www.waltontribune.com
Published on: 5/11/2007   

NLDS founder Alan Deighton, who was recently honored at the state level for his contributions to teen driving safety, is hosting a program with guest speaker Judge Greg Adams in an effort to get his safe driving message across to local teens.
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As Deighton said in the release, "God only gives you a fraction of a second to make a decision that will save your life - make sure it is the right decision. Read the full article

www.waltontribune.com
Published on: 1/12/2008  

Many representatives of teen safety organizations, including Alan Deighton of New London School of Driving, former Gwinnett police officer Bill Richardson of "It Won't Happen to Me," Bob Dallas of the Georgia Office of Highway Safety and Pat Wilder of the National Safety Council, were invited to join the many other local and state representatives at the day-long program, which included the announcement of the bill. Read the full article

www.newlondonschoolofdriving.com
Published on: 5/29/2005  

Alan Deighton (back) President New London School of Driving, Loganville, with students.
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For three years, Alan Deighton, President of the New London School of Driving, has been teaching teens the reality of the adventure upon which they are about to embark."We say to them, 'God gives you one fraction of a second to save your own life.'" says Deighton. What can one do in a fraction of a second? "Take your foot off the accelerator, click your seatbelt into place, or stop to look before proceeding into an intersection.

There are a lot of ways to save your own life if you use that one fraction of a second."

Deighton and his wife, Linda, moved to this country from England 20 years ago.They have raised their own daughters here and each member of th family has become very active in the local community.As a result of having spoken with teens about their driver's education experiences in public and private venues, they decided there was a need for better, more all-encompassing training.

"Parents are literally putting their children's lives in our hands," says Deighton, "We take this very seriously.
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Deighton hopes his students leave the courtroom vowing never to return as a defendant.
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"It gets macabre sometimes, having to talk about death," say Deighton, "but we want these kids to know that if they die in an accident they leave the devastation of their family members behind.Iwant them to say, 'I'll never do that to my Mom'"

Students are also addressed by police officers."We let them ask the kinds of questions that are important to them.It's important to build this kind of relationship with law enforcement," explains Deighton, "Most of them want to know first if the cop has bullets in his gun, but they eventually get down to asking questions about what would happen if."An insurance agent speaks to the class about the ramifications of being a teen driver.He explains that there is a one-in-three chance of a new driver wrecking his or her car in the first year."Never loan your car to anyone," is his message, "The kind of injuries that can result from an accident can bankrupt your parents."

Talking to parents who have sent students through New London School of Driving you get the impression that a respectful relationship is built right away."My son listens to nobody," said one parent, "but one day I'm driving down the road and my son is critiquing the way I drive.He said, 'Alan says we shouldn't do it that way,' and 'Alan wouldn't like it if he saw you doing that.' And I thought 'Alan Said?!!' He's really made an impression on my young driver."

"These are developing adults," Deighton says, "Each wants to be treated as who they are.We have a great time with the students.I could be having the worst day in the world, but talking to these kids is fabulous.It always cheers me up."Parents find that they have open communication, before and after the program, with Deighton, who keeps them informed of their teen's progress. Read the full article

www.ajc.com KEEPING TEENS AND ROADWAYS SAFE
Published on: 1/8/2007

Alan Deighton, owner of Loganville's New London School of Driving, is greeted with the warmth of a hometown hero.
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And now that a state law has taken effect mandating driver's education and increased drive time for teens who want a license, Deighton is expecting business to boom.

Soon he will hire even more instructors and expand his operation to other counties.In the past year, the number of teachers at New London has jumped from four to 14.

"We are just a rinky-dink little school in a rinky-dink little town," said Deighton, who expects to serve more than 1,000 students in 2007.
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Deighton is the patient father-figure some aspiring drivers wish could teach their parents a thing or two about coaching etiquette on the road.His school was recognized in November by the National Safety Council. Read the full article

private driving instructors like Alan Deighton.
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,This is actually a particularly good program that the government has developed,, Alan Deighton, of the New London School of Driving in Loganville, said. ,The man who has overseen the development of the program wants to do something good for the kids and actually cares about them.,

Deighton, who was initially ,adamantly opposed to the program, felt that it was a conflict of interest for private driving schools, who are being paid by the parents of students, to test those students as well.

,How can we fail them?, Deighton proposed in an opinion published in the March 27 edition of the GwinnettNews, Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ,As an industry, we have to ask ourselves, ,If we teach a teenager to drive, could we objectively then test their road skills,could we fail a student who we taught to drive?,,
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,We have created a course, that when it is approved by the department will be open to students two days a week for the test,, Deighton said.

A detailed examination has been delivered to all the participating schools.
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,I have been very encouraged by the enthusiasm of the DDS,, Deighton said.

Also in new driver,s laws, Senate Bill 226 also known as ,Joshua,s Law, was passed during the 2005 General Assembly.According to the DDS website, beginning January 1, 2007, all 16 year-olds applying for a Class D driver,s license must complete an approved driver education course and complete a total of 40 hours of supervised driving, 6 hours of which must be at night, with a parent or guardian,s sworn verification that these requirements have been met.Any Georgia resident who has not completed an approved driver education course must be at least 17 years old to be eligible for a Class D driver,s license.He or she must have completed a total of at least 40 hours of supervised driving, including at least 6 hours at night. The same verification in writing by a parent or guardian is required. Read the full article