Family stays behind the wheel: Behind the Wheel Driving School has taught the rules of the road for more than 20 years

Behind the Wheel Driving School in Manhattan Beach continues to uphold a long tradition of training drivers of all ages.

The business has been family owned and operated since Frank Zock opened its doors in 1994. But Zock's niece, Amanda Montano, and her husband, Ryan Stack, took over the business in April 2009 after Zock died.

“He was always good with kids,” said Montano of her uncle. “I remember at a young age that he was always involved in our school stuff … Ryan and I had the opportunity to take the business over in 2009 … I could see a lot of similarities between Ryan and Frank. Ryan is great with the kids (and) great with the parents. We wanted to keep this in the family.”

“He was terminally ill when he was selling the business,” Stack said. “He worked until he basically couldn't work anymore. The business was his life. He loved it so much.”

Numerous South Bay teens learned how to drive under the tutelage of Zock and that has continued under the leadership of Stack and Montano. Stack said, “trying to fill those shoes was a little tricky.”

Stack said he was on a ski lift in Big Bear one time visiting with a stranger who actually attended Behind the Wheel Driving School and referred to Frank as a legend.

Behind the Wheel Driving School works predominately with high school students, but also adults and foreign drivers who are new to this country.

“For a lot of them it's there very first time they're ever driving so they are so excited,” Stack said. “(It's special) to be a part of one of those moments in life that they'll never forget … we try to make it really great and make it fun. More important, it's about safety, teaching safety. That's our main focus.”

Stack said they have taught people from age 15 to some in their 90s.

“She was driving OK, but she just needed a brush up,” said Stack of a 91-year-old student. “After driving for so long, a lot of times people develop bad habits … we all have bad habits on the road. We just try to point those out (and) let them know you can't do (something) dangerous. It's up to them to make those changes.”

The school offers online or in-class driver education—the first step to a permit, which is not offered at high schools anymore and is required to be taken between 15 and a half to 17 and a half years old. Driver training includes three lessons at two hours each for in-car driving.

Also, when Assembly Bill (AB) 60, which requires the California Department of Motor Vehicles to issue a driver license to undocumented California residents, went into law on Jan. 1, Stack said there was a large influx of people applying at the DMV for their permit. This has caused a backlog for many of his students. In previous years, teens could go to the DMV with no appointment and get their permit the same day. Now everything is pushed back by months at all local DMVs in Hawthorne, Inglewood, Culver City, Torrance and San Pedro.

“They haven't been able to get any appointments, they've stopped booking them because they are booked three months out and they stopped scheduling lessons all together. It's a bummer of a situation.”

Students do have the option of going to a Driver License Processing Center, which only offers permit and driving test services, but the closest ones to the South Bay are in Granada Hills and Stanton.

For more information about the service offered by Behind the Wheel Driving School, which is located at 1015 N. Aviation Blvd. in Manhattan Beach, visit btwdrivingschool.com, or call (310) 318-2298.