Merging Online Education onto the Road
Earning a driver’s license is a teenager’s rite of passage. In 2010, however, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study revealed a shocking statistic: seven teens (ages 16 to 19) died every day from motor vehicle injuries. Per mile driven, teen drivers are three times more likely to be in a fatal crash than drivers aged 20 and older, according to the same CDC report.
Florida Virtual School, an online education leader, aims to help decrease such statistics by offering a free, online driver’s education course which focuses on teaching new motorists the needed skills to act responsibly when behind the wheel. During the course, students study road rules, participate in road simulations and, upon course completion, receive a waiver to fulfill the Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education requirement. Students must be at least 14 ½ years old to take the course. Florida law states a person must be at least 15 years old to earn a learner’s permit and must hold the permit for a minimum of one year before attempting to earn a license. Taking the course can offer car insurance discounts.
The online training lasts one semester or typically 18 weeks. However, students work at their own pace, with some finishing the class within four weeks. The course is available 24 hours a day to accommodate students with extracurricular activities, such as sports, band practice, or a job. “A lot of times, they’ll do it afterschool or during senior year when they may have a free class period,” said Tania Clow, community relations specialist for Florida Virtual School. Students also receive a half elective credit; and current sophomores, juniors, and seniors can fulfill their online class requirement with the virtual driver’s education course (however, the course fails to fulfill that requirement for freshmen or younger students).
Orlando resident Nicole Anglada, a former high school guidance counselor, has taught driver’s education through the school since April 2012. Her students complete ten interactive online chapters, practice with corresponding driving simulators, and watch live lessons on topics such as road rage, texting while driving, and vehicle cellphone usage. Anglada also conducts weekly phone quizzes to ensure that students understand the material. “All teens need to take driver’s ed,” she states. “But, there are few schools that have it in their budget and this is a free option.”
During the 2012-13 school year, 53,554 high school students throughout the state took the online course, with 5,855 living in Orange County, according to Clow. Micaela Sundora, who attends East River High School. She began taking the course in September on the recommendation of classmates, since she had already had her learner’s permit for more than a year. “My instructor is amazing. The class is not too long, or too difficult, and it will benefit me for the rest of my life,” said Sundora, who paid particular attention to the road rage lesson. “I’m definitely guilty of that behavior, so some of the things (I learned), I can apply.”
Instructors also maintain a relationship with the students’ parents through bi-weekly emails, phone calls, or text messages, depending on the parents’ preference. “It’s more of an update,” explains Anglada. “The parent component is huge in driver’s ed. If students have their permits already, it’s encouraged that parents reinforce the lessons.”
Students living in Orange and Polk counties can also take part in free Behind the Wheel driving lessons, thanks to a partnership between Florida Virtual School and the Florida Safety Council. Once students complete the online driver’s education course and earn their learner’s permit, they are eligible for the free driving lessons. Those lessons include six hours of Behind the Wheel training, six hours of optional “in car” observation, driving lessons conducted on Florida roads and highways, and additional online classroom training. Upon completion, students will receive class credit and a certificate. “That’s one of the major benefits for Orange and Polk,” Anglada said. “It’s proven that students who do take classes are more responsible drivers.”
Students who take the course can also join the Driver’s Education Club, which aims to make people more aware of distracted driving through Public Safety Announcements. The latest statewide campaign is called TTYL or Texting Takes Young Lives, which pairs with the new secondary law for texting while driving. That law allows law enforcement to cite drivers caught texting while driving if they are committing another traffic offense. Anglada suggests, “At least it’s a start.” For more information on the free driver’s education course offered by Florida Virtual School, visit: http://www.flvs.net/