Gentle 4-wheel cruising and teenagers – a rare combo

Ever notice that life really is like a highway? Especially when you have teenagers and they want to learn how to drive? It’s all about the speed, there’s very little time to react and your nerves are shot before you get out of the driveway…

Last year at BlissdomCanada, I met Suzanne from Young Drivers of Canada. She acknowledged my suffering and gave me hope. I don’t normally write about brands on SocialNorth from a parental perspective but YD isn’t your average brand on social media. And my experience with YD is both parental and social media – the two go hand in hand for me.

This is not a drive by

I’m not a nervous person by nature. I’ve zip-lined in the Caribbean, flown in helicopters and hot air balloons and even worked in a prison. But putting a teenager behind the wheel changes the picture. I white-knuckle the door handle, have almost put a hole through the floor and always need an adult beverage to steady my nerves when we return home from a training session. The fact that I have teenage boys (who are ruled more by testosterone than brain cells) doesn’t help.

Suzanne listened to my concerns and then started showing me how Young Drivers could help both of us (and my car) survive this transition. Suzanne challenged me to give them a try, to prove that their driving instruction was different than the rest. I was skeptical but willing to give it a shot. After all, they were willing to get in the car with my son behind the wheel…

Get outta my dreams, get into my car

Simon, my audacious 17 year old was told he had to attend the in-class sessions first. Next, he’d enjoy some in-car driving lessons and then he’d be allowed to drive in my car. With me. Beside him. The stress levels in our house reached an all-time high as he studied and waited and began to correct my driving habits.

What impressed me most about Simon’s back-seat driving was not the fact that he was suddenly an expert – but at the logic behind his corrections. Young Drivers teaches habits and sub-habits and links them together with solid reasoning and consequences. He took those lessons to heart and could explain precisely why I was such a bad driver suddenly.

And then a funny thing happened. I began to change my habits based on his criticism. I became a better driver…an unexpected bonus.

In exchange for Simon’s driving lessons with Young Drivers, he was asked to create content to help his friends understand what he’d learned.

Simon began with a video with his older brother on the dangers of texting and driving. He wanted to do another video. My grandmother was killed by a drunk driver (before Simon was born) – drinking and driving was a natural choice. In the end, he chose something a little different, something he thought his friends would watch and listen to – drinking and camping.

Simon followed up with his videos by writing a blog post for Young Drivers of Canada – Why Driver Training Matters.

I’m very grateful for the lessons YD has taught Simon and am much more relaxed getting in the car with him. I’m not sure I’d feel the same way if Simon hadn’t taken his training to heart and took time to really understand the how’s and why’s of the lessons he was taught.

I asked a few of my friends (who I knew were also using YD) what they thought of the program. Here’s what they had to say.

Trina Stewart  ~ Young Drivers of Canada has a phenomenal driver’s training program for teens and adults. They also offer a wide array of other programs to keep us driving safely as the years go by. The relationship that my daughter and I have created with Young Drivers has given me first-hand insight that not all driver training schools are alike. The attention to detail with both the in-class and in-car training is second to none. I highly recommend Young Drivers of Canada to all parents and teens.

Nolie Smith ~ I love the patience, encouragement and confidence that I receive from Young Drivers. My instructor understands the life of a busy mom and does his best to work with me and my family schedule to get in my lessons.

Penny Muir ~ I became a student in my 30’s. I thought the course taught me how to drive safely. What they teach just becomes habit – a part of driving. Last week I was driving on the highway, after dark. I needed to change lanes to the left. As taught, I check my rear view, side view and my blind spot, put my indicator on and check AGAIN before moving. It’s all automatic, but by the time I check my side mirror the second time, there was a single headlight just approaching my blind spot. It was a motorcycle, traveling very fast. I don’t know where he came from. He must have come out from several cars behind me. But I had not begun the lane change yet so I didn’t have to react. I don’t think about the steps, I just do it, and it works. Young Drivers teaches more than how to pass a driver’s test. They teach how to drive to stay incident free. There was no question who was going to teach my daughter to drive. Young Drivers teaches SO much more than just passing the test. It teaches, respect for the road and the responsibility of driving, good driving habits and how to avoid a collision. The training has paid for itself many times!!

So what do you think? How important is driver training to you and your family? Have you ever considered Young Drivers of Canada?

To comply with the long list of regulating bodies including the FTC and possibly even the Geneva Conventions and in the interest of transparency, compensation for this is sponsored post was provided by Young Drivers of Canada. Commentary and perspectives are those of Julia Rosien, Chief Idea Officer for SocialNorth.

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