CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe program was born out of tragedy and is helping thousands of young adults. The B.R.A.K.E.S program is geared towards young adults to teach them how to handle themselves when driving. This morning, the founder of the program, NHR Drag racing star, Doug Herbert joined us live on Charlotte Today.
Car crashes are the number-one cause of death among teens in the United States. Every day car crashes end more teen lives than murder, cancer or suicide, and thousands of teens are hospitalized every year due to crashes. B.R.A.K.E.S. is on a mission to change that narrative. “When I lost my two young sons, Jon and James, in a tragic highway collision in January of 2008, my grief led to resolve, inspiring a mission to help prevent other families from experiencing similar heartbreak” says Herbert.
Herbert wasted no time in putting his mission into motion, creating B.R.A.K.E.S. The primary goal of B.R.A.K.E.S is to prevent injuries and save lives by training and educating teenage drivers and their parents about the importance of safe and responsible driving. While conventional driver’s education is important and valuable, the B.R.A.K.E.S Teen Pro-Active Driving School curriculum goes well beyond that level of training, addressing common driving situations responsible for many traffic collisions involving teens. Driving exercises include: Distracted Driving Awareness, Panic Braking, Crash Avoidance, Car Control/Skid Recovery, Drop-wheel/Off-road Recovery. Other elements include proper seat and mirror placement, proper use of seatbelts, eye scanning, and Big Rig Safety. Plus what to do during a Traffic Stop and more. “We have helped over a 100K parents and teens get trained” says Herbert. Teens who have completed the program are 64 percent less likely to get into a crash three years out. For more information of how your teen can participate in B.R.A.K.E.S program visit PutonTheBrakes.org