FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
***** CURRENTLY NOT ACCEPTING NEW STUDENTS FROM LOS ANGELES COUNTY. ANAHEIM, YORBA LINDA AREAS, AND LAGUNA BEACH*****
DO I NEED A CAR TO TAKE DRIVING LESSONS?
Nope! You do not need a car to take the Behind-the-Wheel lessons with Safety 1st Driving School. We provide the training vehicle. Our instructors will pick you up and drop you off at your location indicated on your registration.
WHAT TYPE OF TRAINING VEHICLES DO YOU USE?
Safety 1st Driving School uses brand new Fiat 500 cars. These vehicles are extremely safe and offer a great and easy driving environment to make the lessons more pleasurable and easier. Please refer to our Fiat Safety Features page to learn all about Fiat’s amazing safety features. Our vehicles go through rigorous inspections to ensure our student’s safety.
CAN ANYONE TAKE DRIVING LESSONS?
Yes. Anyone can take our driving lessons to learn to drive and/or better their driving skills. The student must have a valid California Learner’s Permit or Driver’s License.
DO YOU TEACH SENIOR CITIZENS?
Yes, we have senior citizens programs specifically geared towards their specific needs. Call us for more details.
DO YOU OFFER ADDITIONAL DRIVING LESSONS?
Yes, based on students’ needs we offer additional lessons to make sure they are ready to drive, not just pass the test. Using our unique grading system, students’ true needs and weaknesses become very noticeable early throughout the lessons and based on the instructor’s recommendations additional lessons are provided to perfect the student’s driving abilities.
DOES YOUR ONLINE COURSE OR BEHIND-THE-WHEEL TRAINING PACKAGES EXPIRE?
The Online Course only expires once the course is completed by the student. However, the Behind-the-Wheel training portion of our packages expires 12 months from the date of purchase.
CAN YOU HELP WITH FREEWAY DRIVING?
Yes, our courses do include some freeway driving, usually during the student’s third lesson. Our experienced instructors make difficult learning situations easier. However, freeway driving is solely at the instructor’s discretion at the time of the third training session, based on the student’s level of driving ability.
MAY I (THE PARENT OR AN ADULT) RIDE ALONG WITH THE STUDENT WHILE DOING THE BEHIND-THE-WHEEL LESSONS?
It’s about safety. We strongly believe that having a third person in the vehicle creates a distraction for the student driver and the instructor. So we do not allow a third person in the vehicle. Parents will be informed of students’ progress via our electronic grading system or personally by your driving instructor.
HOW OFTEN DO YOU SCHEDULE YOUR DRIVING LESSONS?
We try our best to schedule the 1st lesson as soon as possible, based on the student’s schedule and our availability. We ONLY schedule one (1) lesson at a time and we space the lessons for about 6 to 8 weeks between each lesson. We do this so that the student can receive supervised driving with parents or any licensed driver 25 and over. Please call the office to schedule lessons after each lesson is completed. Please note that after-school hours and weekends are highly competitive, and may take more than 3 weeks to secure an appointment during certain times of the year. Please schedule the third lesson before scheduling the DMV road test appointment to ensure that the student completes the 6 hours of driver training.
HOW MANY MILES DOES EACH DRIVING LESSON INCLUDE?
Although some driving schools tend to average about 15 miles per session, at Safety 1st Driving school we believe you learn by driving. Our lessons are designed to maximize your driving time so you can learn the most. On average, students will drive about 35 to 40 miles (sometimes even more) during each two-hour lesson. This is well above industry standards to help our students get ready for real-life driving.
DO YOU ALLOW INSTRUCTORS AND STUDENTS TO TAKE BREAKS DURING BEHIND-THE-WHEEL TRAINING SESSIONS?
Instructors and students are allowed to take 5 to 10-minute breaks during Behind-the-Wheel training sessions.
DO YOU TAKE MORE THAN ONE STUDENT IN THE VEHICLE DURING THE BEHIND-THE-WHEEL TRAINING SESSION?
At Safety 1st Driving School our lessons are completely private (one student, one instructor). We take our service and our jobs extremely seriously because our student’s road safety is our responsibility. We will take every measure possible to ensure our instructors are fully engaged and focused on one student at a time. However, occasionally, we may have an instructor trainee ride along for training purposes.
WHAT DO I DO AFTER I HAVE RECEIVED MY CALIFORNIA LEARNER’S PERMIT?
Once you have received your California Learner’s Permit, you should follow the following steps:
- Begin your Behind-the-Wheel training course. California law requires minors to have six (6) hours of driver training from a driving school.
- After the first 2 hours of training from us, start driving with your parents. State requirements are 50 hours of supervised driving, including 10 hours at night. (If parents are unable to provide supervised driving, Safety 1st Driving School offers special packages that include the 50 hours as well. Call us for more information.)
- When you have completed all of the above and had your Permit for six (6) months, you may make an appointment to take the final driver license test at your local DMV field office.
- PLEASE schedule your third lesson before you schedule your driving test at your local DMV.
WHAT SHOULD I TAKE TO THE DMV TO GET MY CALIFORNIA DRIVER’S LICENSE?
Please take the following items to the DMV for your Behind-the-Wheel driver license test (Note: Also check with your local DMV to make sure all the required documents are updated).
- Original certificate of completion for driver training (Form DL 400D). Note: Safety 1st Driving School provides this certificate.
- Original learner’s permit.
- Proof of insurance and registration of the vehicle. Without these, you will not be able to take your test.
CAN I TAKE ONE OF THE TRAINING VEHICLES TO THE DMV FOR MY BEHIND-THE-WHEEL TEST?
Yes, we do offer packages that would include using our training vehicles for your DMV test. Please refer to our website or call us for more details.
CAN I CONTACT THE SAFETY 1ST OFFICE IF I HAVE QUESTIONS?
Yes, you may contact the office during our regular business hours with any questions or concerns. We want you to know that we are here for you if you need us. You may also reach us via email at info@safety1stdriversed.com. Even after you have received your driver’s license we encourage you to keep in touch and let us know how you are doing.