Herbert will share his heartbreaking and inspiring story and talk about the #1 cause of death for teens and how to prevent it. A must-see for parents and teens alike and FREE with the cost of museum admission on December 18, 2016.
Fast Facts:
- The Petersen will host B.R.A.K.E.S. Founder Doug Herbert as special guest speaker for upcoming “Pete Talk” series
- Doug will share his personal story and how he’s helping fight the number one cause of teen deaths nationwide
- Doug will also be the guest judge for the Breakfast Club Cruise-In made possible by O’Gara Coach
CONCORD, N.C. (December 16, 2016) — Doug Herbert founder of B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe), a non-profit offering free defensive driver training to teens and their parents, has been selected to speak at the first installment of “Pete Talk” at The Petersen Automotive Museum.
The Petersen Museum introduces its “Pete Talk” series, a program inspired by “Ted Talks” where high profile thought leaders are invited to tell their personal story and speak on a subject that impacts the community in a positive way. The Petersen has invited B.R.A.K.E.S. Founder Doug Herbert to be its guest speaker on December 18, 2016, at 10:30 a.m. in the Bruce Meyer Family Gallery. The subject for the talk is Teen Driver Safety and Doug will speak about the dangers of impaired driving (drunk, buzzed, distracted, drowsy and high driving), as well as how the Kia sponsored B.R.A.K.E.S. program is fighting the number one cause of teen deaths in America.
“B.R.A.K.E.S. is not a Driver’s Ed Program. It’s a free teen defensive driving program that provides teens and their parents with behind-the-wheel driving exercises including panic braking, crash avoidance and car control, and distracted driving avoidance.” said Doug Herbert, who founded B.R.A.K.E.S. in 2008 after he lost his two young sons in a tragic car crash. “We’ve trained over 22,000 students and we want to use this opportunity at The Petersen Museum to spread our message even further. I’m thrilled to be a guest speaker at The Petersen.”
“Distracted driving is a public health crisis that continues to be a problem year after year,” said Petersen Automotive Museum Executive Director, Terry Karges. “Everyone has been affected by this issue whether directly or indirectly. The Petersen has a social responsibility to address this issue and we’re hoping this discussion will help fight the problem.”
ABOUT B.R.A.K.E.S.
Doug Herbert’s B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe) is a 501(c)3 non-profit whose mission is to prevent injuries and save lives by training and educating teenage drivers and their parents about the importance of safe and responsible driving. The Concord, North Carolina Teen Pro-Active Driving School was founded in 2008 after Top Fuel drag racer Doug Herbert lost his two young sons, Jon and James, in a tragic car crash. Although devastated by his loss, Doug decided to turn his grief into something positive and created a driving program in the hopes of preventing other families from experiencing similar tragedy. Over 22,000 teens from over 35 different states and three countries — and their parents — have graduated from the B.R.A.K.E.S.’ intensive half-day training course, which is free of charge and features hands-on skills exercises taught by professional instructors in a fleet of new vehicles donated by Kia Motors America. The course maintains a low three-to-one student-to-instructor ration and requires a least one parent to attend with each teen. Learn more about upcoming classes and Doug’s story at: www.putonthebrakes.org.
ABOUT THE PETERSEN
Founded on June 11, 1994 by magazine publisher Robert E. Petersen, and his wife Margie, the Petersen Automotive Museum is owned and operated by the Petersen Automotive Museum Foundation. Previously located within the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, the museum is permanently housed in a historic department store originally designed by Welton Becket. The building opened in 1962 as a short-lived U.S. branch of Seibu Department Stores, before operating as an Ohrbach’s department store from 1965 to 1986. Six years after Ohrbach’s closed, Robert Petersen selected the largely windowless site as an ideal space for a museum, where artifacts could be displayed without harmful exposure to the ultraviolet radiation of direct sunlight. For more information visit: http://petersen.org