Where Have the Driver Education Programs Gone?
With the virtual demise of these professionally taught driver education programs, the onus of responsibility for the instruction has been placed on the parents. A few summer or after school driver education programs remain in tact, but these programs require time and money. Professional driving instructors are also a great way to get a teenager started with the proper skills and techniques necessary for defensive driving, but be prepared to pay for more than one lesson. In my estimation this is money well spent and in some instances a certified driver education program can also save you a lot of money on your car insurance.
These after school programs are becoming tougher and tougher to find. So what should you do if you :
A. Don’t have the money to pay for comprehensive driver training program or an extended series of private school driving lessons?
B. Don’t have the time to spend an entire summer or 16 weeks after school because of extra curricular activities or perhaps a job?
A Teenager Needs to Learn Good Habits Early!
Isn’t driving a 2000 pound vehicle over 60 miles per hour a somewhat important task for a 16 year old to learn? Matter of fact it is probably one of the most dangerous activities a teenager will undertake. Millions of dollars are spent each year on youth sports, music and dance lessons as well as summer camps. Yet many parents and teens are unwilling to spend the money on skills and techniques that may save a life. Learning critical driving skills and techniques early in a young drivers career helps set the tone for a lifetime of accident free driving!
Parents, if you decide you want to take on this project of teaching your teen how to drive on all by yourself, then you better be prepared to have a comprehensive plan to get them from the driveway to the freeway. Just because you consider yourself to be good driver is not good enough. You must take the time to learn all the skills necessary that make up modern defensive driving. Many books have been written on the topic and you can also search out some videos on every aspect of driver training. Even if you choose not to teach your teenager how to drive a car. It is still your responsibility to partner with the professionals and to reinforce the skills they teach.
Parents Need to Partner With Driving Professionals as Well as Their Student !
Learning these skills at the same time your new driver does will do 2 things:
- Reinforce the critical defensive skills that you may have forgotten or taken for granted.
- Help assist your teen during practice sessions in all types of different driving situations.
Remember you serve as a role model each and every time you get behind the wheel. And mark my words your son or daughter is watching every move you make! Setting a good example could save your teenagers life. 60,000 people die in auto accidents each year in this country. In the past 5 years teenagers have accounted for over 14,000 of these fatal collisions. Matter of fact one in 3 new drivers will be involved in an accident in their first year of driving.
So how should your teenager learn to drive?
My advice:
- Find a comprehensive certified driver education program and sign them up. The money spent will be made up in a short time with insurance savings as well as peace of mind.
- If you can’t find an after school or summer driver education program. I recommend taking extensive private driving school lessons covering every different driving condition and situation.
- Ask you teen what they learned during their lessons and implement this into you own practice sessions.
- Find a book that can teach you all of the modern defensive driving skills and read it. I have two, scroll to the bottom to get them on Amazon.
- If you elect to teach your teen on your own, get professional advice and set up a sequential plan. I have one, again scroll to the bottom of this page.
- Finally come back to this website often for plenty of free articles related to driver education. There are also plenty of FREE materials on our RESOURCE page.
Parents you will always remain a partner in the driver education of your child. So make it your mission to learn the concepts, practice the concepts, and reinforce proper driving behavior on a daily basis. After all you may save your teenagers life!
Check out my two short read books on Amazon. They will give you all of the information necessary to get your teenager out on the roads safely and defensively.
Book 1: “Save Your Teenage Driver’s Life”
Book 2: :“Teach Your Teenager How to Drive a Car”
Also check out all the FREE info on our RESOURCES page.