Get someone else to teach your kids to drive
By Michael Binstock
Acorn Automotive Editor

GOOD TEACHER--Students learn the ins and outs of safe driving.

Television is full of reality shows, including a few that get both celebrities and the rest of us to face their greatest fears. The programs get actors to sit in a tank of worms or rock stars to climb the side of a building. But I’ve determined that there’s a fear much worse. It’s teaching your teenage daughter to drive.

I get on well with my daughter. Okay, we have the occasional tiff and her taste in clothing leaves me scratching my hair out, but sitting in the passenger seat while she drives is something else.

I found that just letting her drive ––anywhere––while I sit there is best for both of us. Teaching her is not a good idea.

So that’s where Valley Bob comes in. Valley Bob’s Driving School has been a Valley fixture for more than 20 years. They’re a family run business providing complete driver education and training services in the Los Angeles area since 1989. The driving instructors average five years of teaching experience and attend continuing education seminars to maintain their quality and reputation as driving educators. They’re also great in working with teenagers.

The school provides a number of specially designed driving educational packages, with emphasis on individual needs and safety issues. They even have a parent night to help educate parents about teen driving and specific training techniques with their teens.

As the state of California now requires classroom education before getting a license, Valley Bob’s courses consist primarily of lectures, films and reviews. They encourage student involvement and regularly form groups to create an open forum of discussion.

There also is a requirement for six hours of on the road instruction. Private driver training sessions are offered seven days a week and they will pick you up from home, work or school.

The basic package consists of three lessons, two hours each, as required by state law. However, additional packages including DMV drive tests are available. Valley Bob’s instructors drive newer model cars that are fully insured and dual controlled. The professional male and female driving instructors are experienced, friendly and give the student an evaluation after each driving lesson.

There must be something special about teaching kids to drive. It takes someone with special care and patience. I know that I can’t do it. With all the problems with teenage driving, a good base is essential.

Contact Valley Bobs Driving School at (818) 773-7483 or visit their Internet Website at www.valleybobs.com

New teen driving laws have gone into effect in the state of California, bringing us some of the strictest rules for young drivers.

The law now requires 50 hours of behind-the-wheel training with an adult, 25 or older, prior to obtaining a driver’s license. These hours are in addition to the six-hour minimum requirement with a driving school.

At least 10 of these practice hours must be at night!

During the first six months of having a driver’s license, no passengers under 20 years of age are permitted, unless accompanied by an adult 25 or older.

During the first year of having a driver’s license, teenagers are not permitted to drive between the hours of midnight and 5 a.m.

Last week as part of its continuing efforts to combat teenage drinking and driving, the California State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) announced a new partnership with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and the Ventura County Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs.

The immediate result? The distribution of 2,500 copies of an interactive CD-ROM called "The Key" which is designed to open a dialogue between parents and their children about the consequences of drinking and driving.

"Earlier this week, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse reported that underage drinking has reached ‘epidemic proportions’ and it called for a national mobilization to curb underage drinking," said Steven Gourley, DMV director. "Drunk drivers and teenage drunk drivers are a plague on California roads."

"The Key" will be distributed by DMV examiners to adults accompanying teens who are getting their provisional driver licenses. "The Key" is designed to help parents and teens open the lines of communication about alcohol and other illegal drug use and the responsibilities of becoming a young safe driver.

––Michael Binstock