Any parent of any teen can come up with a dozen good reasons to clobber the child. Most can come up with two dozen. One reason high on many lists is a typical teen's naÃØve assumption that he is invincible. Another is her sense that she is expertly skilled at tasks she has just begun to learn. A third may be a teen's giddy inattention, his willingness to let other kids distract him.

When driving comes up, those tendencies get expressed as, come on, Mom, there's no way I would ever crash the car.

That hardy, dense haze of teenage impregnability is the primary reason why parents should enroll their young drivers in the In Control program of advanced driver training. The course runs only four and a half hours, eating up just one weekend morning or afternoon. In that span, students acquire an asset that just might save their necks: awareness.

In Control training, conducted in North Andover and at other Massachusetts locations, doesn't replace conventional driving lessons. It supplements them, taking students out of traffic on a private course where they can safely push the limits of vehicle control. By running through live, hands-on exercises like panic braking at 60 miles per hour, fast-paced emergency lane changes, and a drill that shows the perils of tailgating, teens get to personally feel the powerful dynamic forces that, when abused or even just disregarded, can turn an auto into a careening, destructive menace. The experience jolts novices toward a full appreciation of vehicle safety and driving awareness.

They'll pick up some valuable skills too. For example, participants learn to stand on the brake pedal and not let up to complete sudden stops in cars equipped with antilock brakes. They see — and feel — how they should position their hands to steer through emergency maneuvers. They're coached on appropriate seat positioning, mirror adjustment, and the necessity of a seatbelt to help keep control of a car that's teetering to maintain stability.

Such skills are important, but they're acquired only through practice. The most a half-day program can give students is the foundation they need to develop and refine their driving skills as they log more and more miles, acquiring more and more road experience. But, importantly, they'll feel compelled to hone those abilities - and not approach driving numbly and unconcerned - because of the awareness, appreciation and apprehension that advanced driver training awakens.

Sitting through an In Control class one recent Saturday morning, I saw other ways the program promotes awareness in kids. At the start of the 8 a.m. session, instructor Jason Daoust explained that he, plus the handful of trainers waiting to take the students through exercises in the In Control cars outside the classroom trailer, were certified racing drivers. That immediately turned the staff into role models that any striving, impressionable kid would emulate. And these race drivers are good role models: friendly, engaged and accomplished, they demonstrate that a person can pursue a very cool pastime (these, like most racing drivers, are part-time enthusiasts), and still be very sober and serious about road safety.

The impression they make is no accident. Daniel Strollo, president of In Control, explained that the company chooses instructors with great care. Not only must they be skilled and capable drivers. They must also cut the right image and possess effective communication skills.

"Instructors go through 40 hours of observation before they can even talk to a student," Strollo told me. Based in Wilmington, In Control operates with only a handful of full-time staffers. But its part-time instructors number about 30, drawn from across New England. In addition to racing experience and an active racing license, each is certified as an instructor by the state, he explained.

The structure of In Control classes also helps make kids more astute about driving. At the start of the session, instructor Daoust spent less than 30 minutes running through preliminaries before he sent students out for their first drill, an eye-opener involving high-speed braking. The morning continued through a staccato of classroom instruction punctuated by timely trips outside the trailer to experience extreme auto dynamics again.

"You're going to be surprised by how little control you have at only 20 miles per hour," he advised them at one point.

The alternating format helps keeps students energized and engaged. The classroom prep before each exercise prepares the drivers for what they're about to experience. Thrill-time in the cars makes the students more attentive during the classroom intervals, so the verbal lessons are more likely to stick.

That's good, because the talks convey a lot of gems. The solid advice that Daoust gave to my class of about two-dozen drivers included:

Stay off the cell phone.

Minimize backing, because it's always risky.

Stay cool; if someone tailgates you, let him pass; if someone cuts you off, let it go.

Stay off the cell phone.

In foul weather, stay home till highway crews have time to treat roads.

If tired, don't drive, rest.

The weight of three passengers adds 15 feet to stopping distance at 50 mph.

n Stay off the cell phone.

n Don't text-message, either. Daoust repeated that advice as often as he reiterated the cell-phone warning. It's a lesson more adults should heed. Even hands-free cell phones are far too distracting to use while driving, Daoust said.

Adults also take advanced driver training from In Control. But Strollo said teens account for about three-quarters of the 4,000 drivers it trains annually - with enrollment growing each year.

Full cost of the program is $299. But subsidies are available to some students. For example, the Service Club of Andover contributes $100 toward the enrollment of teens who live in Andover or North Andover. In addition, more than half the insurance companies operating in Massachusetts discount the rates for teens who take the course, Strollo said.

"If they can save up to 10 percent on insurance, that $299 is covered in the first year or second year," he said.

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Jeffrey Zygmont has written about automobiles since 1982. Based in Salem, N.H., he writes books and articles about innovation, technology and culture. He can be contacted through the Web site www.jeffreyzygmont.com