Tire Rack Inc. is bringing Street Survival, a national driver education program that teaches teens the skills they need to stay alive behind the wheel, to Boardman, Ohio, on Saturday, May 5, 2013.
Unlike traditional driver’s education programs based on classroom theory and simple maneuvers, the Tire Rack Street Survival program improves driver competence through hands-on experiences in real-world driving situations.
Students receive a short classroom session and then learn, hands-on, how to manage everyday driving hazards, obstacles and challenges in a controlled environment on an advanced driving course.
Students learn emergency braking and skid control, how to control proper braking, and how to avoid accidents entirely. In select schools, in addition to spending time in the driver’s seat of parked 18-wheeler to fully comprehend its massive blind spots, teenagers witness the violent detonation of an air bag, which reinforces proper hand placement on the steering wheel.
Students are taught in their own cars, not specially prepared program vehicles, so the skills they learn can be directly translated to their daily driving experiences. Tire Rack Street Survival challenges teenagers to understand how to control a vehicle, rather than just operate one.
Now in its 11th year, the program has trained 10,000 new drivers. In 2012, 93 schools participated; the goal for 2013 is over 100 nationally.
Michelin North America Inc. is supporting the Street Survival program by providing funding for pavement rental for each school throughout the United States.
Tire Rack Street Survival is open to licensed and permitted drivers ages 15 – 21. The cost is $75 per student and some insurance companies offer premium discounts to graduates. Forms, schedules and more information are online at www.streetsurvival.org.
