Who Owns SafeWay Driving? Our Texas Story Since 1973

SafeWay Driving is owned by Brad Coleman and his family, who bought the company back in 2022. SafeWay is a Texas driving school founded in 1973 by educators Gene and Jeanne Walker as Spring Branch Driving School in Houston, and today it trains teen and adult drivers at locations across Greater Houston, Bryan/College Station, Dallas and San Antonio under TDLR license #C3442.

If you’ve searched for “SafeWay” and found a grocery store or a driving school in another state, you’re not alone. The name is shared by several unrelated businesses. This post explains exactly who we are, who owns us, how our locations work, and why more than 275,000 Texas drivers have trained with us over 50 years.

Key Takeaways

• Owner: Brad Coleman, a former SafeWay student and former professional NASCAR driver, owns SafeWay Driving with his family.

• Founded: 1973, in Houston, as Spring Branch Driving School, by Gene “Coach” Walker and Jeanne Walker.

• Licensed: SafeWay operates under Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) driver education license #C3442.

• Locations: most SafeWay locations are owned by local franchise owners who all train through the same SafeWay system.

• Not affiliated: SafeWay Driving has no connection to the Safeway grocery chain or to other driving schools that use a similar name.

Who owns SafeWay Driving today?

Brad Coleman is the owner and CEO of SafeWay Driving. Brad grew up in Houston and learned to drive at SafeWay as a teenager. He went on to race professionally in NASCAR, then came back to the school that taught him.

Brad and his family first bought SafeWay from the Walkers in 2010. They sold it to a group of local investors in 2013, and Brad bought the company back in 2022. Since then, SafeWay has been family owned and expert driven, with a renewed focus on customers and modern driver education.

Who owns each SafeWay location?

Most SafeWay locations are locally owned franchises. A local owner runs the office, hires instructors and serves the families in their area. SafeWay’s central team provides the curriculum, the training, the scheduling and registration system, and the operating standards every location follows.

That means the owner you meet at your local office is part of your community, and the way your teen is taught is the same SafeWay way you’d get anywhere in Texas.

SafeWay Driving history: 1973 to today

Year	What happened
1973	Educators Gene and Jeanne Walker open Spring Branch Driving School in Houston.
1973–2010	“Coach” Walker becomes a nationally respected voice in driver training. His Commentary Driving method becomes the cornerstone of the SafeWay Driving System.
2010	After 37 years, the Walkers sell the company to former student Brad Coleman and his family.
2010–2013	The Colemans modernize SafeWay: in-person classrooms move online and training moves into newer cars.
2013–2022	A group of local investors buys SafeWay and builds the franchise model that brings SafeWay to communities across Texas.
2022–today	Brad Coleman buys SafeWay back. The company is family owned again.

You can see photos and more detail on the SafeWay story page.

Where the name “SafeWay” comes from

The name comes from Coach Walker’s mission: teaching young drivers to drive the safe way. His Commentary Driving technique has students talk through what they see and plan as they drive. It builds the habit of scanning ahead instead of reacting late, and it is still the foundation of how SafeWay instructors teach today.

Is SafeWay Driving connected to Safeway grocery stores?

No. SafeWay Driving is a Texas driving school and has no connection to the Safeway grocery chain. It is also not affiliated with other driving schools that use the Safeway name, including schools in other states and in other parts of Texas.

The easiest way to know you’re looking at the right SafeWay:

• The website is safewaydriving.com.

• The TDLR license number is #C3442.

• The main phone number is 844-DRIVE-SAFE.

• The training cars carry SafeWay’s yellow diamond logo and NASCAR-inspired graphics.

How SafeWay trains drivers at every location

Because most locations are franchises, parents often ask whether the training is the same everywhere. The SafeWay system is built so that it is:

• One certification. Every SafeWay instructor and franchise owner is trained and certified through SafeWay University before working with students.

• One curriculum. Every location uses the same online classroom and the same in-car lesson plan, developed centrally.

• One operating system. Every location follows the SafeWay Driving Operations Manual and uses the same online scheduling and registration.

• One fleet standard. Training cars have an instructor brake, inward- and outward-facing dash cameras and GPS tracking. Lessons run on planned driving routes.

Families notice the results. As of October 2026, every SafeWay location with 35 or more Google reviews is rated between 4.5 and 5.0 stars, across more than 1,700 Google reviews in total. You can read more about our approach on the SafeWay difference page.

Where SafeWay Driving has locations

SafeWay serves families across four Texas regions. Find your nearest office on the SafeWay locations page:

• Greater Houston: driving school in Memorial (where SafeWay started), driving school in Bellaire and River Oaks, driving school in Katy and Fulshear, driving school in Sugar Land, driving school in Pearland, driving school in Sienna, driving school in Kingwood, driving school in Klein, driving school in Spring, driving school in The Woodlands and driving school in Magnolia

• Brazos Valley: driving school in Bryan/College Station

• Dallas: driving school in Park Cities

• San Antonio area: driving school in Schertz

Conclusion

SafeWay Driving has been teaching Texans to drive since 1973. It started as one Houston school with one mission, and it is owned today by a former student who came back to lead it. The locations are run by local owners, but the training, the cars and the standards are SafeWay everywhere. When you see the yellow diamond and TDLR #C3442, you know you’ve found the right SafeWay.

FAQ

Who owns SafeWay Driving?

SafeWay Driving is owned by Brad Coleman and his family. Brad, a former SafeWay student and former professional NASCAR driver, first bought the company in 2010 and bought it back in 2022 after it was owned by local investors from 2013 to 2022.

When was SafeWay Driving founded?

SafeWay Driving was founded in 1973 in Houston by educators Gene and Jeanne Walker. It was originally called Spring Branch Driving School and has trained more than 275,000 Texas drivers since.

Is SafeWay Driving a franchise?

Yes. Most SafeWay locations are owned by local franchise owners, and every location trains through the same SafeWay system, curriculum and certification. If you’re interested in owning a location, see how to franchise a SafeWay driving school.

Is SafeWay Driving the same as Safeway grocery stores?

No. SafeWay Driving is a Texas driving school with no connection to the Safeway grocery chain or to other driving schools with a similar name. The official website is safewaydriving.com and the TDLR license number is #C3442.

Is SafeWay Driving licensed in Texas?

Yes. SafeWay Driving is a licensed Texas driver education school, TDLR license #C3442. You can learn more about Texas driver education rules from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

Ready to drive the safe way? Explore teen driver education or adult driver training, find your nearest location above, or contact SafeWay Driving at 844-DRIVE-SAFE. We’ve been helping Texas families since 1973, and we’d love to help yours.