Gold Badge Driver Training: First to offer innovative defensive training to students

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Sue Thelen, Marketing Coordinator

Gold Badge Driver Training

1486 Kenwood Drive

Menasha, WI 54952

920-740-8076

Email: goldbadgedrivertraining@new.rr.com

Website: http://www.goldbadgedrivertraining.com

Menasha: Anyone passing the Christ the Rock Church parking lot in Menasha tomorrow may think there are simply trespassers doing donuts in the parking lot. In reality, Gold Badge Driver Training, an innovative driver training center unique to the Fox Valley, is providing defensive driver training to its students.

These students are training on the EasyDrift Driver Training System (DTS), a revolutionary patented defensive driver training system employed by the driving school. The system simulates the experience of a car slipping due to weather or road conditions. The sensation occurs in the Gold Badge driver’s education vehicle on which the EasyDrift rings have been installed on the car’s tires.

Established as a training system for law enforcement officers, EasyDrift was modified to benefit driver education students by its owner, Pete Thelen, along with fellow instructor Tom Witczak. Thelen and Witczak are both master instructors for the EasyDrift DTS. Thelen explains, “It’s extremely safe because students are able to experience real driving situations in an open area at a very low rate of speed. The car literally starts to drift or swerve at 10 mph. It’s so realistic that it provides an optimum teaching situation for our students. Kids are going to learn a lot and absolutely love the process. I have no doubt that after seeing it parents are going to want to sign up too!”

Gold Badge Driver Training was established in late 2010 by Thelen, a long-time area law enforcement officer, and Tom Witczak, a retired police officer and vocational instructor. Both are certified in Wisconsin to teach driver education, emergency vehicle operation and control and traffic safety.

Gold Badge Driver Training is the only driver training center to be managed and instructed exclusively by law enforcement professionals and the only training center to offer students advanced defensive driving training as part of their curriculum. The school offers classroom, behind the wheel and advanced instruction for students, as well as refresher and advanced defensive driver training for adults. For more information or to register for upcoming classes, visit the Gold Badge website at http://www.goldbadgedrivertraining.com or call 920-740-3710.

Members of the media are invited to view the student training at Christ the Rock on Saturday, August 27 from 8:00am to 3:30pm. Christ the Rock is located at W6254 US Highway 10 114, Menasha.