The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Young drivers prepare for real-life situations
The Tire Rack Street Survival organization came to Lorain County Community College on April 21 to test the skills of young drivers in a hands-on, educational safety program.
Licensed and permitted drivers ages 15 to 21 participated in seven driving exercises that resemble real-life scenarios in the parking lots of LCCC, 1005 N. Abbe Road in Elyria.
Each exercise was hosted by the Northeast Ohio Region Sports Car Club of America.
Students used their own cars and exercises gradually increased the level of on-the-road
driving situations to the point where drivers were burning some rubber in a safe and controlled environment.
The number of registered students in the program received a classroom session instructed by Bob McDonald, the chair of NEO SCCA.
McDonald presented information
to the young drivers about safe driving and what they can do to prevent certain situations on the road.
The information he introduced to the students then carried into the real-life, advanced courses that can help manage everyday driving hazards, obstacles and challenges.
According to the NEO SCCA organization, the goal of these exercises is to ultimately “arrive alive.”
The NEO SCCA also claims car crashes are the leading killer of American teens ages 15-20, with more than 5,000 of them involved in fatal crashes each year.
The organization estimates 196,000 are injured as a result of crashes.
Gale Green, a volunteer of the street survival program, said there were up to six groups of participants in the program that were split up of beginners to more experienced
drivers.
The drivers experienced straight-line braking to feel ABS braking, braking and turning, emergency lane changing, slalom course to feel weight transfer, wet skid pad to experience skidding and sliding, an eyes up exercise to look as far down on the road as they can and a distracted driving exercise by either texting and driving or counting backwards on a small course.
McDonald said students use their vehicles because the organization wants them to experience these situation in their own.
The overall program is in its 16th year and has trained over 25,000 new drivers in more than 1,000 schools across the United States.
McDonald said the NEO SCCA has been doing the program since 2016.
It is all assisted by volunteers who are members of
the SCCA, Porche and BMW Club.
“Their hobby is playing with cars,” McDonald said. “So, the people who have lots of experience in car tricks, they can share that experience with the kids and help them understand what some of those experiences feel like and get them to the point where they go, ‘Oh, I didn’t know my car can do that.’ ”
He said that he has had many experienced drivers share with him that they are unaware how to properly handle certain situations.
He added that some are also unaware of some automated operations a vehicle can perform in unsafe situations.
McDonald said the exercises are something that can educate and keep divers aware of how to properly handle situations early on.
“The overall goal is to
make safer, better drivers,” he said. “It’s to give them experiences they hopefully never get or will rarely have on the road to give them the experience and skills.”
Green said the program is held once a year, but the NEO SCCA hopes to host at least two in the future.
She said they are to get younger drivers into good habits.
“When they first start out driving is when they best learn,” she said.
The street survival program improves driver competence through hands-on experiences in real-world driving situations unlike traditional drivers education classroom programs, according to NEO SCCA.
She said previous licensed students in the program have thanked them for teaching them information where they develop more confidence at the wheel.
Carrie Shinksy of Wellington registered her son Matthew, 16, in the program. She believes it prepares him for life on the road.
“It’s good that they’re getting some real-world, hands-on experience, so that way they know what to do if they have a problem instead of getting in the middle of it and being freaked out by it,” Shinsky said.
Matthew said the exercises are fun, beneficial, and not too challenging if you listen to your instructor.
To enroll, the cost is $95 per student. NEO SCCA said that some insurance companies offer premium discounts to graduates.