LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The free, national teen defensive driving program, "B.R.A.K.E.S," has arrived in the Las Vegas valley for the first time ever.
Training sessions for interested drivers will be held at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 7 and 8, and there's still time to sign up!
Anyone who wants to get behind the wheel must have a permit or license and at least 30 hours behind the wheel.
The program was founded in 2008 by Doug Herbert after he tragically lost his two sons in a car crash the same year. So far, the program has trained more than 110,000 teens and parents across the country. According to B.R.A.K.E.S., trainees are "64% less likely to get into an accident up to three years after training."
The program teaches teen drivers to recover their vehicles in a variety of ways, including distracted driving awareness, panic braking, crash avoidance, off-road recovery, and skid recovery. Behind-the-wheel instructors include current and former law enforcement officers and professional racing drivers.
"One of the biggest issues with teens driving — or anybody, really — is the cellphone," said B.R.A.K.E.S. West Coast Regional Manager Brandon Short. "You gotta put that cellphone away; driving is a full-time job, and it needs your full attention."
Southern Nevada is one of the communities the program is focusing on this year, where the need has become apparent over the past few years, according to Short.
"We try to go where there's a need, especially in the Las Vegas Metropolitan area," Short said. "With all the new roads being built, with all the new communities, it's good that we're able to teach teens good habits and how to control the car in certain situations where they may not have the training to do it."
He continued, "Especially during the first rains, the roads are slick; they need to know how to control the car so they don't hydroplane."
For more information on the "B.R.A.K.E.S" program or to sign up for a training session, visit www.putonthebrakes.org.
