Freshly-licensed teen drivers in north Jefferson County can take part in some new driving clinics at Gardendale First Baptist Church.

The clinics focus on teaching new drivers how to avoid operating a vehicle while distracted, as well as hone their maneuvering and braking skills. According to the Alabama Region of the Sports Car Club of America, the organization running the clinics, one in four teenagers have a car accident in their first year of driving, and over 80 percent of those crashes are caused by driver error.

“Not speeding. Not drugs. Not alcohol,” said Ron Hardiman, a Kimberly resident and Director of the Teen Driving Clinics. “We run them through these exercises until they become second nature.” Hardiman compares the hands-on portion of the training to a football team running drills.

“Training in how to react as a driver follows the same principle as that used in training for sports,” he said. “Practice the right emergency responses so they can be used when the emergencies occur.”

The teens drive their own vehicles, usually the one they will drive the most.

“One girl showed up in a giant F-250 Diesel, and she needs to learn how that truck behaves,” said Hardiman. “It’s not all sedans. All kinds of things show up.”

The six-hour clinics start in a classroom inside the church, but quickly move to the hands-on drills.

“Classroom sessions in the clinic emphasize the theory behind the practice, but it’s the practice on pavement that makes the clinic effective,” said Hardiman.

There will be two more clinics, on Oct. 23 and one on Nov. 6. The cost is $106. Class size is limited, so students must pre-register. To register, email Hardiman at  teen.driver@alscca.net.