Concord-based program teaches defensive driving techniques to teens

CONCORD, N.C. — Hundreds of teens got free defensive driving training on Sunday, thanks to the B.R.A.K.E.S. program out of Concord.

B.R.A.K.E.S. stands for ‘Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe’. The program was founded by drag racing champion Doug Herbert more than a decade ago after losing both of his sons in a car accident.

Over the weekend, B.R.A.K.E.S. worked with local teens at the Z-Max Dragway in Concord. The group has also helped young drivers in other states, like Nebraska and California.

Mike Baker, a B.R.A.K.E.S. instructor, explained what kind of training the program provides to prepare the new drivers.

“Skid control, distracted driving, panic braking, how to activate that antilock brake,” Baker told Channel 9. “Crash avoidance is an evasive action technique where you not only depend on the brake, you have to steer around the hazard.”

With 500 participants in total, this weekend’s training session had the highest attendance in the program’s history.

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