Pros and cons of an advanced driving program

Teen driving expert Timothy Smith explains the pros and cons of an advanced driving program and what parents can do to ensure that their teen is getting the best driving education possible.
Pros and cons of an advanced driving program | Kids in the House
KidsInTheHouse the Ultimate Parenting Resource
Kids in the House Tour

Pros and cons of an advanced driving program

Comment
41
Unlike
41
Transcription: 
Should you consider an advanced driving program for your teen? Proponents argue that it's a great opportunity for teens to experience the limits of performance and handling in a car, in a safe, controlled environment. Many catastrophic crashes begin with a loss of control. And then inexperienced drivers compound it with inappropriate steering inputs. So, the supporters argue that you can't know how different reactions into a car can help you regain or lose control unless you've actually done it. Detractors point out that these results are often only short lived and that if you are a safe and alert and sober driver, you're seldom going to need to know how to recover from a spin. Now there's only been a few studies done on whether the graduates of these advanced training schools have fewer or more crashes, and the results are contradictory. So, my opinion is, for many teens it's worth the money just to have another set of skills and exercises, another set of eyes on your teen's driving. And i think they're going to pick up some kind of useful tips and oftentimes some confidence. The one question I would tell you is that if you got an aggressive driver, sometimes these programs can be seen as an approved way to sort of push the envelope with their handling skills. So actually for teens who are timid and need more confidence, that's the kind of person who these advanced driving programs can often be the best for.
TEEN, Responsibilities, Driving

Teen driving expert Timothy Smith explains the pros and cons of an advanced driving program and what parents can do to ensure that their teen is getting the best driving education possible.

Transcript

Expert Bio

More from Expert

Timothy Smith

Author & Teen Driving Expert

Timothy Smith is a healthcare executive living in the Chicago area with his wife and three children.   He got involved with teen driving several years ago when a number of teenagers were killed in multiple crashes near his home, virtually all due to driver error.   His search for information to help his teens avoid car crashes yielded little of value, so he became a certified driving instructor, got trained and licensed to race cars, took defensive driving courses and ended up writing Crashproof Your Kids: Make Your Teen A Safer, Smarter Driver.  He is also Chairman of Aegis Mobility, a software company which has developed technology to manage and reduce cell phone use while driving. 

Driving, Bonding with Teens
More Parenting Videos from Timothy Smith >
Enter your email to
download & subscribe
to our newsletter