About Driving Schools

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 62 percent of American teenagers report having some type of formal driving instruction, either behind the wheel or in a classroom.

A traditional driving school is a good choice to get your teen started learning the basic rules of the road and car control.

These "basics" cause young drivers the most problems:

Although driving schools have been proven to teach new drivers important knowledge and skills to pass the driver's test, they have not been proven to teach the necessary skills to make teens safer drivers. That's your job as parents. Help your teen receive 50 or more hours of  varied practice driving with you or a trusted adult before he or she goes out on the road alone.

Performance training
While performance training may sound appealing, research has shown that crash rates may actually increase when teens receive this type of training. Why? Because young drivers may develop a false sense of confidence, making them less likely to take ordinary driving safety precautions like reducing speed or leaving enough braking distance. It's better to have them learn these skills over time
(Driving Lesson Timeline).

Hazard perception training programs
It’s especially important for new drivers to quickly improve their driving hazard detection skills. Teaching the proper way to scan for hazards can help them avoid crashes or minimize their impact if they do occur. Early research has found moderate success with hazard perception training programs, such as CD-ROM products evaluated in computer-simulated driving environments.
Read the study abstract on Hazard Scanning Training

Monitoring devices
New technologies are designed to help you monitor your child's driving. They may be able to track:

Monitoring devices use everything from geo-positioning to keeping the car from starting if the driver doesn’t take specific actions. They include: