This weekend, Tire Rack Street Survival will host its 1,000th class at Tire Rack’s South Bend, Indiana headquarters, celebrating 15 years of teaching teens the behind-the-wheel skills that keep all drivers safer on the roads.

“Since our very first class in 2002, we have educated more than 21,000 young drivers about the maintenance needs of their vehicles and the maneuvers that will keep them safe in emergency situations,” said Bill Wade, national program manager for Tire Rack Street Survival. “This is our 15th year; we’re moving forward with new classes faster than ever.”

Each Tire Rack Street Survival class teaches licensed drivers between the ages of 15 and 21 important, potentially life-saving skills such as how to maneuver through a skid and how to avoid distractions while driving. In many classes, students get to sit behind the wheel of a semi-truck to experience the vehicle’s significant blind spots for themselves. Because students use their own vehicles during the program, they also learn how to check the air pressure of their tires, check the oil level and perform other routine maintenance to understand the responsibility that comes with driving their vehicle.

“When they get behind the wheel of a vehicle, under-prepared teen drivers pose a risk to themselves, their passengers and other drivers on the road,” said Matt Edmonds, vice president of Tire Rack. “Tire Rack Street Survival ensures that new and inexperienced drivers have the real-world training they need. The curriculum goes far beyond what any student in a traditional driver education program will learn. Ultimately, the training these teens receive not only makes them safer, but it makes our country’s roads safer.”

The need for Tire Rack Street Survival’s curriculum remains high. According to the most recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data, nearly 4,000 youths ages 15 - 20 are involved in fatal motor vehicle crashes annually in the U.S. Learning critical on-the-road survival skills may help save lives.

Tire Rack Street Survival schools are facilitated by chapters of the Sports Car Club of America, BMW Car Clubs of America and Canada, Porsche Club of America, Audi Club of North America, the National Corvette Museum and other auto enthusiast clubs where a trained volunteer instructor base can be utilized. For more information and a schedule of upcoming Tire Rack Street Survival® classes taking place in various locations across the country, please visit www.streetsurvival.org.