Pop quiz: What’s the number-one cause of death among teens in the U.S.?

Hint: It kills more young people every day than cancer, suicide or murder.

Answer: Car Crashes.

Every year, thousands of teens die in car crashes and hundreds of thousands more are taken to the hospital with serious injuries. One organization that is dedicated to this issue – and is really making a difference – is B.R.A.K.E.S., a Guidestar Platinum-rated 501(c)(3) charity created by multi-time top fuel drag racing champion Doug Herbert, who experienced the unimaginable tragedy of losing both of his sons, James and Jon, in a car crash eight years ago.

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 who train the FBI, secret service and state troopers; race for a living and/or perform stunts in movies. Each weekend event includes four identical sessions to allow parents and teens to pick one that will fit into their busy schedules, and each session includes four hours of training, starting with a 45-minute classroom presentation followed by lots of driving time in a fleet of new cars provided by Kia Motors. Courses include distracted driving awareness, panic braking, crash avoidance and skid control – all of the biggest causes of crashes for new drivers. This two-minute video provides a quick overview of the program: http://www.kiamedia.com/us/en/media/videos/gallery/philanthropy.

And it works! An independent study showed that teens without the B.R.A.K.E.S. training were more than TWICE as likely to experience a crash in the first three years of driving. Said another way, B.R.A.K.E.S. training reduced the likelihood of a crash by 64 percent! When you consider that half of all teens will experience a crash before they graduate from high school, why wouldn’t you check out this amazing – and potentially lifesaving – program?

For more information, including nationwide locations and dates for upcoming events, and to register for a school, please visit: www.putonthebrakes.org. (Please note: Registration requires a deposit of $99 to secure a seat, but it’s fully refundable upon arrival at the school.)

Contact Us:
B.R.A.K.E.S.
7140 Weddington RD NW
Suite 120
Concord, NC 28027
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://putonthebrakes.org/