Like learning to ride a bike, learning to drive a vehicle takes time and patience to develop the necessary skills. To help kids prepare for the daunting task of learning to drive safely on our very busy road, Toyota has created an innovative program that teaches kids to drive, in-vehicle that fit the – karts.
KartStart by Toyota
KartStart Presented by Toyota was created by Russ Bond to give kids basic instruction and introduction to driving, ahead of them turning 16.
Participants learn how the kart works with instructors leading them around the track. They learn how the steering works, how the throttle works, and how the brakes work. More importantly, they understand how all these things work together as they’re driving down a road.
Russ Bond has been involved in the automobile industry for over 30 years. You might know him as the host of the popular two-minute test drive on MotoringTV on TSN. He’s also a semi-retired professional racing driver
The karts are basic motorized vehicles proportionate to the size of the driver and don’t weight 3,000 pounds – the perfect size for kids to get their first driving experience.
Real-life scenarios
As we all know, the problem with driving is accidents. The kartStart program can create these real-life scenarios and teaches kids how to deal with them. For example, if a driver goes too fast, they will spin the cart – but that’s all. This gives instructors the opportunity to talk to the drivers about what happened. By experiencing the situation in a relatively safe environment, they learn that “stuff” happens on the road, and not all of it is good.
It’s more about making kids aware of what’s going on around them when they’re driving, to recognize when something is about to happen and know what do before it happens.
Family included
This is a program for the whole family. After the kids are in the karts, the parents are in the Toyotas, learning and experiencing the latest safety innovations available in the road cars.
It’s a half-day course for children as young as 10-years and teens. There’s also some driving time for the adults as well. After the kids are in the karts, the parents are in Toyotas, learning and experiencing the latest safety innovations available in the road cars.
The driving experience includes interactive safety briefing by professional driving instructors including one-on-one interaction; use of a professional racing kart; Snell approved helmet and CIK racing suit.
Karting participants take part in safety-oriented lead/follow sessions with instructors. Lunch is included. Total coast $79 + taxes per person. For more information and to register visit www.kartstart.ca.