Plain City teenagers are pictured attending a recent session of the Plain City Police Department’s New-Behind-The-Wheel Driver Training. The course, which offers advice and instruction beyond what is taught in driver’s education classes, is taught by Officer Gary Sigrist and Detective Philip Greenbaum.
(Photo submitted)
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The Plain City Police Department is working to ensure young drivers feel confident, no matter the circumstances, when they hit the road.
PCPD is one of the only police departments in the nation to offer a “New-Behind-the-Wheel Driver Training” course.
PCPD Chief Dale McKee said the course originated several years ago with a suggestion from a local mother who was worried that her teenager’s driver’s education class was lacking instruction surrounding scenarios young drivers might be unfamiliar with.
McKee said he and other officers at PCPD began brainstorming what topics young drivers should be aware of, but may not learn about in their formal driving classes. He said he even asked his children what they wished they had learned more about.
Together, PCPD’s training team created a two-hour curriculum covering everything ranging from what to do if a driver feels like someone is following them, to how to handle incidents of road rage.
PCPD began offering the course in 2017, but took a hiatus during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The class was offered most recently on Feb. 18, with a second session on Feb. 23. McKee said a couple sessions of the class are generally offered each year.
The New-Behind-the-Wheel Driver Training is open to village residents and is free to enroll in.
McKee said the Plain City Police Department was actually contacted by officials from a law enforcement agency in Oklahoma who said they scoured the internet and felt PCPD was the only department in the nation teaching a specific course for young drivers.
The officers in Oklahoma now use the exact curriculum created by PCPD, McKee said.
Other topics drivers will learn about include distracted driving; what to do if a driver is pulled over; navigating around commercial vehicles, farm machinery and construction equipment; what to do if a driver is in a crash and how to deal with aggressive driving behaviors.
McKee said he feels the class, which is instructed by Officer Gary Sigrist and Detective Philip Greenbaum, is especially important to help drivers who are new to the road to understand that police officers want to help them become better drivers.
In the case they are ever pulled over, McKee said he wants young drivers to know that officers don’t want to “pick on” them, they want to help.
While driver’s education courses can be intimidating, McKee said young drivers’ willingness to participate in a course taught by police officers is a testament to the amount of community outreach PCPD engages in.
“My belief is, if I can deal with them when they’re very young, I don’t have to deal with them when they’re older,” McKee said.
He noted that PCPD officers host other teen-focused programs, like the Pioneer Project at Jonathan Alder High School, which educates students on the dangers of drunk driving.
PCPD’s interaction with the community begins at a much younger age, McKee said, adding that one officer regularly reads to students at the elementary school.
“A lot of them think of us more as friends than police officers,” he said.
Ultimately, McKee said the class is one way the police department acts as a resource to make sure those in the village are as safe as possible.
He said PCPD designed the class intentionally to help students incorporate what they’ve learned into their driving practices.
Each participant is given “homework” that includes “pre-flight” tasks like checking their oil, tires and lights before driving.
Along with a certificate of completion from the police department, each participant is also given an envelope to keep in their car which contains details as to what information they will need if they are in an accident.
McKee said the course has received “such positive feedback” that the curriculum has remained largely the same since PCPD began offering the course.
However, he said every participant is asked to provide feedback as to any improvements they would like to see or what courses they hope PCPD will offer in the future.