LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The local nonprofit Driver's Edge is back outside the Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend, providing free defensive driving education to young drivers.
I went out to the speedway as organizers were setting up ahead of the event to talk about the road safety issues we're seeing and how they're working to combat them.
For 24 years, Driver's Edge has been working to ensure new drivers get off to a safer and smarter start on the roads, providing free, half-day programs for drivers ages 21 and younger with a valid license or permit. The classes teach them emergency avoidance and response techniques, among other skills.
"This is a program that was born out of frustration, just frustration with accidents and fatalities and the blame that went on, putting it all on new drivers and teens, telling them that they're irresponsible, they're out of control and they're reckless. When really it's the lack of education that creates a lack of awareness," said Brian Cole, the program director and lead instructor for Driver's Edge.
This weekend's event comes as the 100 Deadliest Days are upon us — that's the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day, when road fatalities typically rise every year.
We're already seeing a deadly start to the summer season, as Anyssa Bohanan shows us:
"We're seeing an increased amount of cars that are speeding. Speeds have increased tremendously over the last several years. That coupled with the amount of cars on the road, sometimes can be a deadly combination," said Nevada State Police trooper Dan Gordon.
For 19 years, Gordon has been helping Driver's Edge with their programs, offering real-world law enforcement expertise and perspective.
"We talk about a lot of the stuff we see on a day-to-day basis, whether it's issues that are causing crashes, to distractions, to impaired driving, and also a lot of stuff we're talking about is geared towards the parents," Gordon said.
Organizers say more than 800 young drivers and their families are attending this weekend's programs at LVMS. And they're not just educational for the kids, but they can even be eye-opening for the adults, too.
"Driving is very much a learned behavior. A lot of teenagers are learning from their parents. Parents are very much 'do as a I say, not as I do' people," Gordon said. "Teenagers are not exactly the best at listening. So if they're not listening to their parents, what they're doing is they're learning by emulating and observing their parents' behavior, especially when it comes to driving a car."
"The teenager's in the passenger seat and they're watching their parents and their parents are on their cell phones, or they're checking a text message, or they're going over the speed limit," Gordon went on to say. "So that's kind of one of the things we talk about here at Driver's Edge, is being a better influence on your kid by showing them how to be good, safe drivers, not just telling them."
Gordon said this program is one of the highlights of his career and makes a big impact on the attendees.
"We've heard countless stories of how many people have actually told us how something that we've taught here today, or during this event, has helped them either avoid some sort of even a minor crash all the way up to avoiding something that could be catastrophic," Gordon said.
Organizers say their program is a $600 value, but they offer it to families free of charge. They run on grant funding from agencies and organizations, along with community support. If you're willing and able to give, click here to donate.
"We have some car control elements, teaching kids how to deal with a car sliding sideways, which is called oversteer. We're also teaching them evasive maneuvers, so if someone were to pull out in front of them, and they've got to dodge that object in the road. We're doing an ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) braking module, and then we've got two static modules that involve law enforcement and involve a vehicle walk-around so they can learn a little bit more about vehicle maintenance, but also proper seating positions in the car, mirror positions, things they're not typically taught in driver's ed," Cole said.
While registration for the May 29-31 event at LVMS is full, organizers say they're always adding more events to their calendar. They urge interested families to sign up for their notification list, so they know when new events are added.
