By By TRICIA PETERS / Niles Daily Star
NILES – June and July are the busiest months for driving schools, therefore, you are no doubt seeing those familiar triangle-shaped signs atop of cars everywhere.
Unfortunately often times experienced drivers have little patience for them.
Michigan now uses a Graduated Driver Licensing program, which is designed to teach teens to drive by gradually increasing their driving privileges as they advance through the program. Students you see in driver education cars are in segment one, which consists of 24 hours of classroom instruction and a minimum of six hours of behind-the-wheel training.
It is during this phase that students are allowed to get their pink slip, allowing them to drive with a parent-approved adult over 21. Prior to Michigan's GDL program, teens were not allowed to drive without an instructor until they completed both training segments one and two.
The result of the GDL program is that student drivers may be on the road in an "unmarked" car, but are still very new behind the wheel.
Kim Marazita, owner of Marazita Driving School, urges experienced drivers to remember that students are just beginning to build their confidence and skills behind the wheel.
"Tailgating or blowing your horn at them doesn't help this process," she said.
Driving schools are teaching teens techniques to master the driving process. For example, Marazita's instructors tell their students to slow down to 15 miles per hour when turning a corner. However, it still takes teens a while to make the appropriate adjustments to consistently, smoothly turn a corner. "No one was born with the ability to jump in a car and go," said Marazita.
Students are also taught to take an extra couple seconds after a light turns red before proceeding through the intersection. "These few seconds could save their life in the event of someone running a red light," commented Marazita. All too often though, drivers behind them get impatient and immediately blow their horn. This does little to help the teen driver stay calm and focused on the road.
Marazita recently ordered brightly-colored magnets that say "student driver" for teens to use when driving with an adult outside of the classroom situation. One of her students piloted the idea for her. According to Marazita, the student loved it and it made her much more comfortable behind the wheel.
The most common things Marazita observes when she is out on the road with a student is tailgating, passing in a no passing zone to avoid following a student driver, or intentionally veering at the instructor car.
"People don't understand that these drivers have anywhere between 20 minutes and six hours of driving experience," Marazita said. "They are just learning the basics right now, she added.
Be patient when driving near a student driver, give them a little space, and expect the unexpected, advises Marazita. It is quite possible for a student driver to be in the left turn lane and turn right instead.
"It is just as much a community effort to teach these kids to be good drivers," says Marazita. In other words, give student drivers a break.