How about saving a few lives?, Bet we could Options

[Randal]

I've been thinking about a driving course for licensed kids 16-20. Basically a skid pad with water just to teach them the basics about control.

We keep losing kids in California, especially on freeways. They get sideways - moving out of the way of another driver who doesn't understand lane control - and once sideways they simply don't have the basic skills to recover.

I think we have all seen people getting caught in a bad lane change situation, trying to recover and just about rolling their cars.

Honestly when you see people driving around the Bay Area you just shutter and wonder how long it will be before they hurt themselves or someone else. I’d bet their training is 10% of what the Department of Fish and Game requires for a kid to secure a hunting license. And when it comes to weapons, a car or an SUV is a big one.

Possibly we could sanction a course with the 914 Club or maybe get a few more clubs out there to help. Maybe the CHP would be willing to host the exercise. Maybe we set aside 6 hours of the 914Club West Coast gig to do it.

I know we can get insurance, but possibly this will be harder than I think. PCA, SCCA, LPR and the other clubs do get insurance, but their groups might be easier to cover. I think the insurance we get falls under "driver training."

As far as locations we wouldn't need a huge place.

There has to be some good documentation available on skid pad training. I’ll talk to Hank Watts, one of the world’s greatest instructors/ organizers, and see what he thinks about a suitable training agenda - and the amount of time per student necessary.

Hank and his (well taught) instructors have educated all kinds of people to drive fast around tracks, so skid pad training by comparison would seem a walk in the park.

Getting just one kid to understand the basics would be worth it.

Does this make any sense or is there a better way?

[Randal]

For Eric:

You're probably really close some club (PCA/ SCCA) that has some form of racing venue. Find some club doing AutoX which is a wonderful training venue and totally forgiving. As you get more confident you start pushing the car's limits and pretty soon you’re sliding, locking the wheels (braking) or spinning - and all that happens is that you hit a few cones. If you want instructors are (typically) available to help you.

It’s really amazing, as I’ve seen the very best drivers go so hard that they end up on two wheels, recover - never hitting a cone - then go on losing the entire event by only half a second. Unbelievable driving. The real thing. Didn’t happen without practice.

BTW the charge for AutoX is from $25.00 to $30.00 per event. Is this the world’s cheapest form of entertainment?

And in the end what you learn in AutoX will end up being invaluable in other driving situations.

My son Loren will be driving AutoX as soon as he gets his license. My transmission and clutch will probably suffer, but letting him learn will end up being priceless.

For SoloRacer:

The venue you described was a great way to teach people how important it is to think about what the truck might be doing.

Having spent lots of time driving 60,000 lbs of pears to the cannery, I learned very early on what a truck can’t do, i.e. stop, and it’s really amazing how many people cut right in front of you, then slam on the brakes.

Sounds like you people really had your act together with your trucking Demorama. Very impressive.