Please pass this information on to ANYONE you know who has a new driver (15 or 16 year old) in the household.

Thanks!



Teen drivers cause more than their share of car wrecks as they learn to become good drivers. According to the National Safety Council, one in four teens crashes in their first year driving. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that over 80% of those crashes are caused by “Driver Error.” Not speed. Not drugs. Not alcohol. Here in the Birmingham area parents can help their teenagers avoid these disturbing odds as well as lower the stress caused by worried waiting and sudden-growth auto insurance bills by attending the New Driver Car Control Clinic sponsored by the Alabama Region of the Sports Car Club of America

The New Driver Car Control Clinic is a one-day, hands-on, behind the wheel wreck avoidance and defensive driving clinic that teaches 15- and 16-year old drivers (with their parents in the car) by practicing how to avoid car wrecks. Using the car the student is likely to end up driving, the maneuvers they practice begin with simple elements and grow step-by-step to combine emergency braking and turning while staying in control of themselves and their vehicles.

Classroom sessions in the clinic emphasize the theory behind the practice, but it’s the practice on pavement that makes the clinic effective. The New Driver Car Control Clinic has proven results. A three year study, conducted by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles compared the crash rates of clinic graduates with their peers of the same age who had not been through the clinic. They report that New Driver Car Control Clinic graduates have 77% fewer crashes than their untrained peers.

Training in how to react as a driver follows the same principle as that used in training for sports – practice the right emergency responses so they can be used when the emergencies occur.

This spring the clinics will be taught on March 19, April 30, and May 14. The March and May events will be in the Hewitt-Trussville High School parking lot. The April event site will be announced later. Pre-registration is required because class size is limited. More information and registration forms can be found at www.alscca.org or by calling (205) 655-4613.

The New Driver Car Control Clinic is a national program (www.teendrivers.com) taught locally by members of the Alabama Region of the Sports Car Club of America. The clinic includes a 56-page textbook and a 45-minute video as well as the six hours of combined classroom and behind-the-wheel time for $95. This is the eighth year that the clinics have been offered as a public service in the Birmingham area.

Contact: Ken Lindquist (205) 655-4613
E-mail: newdriver@alscca.org