Dear Abby,

Why are you thinking only of schools? ... a short and difficult way to prepare a speed demon for car control in the real world. I've been to many classes and school things and the first thing that happens when you get back to work ... is you bloody well have forgotten everything you were just taught.

Personally, why not buy her a gokart and join a club and do some racing ... far better car control teaching than some silly little school. OR if she is not into gokarts, join a car club with her and do some gymcarnas or whatever you call them in the USA, ie. timed events around cones, etc.

You could both use the Miata (won't hurt it) and a great father, daughter bonding experience.

Your daughter is a speed demon, just like I was when I was her age ... a couple of days school is not enough, she needs to find an outlet for that enthusiam and learn how to control a car and MORE importantly learn that the right place to drive like that is on a race track or closed event.

My father did the above to me, by letting me drive his MGB on a race track/closed event open day thingy, and I honestly believe I would not be here today if I had not found that outlet for driving experimenting and for getting the addrenelin buzz. I was already hanging it out sideways everywhere on the road ... with the ocassional spin. What I learnt is that doing this stuff on the road is stupid, when you can do it 200% faster and better on the race track ... that is what saved my life IMO.

As a bonus I also learnt how to control a car so if the need arised I automatically did the right thing without the fright and fear that causes 90% of drivers to freeze and thus panic and have the accident anyway.

Personally driving schools are a waste of time. How can you teach control of panic, etc. in a 2 day school. You need to learn over a long period of time to control addrenilin and panic so that the brain is allowed to control the car ... no school can teach you that, thus what is the point. Car driving is not theory it is practise ... a 2 day course is no where near enough practise to make a difference when you loose control for the first time on a public road. You will be so busy having a fright that it is too late to think ... hmmm, what did that guy in the course say is the right thing to do here, that thing that I practised twice ...

Pete
ps: Talk to Brian with the CS on this site. Here does lots of those racing around the cones thingies (which over here are called gymcarnas). They are low speed, teach you car control, gets you involved in a car club environment and are great fun ... and heaps cheaper than a driving school.