KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Car crashes are the number one cause of death for teens, and that can make handing over the keys difficult. A nationwide program called B.R.A.K.E.S. is coming back to Kansas this fall to help our teens behind the wheel.
B.R.A.K.E.S. stands for Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe. It was started after NHRA drag racer Doug Herbert lost his two young sons, Jon and James, in a car crash in January of 2008. He wanted to create a driving program that would help prevent other families from going through similar heartbreak.
The program was held at the Kansas Speedway last year and it sold out quickly. This year they will also be holding the classes in Topeka at Heartland Motorsports Park.
"Teens will spend most of that time driving, going through off-road wheel recovery when their vehicle goes off the road, how to recover safely. Avoidance maneuvers, driving in inclement weather, distracted driving, we cover a lot of different stuff with them," said Trooper Don Hughes with the Kansas Highway Patrol.
Each class is four hours long and during that time the teens will go through five different driving courses with professional instructors with KHP, the Secret Service, and even some stunt drivers.
"This is a pro-active teen driving school and in Kansas, we've had an increase in injuries and fatalities related to teen driving," Hughes said. "We wanted to try to get more involved and try to reduce those numbers."
The classes at the Kansas Speedway are already full this year, but there are still dozens of spots available in Topeka. The classes in Topeka are set for Sept. 22 and 23.
To sign up for the driving class in Topeka, click here.
To be added to the waitlist for the Kansas Speedway classes, click here.
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