Driver's Education, BMW Style; A Dream Fulfilled for Teens Lets Parents Sleep Easier

    SPARTANBURG, S.C., April 30 BMW of North America, LLC is
putting its mark on driver education with courses designed for teens, who have
relatively little experience behind the wheel of any vehicle.
    Two programs -- a one-day course and a two-day camp -- teach young people
car control techniques that they may not have learned elsewhere, providing
reassurance for their parents while letting them fulfill a dream of driving a
new 3 Series sedan.  Both programs are taught at the BMW Performance Center
Driving School in Spartanburg, South Carolina throughout the summer.  See
http://www.bmwusa.com.
    "With several sessions this summer, it is an ideal graduation gift," says
Tom Troy, BMW Performance Center Manager. "Your graduating senior gets to
drive a BMW, if only for one or two days, but gains a lifetime of safe driving
skills in the process.   These courses are designed especially for
inexperienced licensed drivers ages 16 through 19.  They will learn with their
peers."
    BMW's programs help new drivers build confidence by providing them with
guidance and training to cope with everyday traffic situations, perform
complex maneuvers and respond to real-life driving emergencies, according
to Troy.
    The road course can be configured 35 different ways, using special
features not found in most driving training programs.  For example, students
learn how to control a vehicle on black ice or other slippery surfaces in
exercises performed on an ultra-smooth concrete skidpad. Accident avoidance
maneuvers are taught on a water wall corridor -- one of only a few in the
world -- where they are "surprised" when obstacles "appear" in front of their
moving vehicles.
    In the "New Driver" programs, students are taught the relationship between
speed and stopping distances; proper seating position and how it relates to
better driving, and active and passive safety systems -(what they can and
can't do to help protect you). Often over-looked basics such as how to set
mirrors and where to look when you are driving to allow time for the
unpredictable are also covered.
    The new BMW Performance Center Driving School expands the unique
automotive experience BMW offers in upstate South Carolina.  At one location,
a visitor can tour a $1.6 billion state-of-the-art manufacturing facility;
browse the Zentrum museum, showcasing more than 75 years of BMW automotive and
motorcycle history; and take delivery of a new BMW. There is also a corporate
conference center at the BMW Performance Center.
    Classes are limited to 12 students, with both classroom theory and hands-
on experience using BMW 3 Series couples and sedans. The cost is $300 for the
one-day session and $1,950 for the two-day camp.  Students must be at least
16 years old and   must have at least a learner's permit (or equivalent).  For
more information, or to sign up for a BMW performance center class, call
888-345-4BMW (x4269).
    Information about BMW products is available at http://www.bmwusa.com.
Information about the BMW Group and its products is available to journalists
at the BMW Group PressClub at http://www.press.bmwgroup.com.