If you're road-hopeful and under 18, you're going to have to sit through drivers education class before you can ride off into the sunset in your sweet ride. (For those past 18, you won't be required to take one - but it's not a bad idea.) Since drivers ed is no longer a part of the curriculum at many high schools, it seems it's now up to you to find a good driving school on your own.
When it comes to finding a good driving school, cost and distance are important factors to consider - who wants to pay an expensive tuition on top of round-trip gas? But drivers ed classes are essential to your future driving confidence and safety, so they're worth a bit of an investment. Since most states require between 24-30 hours of classroom training plus 6 of actual driving instruction, you'll want to make sure to enroll in the best possible school for your money and time. So keep these four steps in mind when looking for the best driving school:
Step One: Scout Your Options
This is easy: search for schools in your vicinity. Flip through the yellow pages, do a search online, or ask a friend for their recommendation. When you've got a couple of schools on your list, it's time to narrow it down.
Step Two: Weed 'Em Out
It's important to call any driving schools you may be interested in to make sure they're accredited by your state's DMV (sometimes you can even find this out online). If they are, ask or check their websites to see what their prices and lesson packages are like - this should also give you some idea of how their customer service is. Pretty much like what you hear? Go ahead and schedule a tour. It is definitely worth the effort of checking out each place - you'll be spending a bit of time there, so make sure it's somewhere you like and feel at ease in.
Step Three: Pay A Visit
Once there, survey the school: do you feel at ease there? Do they seem organized, helpful? The best school will have decent sized classes, up-to-date classrooms & student cars, and driving simulators for realistic, safe practice. The instructors should be knowledgeable and give each student plenty of one-on-one time. Ask about the class curriculum; it should teach useful driving skills like defensive driving and car maintenance, not just basics out of the DMV manual. If a school doesn't measure up, keep it moving until you've found a winner.
Step Four: Getting the Finances Straight
If you have found an amazing school that you love, but the tuition is a little bit much for your tastes, don't be shy about negotiating. Most driving schools are pretty flexible about offering special discounts and installment plans to new students, so go ahead and ask. A good school's number one priority is keeping the customer happy, so they shouldn't be afraid to bend just a bit.
So that's all! Yes, of course choosing a random driving school in the phone book is much simpler and faster than following these steps, but finding the right one is definitely worth your time. Drivers ed will teach you the skills and maneuvers that will benefit you for as long as you drive, and that knowledge may even help save your life one day. Plus, wouldn't you rather enroll at a driving school that actually makes the experience fun, interactive, and useful?
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Want a little help earning your drivers license? Go to http://www.driversed-game.com, where you can play some virtual drivers ed games and learn all our tips to acing the drivers test.
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