If you have any new drivers in your family or social circles, point them to this link for the Team Safety Driving School coming up on Saturday Oct 26. You can find out more about the not-for-profit, all-volunteer Team Safety here Home | Team Safety Driving School
The class will be held at Arizona Motorsports Park, just northwest of Camelback and 152nd avenue right by Litchfield Park and Luke AFB. It's an all-day deal, 8 am to 430, lunch provided. Parents/friends/family are welcome to stay on site or they can leave and come back if they like, but the student needs a car of their own to drive, as cars are not provided for them.
The program was started by a road racer, professional instructor, and all-around nice guy with a passion for improving basic teen accident avoidance skills and staffed by people from varying backgrounds and similar passion. I instructed for a program called Street Survival for several years before moving here, and this program takes that one a step further by providing basic car-handling instruction even for those who have very little time behind the wheel.
In just one day, in a huge 80-acre parking lot with nothing to hit, they'll learn in their own cars where the car "is", they'll learn basic steering, braking, and turning. They'll learn how to park. Then, they'll learn what it's like to brake as hard as the car can, and what it feels like to trigger the anti-lock brakes if the car is equipped. Lastly they'll learn an Emergency Lane Change, where they get the car up to 40 mph and at the last possible second they are told which "lane" they have to change into, keep it under control, and stop the car. It's hairy, it's noisy, the car slides, it scares the hell out of them the first time, but after a few times they'll know what to do if a kid runs out in front of them when they're driving down the street.
It is *amazing* how much kids learn about car control and situational awareness in just one day. I've had adults fill in empty slots in classes and tell me they learned more in one day than in 20 years of driving.
The website has some testimonials and photos that are worth checking out.
One thing it is not, is an accredited licensing program. Programs like this should be required to get a license, but they're not, and the state requirements call for things this program can't provide, like a certain number of classroom hours and public-road driving. So taking this class makes kids better drivers but it won't count toward getting licensed.
The class will be held at Arizona Motorsports Park, just northwest of Camelback and 152nd avenue right by Litchfield Park and Luke AFB. It's an all-day deal, 8 am to 430, lunch provided. Parents/friends/family are welcome to stay on site or they can leave and come back if they like, but the student needs a car of their own to drive, as cars are not provided for them.
The program was started by a road racer, professional instructor, and all-around nice guy with a passion for improving basic teen accident avoidance skills and staffed by people from varying backgrounds and similar passion. I instructed for a program called Street Survival for several years before moving here, and this program takes that one a step further by providing basic car-handling instruction even for those who have very little time behind the wheel.
In just one day, in a huge 80-acre parking lot with nothing to hit, they'll learn in their own cars where the car "is", they'll learn basic steering, braking, and turning. They'll learn how to park. Then, they'll learn what it's like to brake as hard as the car can, and what it feels like to trigger the anti-lock brakes if the car is equipped. Lastly they'll learn an Emergency Lane Change, where they get the car up to 40 mph and at the last possible second they are told which "lane" they have to change into, keep it under control, and stop the car. It's hairy, it's noisy, the car slides, it scares the hell out of them the first time, but after a few times they'll know what to do if a kid runs out in front of them when they're driving down the street.
It is *amazing* how much kids learn about car control and situational awareness in just one day. I've had adults fill in empty slots in classes and tell me they learned more in one day than in 20 years of driving.
The website has some testimonials and photos that are worth checking out.
One thing it is not, is an accredited licensing program. Programs like this should be required to get a license, but they're not, and the state requirements call for things this program can't provide, like a certain number of classroom hours and public-road driving. So taking this class makes kids better drivers but it won't count toward getting licensed.
