Sold-out 'Mopar Road Ready' Event Put Metro Detroit Teens in the Driver's Seat

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May 04, 2015, 10:00 ET

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., May 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

'Mopar Road Ready' Program Helps Teen Drivers

Over 400 people, including teens and parents, participated in four 'Mopar Road Ready' sessions on May 2–3 at Mopar World Headquarters in Center Line, Michigan
Sponsored by the FCA Foundation and supported by Mopar, the program provides teens classroom education and dynamic, hands-on defensive driving training
'Mopar Road Ready' is a collaborative effort with the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Motorsports Museum and B.R.A.K.E.S.
Including earlier stops this year in Pomona, California, and Gainesville, Florida, the program has impacted more than 700 drivers

More than 190 teens gained valuable knowledge behind the wheel during four sold-out sessions of the "Mopar Road Ready" program, when it made its third 2015 stop on May 2–3 at Mopar World Headquarters in Center Line, Michigan.

The program, sponsored by the FCA Foundation and supported by Mopar, is designed to teach teens safe and defensive driving techniques. Metro Detroit "Mopar Road Ready" sessions filled up a week prior to the event, with a 200-plus wait list of teens and parents vying for open slots. Including stops earlier this year at Pomona, California, and Gainesville, Florida, more than 700 drivers — both teens and parents — have been educated and trained through the "Mopar Road Ready" program.

"We are extremely pleased by the overwhelming community participation," said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO – Mopar Brand Service, Parts and Customer Care, FCA. "Car accidents are the number one cause of death among teenagers, and this program provides young drivers — and parents — the chance to learn hands-on, highly valuable skills behind the wheel that can hopefully help them avoid an accident or even save their lives."

"Mopar Road Ready" trains and educates teenage drivers between the ages of 15-19 with a learner's or driver's license and at least 30 hours of driving experience. The program was developed in collaboration 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 nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations dedicated to promoting safe and responsible driving.

Participants are immersed in a proven curriculum taught by high-caliber instructors from the B.R.A.K.E.S. organization. A 3:1 student-to-instructor ratio allows for quality time with each teen. Participation in the training program includes a companion experience for a parent or adult guardian, who also actively takes part.

"Mopar Road Ready" sessions provide a brief classroom review of core driving topics, including proper seat positioning, hand positioning and basic vehicle dynamics. Advanced behind-the-wheel training takes teens through a variety of on-track courses to hone their skills, including accident avoidance (slalom), distraction, panic stop, wheel drop and wet skid pad.

For more information on "Mopar Road Ready," visit http://blog.mopar.com/news/2014/11/mopar-putting-on-the-b-r-a-k-e-s/

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(c)3 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 the FCA Foundation
Since 1953, the FCA Foundation, the charitable arm of FCA US LLC, has invested more than $500 million in charitable organizations and initiatives that help empower people and build strong, viable communities. The FCA Foundation invests in programs that generate meaningful and measurable societal impacts in the following areas:

Education – programs that inspire young minds, particularly in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM);
Military – programs that support financial and basic needs of military service members, veterans and their families;
Multicultural/Diversity – programs that promote inclusion and opportunity for diverse populations; and
Youth Development – programs that help young people develop the skills and leadership qualities to succeed in school, at work and in life.

Additionally, FCA US seeks opportunities to support communities through its Motor Citizens® volunteer program. This innovative program enables FCA US salaried employees to use 18 hours of paid time each year to be an Engine for Change by investing their time and talents in community service projects.

About Mopar Brand
Mopar (a simple contraction of the words Motor and PARts) was trademarked in 1937 with the launch of an antifreeze product, but it 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 over 150 markets around the world. With more than 50 parts distribution centers and 27 customer contact hubs globally, Mopar integrates 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 engineered together with the same teams that create factory-authorized specifications for FCA vehicles. This offers 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

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150504/213527

SOURCE FCA US LLC