In 2006 alone, 7,463 people died behind the wheel of a car due to crashes involving drivers aged 16 - 20. To reduce that number in this area, the Tire Rack Street Survival™ program, will be coming to the Wilkes Family YMCA in Wilkesboro on May 17, 2008.
Tire Rack Street Survival™ is a national driver education program aimed at teaching teens the skills they need to stay alive behind the wheel. The Tire Rack Street Survival™ program improves driver competence through hands-on experiences in real-world driving situations. Teenagers learn from professional driving instructors how their actions can control a car’s responses, what the limits of their vehicles are, and how to avoid accidents entirely. Unlike other advanced driving schools, students use their own vehicles so that the skills they learn can be directly translated to their own daily driving experiences.
Statistics show that more teens die in car crashes than by drugs or violence. Bill Wade, National Street Survival™ Program Manager says, “handing the keys to an improperly trained driver endangers not only the teens but others on the road as well. Street Survival’s goal is to prepare young drivers for the hazards they will face on the road and how to deal with them in a safe, effective manner.”
“As members of this community, many of us have teenagers who are just beginning what we hope will be a long life as a safe driver,” said Beth Lovette, Wilkes Health Director “That’s why we’ve volunteered to bring this program to Wilkes County—in order to reduce the number of deaths that result from teenage driving fatalities.”
The class runs from 9am to 3pm, and is open to permitted and licensed drivers ages 16 – 21. Registration forms can be found online at www.streetsurvival.org. The cost is $60 per student and some insurance companies offer premium discounts to graduates.
About Street Survival™
Formed by the BMW Car Club of America Foundation (www.bmwccafoundation.org), the Street Survival™ safe teen driving program (www.streetsurvival.org) was launched in April 2002 with the help of several corporate sponsors. Street Survival™ is built on the principle that 'safe driving is learned by doing', and teaches students to avoid accidents by thinking and looking ahead. Street Survival™ is unique in that it offers students instruction in their own cars so that they learn the limitations of their every day vehicle. Street Survival is sponsored by the Wilkes Child Fatality Prevention Team, the Wilkes Family YMCA, and the BMW Car Club of America.
More Information
For more information about Street Survival or to register go to www.streetsurvival.org and click “School Schedule/Registration,” and fill out a registration form. Only 30 slots are available and scholarships may be offered to those unable to afford the registration fee. Please call Josh Swift, Health Promotion Coordinator at 651-7449 if you have any questions about the Street Survival safe teen driving program.
Pediatric Diabetes Program
See the post below to learn more about this 12-week diabetes program for children age 10-18 years. For more information call 651-7449