JAA Driving Academy launches Teen Driver Programme

PATRONS AT the recent Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA) Expo Jamaica 2025 might have seen some youngsters around a steering wheel manoeuvring a vehicle on a screen in front of them. And, they were having fun indeed with the driving simulator.

But, what was happening in the booth of the Jamaica Automobile Association (JAA) Driving Academy was serious business. The personnel there were teaching the youngsters to drive in real-world situations. And, recently, it has launched its Teen Driver Programme for 15- to 17-year-olds, with classes being held on Saturdays.

“This initiative teaches teens about the rules of the road and how to become responsible road users. The students also receive lessons about the engine, how to change tyres, and other aspects of motor vehicles. They are also taught on the driving simulator. The lessons on our simulator give us an assessment of their driving habits so we can correct any weaknesses they may have before they start driving on our roads,” JN Group told The Gleaner.

The Jamaica Automobile Association has been a member company of the JN Group since 2005. It offers services such as emergency roadside assistance, fleet management, crash reconstruction, fuel management, membership services (such as motor vehicle documents renewal), and discounted rates for motor vehicle towing and transportation services. The JAA also offers a driver-improvement programme, and provides a chauffeur service which enables companies to book a vehicle or use a JAA driver to transport their staff to meetings or events.

In offering three unique programmes – Driver Assessment, Driver Improvement, and its most popular, the Learner Driver Programme which is tailored to beginners, the JAA Driving Academy helps students to become better and more responsible drivers, no matter their level of experience.

The Learner Driver Programme uses either an automatic or manual transmission vehicle. Lessons are held on a driving range as well as on the road. Students are taught the theoretical and practical aspects of driving, about the rules of the road, how to change tyres, knowledge about when an oil change is needed, and other aspects of motor vehicles.

Students are given lessons on the state-of-the-art driving simulator before they start driving on the road, which helps to assess weaknesses they might have and allows them to gain knowledge by practising different scenarios. The Advance Driver Training Programme has helped companies provide remedial training for drivers.

The JAA’s presence at the JMEA Expo was supported by the fact that the transportation sector is a significant part of the economy. Most businesses have to move either goods or people across the island and the JAA enables safe and efficient transportation, the JN Group said.

In addition, they wanted to bring awareness to their other services, such as membership benefits and accident reconstruction where they provide detailed assessment on the cause of road crashes and other services.

“We also want to expose companies to our ADVANCE fuel management services through a gas card accepted by over 90 per cent of gasoline retailers across the island and can help companies save millions in fuel since they can track their expenses and introduce them to our telematics facilities which enables us to track their fleet,” the JN Group said.

“The JAA provides fleet management services through the Advance Card that enables our clients to manage the cost of their fleet, and also provides information on the cost of vehicles operating in the fleet. This includes petrol usage and repair cost. For some companies, the car allowance is delivered through the Advance Card.”