New Canaan Driving School Sheds Light On Teaching Teens In Winter

NEW CANAAN, CT — The thought of driving in the snow can be daunting for any experienced licensed driver, and with January now upon us, Connecticut residents may find themselves needing to face that challenge often.

At Lewis School of Driving in New Canaan, winter brings with it an interesting challenge: how does one teach inexperienced teens to drive when those famous New England winters hit?

Established in 1970, the Lewis School of Driving is located on Cross Street. It was founded by Chester R. Lewis, Jr., a retired New Canaan police officer who passed away in 2006. (To sign up for New Canaan breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

The school was purchased in 1990 by Lewis' stepdaughter, Marie Trant, who has been working there with a staff of dedicated and immensely experienced instructors ever since. Students gain experience and knowledge both through classroom-set lessons and on the road driving hours with instructors. The school also recently started offering stick-shift driving lessons for licensed drivers.

“I run the business as if it were serving me and how I’d want to be treated. That’s always been a goal of mine, to do right by everybody and to make sure everybody leaves feeling taken care of," Trant said. "We have instructors who have master instructor licenses with hundreds and hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of training. I feel we have the most experienced instructors that have a wealth of information to handle most situations.”

According to Trant, behind the wheel driving lessons don't happen if the road is unsafe, however many students are able to drive in winter weather due to how quickly and efficiently the town works to clear the roads when it snows.

While the school will never send instructors out when the roads are unsafe, Trant said there have been instances where snow will pick up during a lesson and be a little more than forecasted. If the roads start to become slick or dangerous, the instructor will take control of the car and get the student home immediately.

Trant said a driving student's education on handling winter elements usually starts before they even encounter it, as the school goes it over quite a bit in the classroom portion of school.

"One of the first things we talk about are tires and the quality and air inflation of the tires," Trant said. "We talk about them increasing following distance, and accelerating and decelerating slowly, not gunning it. We also talk about making sure they have enough window washer and the right temperature of window washer, because some of them freeze. You need specific ones that don’t freeze."

Students are also taught to take action before they even get in the car by making sure they have removed all snow and ice from their vehicle, including the roof, which is a law in Connecticut.

"We also encourage students whenever they have an opportunity to go into an empty parking lot with a parent once it has snowed and hit the breaks to understand what happens with [anti-lock breaking systems]," Trant said. "With ABS, you feel a push back on the brake pedal and you have to know not to release it and not get scared; a lot of students panic."

New drivers should also make sure they have the proper supplies in their vehicle, such as an ice scraper, a small snow shovel (some are even collapsible), flashlights, a blanket and salt or even kitty litter for traction in the snow when necessary. Trant also recommends keeping a vehicle's gas tank on the full side in case it gets stuck on the highway or road.

"Increase your following distance would probably be the number one piece of advice I’d give," Trant said. "It’s not particularly a new driver or student that is the concern; it’s their reaction to other drivers. So if you increase your following distance and create a space cushion around you, you have more reaction time to control the situation. If another driver loses control of their vehicle or skids, you now have enough space and time to react safely."

Parents can also help their young driver prepare for winter weather by taking the car out on a snowy day with their teen sitting next to them in the front seat. Trant said having a young driver pay attention to what is happening and how the parent deals with certain situations can be a very valuable lesson on its own.

"That way the parent still feels in control in a dangerous situation but the student is able to learn," Trant said.

Anyone looking to learn from the masters teaching at Lewis School of Driving can call the school directly or visit their website to enroll. The school offers classes in New Canaan, Norwalk and Wilton, and home or school pick up for driving lessons is available in Darien, Norwalk, Stamford, Wilton and New Canaan.

Though they service a number of nearby areas, Trant is most thankful to the New Canaan community for supporting her dedicated team for nearly half a century as they teach teens to drive in all kinds of weather.

"I’m immensely proud of being able to stay in New Canaan all these years," Trant said. "We do serve other communities, but the people of New Canaan have also been a big part of our success. They’re very loyal, dedicated and they keep coming back."

Photo credit: Deb Belt/Patch