Historically, driver’s education in the U.S. has been poor. The only goal for most driving schools has been to get your teen a driver’s license with no concern about how they perform in the first critical year of their driving career. Fortunately, there are now beginning to emerge driving schools with the goal to create excellent drivers but finding them is still difficult. Considering over 20,000 teens die every year in car crashes and the costs of even a minor collision are large, choosing a driver training that can decrease the chances of your teen getting in a crash during the first critical year of their driving career is very important. This article can provide some guidance in selecting a driving school that can make a difference.
Engaging Program: In order for teens to learn anything, they need to be engaged. And its no different for driving lessons. They should be continually challenged as part of the educational process. Does the driving school communicate with the parents using feedback forms and their web site?
Professional Instructors: It’s critically important that the driving instructors are well trained. Ask whether the training exceeded minimum requirements. Make sure the instructors are properly trained for driving instruction as some schools use untrained police officers, who are good at strict law enforcement and not driver training.
A very important selection criteria for a driving school is convenience. Can the behind the wheel sessions be scheduled online 7×24? Some programs include access to a dedicated customer center that can be used to answer questions at any point along the teen’s training process.
Proven Results: Very few driving schools can demonstrate how well they’ve trained their students. Are there reliable statistics available that show the results of their driving lessons? Do they have a money back guarantee? Are they committed to making their students excellent drivers or simply just trying to get them a license?
Investment In Driver’s Education: Ask the driving school how much they invest in the development of their program. Do they have dedicated curriculum developers on staff working on driving lessons? Do they work with the research community to ensure their driver training programs are state of the art? Do they create innovative systems for scheduling and student progress?
Community Contribution: Top class driving schools will contribute to the community in a variety of ways. Ask what legislature, such as cell phone laws, the driving school directly sponsored for the betterment of teen driving. Ask what statewide programs, such as Washington’s Drive Nice Day program they have sponsored. Do they work with local public schools?
The bottom line: Its your teen’s life and well-being that is at risk during their first year of driving an automobile. Its important to understand that there is a large variance between driving schools in what they can provide for your teen. Proper selection of a driving school is critical. Its not your Grandfather’s driver training any more and you now have the ability to select a driving school that can really make a difference in your teen’s ability to survive and thrive throughout their driving experience.
About the Author: Joe Driverson is a member of SWERVE’s team whose goal is to “Change The Way People Drive”. Check out SWERVE Driving School for more information on SWERVE’s driver training programs and its innovative and challenging approach to driving lessons.
Tags: auto insurance, automobile, driver training, driver's ed, driver's education, driving course, driving lessons, driving school, education, training