There seems to be a lot of confusion as to what Driver’s Education is, so let me try to explain.

-         Driver Education is for 16 and 17 year old students that want to drive before their 18^th birthday. Only State Education Department Approved secondary and post secondary schools (that means high schools and colleges) may offer Driver Education. A Driving School can not issue a Certificate of Completion (called an MV-285). If a Driving School tells you that they can give you private driver education, or that you don’t have to attend for 48 hours total, or that you only need the driving portion, etc. they are not telling you the truth.

o       Public and nonpublic schools, BOCES, and colleges may contract with a licensed commercial driving school for IN-CAR INSTRUCTION ONLY.

o       Commercial driving schools MAY NOT collect checks or money from students.

o        Commercial driving schools MAY NOT issue a Student Certificate of Completion (MV-285).

o       An approved Driver Traffic Safety Education teacher employed by a public or nonpublic school must teach all classroom instruction.

These regulations are from the NYS Education Department website, they are not negotiable and can not be modified.

Once you have determined that you want to attend Driver Education, what is the next step?

First, determine if your child meets the criteria for enrollment;

-         Will they be 16 on or before the first day of class?

-         Can you locate their original Birth Certificate and original Social Security Card?

-         Can they be available during the scheduled times for Driver Education?

-         Can they get to and from Francis School once per week?

Next, be sure of what you are getting;

o       How long has the school had a successful Driver Education Program? My Grandfather was certified and started teaching Driver Education in March of 1952 ... our family has been teaching people to drive for more then 56 years!!!

o       Will you use the same vehicle and instructor every week? At Francis School you will!

o       Is the school approved to give the written permit test on site? Francis School is approved to give the written permit test on site!!

o       What type of car will I be driving in? Francis School has multiple vehicles available including a 2005 Ford Crown Victoria, a 2004 Honda CR-V, two 2003 Nissan Altima’s and a 2001 Ford Taurus.

o       Who maintains the vehicles (hopefully a certified mechanic, not the instructors)? Our vehicles are maintained by an ASE Certified mechanic with over 25 years of experience.

o       What type of safety equipment does the vehicle have? Francis School’s vehicles have air bags and anti-lock brakes in addition to the required dual braking system. There are permanently mounted instructor mirrors installed as well as fire extinguishers and safety triangles in the trunk. You will not see our cars parked at the supermarket being used as a personal vehicle, they are used exclusively for driving instruction.

o       What type of facility will the classroom portion take place in? Francis School conducts all classes in our school. Classes are not located in the basement of a church or community center. Our entire building is built to NYS Education Department standards.

o       Are the vehicles and classroom heated and air conditioned? All of our vehicles as well as are entire building I heated and has air conditioning. You can not learn in an uncomfortable environment.

o        Will the school schedule the road test and if so how much does it cost? Francis School will schedule your road test for free. As many times as you want. Call us in 2 years and we will still be here to answer your questions and provide confirmation of attendance in Drivers Education. We have been around since 1971, and plan to stay here for along time to come.

o       Will the same vehicle I learned in be available for the road test? Francis School will schedule your road test with the same driver and vehicle you learned in all through Driver Education. Same person, same car, same maneuvers…95% of our students pass the road test the first time!!

o       What happens if I fail the road test the first time? You can take your road test again, it’s that simple. The biggest obstacle for most students is NERVES!!! Many students underestimate how nervous they will be at the road test and fail for silly mistakes. It’s not the end of the world, just take it again.

Next, go to http://www.francisschool.com/DriverEducation/index.htm to get the available class dates and times.

-         Fill-in and print out the application;

-         Make your payment online if paying with a credit card and call us to confirm dates and times, you will need to mail or fax the application or;

-         Bring the filled application to us here at the Francis School and make a schedule and your payment in person (cash, check or money order accepted);

-         Once you are registered for Driver Education, you make take your written permit test here for free!!

-         You will attend classes on the designated dates and times, your attendance will be noted.

-         You will have driving instruction and lecture class at least once per week, generally for 90 minutes at a time. A typical schedule would be Monday’s Lecture class from 4:00PM-5:30PM and then driving from 5:30PM-7:00PM. One day, three hours….done!

-         At the end of the program, we will ask how you would like to take the road test….whether you will use the car from Driver’s Education or your own car, then we will schedule your road test.

You will need to take a look at the following forms in order to get a license for the first time.

CCRP1-tells you how to go about getting your first license

MV44.1-This is the instructions on how to fill out the application for your license

MV-44-This is the actual application for your permit and/or license

ID-44 - This is the list of acceptable proofs of identity

All of these forms are available on the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles web site…we have just assembled the specific ones you need to get a license for the first time.

*****PARENTS*****

IT IS ILLEGAL TO PRACTICE DRIVE WITH A STUDENT HOLDING A LEARNER PERMIT CLASS DJ INSIDE THE 5 BOROS OF NYC UNLESS YOU HAVE DUAL BRAKES INSTALLED IN THE VEHICLE.

Click here for details on the above restriction.

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