Our Curriculum

The total driver education course is short and offers a limited opportunity to influence our students' longterm driving habits. In the end, no matter how hard we try, no matter how well we teach, no one can affect your child’s driving habits more than you. That’s why our goal is to lay a basic foundation for driver education that can be successfully established by parents, friends, and relatives.

Please note that while The State of Maine requires a minimum of 35 hours of adult supervision when the student is driving with a permit, The Driving School recommends a minimum of 75 hours behind the wheel before a student takes the test in order to reduce the potential of accidents and injuries. This also increases the percentage of students who pass on the first try.

Our curriculum includes, but is not limited to:

The Highway Transportation System and Risk Management

Understanding and Applying the SIPDE Process or Understanding and Using the Smith System

Understanding Regulatory and Warning Signs

Guide and International Signs
Understanding the Purpose of Pavement Markings
Responding to Traffic Control Signals
Right-of-Way Rules Are Essential
Speed Limits Help in Reducing Risk

Comfort and Control Systems and Risk Management

Visibility and Protective Systems of Your Automobile
Information and Communication Systems of Your Automobile
Checks and Procedures to Use Before Driving

Basic Operating Procedures

Acceleration, Deceleration and Speed
Learning How to Steer the Automobile
Moving from a Curb into Traffic and out of Traffic to a Curb
How to Prepare for and Execute a Right Turn
How to Prepare for and Execute a Left Turn
How to Prepare for and Execute a Parking Maneuver
Planning and Executing a Reverse in Direction
Managing Power and Speed on Hills and Mountains

Managing Visibility, Time and Space

Visibility, Time and Space on Rural Roads
Visibility, Time and Space on Urban Roads
Visibility, Time and Space on Multiple-Lane Highways
Managing Visibility, Time and Space when Changing Lanes
Passing Another Vehicle and Being Passed

Knowing Yourself

Physical Readiness
Psychological and Social Readiness
Handling Social Pressures

Administrative Laws and Accidents

Light and Weather Conditions

Sharing the Roadway

Natural Laws and Driving

Responding to an Emergency

Buying a Vehicle

Car Systems and Maintenance

Peer pressure and teenage drivers

As always, we encourage you to talk to your child's teacher if you have any questions. If there's anything specific you think we should discuss in class, please call. Our goal is the same as yours: to ensure a lifetime of safe driving.