For teens, getting behind the wheel for the first time can be an exciting and scary time. With driving, comes a sense of freedom, and also a lot of responsibility. If your teen has entered the driving years, you’ve probably had your fair share of worry about them hitting the road.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, and six teens ages 16 to 19 die every day from motor vehicle injuries. There are many factors that can lead to this: driver inexperience, driving with teen passengers, nighttime driving, not wearing seat belts, distracted driving, reckless driving, drowsy driving, and drunk driving. In order to reduce teen related crashes and fatalities, and improve the safety of teen drivers on the road, we need to educate our teens how to handle certain driving situations.
The Mopar Road Ready Powered by Dodge teen driving program is doing just that. A collaboration of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Motorsports Museum and B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible And Keep Everyone Safe), the program teaches teens safe and defensive driving techniques, and puts teens in the driver’s seat to test their skills with fun, hands-on training in various driving situations that are commonly responsible for traffic accidents involving teens.
The free, four-hour program—which is making a pit stop at the Bandimere Speedway in Morrison on October 22 and 23—begins with a brief classroom overview of core driving topics, including proper seat and hand positioning, and basic vehicle dynamics, followed by behind-the-wheel training for teens. The hands-on driving course is divided into five sections: accident avoidance, distraction, panic stop, wheel drop, and wet skid pad. Teens are grouped with an instructor (three teens per car) and learn first-hand from the instructor before each getting their turn behind the wheel.
Mopar Road Ready Powered by Dodge is free for teens (ages 15 to 19 with a learner’s permit or driver’s license and at least 30 hours of driving experience) and their parents or guardians; however, a $99 refundable registration deposit is required to secure a spot.
Open spots remain for all four Morrison sessions on October 22 and 23, in both the morning and afternoon. To sign your teen up visit mopar.com/road-ready/register.
