Driver’s education; that universally lamented teenage rite of passage. For many, the two words conjure up memories of early Saturdays in a stuffy classroom, outdated instructional videos and weekly scantron tests.

Then there are the drives: a musty-smelling car with transmission that rattles, judgmental looks from superiors on the road, butterflies in your stomach and sweat on your brow, disgruntled instructors with their own set of brakes. “Decelerate to a stop. Brake! Back around a corner. Brake! Now let’s parallel park. Bang.”

At least, that was my experience. But then, I was not a student of Swerve Driving School.

Founded in 2006, Swerve promises “driver education with a difference” through its training experts and innovative approach. As explained on the company’s Web site: “A team of behavioral specialists and elite driver education experts have worked together to develop the best driver education program available.”

And its promotional campaign has paid off: In the past year, Swerve’s popularity has more than tripled. The school had eight locations in 2006. Today, there are 27 locations across the Puget Sound area, one of which is Mercer Island.

“The company is growing quite dramatically,” said Swerve CEO Fred Wright.

Much of Swerve’s success has to do with fading competition. In the past couple of years, a growing number of Washington high schools have cut their driver’s education programs, Mercer Island included.

In 2006, MIHS administrators decided to cut the school’s summer program due to dwindling numbers. The last summer it was held, in 2006, 23 students registered.

“When I first got here in 1998, we had 100 students plus a waiting list,” said MIHS secretary Jean Field, who helped organize the program with Associate Principal Craig Olson. “With only 23 students, it got to be more trouble than it was worth.”

The main reason the program was slipping, according to Field, was that students were too busy with conflicting summer activities.

“The summer program interfered with family vacations and camps. If you miss five days, then you can’t pass the class, so this kept a lot of students from signing up,” she said.

Due to the hectic schedule at MIHS, driver’s education during the academic year was not an option. The Bellevue, Highline, Lake Washington and Edmonds school districts have also cut their driver safety classes.

Instead, many students choose year-round driving schools such as Sears, Defensive Driving and more recently, Swerve. This way, they can complete the course over a longer period of time without missing precious hours of summer vacation.

Yet the MIHS-organized class, when offered, was significantly cheaper than private courses. Students who registered for the summer program could complete the course in less than three months for $370. In comparison, Sears Driving School costs $599 and Defensive Driving School offers a basic package for $475.

Swerve, the only private driving school on the Island, provides several innovative training packages and more hours of driving instruction than its competitors. The basic course, which costs $599, includes 30 hours of class, six hours of coached driving sessions, six hours of peer observation driving, and requires parents to participate in the program.

“Our program is not about learning to pass your driver’s test, it’s about becoming a great driver,” Wright said. “The key things that we do differently are we provide more behind-the-wheel time than other courses. Also, we require that the parents get involved in the class. They have to learn to become their child’s coach.”

Swerve also has a program called “Reality Check,” which teaches drivers to react quickly and properly to road hazards, distractions and changes in road and weather conditions. In a safe, controlled environment, coaches go over skills such as emergency panic braking and stopping, skid control, collision avoidance maneuvers and cornering techniques. This program, which is optional, costs $249, or $199 if added to the basic course.

One of Swerve’s 27 locations is the Mercer Island Community Center at Mercer View. Weekly classes are held at the center throughout the year, as well as instructional drives. The location is popular not only with Islanders, but other Eastside residents.

Miranda Roberts, a 15-year-old from Bellevue, commemorated her first drive at the CCMV last week. Although a bit nervous, Roberts said the instructor was “really nice” and that the drive went well.

“I really liked my coach. She didn’t give orders but calming instructions. She’s really experienced and loves what she does,” Roberts said. “The methods they use exercise both sides of the brain, so you feel really prepared.”

The teenager’s father, Jeff, waited patiently in the CCMV lobby for his daughter to finish her drive. Thanks to Swerve’s parent involvement policy, he has a double role to play — father and coach.

“I went to the parent introduction program, and it was clear that they are more intentional than the courses of my youth,” Jeff Roberts said.

Asked if Swerve’s relatively high costs were worth the benefit, he said it was too soon to tell.

“Ultimately my satisfaction will be how she drives in the end,” Roberts said. “But I’m comfortable paying more for this program than the one I was in as a teenager.”