subject: Drivers Ed: Traditional And New Approaches [print this page] Few things are as exciting as to a teen as getting their driver's permit. The anticipated freedom of the open road and the implication of burgeoning maturity mark this special rite of passage. While each state has specific rules and regulations that facilitate this transition, a good driver's ed program is a critical part of the learning process when first getting behind the wheel of a vehicle.
Traditional Approaches to Driver's Ed
Most adult drivers probably remember their very first day of driving. If it was anything like mine, the driving school's teacher took them down to the Motor Vehicle Department, where you took their written permit test, and then got into the training vehicle and set off down the road for their initial drive. Those instructors must have nerves of steel!
The biggest problem with such traditional programs is that the time behind the wheel is minimal. Some state require as little as 6 hours of drive time before they issue a permit to a child as young as 14. While an adult license may still be a year or more away, so few hours of experience are bound to lead to teens out on the road long before they are ready to take charge of a potentially lethal machine.
Home Based Driver's Ed
Some states don't require any driver's ed at all. In those states in particular, it falls to the parents to teach their children how to drive and then determine when they feel their child is ready to set off on their own. The idea is enough to make many parents so nervous enough to avoid the process entirely.
Home based driver's educational systems provide structured programs that any parent and child can follow. Such programs take the family step by step through a logical progression that teaches the child the entire curricula of classroom and the real life lessons needed to become a good driver.
How home based Drivers Education works
Imagine sitting at home, calmly, with your teenager and reading through the manual. Working together, you progress through the materials designed specifically for your state. Once the "book work" is complete you take the newly acquired knowledge out on the road and practice the techniques just discussed and reviewed at home. As you check off each section, you can feel confident that your child knows what to do in each situation.
Such home based programs are interactive and attractive to a generation of kids who grew up on computers. Graphics and videos add to the appeal and help your child translate what they learn at the computer directly to the street, where skills really matter. Once you have completed the entire program, your child will be ready to drive, responsibly.
Long term savings
Home based driver's ed programs cost no more than traditional classes. They have a primary advantage over the traditional model, though. You can always review what you have learned just by turning on your computer, or you can repeat the lesson as often as needed until the skill is learned before you take your child out on the road to actually master the skill.
A final benefit: your home based program will send you a certificate of completion that you can often use for a reduced insurance rate for your new driver. Talk about a win/win situation.
