Learner’s permit would be just another Democratic fee
By Rep. JENNIFER COFFEY For the Monitor

Just when you thought the Democrats at the State House were done taxing us, here they go again. Last week the House Transportation Committee, along strict party lines, voted to recommend a bill creating yet another fee: a new driver’s license permitting fee. This came despite opposition from both the Department of Safety and the New Hampshire Drivers Education Teachers Association.

Not only would it hit the taxpayers in the pocketbook, but also it would create yet another bureaucracy at the Department of Safety, including all the expenses that go along with creating a new system.

When the Legislature resumes its duties in January, lawmakers will debate this issue, and if the Democrats are successful, teenagers in New Hampshire will be required to pay a new $20 driver’s permit fee. If they have not acquired their license within a year, they will be forced to pay the fee again.

The Democrats in committee argued that many states, such as Massachusetts, do this, and so should we. I say nonsense.

Just last session the Legislature changed the rules for young folks learning how to drive by requiring them to drive 40 hours with a parent or guardian with 10 of those hours required to be driven at night. This doubled the required driving hours and was done to make sure our young drivers learn by doing. This made sense.

Now, on top of the cost of driver’s education classes, and the cost of gas used to teach them, they will have a permit fee valid for only one year. The bottom line: The cost for the first year licensing for a new driver will increase from $50 to $70.

When you add the burden on taxpayers of paying for the development of the exam, its administration, correcting the exams and oversight of the program, it becomes a financial nightmare. If the Department of Safety opts for computer-based testing, new computers must be purchased and maintained, increasing the cost to the taxpayer further.

At a time when all state departments have been told to cut their budgets and when some much needed services have been cut, the Department of Safety will be looking at a budget increase.

Despite a serious downturn in the economy, Democrats in the Legislature have chosen to increase or create more than 50 new taxes and fees since they took control – and apparently they aren’t done yet. It’s time to stop the tax-and-spend mentality in Concord and time to look for ways to live within our means – not by balancing the budget on the backs of our teenagers.

It certainly leaves one to wonder which new tax or fee is just around the corner. Hopefully the taxpayers are paying attention and will not forget come November 2010.

Living in Florida during the winter means frost and in some (but rare) cases ice (North Florida areas) and fewer daylight hours. this also means you’re at the risk of being involved in a crash. Would you know what to do if you hit another vehicle, a pedestrian or a biker?

When a car crash happens, injuries may be severe and emotions high. And, what’s important here is: Things must be taken care of not only at the scene of the crash but, afterwards as well. 

Here’s some helpful tips for what you need to do immediately when involved in a crash.

Call 911 Immediately

When calling 911 always state your full name clearly, your location and identify the other vehicle involved in the crash. i.e., Silver Blue, 4-door Chevy. IF one of your passengers is injured, unconscious or complains of injuries tell the 911 operator. DO NOT move them. WAIT until qualified medical personnel arrive. 

Remain at the Crash Scene

The cardinal rule for all car crashes in the State of Florida is: STAY at the crash scene. If you leave the scene of the crash, particularly if someone has been injured or killed or, excessive property damage, you will face serious criminal penalties in addition to loosing your Florida driving privilege for one full year.

Move Your Vehicle To The Side of The Road

If your vehicle can be moved, Florida law states that it MUST BE MOVED to the side of the road. Gone are the days of crashed cars remaining in the street  and blocking traffic while “waiting” for law enforcement to arrive.  

Get Back in Your Car???

That depends. If the crash occurred on a busy highway or freeway, be very cautious about standing or waiting outside your vehicle. Many crash involved individuals have been hit by fast moving vehicles while “waiting” for law enforcement to arrive. Standing or waiting outside your vehicle, especially at night or in poor weather conditions (icy, wet  or fog roads), could put you or your passengers at risk of further harm from passing vehicles. Furthermore, if the crash occurs at night and you have road flairs USE THEM. 

Exchange Information?

That depends and times certainly have changed. When law enforcement arrive they will obtain all of the necessary information such as names, phone numbers, addresses, drivers’ license numbers, license plate numbers and basic insurance information which will be in the report and available to you.

*Note: If you are hit by another vehicle in a deserted area, use extreme caution when stopping AND when getting out of your vehicle. Some well-meaning motorists have been robbed or killed when they got out of their car after being bumped by another car in a deserted or unsafe area.

Don’t Talk To Anyone Except Law Enforcement and/or Medical Personnel

Immediately after a crash, the crash scene is chaotic. Law enforcement are trained in Crash Scene Investigation and will determine – based on evidence – who was at fault, or who was more at fault, in causing the crash.

If You’ve Been Drinking

Right off the bat I’m going to state that you should not have been behind the wheel in the first place. But, if you’ve been drinking and you’re involved in a crash, cooperate with police and be truthful. You might want to think twice about refusing to take a test to determine your blood alcohol content (BAC) at the time of the crash. In Florida, if you refuse to take any chemical test (blood, breath, urine), your license will be automatically suspended for one year.

Inform Your Insurance Company

As soon as possible, tell your insurance company.

Take pictures

If you have a camera cell phone USE IT! Take photographs of the scene and vehicle damages. You never know when those pictures may come in handy.

So your teenager just got their learners permit. Congratulations! Of course, learning the life-skill of driving needs to be perfected and, in order to start off on the right track and give them a solid – basic driving – foundation hopefully you’re utilizing the services of a certified driving school or, drivers ed (that may be) provided in your county. Once they learn the basics the baton will be passed back to you. Your question is: Do they need car insurance now?

In order to answer that question it depends on your insurance carrier and the State laws that are in place.

Although new drivers of any age need to have insurance coverage when driving a car (and in this case driving for them is practicing), this does not necessarily mean you need a separate policy or, need to list them as an assigned driver of a vehicle.

Some insurance companies will extend coverage – at no increased insurance premium – for as long as your teen (or new adult student driver) retains their learners permit. One they are officially licensed that’s when your premiums will (unfortunately) increase. On the other hand, some insurance companies start charging rates immediately because their philosophy (or way of thinking) is: Your teen could take the car – while you’re sleeping or away from home without your knowledge and physical presence in the vehicle.

My point: You need to call your insurance company to find out exactly what their requirements are.

According to the IIHS, an average 6.6 people are killed between the hours of 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., and another 6.6 between the hours of 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Those rates are the overall highest of any time during the day. In 2007, 14,055 people were killed in the 5 p.m. hour. But the hours between midnight and 4 a.m. have the highest number of fatalities when calculated as a percentage of the amount of people on the road, according to AAA. During that time, statistically speaking, 5.87 per 100 million people on the road will be killed.

Day of Week
Saturday is the highest of fatalities, with an average of 158 each Saturday. Saturday also has the highest number of fatalities when compared as a percentage of cars on the road, averaging 1.2 deaths per 100 million drivers, according to AAA.

Month
August had the most total deaths on the road in 2008, (a 1.1% decline from 2007). A total of 3,612 people died that month. When counted as fatalities per 100 million vehicles, August has a fatality rate of 1.42 (an increase of 0.06 since 2007 and 0.10 points higher than September and June.)

Day of the Year
July 4 (Independence Day), has been the most dangerous day of the year to drive. In 2007, 926 people were killed in auto crashes.

Holiday Weekend
When daily totals are averaged over a several-day period surrounding the holiday, Thanksgiving is the deadliest holiday weekend.

Bsed on the data from the U.S. Department of Transportation, listed below – in ranking order - is the “on the average” amount of deaths for six federal holidays. Deaths were counted for just the one day, not a holiday weekend or period.

1. Thanksgiving Day
Number of Fatalities in 2008: 502
Average Number of Fatalities Per Year Since 1982: 567
Average Percentage of Alcohol-Related Fatalities Since 1982: 41%

2. Labor Day
Number of Fatalities in 2008: 487
Average Number of Fatalities Per Year Since 1982: 544
Average Percentage of Alcohol-Related Fatalities Since 1982: 45%

3. 4 of July (Independence Day)
Number of Fatalities in 2008: 491
Average Number of Fatalities Per Year Since 1982: 542
Average Percentage of Alcohol-Related Fatalities Since 1982: 45%

4. Memorial Day
Number of Fatalities in 2008: 425
Average Number of Fatalities Per Year Since 1982: 508
Average Percentage of Alcohol-Related Fatalities Since 1982: 45%

5. Christmas Day
Number of Fatalities in 2008: 420
Average Number of Fatalities Per Year Since 1982: 414
Average Percentage of Alcohol-Related Fatalities Since 1982: 42%

1. Montana
2007 estimated population: 957,861

Drunken driving-related fatalities per 100,000 people in 2007: 11.07

2. South Carolina
2007 estimated population: 4,407,709

Drunken driving-related fatalities per 100,000 people in 2007: 10.50

3. Mississippi
2007 estimated population: 2,918,785

Drunken driving-related fatalities per 100,000 people in 2007: 10.35

4. Wyoming
2007 estimated population: 522,830

Drunken driving-related fatalities per 100,000 people in 2007: 9.37

5. Louisiana
2007 estimated population: 4,293,204

Drunken driving-related fatalities per 100,000 people in 2007: 8.57

6. Alabama
2007 estimated population: 4,627,851

Drunken driving-related fatalities per 100,000 people in 2007: 8.41

7. North Dakota
2007 estimated population: 639,715

Drunken driving-related fatalities per 100,000 people in 2007: 8.28

8. West Virginia
2007 estimated population: 1,812,035

Drunken driving-related fatalities per 100,000 people in 2007: 7.84

9. New Mexico
2007 estimated population: 1,969,915

Drunken driving-related fatalities per 100,000 people in 2007: 6.75

10. Arkansas
2007 estimated population: 2,834,797

Drunken driving-related fatalities per 100,000 people in 2007: 6.42

Fact: Twenty-five years ago on the Old Yungas Road, a 100+ passenger-filled bus plunged off the cliff in the Bolivian Andes and fell to their death on the canyon floor below.

Unlike most tragedies, there was no alcohol or speeding or reckless driving to blame. The cause: A” minor miscalculation” that countless competent drivers make everyday.

The the average annual death toll for those who dare drive the roughly 40-mile long Old Yungas is well over 100 people. Strange as this may sound, it’s become a tourist destination for adventure-seekers who want to add “I drove the worlds most dangerous road” to the list of “life” accomplishments.

ASIRT (aka – Association for Safe International Road Travel) surveyed data on car crashes, local driving customs, government support for road maintenance and several other factors compiled by the U.S. Department of State, the United Nations, the World Health Organization and other organizations.  Because different organizations often collect different types of data related to safety, ASIRT used enough variables to allow for substitutions and slight modifications depending on the records available for specific locations.

Egypt
Between Egypt’s scuba diving resorts along the Red Sea and the ancient southern city of Luxor is a stretch of road called: the Luxor-Hurghada Road. This road is a death trap epically at night where idiot drivers speed across the dusty desert with their headlights off, setting the stage for head-on collisions.

Ironically, more dangerous than driving on the Luxor-Hurghada Road at night with your headlights off is to drive at night with them on because bandits, brigands and even terrorists patrol the road in the darkness in search of easy prey to loot.  Helpful hint: Don’t drive at night on THAT road!

Costa Rica
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the worlds longest “motorable road.” runs nearly 30,000 miles from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, in North America to the lower regions of South America.

Although only a small portion of the road runs through Costa Rica, that portion boasts many of the world’s most treacherous miles and it’s a killer! This road is one of a small number of routes that runs directly into the country’s spectacular rain forests. But keeping the rain forests pristine is a double edged sward: By avoiding badly needed construction projects, segments of the Pan-American wash away during the rainy seasons and remain unstable, at best, during other times of the year, when it receives the most traffic.

China
When driving in China, the danger is “other” people. In other words …. the residents! The number of deaths caused by car crashes in China nearly doubled in the past 20 years, climbing from 3.9 to 7.6 per 100,000 of the population between 1985 and 2005. During this time, the volume of cars on the road in China has increased ninefold! The number of “other” vehicles, mostly motorcycles, jumped by a factor of 54. Government statistics in 2006 show nearly 82,000 road deaths (5.1 for every 10,000 motor vehicles) according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Tibet Anyone?
Strange as this may sound, the least populated regions had the highest overall death rates per 100 000 motor vehicles. The Sichuan-Tibet Highway, which is a high-elevation road between Chengdu and Tibet where landslides and rock avalanches are common, is- without a doubt – part of the problem.

U.K’s A44
U.K.’s A44, which goes from Oxford to Aberystwyth, is a two-lane road which has tallied enough accident fatalities and serious injuries (in recent years) to earn the worst-of-the-worst roads to drive award. To deter bad driving behaviors, the  government installed surveillance cameras. On THIS road, more than 25% of crashes were head-on.

Mostly everyone makes “some mistakes” when driving, but these errors are deadly!

Ten Deadly Driver Mistakes

Texting/Distractions
Did you know that President Obama signed an executive order forbidding federal employees from texting while driving? It’s true! He signed it in October 2009.

So far, 18 states  – including DC -  banned on-the-road texting. Additionally, two states forbid specifically teens and other new drivers from the practice too! Coming from the rear is a similar ban aimed at bus drivers and truckers who travel between states.

Fact: Nearly 80% of all collisions involve some form of driver distraction, and the risk of a crash increases by 400% when using a cellphone, according to the AAA. Twenty percent of drivers in the U.S. admit to texting while driving at least once in the last month.

Bad Weather
Bad weather – epically snow storms -  is associated with 7,000 fatalities, 800,000 injuries and more than 1.5 million crashes annually nationwide. Putting an estimated economic toll of $42 billion passed onto Americans. The most deadly for drivers is “the first storm of the season” because – lets face it – people don’t like sitting home to wait it out or, employers put pressure on them to “drive” to the office. Additionally, most drivers need to adjust their driving to “safer procedures”.

Speeding
Speeding during rain, snow, wind or  fog or, during the winter on icy, snow or wet slick roads is especially dangerous too, due to the fact that it shortens our vehicles stopping distance. Throughout the year drivers should look at the condition of their tires. No tread on your tires equals no road traction/grip. Knowing your vehicle and acting accordingly is key.

Putting weather conditions aside, speeding is involved in about 13% of all crashes and 33% of fatal crashes nationwide, according to AAA. It’s also the most common traffic-law violation.

Alcohol
The worst mistake any driver could do is to get behind the wheel after drinking. Numbers don’t lie: Alcohol is a factor in 40% of crash-related deaths; it is present in 60% of the fatal crashes of people 16 to 24 years old. But it’s not just about hurting others or yourself, it’s also about avoiding hefty fines and jail time. Note: Approximately 1.5 million people are arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs every year.

When intoxicated you’re bound to make other driving mistakes like: not wearing a seat belt, over- or under-steering, lose judgment and road rage.

Emotional Driving
AAA reports at least 1,500 people are seriously injured or killed each year in the U.S. as a result of road rage. Road rage is contagious: 50% of drivers subject to aggressive driving on the road respond with aggression of their own, from cutting people off and tailgating to honking, yelling and gesturing obscenely.

Not Using a Car Seat
Car crashes are the leading cause of death for children 2 to 14 years old and the leading cause of injury-related death for children younger than 2, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. On average, four children die each day and more than 500 are injured.

Driving With Outdated Or Inaccurate Glasses or Contact Lenses
Poor eyesight significantly reduces the ability to drive safely.  Almost 90% of the information needed for safe driving is visual. Nighttime driving just amplifies the problem.  The NHTSA report that the driving fatality rate between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. is three times higher than the daytime rate.

No Seat Belt
Seat belts are the single most effective means of preventing death in a crash. They have saved more than 211,000 lives in the last 30 years nationwide. If everyone consistently wore one, more than 5,000 deaths could be prevented in the U.S. each year.

Oversteering/Understeering
Do you know what to do when your car is skidding? If not you need to learn “how”. When traveling in a straight line, stay calm, take your foot off the gas, and brake gently. If your car starts to “fish tail” steer into the direction of the skid and regain control. If your car uses rear-wheel drive, don’t over-accelerate, as the tires may over-spin.

Driving When You’re Drowsy
Failure to get adequate sleep before attempting a long trip greatly increases driving risks. Be realistic in driving estimates so that it’s not difficult to meet planned arrival times. If you start to feel tired, switch drivers or pull into a safe area for a nap.

Three teen drivers in fatal crashes violated driving restrictions
By Rachel Hatzipanagos, Sun Sentinel
November 24, 2009

Three South Florida teen drivers died this month after failing to follow laws designed to protect them and their two young passengers.

Each novice motorist was supposed to have had a licensed adult in the car with him. None did.

Parents and teens agree that many kids either don’t know or don’t follow the laws. For its part, law enforcement says mom and dad need to show more responsibility.

The relative of one recent victim agrees.

“Parents need to follow the laws,” said Margaret Detwiler, the aunt of Anthony Almonte, 16.

Her nephew was in a car, driven by another 16-year-old, that plunged into a Coral Springs canal, killing Almonte, the driver and another boy.

“Otherwise, this is what happens,” Detwiler said.

In Broward County, 46 teenage drivers died in accidents from 2004 to 2008. During the same period, 48 teens were killed in Palm Beach County crashes, authorities said.

In 1996, Florida adopted tougher restrictions limiting hours beginner motorists can drive and with whom. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the state eventually recorded a 9 percent reduction in crashes for drivers between 16 and 17 years old.

But some still die.

The driver in the Coral Springs crash was Sean Maxey, an avid basketball player. The other motorists who died in crashes were Marquis Lumsdon, 17, of Pompano Beach, who wanted to join the Navy; and Matthew Kornya, 15, of Wellington , an accomplished swimmer.

According to Florida driving rules, each boy should have had a licensed driver at least 21 years old in the passenger seat.

“There are laws on the books designed to make driving safer, and it doesn’t look like those laws are being followed,” said Jim Leljedal, a spokesman with the Broward Sheriff’s Office.

Teens at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, where the victims of the Coral Springs crash went to school, did some soul-searching, said student Evynn Stengel, 15.

“I think before the accident happened, I would’ve said these laws were stupid and pointless, but now they all make sense,” said Stengel, who obtained her learner’s permit in August.

Some teens at Wellington High School rethought whether they are ready to drive, said Bianca Vrionis, 15, who had a class with Kornya.

“I was supposed to be getting my learner’s permit…but after what happened, I don’t feel ready for it,” Vrionis said.

While much of the focus is on the teens, parents have a significant role to play, authorities say.

“The parents know what their child’s driver’s license status is, and usually, it’s the parent’s car,” said Sgt. John Churchill of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

Although officers ticket teens for violating permit restrictions, authorities said that typically happens while motorists are stopped for another infraction. The number of infractions given out were not readily available.

“Obviously, it’s difficult to tell someone’s age while they are driving because of tinted windows and things like that,” said Coral Springs police spokesman Joe McHugh.

Usually, when teen drivers get pulled over, they say they didn’t know the rules, said Paula Sylvester, an instructor with Avanti Auto Driving School in Palm Beach and Broward counties.

“We’ve heard it all,” Sylvester said. “I’ve had a parent call me and say that they let their kids drive alone to school with just a learner’s permit…It completely blows me away.”

Nicole Astaphan, of Parkland, whose 15-year-old daughter is a student at Stoneman Douglas, said she only knew of the restrictions after reading them on a magnet the girl brought home.

“Realistically, that’s the only way I know,” Astaphan said. “I guess they expect you as a parent to keep track of it.”

On Saturday about mid-morning, Lumsdon was driving alone when his car jumped a curb and collided with another car. He had a learner’s permit.

The week before, Maxey was out late with friends. He had just earned a driver’s license in October, but the law said he still needed to have an adult in the car at that hour. After a minor fender-bender, Maxey put the car in reverse and it plunged into a canal.

Kornya, who had a learner’s permit, was driving his father’s car with a 16-year-old passenger early on the morning of Nov. 7. He wasn’t wearing a seat belt, but the passenger was. The car rolled over. The passenger survived.

An attempt to reach the Lumsdon family on Tuesday were not successful. Maxey’s father declined to coment.

Reached at home, the mother of Matthew Kornya, Deborah Kornya said she did not want to comment on whether her son knew of learner’s permit restrictions before the accident.

“The only thing I want to say is to remind parents to teach their kids to make wise decisions,” Kornya said. “They need to always wear their seat belts.”

With a learner’s license, you may:

Only drive during daylight hours during the first three months and until 10 p.m. thereafter, always with a licensed driver who is at least 21 years old occupying the front passenger seat.

With a driver’s license you may:

16 years old: Only drive between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m., unless accompanied by a licensed driver who is at least 21 years old and occupies the front passenger seat, or you are traveling to or from work.

17 years old: Only drive between 5 a.m. and 1 a.m., unless accompanied by a licensed driver who is at least 21 years old and occupies the front passenger seat, or you are traveling to or from work.

Source: Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles

Staff writers Erika Pesantes and Juan Ortega and staff researchers Barbara Hijek, John Maines, and Dana Williams contributed to this report.

Rachel Hatzipanagos can be reached at rhatzipanagos@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4543.

To the seasoned driver, right hand turns, merging into traffic, pulling into a parking space, complete stops at stop signs are all driving maneuvers that comes natural. To many seasoned drivers they’re probably not even consciously aware they’re performing those driving tasks. But, to the 15-year-old who just got their Florida Learners permit, those maneuvers can be terrifying. Furthermore, hearing “I’ve got my permit. Now let me drive.” for the very first time will definitely put an icky feeling in any seasoned drivers stomach and here’s the reason why.

“Lets face some reality here, a lot of parents or husbands or well intentioned friends aren’t comfortable teaching people to drive. That’s not their career. In other words – they’re not trained nor certified – to instruct someone properly.,” said Paula Sylvester, Director of Instructor Training at Avanti Auto Driving School located in Boca Raton, Florida. “As a parent (or loved one) you need to keep in mind that you’re actually taking a life threatening risk. They [the parents or loved one] have practically zero control of the vehicle. All they can do if confronted with a life or death situation is one of two things: Grab the wheel – which is unlikely they will do such a thing – or – start talking in a louder than natural voice, which makes most new drivers even more nervous. Then, there’s option number three, which I jokingly share with those who call is: Tuck and roll. Most of the times they get it. And, to those who don’t I put it in simple lay terms” pausing for a moment as she sips her coffee, “Abandon ship! We know that having zero control of the vehicle in addition to not having the years of teaching experience like we have under our belt worries most parents and loved ones, and driver’s ed is a good solution and starting point for any driver at any age. Driver’s ed lets us teach all new drivers the skills needed to drive safely and defensively in addition to showing them how to react to certain situations,” Sylvester  said. “It’s a win-win situation for all parties involved including those we’re sharing the roads with.”

At Avanti Auto Driving School students learn how to make turns, drive on residential and city surface roads, merge into traffic, drive on the highways and, if the parents want – because the State of Florida does not require it – teach them how to parallel park. Which, as far as Avanti is concerned, learning how to parallel park is an excellent skill to have and know. They even boast about having the best road test review course in the state. But, she’s not hesitant to warn parents that even though their teen could demonstrate – to the state – the proper driving maneuvers that would qualify them to obtain a drivers license. What matters most is the new drivers experience behind the wheel – no matter what their age may be – is what matters most.  According to Sylvester “We could teach a chimp how to pass the road test exam and they’ll get a license. Does that make the chimp a good driver?”

Avanti Auto Driving School also wrote and developed their own 30 hour on line drivers ed course that emphasizes Florida DHSMV road rules. “Believe me this course took me years to develop and it’s been in place at our school for over 10 years. The course is  awesome, not because I wrote it but because it focuses in on everything a teen or new driver needs to know. Originally, we were thinking about conducting a live classroom course but, with the schedule that the teens have today it’s virtually impossible to get them all in one room for 10 weekends straight or for several hours after school.” said Sylvester.  “Another reason why I developed this course was, all too often when teaching the live 4, 8 or 12 hour driving improvement courses I would hear either stupid license suspension reasons or, traffic ticket excuses. These excuses and license suspensions reasons was a direct result of not knowing the simple DHSMV road rules that everyone in the state of Florida must know and pass in order to get their learners permit. So, if a parent utilizes our school for the new driver certificate program – as a bonus – we not only provide excellent behind the wheel instruction but, we give them access to our on line course where the kids are actually learning the rules of the road so to speak,” Sylvester said. “ In total, they have 30 hours on line classroom and six actual behind the wheel driving instruction, which they’re not sharing the vehicle with other students. It’s actually six full hours of on the road driving and it goes by really fast.”

“Don’t get me wrong, those six hours are not enough to make you an excellent driver,” Sylvester points out. “To obtain a Florida drivers license, teens must drive with a parent or legal guardian for at least 50 hours with 10 of those hours conducted at night. Our course is the best starting point that any parent could ask for and is a supplement to the rest of the driving time needed in order to satisify the necessary state of Florida requirements.” She said.

“My parents were a little iffy about driving with me,” said 15-year-old Daniel. “I definitely feel more secure behind the wheel because of Avanti’s driver’s ed.”

“Generally, all of our students want to do well behind the wheel or, they want some extra instruction for the driving test. Some of our students are a little overcautious and others just need a little more instruction or some fine tuning. For the most part, all of our students do very well.” Sylvester said. “And that’s why everyone chooses Avanti!”

Mark Sylvester, an in-car instructor, has taught many first time drivers how to drive. He said the most difficult driving task to learn is knowing where your wheels are. “Right- and left- hand turns are the hardest thing for the students to get down,” he said. “If you don’t know where your wheels are you’re going to have a very difficult time. But, it’s also combining how to make a complete stop, how to and when to slow down, when to actually turn. Based on years of experience we’ve learned you have to be very literal with all new drivers when you’re teaching them how to drive. In other words you need to say exactly what they should be doing and why.”

Mark and fellow instructors Janine and Stephanie all agree that driver’s education should be mandatory for all first time drivers of any age.

“Learning how to drive is a life skill that will be continuously used for the rest of their life,” Sylvester said. “If a person drives for 60 years, I’d say that alone should make it important enough that they learn how to drive correctly and safely.”

“My parents signed me up to take driver’s ed,” said 16-year-old Kyle. “At first, I wasn’t too excited about it because I’ve been driving since I got my permit. But it’s actually helped me. Especially with parallel parking, that’s been hard to do.”

Sylvester said “One of the biggest misconceptions about a driver’s ed course is that it’s only for teens which is far from the truth. A learners permit is exactly what it is: A learners permit. And, learning a new skill that puts other people’s life’s in jeopardy shouldn’t be taken lightly by anyone including the state of Florida. Personally, we think all first time drivers – no matter what their age – should not only include the mandatory drug and alcohol course but include a drivers ed course too! That way all new drivers of any age could be exposed to – in general – the seriousness of driving, the tasks that are involved when driving and most importantly the possible consequences of making a wrong driving decision”.

Avanti Auto Driving School offers driver education and behind the wheel instruction 7 day’s a week excluding national holidays. Avanti’s office is open Monday – Friday from 9 – 5 pm. For more information, call (561) 338- 6400 or, (954) 783-8074.