33,000 Teen Drivers Trained

B.R.A.K.E.S. Teen Defensive Driving School reaches Lifesaving milestone:

33,000 young drivers trained   

Now in its tenth year, the charity that Doug Herbert founded to honor his sons has reached more than 60,000 teens and parents from 43 different states and five countries

• Teens who graduate from B.R.A.K.E.S. are 64 percent less likely to be in a crash in their first three years of driving
• 2018 schedule includes 38 schools and is expected to reach up to 12,000 drivers
• For additional information and/or to register for a class, visit www.putonthebrakes.org

Concord, N.C., August 1, 2018 – Doug Herbert founded B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible And Keep Everyone Safe) to ensure that the lives of his sons Jon and James would make a difference. Ten years after their fatal car crash, the charity that they inspired has brought free, lifesaving defensive driver training to more than 33,000 teens across the country. Including parents, the GuideStar Platinum-rated 501(c)(3) non-profit has reached more than 60,000 drivers from 43 different states and five countries – and expects to add 12,000 more in 2018.

“Car crashes are the number-one cause of death among teens, but I never knew that until Jon and James became part of those statistics,” said Herbert, a multi-time Top Fuel drag racing champion who stepped away from his on-track career to pursue a mission of preventing injuries and saving lives by training teens and their parents to be safer behind the wheel. “We started small, training the boys’ classmates in hopes that we could spare other families from having to go through such a horrible experience. After that, it just took on a life of its own, and we’ve grown every year since.”

Now in its tenth year, B.R.A.K.E.S. will host 38 schools during 2018, including first-time visits to Jefferson City, Missouri, and Topeka, Kansas, as well as return visits to locations across the Southeast, Midwest and Southern California.

For more information, including a complete schedule of events, and to register for a school, please visit www.putonthebrakes.org.

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.

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.

About B.R.A.K.E.S.
Doug Herbert’s B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe) is a GuideStar Platinum-rated 501(c)3 non-profit whose mission is to prevent injuries and save lives by training and educating teenage drivers and their parents about the importance of safe and responsible driving. B.R.A.K.E.S. was founded in 2008 after Top Fuel drag racer Doug Herbert lost his two young sons, Jon and James, in a tragic car crash. Today, more than 30,000 teens from 43 different states and five countries – and their parents – have graduated from the B.R.A.K.E.S.’ intensive half-day training course, which is free of charge and features hands-on skills exercises taught by professional instructors in a fleet of new vehicles donated by Kia Motors America.