NHRA driver Herbert brings teen driver training program to California

Simple question: How many of you have teenagers in the Southern California area who can benefit from free driver's training?

Yes, you read that correctly.

The National Hot Rod Association will host 12 sessions of the B.R.A.K.E.S. teen driving school at the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona--and all you have to do is sign up. The first event is coming up fast, March 13-14.

B.R.A.K.E.S. is not about teaching your kid to drag race, either. It is a 501(c)3 foundation started by NHRA Top Fuel drag racer Doug Herbert. The group has put hundreds of teens through a school designed to give young drivers the dynamic experience of handling a vehicle in a controlled environment, all the while simulating adverse driving conditions.

B.R.A.K.E.S. stands for Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe.

"B.R.A.K.E.S. has been an extremely successful program in the southeast United States, and we are honored to bring the program and what it stands for to Southern California," said Tom Compton, president of the NHRA. "The program's success can be directly attributed to the passion and commitment of Doug Herbert to educate young drivers on safe driving skills."

Herbert started the foundation after the deaths of his two teenage sons in a car crash.

The B.R.A.K.E.S. Teen Pro-Active Driving School presented by NHRA is conducted free of charge for all participants. The school uses professional driving instructors to educate students on the proper way to handle skids, panic stops, accident-avoidance maneuvers and driving with distractions.

"Being from Southern California, I know the teenagers in this area will benefit from what we're already doing in the southeast," said Herbert, who is an NHRA veteran with nine career national-event wins. "I'm looking forward to taking the program out there and training hundreds of teens in the SoCal area. I really appreciate Tom Compton and NHRA for getting behind this program and helping us make these schools possible."

Schools will be held at the Fairplex on March 13 and 14, June 12 and 13, and Dec. 11 and 12. Parents are required to attend and are invited to experience the various courses; however, the focus remains on the teens.

Two sessions of the school will be held each date. The morning sessions will run from 8 a.m. to noon, and the afternoon sessions from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.

The B.R.A.K.E.S. school is not a state-certified driver training course that authorizes a teen to obtain her license. It is additional training in defensive-driving techniques and therefore, teens are required to have a valid learner permit or driver's license to participate.

To register, parents and teens should visit www.putonthebrakes.org/driving-school or call (704) 732-8950.

By Dutch Mandel