MONTVALE, N.J. -- Mercedes-Benz USA is planning to offer driver's education in late 2011 with the aim of teaching teenagers the skills and competencies for safe and enjoyable driving.

At the core of Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy is an innovative driver's education approach that reflects the best teaching methods from around the world, with the goal of preparing students for today's driving environment by going beyond basic car control skills and rote learning of traffic rules. The curriculum is currently being finalized and specifically tailored to the U.S. environment, the company said.

The research-based approach is being designed to improve the effectiveness of time spent in the classroom, online and behind-the-wheel. According to Mercedes-Benz, research clearly identifies 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(1).

"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."

Mercedes-Benz says it has been working with international driver education experts to develop an innovative curriculum-based program. A Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy in the U.K. was launched for the first time in 2009 based on this curriculum and since then 4,500 students have enrolled in the program. Among those who participated in the program and already obtained their driver's license, the group had a first-time pass rate of 79 percent – nearly double the U.K. national average of 43 percent.  

Mercedes-Benz is combining insights and key elements of the U.K. curriculum and delivery methods with U.S. Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) requirements to develop the integrated program that will be offered at the Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy in the U.S. later this year. Mercedes-Benz says it has already met with DMV representatives to discuss the development of an integrated curriculum that fulfills all state requirements. The carmaker adds that the program also positions the company as the first and only auto manufacturer to offer a complete, state-certified driving school in the U.S.

"As a company, we have a long history and continuous efforts to improve vehicle safety, so the Driving Academy is a natural extension of Mercedes-Benz's desire to achieve accident-free driving," said Hobbach. "With only 10 percent of crashes being a result of technical failure and 90 percent due to human error, Mercedes-Benz sees an opportunity to actively improve drivers' skills, focusing first on novice drivers, who are most at risk on U.S. roads."  

(1)  P.F. Waller, "Driver Education: Can Its Goals Be Met?" Perception, Vol. 8, No. 6 (1975).