Former Police Officer Uses Experience to Educate Young Drivers

When it comes to teaching teens about the immense responsibility that comes with getting behind the wheel a little fear is good.

So is a plethora of knowledge about the law. 

Retired Anne Arundel County Police Officer Joe Campbell uses a little bit of fear, an inside knowledge of how the law works, real life stories and even a fog machine to educate area teens on the importance of driving responsibility at Learn To Drive Inc. in Severna Park.

“People will tell you driver’s ed can be really boring, but I don’t get a lot of that,” Campbell said. “There are times when it is boring, but I try to lighten it up a bit and make it more fun and enjoyable.”

Campbell retired from the Anne Arundel County Police Department after 25 years of service. At the same time as his retirement, his son was going through driver’s education, and while Campbell said he trusted the school, he didn’t have the greatest confidence in what his son was learning.

So in November 1994, about a month after retiring, Campbell opened Learn To Drive. And even after 19 years, it remains the only driver’s education class taught by a former police officer in Anne Arundel County.

“I guess it’s probably my personal experience with the law and the courts and tragedy that makes the class different,” Campbell said.  “I interject a lot of old stories from around here that the kids seem to like.”

Campbell said that in order to reiterate the importance of wearing a seat belt and driving sober, he tells his students a harrowing story of an accident in 1979— where 10 teens riding in the back of a pickup truck were killed in Gambrills.

Campbell said he still remembers the radio call where a man was just screaming for help.

“When I took driver’s ed all we saw was gore videos…. and then they went to this soft side where they said you shouldn’t be scaring them,” Campbell said. “But sometimes they need a reality check.”

But Campbell’s class isn’t all gruesome stories. He also uses his experience with the court system to educate kids on the laws they need to know. And he also has some fun.

“Tomorrow we are talking about bad weather driving, and I fill this place up with fog from a fog machine just for the fun,” Campbell said. “But it shows them how the light reflects off the fog and that you can’t see.”

Over the past 19 years, Learn To Drive’s popularity has grown immensely. Campbell said his summer classes booked up by the start of June, and it seems that Campbell’s unique style of teaching is largely the source of its high esteem among teens.

Campbell still keeps in touch with students he has taught, and enjoys catching up with his current classmates during breaks. He said the key to any driver’s education class is a solid knowledge of the law and the responsibility, but also some fun. 

“It’s the satisfaction and interaction I get from the kids,” Campbell said. “A lot of them come back to see me or talk to me during the breaks. I try to make it interesting and fun, but follow the curriculum at the same time. I think you have a better chance of learning if you have fun.”

Learn to Drive Inc. is located at 556 Benfield Blvd. in the Benfield Village Shopping Center. For more information visit its website or call 410-647-4770.