THE MID-OHIO SCHOOL FORMS PARTNERSHIP WITH OHIO-BASED 405 DRIVE SMART TO CREATE ADVANCED DRIVERS EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR TEENAGERS

 

DUBLIN, OH (September 12, 2008) – The Mid-Ohio School, the comprehensive driving and riding instruction company owned by TrueSports, Incorporated and based at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, has entered into a partnership with 405 Drive Smart.  The state-certified driving instruction school will refer its students to The Mid-Ohio School’s Honda Teen Defensive Driving Program for advanced training beyond the state requirements of driver education.

 “I don’t think the standards for teaching adolescents to drive are high enough,” said Harith Alkatib, owner of 405 Drive Smart, located in Hilliard, Ohio.  “Standard driving schools in general do not teach a young driver how to best react in an emergency situation on the road; most merely meet Ohio driving requirements.  While our goal as a driving school is to empower teens to become safe drivers, we realized that we could take this a step further by referring our students to The Mid-Ohio School.”

 “The average 16-year-old soccer player has had 1,500 hours of coached soccer practice, but only 50 hours of driving experience is required in Ohio for a driver’s license,” said Steve Bidlack, director of The Mid-Ohio School.  “The partnership between The Mid-Ohio School and 405 Drive Smart will lessen the learning curve that teens face when exposed to driving for the first time.  Teens participating in both programs will get more behind-the-wheel drive time, where the focus is on repetition in the defensive driving drills to build experience and confidence in the driver’s seat.”

 The Mid-Ohio School’s Honda Teen Defensive Driving Program provides teenagers the opportunity to practice emergency situations in a safe and controlled environment.  In the classroom, instructors discuss driving basics and vehicle safety, covering the physics and dynamics of good driving, including collision avoidance and skid control.  In the Honda Vehicle Dynamics Center, teens apply their classroom knowledge through wet braking drills, an emergency lane change and collision avoidance exercise, and a skid car drill, all behind the wheel of a Honda Civic.  Through 405 Drive Smart, graduates can enroll in the Honda Teen Defensive Driving Program for $299; nearly 15% off the regular program enrollment fee.

Now in the “back-to-school” season, both The Mid-Ohio School and 405 Drive Smart will be participating in the Dublin, Ohio, Teen Driving Roadeo, on September 21.  The Mid-Ohio School will bring its skid car drill to the event, while 405 Drive Smart will provide two 2008 Honda Accords to be utilized in a separate drill.  405 Drive Smart’s cars will also be equipped with a drive cam, allowing students to view their performance immediately following completion of the drill.  The second annual event’s highlights will also include workshops on how to change a tire, vehicle maintenance, traffic stop behavior, and overall driving knowledge.  Those interested in signing up for the free event can visit http://www.dublin.oh.us/police/news/teendriving.php for more information.

 The Mid-Ohio School provides professional driving and riding instruction to drivers and motorcyclists of all skill levels.  The school’s 18 programs vary from Defensive Driving, Performance Driving and Racing programs on the automobile side, to Beginning, Experienced and Performance Track Riding programs on the motorcycle side.  Students enjoy classroom sessions, skill drills, expert private instruction and lapping on the same track that challenges the world’s top racers.  Students participating in the driving school may use their own street-legal car or one of The Mid-Ohio School’s official cars: Honda Civic EX Coupes, Acura TSX A-SPECs and Honda S2000 roadsters.  The Mid-Ohio School, celebrating its 15^th Anniversary in 2008, has graduated 27,000 students, including 10,000 teenagers, with the support of partners American Honda Motor Co. Inc., Comfort Inn, CORSA Performance Exhausts, JEGS, KTM, Kumho Tires, OMP, Performance Friction Brakes, Quality Inn, Sunoco, and Westfield Insurance.

Founded in 1981 and headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, TrueSports, Incorporated is a privately held motorsports entertainment enterprise.  The company owns and operates Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and The Mid-Ohio School, and promotes a wide variety of motor racing, driver instruction, corporate, and family entertainment events throughout the year.

 With schools operating in Hilliard and Dublin, Ohio, 405 Drive Smart is a state licensed driving school, which supplies teenagers with the skills necessary to become safe drivers.  The program provides students the chance to learn a wide range of driving techniques under various driving conditions.  405 Drive Smart emphasizes hands-on driving experience, safety and car control and one-on-one driving time with professional instructors, all in a safe and fun learning environment.