All about driving lessons at Drive Smart Georgia
Driving lessons at Drive Smart Georgia can be a bit daunting, especially for nervous new drivers and their parents. Have no fear, this isn’t our first rodeo! In fact, we’ve been doing this for 12 years and taught more than 25,000 teens. You’re in good hands, but we certainly understand your concerns.
It seems like just yesterday when you took the training wheels off your child’s bike. Yikes. Now, it’s 2021 and time for your teen to learn how to drive a car. This all-important milestone is an exciting time for teens, but can be a bit scary for concerned parents, like you!
Rest assured…it will be OK. Take a few deep breaths and relax. We’ve got you covered. If your child is going to start in-car driving lessons at Drive Smart Georgia soon, here is what you can expect.
Questions and answers about driving lessons
at Drive Smart Georgia
Q: When should I schedule In-Car Driving Lessons?
A: After your teen driver completes the 30-hour Drivers Ed class, you’ll receive an email from us with instructions on how to create an account on Drive Scout, our proprietary scheduling software.
When you click on the link in the email, you’ll be prompted to fill out an online form with your teen’s information and your info too. It typically takes up to 72 hours after submitting the form to verify and activate your account.
Once activated, you’ll then be able to schedule your teen’s driving lessons on Drive Scout. Don’t forget to write down your login and password info.
Q: Can my teen immediately begin driving lessons?
A: Yes, our students can begin their driving lessons upon completion of the Drivers Ed class and when their Drive Scout account is activated.
All students have three months to complete their driving lessons. Because students need time to practice what they learned during a lesson before proceeding to the next one, they must wait seven days between sessions.
Q: What is the car like? Is it safe?
A: Absolutely! All of our cars are dependable late models that are always clean. The best news is that here is an extra brake and accelerator on the instructor’s side – just in case.
Q: What will my teen work on during the driving lessons at Drive Smart Georgia?
A: As you might imagine, our students have varying levels of experience out on the road. Therefore, instructional needs are as different as each individual student. In other words, no two lessons are ever alike.
Based on experience, our highly trained and patient instructors will cover how to handle the vehicle, road signs, rules of the road, and basic road skills (straight line backing, parallel parking and the turn-about). Your teen will practice IPDE (identify, predict, decide, and execute). Residential, interstate, and rush hour driving will also be covered as experience warrants.
Q: What does my teen need to bring to his driving lesson at Drive Smart Georgia?
A: By law, students are required to have their permit with them whenever they are driving. At the beginning of the lesson, the instructor will ask the student for the permit. If the student is unable to produce it, the lesson will be cancelled, and a $50 fee will be incurred.
For the safety reasons, we strongly recommend that students wear closed-toe shoes (no slip-ons or slippers) for all driving lessons.
Q: Does the instructor provide feedback after each in-car driving lesson?
A: Absolutely! Our instructors meet with parents both before and after each lesson. Prior to the lesson, we discuss student needs and parent expectations. Following the lesson, we review progress and skills covered.
Additionally, the instructor will post comments and a review of skills on the student’s Drive Scout account. Parents can view the assessment 24 hours after each in-car lesson.
Q: What can I do between driving lessons to help my teen become a better driver?
A: Practice, practice, practice! Your teen driver’s comfort level and confidence increase over time with experience. Teaching a teen to drive is a partnership between the driving school and the parent. Obviously, the student is not going to learn how to drive in a single lesson or even over the 6-hour program.
In addition to other state requirements, your teen must have 40 hours of supervised driving experience on the road, which must include six hours of night driving, to be eligible to obtain a driver’s license. Practice is the best way to guarantee your teen’s road test readiness and safety out on the road when they become licensed, unsupervised drivers.
Q: Where can we practice parallel parking?
A: Our location in Johns Creek features the biggest practice facility in Metro Atlanta. It’s set-up with cones to practice parallel parking. Feel free to stop by to brush up those tricky skills when the course is not occupied by an instructor/student. Because we’re closed on Sundays, the course is open all day.
COVID-19 precautions during driving lessons
at Drive Smart Georgia
Safety during our in-car driving lessons continues to be our #1 priority at Drive Smart Georgia.
However, we have updated our COVID-19 precautions to align with Gov. Kemp’s new
executive order that he signed on April 30, 2021 and revised CDC recommendations about
mask wearing and social distancing.
In keeping with the executive order and CDC guidelines, Drive Smart Georgia has revised our
COVID-19 precautions during our in-car driving lessons to below.
- All lessons will continue to be conducted from our locations in order to give our instructors more time to disinfect our vehicles between sessions.
- Before the lesson, each student must answer a quick health questionnaire and have their temperature checked with a no-contact scan thermometer.
- All vaccinated and non-vaccinated students and instructors must wear a mask at all times during driving lessons and road tests.
- Our instructors have signed agreements that they will not report work if they do not feel well.
- Upon arrival, please stay in your vehicle. You will receive a text from your instructor when your driving lesson is scheduled to start. The text will include the vehicle number of the car your child will use for the lesson. Vehicle numbers are located on the front and back bumpers of our cars. Our instructor will be standing next to the vehicle. We’re doing this to limit your contact with our office staff. Everything will be conducted outside or in the vehicle.
- Instructors will disinfect every surface, switch, mirror, steering wheel, seats and more before and after each driving lesson.
Our online Help Center provides a wealth of valuable information about driving lessons at Drive Smart Georgia
For even more answers to your questions, be sure to visit our new online Help Center and type your question into the search bar.
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