1st Mile Driving Academy​, LLC

​ Expert driver training - From the first mile on...

OUR MISSION

BUILDING THE BASE THROUGH RELEVANT DRIVER TRAINING

To develop safer drivers by providing comprehensive driver training and presenting the most relevant, up-to-date information and techniques pertaining to operating a vehicle on a public roadway.

803-271-1302

​​Serving the Chapin, Ballentine, Prosperity and Newberry areas

Not just the bare minimum

As you can see from our mission statement, 1st Mile Driving Academy's goal is not simply to teach the basic SC Department of Motor Vehicles on-road test that is required to obtain a drivers license. Although we will teach parallel parking, backing and three point turns, our TRUE aim is to teach the skills that will transfer throughout your entire "driving life". We intend to provide driving directions using every pertinent technique possible to start you on the road to being as well-rounded and safe a driver as you can possibly be.

Formerly referred to as simply Driver Education and offered through the public school systems, driving schools have expanded and become increasingly private businesses. This has allowed driver training to become much more in-depth as each private school has been able to tailor their driving lessons to meet specific needs. We feel our curriculum of driving instruction is best suited to provide the student with the knowledge and skills to successfully pass the license test to obtain a South Carolina driver license and exhibit safe driving habits overall.

WHO WE ARE

I am a recently retired professional law enforcement trainer from Newberry, SC and currently residing in Chapin. I have been operating 1st Mile for 12 years but that doesn't really describe my experience. As the Lieutenant of the training division at Newberry Police Department, I became a state certified law enforcement driving instructor in 2000. This began my adjunct driver training background and was further added to by my certification as a CDL trainer and instructor. I spent eleven years there and was blessed to find a job after that would allow me to impact a much larger segment of my profession for the next fifteen years.

Now, if a person says that a driving instructor is good SIMPLY because they are a law enforcement officer, I would be forced to disagree. Officers know the laws but that doesn't always translate to the passenger seat. What makes my experience and qualifications different is that for the last 15 years of my career, I was a lead driving instructor for the SC Criminal Justice Academy, the central training facility of all law enforcement for our state. This required that I stay abreast of all current technology as well as teaching and demonstrating best practices when operating a vehicle. While I know traffic law, I also know how it applies to the operation of a motor vehicle and the best methods to help prevent crashes. As I continue to work outside 1st Mile, my right and left hands (aka Donnie and Scott) handle the majority of drive sessions while I handle classroom sessions and all tests.

​Starting with me in 2016 was Mr. Donnie Bobb. Donnie was also a certified law enforcement adjunct instructor and the supervisor of the training unit for a large state agency. Donnie is trained in all of the techniques that I am and handles classroom sessions as well as drives.

Most recently, we welcomed Mr. Scott Meetze to our team. Scott is local and is very active in volunteer fire and rescue around Newberry County as well as being active with the Newberry Election Commission. Scott is also well-versed and has taught Emergency Vehicle Operations courses and has been trained in the methods I have taught for years.

Our "drive" to teach students best practices comes from our desire to help teach each student driver to be as safe as they can be during their short time with us. There is no doubt that most of their learning will come from driving with others but we hope to set a solid base from which they can succeed EVERY... SINGLE... TIME they drive into the roadway and From The First Mile On...