Drivers Education with Concord-Carlisle Adult & Community Education

The thought of your son or daughter learning to drive can be quite daunting for parents and no one understands this more than the Concord-Carlisle Adult & Community Education (CC ACE) Professional Driving Instructors, who train upwards of 250 students annually.

CC ACE offers about 10 classes for new drivers each year with options during the school vacation weeks, weekends, after school, and evenings. The program is open to all area residents and follows state guidelines with a 30-hour class, 12 hours of on-the-road instruction, 6 hours of observation, and 2-hour parent class. The RMV regulated parent class helps parents to understand the rules and procedures for teen drivers and how to make the parent-teen experience a safe and productive one. The CC ACE instructors all believe that one of the keys to becoming a safe driver is gaining experience through driving with parents throughout the permit phase. The goal is to empower parents to become partners with their sons and daughters, while providing our young drivers with the best foundation possible before they become independent drivers.

Young drivers are part of a “graduated” license process, in which they first earn their Learner Permit, then a Junior Operator License, and finally the full license, per the regulations of the RMV. "It's designed to give them more time and more experience, to keep them safer," says instructor Mary-Wren vanderWilden.

"Winter is the best time of year to learn to drive," says Julie Beyer, CC ACE driver education teacher. "When a student starts now, they'll see it all - winter, spring, and summer conditions - before they earn their license."

A big focus of the driving lessons is teaching students techniques to minimize danger, and especially how to minimize the many distractions around us. "Distractions - paying attention to the wrong thing at the wrong time - is a factor in almost two thirds of the accidents that occur every day," says instructor Peter Mathiasen." Lessons are scheduled individually, during the afternoons and weekends, with flexible schedules to meet everyone’s needs.

The next parent class will meet on January 25th at 7 pm at CCHS. Pre-registration is preferred and there is no fee if your son or daughter is taking the Driver Education program with CC ACE. We have several vacation week, evening, and after school class options for students coming up this winter and spring. Spaces are filling fast for these programs. The fee is $775 and includes the certification fee for the Massachusetts RMV. Financial aid may be available if needed through a grant from the Concord Carlisle Community Chest.

Driver education is not limited to teens. Adults who wish to obtain a license, and long-time drivers who need refresher lessons, may arrange for private instruction as well. For more information, visit www.ace.colonial.net or call 978-318-1432.

CC ACE is a part of the Concord-Carlisle Regional School District, with offices located at Concord-Carlisle High School. For questions, please contact Jill Asser, Director of Adult & Community Education, at jasser@concordps.org or 978-341-2490 x7123.