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Drivers wanted
A Kuliouou couple have taught
hundreds of teenagers how to
drive safely on Hawaii roads
Question: How long have you been a driving instructor?
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Who: Lisa Kennedy
Title: Driving instructor Job: Teaches people how to drive and qualify for a state driver's license.
Lisa Kennedy is a driving instructor and co-owner with her husband, John, of Drivers Education Hawaii, which every year teaches hundreds of people how to drive. She also is a full-time student at the University of Hawaii, scheduled to graduate in December with a bachelor's degree in family resource management. John also is a full-time firefighter with the state, stationed at Honolulu Airport. Lisa and John, both 40 years old, live in Kuliouou Valley and have three children -- two boys and a girl, ages 20, 18 and 16, respectively.
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Q: Do you need some sort of certification to officially teach others how to drive.
A: The state Department of Transportation has a course for teachers. You also have to have an FBI clearance, and zero moving violations on your driver's abstract.
Q: How many students do you have at any one time?
A: Currently we have over a hundred students, either in class or on the road.
Q: How long is each class?
A: The class is 30 hours, spread out over about 10 weeks. Then you have to have six hours on the road, with a certified instructor.
Q: What's the average age of the students?
A: They're all under 18. They have to be 15 1/2 to have a permit, so mostly they are 16- and 17-year-olds.
Q: Is this a year-round business or just tied to the school season?
A: Actually it's year-round for us. We teach over at the Blaisdell Center conference rooms during school breaks. During the school year we have contracts, like with Kamehameha Schools and Le Jardin Academy, and we have a contract with the military. We have 28 students in a class at Kaneohe Marine base.
Q: Who pays you?
A: We're paid by the students. The state has a limit of $650 that we can charge a student, but we are in the lower range; we are around $300.
Q: Do you have much competition?
A: There's a lot of competition, with over 200 certified instructors.
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Q: How many cars do you use?
A: We have six instructor vehicles, with usually three or four on the road at all times.
Q: Do you do the auto maintenance yourself?
A: We have our maintenance done through certified mechanics, but the state inspects the cars once a year as well.
Q: Do you teach auto maintenance in the class?
A: Basic car maintenance is part of the class -- how to change a tire or the oil. In our program we really try to stress safety and being responsible, like not drinking and driving and stuff like that.
Q: What does the typical road session cover?
A: The instructions range from parking and basic car maneuvers -- turns, starting and stopping -- to freeway driving.
Q: How do students react when they are unable to meet your graduation standards? Do some of them freak out?
A: They don't usually freak out. We try to tell them that it's common, because they're nervous and such. Usually the examiner will give them tips on what to do next time, and come back in a week or so. So the students know what they need to work on.
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Q: What typically trips them up?
A: A careless mistake. Like things happen when they get on the road -- somebody cuts them off and their reaction isn't what the examiner is looking for. Or the stop line: If they roll past it without coming to a complete stop, they get points off. They do small things, and then, "Oh, oh. Come back next week and thank you for trying." Plus they're nervous; they're with someone unfamiliar.
Q: What was one of the most frightening moments for you as a driving instructor?
A: Actually, I was on the freeway coming from Pearl City side, taking the H3, and it was a real hairpin turn, and she (the student) wasn't going to react. I actually had to react and grab the wheel and push the passenger brake.
That was my scariest moment. I had to check myself as to why I was driving at that point.
