Given the poor history of driver’s education in the United States, the emergence of professional driving schools that can “make a difference” is a much needed addition to local communities. Over 20,000 teens die every year in the U.S. and many times that many are involved in collisions that include injury, car repair cost, increased insurance cost, and a variety of other ancillary costs. In order to make the critical informed decision about what driving school to choose, the following criteria can help sort out the driver training program of preference:
Engagement is one of the keys to teen education and this applies to driver’s education as well. Are the driving lessons challenging? Do the instructors strive to motivate their students to continually improve? Is there communication between the driving school and the parent with feedback forms, web site status, etc.?
Having professional instructors that are well trained is an important piece of the driver training puzzle. Instructors from most driving schools meet the minimum requirements, but no more. Ask how many hours of training a driving school’s instructors have been through. Some schools employ police officers, which are good at law enforcement, but may have not received even the minimum amount of training required for professional instructors.
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?
An important aspect of choosing a driving school is determining the amount of investment the school is making in its driver’s education programs. Do they have dedicated curriculum developers on staff? How much are they investing in their driving lessons? Or do they just take the same outdated material everyone else has and call it “good enough”?
Community contribution is a key factor in determining the quality of a driving school. Has the driving school been proactive in backing legislature, such as teen cell phone laws? Program sponsorship in state-wide programs, such as Washington”s Drive Nice Day is a good indicator of their investment in the community. Is working with private and public schools part of the program?
The first year of driving can be a matter of “life or death” for your teen and selecting a great driving school can positively impact that outcome. Driving school selection can be a tricky process and its important to look at all of the criteria mentioned in this article. The educating of a driver is finally taking front row center and selecting the best school is of prime importance. Make sure you spend the time to evaluate driving schools and use the criteria in this article as a starting point for the process.
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 driving course 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