The Most Important Driving Instructor Your Teen Will Ever Have Is You
Parents don't need to be professional driving instructors. They need a proven system. We'll show you exactly what to teach, when to teach it, and how to coach your teen with confidence—so safe driving habits can last a lifetime.
Safe driving isn't by chance. It's the result of habits.
Begin Your Family’s JourneyMeet your instructor
Clay Harrell
Founder & Lead Instructor · Behind the Wheel Skills
Clay trained professional drivers, taught supervisors and managers to become driver trainers, and evaluated other instructors to help maintain rigorous defensive-driving standards.
Training the trainers
Prepared supervisors and managers to return to their districts and train their own drivers.
Evaluating instruction
Assessed driver trainers throughout the northeastern United States against corporate training standards.
Learning from crashes
Investigated crashes to determine whether they were avoidable and identify corrective action.
Today, he brings that same train-the-trainer approach to parents—helping you know what to teach, when to teach it, and how to coach your teen.
Stories from our community
Real Families. In Their Own Words.
But don’t just take our word for it. Hear from parents and a teen about their experience with Behind the Wheel Skills.
Every parent in those videos started with the same question..."Can I really become my teenagers instructor?
Now they know
Begin Your Family’s JourneyWhy Parents Matter
The Most Important Driving Instructor Your Teen Will Ever Have Is You
Every parent wants the same thing...
We want our teenagers to come home safely.
When most people think about learning to drive, they think about driver's education, written tests, and road tests. Those are important, but they aren't where lifelong driving habits are formed. Those habits are built during the many hours a parent spends sitting beside their teenager.
No one else has that opportunity. Not a driver's education instructor. Not a driving examiner. Not anyone else.
You do.
Hours Create Habits
Think about it.
A driving instructor may spend only a few hours with your teen. A road test lasts only minutes, but parents spend dozens of hours practicing together. Every start. Every stop. Every intersection. Every lane change. Every conversation. Every correction.
Every one of those moments is shaping the habits your teen will carry for years to come. That's why parents matter so much.
The Problem Isn't That Parents Don't Care
The problem is that most parents have never been shown how to teach defensive driving.
Most of us learned to drive from our own parents. We picked up habits over many years. Some good. Some not so good. Then one day our teenager gets a learner's permit...and suddenly we're expected to become the instructor.
Without a roadmap.
Without a plan.
Without knowing what should be taught first.
Parents Don't Need More Love...They Need a Proven System
Parents already care deeply. That's never been the problem. The missing piece has always been knowing:
- What to teach.
- When to teach it.
- How to teach it.
- When your teen is ready for the next step.
That's exactly why Behind the Wheel Skills was created.
Teaching Isn't the Same as Coaching
Great coaches don't simply give instructions. They build confidence. They teach one skill at a time.
They encourage. They correct. They repeat until the skill becomes a habit.
That's exactly how we've designed Behind the Wheel Skills. Our Four-Phase Coaching System allows both parent and teen to build confidence together—one lesson at a time.
Safe Driving Isn't an Accident...It's the Result of Habits.
Every safe decision begins long before an emergency happens.
Scanning intersections. Checking mirrors. Managing speed. Leaving space. Seeing hazards early.
These aren't talents. They're habits. And habits are built through consistent practice with a coach sitting beside the driver.
That's why you matter.
Our Mission
We don't believe parents should replace driver's education. We believe parents should become the most effective coach their teenager has. Our mission is simple:
To equip parents with the confidence, knowledge, and step-by-step system to help their teenagers develop safe driving habits that can last a lifetime.
What Happens When you start your journey with Behind the Wheel Skills?
You'll Receive:
âś… Step-by-step video lessons
âś… The Four-Phase Training System
âś… Parent coaching techniques
âś… Commentary driving exercises
âś… Parking lot skills
âś… Residential driving
âś…Â Interstate Driving
âś… City driving
âś… Night driving
âś… In climate weather driving
âś… Lifetime access
Begin Your Family’s Journey
A Clear Roadmap
Know what to teach, when to teach it, and when your teen is ready for the next step.
Professional Instruction
Use proven defensive-driving methods shaped by decades of professional driver training.
Parent-Focused Coaching
Turn practice hours into calm, organized lessons that build confidence and lasting safe-driving habits.
A Proven Four-Phase Roadmap
One lesson. One skill. One phase at a time.
Phase One — Parking Lot Fundamentals
Vehicle setup, smooth starts and stops, steering, backing, and parking.
Phase Two — Quiet Neighborhood Streets
Lane position, intersections, scanning, speed control, and hazard recognition.
Phase Three — Real-World Driving
Busier roads, multi-lane traffic, decision-making, and commentary driving.
Phase Four — Advanced Defensive Driving
Interstate, city, night, rain, and complex driving situations.
Every phase builds confidence before your teen moves forward.
From Our Family to Yours
A Family Mission to Help Other Families
Behind the Wheel Skills is more than a parent teen coaching system - It's our family's mission. Before we shared these methods with other families, we trusted them with our own children. Today, we're using the same principles with our next generation—our grandchildren.
We believe every parent deserves the peace of mind that comes from having a prepared teen driver and every teenager deserves access to the same life-saving skills that, until now, have been taught only to professional drivers
Our Family Promise
When you choose Behind the Wheel Skills, you are placing your trust in our family. We do not take that responsibility lightly.
Complete the Parking Lot phase and begin applying the lessons with your teen. If you do not feel more confident and prepared to train your teen safely, contact us within 30 days for a full refund.
We'd rather be remembered as the family who kept our word than the family who kept your money.
Help Me Teach My Teen
