Reviews of Put On The B.R.A.K.E.S. with Doug Herbert (Driving School)

S XG

My 16-year old son attended BRAKES in Sep 2020 and it is well worth the time and money, if you choose to donate. The 3+ hour class is FREE, but your donation will be put to good use. As a parent, I heard about it from a colleague. Given the popularity of BRAKES, you have to be quick to reserve a spot, but it is not very difficult. All of the information is on their site and you can also choose to get emails. The entire staff, many of whom are retired Highway Patrol Officers, are very professional and friendly. Everything is very well organized at the Zmax Speedway. First we attended a class for 25 minutes that gives you stark information on driving statistics. in the U.S., teenagers get very little driving instruction and the hurdle to get a license is very low. Which is why so many kids die in car accidents. This program teaches kids (and parents for one portion) how to react, how to handle your car in emergency situations, how to avoid collisions and control your car. The car company, KIA, must be recognized as they provide the 20-30 new cars for this course. Kids do emergency braking, slalom, total loss of control with slick rear tires, ABS braking, and recovering from a run off from the road. Really worth the time to take your teenager. Even if they learn ONE thing, it is well worth it. One of the BEST TIPS EVER the instructors gave us is to completely change how we set our SIDE MIRRORS. I have been driving for 35+ years and now I realize I had the SIDE MIRRORS all WRONG. ALL of us have them set wrong. You essentially move both mirrors more OUTWARD so you can cover the DEADLY BLIND SPOTS. On the driver side, you move your head to near the window sill and then you adjust your driver side mirror outward so you can see the back edge of your car. On the passenger side, first you move your head to the center of the console and then you adjust the passenger side mirror outward so you can see the rear the car. What it does is that it moves both side mirrors more OUTWARD so you can cover the BLIND SPOTS that we never otherwise see. The typical position that most people have for the side mirrors shows us the area very near our car's two sides and our car's rear end, which is POINTLESS. Your center rear view mirror on the ceiling provides the coverage in between the two side mirrors. This technique is very effective. I have adjusted the side mirrors on my car and I can see what a big difference it made. Earlier I used to crane and bob my head around to see what was going on, but now with the new side mirror setting, I can SEE EVERYTHING IN THE BLIND SPOTS!! It takes some getting used to and feels weird at first, but soon you will realize how much better it is. For me, just this one tip alone about the side mirrors was well worth the time and our donation to BRAKES. Many thanks to the entire team at BRAKES.

Jennifer Ramsey

We brought our daughter to this class today. She was nervous at first. I think she did not want to come. When she got started, she relaxed and had a great time. The instructors are patient and really informative. The staff were friendly and helpful. We had a great time. I hope that more teens and families participate. I was nervous driving part of the course too. It was a wonderful learning experience for us.

Elena Ceberio

This program should be MANDATED for every young driver. It was a wonderful experience for my son. The staff was great, the instructors were clear and unambiguous about the safety needed to be a responsible driving. It was not only lecture (the smallest part of the class) but HANDS ON WITH TRAINED PROFESSIONALS from the drag racing community. The backstory of how BRAKES came into existence is pure heartbreak, but has given birth to a tool every young driver must and should have as they go forward out on the roads.

Claire Johnson

I love this school and everything it stands for. Doug is the sweetest, best role model and most humble guy to be around. He is so passionate about his school, and I think what he does is truly inspiring and has saved MANY lives. I wish Doug, and B.R.A.K.E.S nothing but true success. I can’t wait to donate soon. Thank you Doug, for all your hard work and dedication! ❤️

Scott Murley

Incredible learning experience for teen drivers (and parents)! Your kids will learn on real courses with real cars how to safely maneuver out of dangerous situations. Skids, road hazard avoidance, tires off the road, how to use antilock brakes, drunk driving, distracted driving - they cover it all. Our instructors were all professional racers or drivers with great instructional skills and a great message for kids and parents. Their success rate with teens avoiding accidents is phenomenal.

Jametta Tanner

This was truly a great experience for my son and very insightful for parents. This should be a mandatory course for all new drivers.

Amy Hauser

Highly Recommend!!! Staff is wonderful. Both the parent and the student receive a multitude of driver education. We traveled three hours for the class and it was worth every mile. Teenagers were reluctant to go, but very appreciative when it was over. Both young adults spoke highly of the trainers and the course. Do not hesitate to enroll! We donated our $99 enrollment fee without hesitation. It is truly worth the cost.

Zane Zielinski

This class is excellent! My son and his best friend took this course together. They ride a lot of places together and as parents of young drivers, we wanted them to be as prepared as possible. To have the knowledge of what to do in various traffic situations PRIOR to something happening cannot be overstated! Just today, my son informed me he had to use a “B.R.A.K.E.S move”. The car in front of him stopped short suddenly, and he was safely able to move of to the side and avoid a collision. I tell everyone to take this class! It’s fun and more importantly could save a life!

Jerry Turner

Wonderful organization! My daughter and I truly enjoyed the event. I learned quite a bit, myself, from seating position, hand position on the steering wheel (and confirming what I've long taught re: positioning of side view mirrors to remove the "blindspot". My daughter has a greater appreciation now for the power of a vehicle (even a compact car) and that she has the ability to control the car much more capably now. I was glad to hear of the organization's plans to expand in 2018 to cover more states and I hope this growth continues to be able to cover larger cities multiple times throughout the year. Kudos to B.R.A.K.E.S.!

Carl E

We had our third teen attend the course last Sunday in Ypsilanti, MI. This course is excellent for new drivers, teaches skills and techniques well beyond drivers ed. Thanks to all the instructors and support personnel for consistently delivering this valuable experience.

Raven Night

This is a amazing program! So worth taking! I think it should be mandatory for all drivers! I wish they had it for adults! This class could potentially save your child's life! I highly recommend this for anyone who is ellidagbe to take it! Please look into this if you have a new driver!

Mandy Torto

fantastic Instructors and program. Planning to send my teens as often as there is space available. Never too safe and too prepared!

Jenn Jones

This was an amazing experience for my teenager! So so glad we enrolled her in this class!

David Crowson

Excellent class the instructors were awesome should be mandatory for every new driver BMW offers the same class but it is a whole lot more Doug Herbert is extremely passionate about this and I highly recommend it to all new drivers they're really giving this class away for free for what they charge

Bob Austin

Three kids of mine have now done this. An EXCELLENT Teen Driving program.

Sean R

Unbelievable. You would pay upwards of $1000 to get this kind of training anywhere else. Costing $100 is 10X worth it. Would have easily paid $300 if needed. Training – The kids go through distraction course with drunk goggles on, hydroplaning recovery, brake avoidance, and running off the road recovery exercise. Almost forgot the slalom course also. Parents get to take a tour of all the exercises and even participate in brake avoidance and slalom course. The staff – Unbelievably energetic, and friendly and most of all, well trained. My daughter wasn’t happy about going at first, but after the training, she couldn’t contain herself from being excited. Few hours later, my daughter avoided an accident because of the training she received at Put On The Brakes facility. No way she would have avoided it without the training. The confidence level increases dramatically after the training also. Really can’t say enough about the whole operation.

jim lynch

this training course is a must for new drivers and parents alike. my daughter and i learned so much in just 4 hours. the time flew by. they did a great job. i donated $150 and wish i could have given more. please pass the word and take the time to do this training with your teen. you will both benefit !

G Emma

Great learning experience today! A must for teenage drivers and parents as well!

Gadget Williams

Fantastic course and instructors! Will be sending my youngest son when he gets old enough. It was a superb class/course!

Terri Palmatier

As a grandparent trying to enroll my grandson I found this very difficult to master I am not very tech savvy and was very frustrated with the entire process. I know he would benefit from this greatly and give me needed peace of mind. I will try again

Cindy Blizewski

BRAKES- I wanted to share with you how my daughter used the skills she learned at the driving class she attended. My daughter took the driving class a few months after she received her driving license. She enjoyed the class and we talked about it as a family. It has been several years since she attended. My daughter is 19 years old now and was driving a car on the Interstate. Her front tire blew. She said she remembered what the instructors at BRAKES had said about “not jerking the wheel”. She said she went straight and slowed the car down. She got the car off the road and called for assistance. She got the tire off herself but forgot some of her Dad’s instructions. (She has to ask her Dad about the tire changing again.) AAA helped her with the rest. Thanks for giving her the skills to keep her safe.

Mathew Willis

Excellent!!!