Non Profit Teen Driving Program

Officials with a National Teen Driving Program says every year more than 5,000 teenagers nationwide are killed in car crashes.

By Kelley Hoskins,

May 10, 2008, 5:15 PM CDT

Officials with a National Teen Driving Program says every year more than 5,000 teenagers nationwide are killed in car crashes. According to the group it's the leading killer of American youth ages 16 to 19.

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Just this week Missouri suffered another tragedy when a Jefferson County teen, 17 year old Jessica Kimble, was killed in a single car accident. The car she was riding in crashed on a rain-slicked road in Hillsboro.

Kimble was not wearing a seat belt.

Saturday, Tire Rack Street Survival, a national driver education program took to the track at Gateway International, in Madison, IL to teach the skills young drivers need to stay alive behind the wheel. "Let them experience the situation in a control safe environment here, so if it ever happens on the streets, they are going to know immediately what to do," said Tom Allen, St. Louis BMW Club.

Unlike other advance driving schools, students in the program use their own vehicles, so the skills that they learn Saturday can translate into their daily driving experiences.

Instructors say it teaches the youth how to control the vehicle and not just operate one. "The goal is to put the students into an out of control situation, where their car is slipping or sliding or going through some emergency braking," said Allen.

According to instructors the driving program helps improve driver competence through hands-on experiences in real-world driving situations. "People don't realize how dangerous driving can be and it just teaches you can be a safer driver." Evan Roth, Driving Student.

"A lot of kids out there think they know what they are doing and obviously they don't. I think it will help out a lot," said Frank Hodges, Parent.

The Tire Rack Street Survival Program is open to permitted and licensed drivers ages 16-21. Registration forms schedules and more information can be found online at www.streetsurvivial.org.

The cost is $60 per student and some insurance companies offer premium discounts to graduates.