New
Driver
Special
Keys
to
success
a guide to
getting new
drivers on
the road
H
anding the keys to your teen:
For you, it’s a jumbled mix of
excitement, pride—and worry.
For her, it’s freedom and a rite
of passage into adulthood.
“I couldn’t wait to get my licence!”
says Brynn Trofimuk, reflecting on her
driving journey. “I lived on an acreage
outside of Edmonton, so I was always
on quads and dirt bikes growing up,”
she says. “I was also a competitive gym-
nast and I didn’t want to wait for my
mom or take the bus to get to practice.”
Like many teens, Trofimuk, now
20, counted down the days to her 14th
birthday, when she could finally write
her Class 7 learner’s test. But unlike
some teens, she actually waited about
six months before writing the test. “I
wanted to study and make sure I was
ready so I could get it right the first
time, which I did.”
Trofimuk’s prep time appears to
be the exception to the rule: “A lot of
students try to write the test without
even cracking the handbook—and
42
Spring 2018
AMA inSider
they ultimately fail,” says Rick Lang
of AMA Driver Education. AMA
offers a range of classes at every step
of the driving journey, from a two-
hour learner’s prep course to the
Ultimate Program with 20-hours of
in-car training.
“Five percent of driving is in the
hands and feet,” Lang says. “The other
95 percent of driving takes place
between the ears—which is where
driver education comes in.” AMA Driver
Education teaches hands-on decision-
making to would-be drivers. Specially
trained in-car instructors help students
identify situations and teach them the
best course of action to take—in real
time behind the wheel.
After hours of practice with the
instructor and their parents or in-car
coach, that driving decision-making
becomes second nature. “Many people
can master the five percent, but it’s the
other 95 percent that makes a good
driver,” Lang says.
Trofimuk signed up for AMA Driver
Education immediately after getting
her Class 7 learner’s licence. “I wasn’t
nervous behind the wheel, but I didn’t
fully understand why you should do
certain things,” she explains. Take lane
changes, for instance. “I was terrible at
them! I didn’t get how or why I should
use my mirrors. Then one day, after
several practice sessions, it just clicked.
Parallel parking was also challenging.
I wasn’t awful at it, but it took a lot of
practice—and it paid off since I passed
that part of my Class 5 road test on the
first try.” She hasn’t looked back since.
Trofimuk put her licence to good use
on a cross-country road trip to New
Brunswick with her mom to start her
first year of university. She now drives
daily and plans to take her Class 5
advanced road test this summer.
For young drivers like her, the big-
gest takeaway from driver education is
confidence in their driving skills. “Our
goal is to make sure students know
how to drive properly,” Lang says. “So
they become safe drivers for life.”
By keLLie davenport