SALEM, Va. – Dozens of teenagers took a drive they will never forget during the weekend.
The Tire Rack Street Survival program taught teens how to deal with road dangers by using an obstacle course set up in the Salem Civic Center parking lot. The participants, along with instructors, navigated through a slalom course, practiced controlling their cars at high speed with wet roads and accelerated their cars only to suddenly hit the brakes.
"I have never done anything like this before ever in my life, and I'm glad I got to do it," said Shannon Calloway, 17, who participated in the program. "I was very scared to drive before. Now I'm not scared at all."
"Some instructors don't tell you what's going to happen if a deer comes out in front of you or if someone swerves in front of you," said Christina Collins, Calloway's mother. "They can tell you, but this shows you."
The program was staffed by volunteers from the local BMW Car Club of America, the Blue Ridge Porsche Club of America and other car enthusiasts.