Getting your driver’s license has become a celebrated rite of passage for anyone who turns sixteen. This new-found freedom that comes with driving opens up a new world to a teen. However, the statistics of traffic-related deaths are alarming and are a call to action. Deaths among 15-22 year olds by traffic incidents represent twice the amount compared to death by disease and criminal offense combined. Twenty percent of deaths among vehicle passengers of all ages occur while a teenager is driving. Inexperienced drivers gain access to the high-speed road, a potentially lethal environment, where conditions can change in a millisecond.
It’s difficult to expect teen drivers to develop proper driving skills that most veteran drivers possess only after years of experience achieved behind the wheel. The irony is most driving schools don’t equip new drivers with the necessary survival skills to make them safe drivers.
What Drivers-Ed Doesn’t Teach You
The Tire Rack Street Survivor school is an intensive, one day, hands-on, real-world driving skills program that can help equip newly minted teen drivers with effective skills that make them safer drivers. The course begins by teaching students how to perform a safety inspection with help from seasoned instructors. This includes checking tire pressure, oil levels, and other fluids. The course is divided into both classroom and driving time. The classroom portion discusses each of the driving exercises in detail, along with techniques and practices that will make them safer drivers including weight transfer, where to look, and proper driving position. Students are taught a variety of skills at five different stations:
1. Slalom – teaches the benefits of looking ahead and keeping their eyes on the horizon while navigating
2. Skidpad – how to initiate, control, and recover from oversteer and understeer
3. Figure-eight – how to fully utilize ABS in an emergency situation and the importance of weight transfer and proper inputs
4. Emergency lane changes – the dangers of over correcting are taught when making an emergency lane change.
5. ABS braking exercise – how to apply proper braking techniques and familiarity with the ABS braking system.
Each station is designed to demonstrate the real-world benefits and applications of the skills and techniques discussed in the classroom session. “The majority of our street survival students enter the class with a nearly complete lack of confidence, most are timid and unsure behind the wheel; however, by the end of the day there is a dramatic increase in their confidence, skill, and understanding of driving mechanics” says Sam Graff Texas Region Street Survival Chair.
Upcoming Street Survivor Course
The next driving school is Sunday, December 15th at Dragon Stadium in Southlake and registration is open: https://streetsurvival.org .The program is offered through the SCCA Foundation and is a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit. The $95 student fee covers the cost of the event, lunch, and water. For more information, contact Sam Graff – Texas Region -Street Survival Chair email: sgraff09wrx@gmail.com or call 864-438-2060. Check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trKWDq8rwdk
