LEXINGTON — Lori and Harold Cope have devoted much of their work toward community safety.
That was the goal when the former Mansfield safety service director opened a Lexington driving school Monday that is currently accepting enrollments.
“It was always a passion of ours to be a part of safety and make sure that our teens were safe, and we thought this was a good step,” Lori Cope said.
Safety First Driving Academy accepts all students above the age of 15 years and 5 months. Cope said students from around Richland, Crawford and Knox counties are currently signed up for classes.
The driving school is located at 305 E. Main St. in Lexington in the Subway plaza. There are two class options — full program and behind-the-wheel only. The full program includes 24 hours of classroom instruction and eight hours of driving instruction with Safety First trained drivers.
The behind-the-wheel only training includes eight hours of instructed driving. The full program costs $475 and behind-the-wheel training costs $425. Deposits of $200 are required to hold class spots.
Full program classes begin April 17. The schedule is as follows:
Evening classes: 3:30 – 7:40 p.m.
April 17, 18, 19 and 24, 25, 26
May 8, 9, 10 and 15, 16, 17
Day classes: 8:30 a.m. – 12:40 p.m.
June 19, 20, 21 and 26, 27, 28
July 17, 18, 19 and 24, 25, 26
To reserve a class spot or ask about behind-the-wheel driving times available, text 419-565-8262, call 419-884-7900, or email SafetyFirstDA@gmail.com. Safety First Driving Academy can also be found on Facebook.
Cope said she makes sure to tell all students they can’t fail.
“We’re just going to drive, and if you run into a cone, you run into a cone,” she said. “And we have a brake on the passenger side, so I can intervene if we need to.”
New Haven Auto Sales provided two cars for Safety First Driving School — a Toyota Corolla and Toyota Camry.
The logo for Safety First Driving School is a ’50 Mercury owned by Cope’s late father.
“He was a car collector, and always wanted that car,” Cope said. “He finally bought it when he was 80, and my mom still takes it to car shows.”
At Monday’s ribbon-cutting, Lexington Mayor Brian White thanked the Copes for investing in Lexington and contributing to community safety.
“And as you know, last week, the state passed it’s distracted driving law, and continuing that training will save a lot of lives,” White said.
