Drivers education instructor works with parents, too, concerning the dangers of distracted driving
Life behind the wheel is quite different than it was when you were a teen, and so is preparing youth so they are ready to hit the road safely.
Erin Dahmes, a teacher at Tracy Area Elementary School, just wrapped up this year’s sessions that included 28 students. Dahmes has an extensive background — and family history — in the world of driver’s education. Her father started Guetter Driving School in Wabasso more than two decades ago.
“I was taught through the school, and the teacher was retiring — my dad thought, ‘This is something I could do,’” Dahmes said. “He went and got his license, and I was his second class to go through.”
When Dahmes moved back to Minnesota, her dad asked if she wanted to get her license to teach. It was a perfect fit for a teacher looking to fill time in the summer. But Dahmes acknowledges that things are quite different today than they were when she was learning how to drive from her father.
The focus when it comes to teaching youth how to drive has shifted to distracted driving. The State of Minnesota in 2015 updated its Graduated Driver Licensing Laws (GDL) to help limit distractions. Students today get their permit at 15 and their provisional license at 16, when they can only have one passenger in the car at a time.
“The State wanted to limit distractions,” she said. “The second six months they can have three friends in the car. When they turn 17, they don’t have those restrictions anymore. When they turn 18, they get their full Class D license.”
That’s compared to 16 when she was younger. When cell phones are concerned, Minnesota came out with a hands-free law in 2019, but for those 18-and-under, cell phone use is prohibited — unless it’s to dial 9-1-1 — even in hands-free fashion.
Dahmes said distracted driving is obviously a topic in her class, but she also strives to encourage parents to drill good driving habits home.
“I want parents to be good role models,” she said. “I still see people with phones in their hands while driving. I always offer a parent meeting, and I really push with the parents, don’t even let them have (their cell phone) in the front seat, because it’s automatic when it goes off to reach for it.”
Dahmes, who also teaches behind the wheel, said smart watches are also a problem — perhaps even more so since a person wearing one can feel their watch vibrate when a call or text comes in.
“My husband, who also teaches, said he’s had students who know not to be on their phone, but if their watch goes off, they’ll look at it because it shows a text message,” said Dahmes. “He’ll be doing behind the wheel and kids will still be getting messages and look at their smart watches.”
