Teen Driving, Uncategorized

Keep Your Teen Busy with Driver Education Online

You love your teenager. But they’re driving you up the wall while the whole family is staying home to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Why not find a way to keep them busy that is actually productive? This is a time when technology comes in handy by making it possible to complete driver education online.

Why Now Is the Perfect Time to Complete Driver Education Online

As excited as teens are to get their driving licenses, driver education may not be at the top of their list of fun past-times. Regardless, there are plenty of reasons why this pandemic is the perfect opportunity for your teen to learn the basics of driving.

Your Teen’s Activity Schedule is Open

Most of the time, teens’ schedules are packed with school, sports, extracurricular activities, social events, and more. Chances are that everything, but school has been canceled, and many students spend less time with online school than they’d spend on traditional classwork.

As a result, you don’t need to worry about your teen compromising their studies to squeeze driver education into their schedule. You also don’t need to worry that your teen will be too distracted with other happenings to focus on their driving training.

You Have Another Option for a Quarantine-Friendly Activity

Are you struggling to find things to do with your family without compromising anyone’s safety? Driving practice with your teen, with the right safety precautions, is a productive activity that also keeps you away from others.

Online teen driver education will allow your teen to get the essential knowledge they need before they hit the road with you. With 35+ years of experience, accredited by the National Safety Council as a Training Center, over 20,000 graduates, over 50 finger-printed professional and accredited staff with 24/7 assistance, we can give your teen the best tools and instruction in driving safely, prepare them for the permit test at the DMV, and complete the comprehensive behind the wheel course they need.

Your Teen Doesn’t Get Behind

Chances are that your teenager had an idea in mind of how their life would look after getting their driving license. If that timeline is pushed back, they may understandably get frustrated.

If they can get their Chicago driver education finished during the pandemic lockdown, they’ll be ready to hit the ground running with their driving test when businesses and services finally open.

Finding Driver Education Online for Your Teen

Boredom + teenage stress is a recipe for a less-than-fun home environment for your quarantine. In fact, you stand as much to gain as your teen by enrolling them in online driver education training. Not only will they get much-needed instruction to keep them safer on the road, but your auto insurance might also get a financial boost. 

Plus, you get invaluable peace of mind that they’ve at least been exposed to some pretty valuable knowledge about driver safety, local driving laws, and other information that can help them make better decisions behind the wheel.

Now is the perfect time to reinforce your teen’s driving skills. Sign up for driver education online for your teen to put their newfound free time to good use.

 

Adult Driver Education Course

Cruise Toward Your License with Nova’s Adult Driver Education Course!

Nova’s one-day, six-hour Adult Driver Education class allows students between 18 and allows students between 18 and
20 to complete the Illinois Adult Driver Education requirement in a fun, efficient format. Illinois requires first-time driver’s license applicants (between 18 and 20) to complete a six-hour Adult Driver Education course if they did not take driver education through their high school or through a driving school.

 

Nova’s class covers the process for earning a license; the Rules of the Road; the dangers of distracted and impaired driving; and driving safely in a variety of weather conditions, among other topics.

 

Classes are held on select Sundays of the month at Nova’s main branch at 2036 N. Western Avenue and on specific dates at Nova’s Hyde Park branch at 5503 S. Harper Ave in Chicago. To learn more about Nova’s Adult Driver Education course, visit us on the Web at https://novadriving.com/our-programs/written-exam-instruction-permit/ or call us at (773) 489-2712.

 

#NovaDrive

 

 

Giving Back

Nova Drives for Food in 2016–Donate Canned Food Items, and Get a Discount!

Thanksgiving is a time to count our blessings, and it’s a great time to lend a helping hand to those in need. This year, Nova is partnering with the Greater Chicago Food Depository to collect donations of canned goods for Chicago-area residents facing hunger. Nova is collecting donations at its 2036 N. Western Avenue and 5503 S. Harper Avenue locations in Chicago through November 21, 2016. Nova is open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday-Friday and from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturdays.

 

As a gesture of our appreciation for those who donate three or more cans of food, Nova will provide a $10 discount on any new enrollment in a classroom session or behind-the-wheel program (limit one promotion per student account). By working together, we can address hunger in our community and make the holidays even more enjoyable for our friends and neighbors.

Fall Savings on Teen Classes

“Fall” Into Savings When You Enroll in Nova’s Teen Program Classes!

The leaves are falling, and so are the prices for Nova Driving School’s Teen Program classes.  Starting today, you can receive $10 off any Teen Program class (classroom or behind-the-wheel) by entering the promo code “PROMO10” when you register.

 

In addition, Nova is offering our 6-hour Teen Program BTW package for $270 (a $20 discount) and our 8-hour Teen Program BTW package for $355 (a $20 discount).  Driving lessons will begin and conclude at Nova Driving School.

 

If you want to participate in Nova’s 30-hour Teen Program course (required for new drivers under age 18), we offer a combined classroom and 6-hour BTW experience for $395.  Nova’s students learn from professional, state-licensed instructors in our fleet of safety-inspected, dual-control Kia Soul vehicles.

 

These promotions are valid through February 28, 2017.  Take advantage of the savings while they last!

Teen Driving

Parents Play a Key Role in Developing Safe Teen Drivers

With National Teen Driver Safety Week (Oct. 16-22) in our rearview mirror, Nova presents a few more tips for parents to keep teen drivers safe:

 

-Require your teen to wear a seat belt on every trip. This simple step can reduce your teen’s risk of dying or being badly injured in a crash by about half.

-Don’t allow activities that may take your teen’s attention away from driving, such as talking on a cell phone, texting, eating, or playing with the radio.  Texting, which requires a driver to take his or her eyes off the road for seconds at a time, is particularly dangerous.

-Be sure your teen is fully rested before he or she gets behind the wheel.

In addition, you can help your teen avoid the following unsafe behaviors by setting a good example:

-Speeding: Make sure your teen knows to follow the speed limit and adjust speed to road conditions.  In 2014, 36 percent of teen drivers involved in fatal crashes were speeding.

-Tailgating: Remind your teen to maintain enough space behind the vehicle ahead to avoid a crash in case of a sudden stop.  Maintaining a four-second following distance in good conditions (and a six to eight second following distance in inclement weather) will allow a driver to slow down before a collision occurs.

-Insufficient Scanning: Stress the importance of always knowing the location of other vehicles on the road.

 

Although National Teen Driver Safety Week has concluded for 2016, the week’s focus on driving responsibly, avoiding distractions, and completing at least 50 hours of supervised practice with parents can keep young drivers safe throughout the year.

 

 

National Teen Driver Safety Week

National Teen Driver Safety Week (October 16-22)

National Teen Driver Safety Week (October 16-22 in 2016) is an opportune time to think about ways to keep teen drivers safe during their first years behind the wheel.  Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15- to 19- year olds in the United States.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 2,679 teen drivers were involved in fatal crashes in 2014, and an estimated 123,000 teens were injured.

 

What can parents do to help their teens stay safe?  Below, a few tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NHTSA, and Nova Driving School to ensure young drivers’ safety:

 

-To address driver inexperience, parents should provide at least 50 hours of supervised driving practice. The practice should take place on a variety of roads, at different times of day, and in varied weather and traffic conditions.  Illinois requires at least 10 hours of practice at night.

 

-To minimize distractions from passengers, parents should set limits on the number of passengers allowed in the car.  In Illinois, for the first 12 months of licensing, or until the driver turns 18, whichever occurs first, the number of passengers is limited to only one person under the age of 20 (with some exceptions, such as teens driving their siblings).

 

-Since night driving is especially hazardous, parents can set their own curfews for teens in addition to the curfews set by municipalities and the nighttime driving limits set by the state.  Under Illinois law, drivers under age 18 are not allowed to drive from 10:00 p.m.-6:00 a.m. (Sunday through Thursday) or from 11:00 p.m.-6:00 a.m. (Friday and Saturday).

 

Look for additional tips regarding seat belt use, distractions, speeding and other topics at the conclusion of this year’s National Teen Driver Safety Week.

 

 

Adult Driver Education

Adult Driver Education Helps You Get Rolling Toward a Driver’s License

If you’re between ages 18 and 20 and you didn’t take Driver Education in high school, Nova’s 6-hour Adult Driver Education (ADE) class might be for you.  Since mid-2014, Illinois has required first-time driver’s license applicants (without any prior Driver Education background) to complete a six-hour Adult Driver Education course in order to earn a license before age 21.

 

During Nova’s class, students learn about safe driving strategies; the Rules of the Road; the process for earning a driver’s license in Illinois; the dangers of distracted driving; the risks posed by driving under the influence; and ways to drive safely at night and in adverse weather conditions, among other topics. Justin R., pictured here, was among the students who did an outstanding job in Nova’s ADE class on Sunday, October 2.

 

Classes are held on specific Sundays of the month at Nova’s main branches at 2036 and 2058 N. Western Avenue as well as at Nova’s Hyde Park branch at 5503 S. Harper Ave in Chicago.  To learn more about Nova’s Adult Driver Education course, visit us on the Web at https://novadriving.com/our-programs/written-exam-instruction-permit/ (scroll down to see the “Adult Driver Education” link) or call us at (773) 489-2712.

Car Safety

Slow and Steady Keeps You Safe Near Farm Equipment

With harvest season around the corner, motorists across Illinois will soon share rural roads with farm equipment, including tractors, combines, and farm trucks.  If you plan to drive on rural roads this fall, keep these tips in mind to ensure your safety, local farmers’ safety, and the safety of all motorists on the road (courtesy of the Kansas Highway Patrol):

 

  • Don’t assume the farmer knows you’re there. Most operators of farm equipment regularly check for vehicles behind them, however, most of their time must be spent looking ahead to stay on the road and watch for oncoming traffic. Implements are very loud, hindering the farmer’s ability to hear your vehicle.
  • Pass with extreme caution.  Don’t pass unless you can see clearly ahead of both your vehicle and the farm equipment you are passing. If there are curves or hills blocking your view of oncoming traffic, wait until you can clearly visualize the area you’re passing in. You should not pass in a designated “No Passing Zone,” even if you are stuck behind a farm vehicle. Do not pass if you are within 100 feet of any intersection, railroad grade crossing, bridge, elevated structure, or tunnel.
  • When a farm vehicle pulls to the right side of the road, it does not mean it is turning right or allowing you to pass. Due to the size of some farm equipment, the farmer must execute wide left turns, so allow it plenty of room and time to turn, and be alert to see if there might be a driveway or field they may be turning into.
  • Be patient. Don’t assume that a farmer can move aside to let you pass. Shoulders may be soft, wet, or steep, which can cause the farm vehicle to tip, or the shoulder may not support the weight of a heavy farm vehicle. The farmer understands you are being delayed and will move over at the first safe location available.
  • Think of the slow moving vehicle emblem as a warning to adjust your speed. When you see the slow moving vehicle emblem, you should immediately slow down. While the emblems are visible from a long distance away, it is often difficult to judge the speed at which you are closing in on a vehicle, especially at night.
  • Pay attention.  When you are not focused solely on the road, you increase your chances of a collision, especially if you should come upon a slow moving farm vehicle.