Brakes Course Enlightens Teen Drivers ; Safe-Driving Program Started In 2008 By Father Who Lost 2 Sons In Vehicle Accident

ROCHELLE A. SHENK

LNP CORRESPONDENT

The Manheim Auto Auction usually is a quiet place on weekends.

That wasn't the case earlier this month, when about 150 teenagers and their parents participated in BRAKES, a safe-driving course designed for teens.

This was the sixth time in the past three years that BRAKES (Be Responsible And Keep Everyone Safe) was offered in Manheim. The four- hour-long course begins with a half-hour lecture, and the balance of the time is spent driving with a trained instructor.

It includes sections on wet road recovery, off-road recovery, panic stopping and distracted driving. A parent must attend with each teen, and the parent also has an opportunity to drive with an instructor.

"What's unique about our program is that it's all hands-on and there's a 3-to-1 ratio of teens to instructors, so there's a lot of seat time. Our exercises are based on Department of Transportation crash data," Matt Reilly, BRAKES director of operations, said. "This is a life skill that must be taught. Parents don't necessarily have the skills or knowledge to do so; they may not be aware of the latest technology in new vehicles."

Reilly said that more than 5,000 U.S. teens are killed in traffic accidents each year.

BRAKES was organized in 2008 by Doug Herbert, a National Hot Rod Association drag racer, after his two sons were killed in a vehicle accident. Since the program originated, over 15,000 students have been trained. The initiative was brought to Manheim in 2012 in response to the loss of eight Manheim children in teen driving accidents in the two prior years. It originally was sponsored by the Manheim Lions Club, Manheim Auto Auction, Hondru Auto Group, Worley & Obetz, John M. Hess Auction Service and Liberty Mutual Insurance.

Aaron Henderson, Manheim Lions Club member and Lions Safe Driving Project District 14-D committee chairman, explained that the Manheim effort has evolved over the past two years. It is now sponsored by Lions Club District 14-D, which encompasses Lancaster and Lebanon counties.

Henderson said the move not only provided additional exposure for the program, but also increased the pool of potential volunteers for the weekend event. Kia Motors is the presenting sponsor of the BRAKES program nationally.

Reilly noted that the auto auction continues to partner with BRAKES.

"The Manheim Auto Auction's partnership with this program is huge. Space and funding are the things that we need to make our training sessions happen," Reilly said. "The auction provides 200,000 square feet of asphalt free of charge," Henderson added, estimating that, to date, nearly 500 teens and their parents have gone through the program in Manheim.

Some of the teens attending the Aug. 1-2 sessions are siblings and relatives of teens who previously went through the program.

Hempfield High School student Adam Bachman participated in BRAKES last year and volunteered to help with this year's sessions.

"It was a good experience. I found that the distracted driving part was really helpful; there are a lot of things that can be distractions, and now I'm more aware of how important it is to focus on driving. Earlier this year I used the accident-avoidance techniques that I learned through BRAKES to avoid an accident," he said.

Henderson said the next BRAKES class in Manheim is tentatively planned for spring 2016. For more information about BRAKES and the program schedule, visit www.putonthebrakes.org.