Tag Archives: Driver Education

How can I prepare my child, a few years before driver’s ed?

Posted on by kelly1963

“… already worrying about it.”

Question: Dear Mike: We’re still a few years away from driver’s ed. but I’m already worrying about it. Is there anything I can do now to prepare?

-Becky of Virginia, MN

Answer: Dear Becky, Absolutely! I wish more parents were thinking ahead and taking this really seriously, because what you do now can make a difference. The last lesson of our “Roadworthy” DVD is called Start Early & Never Stop, and it explains quite a few easy ways that you can start preparing your younger children long before they’re ready to get a learner’s permit. For example, one of my pet peeves as an instructor is 16 year old kids who don’t know the names of the streets near their house. That’s a very basic thing that can create a lot of confusion in a car, but it’s very simple for you as a parent to teach now.
-Mike Pehl

 

Find more questions and answers like this on our “Ask Mike” page

Driver’s Ed. Options: Classroom v.s. Online?

Posted on by Safe Driver

Who or what would you choose to teach your Teen?

Q: Dear Mike: I’ve heard there’s online driver’s ed. in quite a few states. What do you think of that option?
- Sandie of Green Bay  WI 

A: Dear Sandie: I just think it’s horrible. Although there are bad driving schools out there, I think even a bad driving school is still better than online driver’s ed. With a classroom situation you know that a teenager is really there for the required number of hours of instruction. But with an online curriculum, it seems to me that there is no accountability. The computer doesn’t know if somebody is just punching through those pages without reading any of them, or if they’re having someone else click through the curriculum for them. Depending on their age, kids who take online driver’s ed. are still required to have some professional behind-the-wheel time, but I still think they’re going to be at a real disadvantage. I spend a lot of time in class talking about different kinds of crashes and defensive driving options, so that when my students have their behind-the-wheel time, we can really focus on what’s happening around them while they’re driving. Without that kind of background from the classroom, I think a lot of behind-the-wheel time is going to get wasted on explaining the basics to students who’ve gotten their permit through online driver’s ed, and we’re all going to pay the price. I really believe the crash rates & severity rates for teenagers are going to go up as online drivers ed. becomes more common.  -Mike Pehl