Central Albertans as young as 10 will get behind the wheel and learn to drive this weekend.
Toyota’s kartSTART, a 10-stop travelling drivers’ education program for people between 10 and 16 years old, will be at Westerner Park in Red Deer Friday to Sunday.
Using go-karts, the program aims to teach children how vehicles work and how to stay safe while driving.
The program has toured Canada for eight years.
Cyril Dimitris, Toyota Canada Inc. sales and marketing vice-president, said kartSTART helps “create a better, safer future for the drivers of tomorrow.
“Kids are not only given the opportunity to experience being behind the wheel of a motorized vehicle (many for the first time), but they’re becoming familiar with driver safety well before they can get a license,” said Dimitris.
For the first time, specially designed go-karts will be used so children with physical disabilities can drive too. These accessible go-karts look the same as the others, but hand-controlled throttle and braking are incorporated into the design of the steering wheel.
Russ Bond, a retired professional race car driver, leads the half-day program.
“With the new accessible go-kart, we now have the ability to create a more inclusive environment, where mobility is no longer a barrier for children with physical disabilities affecting the lower limbs,” said Bond.
Red Deer is the second stop on kartSTART’s cross-country tour.
Registration is sold out for all three days. For more information visit www.kartstart.ca.
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