The Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) and Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) are teaming up to bring Doug Herbert’s B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible And Keep Everyone Safe) Teen Pro-Active Driving School to the Missouri Emergency Vehicle Operation Course (EVOC) training center in Jefferson City on August 28-29.
The B.R.A.K.E.S. charity offers free, hands-on defensive driver training to teens and their parents nationwide. Multi-time Top Fuel drag racing champion Doug Herbert founded the road safety organization in honor of his two teenage sons, Jon and James, who lost their lives in a car crash in 2008. The class is free but requires a refundable deposit to hold your seat. For more information, or to register for the event, click here.
Funding for the Jefferson City B.R.A.K.E.S. event is being made possible by a federal highway safety grant from MoDOT, as part of Missouri’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan – Show-Me Zero, Driving Missouri Toward Safer Roads.
According to MoDOT Assistant Highway Safety and Traffic Engineer Jon Nelson, traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for youth (15-20) in Missouri, accounting for nearly 12.3% of traffic fatalities during the last three years.
Missouri’s new strategic highway safety plan, Show-Me Zero, Driving Missouri Toward Safer Roads, identifies four key focus areas to help reduce traffic deaths, including the importance of seat belts, car seats and motorcycle helmets. Other focus areas in the plan include distracted driving, speeding and impaired driving. For more information on the Show-Me Zero plan, and to check out Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety’s new video promoting the plan, visit www.savemolives.com.
