An American rite of passage for so many 16-and-17-year-old high school students is obtaining their driver’s permit and license. With busy parents chauffeuring their children between extra-curricular activities, jobs and other obligations, an extra licensed driver in the house may feel like a mixed blessing.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the biggest risks for young drivers are the driver’s inexperience, speeding and not using seat belts. And while we as parents want to make sure our children are confident and safe drivers, taking on the instructional responsibility alone can sometimes lead us to feeling a little overwhelmed.
Fortunately, North Montco Technical Career Center has been teaching young drivers for about three decades. The course offered consists of theory, behind-the-wheel, and the driving test for licensing. The 30-hour theory portion is offered in a classroom setting or on-line. If the student chooses to take this portion in the classroom, the student has the opportunity to learn from several guest speakers and study topics such as road rage, how to help a victim in a car accident, drunk driving, distracted driving, and basic car repairs like tire or oil changes. Our driving instructors are all highly qualified certified teachers who attend a PennDOT certification course each year. North Montco’s Driver’s Education program has several dedicated instructors to help your child gain the skills and confidence they needed to become a safer driver.
Rich McDermott and Steve Norman, two of our instructors who together have over 40 years of experience with the program, share some of their insights on the training and learning process for students.
What skill do you find you work on the most with students?
Norman explains: “It’s different for every student. Some students come in with a lot of experience driving with their parent/guardian and just need to fine tune certain aspects of their driving skills. Other students need to work on everything. I feel like I need to tell every student to take their time. Don’t be in a hurry to get from point A to point B. Obviously new drivers are more likely to make mistakes. When a new driver is in a hurry those mistakes can be deadly. In addition, some students develop bad driving habits before coming in for lessons, and they are usually very evident during the first few hours of training. Allowing the wheel to spin back freely, steering with one hand, putting the hand in the wheel to turn, forgetting turn signals, etc. Students have a tendency to rush through the stop sign procedure as well.”
McDermott adds: “This would have to be a multiple answer for the Pennsylvania State exam, for some students it may be parallel parking. Other times, may be the four second following distance concept.”
Is there an area or skill that many students tend to have a false sense of confidence or tend to need more practice?
“New drivers need to be exposed to as many different driving situations and driving conditions as possible. There is no substitute for behind the wheel practice,” said McDermott.
Norman adds: “I find that many students don’t see everything that is happening in front of them. Most are not skilled at scanning the entire roadway (side streets, driveways, other lanes, etc.) and anticipating what could happen. Part of being a defensive driver is anticipating what could happen so that you are prepared to react appropriately. New drivers tend to have tunnel vision, they focus on the speedometer and what’s directly in front of their vehicle. You need to see everything and be ready for anything!”
How do you think this program is valuable/beneficial to students and their families?
“Whether it’s stop sign procedure, perpendicular parking, scanning, speed consistency, etc., I like to provide the students and parents with a list of items to focus on between lessons. When we all work together (student/parent/instructor), the student’s driving skills will improve! And many times, a parent is much more comfortable giving the keys to their child knowing that they have had the training from a professional that taught and/or reinforced safe driving skills and behaviors,” said Norman.
Typically, how long is lesson?
“This depends on the instructor,” said McDermott. “It can range from one to two hours per lesson. The total training time is five-and-a-half hours.”
How about the test process?
McDermott explains: “The drivers licensing exam is given to full time students who have completed the classroom and behind the wheel, and have not graduated from high school. It is administered in the last half-hour of the sixth hour of the course. The instructor will have an ongoing conversation with the parent and student through our process to ensure student is ready for the exam. A certificate will also be provided to the student at the completion of the six hours. The certificate may provide the student/parent with a potential driving insurance discount.”
How do I register?
Students can start the 30-hour theory portion at 15.5 years old. Parents who register their child for both the theory and behind-the-wheel will receive a $25 discount. For more information, call North Montco Technical Career Center, Continuing Education Department at (215) 855-3931.
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