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Lube It All announces Keep Your Kids Alive Drive!  Check back here each month and we will have a different driving tip.

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CONTROL

Many young people, and many not so young people, lose their lives as a result of losing control of their vehicle.  Many others are injured.  So what can we do  to keep people from losing control?  Racers are constantly driving on the thin limit of control in corners, and so develop skills in maintaining control or "catching" the car, whether it is under-steering or over-steering out of control.  In street driving, we are never near the vehicle's limits unless or until an emergency occurs.

So do we try to teach our kids skill to "catch" a vehicle?  I believe this is an excellent idea.  But it requires resources and time beyond the abilities of driver ed schools. Gaining even minimal skills requires 2 to 3 days of intensive training and typically costs several thousand dollars.  A much more practical alternative is to make sure your kids drive a vehicle that is equipped with stability control.  These terrific systems are now standard equipment on even many inexpensive cars and crossovers, and fast becoming a standard safety systems. 

My kids stared driving older vehicles.  Today, I cannot advise the same practice unless the older vehicle has stability control.

Keep in mind that these systems do not replace the laws of physics.  The systems will keep a vehicle from spinning while braking in a corner, and young people should be taught to never be afraid to go to the brakes hard when in trouble.  This is when eyes on "where you want to go" is ever so important, and so hard to do.

However,an order of magnitude mistaken entry speed will end with the car under steering nose first off the road under braking.  This is still much better than the alternative of going off the road backwards or sideways.  But aggressive driving by young people will always put their lives at unnecessary risk.  As a parent, you must demand safe driving by your kids.  So assert your authority, set a good example, get them a stability controlled vehicle, and KEEP YOUR KIDS ALIVE.

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