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?

[rick 918-S]

I'm a member of the BMW CCA. http://northstarbmw.org/ We have Teen Car Control Clinics a couple time a year. (winter, and summer) My 16 year old son participated this year. He had a 91 VW GTI. It was the best thing You can do for a kid! This is not drivers ED! The course is at a Tech Collage. It's the same course they train the Highway Patrol and the Police on high pursuit driving. These kids pushed their vehicles hard. They learned what it feels like to go into a skid. There is a wet skid pad there, an emergency lane change course with stop lights, several slolum courses. I'm telling you, several of the kids that started out in the morning really didn't have a clue! Really! It was just a matter of time before one of these kids would have been in an accident. I helped out resetting cones on the course that day. (I chased cones sometimes for a block!) As the day progressed you could see their skill level rise! Go to the site and click on the Photogallery. Then go to the videos. Check out the video of the teen Car Control Clinic put together by my sons friend Forrest Vodden. Nice production put to music. My sons $ 500.00 GTI is in the video. It's worth a look.