Keeping Teens from Killing Themselves on the Road

Sarah totally shined in this exercise. She was a natural at the last second swerve, consistently moving down the line, making the change, and coming to a quick stop with little drama time after time. I was starting to wonder where she got all this swerving practice (she often leaves late for work...) since she looked like a total pro. I, on the other hand, had quite a difficult time making that quick decision (which is true of my decision making in general). On one run, I swerved the wrong way. On another, I swerved too late and murdered about six cones. It took the workers a while to get them all out from under the car, while the rest of my group waited patiently for me to get out of the way. If I had to guess, I would say the problem was not with me, or my normally cat-like reflexes. It's that the M45 is so quick off the line - spinning its rear tires until about 30 mph - that the flag holder didn't give ample time for me to complete the maneuvers. By the time he gave the signal, I was bearing down on him with the rear of the car squatting under hard acceleration. Yeah, that's my story. It's the car's fault! By the time the exercise ended, though, my nerves were shot from the pressure. We headed back to the classroom to regroup before our final task: the combination course. There was a quick lecture about how the course was laid out, and our diplomas were distributed. Those pieces of paper, by the way, may entitle participants to a discount on car insurance with certain companies. When we got back out to the lot, we discovered the event was laid out similarly to an autocross track, with a specific path to be followed. It was designed to test the drivers in all the various areas we had learned about during the day. As we all made our way through the course, one by one, there wasn't a teenager who didn't have a smile on his face after coming across the finish line. I had an especially big smile driving over that line because I crossed it sideways, in a cloud of tire smoke. I also got in trouble for doing it, so that stopped. All in all, the event was a huge learning experience. Hesitant at first, Sarah really warmed up throughout the day, and ended up enjoying herself immensely. She expressed astonishment at how capable our old Accord is, especially during the cornering and braking drills (acceleration, however, is somewhat glacial). She discovered how little of our car's potential we actually use. As for me, I knew I would have fun. But I was pleasantly surprised at how well the event was run, how many precautions were taken for safety, and how friendly and knowledgeable the instructors were. At $60, this program is a bargain for parents who would like to put their teens through a school that will teach them great driving habits - habits that should last a lifetime.