I have been working with several senior drivers recently. I’ve learned a couple of interesting things that I never thought of before and I though this was the most interesting.

Senior drivers tend to drive slow because they cannot easily see the instrument cluster. The instrument cluster in the car is typically shaded by a piece of the dashboard. It’s much dimmer than the view outside the window. Senior drivers have senior eyes. They don’t adjust as quickly to changes in brightness.

I’ve found that it takes my senior student’s anywhere from 2 – 3 seconds to adjust their eyes and be able to read the instrument cluster. This problem is sometimes made worse if they are looking at gauges and needles that are in particularly dark shades. For example, in our training car the speedometer needle is red. Every senior driver that I have asked has responded that the needle is difficult for them to see.

Food for thought for any car designers who are reading this. Consider making your needles and gauges in the brighter end of the spectrum. It might make your car more appealing to seniors.

Drive Happy

February was Drive Happy’s 3rd birthday. It’s been a few months since our last update of the Drive Happy web stats. Let’s see how we are doing!

Unique Visitors: 600

Alright, that looks pretty good! We have seen a really good increase in the number of unique visitors. Let’s use February of 2010 as a comparison point. In February 2010, Drive Happy had 445 unique visitors. That is a 34% increase! Very cool.

Average Time On Site: 4:49

Again, a nice boost over the same period last year, a 20.26% gain to be exact . So far this looking really good.

Bounce Rate: 44.96%

This is a tough number. It’s an 8.27% decrease over last year, but still higher than I would like to see. Well, at least we are moving in the right direction.

Traffice Sources: Search Engines – 79.58%

This is a really interesting number. It represents a major shift from the same time period last year. Our search engine traffic has increased almost 70%. That is fantastic, but let’s drill a little deeper. Our direct traffic has actually fallen, on a percentage basis at least. Direct traffic is down 65%, wow. Our referring site traffic is on a similar trajectory, dropping almost 56%. That is really interesting. Looks like we need to try and boost our website promotion outside of search engines.

Pages Per Visit: 3.38

Not bad, this is an increase of 9% over the same time period last year. I’d still like to see more pages per visit though. Our website contains a wealth of useful information. I do think we could do a better job of indexing and categorizing that information in the future.

Goals

Now that we’ve looked at the numbers, it’s time to figure out what we’re going to do about it by setting some goals. Here go:

• Increase Unique Visitors by 50%

This is a tall order but I think we can do it. We’ll need to keep building our search engine rankings, and improve our referring site and direct traffic to make it happen.

• Increase Time On Site by 25%

Another lofty goal, but you have to aim high right? I think we can do this by better showcasing some our of great articles and information a little better. We’ll also try and focus on drawing quality visitors. People who are looking for a driving school, or interested in driver training are bound to spend more time on the site than someone who just stumbles upon us through a web search.

• Drop Bounce Rate by 10%

This really ties into the goal above of drawing quality visitors. People that are looking for what we are offering a much less likely to bounce after a single page view.

• Increase Referring & Direct Traffic Visits by 25%

I think we can do this by getting some more promotional materials out to our customers. We are looking into having some pens produced, and we are going to be getting some new business cards in the near future. We could probably also do more promotion of our website using local sources.

Conclusion

Overall the web stats are looking really good. We’ve got some areas that could be improved, and we’ve got a plan to do it. I’ll post a future update and let your know we are doing. Thanks for reading!

Drive Happy

I forgot to mention this one last week. Congratulations to one of Murrieta’s newest licensed drivers. This is adult student came to us several weeks ago hoping to get a license before he deployed to Afghanistan.

We squeezed him to the schedule for 3 behind-the-wheel lessons, and the drive test in our car. Last week, he went to the DMV in our car, with his instructor Amber, and passed on his 1st attempt! Just in the nick of time too! He deployed the next day!

Another great example of how Drive Happy can help motivated adult students to get a license. We developed a custom training program that worked with his schedule, and got him licensed in 2 weeks. If you, or someone you know would like to get a California Driver License, Drive Happy can help!

Drive Happy!

We have returned!

Regular office and phone hours have resumed. Amber and I had a great weekend at the Driving School Association of California Board Meeting and Seminar. The Board meeting was interesting and informative as usual, and the Seminar went off flawlessly thanks to Amber’s direction.

As usual we are returning to a full work load. If you left a message or e-mailed us over the weekend please be patient as we are returning inquires in the order which they were received. We have not forgotten about, and we will get you taken care of as soon as possible.

That’s all for today, I’ve got to get back to work. Thanks for reading!

Drive Happy

As previously posted, Amber and I will be out of town this weekend attending a Driving School Association of California Board Meeting & Continuing Education Seminar in Los Angeles.

Regular phone and office hours will resume on Monday March 28, 2011 at 9am. For more details on our trip please read the previous posting we made earlier in the week.

Everyone have a great weekend. Stay safe out on those wet roads! Remember to slow down and leave extra following distance.

Drive Happy!

Amber and I will be out of town from Friday February 25th through Sunday February 27th. We will be attending the Driving School Associaton of California Board Meeting and Continuing Education Seminar in Calabasas, CA. As many of you already know Amber and I are very involved in our industry. I serve on the Executive Board of Directors as the Secretary (recently elected to my 2nd term), and Amber is the Seminar Chair (she organizes ALL of the seminars).

We understand that some of our students find it frustrating to not be able to take driving lessons during these days, and we hope that you will be patient, and realize that our work for the Driving School Association of California makes us better driving instructors, and is essential for improving the entire driving school industry in California. The Driving School Association is a volunteer run, non-profit Association dedicated to improving the driving school industry, and promoting traffic safety through education and cooperation. We are honored to be able serve our industry.

Rest assured, we will be back in the office and on the road on Monday morning! Regular office, phone, and driving lessons will resume on Monday February 28th. While we are away you will be able to leave a voice mail. We will be checking messages thoughout the weekend and returning calls as time permits. You can also reach us via e-mail. Visit the Contact page for details on how to call or e-mail us.

Our website, including our On-line Driver Education program will remain accessible as always. Check back here throughout the weekend as we will try to post some details on exactly what we are up to throughout the day. This is the first Board Meeting and Seminar of 2011 and we are both looking forward to it.

If you have any questions regarding our involvement with the Driving School Association of California feel free to send us an e-mail or call us. Check the Contact page for details.

Drive Happy

Today Drive Happy is 3 years old!

It is hard to believe that we opened our doors on February 14, 2008. Amber and I would like to thank all of our students past and present for making this possible. The last 3 years have been a very challenging, but very rewarding experience. We have learned so much as business owners, and instructors over the years.

I wish I had more time to wax poetice on this monumental day, but we’re really busy! We many, many students eager to get their California Driver soon. Our On-line Driver Education program, and Behind-the-Wheel training program are very popular here in the valley. We are having a blast out on the road! We also have a Driving School Association of California Board Meeting and Continuing Education Seminar coming up at the end of the month. Here are some goals we’d like to accomplish this year:

• Purchase another training vehicle
• Bring on an assistant instructor
• Get more involved in community events
• Expand our scholarship program for students in need
• Re-vamp our Study Hall to be even better

Those are some of our goals for 2011. We’ll keep you updated throughout the year to let you know how we are doing. In the meantime, if you or someone you know would like to learn to drive without the fear and stress, give Drive Happy a call at 951-805-8666. You can also browse our website to see the services that we have available for teens, adults, and seniors.

Drive Happy!

This morning we have congratulations for one of Winchester’s newest licensed drivers!

This teen student completed 6 hours of Behind-the-Wheel Training with Josh. He was an excellent student who always worked hard during every lesson. His parents were also very involved in his training, by taking the time to ask questions, and praticeHe decided to take the Drive Test in our car, and passed with an excellent score of -2!

If you, or someone that you know would like to learn how to drive, Drive Happy can help. We love teaching new drivers. Maybe you can also pass the Drive Test with a great score like our student this morning!

Browse our website for details on all the training programs that we offer, or call us at 951-805-8666.

That is all for today. Have a good one, and. . .

Drive Happy!

Congratulations to one of Falbrook’s newest drivers!

This teen student completed 6 hours of training with Josh. On Monday she took the drive test in her own car and passed on her first attempt!

Drive Happy’s teen training programs are a great way to learn the basics of driving. If you or someone you know would like to learn how to drive, we can help!

Drive Happy

More Drive Test?

Yes!

Congratulations to one of Murrieta’s newest licensed drivers. This adult student completed 2 hours of Behind-the-Wheel Training with Josh. This afternoon she took the Drive Test in our car, and passed with an awesome score of -1.

A great example of how an adult student can pass with minimal professional instruction. This student practiced a lot before coming to us for a brush up lesson before her driving test. We were able to correct some minor mistakes she was making, and prepare her for everything that she was going to be tested on, which gave her a great confidence boost.

If you, or someone you know is looking for a brush up, or a practice Drive Test, we can help!

Drive Happy