Do I Need to Go to A Driving School?

[atxcyclist]

I went to a driving school, but did the driving hours with my parents. The classroom time was helpful, so I can say I learned things. I don't know what it cost, but that was also 20 years ago so hardly comparable. My motorcycle license class a few years ago was $280 for 15 hours, so $360 for 6 seems a bit steep. The motorcycle class included rental of the gear and the bike as well, so even more of a strike for the class you're looking at.

[Blue4130]

5 hours ago, Syaoran said:

I don't think there's a driving school requirement here either.

Also, I'm old enough to drink my dude

If you are old enough to drink, why the heck is your dad involved in (paying?) your driving decisions? 

[GDRRiley]

I did it, I think mine was a bit less here in the US. Did I like it no, was it hard no, did I need it, probably not but it was required when I got my license at 16.5

 

The hardest thing to me about the driving test wasn't driving, it was my stupid driving graders who weren't consistent on how they graded.

I did about a 1.5-2.5k miles before I got my license. 1k was a long distance road trip. Ironically I am more comfortable at night than the day because that is how many of my earliest miles were done.

Drive as much as you can and in as many weather conditions as you can.

 

[Ja Krispie]

4 hours ago, atxcyclist said:

I went to a driving school, but did the driving hours with my parents. The classroom time was helpful, so I can say I learned things. I don't know what it cost, but that was also 20 years ago so hardly comparable. My motorcycle license class a few years ago was $280 for 15 hours, so $360 for 6 seems a bit steep. The motorcycle class included rental of the gear and the bike as well, so even more of a strike for the class you're looking at.

Typically a driving school supplies the vehicle when you're doing your driving portion. At least I don't know of anyone but driving schools that have "Student Driver" all over their vehicle

[Dylanc1500]

6 hours ago, Syaoran said:

He says he wants me to learn "the right way"

Then they should teach "granny steering" (hand to hand) vs hand over hand.

 

By the way, I went through drivers ED and it was a two day course for 8 hours each day for $150. The first day was all class work, the second was in vehicle. We drove two different types of vehicles, a full sized SUV (suburban) and a small car. They also supplied lunch both days, getting Mexican, and then Burger King (I upset them by getting a quad whopper with cheese).

 

It was worth the decrease in insurance premiums. It dropped my premiums by around $700.

[Devin92]

I think its simple enough of decision.

Step1. get the lowest quote of driving school price.

step2. see if attending driving school saves on insurance, and if the save in 1-2 year of insurance gonna cover the driving school cost.

if it covers, then go to the school, its worth it. if it does not, make sure you practice enough and there you go, a drivers license.

 

just remember, years of real life experience is really what you need to be a good/safe driver. don't risk your, your family and other's life.

[Yeroh]

I'm assuming you're from the US since this wouldn't even be a decision you'd be able to make in most of Europe.

 

There isn't really a lot of learning involved with driving an automatic car, so I suppose it doesn't make a ton of sense for you to go to a driving school to learn how to operate the car in general. That being said, I don't think that the lessons will do any harm, and getting your training for just 360 USD is crazy cheap as well. To give you a bit of perspective: Getting your driver's license in Germany involves at least 1500€, sometimes up to 3000€ depending on your driving school and location. That includes at least 12 mandatory driving lessons plus (usually) a few additional ones to iron out mistakes.

 

I still wouldn't blame you for not taking them. If it's not legally required and you feel like you're able to control the car just fine, then it's really just about the laws and rules of the road. You're not going to learn how to drive properly by the time you're getting your license either way - being a good driver requires a lot of practice and experience. I'd just say be reasonable and honest with yourself. Taking lessons isn't shameful and if you're not feeling confident in front of the steering wheel yet, it's the responsible decision to make.

[YoFavRussian]

Lookup the maneuverability for Ohio residents, tell me which one you think is worse. Parallel parking or Maneuverability.

[divito]

While each country/state is going to be a tiny bit different, typically (in NA anyways) you're never required to take a course, but insurance rates will usually be reduced if you've taken a class. In Ontario, you can take your road tests faster if you've completed a driving course (after 8 months vs 12 months), on top of the insurance benefits. 

The length of a course isn't magically going to make you skilled or experienced driver. I never took a course when I was younger, and my insurance was never egregiously higher than my friends. Lots of other things go into insurance rates so it's not make or break. If you're uncomfortable behind the wheel and would like some specific instruction that will help with your road test, a course isn't bad, but I would definitely look for some other options in terms of cost.

[Guest]

I'd recommend it. The testers have seen a million cocky drivers. They suck.

[NystriX]

do u have any other alternative to driving school?

idk from where r u but here u need at least 18.5 hours of driving in a driving school to even be able to apply for a driving test

[Curious Pineapple]

Get the proper instruction, teaching is a skill and your dad likely doesn't know the current standards to pass the test.

[bimmerman]

There is a lot more to driving than turning a wheel, pressing a pedal or two, and sometimes parking. Those are the bare minimums.

 

The instructors are well worth the cost. $50/hr for in-person experienced training (in their insured, fueled, and maintained vehicle, no less) is laughably cheap.

 

Why? The instructors know how to teach; they know how to take a cocky woefully unexperienced driver and make them think about things like, in no specific order: eyes up and scanning (no tunnel vision!), look a distance down the road not immediately in front of you, smoothness of inputs, blind spots, mirror setup, confidence in traffic, confidence in merging onto the highway (cliffnotes: be at speed BEFORE merging), expecting and anticipating other drivers' actions, recognizing road signs at a glance, emergency maneuvers eg lane change, over/understeer, emergency braking, keeping composure, blinkers, hazard lights, headlights and fogs and when to use them, etc etc etc. They also will teach you the letter of the law, not the law seen through the lens of years of accrued bad habits that every single other adult has developed.

 

Take the course. Most likely the cost for the school will reduce your insurance bill anyway.

[Kilrah]

Here it's mandatory now, so no choice. 

It used not to be, so you didn't need to go.... but you'd be almost guaranteed to fail the practical test if you didn't. They had a few little details they checked "to see if you were attentive during training" - the school would teach them to you but if you didn't go to one you'd almost invariably fail on one of these.