By Anna Skinner
On Oct. 2, teens ages 16 to 21 will have the chance to purposefully skid their cars around a track and lose control, just to learn in a controlled environment how to correct the car to avoid an accident.
“(Street Survival) is the philanthropic wing of the BMW Car Club. The concept behind it is to teach drivers 16- to 21-years-old how to control their car,” Lions Club President Larry Clarino, who also serves as a Street Survival instructor, said. “It’s what drivers’ education should be but doesn’t approach. We teach emergency maneuvers, skid control, accident avoidance. We don’t talk about street signs or rules of the roads … we are teaching kids how to drive their car.”
From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., students will split time between a classroom and course time on the Grand Park parking lot. An instructor will always be present in the car. The student uses his or her own car throughout the program.
“What triggered this one here in Westfield was one of the Lions’ grandson got killed in April because of inexperience. He lost control in the rain and hit a tree. No drugs, no booze, not even a sign of speeding, he just lost it,” Clarino said. “I’ve been involved in Street Survival for 10 years.”
Clarino even taught retired IndyCar driver Scott Goodyear’s children in Street Survival. The Westfield event will be his 30th Street Survival as an instructor.
“Every single kid that takes the program within the first year will use something they learned that day to either avoid or mitigate an accident,” he said. “Your muscle-memory will remember what we teach you that day.”
The event costs $75 and lunch will be provided. To register, visit streetsurvival.org.
