Oklahoma City police offer hands-on driving course for teens

“Slow down before you enter the turn — you can always accelerate out of the turn,” Holcomb said to Aguilar.

Some of the things that prevent accidents are straightforward: making sure tires are properly inflated goes a long way in preventing rollover accidents. Before taking a blind curve, cut your speed by 80 or 90 percent and then stay on the outside of the lane until the road opens up, said Sgt. Ryan Elsass, who worked as an instructor Saturday.

Other skills are more difficult.

Aguilar said he didn't learn the acronym I.D.A. in driver's education. It stands for “Identify, decide and act,” he said.

The acronym aims to help drivers make split-second decisions that could save lives.

When obstacles cross a driver's path while on the road, the driver must decide to brake, drive through or swerve.

Along those lines, drivers Saturday practiced how to regain control of vehicles once they're run off the road. By creating real-life scenarios “We're eliminating panic,” Burris said.

The police department would like to run the course once per month, said Cornman. The cost to participants is $50.

“If we can target and provide additional drivers' training to that group, it will help a few a avoid collisions, it's definitely safer for everybody,” Cornman said.

For more information, call Cornman at the police training center at 316-5151.