HARRISBURG, Pa. — AAA Central Pennsylvania announced on Wednesday that launch of a new online driving course for new drivers.
The organization said its How To Drive Online course is approved by the Pennsylvania Department of education and produced by the nation's leading automotive safety and driving instructors.
It is "the gold standard for effectively learning life-long driving skills in a convenient online format," AAA Central Penn said in its announcement.
The program consists of 30 hours of online driving instruction.
The course is available to AAA members for $85, and costs $105 for non-members. It is available here.
“Safe driving isn’t a skill learned overnight, or one learned purely by observation,” said AAA Central Penn President & CEO Jodie Daubert. “Busy families and parents who want the best for their child find AAA’s ‘How to Drive Online’ sets the standard for effective instruction.”
In a time when it’s not safe to attend a typical classroom-style new driver training, AAA’s How to Drive Online is an alternative to AAA Driving School’s 30-hour Classroom Training, and has been customized to meet the state’s requirements for online driver education, AAA Central Pennsylvania said.
Thorough driving instruction is delivered through videos, simulations and interactive exercises. Participants can log in and out of the online course as needed and save their progress for later completion, AAA Central Pennsylvania said.
AAA’s dedicated website, Keys2Drive is a free resource for teen drivers and provides parents an easy way to work with their teens through each step, from preparing to drive to driving on their own.
AAA’s StartSmart webinar for parents is an optional add-on to AAA’s How to Drive Online. The program offers best practices to aid parents in their teen’s learning-to-drive experience.
The need for quality pre-licensing education is prevalent, AAA said.
- Vehicle crashes are still the No. 1 cause of teen deaths. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
- Teenage drivers have the highest crash risk per mile traveled, compared with drivers in other age groups. Young drivers tend to overestimate their driving abilities ad underestimate the dangers on the road. (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- From 2016-18, there were 51,692 traffic crashes in Pennsylvania involving one teen driver, about 13.4% of all crashes. An action on the part of the teen driver contributed to 35,977 of these crashes, resulting in 214 deaths and 21,689 injuries. (Pennsylvania Department of Transportation)
- More than 60% of teens get their driver’s license before age 18, an 11% increase in teen licensure from when the Foundation first evaluated the issue in 2012. (AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety)
AAA Central Pennsylvania said its program not only delivers the rules of the road and essential elements of safe driving in an interactive and innovative way, it may also qualify those who complete it for auto insurance premium discounts.
“Getting an unrestricted driver’s license is a very exciting time but it also requires drivers to demonstrate responsibility,” Daubert said. “Involved in teen driver safety for 75 years, AAA has a full range of tools to help parents and teens throughout the whole learning-to-drive process.”
