Just ahead of the “100 Deadliest Days” – the busy summer driving season between Memorial Day and Labor Day – Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone) announced the company’s teen driver safety program will visit 11 cities across the U.S., beginning with Salt Lake City, Utah.
Designed to teach teens potentially life-saving skills, the Bridgestone Teens Drive Smart program is a free workshop that pairs classroom instruction with hands-on driving exercises. The half-day session is uniquely designed to equip teens with accident avoidance skills and help eliminate distracted driving behaviors.
“Car crashes are the leading cause of teen deaths, and inexperience is the chief cause of crashes involving teenagers. We must do more to bring awareness to this reality,” said Rachel Withers, communications leader, Bridgestone Americas. “Bridgestone created the Teens Drive Smart Driving Experience to give young drivers one-on-one time with professional driving instructors who can teach them how to handle the challenges of the road and help them feel more confident behind the wheel.”
The program is led by driving instructors, many with motorsports, stunt driving and test track experience. They understand critical vehicle dynamics and put the students through practice maneuvers that can be replicated in real-life scenarios. The instructors demonstrate life-saving driving maneuvers, share tips to improve reaction time and provide constructive feedback – all in a fun, engaging and supervised environment.
The curriculum for teenagers is designed to:
• Define and identify distracted driving behaviors
• Identify the dangerous situations caused by distracted driving
• Develop a base understanding of driving principles
• Understand reaction times in emergency braking situations and controlling your vehicle on slippery surfaces
• Practice accident avoidance
Registration is now open for the program’s first event, which will be May 16 and May 17 at the Maverick Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. To register, parents and teens should visit www.teensdrivesmart.com/tour.