First Gear Skid School

Tasked with reducing the cost of fleet vehicle insurance, feet vehicle repair costs, and other expenses? Concerned that your current vehicle driving safety courses don’t address all of your training needs? Searching for hands-on driver training that’s as close to real-life as possible? The Corporate Drive – Skid Avoidance Defensive Driving Course provides advanced defensive driver training that’s ideally suited for drivers in the commercial or public safety sectors: Corporate fleets (cars, trucks, commuter vans) Construction fleets (concrete trucks, dump trucks) Commercial fleets (delivery vans, box/straight trucks, cabs) Municipal fleets (garbage trucks, public buses, school buses) Public safety fleets (police cars/trucks/SUVs, fire trucks, ambulances) The four-hour training combines experienced coaching with the hands-on experience behind the wheel of the SkidCar™ vehicle. With the innovative technology of the SkidCar, we can simulate hazardous driving conditions such as slippery roads and hydroplaning. By repeating the skid experience at very slow speeds, drivers learn how to react to a skid in a completely safe environment. Even better, drivers learn to recognize the signs that indicate an out of control situation and can prevent skids and accidents in the first place. What to Expect from the Corporate Drive Skid Avoidance Defensive Driving Course After going over some brief classroom material, you and the other training participants get to experience how a slippery road or other dangerous condition “feels” while driving. While working with drivers behind the wheel, we use the SkidCar to simulate a skid – but at a very slow speed of about 5 – 10 mph. As drivers gain more skills and confidence, the driving coach can gradually increase the vehicle speed. Some of the exercises included in the family drive course include: Accident avoidance Basic and critical breaking Defensive driving Driving effectively with ABS (anti-lock braking system), ESC (electronic stability control), and other current drive control aids Low-speed and high-speed dynamics Maneuvering and critical braking Objective distracted driver exercises Optical targeting Skid avoidance Skid control and recovery Stable platform concepts Use of sight exercises … and more! What You’ll Get Out of the Corporate Drive Skid Avoidance Defensive Driving Course You may already know this, but by taking this four-hour, engaging and interactive course, you can likely qualify to receive a lower vehicle insurance rate for your fleet. This could mean hundreds or thousands of dollars that stay in your budget. Besides the potential cost savings, you’ll likely experience some or all of these other benefits by reducing vehicle accidents: Reduced number of vehicle repairs Fewer employee and civilian injuries Cost savings from less vehicle wear and tear Less employee time off in recuperating from vehicle crashes Reduced legal and liability costs Increased employee comfort and confidence behind the wheel Most importantly, you will be doing everything possible to save more lives. A Special Note for Public Safety Drivers Based on statistics from 1993 – 2015, the accident rates for police, fire, and EMS drivers were about 2.5 to 4.8 times higher than the national average of all occupations. (Source: Preventing Emergency Vehicle Crashes: Status and Challenges of Human Factors Issues) It’s one of our most important goals here at First Gear Driving Academy to do our part to reduce the number of vehicle crashes for first responders like police officers, firefighters, and paramedics. Our founder and president served as an EMT for 12 years, and he understands very well the stresses and pressure that emergency response drivers experience. Our Skid Avoidance Defensive Driving Course provides a hands-on, practical approach to safe driving. This one-on-one coaching behind the week is an experience that is difficult if not impossible for an EMS agency to duplicate internally.

Family/Individual Driver – Skid Avoidance Defensive Driving Course Recently relocated from a more temperate climate to the Colorado Winter Wonderland? Nervous about your teenager’s first season of driving in winter weather? The Family Drive – Skid Avoidance Defensive Driving Course is exactly what you need to overcome lack of confidence in driving in difficult weather or slippery roads. This class is appropriate for any driver in the family: New drivers will learn how to react to a skid or out of control situation – techniques that can literally save their lives. Experienced drivers can also benefit as we point out areas of improvement or bad habits when it comes to driving in dangerous conditions. This is especially important if you are driving a more recently manufactured vehicle with any of the newer car safety features, such as electronic stability control (ESC), anti-lock braking system (ABS), or traction control (TC). This four-hour skid control course will completely change the way you view the road when driving! What to Expect from the Family Drive Skid Avoidance Defensive Driving Course After going over some brief classroom material, you and the other driving members of your family get to experience what a slippery road or other dangerous condition feels like while driving. While working with drivers behind the wheel, we use the SkidCar™ to simulate a skid – but in a completely safe and supportive environment. The SkidCar™ will be moving very slowly (depending on your comfort level, anywhere from 5 – 10 mph), which makes learning much easier. Some of the exercises included in the Family/Individual Drive Skid Control Course include: Accident avoidance Basic and critical breaking Defensive driving Driving effectively with ABS (anti-lock braking system), ESC (electronic stability control), and other current drive control aids Low-speed and high-speed dynamics Maneuvering and critical braking Objective distracted driver exercises Optical targeting Skid avoidance Skid control and recovery Stable platform concepts Use of sight exercises … and more! A Special Note to Parents As a parent, you may have been looking forward to teaching your teenager to drive. If you are, we get that! After years behind the wheel, you’ve earned your driving stripes, and you probably want to pass on what you’ve learned to your new teenage driver. The thing is … you can tell someone what to do if they’re driving and their front wheel slips off the road or they begin to hydroplane. They might remember if it ever happens to them. Or, you can put them behind the wheel and have an experienced instructor show them exactly what to do – over and over again – until they get it right. Which method do you think will work better for your teenager? For those heart-in-throat situations, you can’t always be there for your child to tell them what to do. But thanks to our ability to send a car into a controlled skid , we can prepare them! A Side Benefit of Family/Individual Training Learning together in this type of hands-on environment can help strengthen the family bond. Teens see their parents willing to try something different – outside their comfort zone – to keep the family safe. Parents are proud to watch their teens gain confidence and experience in unusual situations. Dare we say it? It’s a win-win-win!

Reluctant to drive after experiencing a car crash? Has a car crash robbed you of your sense of control and peace of mind? The Aftermath Drive – Skid Avoidance Defensive Driving Course is your antidote to the anxiety, fear, and doubts you might have since your car accident. This class will help you: Improve your defensive driving skills Restore your driving confidence Remove post-crash anxiety and fear Thanks to our unique technology – the SkidCar™ driving system, we can cover all areas of your concern, working together behind the wheel to practice reacting to difficult driving situations. Our driving coaches are familiar with working with both new and experienced drivers. You’ll learn how to prevent a skid, react to a skid, and how to drive in adverse driving conditions. These are skills that can literally save your life. This four-hour course will give you the skills and knowledge needed to manage any difficult driving condition! What to Expect from the Aftermath Drive Skid Avoidance Defensive Driving Course After quickly covering some classroom material, we’ll go out to a contained driving area where you can get behind the wheel of our SkidCar. In a completely safe and encouraging setting, you can experience how it feels to drive on a slippery road and other difficult driving situations. We use the SkidCar(™) to simulate a skid – except we do it very, very slowly (5 – 10 mph). This makes it much easier to learn how to recognize and respond to skids and other dangerous situations. As you become more comfortable driving, the coach can gradually increase the vehicle speed. Some of the exercises included in the Aftermath Drive Course include: Accident avoidance Basic and critical breaking Defensive driving Driving effectively with ABS (anti-lock braking system), ESC (electronic stability control), and other current drive control aids Low-speed and high-speed dynamics Maneuvering and critical braking Objective distracted driver exercises Optical targeting Skid avoidance Skid control and recovery Stable platform concepts Use of sight exercises … and more! It’s impossible to control the various factors that cause a car accident. All we can do is have the right attitude and be prepared. Our Skid Avoidance Defensive Driving Course can help you on both counts. Tip: It’s also possible that you can receive a lower vehicle insurance rate after completing the Skid Avoidance Defensive Driving Course.