Yesterday, Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc. announced that from next spring, it will launch a national driver education program to prepare teens for obtaining their licences as well as a lifetime of safe driving.
The comprehensive program, the first of its kind offered in this country, will incorporate proprietary best practices from other Mercedes-Benz training academies around the world with a curriculum sanctioned by provincial governing bodies and tailored to the Canadian market.
The Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy for Teens will offer a full spectrum of training that delves well-beyond basic car control, along with fundamental driving rules and traffic regulations. Through a combination of classroom, in-car, and online education and training, novice drivers will learn the numerous skills, core competencies and defensive driving techniques crucial for safe and enjoyable motoring. The e-learning and personal risk assessment modules aim to give program participants a thorough understanding of risk awareness in order to safely navigate today’s congested roads and effectively respond to the challenging situations that they will encounter.
The Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy for Teens formula has already proved successful in other markets around the world. In the UK, students who attended the program had a first-time driver’s license exam pass rate of 79 per cent, which is nearly double the national average of 43 per cent.
Mercedes-Benz Canada, has said the Driving Academy for Teens program will initially launch in Vancouver. It will be jointly operated by Mercedes-Benz Canada and Driving Unlimited, a long-time partner of Mercedes-Benz Canada that runs existing Mercedes-Benz and AMG Driving Academy programs. The Driving Unlimited team is comprised of highly qualified facilitators, trainers and advanced driving instructors, who will ensure that every student receives the highest level of training.
“Despite the dramatic changes in vehicles, highways, and the driving environment over the past 60 years, driver education has remained relatively unchanged in North America,” remarked Alexander Hobbach, Global Head of Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy. “The skills required to simply get a license do not fully prepare young drivers to meet the harsh demands of the road. Mercedes-Benz recognizes this issue and as result is creating an educational program based on the best teaching methods and tools available.”
Tim Reuss, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Canada, added that while “Mercedes-Benz vehicles offer some of the most sophisticated advanced safety systems in the industry, these can never replace proper training for new drivers. With numerous studies proving that teen drivers are most at risk of a collision, the overall goal of this program is to ensure that novice drivers are well-equipped with the practical skills and confidence necessary to negotiate the many demanding situations they will undoubtedly face. We are extremely proud to do our part to help make Canadian roads safer, and look forward to launching the Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy for Teens in Vancouver early next year.”
