Important Information for Parents and Teen Drivers

Over the past 20 years there have been many changes to the requirements for getting a leaner's permit. Schools cut funding to classroom Driver's Education programs and private business and colleges took over offering the classes. In the past few years on-line driver's education was approved because of lack of state funding for these programs. On-line driver’s education has become very popular for obvious reasons to parents and students. However, convenience is not always the best choice especially went it comes to your teen's safety. Please read the below accident statistics taken from the California Highway Patrol and California Driver Handbook.

08.A.01 (6) Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers.
08.A.01 (3) One person is killed every two and a half hours in California, and one person is injured every 2 minutes as a result of a traffic collision.
08.A.01 (2) There are between 450,000 and 500,000 traffic accidents reported annually in California alone. About 60% of these accidents involve property damage only, 39% involve injury to a passenger, driver, or pedestrian, and about 1% result in death.
08.A.01 (4) Although drivers under 30 years of age account for only about 23% of licensed drivers, they comprise about 35% of all drivers in fatal and injury collisions.
08.A.01 (5) Teenage drivers have total accident rates which are 4 times that of adults.
08.A. 01 (1) Traffic Accidents are consistently one of the top 5 causes of death in the US. Although some accidents are unavoidable, the sad truth is that thousands of lives would be saved each year if drivers were aware of the physical, psychological, road, and weather conditions which increase accident risk and took defensive steps to insure safe driving.

The follwing is taken from Allstate Foundation Report on Teen Driving 2005.

In 2005, speed-related crashes accounted for 44% of fatalities amoug 15-20 year olds.
In 2005, drunk driving caused one out of every four fatal teen crashes.
Talking on a cell phone while driving gives you the reaction time of a 70 year old.
Half of the teens that died in car crashes in 2005 were killed between the hours of 3:00p.m. and mid-night.
Using lap/shoulder belts can reduce the risk of dying in a car crash by 45%.

MiraCosta offers both classroom and on-line Driver Education, however, we strongly recommend our classroom driver education classes. There is no comparison to the level of interaction and instruction that is offered in our classroom setting. Students who take on-line programs can easily skim through material and finish the class within hours even though the DMV requires 25 hours of instruction. They statistically fail the permit test much more often than students who complete classroom driver education. Our classroom driver education strives to teach your teen the rules of the road and the seriousness of driving. It also includes:

25 hours of classroom instruction (includes breaks)
Brand new edition of License to Drive, the most comprehensive driver education and training handbook
2012 DMV Handbook
2012 DMV Handbook Master Test (270 questions to accompany the handbook)
Provisional Driver’s Examination for the California Vehicle Code and Safe Driving Practices (Mock permit tests)
Stimulating videos about safe driving practices, defensive driving, rules of the road, and driving under the influence.
Audio/visual aids, class discussions and occasional guest speakers
DMV certificate of completions and enrollment required by the DMV to issue provisional permits and driver licenses
In class behind-the-wheel information and sign up
Vision test required to issue student license
DMV driver license application

Please feel free to contact us with any questions regarding choosing the right program for your teen.