AUBURN HILLS, Mich.,
April 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
- Sponsored by the FCA Foundation and supported by Mopar, a
defensive driving program geared for teenage drivers will provide
sessions on May 2-3 in the
Detroit area
- Teens between the ages of 15-19 with a learner's or driver's
license and at least 30 hours of driving experience are eligible to
participate
- Teens can register for one of four complimentary sessions
available over two days being held at Mopar Headquarters in
Center Line, Michigan
- The program is a collaborative effort with the National Hot
Rod Association (NHRA) Motorsports Museum and B.R.A.K.E.S., two
nationally recognized non-profit organizations
- Parents can register their teen driver
at www.mopar.com/road-ready/Detroit
Mopar will give a helping hand to young drivers in the
Detroit area with an advanced
driving program called "Mopar Road Ready," designed to teach safe
and defensive driving techniques. Sponsored by the FCA Foundation
and supported by Mopar, the program dedicated to training and
educating teenage drivers will be available to those between the
ages of 15-19 with a learner's or driver's license and at least 30
hours of driving experience.
The program was developed in collaboration with the National Hot
Rod Association (NHRA) Motorsports Museum and B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be
Responsible And Keep Everyone Safe), two nationally recognized
non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations that share similar missions of
promoting the importance of safe and responsible driving.
April is recognized nationally as Distracted Driving Awareness
Month, and as such, Mopar encourages families to talk about steps
they can take to minimize the distractions to be safer drivers and
then take the next step by signing up their teens for the upcoming
Mopar Road Ready program at www.mopar.com/road-ready/Detroit.
"Mopar is a brand that cares about and supports all drivers,
especially the youngest," said Pietro
Gorlier, President and CEO – Mopar
Brand Service, Parts and Customer Care, FCA. "Distracted
driving is a pressing issue for us parents, and it is an important
component of our Mopar Road Ready teen drivers' initiative. This is
why we've teamed with the NHRA Motorsports Museum and B.R.A.K.E.S.
to offer the program and then also bring it right into our own
backyard. This program is especially important because it offers
teenage drivers the chance to safely gain experience and learn
valuable defensive driving skills in a controlled environment."
Participants will benefit from a proven curriculum and skilled
high-caliber instructors provided by the B.R.A.K.E.S. organization,
with both classroom education and hands-on training with a 3:1
student-to-instructor ratio, allowing for quality time with each
teen. Each teen's participation in the training program will
include a companion experience for a parent or adult guardian who
also will actively take part.
"The B.R.A.K.E.S. program has helped more than 13,000 kids learn
safe driving techniques since 2008, and we're very pleased to be
able to help educate and save even more with the support of Mopar
and the NHRA Motorsports Museum," said Doug
Herbert, a NHRA Top Fuel champion and popular drag racing
veteran, who founded B.R.A.K.E.S. after losing his two sons in a
highway accident. "It's important to all of us to have the
opportunity to teach kids to be more conscientious and focused when
behind the wheel, and give them the skills to avoid trouble."
The collaborative effort has already produced two Mopar Road
Ready events this year in Pomona,
California (Feb. 21-22), and
Gainesville, Florida (March 21-22). With a third stop in the
Detroit area, the program expects
to have impacted more than 750 additional young drivers and their
parents, but considers the program a success if just one life can
be saved.
"We are very pleased to be able to help more teens through this
important program with the FCA Foundation and Mopar, and also
continue to fulfill the NHRA's original mission of promoting safe
driving within the car culture," said Larry
Fisher, Executive Director of the NHRA Motorsports Museum.
"Since its founding in 1951, the NHRA have been dedicated to
safety. With this program, we are proud to carry on Wally Park's vision of creating a safe
environment for drivers, and to be able to do that with the
youngest ones really makes this the perfect fit."
Parents and teens are encouraged to register for one of four
available sessions, each providing four hours of valuable
instruction. Sessions are available on either Saturday, May 2, or Sunday, May 3, with the choice of a morning
session from 8 a.m. until 12 noon or
an afternoon session from 1 p.m. to 5
p.m. at Mopar's Center Line
complex.
The Mopar Road Ready sessions will provide a brief classroom
review of core driving topics, including proper seat positioning,
hand positioning and basic vehicle dynamics. Advanced
behind-the-wheel training will then be provided to teens during
five on-track courses, including accident avoidance (slalom),
distraction, panic stop, wheel drop and wet skid pad.
All Mopar Road Ready Center Line sessions are complimentary to
registered teens and their parents and guardians. A
$99 refundable registration deposit
(plus processing fees) is required to secure a spot and will be
returned after the session.
Additional information can be found
at http://blog.mopar.com/news/2014/11/mopar-putting-on-the-b-r-a-k-e-s/
About the NHRA Motorsports Museum
The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, presented by the
Automobile Club of Southern
California, opened to the public April 4, 1998. Housed in a 28,500-square-foot
building on the edge of the historic Los Angeles County Fairplex,
the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum's mission is to celebrate
the impact of motorsports on our culture. The facility collects,
preserves, exhibits and interprets the vehicles, stories and
artifacts that represent the affection for, and the influence of,
automotive speed and style in all its forms. The Museum features an
impressive array of vintage and historical racing vehicles along
with photographs, trophies, helmets and driving uniforms,
artifacts, paintings and other memorabilia chronicling more than 50
years of American motorsports. The Museum is a 501(c)(3) non-profit
organization, and all donations are tax deductible.
About B.R.A.K.E.S.
B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible And
Keep Everyone Safe), is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded
by NHRA Mello Yellow Series Top Fuel drag racer Doug Herbert in
memory of his two sons, Jon and James, who were tragically killed
in a car accident. The B.R.A.K.E.S. Teen Pro-Active Driving
School is a free, defensive driving program. By training and
educating teenage drivers and their parents, the program aims to
promote safe driving in an attempt to prevent injuries and save
lives. To volunteer, obtain more information or donate, please
visit www.putonthebrakes.org.
About Mopar Brand
Mopar (a simple contraction of the words Motor and PARts) was
trademarked in 1937 with the launch of an antifreeze product, but
it truly made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era. From
Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road
and racing use, the brand soon expanded to include technical
service and customer support.
Today, Mopar is FCA's service, parts and customer-care brand and
distributes more than 500,000 parts and accessories in over 150
markets around the world. With more than 50 parts distribution
centers and 27 customer contact hubs globally, Mopar integrates
service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance
dealer and customer support worldwide. Mopar is the source for
genuine parts and accessories for FCA brands.
Mopar parts are engineered together with the same teams that
create factory-authorized specifications for FCA vehicles. This
offers a direct connection that no other aftermarket parts company
can provide. A complete list of Mopar accessories and performance
parts is available at: www.mopar.com.
Mopar-first Features
Mopar has introduced
numerous industry-first features including:
- Vehicle-information apps: first to introduce smartphone
vehicle-information applications, a new channel of communication
with customers
- Electronic owner manuals: first to introduce traditional owner
manuals in a DVD and brief user-guide format. First to offer
complete vehicle-information kits in Spanish
- Wi-Fi: first to offer customers the ability to make their
vehicle a wireless hot spot
- Wireless charging: first to introduce in-vehicle wireless
charging for portable devices
- Electronic Vehicle Tracking System (EVTS): first to market with
interactive vehicle tracking device that sends owner a text when
vehicle is driven too fast or too far based on pre-set
parameters
- wiADVISOR: first to provide factory-connected tablet technology
in the service lane for instant vehicle diagnosis
- wiTECH: first to support vehicle diagnosis and software updates
leveraging off-the-shelf personal computers and a dedicated
wireless tool network
- 2011 Mopar Challenger Drag Pak: first to introduce a 500-plus
cubic-inch V-10 drag-race package car
Video - http://youtu.be/Uh0hyHkwOao
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150420/199751
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SOURCE FCA US LLC