Driver Education

   

Course Outline and Frequently Asked Questions

 

   Driver Education consists of forty-four hours of instruction. There are thirty hours of classroom instruction.  The "in car" or driving phase of the course is broken down into seven hours of observation. 

   During the classroom phase students are taught the rules of the road, motor vehicle laws, licensing requirements, defensive driving, the dangers of drinking and driving, and responsible behavior while driving.

   During the "in car" phase, students learn basic driving skills such as; steering, turning, braking, accelerating, changing lanes, right and left turns on a red light and parallel parking. Students experience driving in residential areas, congested business districts, city driving, country roads, multi-lane roads including interstate routes and state highways.

CLASSROOM PHASE:

Unit I (two days of instruction)

    Introduction and applicable definitions

    A) Correlation between the "privilege" of driving and responsibility

    B) Definitions of terms found in the Delaware drivers' manual glossary

Unit II (nine days of instruction)

     Driver license information

     A) Driver license requirements

     B) Applying for a license

     C) Types of license available

     D) Restricted license/license endorsement

     E) License revocations and suspensions

     F) Delaware "point system"

Alcohol, Drugs, and Driving

     A) Statistics and rationale behind strict D.U.I. Laws

     B) Computation and significance of blood/alcohol concentration (BAC)

     C) Correlation among factores of drinking, driving, and the accident rate - scientific and Mathematical approach

     D) YOung drivers who drink and drive

     E) Effect of other drugs and driving

     F) D.U.I. and related Delaware laws including implied consent

    G) Criminal and administrative regulations regarding D.U.I arrests and convictions

**Special Projects:  Analysis of motor vehicle accidents taken from newpaper accounts are used to highlight the prevalence of young people in accidents in gerneral and in alcohol related accidents in particular.

Unit III (two days of instruction)

    Vehicle equipment, titles, registraiong and insurance

       A) Required, optional, and prohibited vehicle equipment

       B) How to register and title your vehicle

       C) Liability insurance

Unit IV (nine day of instruction)

        A) Signals and signs

        B) Special safety equipment (safety belts, air bags, child restraints)

        C) Traffic control laws

        D) Parking

        E) Speed restrictions

        F) Sharing the road with others

Unit V (six days of instruction)

     Driving skills and safety tips

        A) Routing driver vehicle inspection and maintenance

        B) Seeing others and making sure they see you

        C) Adjusting to road, weather, and traffic conditions

        D) Night driving

        E) Defensive driving

        F) Proper mental and emotional conditions for driving

       G) Handling vehicle emergencies

       H) Duties of those involved in accidents

 

DRIVING PHASES:

Unit I (each unit is one day)

       A) Familiarization and fundamentals

            Pre-ignition procedure

            Starting procedure

            Lights, gauges, and dash lights

        B) Starting, stopping, steering, and turning

             Perimeter turning

            Figure eight drill

Unit II

      Driving in suburban residential neighborhood with light traffic and backing a motor vehicle

Unit III

      Driving in an urban residential area with moderate traffic

      Introduction to changing lanes

Unit IV

      Driving on multi-lane roads at highway speeds with moderate traffic making right and left turns on red lights

Unit V

      Driving in a city business district

Unit VI

      Driving on country roads

Unit VII

      Driving on the interstate

Unit VIII

      Driving on mult-lane road in congested traffic

Unit IX

      Parallel Parking

Unit X

      Driving on roads in the student's neightborhood

Unit XI

      Urban driving

Unit XII

      Right and left turns on red lights

Unit XIII

      Individual driver improvement

Unit XIV

      Final individual driver improvement

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTONS:

1)May my child take Driver Education at a time other than during 10th grade?

-No. The only exceptions would be the following: The 10th grader does not turn 15 by December 31st of the year the child enters 10th grade. That individual would be eligible to take Driver Ed. as an 11th grader. Illness, injury, or other medical condition preclude a child from taking driver Ed. during 10th grade. Transfers from an out of state school who have not previously been offered Driver Ed. are eligible to take Driver Ed. if less than 18 yr. of age.

2) How and when are students selected to drive?

-Students who are currently taking the classroom phase of Driver Education are selected on the following criteria: 1) Has the student successfully completed, or is the student presently passing the classroom phase of Driver ed.? 2) Is the student eligible to take the driving phase of the course? A student may not have failed two or more courses on the report card quarter prior to the time when the student would be selected to drive. 3) Has the student submitted the signed parental permission form given to him/her by his/her Driver Ed. teacher? 4) Has the student passed the eye exam given by the school nurse? 5) When is the student's birthday? Students are selected on the basis of "date of birth" beginning with the oldest students first.