Page 30 - AAA Magazine – AAA Ohio Auto Club – September 2021

Meet the AAA Driver
Education Team
By Kimberly Schwind
AAA has a rich history in driver education. Since writing the first driver education curriculum in 1935, AAA driver education has been an integral component of
AAA’s mission as the leading traffic safety advocate.
AAA’s newest driving school, AAA Driver Education, is proud to introduce a team
of driving instructors that share the organization’s dedication to and passion for saving lives by producing safe drivers.
Traffic Safety Program Manager and
lead instructor Kellie O’Riordan worked in injury prevention in Level 1 pediatric trauma centers for 16 years before coming to AAA. That lit a fire in her to make a difference by educating drivers and advocating for safety on our roads.
“I want to do everything I can to teach somebody’s children how to stay safe,” said O’Riordan. “Motor vehicle crashes are the No. 1 killer of teens, so it’s my duty to do everything I can to protect all road users by using what I’ve seen in that trauma setting to help our students stay safe during their driving career.”
The other AAA Driver Education instructors share the same sentiment.
The instructors say some of the biggest mistakes they see new drivers make are poor
visual scanning, speed control, overconfidence, distractions and picking up bad habits from parents and family members.
From left, AAA Driver Education instructors Shawn Bailey, Jennifer Burkhart, Todd Scales and Kellie O’Riordan.
“I firmly believe that I’m saving lives every single day,” said driver education instructor and coordinator Jennifer Burkhart. She grew up helping her mother at a driving school in New Mexico where she became a driving instructor as soon as she was old enough. “Breaking down scenarios with them in the car as we see other drivers make mistakes really helps set that foundation to where they have the decision-making skills to be able to make the correct decisions and hopefully avoid those collisions and those tickets.”
Two of AAA Driver Education’s instructors have military and law enforcement backgrounds. They know firsthand the consequences of poor driving skills and decisions.
“When I was an Ohio State trooper in 2001, I got in a bad car crash because of someone’s poor decisions they made while driving,” said Shawn Bailey, who recently retired from the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
“If we can try and prevent that from happening in the future, that’s what matters to me. I have an unfulfilled sense of duty to put as many good drivers out there as we can.”
28 | AAA MAGAZINE