Choosing a Driving School for Your Teen

It’s a milestone moment that fills parents with both excitement and anxiety: Your teen is ready to learn to drive.

Now, how do you choose the best driving school?

Not every parent is up for being their child’s primary driving instructor. With something as important as learning the rules of the road, you want to ensure your teen gets the most effective and safe experience possible.

When looking for quality driving schools for teens, stellar reputation and a history of turning out safe drivers is important, as is a school that provides not only time behind the wheel, but also classroom instruction and covers the fundamentals of defensive driving and risk prevention.

Professional driving schools can also help everyone in the family breathe easier.

“Learning from a professional instructor can help alleviate some of the stress and tension that may arise when learning from a parent or guardian,” said Steven Rossetti, director of driver training for AAA Northeast. “Reputable driving schools, like AAA, offer a well-organized and structured curriculum covering theoretical knowledge and practical skills necessary for safe driving.”

AAA Driving School is available all over the country, including 22 locations in the Northeast with 98 instructors. Learn more.

Still, driving schools cannot do the job alone. AAA recommends that each student participate in at least 50 hours of supervised driving. Parent or guardian involvement in learning to drive is critical.

AAA Driver Training

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How to Choose the Best Driving School

Track record is essential for finding a good driving school for teens. To find the best program for you and your child, AAA recommends the following:

• Make sure the school belongs to a professional national or state association for driver education and safety organizations, such as The American Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association and the Driving School Association of the Americas.
• Ensure the school has professional-looking and clean facilities and well-maintained cars.
• The school should offer both classroom instruction and behind-the-wheel training. Classroom lessons should be integrated into driving practice. The course should last at least four to six weeks.
• Confirm that the school has no complaints filed against it, and that it is willing to provide references. You may be able to find this information by checking with your DMV/RMV driver education unit.
• AAA Driving School provides resources parents can use while they are practicing driving with their teens. Check out AAA’s Driver Training School Parent Guide.

Also, don’t forget to register your driver-to-be for lessons way in advance of popular times, such as school vacations and summer break.

AAA Driver Training

AAA Driving School has been in business for more than 80 years and has a national reputation for quality driver training and safety education.

“We wrote the book on how to drive; it’s called ‘How to Drive,’” said Rossetti, and it is used by driving schools across the country. “It is the required curriculum for several states. Additionally, we offer member exclusive pricing and a free membership for full program graduates.”

AAA also encourages students enrolled in the driving school and their parents to sign a Parent-Teen Driving Agreement, that includes rules for teens to follow while learning to drive and driving.

“At AAA Driving School, our motto is ‘Creating Lifelong Safe Drivers,’” Rossetti said.

Enroll in AAA Driving School today.

Interested in becoming a driving instructor? AAA Northeast is hiring. We are offering a $1,500 signing bonus for full-time positions and $1,000 for part-time driving instructor positions. Apply online at AAA Northeast Careers.