Ep 149 | Driver's Ed: More than hands at ten & two

SPEAKER_00 0:00

You're right. They have the death grip. They have the white knuckles. And we'll tell them just to relax. I have a break on my side. There's nothing going to happen to you. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I'm not going to yell at you. I'm just going to talk to you if you do something wrong. And we just try to build their confidence because we know they're already dreading driving. So we try to build their confidence that way.

SPEAKER_02 0:40

You'll meet the real people behind the titles and learn about the amazing resources to support every student's success. One day, you're holding your phone up to capture a video of your little one's first steps. And the next day, you're clinging to the door handle for dear life as you try to calmly teach your now teenager how to drive. That is, if you have time for that. Since I've never met a parent for whom this day didn't sneak up on them, I think it benefits all of us on the road to have a conversation with my next guests. One oversees the driver's ed curriculum as the specialist for physical education, health, wellness, and driver's ed, while the other works hands-on with students as itinerant driver's ed instructor. Together, they're going to share the ins and outs of the winding road of shaping smart and safe future drivers, advocating for safety and getting teens road ready. Charmaine Sutherland and Mark Humphreys. Thanks for being here, guys.

SPEAKER_01 1:38

Our pleasure. Thanks for having us.

SPEAKER_02 1:40

So we all kind of joke about being stuck behind a car with a big student driver sticker. But I understand kind of the darker side of that is there's a pretty high mortality rate for teen drivers.

SPEAKER_01 1:54

Is that right? It is. It's actually for 15 to 19 year olds, it's the number one killer in the U.S.

SPEAKER_02 2:03

That makes driver Z pretty darn important.

SPEAKER_01 2:06

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 2:06

So, Mark, how do we know that something like driver Zed is actually going to turn that around as opposed to say something like a parent just delaying the age of their child driving?

SPEAKER_00 2:17

Well, hopefully for the driving that we give the students and the instruction with the teachers will build their confidence and they'll be comfortable behind the wheel and be a defensive driver instead of an offensive driver.

SPEAKER_02 2:32

So that that's in the details of the instruction itself.

SPEAKER_00 2:36

Yes, it is.

SPEAKER_02 2:37

You said in our pre-chat actually that the attention to the details really, really matters. What did you mean by that?

SPEAKER_00 2:43

Well, a lot of kids don't realize if they don't check their blind spot that they could actually cause a serious accident. And we tell them every day on the range to check your blind spots. There are no cars in your blind spots on the range, but once you get on the highway, there are cars always in your blind spot. And that one time you don't check your blind spot is when you're going to cause a serious accident.

SPEAKER_02 3:10

So that sounds like situational awareness.

SPEAKER_00 3:12

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 3:13

A little bit. Yeah. Has the curriculum, Charmaine, changed a lot? You've been doing this, I think you said five years.

SPEAKER_01 3:20

This is my third year. Third year.

SPEAKER_02 3:22

Has it changed in just the last three years? It has not.

SPEAKER_01 3:25

So there's a group called DLAP. And what DLAP does is they guide us, it's the driver education licensure assistantship program. And when we follow what Tallahassee is telling us, for the Department of Ed, we we follow their rule and it has stayed the same. There's two books we can choose, and there's terrific video. There's curriculum that has been tried and true, and our instructors follow it, and they're really, really good at it. And the only thing that they do over the years is upgrade the book. So the same book is chosen. Right now we're using the AAA book, How to Drive. But we also have from Tallahassee, the Department of Highway and Motor Vehicles, we have their book also as a guide that we use as supplemental material.

SPEAKER_02 4:21

Oh, so it's very detailed.

SPEAKER_01 4:23

Very detailed. And our instructors are so good and they stick to the role, which is a great to have them guiding the students, and they follow along. There's lots of quizzes, there's lots of practice, and there's things they can apply when they're driving.

SPEAKER_02 4:40

When a student is getting the their permit and getting their license, do you know, Mark, off the top of your head, how many hours are they required to actually be driving as opposed to classroom time?

SPEAKER_00 4:52

It's six hours driving time for us. Okay. But I think when they try to get added to their parents' insurance, I think they have a form that they have to get signed that says they have 60 hours. 60? 60.

SPEAKER_02 5:07

That sounds like a lot. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:08

It is. That's total with their parents and with us. So they're supposed to have I think it's 60 hours.

SPEAKER_02 5:16

So is it a misconception that a kid uh will be dropped off at this driver's head class and come out license in hand?

SPEAKER_00 5:25

Not all of them. We we had to set some parameters because we're not in the license testing business. We're in the driver's head business, try to teach the kids how to be defensive drivers. So we set some parameters that kids have to meet before they can be tested for their license. Not every student gets tested with us for their license.

SPEAKER_02 5:47

How is it determined who is and isn't?

SPEAKER_00 5:50

Well, first day of school, the first parameter or the hoop they have to jump through, they have to have had their permit six months, the first day of school of class. That way we figure they've had six months of driving already. So that's the first hoop. And then we ride with each student before we turn them loose on the range. We ride with every student. Some students we ride with the whole semester because they don't feel comfortable riding with another student. So the six months is the big, is the big hoop they have to jump through.

SPEAKER_02 6:20

So you may not have guessed this, but it's been a while since I've gotten my driver's license and permit. I would never have guessed. Thank you. That's the correct answer. And you know, just in case our listeners are kind of in the same boat. Well, I remember like just a few years after I got my license, the rules completely changed. Now this was a different state, and there were points, and it was it was really confusing. Can you kind of tell us, like, talk to me like I'm a you know, fifth grader? Like it what's the process now for permit versus license, even outside of driver's ed?

SPEAKER_00 6:54

Students have to be 15 years old to get their permit. And in order to get their driver's license, they have to maintain their permit for one year, calendar year. So if they're 15 when they turn 16, when that maturity date comes and they they can test for their license.

SPEAKER_02 7:16

They just have to be in possession of the permit. There's no like true driving hours required from 15 to 16?

SPEAKER_00 7:22

Not for the license itself. Because we've had students that were 18 that didn't never got a permit. We could test them for their license because they're 18, maybe like a senior, they're gonna graduate, but they have to pass the permit test first, then we could test them for their license.

SPEAKER_02 7:42

So if they're a good test taker, it they might not be a good driver.

SPEAKER_01 7:47

You nailed it right there. I was I was looking at your your expression. Yeah, so they can go take that test, right? And they could be a good test taker. But did they have that four months of knowledge and that practice and confidence? Right? Have have they had that? No, no, but they passed the test because they were a good test taker. Oh gosh.

SPEAKER_02 8:10

So okay, this is this really elevates the conversation here because I I'm so glad that you explained that to me because I I didn't know that. There was a few more hoops back, you know, last week when I was taking my test. So can we talk about mindset for a little bit? I know this is maybe it feels adjacent to a driver's ed, but we recently did an episode about teen anxiety or adolescent anxiety in general. And it's it's on the rise. And I can't imagine that wouldn't play a part in not just the permit process, but also driving itself. With you being with the kids, Mark, do you find that that's more of an obstacle than it was before?

SPEAKER_00 8:51

The anxiety.

SPEAKER_02 8:52

The anxiety.

SPEAKER_00 8:53

Absolutely. They're there, some of them are really a nervous wreck because they've never been behind the wheel. We get when we arrive with the students, we'll say, How long have you had your permit? And they say, I've had it six months. I said, Well, do you get to drive much? No. And the only driving they get will be at on the driver's ed range. They won't get driving at home, driving experience at home.

SPEAKER_02 9:16

So how do you handle that?

SPEAKER_00 9:18

Well, we try to tell them by the end of the semester we're gonna they're gonna be a driving machine, is what we tell them. So hopefully they'll be comfortable enough that eventually they can drive with another student. Or if we have to ride with them all nine weeks, then we do it. It's no problem.

SPEAKER_02 9:33

What kind of transformation before and after have you seen with students when it comes to that death grip on the wheel compared to at the finish line of those nine weeks?

SPEAKER_00 9:44

Well, I mean, I don't know how to say it. The kids, I mean, you're right. They have the death grip, they have the white knuckles, and we'll tell them just to relax. I have a break on my side. There's nothing gonna happen to you. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. I'm not gonna yell at you, I'm just gonna talk to you if you do something wrong. And we just try to build their confidence because we know they're already dreading driving. So we try to build their confidence that way.

SPEAKER_02 10:09

I didn't know you had a break on your side.

SPEAKER_00 10:12

Sometimes I wish I had a steering wheel.

SPEAKER_02 10:16

Okay, so walk us through the student experience in the classroom compared to the lab, which is the actual driving part. What is the student learning?

SPEAKER_00 10:24

Mainly we go over the road signs, road markings, how to navigate the intersection, how to navigate when traffic lights are out, you know, we teach them that's a four-way stop. Everybody has to stop. And if there's a police officer there, then you you do whatever the police officer tells you to do.

SPEAKER_02 10:43

Is there any like Florida specific parts of the curriculum? Because when I I moved here, something that was new to me was there were fewer road markings. There were the rain was really, I didn't know about how slick the roads get because I guess the asphalt or concrete is different here. So you treat it more like ice than you do just a wet situation, wind, and certainly more modern things like road rage and texting. Are any of those elements?

SPEAKER_01 11:13

Well, we know we do have the we we have the move over law, right? That's it it's Florida that I don't think I had in my previous state. I was like, what's that? But we are unique in Florida. We also have snow.

SPEAKER_02 11:29

So that's just in. Yeah. Right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:32

Right. So we do have to be prepared for everything. We have all types of emergencies. But having a driver ed program, you can practice. And without having that, you just, oh, I I've stumbled upon this. Now what do I do? Right. So those hours behind the wheel to practice what's in the books, what's in the videos, and what the teachers told them is really gonna help not just those students, but all of us who share the road.

SPEAKER_02 12:07

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 12:08

And that's our mission, right? How can we make our roads safer for everyone? We're all in for it.

SPEAKER_02 12:14

Yeah, because not only is there a risk of mortality with driving, but I think we're a little higher than we should be in pedestrian deaths, also. So just that situational awareness and not being distracted, which is why I wanted to know specifically about the texting. What are we uh teaching the kids about being distracted while driving from their cell phones?

SPEAKER_01 12:37

Well, we can get into that also, but we have the Dory Slosberg Foundation. She lost her life in an accident, and her father was Representative Irv Slosberg, and he made it his mission to help teen drivers with this foundation. And one of the things that they focus on is distracted driving. So there's laws created to find people that are distracted drivers on the road. And Mark can tell you what they make the students do with their phones and our driving ranges.

SPEAKER_00 13:12

Well, supposedly they're not supposed to have them with them, but if they have their phones, we make them put them in the trunk.

SPEAKER_02 13:18

In the try in the trunk. All the way.

SPEAKER_00 13:20

In the trunk.

SPEAKER_02 13:21

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 13:22

When they're driving.

SPEAKER_02 13:23

Well, it's kind of a tricky thing, right? Because in order to get to a place on time, especially Pentacles becoming more popular. We've got more people on the road, right? I use my my GPS, Google Maps, to just as a time management tool to see, you know, especially where I live. It I live over a bridge. Well, that could be a real problem. So, you know, 30 minutes before I leave, I pull it up and just look at it. But then it's up when I'm driving also. And then, you know, kids would be using that to find their way around because I doubt that they know where they're going all the time, if if I don't. And so, yeah, how do you navigate that sort of practical conversation? Yes, use your phone for for navigation, but hey, let's not text your friend or read the text. That's tricky.

SPEAKER_00 14:10

We tell them that if they're going to use their GPS to make sure it's set before they get on the road. Oh, I love that. And yeah, texting, we and distracted driving is probably one of the main causes for teen deaths. And we stress it, distracted driving, you know, the text can wait. Nobody wants no parent wants to get a phone call or a knock on the door from the state trooper saying, sorry, your son or daughter's just been in an accident and didn't make it.

SPEAKER_02 14:40

Because they had to send a smiley face emoji. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:42

Right. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 14:43

Yeah. That that would not be a good thing. So, Charmaine, when and where are these classes happening?

SPEAKER_01 14:50

So we have driver education in six of our seven high schools, and they happen every single semester. And all a student needs to do is sign up as an elective class with their counselor, and they're all welcome to take it.

SPEAKER_02 15:06

When they're already at school?

SPEAKER_01 15:08

It is during the school day.

SPEAKER_02 15:10

That's awesome. Then the parents don't even have to get their kid to an extra thing. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 15:15

We're all there for to be united for student success because it helps all of us on the road. So yes, every semester, all they have to do is sign up, we offer it, right? And it's 0.5 credits. And why not why not get an A in it, right? You're gonna do it for the rest of your life. So do well and enjoy it. So yeah, everyone is welcome to do it.

SPEAKER_02 15:40

Even the driving part is at the the schools.

SPEAKER_00 15:43

On the range. Every every every school has a driver's ed range.

SPEAKER_01 15:48

Yeah. We we don't have one at Northview, but we are still thinking about ways that we could help Northview have a program. But yeah, we have driver ed ranges at every school. That's amazing. I know. And our own cars.

SPEAKER_02 16:03

That is okay, so tell me about enrollment. Are is there would is there room to have more kids enroll? Is there a limit? Because I'm wondering, based on kind of how we got here today, which was a conversation with the women at my gym, going, does anybody know who can help my kid learn how to drive? I'm wondering if people don't know about this.

SPEAKER_01 16:23

You know, at schools, their counselors give them options and they check which options that they want for their next semester. So they should all know. We do a campaign also for summer driver education. So if they couldn't fit it in their schedule for the fall or the spring, they can do a really concentrated summer school program. So they should all know. But if anyone out there is listening that doesn't know, they can contact my office, they can go to our website and their school counselor and they can find out information.

SPEAKER_02 17:00

Yeah, that's that's incredible. I would hope that every student would do this. I'm trying to think, if I were a parent and we were, you know, sitting here today, what would I ask you? And the question that's coming to my mind is you know, I'm picturing the parent being very excited to teach their kid to drive, which I don't know how my dad was fairly excited to teach me to drive, which that's another story for another day. If a parent says, I will teach my kid, it's my kid, I will teach my kid to drive. I have time, I am a good teacher, supposedly. Why should I also have my kid go to driver's ed? What would you say to that?

SPEAKER_00 17:35

Well, we're professionals at it, so to speak. We've been trained, we know what to tell them to do and not to do. Like, we'll teach them a particular maneuver and say, Well, my dad or my mom told me to do this. I said, Okay. We're the teachers, so listen to us, do what we tell you, and then if your parents want to teach you another way, that's fine. But you're gonna have to do it our way in order to pass the skills test. So if you do it your dad's way or your mom's way, you may not pass the skills test.

SPEAKER_01 18:06

All of our instructors are certified, you know, at the state level and lap certified. So they've had someone come out and drive with them for eight hours and then they've passed the test.

SPEAKER_02 18:19

So that's really uh an important supplement to a parent who is ready and willing to teach their kid to drive, regardless of what they may already feel like they can pass on.

SPEAKER_01 18:30

Yeah. And uh, you know, the calls that I get at my office are I cannot teach my own child how.

SPEAKER_02 18:36

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:37

Please help me.

SPEAKER_02 18:38

Yeah, exactly. I think that's probably more the case. But it's so great to know that there is such a readily available and free, right? This doesn't cost it's free. That's amazing. So you might as well take advantage of what were we gonna say, Mark?

SPEAKER_00 18:50

Our summer school, we have two sessions. We have a morning session from 7:30 to 12, and then an afternoon session from 12:30 to 5. The afternoon session is at Tate, and then the morning session this year is gonna be at Escambia High School.

SPEAKER_02 19:05

Okay. Are there particular sign up windows for each semester and for the summertime that parents should be aware of?

SPEAKER_00 19:12

Summer semester sign-up time in expired. April 14th.

SPEAKER_02 19:17

April 14th. Every year it's April 14th. Pretty much around tax time.

SPEAKER_00 19:21

Around yeah sometime in April.

SPEAKER_02 19:23

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_00 19:24

Could be earlier, could be later.

SPEAKER_02 19:26

Okay. So parents listening to this would want to think about this for the first semester coming for the coming year of school for of school. Okay. So one final question I want to ask you, but just before we direct parents on the the website where to go to to sign up is Mark, you have lots of you know, experience in various areas of of education. Why driver Zed for you? Why, why this?

SPEAKER_00 19:51

I don't know. It's just kind of neat. You see, you teach them and you see them improve and you see it like the light bubble come on in their head that, oh, that's what I'm supposed to be doing. Yeah, that's what you're supposed to be doing. It's just kind of instant results. I like that.

SPEAKER_02 20:07

Yeah, that's it. Sounds like it would be very satisfying. And where should parents go if they are wanting to bookmark maybe the website for the next signup window?

SPEAKER_01 20:17

So if you go to the Escamie County Public Schools website, click Departments Driver Education.

SPEAKER_02 20:24

Perfect. That's easy. I will link that in the show notes. Thank you so much, both of you, for coming on and sharing about this. Our pleasure. Thank you. Enjoyed it. Thanks for listening. Be sure to subscribe and share. Voices United in Education is a production of the Gamby County Public Schools.