Editorial
Front Page - Friday, September 10, 2010
Haman’s offers safety benefits, less stress, discounts to new drivers
Erica Tuggle
Driving instructors Roger Thompson and Bruce Johnson of Haman’s Driving School have undergone rigorous hours of training to learn how to educate new drivers on key issues of safety and effectiveness. The dual-control cars at the many Haman’s Driving School locations are equipped with a brake on the passenger’s side so that instructors can allow students a safe method of road practice.
- Erica Tuggle
It’s hard to deny that there are some bad drivers on the roadways. The state has even joined the fight against this by using all the money they receive from traffic camera violations to fund driver’s education and traffic engineering. This means that if a new driver lives within the city limits of Chattanooga, they can take advantage of Haman’s Driving School at a 70 to 80 percent discount.
Haman’s Driving School has been in Chattanooga for over 50 years and was the first full time driving school in Chattanooga. Haman’s exists in several locations in Chattanooga, and all primarily exist to help new and inexperienced drivers acquire good driving habits, lead driving instructor Roger Thompson says.
Although Haman’s focus is on teenage drivers, they also work with adults, refugees, college students and with those with disabilities. Thompson says not only can Haman’s offer in-class training and driving practice, but they also have the authority to administer the Tennessee learner’s permit exam and the road test component of an unrestricted driver’s license. “Basically, we work to help the student get to whatever goal they are looking to reach,” he says.
“I think we are looking at helping them develop not only some skills, but making sure they are conscious about what the rules are,” he says. “When we teach here, we are not dealing with the bad habits that are passed down from one generation to another. The truth is many of us watch others drive, and if not subject to some level of attention, we pick up their big habits.”
The whole purpose is to help inexperienced drivers get off to a good start, he says.
“The Tennessee’s graduated license approach is an attempt to not pack the car with all kinds of teenagers and let them torment and dare each other, like we did when we grew up, but give them time and attention so that everybody is happy that a teenager has car keys.”
Insurance companies also recognize the benefits of driving school, he says. Students who have good grades, a good driving record and take the Haman’s course see a reduction on their car insurance. Thompson’s grandson saw a $300 decrease on insurance within the first year, he says.
The class itself is $389 for persons not living in the city, and all except a $50 deposit is paid by the traffic engineering department for residents of the city.
The Haman’s driver education class is 30 hours of in-class time and at least three two-hour driving sessions. It is broken into four seven and a half hour classes during a school break or three-hour classes after school. Thompson says he works all day, seven days a week, to graduate the 100 students at a time that require over 600 hours of attention.
Bruce Johnson, a driving instructor with Haman’s, says the classes help in cases where parents may realize they are not great drivers, are unsure of what to teach and how to teach it to their young driver, and allows a third party to break up the emotional dynamics between a parent and a child.
Johnson says, “I think when you take a brand new driver, it is just as easy to teach them correct habits as it is to break bad habits that are already there. We like to get them when they are young so we get them off to the right start from the first.”
Haman’s also offers a positive learning environment with no yelling and a lot of patience, he says.
“I have seen students who didn’t know the difference between the brake and the gas on the first lesson, and by the third lesson, we are out there changing lanes on Hwy 153. That’s a good feeling to know that I had something to do with teaching someone how to drive correctly,” Johnson says.
The classes at Haman’s allow drivers to be better prepared for the unexpected situations that arise on the road, as they teach drivers to always expect the unexpected, have a way out and develop a plan B, he says. Haman’s classes teach students not only about maintaining a space cushion between their car and others, but also the mental attitude of making it to a destination safe; avoiding distractions like eating, grooming and cell phones; developing patience; and the dangers of driving impaired.
Thompson says when it comes down to letting his students loose on the highway, he has them ask themselves, “Do you have maturity and judgment so when someone gives you the responsibility of car keys you will handle it and do a good job?”
For more information on classes and schedules visit www.hamansnewdrivers.com or visit the Haman’s location inside Northgate Mall.
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