(949) 250-7001

Making Orange County and Los Angeles County a better place - one safe driver at a time!

Teaching Orange County Teens Safe Driving Skills

If you were driving on East Coast Highway near Promontory Point Drive on Wednesday morning, chances are you’re aware of the deadly car crash that took place. Police are still investigating the cause of the accident, but Costa Mesa resident Steve Needis, 58 years old, hit a pole in his Nissan Maxima and was pronounced dead later at the hospital.

In other news, a vehicle plunged off a cliff in Newport Beach, falling 200 feet and landing in a creek below East Coast Highway near Reef Point Drive in Newport Beach just before 5:00 a.m. last Saturday morning. Firefighters were able to rescue the driver, who called 911 from his car. The driver suffered from a broken arm, but no major injuries.

Finally, Daily Pilot writer Emily Foxhall writes:

The Newport Beach Police Department received a $282,910 grant to help prevent death and injury on local roadways from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, according to a news release.

The grant will be used to fund a year-long program that will include special traffic compliance measures and public awareness efforts in the city. Specific undertakings to be funded include motorcycle safety enforcement, distracted driving enforcement and speed enforcement.

Police will also conduct sting operations to catch any individuals who might drive away from court after their driver’s license is revoked or suspended. Repeat offenders of driving under the influence who are on probation may be observed too. 

The programs come as part of an ongoing aim to use both enforcement and education tactics to better ensure safety on the road, according to the release.

Take a few minutes to check your local news and you’ll see that driving safety, car accidents, and auto-related deaths are definitely not in short supply here in Orange County – or anywhere in America, for that matter. But we have a lot of drivers on the roads here in Southern California, so it is all the more important to ensure our drivers understand what it takes to follow traffic laws and use proper techniques and just plan good sense when they are behind the wheel.

Safety 1st Driving School is devoted to helping Orange County teenagers – our most dangerous demographic of drivers – learn the skills and techniques they need to safely navigate city roads and freeways, and to make responsible decisions before getting behind the wheel as well as while they are driving.

We are more than just driving instructors who want our students to pass the DMV exam and get their license. We try to mentor our students, treating them as we would our own children, so they will be SAFE. Isn’t that what we want?

We are doing everything we can to reverse the statistics against teenage and young adult drivers, and we need your help. Here are some things you can do to pitch in – after all, it takes a village.

Here are some tips on Teaching Orange County Teens Safe Driving Skills

1. Model it!

One of the most important things we can do is to model safe driving. That means:

  • obey the speed limit
  • always wear your seat belt
  • do NOT text or talk on your cell phone while driving – show them IT CAN WAIT!
  • obey traffic laws: use turn signals, stop at crosswalks, give pedestrians the right of way, come to a complete stop at stop signs, stop at yellow lights when possible, etc.
  • be patient with other drivers

2. Talk about it.

In addition to showing your teens what safe, responsible driving looks like, take advantage of opportunities to talk to them about driving and various situations that arise while you’re behind the wheel. With your teenager in the car next to you, point out things and ask what they think you should do, or if you see someone else making a poor choice or risky maneuver while driving, point it out and provide a better solution.

3. Be a part of your teen’s driver education.

We understand you’re busy, and you can’t always drive the 50 hours with your kid. But you can still be involved in their driver education – before they get their license AND after! Because as well all know, they will continue to be a “student driver” for quite a while even after they get their license!

  • Ask them what they believe are their strong and weak points while driving
  • Ask what makes them nervous behind the wheel
  • Talk to their driver’s ed instructor about things they need to work on and ways you can help them improve
  • Set boundaries for them after they get their license – no nighttime driving, no driving with friends, etc.
  • Continue to ride with your teenager and check in on their progress

We will do our part to ensure your student driver learns what they need to – help us solidify a good driver’s education experience for your child!

Related Post

Click to view procedure
View our packages

Copyright 2022 Safety 1st Driving School – All Rights Reserved – License #E4515 – Policies – Privacy Policy – G.B.

Powered by Website Muscle

Step 1. Complete our online driver’s education course

Register for our online driver education course. After you complete the required chapters and tests, we will then send you the DMV Certificate of Completion (DL387) that you can take to the DMV when you are ready to take the written test for your learner’s permit.

Our online driver ed course is available to all California residents. You can take our course at your own pace, in your own home in your own time.

Step 2. Study for the DMV written test

You will need to study for the DMV written permit test by reading through the DMV California Driver Handbook. It will benefit you if you take your time and study the handbook so you are comfortable with the information that will be on the test.

Take your time, you don’t want to have to go back to retake the test.

Step 3. Make an appointment at the DMV to take the written exam

It is important that you call ahead of time and schedule an appointment at the local DMV so you can go in and take the written test.

The lines at the DMV are usually very long so you don’t want to waste your time waiting in line. Make sure that you are well prepared for your appointment.

Most DMV’s are open Mondays through Fridays until 5 pm; Some are also open on Saturdays for a few hours so call ahead of time and see which date and times are best for you.

Step 4. Bring necessary documents to the DMV office

  • Complete the application form DL 44, remember the DMV always requires An original to be submitted. Copies will not be accepted in any form, so make sure you have exactly what you need. You can get this form from your local DMV.
  • Have your parents or guardians sign the application form DL 44.
  • Give your right thumbprint.
  • Have your picture taken.
  • Provide your social security #
  • Verify your birth date and legal residence
  • Submit the proper form(s) for Driver Education and/or Driver Training (see below for details)
  • Pay the $28.00 application fee (This fee entitles you to three exams of any type within the 12-month period and pays for both the instruction permit and the driver license. If all requirements are not met within the 12-month period, the application becomes void and all steps must be completed again.)
  • Pass a vision exam, if you need glasses, wear them.
  • Pass a written test, there are 46 questions on the test.
  • You need a passing score of at least 39 correct answers.
  • You have three chances to pass the test. If you fail, you must wait 7 days before taking it again.

 

Driver Education and Driver Training Form Requirements:

If you are 15  years of age, you will need to bring with you:

  • Form DL 356 or OL 237 (Completion of Driver Education) with form DL 391 (Driver Training Enrollment ) if your school has a contract with a driving school.

OR

  • Form DL 356 or forms OL 237 and OL 238 (Completion of both Driver Education and Driver Training)

OR

  • Submit form DL 391 or OL 239 (Simultaneous Enrollment in Driver Education and Driver Training)

 

If you are over 15 but under 18 years of age, you will need to submit:

  • Form DL 356 or OL 237 (Completion of Driver Education)

OR

  • Form DL 391 or OL 239 (Simultaneous Enrollment in Driver Education and Driver Training)

 

If you are over 17  but under 18 years of age, you may get your permit without the driver education and driver training certificates however, you will not be able to take the driving test until you turn 18.

Once you pass your written test, you will be issued a provisional permit. You can be issued a permit at age 15, but you cannot take the driving test or be issued a driver’s license until you are 16 years of age.

A parent, guardian, spouse, or adult 25 years of age or older, who has a valid California driver’s license, must be with you when you drive. They must sit in a position that allows them to take control of the vehicle, if necessary. It is illegal for you to drive alone at any time.

Before being eligible to take the driving test you must:

  • Be 16 years old
  • Have had your permit for a minimum of six months
  • Have completed driver education
  • Have completed 6 hours of professional driver training
  • Have completed 50 hours of practice with an adult 25 years or older. The adult must have a valid California driver’s license and certify to the 50 hours of practice. At least 10 of the 50 hours must have been done at night.

 

If driver education and driver training were taken in a state other than California, DMV will accept either a Secondary Schools Other Than California Schools form DL 33 completed by the out-of-state school or a letter on the out-of-state school’s stationery signed by a school official stating that the courses are equivalent to California’s requirements. Instructional permits issued by another state are not acceptable

Step 5. Complete behind the wheel training

When you pass the written exam:

  • You are required to take your first 2 hours of behind the wheel training with a professional driving instructor.
  •  You may start behind the wheel training with your parent/guardian or other licensed drivers who are 25 years of age or older.
  •  You must further complete four (4) more hours of driving school instruction.
  • Complete fifty (50) additional hours of behind the wheel training with a parent/guardian or any other adult who is 25 years old or older. The adult must have a valid California driver license and certify that you’ve had the 50 hours of practice. It is required that 10 of the 50 hours of training is done in the evening.

Step 6. Take the driving test at the DMV

To be eligible to take your driving test you must:

  • Be 16 years old
  • Have had your permit for a minimum of six months
  • Have completed a driver education course
  • Have completed 6 hours of professional driver training
  • Have completed 50 hours of practice with an adult who is 25 years or older. The adult must have a valid California driver license and certify to the 50 hours of practice. At least 10 of the 50 hours must have been done at night.
  • You will also need to show registration and proof of insurance for the vehicle you will be taking your drive test in.
  •  If you fail your drive test, you must wait two weeks before you can take the test again. You have three chances to pass.
    • Driving (behind-the-wheel) retest fee is $6.00.
    • Motorcycle driving (behind-the-wheel) retest fee $6.00.

 

After you pass your drive test you will be issued an interim license valid for 60 days until you receive your new photo license in the mail. Double-check your address before you leave DMV and tell the DMV representative if you have moved or if your address is incorrect.

If you have not received your license after 60 days, call (916) 657-7790 and they can check on the status for you. Have your interim license with you to provide information when requested.

Step 7. Receive provisional license upon passing the driving test

After you pass the Driving Test, you will be issued a provisional license. Your license will have the following restrictions for the next year: During the first 12 months, you are licensed to drive you must be accompanied by a driver 25 years of age or older if you drive between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. or if you have passengers under the age of 20 in the car at any time.

Persons under 18 may not be employed to drive a motor vehicle. When you become 18, the provisional part of your license ends. You may continue to drive as an adult using your photo license, which will expire on your 5th birthday after the date you applied.