Driving instructions are not for everybody

The driving training industry has been gradually losing its quality over the last 10-15 years, in many ways because law makers are not overseeing how the industry is facilitating under-qualified people to this very important job, also because driving schools in many cases are using 20-30 years old materials and teaching techniques.

Most parents decide and choose the driving school for their teens based on one factor only (the price of the lessons), while the quality of them or years in business seems to be not important. Therefore, most of the driving schools out there are simply offering the minimum instruction needed just to pass the driving test, essentially helping people to get an operator license when they are not ready to safely operate a vehicle, through this very insufficient “quick fix” method.

The sad statistically result of combining poor authorities supervision, low quality instructions aiming to pass the driving test only and parents concern more about getting the cheapest option instead of the best driving school are the deadly stories for sure you have heard.

Average 3500 teens die every year in USA while another teenager was behind the wheel, the crash rate per mile driven for 16-19 years old is sadly four times higher than crashes where the driver was 20 years old or older.

The driving exam can be passed with very basic legal knowledge of driving and very basic skills to control the vehicle. The average time of this exam is less than 20 minutes, making the overall standard low causing our roads highly unsafe.

Sadly we need to admit, the low passing rate in previous years has led to the exclusion of very important maneuvers and unwillingness to implement real changes to the current system, knowing that implementing higher standards to pass the test will translate in a direct decrease of customer in our license offices, and this revenue has clouded the consideration of public safety in general.

Despite vehicles to be equipped with systems like ABS, traction control system, dynamic cruise control, lane departure sensors, blind spot sensors and others, almost 50K people die in USA every year and 5 million get hurt in crashes.

Next time you (or someone you know) is going to use a driving school, keep this in mind, you can help lower these numbers and be a part of safer roads for everybody. Take care.