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My name is Wes and I've been teaching driver education for the past 12 years. I stumbled upon teaching driver education when a fellow coworker mentioned I could teach driver education since I have a teaching credential and good driving record. So I took a 4 credit NNU course on teaching driver education. I worked for public driver education for 2 summers eventually becoming certified to teach private driver education. I drove for public driver education for 1 more summer and private driver education 10-30 hours per week for the next 5 years. During this time I also worked for 2 other private driving schools. I currently work as a Security Officer at Borah High School. I graduated from BSU in 2006 with a degree in education.
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Driving Background...
I was not always a good driver. I drove pretty much like everybody else. But I had one major difference with other drivers. I have rarely ever been in a rush to get anywhere. My first car was a 1970 Chevy Impala that got 8 miles per gallon. I also put a massive stereo in it and wanted to show it off by cruising a little slower than everybody else. And lastly I never wanted to get a speeding ticket since my first job at Jack in the Box only paid $4.25/hr (I basically did not want to have to work 2 full days to pay for a speeding ticket). Well, knowing now what I didn't know then - I was building a fantastic habit of not being in a hurry. And not being in a hurry meant I usually didn't tailgait. And of course not tailgaiting (having following distance) is one of the most important defensive driving techniques. Over time I also realized how much money I was saving on car insurance compared to what my friends were paying. Later I was able to get driving jobs like delivering flowers and driving a cap which reminded me of the great economic opportunities that exist when having a great driving record.
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My Purpose...
I take driver training very seriously. It breaks my heart to hear of anybody getting injured or dying in a preventable wreck. At UltraSafe we not only teach the basics and advanced defensive driving - we strive to change students perspective on life. We want them to enjoy the journey, live life stress free (at least while driving), and be able to forgive others. If they enjoy the journey they might not speed, tailgait, or text. If they try to reduce their stress they might manage their time better and utilizes simple strategies taught in driver training. And if they forgive others it will reduce the anxiety and anger that can build up and affect their driving. Students will spend a good amount of time behind-the-wheel, why not make that time enjoyable. Another method we use to change a student's personal driving culture is to push for students not to drive like other people - to take pride in safe driving - to know that their safe driving could save other people's lives. When someone speeds by us in the car I usually say "I feel bad that that person's life is so fast, point A to point B only, not enjoying the beauty of this world". Our approach to texting and driving is also simple...Look at driving as your personal time for yourself - not others. It's a time to decompress. It's a time to tell the world "for the next 15 minutes it's all about me...I don't need to immediately answer back to others...I am free to text when I want to". We also look at driving as a serious, yet rewarding activity that can assist your life or destroy it. We do not hold back on many emotional, heart-wrenching stories. We want students to appreciate all the gifts they have received and understand that they can be taken away in the blink of an eye.