B.R.A.K.E.S. Free Teen Defensive Driving Program Reaches Milestone, Instructs 20,000th Student
Free Teen Pro-Active Driving Program led by drag racing champion Doug Herbert, on a mission to save lives
CHARLOTTE, N.C., August 8, 2016 – B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe), a non-profit offering free defensive driver training to teens and their parents, announced milestone instructing 20,000th teen July 31, 2016.
“Car crashes are the number-one cause of death among teens in this country, and we started B.R.A.K.E.S. eight years ago to try and do something about that,” said Herbert, who founded B.R.A.K.E.S. in 2008 after he lost his two young sons in a tragic car crash. “After years of hard work, we’ve trained our 20,000th student and the program continues to build momentum. Every event puts one more teen on the road that is prepared for an emergency situation.”
B.R.A.K.E.S. classes are four hours, beginning with a classroom session followed by behind-the-wheel driving exercises including panic braking, crash avoidance and car control, and distracted driving avoidance, all free of charge and taught by professional instructors.
About B.R.A.K.E.S.
Doug Herbert’s B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe) is a 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. The Concord, North Carolina Teen Pro-Active Driving School was founded in 2008 after Top Fuel drag racer Doug Herbert lost his two young sons, Jon and James, in a tragic car crash. Although devastated by his loss, Doug decided to turn his grief into something positive and created a driving program in the hopes of preventing other families from experiencing similar tragedy. Over 20,000 teens from over 35 different states and three 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. The course maintains a low three-to-one student-to-instructor ration and requires a least one parent to attend with each teen.
Learn more about upcoming classes and Doug’s story at: www.putonthebrakes.org.
"My son and I attended BRAKES at the LA County Fairgrounds on April 26th. Yesterday, he was alone driving home from a high school baseball game approaching an intersection, on a green light about 45 mph. At the very last second, a car turned left in front of him. My son hit the brakes hard, engaging the abs, and steered away from the car as he stayed hard in the brakes, narrowly avoiding a collision. He attributed his reaction and collision avoidance to everything he learned at BRAKES. He described how, during the incident, he had anticipated the other driver turning in front of him and he knew the ABS engaged because of the feel and knew to stay on them as he steered away. The scenario was virtually identical to what he experienced at the school. Your school paid for itself 1000 times over last night. Thank you so much. "
-John Lewis,Temecula, CA
"Just wanted to let you all know how much our family enjoyed the BRAKES class at El Toro Marine Base on Saturday 12/7 at 1pm. Both my husband and I attended with our son. He gained confidence and skill and felt it was a great experience. My husband and I commented that even at our age, we'd never had the opportunity to practice slides, panic braking, etc. was a great (although COLD!!) day :) Think it was the coldest day in Orange County in the 46 years I've lived here! It was a great experience for all of us. Please convey our heartfelt thanks to you and the entire BRAKES staff for an amazing experience. "
-Jennifer Aragonez-Harper
