Driver Training - An Overview



So you need to choose a driving school for yourself or one of your family members and you wonder - what driving school would be right for you? While most of driving schools would do their job well, each school however might target their specific audience and support their specific set of services which might not work for you individually.

Below are the main checkpoints to consider when selecting a best driving school for you.

License Types Your Driving School Supports. Check if your school provides training for car drivers, motorcycle drivers, commercial truck drivers and so on. Note, that school bus drivers usually require special training.

Target Audience. Check if your school provides special courses for first-timers, teen-drivers, seniors and drivers with disabilities. Teen-drivers usually require special training approach which is different from training for seniors. If you are a handicapped citizen a car for your driving training might need special equipment as well as instructors skilled in training of that kind of students.

Your School's Total Years in Business. While the longest work history doesn't necessarily translate to the best training services, years in business could be considered as a valuable indicator that your Driving School knows how to adapt to the turbulent market and can withstand competition well.

School Status in DMV. Many states provide up-to-date information about local driving schools, their ratings, customer feedback etc. In Canada, for example, you can get a list of not-recognized Canadian driving schools in provincial DMV web sites, so you could filter out obvious mismatches right away.

Pricing Your School Offers. Compare your school's pricing to the pricing offered by other schools with the similar driving training services. To avoid unexpected expenses pay special attention to the fine-print. Make sure that you understand all hidden fees and charges. Ask for special offers. Many schools offer special packages with discounts which you might find interesting.

Languages of Instruction Your School Supports. We are a nation of immigrants. If you are not the native English speaker getting training in your first language could be crucial for you. Check what languages other than English are supported in that driving school.

Requesting Male or Female Instructor. , if your family has strong cultural ties with your back country it might be important for you to request male or female instructor for your kid training.. Make sure that the driving school of your choice addresses your needs here.

Formal Training in Classes. Does your school provide formal training in classes? If yes - how many hours of formal training is included into your fee? Note that while being beneficial, in class training is not mandatory and often can be done online.

Behind-the Wheel Training. Check how many hours you will get in behind-the-wheel training with that school. This is very important checkpoint. Too few hours might not be enough to pass the test in DMV. Too many hours might look like a "money-oriented" school.

Free Pick-up and Drop-off Services. Most driving schools provide free pick-up and drop-off services for their students. However these free services normally apply to specific locations only (usually expressed in miles from driving school's main office). If your pickup/drop-off location is outside of the supported area you still can get pick-up/drop-off services but with some conditions - for example, the time an instructor drives from the school office to your location could be counted towards your driving lesson time. Make sure that you double checked this rule with your school of interest.

Success Rate. Most driving schools would proudly state that the success rate of their students is %99.99. Take these statements with a punch of salt. As of today - the success rate statistics is not officially tracked by DMV; hence the most of such optimistic statements are the subject of good Driver Safety Class faith only. Get a second opinion - ask your friends, colleagues or associates about your school of interest. You can also check on-line resources, forums and web communities to get the broader opinion pool.

Free, No Obligation Initial Driving Lesson. Some schools provide free, no obligation one hour training lesson for new students. Ask if your school has this offer - try it for free and only then make your final decision.

Auto Insurance Discounts. Many driving schools provide auto insurance discounts for their students. If your school is one of them, check.

Car for Driving Test in DMV. By law, it is the duty of the candidate to provide safe, operable car for his test in DMV. Addressing this issue some schools provide discounted or even free car rent to their student for their test in DMV. Ask for this option from your school if you can not provide your own car for DMV test.

Car Fleet. Ask what types of vehicles your driving school will be using for your training. Old, worn out vehicles decrease the morale and won't help to progress your driving skills in a timely manner. Besides that newer vehicles are usually safer. However don't be over impressed by new cars proudly advertised by some schools - new car alone won't replace instructor's experience and his professional skills. Use this checkpoint with caution.
Conclusion

Go through the selection check list provided above and you will get the best driving school you are looking for.
Note, that many from above discussed questions can be answered without leaving your home.
For example, you can find all driving schools in your location using online driving school directories.

Try online driving license tests if you prefer to skip optional in-class-training classes in driving school office. Those tests are available in the web for free or for very reasonable cost if you are looking for more in-depth training.

Get comprehensive reference of U.S. road signs with explanation of each sign by visiting online road sign web references.

And finally - know your state's of residence DMV/DOL web site and make sure to visit it regularly for recent updates.

Do you want to learn how to drive the professional way? Then driving school may be the way to go. If you want to learn how to drive an automobile the right way, then you are in good company. In any given day, there are hundreds of people who flock to driving schools for one reason or another. There are those who simply want to learn how to drive (first time drivers), then there are those learning defensive driving and even more who want to lower their insurance premiums. In the US it is not uncommon to see people returning to driving school in order to have driving tickets expunged from their record. In some instances, a traffic judge can assign a driver to attend driving school for moving. In turn there could be a promise by the court to erase their violation from their driving record. It is not common to see people enrolling in driving school to avert a driver's license suspension or revocation. Many families also take their children especially teenagers to driving school in order to teach them driving etiquette.

One way of finding a good driving school is to contact your insurance agent or the public safety office for you individual state. Driving schools come in several different categories. Because one can simply plug into the school that works well for them, this works especially well. Schools that cater for passenger cars are different from, for example, schools that handle drivers who are geared to drive trucks. The same applies for semi-trucks. Depending on how fast a student learns, school can last anywhere from a few days to a few months. Again, this may vary from school to school and also the student's propensity to learn.

Then there are exotic driving schools that are geared to those who want to sharpen special interest. One of these special interests is racing which can have an element of risk. Because they are a novice, those who enroll in this type of school are not first time drivers even though the school will not necessarily turn anyone away just. Teenage drivers are especially fond of this. This kind of school also teaches how to control a vehicle in unusual circumstances. Race schools also tend to cost more than regular driving schools.

Defensive driving schools have also become very popular. This is in part due to the fact that they are mandated by many judges as a remedy for people who have been caught with moving violations especially multiple ones. People who have not committed any moving violations also enroll in defensive driving to better their driving skills and also to reduce their insurance premiums. Defensive driving is also taken by people who have committed driving violations and are on the verge of having their driver's licenses suspended. The judge thus recommends defensive driving as a way to avert this.

Compare your school's pricing to the pricing offered by other schools with the similar driving training services. While most of driving schools would do their job well, each school however might target their specific audience and support their specific set of services which might not work for you individually.

Compare your school's pricing to the pricing offered by other schools with the similar driving training services. Schools that cater for passenger cars are different from, for example, schools that handle drivers who are geared to drive trucks. Race schools also tend to cost more than regular driving schools.

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