AAA Hoosier Motor Club Launches "Approved Driving School Network" Program

Following months of extensive research, AAA Hoosier Motor Club (H.M.C.) is very excited to announce the introduction of a new program that will allow the Club to affiliate and recommend approved driving schools for new Indiana drivers.

The Club's Approved Driving School Network (ADSN), which is already in operation, is geared toward changing the face of new driver training in the state by encouraging more teens to participate in pre-licensing education. Additionally, the Club hopes to improve the quality of existing driver education programs which will hopefully result in safer drivers and safer roadways.

The Indiana legislature stopped funding drivers' education in 1980. According to the Indiana Department of Education, since that time, there has been a noticeable decrease in the number of public schools that offer drivers' education. It's also believed that less than 45 percent of eligible new drivers take educational classes before applying for their operators' license each year, since the state does not require them to do so.

Consider these facts:

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, vehicle crashes are the leading cause of teen deaths. In fact, about 44 percent of all teen fatalities in 2003 were attributed to vehicle crashes. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, teen drivers are often at the wheel when these tragedies occur. In 2002, for example, 61 percent of teenage passenger deaths happened when another teen was driving. The Insurance Institute also says that one out of every five licensed 16-year-old drivers will be in a vehicle crash.

As part of AAA Hoosier Motor Club's ADSN program, Club representatives will seek out existing private and commercial driving schools to promote an affiliation. Those interested in being endorsed by AAA H.M.C. will undergo an extensive review process in which everything from facilities to curriculum to instructors will be analyzed. Only those businesses that meet the Club's strict standards for excellence will be approved.

AAA H.M.C. will actively promote these schools to its membership base as well as to the public at large however; AAA members will be entitled to enroll in these affiliated schools at a discounted rate.

"For many years, we've been widely recognized as a major safety advocate and guardian of the state's roadways," said Greg Seiter, public affairs manager for AAA Hoosier Motor Club. "Our teenagers are precious. They are our future and we believe that quality driver education will help train these young Hoosiers to drive defensively and responsibly."

Schools currently approved by AAA Hoosier Motor Club include: