Eagle Archives, September 14, 1949: Unpredictable driver inspired Joe Piccolo to open driving school 10 years ago | History

Like almost every other motorist, Joseph Piccolo’s reaction when a motorist cut him off in a remarkable example of bad driving on North Street one day in 1939 was: “Where did he learn to drive?” Mr. Piccolo went further, however, and this month is celebrating the 10th anniversary of his highly successful driving school, founded that day.

At the time, he was driving a Greyhound bus and his safety record had earned him numerous awards and accolades. That, plus the fact that his work schedule gave him alternating days off, inspired him to open a part-time driving school with a single car. When he stopped driving a bus a year ago to focus entirely on the school, Mr. Piccolo had been accident-free for 22 years.

The growth from a single dual-drive car, used only during leisure time, to four cars and a staff of six today, is evidence of particularly rapid growth. This expansion is even more evident when one considers that during the war the school was practically not operating for four years due to gas and other shortages.

Since the school opened, Mr Piccolo estimates that he and his staff have trained about 4,000 new drivers. The safety record shows that during the training of all these students, only two very minor accidents have occurred and in both cases Mr Piccolo was able to prove that the drivers of the other cars were at fault. He has no specific record of what happens to his students once they have obtained their licences and leave the school, but Mr Piccolo is convinced that they have performed well above average.

According to Mr. Piccolo, 25% of his students are women and he has some interesting theories about their role as drivers. Although many of his female students are sent to him because, for a variety of reasons, their husbands are unwilling to risk the task of teaching them, Mr. Piccolo firmly believes that women are much better drivers than men, once they have received proper training.

The average student needs six or eight one-hour lessons at Mr. Piccolo’s school before taking the driving test to get his license, but there have been a few exceptions, and Mr. Piccolo shudders to think about them. One 58-year-old man took 28 lessons before instructors deemed him ready to take his test. It was, Mr. Piccolo says, the longest and most difficult case he has ever dealt with.

This story within a story is selected from the archives of Jeannie Maschino, The Berkshire Eagle.