The mission at B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe) has been a simple one since the non-profit organization was founded in 2008 by Doug Herbert, the NHRA and IHRA Top Fuel racer who lost his two young sons, James and Jon, in a fatal traffic accident in January of that year: To prevent other families from suffering that same monumental tragedy and heartbreak.
Since then, B.R.A.K.E.S. has provided its Teen Pro-Active Driving Course to thousands of young motorists across the country, teaching them – free of charge – to be more conscientious, alert and competent behind the wheel. The course consists of five hands-on exercises, which include Accident Avoidance, Distraction Exercise, Drop Wheel/Off Road Recovery Exercise, Car Control and Recovery Exercise and Panic Stop Exercise.
B.R.A.K.E.S. has announced an exciting new partnership with Brembo, a leader in the manufacturing of high performance brake products. Brembo will be the presenting sponsor of the Panic Stop Exercise, a relationship which will help to enhance and increase B.R.A.K.E.S.’ efforts to save the lives of teenage drivers.
“I am so proud that Brembo, the industry leader in high-performance braking systems has joined our mission to put the BRAKES on teen driving accidents,” said Herbert. “Our 501(c)3 charity has trained over 8,000 teens to be better drivers and avoid accidents and we are very thankful to have support from Brembo.”
“For over 50 years, Brembo has been dedicated to building high-performance brake products that emphasize safety and reliability,” said Dan Sandberg, president and CEO of Brembo North America. “So it seems perfectly natural that we support the training efforts of B.R.A.K.E.S. Doug Herbert and Matt Reilly (B.R.A.K.E.S. director) have done a tremendous job of educating teenage drivers and their parents about the importance of safe and responsible driving.”
“I think it’s great that Brembo is supporting B.R.A.K.E.S. in teaching safe driving,” added Reilly. “We have been speaking to them about our program for a while, they wanted to become more involved with our program and we found the perfect fit as the presenting sponsor of the Panic Braking Exercise. Every student and parent will get a chance to be trained and try out the proper use of the anti-lock braking system. It’s neat to see industry leaders support our cause. The more support we can raise, the more teens we can train.”
For additional information on B.R.A.K.E.S. or to make a tax-deductible donation, log onto www.putonthebrakes.org.
