The Driving Force behind Safeway Driving’s Instructor of the Year

For families with teenagers, the idea of getting their driver’s license has always been a popular topic of conversation around the dinner table. That’s why safety is top of mind for those families—no one wants to be a part of a news headline that stems from reckless driving.

But for Safeway Driving instructor William Thornton, those headlines became a reality. On December 21, 2003, his 16-year-old son was killed in a reckless driving accident after being hit by someone texting and driving.

“That is when, like any other parent, my world turned upside down,” said Thornton. “While I continued with my current career as a private in-home care person, I knew that there was another career out there for me that was beckoning me to take-up.”

In 2006, Thornton moved up north into Belleview, Washington and began his career as a driving instructor. But he soon found that he was jumping from company to company because the potential he saw in each brand was not aligned with the work that he was attempting to complete.

“I had worked with two driving companies in Washington for one year each when I looked at what I had been doing and knew there was more that could be done,” Thornton said. “I decided that it was a good time in my life to pack up and move to Texas.”

Again, Thornton found himself working for a driver’s education company that he felt did not have the potential to reach a great audience and influence drivers to stay safe behind the wheel. That’s when he was introduced to SafeWay Driving.

In 2013, Thornton met SafeWay Driving franchisee Gary Fowler, who owned the Sienna Plantation location. Soon after that, Thornton began his career as a SafeWay Driving instructor and implemented his unique approach to ensuring safe roads.

“I know my approach is different from the rest,” Thornton said. “Teachers and educators are preaching about driving safe, my approach is driving to reduce risk.”

It’s clear that Thornton’s approach is paying off. At SafeWay Driving’s annual conference this year, he earned the title of “Instructor of the Year.” Thornton feels that when talking about risk, people better understand the message and understand the reality of utilizing safer driving habits.

“The question I always ask my students when we begin behind-the-wheel lessons is ‘what are you doing to reduce risk?’” Thornton said. “When the drivers actively think about reducing risk they are prone to be more in control of their cars and driving behavior.”

In addition to talking with every student about risk, Thornton is in the midst of finishing his own book about reducing risk in every-day life. The book, titled “Risk,” dives into what parts of our lives enhance risk and what people can do to reduce those risks.

“It’s really a summation of my life’s work after my son was killed,” Thornton said. “Ever since that day, I have been working with people to reduce their day-to-day risk in an effort to make everyone safer.”

Thornton’s work certainly isn’t finished, as he plans to continue teaching with Safeway Driving. By partnering with the one of a kind brand, he’s able to help people reduce risk who are learning to drive, ultimately preventing accidents like the one involving his son.