Posts Tagged ‘education’

Drivers Education Should Include Parents As Well As Professionals

Sunday, July 11th, 2010

It is important that drivers education includes parents. Parents who rely solely on others to teach their child how to drive often end up with unprepared drivers on the road. No instructor, trainer, or book will ever give your child the driving education that one-on-one road sessions with mom and dad can equal.

For starters parents need to always be vigilant of the way they drive, especially in front of their children. Though it might not always show, parents are the biggest role model in their children’s lives. Children not only remember but mock the way their parents drive. Parents who often drive without a seat belt or practice unsafe driving habits will have children that do the same. Careless driving is dangerous, do not pass this trait on your young.

Another important factor in helping your children to learn to be good, safe drivers is to take them out for practice runs. The amount of time spent in a driver’s ed class on a daily basis is not nearly enough to log the right amount of hours necessary to become a safe driver. Do not let your child leave the house based on the small amount of time logged with a drivers education teacher. You need to see for yourself how safe your child drives and ensure that they get plenty of supervised hours in before hitting the road on their own.

Quiz your children regularly on safety rules. This will help you to make sure your youngster is learning what they need to. On top of that it will help them to get a good grade in driver’s education which can translate to cheaper insurance. In addition to all of this quizzing you child regularly shows that you are interested in what they are doing and will make them feel good. It also shows that you know what they are learning well enough to quiz them on it– which just goes to reinforce how important the information is.

Learning about car maintenance is an important factor in being a safe driver. It is often overlooked but important just the same. Learning how to do a tune up and change the oil is a good place to start. Young adults rarely have the money to get their car serviced regularly, yet a maintained car is a safe car. For this reason it is important to teach these techniques before letting your little roadster loose.

It is also important to show your teenager how to properly change a tire. This is often covered in Driver’s Education but just one quick run down might not be enough for everyone. Make sure your youngster knows how to change a tire. Also be sure that they know how to check the air in their tires and when to do it.

Make sure that the young driver knows when to pull over. The first blow out or flat tire often comes as a surprise to a new driver. The same goes for running out of gas and engine trouble. Teach the importance of pulling over when something just doesn’t feel right. Obviously when possible it’s best to wait for a well lit area before pulling over, but continuing to drive on a low tire or with a failing engine can be extremely dangerous.

Parental involvement is the only way to make sure that good driving is practiced. Making sure that your young roadster learns the basic steps of driving is your responsibility. Do not leave your child’s safety in the hands of another.

Get more details and information about the SWERVE Driving School programs waiting for you today! When you learn about SWERVE Driver’s Ed, and the multitude of advantages available after you complete the program, you will be ready to drive in any type of traffic easily!

Finding Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes: Top 5 Tips

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

We all need to save money however we can, especially with gas costs constantly on the rise. Car insurance is one area where many of us are paying over the odds simply because we don’t look for better deals. If you’re on the search for cheap auto insurance quotes, here are our top five tips.

1) Save Money Depending on What You Drive and How Often You Drive

Newer cars are typically more expensive to repair and replace, and as such insurers will charge more for them. Make use of anti-theft and safety technology to help make up for these higher costs in newer cars and keep your premium down.

On the other hand, no matter what kind of car you drive, insurers see you as a safer choice if you don’t drive it as often. Let them know if you drive infrequently and you’ll be much more likely to find a cheaper deal.

2) Get Only the Coverage You Need

It goes without saying that, in general, the more comprehensive your insurance, the more you’ll need to pay. Be sure to get the kind of insurance you need, but if you really want to save money and get cheap auto insurance quotes then avoiding add-ons can help. You could also opt to pay a higher deductible, but it’s important to find the balance between the savings and being able to actually afford the deductible when it comes down to it.

3) Choose Car Insurance for Women

Men can’t take advantage of this, but statistics say that women make fewer claims, meaning car insurance is often cheaper if you go for a female-only deal. More and more insurance companies are also now targeted exclusively at women.

4) Show That You’re A Good Driver

Cheap auto insurance quotes are a lot easier to find if you can prove that you’re an experienced driver, less likely to make a claim. If you’ve been driving for a few years without making a claim then insurance companies will generally reward you for this. If you’re a new driver then you’re at a disadvantage, but there are courses you can take after you’ve passed your tests to help reduce your premium.

5) Do Your Research and Compare

Every insurer is different, and one that offers the best deal for women, for example, might not be the same as one that offers the best deals for newer drivers. Find a comparison website that covers your state and you can make the task of researching and comparing far quicker than it would have been otherwise.

Getting cheap auto insurance quotes is never guaranteed – there are simply too many factors at play. But, if you do your research and compare as many policies as possible, you’re sure to make significant savings.

Are you finding it difficult to come across cheap auto insurance quotes? To make things easier, try using a site like Affordable Auto Insurance that can do some of the hard work for you.

How To Select The Best Driving School

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

Given the poor history of driver’s education in the United States, the emergence of professional driving schools that can “make a difference” is a much needed addition to local communities. Over 20,000 teens die every year in the U.S. and many times that many are involved in collisions that include injury, car repair cost, increased insurance cost, and a variety of other ancillary costs. In order to make the critical informed decision about what driving school to choose, the following criteria can help sort out the driver training program of preference:

Engaging Program: In order for teens to learn anything, they need to be engaged. And its no different for driving lessons. They should be continually challenged as part of the educational process. Does the driving school communicate with the parents using feedback forms and their web site?

Professional Instructors: It’s critically important that the driving instructors are well trained. Ask whether the training exceeded minimum requirements. Make sure the instructors are properly trained for driving instruction as some schools use untrained police officers, who are good at strict law enforcement and not driver training.

Convenience: The driving lessons should be held close to your teen’s school or home. You should be able to schedule behind the wheel drives online 7×24. There should be a dedicated customer center that can answer questions and provide help throughout the driver training process.

Proven Results: Very few driving schools can demonstrate how well they’ve trained their students. Are there reliable statistics available that show the results of their driving lessons? Do they have a money back guarantee? Are they committed to making their students excellent drivers or simply just trying to get them a license?

Most schools simply teach from old materials or have an outdated presentation. You should ask the driving school if they invest in the development of their program. A great driving school should have dedicated curriculum developers on staff – find out how much they’re investing in your teen’s training programs. A great driving school should be working with the research community leading to the building of driving lessons that are state of the art. Does the driving school invest in creating innovative systems for tracking student progress and scheduling drives?

Community Contribution: Top class driving schools will contribute to the community in a variety of ways. Ask what legislature, such as cell phone laws, the driving school directly sponsored for the betterment of teen driving. Ask what statewide programs, such as Washington’s Drive Nice Day program they have sponsored. Do they work with local public schools?

The first year of driving can be a matter of “life or death” for your teen and selecting a great driving school can positively impact that outcome. Driving school selection can be a tricky process and its important to look at all of the criteria mentioned in this article. The educating of a driver is finally taking front row center and selecting the best school is of prime importance. Make sure you spend the time to evaluate driving schools and use the criteria in this article as a starting point for the process.

On the Author: Joe Driverson is a member of SWERVE’s team whose mission is to “Change The Way People Drive”. Please visit SWERVE Driving School for more information on SWERVE’s driving course and its unique approach to driver’s education.