We’ve all done it. One hand on the wheel, the other reaching for a phone, the radio knob, a coffee cup, or something that “just needs one quick second.” Modern driving is filled with tiny distractions we barely register – glancing at a notification, changing a playlist, checking directions. Yet those moments add up fast. It’s not recklessness; it’s routine. And that’s what makes it dangerous.

Even experienced drivers fall into the trap, convinced they’re in control until they’re not. That uncomfortable truth is exactly why NASCAR legend, Dale Earnhardt Jr, who openly admitted recently he was a careless driver as a teenager, is now sounding the alarm. He is using his own hard-earned lesson to challenge what he calls basic human nature.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s hard lesson

“I was fooling with that thing, and I drove off the road and flipped my truck. Dad (Dale Earnhardt Sr.) came and got me. It was just a mess. I got very lucky that I wasn’t hurt. But I think about myself, and how careless I was as a young driver. And that was 30 years ago, before we got cellphones.”

That moment has stayed with Dale Earnhardt Jr. for decades. It happened on Christmas morning, back when he was a teenager behind the wheel of his beloved Chevy S-10 pickup. Excited to test out a cassette adapter his sister Kelley had gifted him, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the truck out for a quick drive.

One glance down to adjust the music was all it took. The truck drifted off the road and flipped, turning a harmless joyride into a terrifying wake-up call. What makes the story hit harder is how ordinary it sounds. No speeding. No racing. And no risky stunts. Just a distracted teenager, briefly focused on something inside the cab instead of the road ahead.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. walked away physically unharmed. However, the lesson stuck with him till now, especially now, in an era where phones are far far more tempting than a cassette player ever was. That experience is exactly why Earnhardt has teamed up with Nationwide Insurance and the nonprofit organization BRAKES.

The goal is simple but urgent: help teenage drivers stay focused and better prepared for difficult driving situations before mistakes turn into crashes. As part of the effort, Nationwide has launched a free Focused Driving Rewards program through its smartphone app. The service isn’t limited to Nationwide customers. In a welcome move, any driver can sign up. By driving without distractions, users earn points that can be redeemed for gift cards, adding a tangible incentive to safer habits.

At the heart of it all is Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s straightforward message, shaped by lived experience rather than theory: put the phone down. It’s not easy, and he admits that himself. But as he’s learned the hard way, even one careless second can change everything.

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How a family tragedy turned into a nationwide mission

BRAKES wasn’t created in a boardroom or brainstormed as a safety campaign. It was born from a moment that shattered a family forever. In 2008, drag racing veteran Doug Herbert was in Phoenix preparing for a race when he received every parent’s worst call.

Back home near Lake Norman, his 17-year-old son Jon was driving his younger brother James, just 12, to McDonald’s for breakfast. Jon was speeding (close to 80 mph) when he lost control of his Mazda, slid across four lanes of traffic, and collided with a Hummer. While the occupants of the other vehicle survived, Jon and James did not. Their car was left almost unrecognizable.

In the aftermath, Herbert made a decision that would change thousands of lives. Rather than letting the loss consume him, he channeled it into action, forming a nonprofit organization officially named Put on the B.R.A.K.E.S.—short for Be Responsible And Keep Everyone Safe. The original idea was simple: teach Jon and James’ friends advanced defensive driving skills so no other family would experience the same loss.

Word spread quickly. Other parents wanted their children trained, too. What started small has since grown into a nationwide program, with classes held across the country. Today, BRAKES operates with fleets of donated Kia vehicles and roughly 250 instructors, many of whom are current or former law enforcement officers. The program goes beyond classroom lectures, putting teens behind the wheel in controlled environments where they learn how to handle speed, panic situations, distractions, and loss of control.

For Dale Earnhardt Jr., BRAKES hits close to home. His daughters are still young, just 5 and 7, but he already knows what their future includes. “Oh, but they’re definitely going to BRAKES when they’re old enough,” Earnhardt said. “I’m a worrier by nature.”

That worry isn’t paranoia. It’s perspective. And for parents like Earnhardt, BRAKES offers something priceless: preparation before tragedy ever has a chance to strike.