RICHMOND, Va. β The Put on the B.R.A.K.E.S. program is bringing its comprehensive teen driving safety training to Richmond Raceway for the first time, offering 200 teenagers and their parents skills to become better and safer drivers.
The program comes to Richmond through a partnership with Virginia State Police, the Department of Vehicles, and Youth of Virginia Speak Out About Traffic Safety.
B.R.A.K.E.S. was founded by Doug Herbert, a former drag race champion, following a personal tragedy in 2008. Herbert lost both of his sons, Jon and James, in a car crash when they were driving to get food one morning. His son Jon was driving recklessly and crashed.
The experience motivated Herbert to create a program that could prevent other families from experiencing similar loss. He works with the Department of Transportation to analyze the most common types of crashes and develop realistic training scenarios for young drivers.
One key scenario the program teaches is called a "wheel drop off" -- when a car veers off to the side of the road, drivers often over-correct and cross into oncoming traffic.
The program's name is an acronym that holds special meaning for Herbert -- B.R.A.K.E.S. stands for "Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe," which Herbert said was created by his sons' friends.
Herbert said the program has grown significantly since its inception 17 years ago.
"We've trained over 150,000 all over the country, and it's been just an incredible journey," Herbert said.
"That's our mission is to keep everyone safe," Herbert said.
While all spots for this weekend's training have been filled, Herbert encourages interested families to sign up for the waitlist and visit the program's website for future opportunities.
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