Community Corner

Lessons in Driving Safety For Teens

Fear This Inc., a program teaching accident avoidance skills on a practical course, will have a week-long summer camp at Grayson High School next month.

Some were there for experience, some for a reduction in insurance and some were mandated by the courts after a traffic infraction – but at the end all came to the same conclusion – they drove out better drivers than when they’d driven in.

Saturday, young drivers and their parents got a lesson in driving and a preview of what a summer camp will offer next month at . 

Fear This, Inc., a nonprofit driver’s education program for young drivers, will offer a week-long driving camp based on the same program from June 13 – 18 at GHS.

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“It will cost $140 for the week and we will have all the classroom work on the Monday – the rest of the week will be on the driving course,” said Woodrow Gaines, founder of the "Fear This" program, which is based on a program all law enforcement members go through. “It is taught mainly by members of law enforcement or people like Ted Ripple who is the safety instructor for Comcast. Five cadets from the Atlanta City Police Academy went through the course (at GHS) in the morning to prepare them for the actual academy.”

After completing some classroom instruction, the young drivers were split up and put through a course designed to give them better control of the vehicle and teach them how to react to possible real life situations. The students were taught how to brake and avoid a collision at speeds that began at 20 mph, gradually advancing to 40 or 45 mph. They were shown how to stop quickly at varying speeds, which also allowed the students to see for themselves how much further the car travels before coming to a stop at higher speeds. There was also an off-road component that gave the students the opportunity to learn how to control a car should it run off the road.

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“We are committed to safe teen driving,” Gaines said. “Although we are based in Snellville, we operate throughout the state and have people who come from as far as Savannah to take the program. In fact, next year we are taking it nationwide on a five-city tour. Our programs are for both teens and parents. These programs range from community displays, car shows, school PTA presentations to our hands-on driver training program.”

Gaines said this particular program, Police Training For Teen Drivers, is an advanced driver training course teaching teens accident avoidance skills.

“We are in our 8th year and have trained 2800 teens in Georgia,” Gaines said. “We are making a difference and saving lives.”

As well as a letter of support from the Forsyth County Juvenile Courts accrediting the program with a 98 percent success rate for teens who had been through the program as a result of a court referral, Gaines also has a letter from comedian and television personality Jeff Foxworthy after putting his daughter through the program and a letter of recommendation from the Georgia Insurance Commissioner’s Office. The students who participated in Saturday’s class said it was fun and they learned a lot from it.

Clay Savage, an 18-year-old from Athens, said he went through the program to get a reduction in his insurance.

“The experience is really worth it,” Savage said. “It takes you out of your comfort zone and puts you in real life, intense situations that you might face.”

Parent Cynthia Currence who attended with her 18-year-old daughter said she decided it was a good idea for her daughter to attend since she had gotten a ticket at 16. At the end of the program she said it was something she would like her 22-year-old daughter to attend as well.

“It’s a shame they don’t require this before giving anyone their license,” Currence said. “I’ve learned stuff being here myself that I never knew. I’ve never been in a car when a tire blew out and never thought about what to do in a case like that.”

Anyone interested in finding out more about the program or in signing up for the camp next month in Grayson can contact Gaines at 770-823-7823 or visit the website. Drivers have to have a permit and if it's only a learner driver's permit, a parent has to be in the car with the driver. The final day of the program, June 18, will include a safety expo.


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