Press Room
Palm Springs Life, March
2009
Chad McQueen helped organize a
safe-driving skills course for local teens.
PHOTO CREDIT: ALBERT
HIRSON
Passing Zone
An avid racer, Steve McQueen did many of his own
stunts in films such as LeMans, Bullitt, The Great Escape and The
Getaway. Apparently, he passed along some driving DNA to son Chad.
A former race car driver and father of two children attending
Marywood Palm Valley High School, Chad McQueen helped organize a
safe-driving skills course for local teens. Stunt car driver Greg
Pene, who has whisked everything from Acuras to Volkswagens along
ribbons of highway in car commercials, was among the
instructors.
The Desert Sun,
December 6, 2008
Driving simulator provides Marywood-Palm Valley students chance to
sharpen skills, save lives
by Michelle Mitchell
One year after a car crash took the lives of three
Marywood-Palm Valley students last year, the school is taking
action to prevent a similar tragedy.
Parent Chad McQueen took the lead to bring information and training
to young drivers and their parents at no cost.
McQueen's children are in sixth and seventh grades at Marywood-Palm
Valley.
And though they may be too young to drive, he said, "My goal is to
save a life."
"It could be my kid one of thse kids hits," he said.
A 14-station driving simulator parked at the school on Thursday
gave teens a chance to test their skills. That evening experts came
to the campus to give driving info and tips.
The threefold objective of the software is to teach young drivers
to focus despite distractions, avoid speeding and to not have
tunnel vision, said Tim Albright, president of Street
Simulator.
"It is harder than driving," Albright said about the simulation
program that sends children and vehicles veering in front of the
teens in all weather conditions.
Students shreiked as they hit computer-animated obstacles.
"You need to be prepared for things you're not expecting," junior
Amy Adams, 17 said.
Young drivers' lack of experience and sense of invincibility
combine to make them more susceptible to a crash, California
Highway Patrol officer Ramon Perez said in an e-mail.
Countywide, 14 teenage drivers were killed in traffic collisions
lasst year and those teenagers caused the crash 71 percent of the
time, Perez said.
Additional Facts: A behind-the-wheel driver training course will be
held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at Canyon Lanes at the Morongo
Resort in Cabazon, 49-500 Seminole Drive. Cost is free to the first
25 students who register. Call 760-213-6826 or Marywood-Palm Valley
at (760) 328-0861 for an appointment.
The California Highway Patrol offers a Start Smart class for
15-19-year olds on the last Wednesday of every month. The next
class is 6:15 p.m. on Dec. 17 at the CHP Indio office, 79-650
Varner Road. Call (760) 772-8938 for an appointment.
KESQ News Channel 3,
December 4, 2008 Tragic Car Crash
Prompts Rancho Mirage School to Hold Driving
Courses
KMIR6, December 4, 2008
Teen Driving Safety Program
Last year 3 teens lost their lives in Rancho
Mirage after a car accident. Since then the community has created a
program to help teens right here in the Valley to improve their
driving skills.
Last September 3 students left Marywood Palm Valley High School,
never to return again. Tabitha Loftis was driving her friends
Stefano Mazzotti and Stefan Snyder-Plati from the Rancho Mirage
campus, and within minutes lost control of her car and crashed into
a tree. All 3 teens lost their lives instantly and a community came
together for support.
Since then Valley resident Chad McQueen has put together a program
to help give teens stronger driving skills.
McQueen, a retired racecar driver and the son of actor and speed
enthusiast Steve McQueen, says all the efforts wil be well worth it
if this program saves even one life.
Palm
Springs Desktop.com, December 2008
Chad McQueen Organizes Driving Program
by Bernadine
Bogdanovs
Chad McQueen has organized a team of expert driving instructors
to offer state-of-the art driving instruction to student drivers in
the Palm Springs area. A longtime winter resident of Palm Springs,
McQueen took action when a fatal accident took the lives of three
local teens. Realizing that economic cutbacks were causing fewer
young drivers to receive driver's training at area schools, McQueen
enlisted the support of his friends at Ford Motor Company, Our Teen
Driver Foundation, Palm Springs Motors and Teen Road to Safety.
Together they will offer a two-day driving program that allows
young student drivers to improve their skills in a driving
simulator and behind-the-wheel instruction with expert instructors.
And best of all, it's free for teens in all of the desert cities!
The program begins with an "Ask the Experts" evening at Marywood
Palm Valley High School, where parents and students are invited to
learn about driving safety from representatives at the Department
of Motor Vehicles, California Highway Patrol, local law enforcement
and the California Insurance Group. The second half of the program
takes place on Sunday, December 7 on the grounds of Canyon Lanes at
Morongo Resort Casino in Cabazon. Students will participate in a
variety of behind-the-wheel slalom exercises that will teach
braking, crash avoidance, maneuvering during hazardous weather
conditions, and regaining control of a car. For group registration
and additional information call (760) 213-6826, or visit:
www.TeenRoadToSafety.com
www.StreetSimulator.com
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