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On Tour With Driver’s Edge
Jun 11 2007 by Kristin Varela
Tested: 5/15/2007
Clinic Eases Parents’ Fears of Kids’ Driving
Ohmigod, do you remember turning 16? I totally remember how exciting it was.
Going where I wanted, when I wanted, with whomever I wanted was gonna be sooo totally sweet. Once I got my license, I couldn’t drive fast enough to Southwest Plaza with Katie and Jeanne to buy tapered acid-wash jeans to wear when meeting Mr. Cutie from social studies to see “Dirty Dancing” (maybe if I was really lucky he’d French kiss me—but don’t you dare tell my parents, k?). I was so psyched not to have my mom drop me off way over by the far entrance to Penney’s so I didn’t have to be seen with her (eye roll).
Fast-forward two children and more years than I care to admit, and I’m quickly growing sympathetic to the panic parents face when their children reach driving age. With car accidents the leading cause of death for 15- to 20-year-olds, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, this fear is entirely understandable.
What’s the answer? Certainly it’s not succumbing to the paranoia and forbidding your kid to drive—you don’t want to be chauffeuring them around when they’re 30, do you? One day you won’t let them drive, and the next thing you know they’re living in your basement on top of piles of dirty laundry, playing PlayStation 12 and sneaking off with your Social Security check. Perhaps a better solution would be you and your little Marco Andretti or Danica Patrick attending a Driver’s Edge half-day clinic.
Driver’s Edge is a nationally touring non-profit program for drivers between 15 and 21 that’s aimed at educating them beyond the basics of driving in a super-cool, entertaining setting. Driver’s Edge employs a diverse staff of young and not-as-young-but-think-they-are racecar drivers and professional drivers who relate incredibly well to teens.
For example, driving instructor Mike Moser presents the car-care clinic at the vast majority of Edge events. After teaching preschool for 13 years—surprising in that he looks more like a guitar smasher on MTV than a teacher of the ABCs—Mike entered the world of Driver’s Edge. He said he finds this work equally rewarding.
“This is a chance to do what I do and have it actually make a difference,” he said. “There’s enough of me remembering what it’s like [to be a teenager] and hanging onto that. I want to make the connection between teens and adults and remind parents what it was like. If I can get a parent and a kid to come away appreciating each other more and being safer, I’ve got the best job on earth.”
I’m pleased to announce that Mike does not live in his parents’ basement. Or so he claims.
Lauren George, 16 and a member of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s legendary Hulman-George family, said she felt like she was in the same boat as all the other teens at a recent Driver’s Edge event in Indianapolis.
“I didn’t really know what to expect coming here today, but I’m impressed with the amount of car time I’ve gotten and also with the laid-back and relaxed atmosphere of it all,” she said.
Lauren’s brother is IndyCar Series driver Ed Carpenter, who spent the day as a Driver’s Edge guest instructor, along with Jeff Simmons and his Team Ethanol-sponsored racecar. Lauren summed up the program more eloquently than I could have at 16, saying it “teaches new drivers to respect the responsibility of driving.”
Most teens I’ve spoken to at Driver’s Edge events across the country said they feel unprepared for life on the road after attending traditional driver’s education.
“After going through driver’s education, I didn’t have much confidence in the car,” Lauren said.
Driver’s Edge goes beyond traditional driving instruction, sending teens through four interactive seminars: skid recovery, braking and evasive lane changing, car care, and an automotive safety class taught by local law enforcement officers.
“The skid pad here was the biggest thrill and confidence-booster,” Lauren said.
Lauren isn’t the only one impressed with Driver’s Edge. The corporate supporters behind the non-profit—including Bridgestone, Firestone Complete Auto Care, CarMax Foundation and the Indy Racing League—are believers too; they help keep the program free for teens across the country.
“It’s essential for this kind of experience to remain free for our students,” said Steve Tepper, chief operating officer of Driver’s Edge. “It has to be available to everyone, not just those with means, and it’s great having partners and supporters who simply want to help make a difference.”
SENSE AND STYLE
Family Friendly (Not Really, Fair, Great, Excellent): Excellent
Fun Factor (None, Some, Good Times, Groove On): Groove On
