Kumho is assisting in putting together a series of free and informative behind-the-wheel training sessions for teenagers. Parents are also welcomed and encouraged to attend the driving seminars.
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Along with improving driving skills, the real-world experience is designed to raise awareness about the importance of proper training. Open to 120 students at each event happening across five states, participants will receive classroom instruction as well as behind-the-wheel practice in wet braking inside a real skid car, emergency lane changing, proper tire care, how to safely change a flat tire and other lessons.
“Kumho is pleased to team up with its partners KeyBank and the Mid-Ohio School again this year to take the Key to Safe Teen Driving program to teens when they perhaps need it most,” says Rick Brennan, vice president of marketing.
“As a tire company, we are happy are to give back to our communities. With graduation, parties, road trips with friends and more all in the works for hundreds of thousands of young drivers, our hope is the participants come away with at least one new skill that will potentially save their lives while out on the road,” he adds.
In-depth classes will hit 14 cities across Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana and New York. Nearly 2,000 teens will be able to participate in the program during the three-month initiative.
“This program helps teens succeed on the road by teaching them driving skills that are not taught in regular driver training programs,” says Tom Tulodzieski, president of KeyBank’s Great Lakes region. “This program affects nearly 2,000 student drivers, though its impact may be exponentially greater because of the awareness it raises among teens about the importance of driving responsibly,” he points out.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), car crashes are the leading cause of death in the U.S. among people ages 15 to 20 with nearly 5,000 teenage fatalities each year.
The National Safety Council estimates that 1.6 million automobile crashes occur due to texting and cell phone use each year.
“In addition to learning about the extreme dangers caused by distracted driving, students in the Key to Safe Teen Driving program also take away valuable defensive driving skills they can put into practice for the rest of their lives,” according to Brennan.
Sessions will be conducted in:
- Canton, Ohio
- Akron, Ohio
- Cleveland
- Ann Arbor, Mich.
- Indianapolis
- South Bend, Ind.
- Dayton, Ohio
- Cincinnati
- Columbus, Ohio
- Rochester, N.Y.
- Buffalo, N.Y.
- Toledo, Ohio
- Appleton, Wis.
- Eau Claire, Wis.
A Key to Safe Teen Driving video can be viewed at www.YouTube.com/keytosafeteendriving.
For registration details, go to www.keytosafeteendriving.com or call 877-793-8667.
For more information, visit www.kumhotireusa.com and www.midohioschool.com.
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