LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KATV) — Motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of preventable deaths among teenagers, according to the National Safety Council. In response, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preparing young drivers is in Little Rock this weekend to offer life-saving training.
The organization, known as B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible and Keep Everybody Safe), was founded in 2008 by father and top fuel drag racer Doug Herbert. Herbert established the program in memory of his two sons who died in a car accident. The program’s motto, “Be responsible and keep everybody safe,” underscores its mission to educate young drivers and their parents across the country, free of charge.
“We put teens in emergency panic situations in an environment out here in a controlled parking lot,” said Matt Reilly, a senior instructor with BRAKES. “We teach the teens what to do in a panic situation. Number one, how they’re going to react, and then how they should react so that they get home in one piece and not get caught up in a crash.”…