People standing around a white delivery truck

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. To help reverse this trend, DAWNCHEM Inc., a distributor in Cleveland, participated in a Street Survival Class at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio.

Every vehicle has blinds spots, but young drivers may not realize how large these blind spots can be for large trucks, especially ones hauling trailers. Participating teenage students were given the opportunity to sit in the cab of a DAWNCHEM truck, with the doors closed, to show how little the truck driver can see.

In addition, to this exercise, the teens learned about the challenges of distracted driving. In this digital age, its tempting to look at mobile devices while behind the wheel, but doing so increases the risk of an accident. Distracted driving causes 15 percent of injury crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

Other lessons included skid control on wet pavement (perfect timing with winter on its way), weight transfer of the vehicle, and situational awareness.