Street survival course - tips for successful day

My 18yo is going to be taking part in the Street survival course on Saturday in NH.

I'm going with him and he'll be using my Grand Cherokee. I originally wanted him to take it in his truck, but that needs the front main seal replaced (leaks oil enough to consistently leave spots on the driveway) so I don't think it would be an acceptable vehicle to use. 

I know a few people on here have kids that took the course and I'm wondering if there are any tips or tricks that would be helpful to make the most of the day. 

Let's hear those suggestions so I can start prepping for Saturday!

I'll send my wife this way. She's been running Street Survival for our region for close to a decade. 

In reply to Toyman! :

Thank you!

Both DDs went through the program, plus I sent DD#2's boyfriend at the same time.  It's a great program.

Best I can tell him is to really pay attention to both the ground school and the in-car instructor.  And don't be timid during the exercises - they are designed to help him understand and experience the limits safely.

I don't know Street Survival, but I am on the seacoast if you need anything. PM me for my #.

My daughter took the course 14 years ago and that was my introduction to SCCA and Street Survival. Since then, our other two sons have taken the class.  I have coached and then eventually taught the class. Most of the time, the kids come into the class because the parents have forced it. Halfway thru the day, they are really starting to have fun. By the end of it, those that are timid have come out of their shell and they will even tell their friends about how much fun they have had. 

I normally tell the parents to have them dress comfortably for the weather, closed toe shoes and make sure the car is "autocross ready" which means nothing in the car at all or the trunk (trash, umbrellas, ect). Bring a chair for you, sunscreen and be ready to video their progress. Most schools supply water and lunch for the kids. 

He doesn't need a minor waiver since he's 18 so I won't go into that here. It's become very complicated in my opinion with how they are handling it now.

Without knowing what year your Grand Cherokee is, I'm not sure about it's roll over rating. If it doesn't meet the below criteria, they may not approve it. This comes directly from streetsurvival.org  "Please look up the HCG vehicle’s safety ratings at www.Edmunds.com.  Input the vehicle and year and look at the safety rating in the upper right corner of the web page. This review is for HCG vehicles only. Passenger cars do not need to be reviewed. Any vehicle with a listing of 3 stars or more out of 5 in the ROLL OVER test will be allowed to participate in our class. We are concerned about the Roll Over test on the HCG ONLY. We are not concerned about the crash test ratings.Any HCG vehicle listed as “not tested” in the Roll Over test will not be allowed to participate."

I've never run into a teen that has not ended up loving the course. Several parents have called me after the fact to tell me that their child avoided an accident and directly contributed being able to do that from what they learned in TRSS. My daughter was in an accident about two years afterwards and her coach sat her down the next day and talked her through what she did wrong and what she did right. His opinion was that we gave her the skills that absolutely saved her life. Yes, she did things wrong but she managed to lessen the extent of what might have happened. To me, every single one of those calls made the hot 8 or 9 hours in the sun with these kids worth it. 

Drivers education is helpful but it's not normally taught in the car these children drive. We TELL them how to handle skids but we SHOW them how to handle it in TRSS. The last class I helped with was three weeks ago. I got a text last week that when one of the students was leaving, someone cut them off and the first thing she told her mom was, " I JUST learned how to handle that today!" 

Hope he has a great class!

Yes to the school. I have taught at it, and it's rewarding to see the progress.

Biggest advice: listen, eyes open, get a good night's sleep the night before.

Some reading from the archives:

Street Survival Guide

In reply to Toymanswife :

Thank you for all the helpful information. 
 

The jeep is a 2007 GC, so it makes it at the low end with a 3/5 rating. I had concerns about his truck (1998 Ram, unrated but the 2001 was 3/5)  and had reached out to the organizer when signing up to confirm I had an acceptable vehicle for him to use.  

I'll make sure it's cleaned out, and bring a chair and portable charger for my phone so I can get some video. 

In reply to David S. Wallens :

Thank you for the link. I shared it with my wife so she has a better idea of what Saturday is all about. 
 

Too bad I can't send her to take the class!

Glad to hear about another parent getting their kids to a TRSS.  The program is very good.  We went to Summit Point Raceway for a TRSS.  My oldest daughter had a really good time.  She was one of the few driving a manual that day.

I see you are in NH, my old stomping ground.  Went to Pinkerton Academy, NHTI and UNH.

Other parents  will be looking at this thread and I just have to recommend B.R.A.K.E.S. Teen Driver Training .  This program is not currently offered near NH, but can be sponsored to go there.  I have been an instructor at TRSS and B.R.A.K.E.S. is a significantly more professional program.  They have parents fly into Charlotte, NC with the kids to take the 3 hour course.  They present 5 classes over the weekend with about 35 kids in each class.  KIA USA provides all the cars for the kids to drive with instructors.  Many corporate sponsors too!  Only $99 to make your reservation, but you can get your money back if you don't want to leave it as a donation.  Check it out!

When my daughter started driving I signed her up for the course and told her she could not drive alone until she completed it.  This didn't go over well because she had a full license.

She complained, whinged, etc, but, like everyone says, 1/2 through she was smiling and thanking me for making her take the class.  

Only problem we had:   She was driving a Subaru Impreza (not turbo) and they could not get that AWD car to spin on the soapy water skid course.   I think the instructor finally pulled the hand brake while she was turning in order to get the tail to slip out.   

One piece of advice.   Some parents had just put brand new tires on their child's car.   After seeing noticeable scuffing on the more aggressive driver's cars I think they should have completed the class and then bought the new tires.

My son did TRSS last Fall and I was a coach for the first time then, too.  I'm coaching again this weekend.  I've taken several kids to the Mid-Ohio teen driving school, and I think the TRSS is more useful.  I highly recommend it, but the OP isn't looking to be sold, just wanting to be prepared.

The vehicle really does need to be prepared to do an autocross.  Make sure the battery is properly secured .  Last year one car ended up with a ratchet-strap holding the battery in or it wasn't going to be allowed to run.  If the car is a little older, I'd also check trans fluid level.  One Fusion had issues by the end of the day (pretty warm day, though) with the transmission getting hot and not shifting right.  And make sure there's plenty of fuel in the tank.

Have fun!

The BRAKES program is a great option. My only issue is the fact that they are using their cars and not the ones that the kids are driving. TO ME, letting them drive their own car is better because we all know each type of car performs differently. Again, it's a great program. It was one of the complaints my kids had with regular drivers education is that they were driving a strange car and would rather have learned in their own. Several police departments also offer similar programs as well. 

In reply to jharry3 :

Right now the jeep has the cheapest all seasons the dealer could install before putting it on the lot. 

I don't know if they will turn off the nanny's, but I suspect the cheap tires and Hemi will let them get it to do what's needed, even with the Quadra-drive AWD system.

I'm planning to put new tires on it before winter so I'm fine if they get roughed up while he's learning. 
 

In reply to pkingham (Forum Supporter) :

Thanks for the tip. I'll make sure the trans fluid and oil are topped off before Saturday morning. 

In reply to No Time :

Nannies stay on (at least that's what the Street Survival instructor's training says)

Ready to get on the road. Topped off fluids, brought extra fluids, a lawn chair, and cleaned everything else out of the jeep. 
 

We'll stop just down the road from the site and top of the fuel. 

I've coached at these. And I teach high school DE.

My takeaway? Unless you follow up with rigorous reflection and oversight most teens come away with an elevated sense of their skill level that doesn't match the actual. Good thing about this forum is it's filled with parents who are car people and do just that. But, don't think for a minute that a single day in a parking lot is going to appreciably enhance their skills because attitudes towards driving dictate more outcomes than anything else. I suggest doing these more than once to relearn and refresh.

In reply to vwcorvette (Forum Supporter) :

I agree it's not a 1 day and they know it all. Like a lot of things, it's about repetitions and reinforcement of good habits  

But...He had fun, showed improvement, and received feedback from someone other than his parents, so some of it may stick. 

As a result he's now interested in autocross, and is also interest in the Advanced driving skills school. These two things are a step in the right direction for keeping him working on skills and wanting to improve.  
 

No Time said:

In reply to vwcorvette (Forum Supporter) :

I agree it's not a 1 day and they know it all. Like a lot of things, it's about repetitions and reinforcement of good habits  

But...He had fun, showed improvement, and received feedback from someone other than his parents, so some of it may stick. 

As a result he's now interested in autocross, and is also interest in the Advanced driving skills school. These two things are a step in the right direction for keeping him working on skills and wanting to improve.  
 

 

And that's the kind of response you want. An interest in furthering their own skills. #goodparenting

Now I need to keep the momentum going. Between now and spring I need to find a good starter car for both him and I to get involved in autocross.

Nothing extreme, but better for more advanced classes than a club cab Ram or WK grand Cherokee. I know Miata is the answer, although I'm guessing a budget BMW could be a good rwd option. 

Have their been any articles in GRM on Budget friendly cars for novices?

That brings back some memories.. my son did TRSS when he was 17 I think; had a blast. He's always been pretty good with vehicular handling, 2/4 wheels, powered or not. 

This reminds me I need to get my daughter to take a class; she's quite a bit less naturally skilled; Covid was in full swing when she got her license (examiner watched from outside the car in the parking lot).  She had talked about doing some autocrossing last year, hopefully I can time one for soon after she gets home for summer, and mae start doing family cone-dodging weekends.

Bumping this because my granddaughter is doing street survival next weekend and I want her to read it.

Newer heard of theses before. I want to sign myself up, even though my teen years are just a bit in my past...