Teen Driving Accident Statistics.
- About 300,000 young drivers are injured in car crashes each year.
- Traffic crashes are the single, greatest cause of death among teenagers in the U.S., accounting for more than one in three deaths in this age group.
- Nearly 45,000 people die in car crashes annually – 6,000 to 8,000 fatalities under the age of 25.
- Sixteen year olds have higher collision rates than drivers of any other age as they underestimate dangerous situations or are not able to recognize hazardous situations.
BMW Teen Driving School.
BMW has a profound belief in not only high-performing and fuel efficient driving—but also safe driving. The company has a long history investing in the active and passive safety of its vehicles and supporting road safety programs for teenagers and young drivers. In the U.S., BMW even had its own student driving program dating back to 1997, when it was part of the Ultimate Driving Experience (UDE).
This particular teen driving school takes on a unique and holistic approach – it’s a grass roots initiative combining local community outreach, teens, and road safety. It’s based on the teen driving program currently taught at the BMW Performance Center Driving School located in Spartanburg, SC. The facility is a $12 million investment centered on teaching new and experienced drivers the skills necessary to be safer and more confident on the road.
At the BMW Teen Driving School, teenagers increase their driving knowledge through a series of hands-on driving exercises, driver awareness activities, and classroom instruction. The goals of the school are
1.to help young, impressionable drivers develop lifelong safety habits.
2.to raise awareness about the risks and dangers of driving.
3.to prepare teens to handle unexpected driving hazards in the safest way possible.
People of all ages can benefit from learning to become safer drivers. Parents are encouraged to join their sons and daughters to share the experience together at the BMW Teen Driving School. They can reinforce the insights and techniques learned from the program to their teens after it’s over.
The BMW Teen Driving School is one of BMW’s community relations programs focusing on teens and road safety. It travels to locations nationwide and is offered to teenagers and young drivers at no cost. Eligible drivers, ages 15-21, must possess a valid learner's permit or driver’s license to register for the school.
Driving Exercises.
In a controlled environment under the close supervision of expert driver training instructors, teens learn from and experience a wide range of driving conditions – from panic stops to loss of tire grip on a wet skid pad. Students receive immediate feedback on safety instruction and vehicle handling correction to their driving responses in real-world scenarios.
- Skid Control
Using 30-foot square pads soaked in soapy water, students attempt to lose control of the vehicle at low speed in order to practice techniques to recover from a slide.
- Target Fixation
Our professional drivers teach students to focus on where the vehicle needs to be rather than on the object they are trying to avoid.
- Car Control
Learning vehicle dynamics help drivers safely maintain control of their car at all times and experience the importance of patience in the process of managing the load transfer of the vehicle.
- Accident Avoidance
Maneuvering vehicles through a series of courses that simulate real-life road conditions, students learn what best to do in the event of an unexpected hazard.
Driver Awareness Activities.
The driver awareness activities are important because most teens won’t have the opportunity to experience these up close – visually learning valuable lessons on proper seat position and how to avoid the risk of driving next to a truck.
- Airbag Deployment Demonstration
A BMW airbag is released outside so students can see the impact behind it. Teens learn proper seat position and airbag safety tips.
- Trucker Blind Spot Activity
Vehicles are positioned on each side of a semi-truck. Students climb into the cab and using both side mirrors, observe blind spots from a trucker’s perspective and learn how to avoid them.
Special Classroom Session.
Students learn texting while driving is one of the most dangerous actions a person can do behind the wheel.
- Texting and Driving
Texting while driving reduces reaction time at a level equivalent to having a blood-alcohol level of .08. It takes approximately five seconds to read or send a text message. At 55 miles per hour, that’s the equivalent of driving the length of a football field with your eyes off the road.
