What is Driver's Ed?

Most people are aware that in order to get a driver’s license, you need to take a driver’s ed course. But, if you’ve never taken a course before, or it’s been a while and you’re preparing your child, you might be wondering, what is driver’s ed?

All driver’s ed courses in Virginia are a combination of the following for students under 18:

• 30 Hours of Classroom Driver's Education

• 50 minutes of Observation and 50 minutes of Behind The Wheel training with an instructor for 7 days

In some cases, you’re able to take extra hours of behind the wheel training, or even sign up for private lessons if you feel that extra training is necessary. While in the classroom, students will learn about the rules of the road, what laws they need to abide by, how to read road signs, and the different road markings and lines that help keep order on the road. They’ll also learn important safety tips, including how to be a defensive driver, and how to use their mirrors and turn signals to keep themselves and other drivers safe.

When students get behind the wheel with an instructor, they will learn how to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to the open road. Instructors start out drivers in an enclosed parking lot to help the student get comfortable with the vehicle before having to navigate with other cars on the road.

The job of our instructors is to prepare each student with the information they need to drive safely on the road. Some students may need more help than others, which is why we encourage parents or guardians to be involved in their child’s driver’s ed journey, as they can offer extra hours of instruction outside of the driver’s ed experience.