Understanding vehicle control, traffic controls, space management, risk reducing strategies, sharing the road with others, adverse driving conditions, impaired driving, fatigue and emotions on driving...... Prepared, they will be! Practice and maturity will help your teen become a great driver, and it will take time. You can help by giving them time behind the wheel with you. Take your time, stay calm, be clear with instruction and be encouraging.

One class at a time, one student at a time, Maui is gaining teens that are fully equipped to be great drivers. Whether it is from a story shared or a video watched, I hope every student recognizes the privilege that it is to drive and pledge to themselves and others that they will take control behind the wheel and commit to Safety First.

In class, a big emphasis goes into telling students that their life is more important than their friends pressuring them to drive faster, than the text message that just came in through their phone, than speeding past a red light because they're late, or catching up to the jerk that just cut them off. Their life is more important than the pressure, the phone, the stress, and the jerk. When they find themselves in these exact situations, I hope they think back and remember that their life and the lives of others around them is the most important thing to keep safe and to choose safety first.