the road. Exercises include Distracted Driving Awareness, Panic Braking, Crash Avoidance, Drop-wheel/Off-road Recovery and Car Control/Skid Recovery.
The fact: Car crashes are the number-one cause of death among teens, ending more lives every day than murder, suicide or disease. The result: B.R.A.K.E.S. graduates are 64 percent less likely to get in a crash within their first three years of driving.
The 501(c)(3) charity was founded by multi-time Top Fuel drag racing champion Doug Herbert in honor of his two sons, Jon and James, who lost their lives in a tragic car crash in 2008. Herbert turned that personal tragedy into a lifesaving mission that has trained nearly 35,000 teens across the country.
Space is limited and seats are filling quickly. Online registration is available at www.putonthebrakes.org.
B.R.A.K.E.S. is a GuideStar Platinum-rated 501(c)(3) charity that offers free, hands-on defensive driver training to teens and their parents nationwide. Multi-time Top Fuel drag racing champion Doug Herbert founded the road safety organization in honor of his two teenage sons, Jon and James, who lost their lives in a car crash in 2008.
“Car crashes are the number-one cause of death among teens across the country, but I never knew that until Jon and James became part of those statistics,” said Herbert. “From that tragedy, we created a mission to prevent injuries and save lives by training teens and their parents to be safer behind the wheel. We’re truly grateful to our friends at the Cincinnati Kia Dealers and Manheim Auto Auction for helping us bring our lifesaving training to the area and make Ohio roads a little safer for everyone.”
Advanced Driver Training
B.R.A.K.E.S. is NOT Driver’s Ed. It is a FREE, hands-on, advanced driver training program taught by professional instructors, including current and former members of law enforcement, professional racers and stunt drivers. B.R.A.K.E.S. maintains a low three-to-one student-to-instructor ratio to maximize educational effectiveness.
B.R.A.K.E.S. training is proven effective. A study by University of North Carolina, Charlotte, Professor Emeritus Dr. Paul Friday showed that B.R.A.K.E.S. graduates are 64% less likely to experience a crash in the first three years of driving when compared with non-graduate peers.
Each weekend B.R.A.K.E.S. school includes four identical sessions to allow parents and teens to pick one that will fit into their busy schedules. Each session includes four hours of training, starting with a short, 45-minute classroom presentation followed by nearly three hours behind the wheel of new Kia vehicles.
Courses include distracted driving awareness, panic braking, drop-wheel/off-road recovery, crash avoidance and car control/skid recovery – all of the biggest causes of crashes for new drivers. Other educational elements often include ‘Big Rig’ safety, first responder vehicle extrication demonstration, and what to do in the event of a traffic stop.