Photo by Ben Hensley | Owner of Don't Blink Driving School, Serric Vann, began his career as a driving instructor in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Driving in the Central Valley can be a challenge; from heat-induced road-raging motorists to unpredictable traffic patterns, construction, newly constructed roundabouts and the ever-present string of tractor-trailers on the highways, the process of learning in that environment can be daunting at its best and dangerous at its worst.

Central Valley native and owner of newly opened Don’t Blink Driving School, Serric Vann, knows those challenges all too well.

Vann began his career in driving instruction during the pandemic in 2020, when he joined Drive America, a long-standing Fresno staple in the industry founded in 1988.

What began as a job, however, turned into a calling for the now 31-year-old Vann.

“Being out there on the road, there’s no better job than this,” Vann said. “This is the coolest job to me and this is what I want to take me into retirement.”

Vann spent three years learning from industry veterans, including Patrick McComb, founder of Drive America. McComb sold his school to Coastline Academy in 2023, marking a shift in the industry towards more virtual-scheduled and operated programs and away from the traditional walk-in office model.

“Patrick McComb was the biggest influence on my thought process with this driving school,” Vann said. “He was a huge inspiration on why I even began the thought process to start and open this driving school.”

McComb said he saw potential in Vann from their first meeting.

“He’s a go-getter; he wants it really bad,” McComb said. “When I first met Serric the first words out of his mouth were, ‘I want to own a driving school someday.’”

While large driving schools often rely on virtual systems and online booking systems for scheduling and instruction, Vann and McComb both agree that Central Valley families still appreciate the personal touch of an in-person option, allowing students and their parents to sit down and discuss everything from lesson plans to instructor techniques and tips in a one-on-one environment.

“At Don’t Blink Driving School, we’re visible six days a week,” Vann said. “You can come in from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., schedule lessons and get to know the instructor.”

McComb echoed those thoughts, adding that while virtual platforms have expanded access, they often come at the cost of connection.

“Unfortunately, with that, you lose a lot of the personal touch that really makes driving school a great experience for kids and their parents,” McComb said.

Vann, who grew up in Tulare and moved to Fresno in 2020 said he didn’t initially consider driving instruction as a career, but fell in love with the industry once he became an instructor at Drive America.

“Working at Drive America for three years was an awesome experience,” he said. “It was my initiation into this industry and becoming a driving instructor.”

As the only instructor at Don’t Blink for now, Vann is preparing for expansion; he is currently in the process of acquiring a second training car and hopes to eventually launch both online and in-person driver’s education courses — something that many schools lack in the current market.

With the expansion of online driver’s education courses becoming more readily available, both Vann and McComb agree that in-person driver’s education, while more time consuming, is a better option for students and parents in terms of quality education and viability, with students able to receive immediate feedback in classroom just as they will in their one-on-one behind-the-wheel training.

In California, students under 18 are required to complete 30 hours of driver’s education before receiving a learner’s permit.

Currently, Don’t Blink covers the second-half of the licensing process, offering behind-the-wheel training lessons to students who have already completed the driver’s education and permit test at the DMV. Students with permits are allowed to drive while supervised by a licensed driver over the age of 25 — but only after completing their initial behind-the-wheel training lesson.

When it comes to driving, Vann said that patience is key and understanding each student come in with a different level of skill; he said that around half of his students do have some driving experience with parents already, but when it comes to practical lesson techniques, instructors can never let their guard down, as mistakes happen frequently with beginning drivers.

Vann, however, said it is something to be expected, and he does his best to keep the atmosphere in the car less of the “grumpy old man with a clipboard and handkerchief” and more a connected, one-on-one feel with the student.

“We don’t judge; we learn,” Vann said. “This is a very serious operation, but it can also be a very fun one.”

With the number of Fresno car accidents topping 1,500 in both 2022 and 2023, Fresno is ranked the 11th most dangerous city for motorists in California, and sixth overall in traffic fatalities, according to statistics gathered by Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers.

As the region’s roadways continue to become more and more impacted with traffic, Vann said the school is committed to its role in improving safety and awareness behind the wheel, not just for new teen drivers, but for people of all ages.

“Let’s be honest — the Central Valley really needs it,” Vann said.