7/09/07 6:46 p.m.

Max Maxwell’s Motor Sports &Driving School, Inc.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q/A	Why should I send my child to a driver training class?	By sending your child to a driver training class you are giving your child the best chance of learning to avoid being involved in a deadly crash. Our class will give your teenager that chance. The leading cause of death for teenagers is not drugs, it is not guns, and it is not violence. The leading cause of teenage deaths is car crashes. Every single day, the equivalent of a classroom full of children die in car crashes, and last year 200 Tennessee Teenagers died in car crashes.
Q/A	Do you need a permit to come to Max Maxwell’s Basic Teenage Driver Training Class?	No. Max Maxwell’s Motor Sports & Driving School, Inc., is licensed to offer the State of Tennessee’s written driver test to teenagers who are 14 ½ - 19 years old.
Q/A	Can Max Maxwell’s Motor Sports & Driving School, Inc., give the state written test?	Yes. Max Maxwell’s Motor Sports & Driving School, Inc., has met strict guidelines and has been designated as a Cooperative Driver Testing Program Agency by the State of Tennessee Department of Safety.
Q/A	Can Max Maxwell’s Motor Sports & Driving School, Inc., give the state road test?	Yes. Max Maxwell’s Motor Sports & Driving School, Inc., has met strict guidelines and has been designated as a Cooperative Driver Testing Program Agency by the State of Tennessee Department of Safety. Students who are 16 years old and have held a learner’s permit for no less than 6 months qualify for the waiver for the road test.
Q/A	Is the in-car driving instruction done during the same week as the classroom instruction in the summer time?	No. The driving appointments will be scheduled for a time after completion of the 30 hours of classroom instruction. It would be difficult, if not impossible, for a teenager to attend class from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and also have time for 8 additional hours of instruction. Additionally, Max Maxwell believes that it is best if teenagers have time to mentally process information presented in class, before receiving an additional 8 hours driving instruction.
Q/A	Why do you charge more than the other driving schools?	Max Maxwell’s Motor Sports & Driving School, Inc., is the only driving school in Shelby County that has a full-time office and a classroom that is dedicated for driving classes only. Also Max Maxwell’s Motor Sports & Driving School, Inc., has a full-time staff to answer phone calls and any questions you might have. As required by the State of Tennessee, we have a business office, regular office hours, and the address of our office is published in the telephone directory. Our regular office hours are part of the service we provide so that our students and/or parents may come into our office to complete paperwork, meet our staff, and schedule driving appointments in person. Because Max Maxwell has a personal and sincere desire to improve the skills of drivers in the State of Tennessee, he has designed a program of driving instruction that utilizes specialized equipment (such as DUI equipment, airbag detonation demonstrations, two $20,000 driving simulators, and a car crash simulator designed and had built) and he continues to enhance his driver training program. He keeps current with the laws of the State of Tennessee’s Department of Safety, as well as instructional technology and methods, and he continues his own driver training in a similar way that lawyers continue legal education or doctors continue learning in the medical field. By doing that, your child’s driver training experience at Max Maxwell’s Motor Sports & Driving School, Inc., is a much better quality than that of other driving schools. Our Precisions Maneuvers Course cost about $40,000 to develop and maintain, covers about 20,000 square feet and requires over 175 cones to set up. Other schools use about 12 cones, if they offer a maneuvers course.
Q/A	Why do you use driving simulators?	We strive to give our driving students a comprehensive driving course. The simulators we use are NOT the same type used in the public school system. Our simulators are state-of-the-art driving simulators. The United States Armed services train pilots and tank crews on simulators. Federal Express trains pilots on simulators. Simulators expose inexperienced students to road situations that might not be present at the time of their in-car instruction. Using a simulator helps students to develop muscle memory, which is vital in an emergency situation. For the novice driver, the transition to driving on the street is usually less stressful after training on a driving simulator; and, therefore, their street driving instruction is enhanced. Driving is a building block process and the use of the S-2300 driving simulator is part of the building block process that allows us to make the student a safer driver. The S-2300 offers a strong structural steel frame and support base, as well as actual automotive steering column and components, which are engineered to be robust and reliable, even under strenuous use. Our S-2300 system offers fully textured, high resolution, 3-dimensional graphics producing life-like images. It offers complex, unpredictable, multi-car traffic interaction, which exposes operators to the rigors of driving on challenging modern roadways. The S-2300 simulator incorporates realistic vehicle dynamics, which are designed to ensure the simulator’s acceleration, braking and handling characteristics, and accurately mimic the characteristics of a real car. Comprehensive training and fully accredited curriculum specially designed to assist students in learning "how to drive" is offered with the S-2300. It offers over 30 different lessons with over 240 driving scenarios and virtually unlimited "free driving." The S-2300 has been designed and produced to cover everything from pre-drive checks, how to operate a manual transmission, rules of the road, scanning principles, and defensive driving techniques for how to avoid collisions, identify hazards, drive in adverse and impaired conditions. Simulators are a good way to assess the driving reaction time and skills of a student who has had a stroke or brain injury.
Q/A	Do you provide transportation to class?	No. You will need to come to our training facility located at the Agricenter International, Wing C, 2^nd Floor, 7777 Walnut Grove, Memphis, TN.
Q/A	Why two students per instructor during the in-car instruction?	This is for the comfort and safety of our students and instructors. Teenagers seem to be more comfortable and relaxed when they are not alone with a driving instructor; and, therefore, the driver training experience is enhanced. Also, observing the instruction of another driving student is an excellent way to learn. If one of the two scheduled students does not show up for a street driving appointment, a parent may ride along; otherwise, the appointment must be rescheduled.
Q/A	Why do we have to provide social security numbers?	Federal law requires it. U.S. Code Title 42, Section 666, Paragraph 13, enacted in 1996, requires social security numbers to be recorded for "any applicant for a professional license, driver’s license, occupational license, recreational license or marriage license."
Q/A	If I miss one day of class do I have to make it up?	Yes. To meet the requirements of the State of Tennessee teenagers must complete a 36-hour driver training course. If missing a class due to your illness or a death in your family, please call our office to report your absence, and we will help you schedule make up days.
Q/A	How long do you have to hold a learner’s permit to take the road test?	Students must hold a learner’s permit for six months AND be 16 years old to be able to move up to the Restricted License.
Q/A	What are the qualifications of your instructors?	All of our instructors are certified by the Tennessee Department of Safety, as per state law. Several of our instructors have been certified by the National Safety Council. Many of our driving instructors are firemen, teachers, and police officers.