Driving School Blog

With freedom, comes responsibility.  How do you teach a 16 year old to be safe and courteous behind the wheel of an automobile?  Unfortunately, there is no magic formula to teach your teenager the responsibilities of driving.  Driver education at its best is a team effort involving schools, communities, students and families.

Cars do not crash; people crash them.  The driver, especially the young driver, continues to be a weak link in automotive safety.  Each year, more than 100 high school students are killed and more than 15,000 are injured on Virginia’s roadways.  Injuries to students in car crashes account for more years of productive life lost than all other causes.  Hospitalization and rehabilitation costs, lost time from school, and other costs associated with long-term injuries create substantial emotional, physical, and financial problems for students, their families and schools.

Parents and families, not the school, are in the best position to encourage responsible behavior and have a sustained effect on minimizing risks faced by inexperienced drivers.  Parental reinforcement of basic driving skills and good decision making will lead to safe driving habits that will last a lifetime.

Over the course of the next week, we will provide you with tips on how to coach your teenager’s driving and show them ways to assess and manage driving risks.