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TOOELE — The sound of screeching tires filled the air at Miller Motorsports Park Saturday morning, and it was coming from cars driven by teenagers. It was part of a campaign to teach teens safe-driving techniques and get their adrenaline pumping at the same time.
The event was sponsored by Collision Guard, a group started last year in Orem by body shop owners who decided they had seen enough crashes and wanted to make a difference.
“This isn’t your grandma’s driving school,” Collision Guard President Brian Nichols said. “We’re making safe driving fresh, fun and exciting for these teens. Why? Because safe driving matters. Tens of thousands of people, many of them teens, are dying every year on the nation’s roads.”
We’re making safe driving fresh, fun and exciting for these teens. Why? Because safe driving matters.
–Collision Guard President Brian Nichols
Car crashes are now the leading cause of death for teenagers in the United States. Teens are four times more likely to be in a fatal crash than adult drivers, according to a recent report from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. In Utah, highway patrol troopers say a teen is involved in a crash every 35 minutes.
Cars come with a lot of technology to keep people safe, but Nichols said safe driving behavior is the key to keeping people alive.
Teen drivers practiced swerving around cones to simulate unexpected hazards on the road. They also got to drive in the "skid car," which simulates either front-end or rear-end skids.
“In driver’s ed you learn the basic rules, but in this class you learn the skills,” driver Jeremy Adamson said.
Teen driver Gabrielle Shipley thought swerving in and out of cones was the best part of the driving lesson. “It was really fun to go fast,” she said.
The drivers hit several cones on the obstacle course, hit their brakes too late, and some even skidded, but no one was hurt. They all walked away feeling better about their driving skills.
"I don't have my license quite yet," Adamson said. "I'm getting it in about a week, so I'm excited."
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