Parents need to wake the hell up!

I own a driving school, its a 2nd career after 40 plus years in radio. The reason I started the school is kids can't drive worth a shit!

Here are the facts:

1. 50% of teens get in an accident within 18 months of licensing.

2. In California (and most other states, too) teens make up 15% of the population and are involved in 45% of the car accidents.

3. If 100 teens die in a year in the US, 73% of them die because of an auto accident. The other 27% die from all other causes. (cancer, drug overdoses, guns, birth defects, etc)

In California, a kid can get licensed after taking driver's ed, passing a 34 question multiple choice test and taking 6 hours of "professional" behind the wheel training lessons. They are supposed to spend a minimum of 50 hours driving with their Mom and Dad, then take a test at the DMV that lasts maybe 10 minutes and they are good to go. Most of the "professionals" teach the 6 required hours in 3 two hour blocks with no requirement for Freeway driving (most charge additional $$$ for that essential skill) or learning how to parallel park! I had to parallel park in ND when I took my driver's test at 14.
Most of may kids spend maybe 30 hours driving with their parents.

Funny anecdote, when I was setting up the office, I hired a temp for a week, she was a home for the summer Jr at UC Santa Barbara. One morning she came in the office and said she had spent 45 minutes looking for a parking spot in Hollywood before she found one that she could park in. She had a California driver's license for 5 years! Could I teach her how to parallel park? I did, it took an hour.

Take a look at what we do at DRIVE! Here's the link...give me some feedback and tell me if I'm on the right track in my late in life crusade!

http://www.drive-driverstraining.com/

I'm damn serious about this and I love working with the kids and parents...its been great fun.

Oh, here's a fun fact. Do you know what family car sold today would blow the doors off any and all 60's muscle cars? A plain jane V6 Camrey. It will trounce a GTO, 'Cuda, Mustang, Z-28, all of them, zero to 6o, in the quarter mile and zero to 100. What parent in the 60's would have handed their 16 year old son the keys to an Impala Super Sport with a 409 and 4 on the floor? Not a one and today little Jimmy gets in his Mom's Toyota that will do zero to 60 in less than 6 seconds.