By Donna Rayburn
The day I met George Csanadi, the owner of GSC Driving Academy, I knew he and I would be fast friends. My oldest daughter, Catherine, was three weeks away from her 15th birthday and she was counting down the days until she would get her driving permit.
I became very nervous every time she spoke about her permit. My husband and I model appropriate behavior behind the wheel and although I know that Catherine is a cautious, responsible young lady, I still was very anxious sitting in the passenger seat the fist time she drove the family car.
Knowing that Csanadi is a former race car driver and trainer made me confident that he would be the perfect driving instructor. His passion for training teen drivers to be safe and responsible drivers is evident. Needless to say, I signed Catherine up for the 10 hour driving instruction.
During Catherine’s first day at GCS Driving Academy, Csanadi instructed her to drive around the Lithia and Brandon area and they concluded with a trip on I-75.
When I learned about the Interstate driving I thought, “Thank goodness it was him and not me!”
After each instruction class, Catherine came home with more confidence, but she was also more cautious. She learned so much having a calm, confident adult next to her who talked about defensive driving in addition to rules of the road.
Catherine respected Csanadi because he is a professional and she liked how he related to teens. “George (Csanadi) taught me why to do certain things and why I needed to be cautious. He talks to me like an educated person, he didn’t talk down to me. He assessed what I already knew and built upon that,” said Catherine.
Catherine finished the 10-hour program and I am now a calmer passenger as she drives almost everywhere we go. I would like for her to gain as much experience as possible before next year when she gets her drivers license.
There are so many opportunities for learning the “what if” possibilities during this next year. And yes, all three of my other children will be attending GSC Academy in the coming years. To learn more, visit www.gcsdrivingacademy.com.
