Station three was a date with the California Highway Patrol and the local Sheriff and Fire Departments. Here, each officer addressed the group, relating accident anecdotes as well as the standard admonishments one might expect from such civil servants. Unfortunately, each of them was so restrained and stoic compared with the Driver's Edge instructors that the message had all the excitement of a public-service announcement. Good information? Sure. Interesting? Well... Throughout the tour, Driver's Edge uses local law enforcement to teach this portion for obvious reasons. (The tone of this section is only reflective of the day we attended.)
The final module was the skidpad. Students accelerated a VW GTI through a sweeping turn, culminating on a wet skidpad. In this area, the rear wheels lock and the car throws its rear end out, so students can learn how to recover from a skid. Payne expressed little faith that the old adage of "turn into a skid" holds any relevance to young people without experience. He emphasized the idea that "you go where you're looking," to teach teens to defy tunnel-vision and look for ways out. Before trying this course, our group was asked if they wanted to opt out. My daughter was the only one to raise her hand. D'oh! That garnered her immediate scrutiny from an instructor who wouldn't take no for an answer. Once all the students completed their turn, my daughter was singled out for an extra half-dozen laps because of that raised hand. While she struggled through each skid recovery, I was grateful for the increased attention she received.
With all four rounds complete, everyone gathered in the presentation area for a final wrap-up from Jeff and crew. The mood was upbeat and sincere. Jeff thanked his sponsors and donors for making his traveling road show possible. Driver's Edge is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and public charity, solely funded by charitable donations, public grants, and corporate sponsors, particularly Bridgestone Tires.
It appeared everyone enjoyed the previous five hours and, one can only hope, the experience is lodged firmly in the teenagers' brains.
I'm willing to go way out on a limb and say that you get so much more than you pay for with this course. Instructors encourage the teens to keep working on their new skills. Keep them sharp. For my daughter, there's a vast practical difference between throwing a 3 Series into a turn and keeping her old Grand Cherokee out of trouble. Even so, she now possesses the basic abilities to discern problems in advance and the experience to correct them. That alone makes it an invaluable life lesson-one for which her mother and I are very grateful to Jeff and his crew.
They will contact each student after six months, 12 months, and two years to evaluate the veracity of the Driver's Edge lessons.
If you have a new driver in your family be sure to check out Driver's Edge at driversedge.org.