Customer Reviews
Excellent resource for concerned parents 
2005-10-10
Our oldest child has his learner's permit, so this is a first for us. We required him to read Mr. Berardelli's book before we took him to test for the learner's permit and we are using it as a blueprint in teaching him to drive. It is very well organized and reminds us to cover small details we might otherwise overlook. We especially like the 100-hour log. Our state only requires 40 hours with a parent while behind the wheel, but we've made it clear we'll be requiring Mr. Berardelli's 100 hours before a license can be obtained. Our metropolitan area lost more than 20 teens last year in traffic accidents, including one from our son's school and the wreck happened right down the street from us at 5:30pm, with no drugs or alcohol involved. Last year's teen record in our area was frightening. This book just gives good, sound advice about preparing a teen to drive.
A few pointers in a haystack of filler 
2005-07-12
I like the attractive cover and spiral binding, but the content of the book, like cotton candy, melts down to little substance. To pick an example: there are three (3) vacuous paragraphs just on cleaning the windshield, with a canonical list of substances that can dirty the windshield and platitudes like "It doesn't take long before the glass becomes dirty. So it is a good idea, *every* time you start out..." --It's just filler and it's tiresome to read. The book is also poorly written in other ways and needs a good basic editing, the type a grade school English teacher could do.
Give another driver's education book a chance; they're all basically written for teens anyway. My teen and I quickly abandoned this book and practice the Smith System instead. If I were to buy another book I'd try one the time-tested offerings from the well-respected AAA, such as their paperback "Teaching Your Teens to Drive."
Excellent resource 2005-02-14
This book is an excellent resource for anyone teaching a teen to drive. It gives specific suggestions and tasks that go beyond the typical training, so that the new driver experiences potential dangers in a controlled environment and practices needed skills. It does take an investment of time on the part of the parent (as well as the teen), but I can think of no better investment you can make than the safety of your teen driver. If you are looking for something to help you structure driving lessons, to make sure you don't overlook something your teen will need to know someday, this is the book you want. I recommend it for anyone teaching someone to drive.
Great dialog tool for you with your teen 2002-01-17
Berardelli does a great job of coaching parents on 1) how to cope with teaching your teen to drive, and 2) how to engage your teen to see the responsibility and honor having a drivers license really is. My book is a bit tattered. I have 3 teen boys, 2 with licenses. I used his suggestions, particularly the 100-hour lesson log, to negotiate expectations for driving in our family. My husband and I take teaching our kids to drive very seriously. We have not delegated it to the school or a driving instructor. Cars are just too fast, too many drivers are either ignorant of the laws of physics or don't think they apply to them in their cars, and we all just make mistakes on the road. My sons attend a rural, private high school with @160 students. In the past 4 years, 2 teens have died in car crashes. It's the greatest fear I have, not random terrorism.
I highly recommend this book as a dialog tool with your teen. I have used it as a "mediator" of sorts, turning to it to stop arguements about driving techniques with my sons. Every high school driving instructor should distribute this book to all their parents!
Never too much 2001-11-15
Anyone who thinks a few hours of commercial or parental driving instuction is sufficient either does not have kids or lives on another planet. Mr. Berardelli is right on target with this book. I would highly recommend it to parents and commercial driving instructors to pass on to parents. (...) Every teen (and older driver too) could use support and guidance this book gives.
This is a helpful little book 
2001-11-15
Sixteen is by far the most dangerous age on the road. A 16-year-old is twelve times as likely as older drivers to die in a crash as a single occupant. Put two young teens in a vehicle, and the odds of death and injury nearly double. Three or four unsupervised teens riding together constitute a recipe for disaster. Despite these sobering facts, the procedure for obtaining a drivers license in most states remains minimal. Some don't even require a learner's permit. Some allow the permit to be obtained before age 16. Although some states have installed graduated licensing, with sensible restrictions for the youngest drivers, many still impose only the most minimal requirements. The condition of formal driver education in America is no better. A small number of high schools operate relatively comprehensive programs that require parental involvement. But most have cut back driver ed. classes to the point where they can accommodate only a small portion of students. Even the lucky ones receive only a few hours of behind-the-wheel instruction. Commercial driving schools, even the most competent and conscientious among them, cannot possibly provide complete instruction. Safe Young Drivers helps to address this enormous problem. It is an indispensable guide for teaching teens to drive. Written by Phil Berardelli, a father and former teacher who understands this often frustrating - and potentially dangerous - passage into adulthood, Safe Young Drivers is intended for parents and teens to use together. Each new lesson addresses parental issues, such as how to choose a car for your teen, and provides teens with simple instruction and important tips to remember. With simple graphics, a complete index, and a section called Some ABC's for the Road - a mini-encyclopedia for teens - Safe Young Drivers offers a valuable tool for all new drivers and their teachers.
EXCELENT AID to TEACHING YOUR KID to DRIVE 1999-11-30
This is an excelent guide to teacing your new driver how to drive. I covers all the facets of driving. I, as a Ca. DMV Licsened Driving Instructor, recomend this book to anybody who is going to take on the challenge of teaching their "NEW DRIVER," wheather young or old, to buy and read this book. The format is great. Phil (the author) does a great job of teaching the Licensed Driver to teach the person w/a Learner's Permit to drive. It is written in a format where one section is to the instructor, (parent,) and another is to the 'Teen,' (student) in language that is easy to understand. Get one, and you will love it. Carol,
Should be required reading for EVERYONE applying for a DL 1999-11-18
This is an easy read packed with an abundance of reason, logic and common sense presented in an orderly, methodical manner. It takes the learning driver (and parents) through a step by step progression whereby basics are practiced first and more complex and intricate steps follow, rather than addressing required skills in the haphazard manner I (age 51) learned by - in the "take things as they come" approach when I learned to drive. It should be required reading for EVERYONE applying for a drivers license. As an insurance agent I've had to deal with many people who were involved in accidents that could have been prevented if they had the better driving skills that can be learned by studying this book.
Super! A great tool for parents. Easy to use and logical. 1998-11-21
I just saw Mr. Berardelli interviewed on The Today Show and what he had to say makes so much sense. It is up to parents to tackle this incredibly important job of teaching our teenagers to drive. It could be a matter of life and death for them. This book makes it easy and every parent should read it and use it.
