The Lengthy-Time period Security Advantages of High quality Teen Driver Training

Welcome, mother and father! You probably have a teen gearing as much as drive, you most likely really feel a mixture of pleasure and fear. Teen driving will be nerve-wracking – and for good cause. On this put up, we’ll discover why teen drivers face such excessive dangers on the street, and the way enrolling your teen in a high-quality driving faculty can repay in safer driving. We’ll dive into the info (from trusted sources just like the CDC, NHTSA, and college research) displaying the affect of fine driver schooling on teen crash charges, accidents, and tickets. We’ll additionally evaluate states with robust versus weak driver coaching necessities, see if these security advantages final over time, and finish with sensible ideas and suggestions for selecting one of the best driver’s ed program for your loved ones. Let’s hit the street! 

Teen Drivers Face Greater Crash and Fatality Charges

It’s an unlucky reality: teen drivers have the very best crash danger of any age group. Motorized vehicle crashes are literally the main reason for dying for U.S. youngsters. In 2020 alone, about 2,800 teenagers (ages 13–19) had been killed in automotive crashes and 227,000 had been injured – that averages to round 8 teen deaths each single day. Even when measured per mile pushed, teenagers ages 16–19 are at a lot larger danger: their deadly crash charge is nearly thrice as excessive as the speed for drivers 20 and older (per mile traveled).

Why are teenagers so susceptible behind the wheel? Just a few causes stand out:

• Inexperience and Immaturity: Driving is advanced, and teenagers are nonetheless studying to acknowledge hazards and react shortly. They usually underestimate harmful conditions or make vital errors that older drivers would keep away from. The teenager mind continues to be creating (notably the components that assess danger and management impulses), which may result in riskier choices on the street.
• Dangerous Behaviors: Teenagers usually tend to pace, observe too carefully, or get distracted in comparison with older drivers. Additionally they have decrease charges of seat belt use – in deadly crashes in 2020, 56% of teenagers (16–19) killed weren’t sporting a seat belt. Distracted driving (like texting) is an enormous challenge amongst excessive schoolers as effectively.
• Nighttime and Passengers: Evening driving and joyrides with associates compound the danger. The deadly crash charge at evening for teenagers is about thrice greater than for adults. Having teen passengers additionally will increase crash danger for an unsupervised teen driver – every extra younger passenger provides to the hazard.

The primary 12 months of impartial driving is particularly perilous. Newly licensed 16-year-olds have crash charges far above older teenagers – for instance, a 16-year-old’s crash charge per mile is roughly 1.5 occasions greater than that of an 18–19-year-old. This is sensible: the mix of minimal driving expertise and teenage impulsivity is most acute at 16. Steadily, as teenagers get extra follow and mature, their crash danger declines – nevertheless it stays elevated by the late teenagers. Given these stark statistics, it’s clear why we mother and father lose sleep over our teen drivers.

The excellent news? Teen crashes are preventable, and there are confirmed methods to cut back these dangers. Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) programs – which part in driving privileges (e.g. limits on evening driving or passengers for brand spanking new drivers) – have been very efficient at reducing teen crash charges. However one other key technique is usually ignored: driver schooling. A top quality driver’s ed program may give teenagers the abilities and habits they should keep protected. Let’s have a look at what the proof says about driver schooling and security.

How Excessive-High quality Driver’s Ed Improves Teen Security

Formal driver schooling programs (at college or by personal driving colleges) have been round for generations. These applications sometimes mix classroom instruction on guidelines of the street with behind-the-wheel (BTW) coaching from a professional teacher. The concept is to show teenagers good driving practices earlier than they’re turned free solo. However does it truly work? Traditionally, analysis within the Eighties was skeptical – early research didn’t discover clear crash reductions from driver’s ed, main many states to chop funding again then. Nevertheless, more moderen knowledge tells a special story. Newer, better-designed research are discovering that high-quality driver schooling does yield safer outcomes for teen drivers, particularly throughout that vital first 12 months or two on the street.

One landmark examine out of the College of Nebraska tracked over 150,000 teen drivers in a graduated licensing system for eight years. The findings had been placing: teenagers who didn’t take driver’s ed had been much more more likely to crash or get tickets than those that accomplished a state-approved driver coaching course. Particularly, in comparison with driver’s-ed graduates, teenagers with out formal coaching had been:

• 75% extra more likely to get a site visitors ticket of their first 12 months.
• 24% extra more likely to be concerned in a crash inflicting damage or dying.
• 16% extra more likely to have any type of crash throughout that interval.

In uncooked numbers, about 11.1% of the motive force’s ed group had a crash of their first 12 months, versus 12.9% of the non-trained group. Damage crashes had been rarer, however once more the motive force’s ed teenagers did higher (2.1% vs 2.6%). Most notably, solely 10.4% of driver’s ed teenagers acquired a transferring violation, in comparison with 18.3% of teenagers with out driver’s ed. That’s practically double the speed of tickets for the non-trained group – an enormous distinction. These developments weren’t only a one-year fluke; they held up into the second 12 months of driving as effectively. The researchers concluded that “Teenagers taking driver schooling are much less more likely to be concerned in crashes or to obtain a site visitors violation throughout their first two years of driving”, and importantly, this security increase comes on the age when teenagers are at highest danger (16–18).

Different research echo these advantages. For instance, a 2015 nationwide examine printed within the Journal of Security Analysis discovered that states with extra complete driver schooling necessities had decrease deadly crash charges amongst 16- and 17-year-old drivers. And a more moderen evaluation by researchers on the Youngsters’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and College of Pennsylvania checked out Ohio’s licensing system. In Ohio, teenagers underneath 18 should full driver’s ed (together with behind-the-wheel coaching) as a part of GDL, however 18-year-olds are exempt. This created a pure comparability: does coaching make the youthful teenagers safer than the beginner 18-year-olds who skipped it? The reply was sure. Ohio teenagers licensed at 16 or 17 (with driver schooling) had considerably decrease crash charges of their first months of driving than 18-year-old new drivers who didn’t take any formal coaching. In reality, 16-year-old newbies had 27% fewer crashes of their first two months than 18-year-old newbies – and a 14% decrease crash charge over your complete first 12 months post-licensing. Even 17-year-old new drivers (who additionally had coaching) outperformed the 18-year-olds, with 19% fewer crashes within the first two months and 6% fewer within the first 12 months. Clearly, the teenagers who went by Ohio’s driver schooling and GDL system had been higher ready and safer initially than those that skipped coaching.

Why does high quality driver’s ed make a distinction? The coaching seemingly helps in a number of methods:

• Talent Constructing: Skilled instruction and supervised follow assist teenagers grasp fundamental automobile dealing with and be taught defensive driving methods in a safer, structured approach slightly than by trial-and-error.
• Hazard Notion: Good applications educate teenagers to acknowledge dangers (like an upcoming sharp curve or an inattentive driver close by) and to regulate their driving accordingly. Younger drivers usually battle with this, however coaching can speed up their studying.
• Guidelines and Safer Habits: Formal courses reinforce vital security guidelines – seat belt use, pace management, scanning for hazards, limiting distractions, and many others. – hopefully instilling habits that stick. Teenagers are additionally taught in regards to the grave penalties of selections like impaired driving or texting behind the wheel.
• Confidence and Check Prep: Finishing a driver’s ed course usually makes teenagers extra assured and competent going into their license examination. (In Ohio, 16-year-olds who had coaching truly had a lot greater driving check cross charges than the 18-year-olds who didn’t – the youthful teenagers’ failure charge was 22% vs 37% for the untrained 18-year-olds.) Passing the check is only a begin, nevertheless it signifies stronger elementary driving abilities which may translate to real-world security.

In brief, licensed driver education schemes have a tendency to supply teenagers who’re higher ready – they commit fewer violations and get into fewer scrapes in these early high-risk driving years. As one analysis staff put it, driver schooling “seems to make a distinction in teen site visitors outcomes at a time when danger is highest”. This doesn’t imply driver’s ed makes your teen invincible (removed from it!). However it may well tilt the percentages of their favor by giving them a stronger basis.

Robust vs. Weak Driver Training Necessities: Does It Matter?

Driver schooling isn’t uniformly required throughout the U.S. – not by a protracted shot. Each state has its personal legal guidelines on teen licensing, and necessities for driver coaching range extensively. Some states mandate sturdy driver ed for all younger drivers; others have minimal or no formal coaching necessities (particularly if teenagers wait till a sure age). These coverage selections can affect security outcomes for teenagers on a broader scale.

As of 2023, 31 states require teenagers underneath 18 to finish behind-the-wheel coaching with a licensed teacher as a part of their licensing course of. Most states additionally require a sure variety of supervised follow hours (like 40–50 hours driving with a mother or father) earlier than teenagers can get a license – the truth is, 41 states have such practice-hour necessities on the books. Nevertheless, not all necessities are equal:

• Some states demand each intensive classroom schooling and in-car coaching (for instance, Ohio requires 24 hours of classroom and 8 hours behind-the-wheel for teenagers).
• Different states would possibly permit teenagers to satisfy necessities by solely parent-supervised follow, with no skilled driving classes mandated. In 2024, researchers famous 16 states (together with Pennsylvania) did not require any skilled behind-the-wheel driver coaching for teenagers – they relied solely on mother or father supervised follow, and seven of these states even had no obligatory follow hours for sure age teams of latest drivers. Primarily, in these locations, a teen may go get a license with comparatively little formal preparation.
• In the meantime, solely 15 states have what consultants name complete licensing necessities – that means they embrace behind-the-wheel coaching at a driving faculty plus different parts like classroom instruction, mother or father/guardian follow hours, and a prolonged learner’s allow holding interval. These are usually states with stronger GDL applications.

So, does having stronger necessities truly result in safer teen drivers on the state degree? Proof suggests sure. Analysis exhibits that states with extra rigorous teen driver coaching and GDL legal guidelines have seen larger reductions in teen crashes and fatalities in comparison with states with lax necessities. As an illustration, one evaluation discovered that states which mandated driver’s ed as a part of the learner’s stage of GDL skilled considerably decrease deadly crash involvement charges amongst younger drivers (a 34.5% discount in a single examine). The Insurance coverage Institute for Freeway Security (IIHS) additionally studies that stronger GDL provisions (which regularly embrace coaching and longer supervised follow durations) are related to considerably decrease crash charges for 16–17 year-olds.

The Ohio instance we mentioned is a microcosm of the state coverage affect. In Ohio, if a teen waits till 18 to get licensed (thus skipping driver ed), that teen is extra more likely to crash than if they’d gone by the under-18 coaching system. Many states have an identical “age loophole,” and the end result generally is a spike in crashes amongst 18–20 year-old novice drivers who by no means bought formal coaching. A 2022 examine highlighted this: throughout states, 18-year-old new drivers (who bypassed GDL and coaching) usually have greater first-year crash charges than 16–17 year-old new drivers who acquired complete coaching. As Dr. Elizabeth Walshe of CHOP notes, “we must always not assume that the youngest new drivers could have the very best crash charges… With complete licensing necessities, these youthful drivers can carry out higher than older novice drivers who’re exempt”.

On the flip facet, in states that do require driver schooling, teenagers profit. A current Governors Freeway Security Affiliation (GHSA) report discovered that teen driver fatality charges have fallen sharply up to now 20 years nationwide, and it credit robust GDL legal guidelines and driver education schemes as key components. GHSA’s state-by-state evaluation famous that states the place teenagers should “full obligatory driver schooling” are likely to do higher (safety-wise) than states with out such necessities. After all, correlation isn’t the whole lot – many components have an effect on crashes – however requiring correct coaching seems to present teenagers in these states a security edge.

All this means that in the event you dwell in a state with minimal necessities, it’s much more necessary as a mother or father to go above and past to your teen’s coaching (extra on that within the ideas part!). And in the event you’re in a state with robust necessities, don’t relaxation simple – guarantee this system your teen attends is high-quality and that they really take in the teachings.

Yet another coverage level: States with stronger necessities usually permit teenagers to get licensed barely earlier in the event that they full driver’s ed (as an incentive). States with no necessities might merely set the next licensing age however no coaching. Apparently, elevating the licensing age alone isn’t an alternative to schooling. When teenagers wait till 18 with no coaching, they don’t magically turn out to be safer drivers by advantage of age alone. Expertise and good coaching are what construct talent, so even an “grownup” first-time driver at 18–19 will be at excessive danger if poorly ready. For this reason security advocates counsel extending GDL applications to cowl novice drivers as much as age 21 in some circumstances. In reality, Ohio lately handed a legislation to require all new drivers underneath 21 to take driver’s ed, closing that 18-year-old loophole. As mother and father, supporting such insurance policies will help guarantee all younger new drivers get the coaching they want, not simply 16-year-olds.

Do the Advantages of Driver’s Ed Final Over Time?

To this point we’ve seen that driver’s ed can cut back crashes and violations within the first couple of years of driving. However what about the long term? Will your teen nonetheless be reaping security advantages from driving faculty after they’re, say, 5 years older? This can be a nice query – in spite of everything, we need to know if driver’s ed simply delays crashes or really helps create lifelong protected drivers.

Analysis on this space is considerably restricted, as most research concentrate on the preliminary driving interval (when danger is highest and variations are best to measure). Nevertheless, the proof we have now is encouraging:

• The Nebraska examine confirmed decrease crash and ticket charges by at the very least two years of driving for many who took driver’s ed]. By the point drivers attain their 20s, crash charges drop for everybody, educated or not, making it more durable to detect variations. However the vital purpose is getting teenagers safely by that high-risk window (ages 16–18), and driver schooling clearly helps obtain that.
• There’s indication that habits discovered in driver’s ed can carry ahead. For instance, if a teen learns early to all the time put on a seat belt, examine mirrors, keep away from texting, and many others., they’re more likely to proceed these habits as they turn out to be an grownup driver. It’s laborious to quantify, however good coaching “bakes in” good behaviors that persist.
• Conversely, poor driving habits (like not scanning intersections or rushing) established early can persist too. For this reason catching teenagers at the start of their driving profession is so necessary – we need to set them on the fitting trajectory. Driver’s ed will be that constructive jump-start.

It’s value noting that the security good points from driver’s ed would possibly diminish if not strengthened. Consider it like every other talent – you be taught the fundamentals in school, however you’ve bought to use them constantly for years to actually turn out to be an knowledgeable. If a teen aces driving faculty however then falls into unhealthy habits as soon as they’ve their license (say they begin rushing or don’t hassle with the strategies they discovered), the preliminary benefit may fade. That’s the place ongoing parental steering and GDL guidelines (curfews, passenger limits, and many others.) assist maintain them on observe till protected driving turns into second nature.

Encouragingly, the excellent strategy of mixing driver’s ed with graduated licensing appears to supply drivers who not solely have fewer crashes early on, but additionally proceed to construct expertise safely. As an illustration, one examine famous that each extra month a teen saved their learner’s allow (and practiced underneath supervision) corresponded to a couple of 2% discount of their crash charge after getting licensed. Spending extra time working towards (and delaying full licensure a bit) means a extra seasoned, assured driver later. The lesson: endurance and follow repay in long-term security.

In abstract, whereas probably the most dramatic impacts of driver schooling are seen within the first 12 months or two of driving, these are the very years when teenagers are most certainly to crash. By slicing down crashes throughout this peak-risk interval, we’re not simply delaying them – we’re serving to many teenagers keep away from them altogether and dwell to turn out to be safer grownup drivers. A basis of fine abilities and habits can certainly final a lifetime. As mother and father, we must always view driver’s ed as an funding in long-term security. It helps our teenagers survive the educational curve of driving, to allow them to achieve expertise and mature into accountable drivers of their 20s and past.

Ideas for Dad and mom: Selecting an Efficient Driver Training Program

Not all driver’s schooling is created equal. Excessive-quality applications can considerably enhance teen security, however poor-quality ones would possibly simply examine the field with out really getting ready your teen. As a mother or father, how will you make sure you’re selecting a worthwhile driving faculty or course to your little one? Listed here are some actionable ideas:

1. Go Past the Minimal Necessities: Most states require a baseline driver’s ed course (or none in any respect), however don’t accept the naked minimal. Consultants “advise households of teenagers to transcend the minimal state necessities to maintain teen drivers safer.” This would possibly imply enrolling in a extra intensive course than mandated, or doing extra supervised driving follow past what the legislation asks. Bear in mind, in case your state solely requires, say, 6 hours behind-the-wheel, that’s really a minimal. Extra follow = extra talent. Don’t hesitate to hunt further drive time or superior courses if wanted.
2. Search for Licensed, Respected Colleges: Enroll your teen in a state-certified driver schooling program. Practically each state requires driving instructors to be licensed – it is a baseline examine. But additionally have a look at the college’s repute and observe report. Speak to different mother and father and up to date college students about their expertise. Go to the college (or its web site) to see the curriculum and coaching autos. A top quality program ought to observe a structured curriculum (many use nationally acknowledged curricula, akin to these from the American Driver and Site visitors Security Training Affiliation). In case your state has an oversight company or printed driving faculty efficiency knowledge, examine that too.
3. Prioritize Behind-the-Wheel Coaching: Classroom or on-line instruction is efficacious for studying guidelines and idea, however nothing replaces precise behind-the-wheel expertise for constructing talent. Go for applications that present substantial in-car coaching with a professional teacher. Many states require 6 hours BTW – however in the event you discover a course that gives extra, even higher. BTW periods ought to cowl a spread of eventualities (not simply parking heaps – suppose merging, freeway driving, evening driving if doable, and many others.). Ask how the college buildings in-car classes: Are they one-on-one? Do they use trendy autos with twin controls? The purpose is to maximise actual driving follow in a protected approach.
4. Make sure the Program Emphasizes Security Attitudes: A very good driver’s ed isn’t nearly passing the DMV check – it ought to emphasize defensive driving and accountable behaviors. When evaluating programs, search for matters like hazard notion, managing pace, following distances, dealing with distractions, and the risks of impaired driving. Packages endorsed by security organizations or state freeway security workplaces are a plus. You need instructors who will frankly talk about crash dangers and protected selections, not simply educate tips on how to parallel park.
5. Parental Involvement is Key: One of the best driver’s ed applications contain mother and father within the course of. Some colleges provide a mother or father orientation session or present progress studies/tricks to mother and father – reap the benefits of these. Even when not supplied, you’ll be able to ask to sit down in on a category or journey alongside for a BTW lesson (some colleges permit this). Understanding what your teen is studying helps you coach them constantly at dwelling. Signal a Mum or dad-Teen Driving Settlement on guidelines (evening driving, passengers, and many others.) and implement it. Your assist and supervision are the proper complement to skilled instruction. In reality, mother and father ought to purpose to offer at the very least 50 hours of supervised follow driving (unfold over a wide range of situations) as well as to any formal classes – this aligns with what many states require as a result of it really works. The extra coached follow, the higher.
6. Don’t Rush – Extra Observe Time Advantages Everybody: Whereas your teen could also be wanting to get their license ASAP, encourage them to worth studying over pace. If doable, maintain them within the learner’s allow stage longer to follow extra (past the minimal 6 or 12 months). As famous earlier, every further month of supervised driving can minimize crash danger by a number of %. Contemplate spacing out skilled classes over a number of months, so your teen can follow in between and deal with more and more difficult drives as they enhance. There’s no must cram all coaching into a brief window.
7. Contemplate Superior or Supplemental Coaching: After your teen completes fundamental driver’s ed and has some solo driving underneath their belt, you would possibly look into extra coaching alternatives. Some driving colleges or insurers provide “superior driver coaching” or defensive driving programs for younger drivers (educating abilities like hazard avoidance, skid restoration, and many others.). These are non-obligatory and never an alternative to fundamental driver’s ed, however can reinforce abilities and construct confidence. Simply be cautious: any such program ought to concentrate on security, not racing or stunts. The concept is to additional ingrain protected driving habits, not encourage overconfidence.
8. Keep Engaged and Preserve Teaching: Driver schooling shouldn’t finish when the course ends. Make a behavior of using together with your teen even after they’re licensed – you’ll be able to gently coach them on any unhealthy habits that creep in and reward their good driving. Many mother and father discover the primary 6–12 months of licensed driving is when their teen truly internalizes the teachings, and occasional “check-in” drives with a mother or father can maintain them accountable. Bear in mind, graduated licensing restrictions (like no associates within the automotive, no nighttime driving) are primarily extensions of driver schooling – they supply a protected setting to your teen to realize expertise. Assist and implement these guidelines absolutely till your teen “graduates” from them. By then, with a mix of fine coaching and real-world expertise, your teen can be way more outfitted to drive safely on their very own.

Following the following pointers will assist you select an efficient program and actively assist your teen’s driving improvement. It’s a staff effort: the driving faculty teacher lays the groundwork, and also you because the mother or father reinforce and increase on it by follow and steering.

Coverage Suggestions and Trying Forward

Whereas particular person motion is significant, broader coverage adjustments could make roads safer for all teenagers. As a mother or father, you will be an advocate for stronger teen driver security measures in your group and state. Listed here are a number of policy-level suggestions knowledgeable by analysis:

• Strengthen Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) Legal guidelines: In case your state’s GDL program has gaps (for instance, if it doesn’t require driver’s ed or if it drops all restrictions as soon as a teen turns 18 no matter expertise), contemplate advocating for enhancements. Extending sure GDL provisions to cowl 18-20 year-old new drivers can catch those that would in any other case skip coaching. Many consultants suggest lengthening learner allow durations and sustaining nighttime/passenger restrictions till teenagers achieve extra expertise. These strikes have confirmed to save lots of lives.
• Make Driver Training Accessible and Reasonably priced: Value or availability shouldn’t be a barrier to security. Sadly, not each highschool provides driver’s ed as of late, and personal programs will be dear. States ought to guarantee driver coaching is obtainable to all teenagers – no matter revenue, location, or background. This might imply funding subsidies or faculty applications, particularly for low-income households. The information exhibits lower-income teenagers have greater crash charges, partially doubtlessly as a result of they’ve much less entry to high quality coaching. We have to shut that hole. As a mother or father, you’ll be able to assist insurance policies or initiatives (by way of faculty boards, PTAs, state legislators) that increase driver’s ed applications and funding. Some insurance coverage corporations or nonprofits additionally provide grants or free applications for teen drivers – elevating consciousness of these helps too.
• Embody Dad and mom within the Course of: Policymakers and educators ought to acknowledge mother and father as essential companions in teen driver security. States would possibly contemplate requiring a brief mother or father seminar as a part of teen licensing, to coach mother and father on GDL guidelines and tips on how to successfully supervise their younger driver. (Just a few states already do that.) GHSA particularly recommends “constructing a mother or father schooling aspect into state licensing necessities”. When mother and father are knowledgeable and concerned, teenagers profit.
• Steady Analysis and Enchancment of Driver’s Ed Curriculum: Assist efforts to modernize driver’s ed with the most recent analysis on teen studying. In the present day’s teenagers face new challenges (from smartphones to extra superior automobile know-how) that coaching ought to cowl. For instance, applications ought to educate about utilizing driver-assist options safely and the risks of counting on them an excessive amount of. They need to additionally deal with distracted driving within the age of cell telephones. Pushing for prime requirements – maybe a unified nationwide curriculum or at the very least state curricula that meet evidence-based benchmarks – will enhance high quality. As a mother or father, you may give suggestions to driving colleges or your DMV about what was nice or missing in your teen’s course.
• Promote Peer-to-Peer Security Packages: Teenagers usually take heed to different teenagers. Colleges and communities can implement peer-led protected driving campaigns (suppose SADD or Teen Secure Driving Weeks) to strengthen the pro-safety message. These applications, when performed effectively, can shift norms in order that not rushing or not texting is “cool.” Encourage your teen’s faculty to take part in such initiatives.

A ultimate be aware: Over the previous 20 years, teen driver fatalities have plummeted – a GHSA report highlights a 38% drop in deadly crashes involving younger drivers since 2002. This exhibits that our mixed efforts – higher schooling, stronger legal guidelines, safer automobiles, and engaged mother and father – are making a distinction. We’ve made progress, however our work isn’t performed. By prioritizing high-quality driver schooling and advocating for sturdy teen driving insurance policies, we are able to proceed this constructive pattern towards zero preventable deaths.

Sending your teen to a high quality driving faculty is greater than only a ceremony of passage – it’s a confirmed security funding. It helps compensate for his or her inexperience with information and follow, and it builds habits that might save their life (or another person’s) on the street. When paired with energetic parental involvement and robust state security legal guidelines, driver’s schooling can dramatically cut back your teen’s crash danger. The advantages are best in these early years, however they set the stage for a lifetime of protected driving. As mother and father, all of us need to see our youngsters develop into accountable, expert drivers. By being knowledgeable, selecting a wonderful driver’s ed program, and staying engaged in our teenagers’ driving journey, we stack the deck in favor of their security. Right here’s to serving to our teenagers navigate the street forward confidently and responsibly – with a few years of protected driving to come back!