'Mopar Road Ready' Program Set to Launch in 2015 to Help Teen Drivers

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Nov 04, 2014, 05:00 ET

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Nov. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Sponsored by The Chrysler Foundation and supported by Mopar, a defensive driving program geared for teenage drivers will be provided in 2015 with six free sessions
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 for the 'Mopar Road Ready' program
The 'Mopar Road Ready' program will collaborate with the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Motorsports Museum and B.R.A.K.E.S., two nationally recognized non-profit organizations
Three two-day sessions will be held in Pomona, California (Feb 21-22), Gainesville, Florida (March 21-22) and in the Detroit, Michigan area (May 2-5) free of charge to registered teens and their parents and guardians
Registration begins in early January 2015 through select Mopar dealers and Mopar.com

Mopar has set plans in motion to give a helping hand to young drivers across the United States with an advanced driving program called "Mopar Road Ready," designed to teach safe and defensive driving techniques. Sponsored by The Chrysler 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.

Mopar will work collaboratively 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.

"Mopar is a brand that cares about and supports all its drivers, especially the youngest, and that is why we've teamed with the NHRA Motorsports Museum and B.R.A.K.E.S to develop the 'Mopar Road Ready' teen driver's training program," said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO—Mopar Service, Parts and Customer Care. "You can't put a price on safety, so along with the Chrysler Foundation, Mopar will be supporting this very worthwhile initiative with six free sessions for teenage drivers through select Mopar dealers."

The "Mopar Road Ready" program gives Mopar dealers a chance to provide an added-value driving experience for customers, particularly young drivers. The advanced driving program provides insight and instruction for valuable defensive driving skills and techniques on a closed course in a controlled environment. 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.

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.

"The B.R.A.K.E.S. program has helped 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."

Through this collaborative effort, the "Mopar Road Ready" program hopes to impact more than a 1,000 additional young drivers and their parents.

"We are very pleased to be able to help more teens through this important program with The Chrysler 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 Motorsport 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."

Each session will provide a brief classroom review of basic 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.

Three two-day sessions will be offered in Pomona, California (Feb 21-22), Gainesville, Florida (March 21-22) and in the Detroit, Michigan, area (May 2-5) free of charge to registered teens and their parents and guardians.

Registration tickets for the free sessions will be available in early 2015 through select Mopar dealers, with participating dealers announced in December. Additional information will be available early next year on Mopar.com.

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 c3 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 Motorsports
Mopar's commitment to professional motorsports competition was established in the 1950s when a partnership ignited with drag racing pioneer Don Garlits, resulting in the breaking of numerous speed and performance barriers in HEMI®-powered vehicles over the next several decades. In 2014, Mopar celebrates the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the GEN III 426 Race HEMI® and looks to defend back-to-back NHRA World Championship titles (2012-2013) in the Pro Stock class and battle for another Funny Car World Championship after wins in 2011-2012. While Mopar remains involved in a various professional motorsports series, it continues to honour its roots by being a proud supporter of amateur racing within the NHRA with its sponsorship of the HEMI Challenge and Mopar Sportsman Cup.

Mopar Brand
Mopar (a simple contraction of the words Motor and PARts) was trademarked in 1937 with the launch of an antifreeze product but 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 more than 130 markets, integrating 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 unique in that they are engineered with the same teams that create factory-authorized vehicle specifications for FCA vehicles – 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