SafeWay Driving offers driver safety courses for high school students, adults and corporations.[/caption]

Houston-based SafeWay Driving announced Aug. 25 that it has plans to open six locations out of several Plano high schools as part of its northward expansion to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The company offers driver safety courses for teens and adults, and also offers on-site corporate training programs.

With the American Automobile Association citing that more than 5,000 people have died in car accidents involving teen drivers over the past five years, SafeWay Vice President Ann Littman said the company seeks to partner with community members and area high schools to teach high school students valuable safe driving techniques.

SafeWay will operate from "pick-up points" at these schools with plans to open storefronts for adult classes later, Littman said.

“This is the biggest piece of education students are going to receive and we want them to take it seriously,” she said.

Founded in 1973 by Houston football coach Gene Walker, SafeWay Driving provides programs that consist of virtual online courses and hands-on driving experiences to include insurance discounts and other incentives for young drivers and their families. The company also offers courses specially designed for students on the autism spectrum.

“For me personally, that’s one of the most rewarding things we do is help this group of students [who] tend to be marginalized, we help them get that freedom and sense of self that so many of them are looking for,” Littman said.

SafeWay Instructors receive training and are licensed by the state of Texas and S.A.F.E. The company will be looking to hire instructors and marketing professionals once the program is set up in Plano in early 2017, Littman said.

“It’s become increasingly important to have driving training programs that everyone can take seriously,” she said. “Driving is the one thing you do every day that has the potential to harm us or other people on the roadway. It’s something we can’t take for granted. Roads today are completely different than when we were 16 [years old].”

Safeway Driving has 20 locations throughout Houston and Austin. For more information, visit www.safewaydriving.com.