Humboldt County families have a great opportunity to get their teen drivers into “Driver’s Edge,” a free training program for young drivers. The course is taught by true driving professionals and combines both behind-the-wheel and classroom experiences designed to alter young driver attitudes and behavior.
The free half-day course is offered at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. each day July 21-24 and Sept. 10-11 at the Regional Public Safety Training Center in Reno at 5190 Spectrum Boulevard.
To date, nearly 110,000 young drivers and their parents across the United States have attended Driver’s Edge, an innovative and potentially life-saving program. Virtually every teen who has taken the course said it has helped them become a safer driver and would recommend Driver’s Edge to other teen drivers. Parents of teens who attended mirrored those results.
The safety training serves as a wake-up call to help erase the video game mentality that is common among many of today’s young drivers. Exercises include expert instruction on skid control, lane changing, panic braking, combating unexpected situations and more.
“It’s real life training that might one day save a life,” according to information on the Winnemucca Police Department’s Facebook page.
The type of training available through Driver’s Edge can cost up to $450 per person elsewhere. Driver’s Edge is a nonprofit organization and the training is offered free of charge thanks to a grant from the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety, private charitable donations and the generous support of community oriented companies.
Registration fills quickly, however, a number of spaces have been reserved exclusively for Humboldt County families, according to the WPD. Registration is open to young drivers age 21 or younger with a valid driver’s license or permit.
To register, email Driver’s Edge founder Jeff Payne at jeff@driversedge.org and identify yourself as a Humboldt County resident.
Every day, nearly 900 young people 16-20 years old are injured and another 11 are killed in automobile related collisions. Car collisions are the number one killer of America’s youth.
The crash-involvement rate for young drivers is three times greater than the average driver. Driver’s Edge free training is provided to help change these statistics. More information is available at www.driversedge.org.
