Free teen driving school: Kia and BRAKES team up to help new drivers

 

DISTRACTED DRIVING, ACCIDENT AVOIDANCE AND PANIC STOPS ALL COVERED IN TEEN DRIVING CURRICULUM

Kia Motors, fresh off the New York auto show debut of its new Optima sedan, will continue to partner with BRAKES (Be Responsible And Keep Everyone Safe) teen driving school in 2015 to offer free training for new drivers. The program is expanding to San Francisco and Boston, which join a selection of other cities, listed below.

Kia is the official vehicle and presenting sponsor of the BRAKES teen driving school.

According to some scary reports, at any given time, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones while driving and drivers under 20 have the largest proportion of fatal accidents involving distracted driving. Even for folks who don’t take the course, Kia and BRAKES want to raise awareness.

The BRAKES curriculum covers five main topics:

Accident Avoidance/Slalom is a two-part course that simulates an animal jumping out in front of a car. Students have to make an evasive lane change, focusing on weight transfer and hand positioning. We call it the moose test.

Distracted Driving demonstrates the dangers that cell phones, texting and other behaviors can pose while driving.

Drop Wheel/Off-Road Recovery teaches students how to retain or regain control of their car if a wheel or two goes off-road.

Panic Stop helps students with proper braking techniques, judging distances and getting them used to the pulsing feel of antilock brakes.

Car Control and Recovery is done on a wet skid pad and shows students how to control a car in a skid, and recover from it. Both rear- and front-wheel drive cars are used.

Kia says that other experiences vary by school and range from sitting in a big rig to talking about blind spots and safe zones, as well as demonstrations from police and fire departments.

“BRAKES prepares teens for the hazardous conditions they will face while on the road by instilling good decisions into their muscle memory,” said Doug Herbert, National Hot Rod Association Top Fuel drag racer and founder of BRAKES. “Kia’s support of BRAKES has helped us scale up our efforts and increase the number of teens that receive hands-on training. Working together, we aim to reduce the number of teen deaths as a result of automobile accidents.”

Upcoming dates include:

--April 11 – April 12 in Concord, N.C.

--April 25 – April 26 in Pomona, Calif.

--April 25 – April 26 in Raleigh, N.C.

--May 16 – May 17 at Alameda Point, Calif.

--June 6 – June 7 in Concord, N.C. 

--July 11 – July 12 in Pomona, Calif.

--Aug. 1 – Aug. 2 in Manheim, Pa.

--Aug. 22 – Aug. 23 in Concord, N.C.

--Sept. 26 – Sept. 27 in Concord, N.C.

--Oct. 3 – Oct. 4 in Ocoee, Fla.

--Oct. 17 – Oct. 18 in Raleigh, N.C.

--Oct. 24 – Oct. 25 in Concord, N.C.

--Oct. 31 – Nov. 1 in Epping, N.H.

--Nov. 14 – Nov. 15 in Concord, N.C.

--Nov. 21 – Nov. 22 in Commerce, Ga.

--Dec. 5 – Dec. 6 in Concord, N.C.

--Dec. 19 – Dec. 20 in Pomona, Calif.

 

Go to putonthebrakes.org to reserve a spot. New schools and dates are added regularly, so check back often.