Behind the Wheel

Fred and Amy Elliott, parents of five, founded Behind the Wheel, Inc. in 1998. Fred teaches at Shawnee Mission East High School, and they launched the driving school together after the school district eliminated its driver education program—a course Fred had previously taught as a full-semester class. When they applied to open a commercial school, the State of Kansas required only 8 hours of classroom instruction. Because driving is a life-and-death responsibility, Fred and Amy chose to provide 16 hours of training—double the minimum—to give every student the thorough foundation they deserve.