Advanced Driving Facility in St. Cloud Undergoes Name Change

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- The Minnesota Highway Safety and Research Center in St. Cloud has a new name. Starting July 1st, the advanced driving skills facility has been rebranded Precision Driving Center of Minnesota.

The center is part of St. Cloud State University's continuing studies program.

Director Mike Meehan says they teach advanced driving skills to police, fire, EMS, snowplow drivers, and teenagers. He says, for teenagers in particular, the chance to practice evasive driving and other drills is extremely beneficial...

A lot of those things you can't really practice that out on the roadway. But, our course is a closed course. The only people on that course are other student drivers who are under the supervision of our professional instructors. So, they get to learn all of that in a controlled environment, and when it pops up in the real world, they're ready for it.

Precision Driving Center of Minnesota also has a 55+ driver discount program where they can take an online or in-person four-hour course to get a 10% discount on their auto insurance premiums.

Meehan says a change in the law now only requires a four-hour course where it used to be an eight-hour course in order to get the certificate and insurance discount.

Meehan says they underwent the rebrand because they wanted a name that reflected what they do.  He says the old name of Minnesota Highway Safety and Research Center confused people as to what they do because it didn't have the word driving in the name.