Drivers
Training

Are you looking for the best West Michigan drivers education training school for you or your teen in the Muskegon, Grandville, or Kalamazoo/Portage area? Buckle In Driving Academy offers a unique classroom education with our state of the art virtual reality simulator, as well as closely supervised on-the-road training.

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Teen SEGMENT 1
TRAINING

Teen SEGMENT 2
TRAINING

Adult Drivers
TRAINING

WHERE CAN YOU GET DRIVERS TRAINING?

Many years ago, it was typical for kids to get drivers training through their school districts. However, this is no longer the case in many places. Even where it is available, it also is no help for older people who didn’t learn to drive at a district program. In either case, those who want to learn this essential skill are left to find drivers training programs of their own.

It’s fairly easy to find plenty of private companies offering programs for student drivers. The most obvious difference you’ll find between them is whether they aim to teach teens or adults, though many of them will cover both markets at least to some extent.

When you’re looking for a school to teach your teen, you should go for one that offers both classroom and on-the-road training.

If you’re seeking adult training, you’ll find a range of options. Private lessons are offered by schools that would have classroom training for teens. Other schools exist that focus on teaching adults as brand-new drivers.

Once you find an institution that can cover your basic needs, it’s time to look deeper. Seek one that offers simulations of unsafe behavior, such as texting and driving, so your child can see results in a safe way. Also, look for a student drivers academy that lets them use a variety of vehicle types for the road portion of training. This will make it easier for your family’s new driver to transition to safely driving your own vehicle after the classes end.

DO DRIVING CLASSES TEACH ALL TEENS WHAT THEY NEED TO KNOW TO OPERATE A VEHICLE?

Many driving schools advertise that they offer driving classes. This can lead some to believe that this is all there is to teen driving lessons. However, the reality is that the classroom segments are just part of the experience. The other requirement is on-the-road training. This is because driving a vehicle, like many skills, requires actual practice as well as book understanding.

The classroom aspect of teen driving lessons covers a large amount of material. Some of this material involves teaching the laws of driving on both Michigan roads and interstate freeways. What road signs mean, the times of day a school zone speed limit is active, the meanings of road markings, and much more of this type of material is covered. Teens will also learn about laws that cover things like when and how to use a baby seat in the car, how seatbelt regulations vary according to the passenger’s age, open bottle regulations, and more.

Classroom education doesn’t stop there. Understanding of the physics relevant to driving is also obtained. This covers things like the differences in stopping distance created by speed and road condition, the reason a small car will lose to a giant truck in a crash, and related information. By understanding these things, new drivers can better predict what is safe in a variety of situations.

On-the-road training takes place in a vehicle that has been modified so that a driving instructor can stop the car if need be. The student will be accompanied on a variety of trips ranging from slow neighborhood drives to fast freeway driving. This ensures that the student properly applies what was learned in his or her classroom-based teen driving lessons.

WHAT IS INVOLVED IN TEEN DRIVING EDUCATION?

If it’s been a long time since you’ve gotten your driver’s license, you probably wonder just what takes place in a teen driving school today. Some things are much the same as they ever were, but others are new or are upgrades to the old system. Here are some of the key parts of modern teen driving education:

A drivers’ training program still has a classroom portion and an on-the-road portion. Much of the classroom portion covers things like the rules of the road, including what common road signs mean, where to stop in relation to a crosswalk, and who has the right-of-way at a four-way stop. Students will also learn about stopping distances on dry and wet pavement, tips for driving through the Michigan snow and ice, and similar material. Much of this will be learned before the students get to drive anything.

The on-the-road portion puts students behind the wheel, usually for the first time. Though a few of the kids may have (illegally) driven a bit earlier, the teen driving school will assume that none have done so. This is not only safer but ensures that all of the students learn essentials that they may not know even if they were allowed to drive down some back road previous to enrollment.

While these main factors are the same as they were 30 years ago and before, there are updates that you should look for from a teen driving school of today. One of the best upgrades is the introduction of driving simulation technology. This lets students virtually experience what it’s like to do something like texting and driving, all with no actual risk. Buckle In Driving Academy is one of the only companies in West Michigan offering this experience for their students.

Also, look for a school that offers multiple types of cars to drive. This lets them better transition to driving the family car once the program ends.