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Free program readies drivers for the road
NEW MADRID, Mo. —When 16-year-old Makenzie Muse sits behind the wheel of a car, it is with confidence.
Yes, Muse is aware of the statistics.
Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for teens ages 15-18 years old in the United States, according to the CDC.
Missouri teens are especially at risk compared to other states. The financial website WalletHub recently ranked the state as the second worst for teen drivers in 2023.
But after completing the free driver’s education program offered through the New Madrid County Resource Center, Muse is prepared for the hazards of the road ahead.
Now Muse is recommending the program to her friends.
“It was a very good class. I enjoyed it,” she said. “With the workbook it was really easy to remember the things we were being taught in the class. Then when we got to actually drive it was a lot easier to remember the things we should do.”
Since last November Casey Williams, Missouri Mentorship Partner coordinator, has served as the driver’s education instructor at the Resource Center. The class, open to anyone age 14 and up, is offered at 3:30 p.m. every Tuesday at the Center, 420 Virginia Ave.
There are a variety of reasons why students have signed up for the driver’s education classes. Typically parents sign up their child while other times a teenager inquires about the program. Williams has had students in their 60s take the class in order to acquire a license. Occasionally a person may be ordered by the court to take the driver’s education class while others sign up for the class because their insurance company offers a discount.
No pre-registration is required for the class, which is based on a curriculum from American Automobile Association. Using a workbook, Williams and the students review one to two chapters each week.
They cover a variety of topics. There are the rules of the road to learn, child safety regulations and bus laws.
Also Williams said students learn coping techniques for anxiety while driving. They discuss various scenarios for changes in weather and road conditions. There are chapters on distance and time management.
“The curriculum emphasizes that driving and the right to drive is all about weighing risks,” Williams said. “It really implements that by talking about if you have to take a risk in a situation, you always choose the lesser. That is really implied in almost every lesson.”
Typically it takes about five sessions to cover all the chapters in the books. Williams said some students come for five consecutive Tuesdays, while others may miss weeks in between. She said because of how the workbook is compiled it is easy to conduct class so everyone is covering new material during each session.
The class also introduces students to the ins and outs of the vehicle. They learn how everything operates from the radio to the parking brake.
According to Williams many students are at ease with driving but will take her class to be better prepared for the written portion of the exam. Others are more concerned with the driving and the Center has a car she uses to enable her students to log hours behind the wheel.
The observation driving hours are scheduled on days when she isn’t teaching the class in New Madrid or in Pemiscot County from 10-11:30 a.m. on the second and fourth Thursday of each month.
If new drivers are jittery, Williams said she makes conversation to make them feel more comfortable. Once they are comfortable behind the wheel they practice what they have covered in the book such as driving over train tracks, slowing in school zones and interstate driving.
“I will take notes when they are driving so the next time we drive I can implement something they need more practice on. I had one participant who had trouble remembering to use the blinker so one day during observation I kept asking her to turn right or turn left. Finally before you know it, she was naturally using the blinker.”
Rachel Roberts, a parent of one Williams’s students, described the class as a huge benefit for their family. She said her daughter was very nervous when driving with her parents.
“With this program she has gained more confidence being in a structured environment with someone that isn’t mom or dad. Sometimes kids learn better from someone else and this has been the case for our daughter,” Roberts said.
She also noted the additional assistance the Center provided. Explaining because both she and her husband work, they struggled to find time to take their daughter to get her permit. The Center took their daughter to the test for them.
“Overall the program has been a great benefit for our family and when our son is ready, if they are still offering it, we will be signing him up for sure,” Roberts said.
Many others of her students have also passed their Missouri driver’s test. Currently another 17 are at various stages in the go-at-your-own-pace course in New Madrid County. All students who successfully complete the class receive certification.
Williams emphasized everyone can benefit from the class.
“I haven’t had a participant yet that knew every single thing that we have taught – and I have all ages,” she said. “There is nothing wrong with going back to school as an adult, even if it is a driver’s education class.”