Parents, What Are You Aiming To Get Out Of Driver's Ed?

So recent events have compelled us to "get on our soapbox".  We have recently started lessons with two teens who have both gone through another local driving school who they were able to also have administer their road test and issue these kids a PA Junior Driver's License.  Why you ask then have their parents reached out to us and engaged us to do further behind-the-wheel driving lessons with their teens?  In both cases, the parents realized that their "newly minted" licensed drivers were missing some key skills that concerned them as parents about their teens being successful everyday drivers!  We have heard this general call a fair amount from some parents in the last year or so.  Unfortunately we feel some parents are being misguided often by their own teenagers in attacking Behind-The-Wheel education.  We have had an ongoing problem here in Southeastern PA regarding how long it seems to get an appointment to take a road test through the local DMV facilities.  A couple years back, the state solicited many of the driving schools throughout the state with the idea of having one such school in each county in the state act as a third-party testing center.  The idea was to create more avenues for prospective drivers in the state to have the opportunity to get a road test scheduled in less than the typical 5-6 weeks or sometimes more that it seems to always take to get a date set to take a road test at the state facilities.  In some manner, the intended point of this is good.  But we as an organization never even entertained the idea for a number of reasons, a couple of which we'll note!  #1, we don't want to ever be the people who teach your son or daughter to drive, and then be the same people who make the determination as to whether they have the proper skill set to become a properly licensed driver.  We think that has the potential to reek of impropriety!  #2, this service, unlike when you take a test at the state facility isn't free!  The competitor in our county who administers these road test charges anywhere from $110-$130 for the "privilege!  So what happens if they fail you?  Then you sign up to do another test run with them for another $100+!  That can certainly appear to be a bit "fixed".  Now mind you, we're not accusing anyone of any wrong doing from our knowledge, but we have had a number of frustrated parents reach out to us after going through this program and speaking about what appeared to them to be unreal reasons that their teen failed a road test at this private facility, and more recently parents who have as we earlier mentioned engage us to do further lessons with their children because they didn't get the proper real-life, situational experience that allows the parents to feel confident about their kids driving in some real-life situations!  Let us share something with all of you parents.  Most of your teens are going to want to go take a road test where they perceive that #1, they can easily pass and #2 that they can get it set-up as quickly as possible.  So we ask all the families we speak with, "what are you aiming to get out of driver's education for your child"?  If you're only concern is just getting your kid through their road test as quickly and simply as possible without really concentrating on real-life skills, then we aren't the driving school for you!  If you're looking for a partner in the idea of developing sound physical and mental skills as a driver while properly preparing them for their road test at the DMV, then we're simply the best driver's ed program in Bucks County!  Let us share what makes us a bit different.