Learning to Drive? Consider a Driving School

Learning to drive is a rite of passage in Alberta. Even if you don’t plan to own a car and drive every day, it’s a great skill to have. Having a valid Class 5 Driver’s Licence is a pre-requisite for many jobs. That’s why learning to drive and keeping your licence valid and your driving record clean can open doors.

A lot of parents teach their teenagers to drive. However, this isn’t always an option. And even if the option is available, professional driving instruction might be a better bet. Here is why:

Experience

A professional driving school instructor may have many years of experience in teaching. They know tips and tricks for how to explain safety concepts in a way which the new driver will easily understand.

Equipment

Most Driving Schools have vehicles which are equipped with a passenger-side safety brake, which can be very handy in preventing accidents early on in the learning process. Furthermore, Driving Schools usually have prominent signs on top of the cars, indicating to other drivers that a new driver is at the wheel. This gives other drivers a heads up to be a little more patient and cautious.

Pick up good habits (and no bad ones)

Most experienced drivers have at least a few “bad habits.” Some of these habits we are aware of, and some of them we are not. In these cases, we risk passing on bad habits to a brand new driver. Certified Driving Instructors have been tested by Alberta Transportation and are aware of the common “bad habits” that are important not to pass on. In order to renew their licence every year, driving schools have to prove that they have valid insurance and that they are in good standing.

Save your relationship

Because there isn’t a relationship already, it can be easier for the new driver to take instruction and feedback. In other words, this is one parental responsibility that may just be worth outsourcing for the sake of the parent-child relationship. Same goes for married couples. Learning to drive (and teaching someone to drive) can be stressful. Throw family relationships into the mix and you may just decide you would have been better off hiring a driving instructor.

Save money on insurance

Certified Driving Schools are often able to provide an Insurance Reduction Certificate of Completion. This certificate can save you hundreds of dollars on your Insurance premiums. Every insurance company is different in terms of what discount (if any) they are willing to provide for this certificate. It’s worth calling your broker before you enroll in the course if this is a driving factor for you (no pun intended).

Convenience

A lot of driving schools will provide free pick up and drop off from your home or from a public transit station. They will also bring you to the registry and let you use their car for your driving test. No need to call in a favour from a friend or beg your Dad. This is all included in the very reasonable package that you purchased up front.

Improve your chances of passing your Road Test

You may pass your road test more easily if you take a professional driver education course. There are no guarantees. The Alberta Road Test is a challenging test which is designed to ensure that all drivers on our roads have the required skills to keep our roads safe. All examiners in the province are using the exact same criteria to assess your driving. Pass rates are closely monitored to ensure testing is fair and consistent across the province. We have noticed that people with driver education often do better on their first attempt. The reason is simply that their instructors have provided them with the feedback required to avoid “automatic fail” and “point accumulation” mistakes which can lead to a failure. Experienced driving instructors know how to teach students to avoid these common mistakes. Therefore their students may have slightly better pass rates than people who are taught to drive by parents or friends.

Develop skills that could save a life

Learning how to drive isn’t just about knowing how to operate a motor vehicle. It’s also about reading conditions and predicting the behaviour of other drivers and even pedestrians, in order to prevent accidents. These are skills that will stay with you all your life and may save your life, the life of your passengers or other people on the road. In the scheme of things, the cost of professional driver education is a small price to pay.

Find a Certified Driving School in Calgary

Search our convenient Driving School Directory to find the school which best meets your needs. You can filter by language, certificates available and courses offered to find the right school for your needs and budget.