As 16-year-old student driver Dylan Wall pilots a brightly painted Honda Scion around the streets of Snoqualmie, the driving instructor seated beside him wants to know what’s going through his head.

“Talk to me,” asks Swerve Driver Training chief instructor Ian Alexander. “What are we seeing?”

Learning to be a safe driver isn’t just about mastering the controls of the vehicle – it’s about being aware of what’s going on around you. A new business in the Valley, Swerve aims to make young people better drivers by building their awareness and reaction skills.

“What do you see way up there?” Alexander asked. “How’s this road? Is it clear? I want you do that. Everytime, I want to hear ‘clear.'”

At a stop, he tells Wall to keep scanning.

“People make mistakes,” he said.

“Every one of these roads, we’re going to scan them and say what?” Alexander asks.

“Clear.”

“Awesome.”

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