How to Choose a Driving School

Both experienced drivers and youngsters may find driving school attendance a great idea. There is a significant number of such agencies today, but how to choose the right one?

The first thing you should keep in mind when looking for a school – don’t hurry. Research takes time because you want to find out the school and its accreditation as well as your future driving instructor and his or her experience. Each driving school is different so definitely take an in-depth look and ask some questions before you decide which one suits you best.

Do Your Research
First and foremost, you need to check if a school has state accreditation. The rules and regulations can vary from state to state. If you don’t know where to find this information, start with checking your region’s Motor Vehicle Department. If you already have a car and want to apply for defensive-driving courses, then you need to find out whether a chosen school can cut your insurance rate.

Learn More about the Instructors
A student driver should see an instructor as an excellent example to follow. Perfect teachers know how to be soft and strict at the same time. Unfortunately, not everyone can keep these traits in an ideal balance. While it is hard to know about your future instructor’s personality before you start taking lessons, you may find out more about his or her qualifications. How long has he or she been teaching? Does he or she have any document that approves him or her as an educator? Reputable agencies have no problems with sharing such information with students, so don’t be shy to ask. If they cannot give you any sufficient information – move to the next school.

Practice Time
The most important part of your learning is driving lessons on the road. Understanding the rules, in theory, is not the same as learning how to park and learning how to park is not the same as driving on an overloaded city road. You need to know how many practice hours are included in the course and what kind of practice that includes. Consider those schools that devote maximum time to actual driving.

Check out the Classroom
Visit the classroom and take a look at the equipment they have. What kind of learning tools do they offer? Are there any computers, simulators, or anything else? What textbooks do they use? In case they don’t have textbooks, find out what materials are used to build the program.

Check the Training Cars
If possible, check the vehicles used in the school for practical lessons. Not only should they be in good condition, they also must be marked as training cars. The most critical aspect– all vehicles must be appropriately insured.

Find out more about the Program
There are official programs approved by the state, and some schools use them. Others don’t. Find out if your preferred agency has a state-approved program and if it doesn’t – ask if national safety organizations support them.

Seek for individualized instruction
Small classes are much better than large groups, so choose the one that contains no more than 30 learners. When teachers have too many students in a class, they cannot pay enough attention to each one individually. Driving courses must also have enough hours for students to communicate directly with the instructor face-to-face. Driving is more than just a set of rules; it is also about values. Make sure that your instructor will have the opportunity to guide you personally and discuss problems with you in a trustful environment.

Whether you are a teenager or already a driver, you need to be responsible, when choosing a driving school. Think less about the price and more about the reliability.

All in all, to become a great driver, who knows how to stay safe on the road, you need to pass the right course with professional and experienced instructors. Consider such factors as state accreditation, number of students in a class, learning materials, equipment, quality of training cars, etc.

If something seems suspicious to you – move to another option. Gladly, there is a great number of agencies available. You have to think about your future and safety when choosing one.

Happy driving!

Susan Wallace is a blogger and guest-post writer interested in everything connected with education. Currently, she works as a consultant at customwriting.com. She tests and checks various online courses and gathers information about the programs offered by different agencies, including driving schools. Susan believes that self-education in all fields is crucial and helps her readers choose the best options.

Photo: Ildar Sagdejev licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International, 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license.

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