SBRS: Houstatonic High School students participating

Every year, nearly 15,000 people complete a Skip Barber Racing School or Dodge/Skip Barber Driving School. Be they neophyte racers, or arm chair enthusiasts they all leave with a smiling face and hopefully a new set of skills that will propel them up the racing ladder, or simply make them a better driver. On Oct. 31, 50 students from the Housatonic Regional Valley High School in Salisbury, Conn. will have the opportunity to participate in a special Dodge/Skip Barber Driving School program called Crashing Is A Bummer.

Taking place at Lime Rock Park, the students, who all possess a valid driver's license, will spend the day participating in hands-on driving exercises aiming to take driving instruction to a higher level than what is provided in a typical driver's ed. program. Created by one of Skip Barber's lead instructors Bob Green, the Crashing Is A Bummer program emphasizes that an understanding of vehicle dynamics and car control leads to a safer, more competent driver. Accidents are avoidable according to Green because they are largely the result of improper driver behavior rather than a set of random circumstances. The key to this program is addressing the common driver behaviors that often precipitate an "accident."

In total eight Skip Barber instructors including Green will host the students for a full day at the racetrack reinforcing the principle that cars do not go out of control, drivers do. Some of the topics that will be covered include braking, skids, vehicle dynamics, proper driving posture, and perhaps most importantly, "delusions of adequacy, thinking you are a better driver than you really are."

This program will be a feasibility study for Skip Barber in the hope of one day creating a nation wide program available to all high school students. A classroom only version of Crashing Is A Bummer is currently being tested in the Southeastern United States.

-George Tamayo