Wisconsin Teen Education (Under 18)

At Alpha Driving School, we use the nationally acclaimed "Drive Right" program which is designed to help beginning drivers develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to become safe, low-risk, responsible drivers.  "Drive Right" also teaches students how to use the "Smith" system and the "Zone Control" system combined with the "Identify, Predict, Decide, and Execute" (IPDE) process to develop necessary defensive driving skills.

The "Drive Right" program is used along with other pertinent resources and study aides to compliment the curriculum making it the best offered in the Superior, Douglas County area.

Teen Education Curriculum

To help students become safe, responsible defensive drivers, we include the following information and skills in our program:

• Responsibility of having a driver's license
• Information about the Highway Transportation System
• Wisconsin Rules of the Road.  Signs, signals and roadway markings
• Basic vehicle control - automatic and manual transmissions
• Importance of developing good seeing habits
• National laws and car control
• Sharing the road with others; bikes, trucks, pedestrians, carriages, tractors, motorcycles, etc.
• Performing basic vehicle maneuvers such as steering, changing lanes, turning, parking, negotiating intersections, and judging gaps.
• Driving in urban and rural areas
• Driving on expressways
• Learning how to appropriately handle emergencies
• Effectively dealing with emotion and road rage
• The use of alcohol, drugs, peer pressure, and other risk factors
• Dealing with adverse weather conditions
• Buying, owning, and maintaining a vehicle
• Insuring a vehicle and environmental concerns

Wisconsin Teen Education Requirements (Under 18):

Classroom:  Anyone under the age of 18 years of age must complete thirty (30) hours of classroom instruction.  Students may begin classroom training at the age of fifteen (15) years but will not be able to get their permit until they have reached fifteen (15) years, six (6) months of age.

Recommendation:  We recommend that the student enroll in the class at the age of 15 or when it can best fit into their busy schedule.

 Reason:  Alpha Driving School is approved by the Department of Motor Vehicles to administer the permit test to our students.   As a service to our customers we offer the permit test at the end of the class session at no extra charge.

Recommendation:  At Alpha Driving School we require that all students complete the majority of the classroom sessions before they are given the required form from the school to obtain their instruction permit from the DMV.

Reason:  Like most educational classes, the theory of how to drive, understanding the rules of the road, defensive driving techniques, and how to drive in specific weather conditions are just a few of the things a student should know before getting behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.  Only after a student has learned the theory, he/she is then ready to put this information into practice.

Scheduling Behind the Wheel:  Once the student has obtained his/her learning permit, he/she needs to keep it for six (6) months before being allowed to take the road test to obtain his/her license.  During this six (6) month period, the student needs to accumulate thirty (30) hours of driving with a parent or other designated adult with at least ten (10) of the thirty (30) hours driven at night.  (There is a log in the driver's manual to record these hours).

Recommendation:  During the time the student has their learner's permit, he/she should drive as much as possible.  Experience is the best teacher.  The more a student drives, the more driving challenges he/she will encounter.  It is important for students to face these challenges with an experienced adult driver who is able to reinforce and critique how various driving situations should be handled.