State Approval

One of the initial questions that you must determine when choosing a driving school, whether it is one that you physically visit or one that you attend online, is whether or not the school is approved by the state. Some online driving schools, such as I Drive Safely allows you to pick your state out of a drop down box and determine if the program is approved in the state.

Pricing

The second thing you will want to investigate in your endeavors to find the perfect driving school is the pricing of the program. Obviously, the defensive driving school that you choose will depend on the amount you wish to spend on the program. You will want to determine.

About the Schools

There are several things about the schools themselves that you are going to want to investigate before choosing a school. Lon Anderson and John Townsend offer in the Washington Post several different ways to determine if a program is right for you. The school should have certified instructors who should be licensed. There should also be plenty of classroom space. There should be 6 to 8 weeks of lessons with both classroom and in-car sessions. A great place to start, according to Anderson and Townsend is the DMV, MVA or the Better Business Bureau.

Taking the wheel of a car is considered to be the first step to adulthood and eventual independence. For those of us who missed out getting our licenses at 18, there’s no need to worry. It’s never too late to learn.

All states require you to have a valid driving license in order to drive. These licenses have to be obtained from the respective Department of Motor Vehicles of the state you live in, after passing the required tests which include written as well as practical ones.

Now there’s just one small hitch. How do you pass a practical driving test without knowing how to drive? The answer comes in the form a driving instructor.

All you have to do is to enroll in a driving school and you’ll soon find yourself behind the wheel of a car, scaring the wits out of the instructor assigned to teach you the skills of driving. The job of the instructor can be a little hard, especially since it involves him putting his life into your inexperienced hands, literally.

Let’s take a look at some of the qualifications and requirements a driving instructor must go through to make such a sacrifice.

Most states require driving instructors to be 21 years of age and have a minimum of 2 years of recent licensed driving experience. They must also be certified by the Department of Motor Vehicles of the state they reside in as a certified driving school instructor.

Education-wise, they must either have a high school diploma or a general educational development diploma. Furthermore, they must have completed a 30 hour driving school instructor’s course of study within the first year of them getting their license.

They must also pass vision tests, written tests, road sign tests, and instructor road tests that are specifically designed for driving school instructors. Phew! That’s a long list of qualifications and requirements.

So the next time you want to scream back at your driving school instructor, remember that his entire family depends on your driving skills to see that he gets back home from work safe.