Mercedes-Benz offering teen driver school in the U.S.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

Want your teenager to learn some safe and enjoyable driving in stylish manner? Mercedes-Benz is here to help. The German automaker announced today that in late 2011, it will launch a driver’s education program with the aim of teaching your teenager the skills of safe driving.

“The research-based approach is being designed to improve the effectiveness of time spent in the classroom, online, and behind-the-wheel,” Mercedes-Benz said in a statement. “The goal of the Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy is to prepare students for today’s driving environment by going beyond basic car control skills and rote learning of traffic rules.”

Research shows that the standard U.S. formula of 30-hour in-class education followed sequentially by 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training cannot reasonably be expected to transform a non-driver into a safe driver.

“Despite the dramatic changes in vehicles, highways, and the driving environment over the past 60 years, driver education remains relatively unchanged in the U.S.,” said Alexander Hobbach, Senior Manager, Daimler AG. “The skills required to simply get a license do not fully prepare young drivers to meet the demands of the road. Mercedes-Benz recognizes this issue and as a result is creating an educational program for the U.S. that is based on the best teaching methods and tools available.”

BMW and Skip Barber offer similar teen driving programs, but both don’t substitute driver’s ed.

No pricing has been announced yet. Either way, if I was a teen, I’d like to learn driving in an SLS AMG.

– By: Stephen Calogera