Would you like to join other Riesentöter members in training teen drivers in the skills that could save their lives on the road? Using a “hands-on” driving experience in real-world situations our members use the teen’s own car to teach car handling and control at the limits, but at parking lot speeds. Some of our members are in-car instructors and others manage the program, teach in the classroom and set the courses for the on-range exercises. We all share the commitment to training teens in practical street driving skills. Come join us! Tire Rack Street Survival is open to all teen drivers in whatever vehicle they regularly drive, not only Porsches.

Last year, more than 5,000 teenagers died in motor vehicle crashes, the leading killer of American youths aged 16 to 19, accounting for more than 40% of fatalities in that age bracket. To reduce teen motor vehicle deaths the BMW Foundation developed Tire Rack Street Survival, a non-profit, national driver education program aimed at teaching teens the skills they need to stay alive behind the wheel. In our area, Riesentöter cooperates with the Philly Region of the Sports Car Club of America and the Delaware Valley BMW Car Club of America to run Tire Rack Street Survival events.

Teens drive their own cars on courses laid out with traffic cones in a parking lot under the supervision of an instructor sitting in the passenger seat. The students learn what it feels like to drive at the limit in carefully designed exercises at low speeds that induce control issues, and they learn to recover control of their vehicles. The speeds may be low, and there are only plastic cones to contact, but the driving challenges are real, and real world.

In addition to the on-course exercises the teens participate in interactive classroom sessions where they discuss driving safety and best practices with instructors well versed in the theory and practice of car control. The school teaches the teens to be more conscious of traffic situations and to look far enough ahead to anticipate the unwise actions of other drivers. As the students master the practical application of physics in driving their cars, they will make fewer unwise driving actions themselves. They better understand why they should always wear their seat-belts, and why they should insist that their passengers wear seat-belts, too!

What can you do?

• If you are an experienced DE participant or Autocross racer, please volunteer to instruct in-car.
• Anyone else may sign up as a staff volunteer. We need staff at each school to set the courses and keep the exercises safe and on schedule, but we also need staff to locate suitable venues, coordinate with local news media, reach out to parents to encourage them to sign their teens up as students and handle the many other aspects of running the program.
• If nothing else, encourage parents of teens to register them for a Tire Rack Street Survival school.

PCA national and the Riesentöter Executive Board are committed to sponsoring Tire Rack Street Survival schools. It is a great program that truly benefits the community and helps save lives. We hope you can donate your time to the program. You can read more about the program at StreetSurvival.org