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There’s more to driving than just steering

‘The Art of Driving’ is creating a generation of lifelong safe drivers
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Lori Barillaro, owner and head instructor at The Art of Driving in Chilliwack, believes that just as every artist has to master their technique, a proper grounding in the basics makes better drivers.

Is there an art to driving a vehicle? Lori Barillaro, owner and head instructor at The Art of Driving in Chilliwack, believes there is. And just as every artist has to master their technique, Lori insists that a proper grounding in the basics makes better drivers.

Her teaching style has produced amazing results.

“I was teaching at a driving school for a few years,” she says, “and over time I changed my teaching style to be more technical, following a strict process.

“It helps students become confident faster, because we’re setting a really solid foundation of the basic skills.”

Her approach, and her success, inspired her to open The Art of Driving seven years ago. Today the business thrives on referrals from satisfied students, to the point where they are the most-referred driving school in Chilliwack.

Knowledge is power

A big part of Lori’s success comes from knowing that knowledge is power – the more a student understands what they’re doing, the more confident they become.

“Students who come to us with high anxiety overcome their fears very quickly, because they had never been taught in such detail,” Lori said. “After the first lesson they’re feeling pretty good. After the second lesson they’re going yeah, okay, I can do this.”

Lori says her teaching technique revolves around three principles:

  • Solid instruction that explains not only what to do, but why to do it. Lori creates analogies to explain the concepts and the predictable consequences of following (or not following) them.
  • Reinforcement through “homework” – spending time with the ICBC manual and selected YouTube videos will keep the driver engaged between lessons.
  • Practice! Parents are welcome to ride along so they can keep practice driving consistent with the lessons.

“We have a near 100-per-cent success rate among students who really follow our program, and dozens of our students have completed their road tests with perfect scores,” Lori said. But her aim isn’t just to help you get your licence – it’s to start you on a lifetime of safe driving.

“It takes focus and repetition to create good habits. After that, the art of driving doesn’t take that long to master.

“That’s how I teach – and I also make it fun, with a strong focus on technique, which is followed with a positive payoff for our students. It truly works.”