Westchester driving school in The Journal News

High gas prices put crimp on learning to drive

By David Schepp
The Journal News • June 16, 2008

NEW CITY - High prices for gasoline and other fuels is putting a squeeze on many livelihoods in the Lower Hudson Valley. Among the latest victims: driver-education schools and parents of driving-age teens.

Steve Green, a White Plains father of two teenage boys, is not only spending more on gasoline - as much as $500 a month, or more than double what he used to just a year ago, he said - he also is spending more time educating his boys on ways to cut down on their use of gas.

"I'm trying to get my son to understand that things have changed," said Green of his eldest son, Jason, 19, who likes to jump in the car to visit friends, say, in New Jersey.

"You really have to think twice about where you're going, how you're getting there, and drive more efficiently," Green said.

It takes about $80 at today's prices to fill up the tank of the Greens' Jeep Cherokee, one of three cars the family owns, that gets 10 to 12 miles to a gallon, Green said.

The average price for regular unleaded has surpassed $4.30 a gallon, according to a June 3 survey conducted by the Westchester County Department of Consumer Protection. In Rockland, the average price for regular rose to a bit more than $4.25 a gallon, according to a June 6 county survey.

Furthering Green's concern about the rising cost of gasoline is his other son Eric, 16, who is due to take his license test Friday and, should he pass, will likely want to drive more, including to high school in the fall.

One tip Green has given both his sons is to avoid accelerating quickly when a red light turns green.

Before, Green was concerned about the safety of gunning it at a traffic light, but today he's mindful of the fuel that's being wasted, he said.

Making young drivers aware that jack-rabbit starts are wasteful is a fine message, said AAA New York spokesman Robert Sinclair, but it shouldn't come at the cost of teaching safety first.

"We wouldn't be emphasizing the gas savings message as a means to make young drivers slow down," Sinclair said.

"If (drivers) slow down because of safety, then you'll have the byproduct of saving gasoline."

At Adrian's Driving School in Tarrytown, owner Adrian Mic said his business has been impacted by the increase in the cost to fuel his cars - a Toyota Corolla and a Honda Civic.

Eight years ago, when gas prices were much cheaper, Mic said it cost $13 to fill the tank and he charged $45 for a 60-minute driving lesson. "Now, we charge $60 and we need $50 to fill up the tank," he said. "It's a huge difference."

Mic can't raise his prices in step with the rise in fuel costs. If he did, he'd have fewer customers, he said.

Mic's current $60 rate is a $5 increase above the price he charged just two months ago, he said.

Even that incremental increase, he said, made some potential customers reconsider his service.

New Yorkers aren't required to take in-car driver instruction from a certified driving school. The state's teenagers, however, must have 20 hours of supervised instruction with an adult, usually a parent or guardian. A bill pending in Albany would raise that number to 30 hours and amend other provisions of the law as it pertains to young drivers, their passengers and their parents.

Alba Arias, president of All County Drivers Training Center Inc. in New City and Suffern, has seen a measurable decline in business from last year's levels, she said.

Arias blames the drop on less disposable income among consumers. "I just think they don't have the money. People are trying to spend on necessities," she said.

Arias, who runs a fleet of seven Toyota Corollas and trains an average of 25 students a day, said she isn't sure what she can do to counter higher fuel prices and is simply absorbing the additional cost.

"With the way the recession is ... I don't believe in putting fuel surcharges," said Arias, who charges $55 for a 45-minute private driving session.

Doing so, she said, would crimp the mission of the school, to teach safe driving techniques to a wide variety of teenagers and adults.

Reach David Schepp at dschepp@lohud.com or 845-578-2437

Driving School without peer

Adrian's Driving School is in my mind without peer. Adrian is supremely organized and genuinely concerned about the ability of his students to succeed. You are not taught how to pass the road test, you are taught how to drive a car in a variety of situations, skills that will serve you well in the road test and beyond. Adrian utilizes a full sensory approach, using visual queues as well as written diagrams that stress how to properly approach an intersection, change lanes and beyond. I highly recommend Adrian's driving school in westchester to anyone that needs to learn how to drive a car. His professionalism and teaching style stands out above the rest I have encountered. The best driving lessons you can get is with Adrian

Adrians Driving School....informations and questions

www.nysdmv.com
New York State DMV Website. General Information About Driver Licenses, On-line transactions, renew vehicle registration, Renew a drivers license, Replace a driver license, Schedule a road test, more...


CERTIFICATION OF 50 HOURS OF SUPERVISED DRIVING (MV-262)
Every driver license applicant who is 16 or 17 years old at the time of the road test, and who has a junior learner permit issued on or after February 22, 2010, must present this certification to the DMV license examiner at the time of the road test. The certification must be signed by a parent or guardian. Certification of 50 Hours of Supervised Driving MV-262.


GENERAL RULES FOR ALL DRIVERS WITH LEARNER PERMITS
Learner permits, limited-use junior driver licenses (Limited Class DJ or MJ), and full-use junior driver licenses (Class DJ or MJ) allow limited driving privileges for people learning to drive. The laws and regulations described in this publication restrict where, and under which circumstances, you may drive. If you are under age 18, these restrictions depend on where you drive in New York State and the time of day. As a learner or junior driver, it is your responsibility to know and obey the restrictions described in this publication.


Defensive Driving Class Brochure
The Point & Insurance Reduction Program (PIRP), approved by the Department of Motor Vehicles, is available through private companies or corporations, called "course sponsors," throughout New York State. Each qualifying course must meet strict standards for the safe driving information presented and program effectiveness.


Application for Driving School Instructor Certificate
Application for certification as a driving school instructor. MV-523


Personal History
Required for all owners, partners, corporate officers, managers, agents, employees and major stockholders of a driving school or private service bureau. MV-521


Eye Test Report NYSDMV
Completed by eye care practitioner to certify a driver meets basic DMV vision standard (otherwise, use form MV-80L). May be used instead of taking vision test at a DMV office. MV-619


Frequently Asked Questions About the Road Test Scheduling System

• How do I schedule a road test?
  
• How do I find road test locations?
  
• How does the on-line road test scheduling system work?
  
• I can't log on to the Road Test Scheduling System. Is the system down?
  
• Can I request a specific date, time and place for my road test?
  
• How long will it take me to get a road test appointment?
  
• How can I find out the earliest available appointment date at a specific site?
  
• Can I be put on a waiting list for an appointment slot that has been cancelled by someone else?
  
• Why do I have to cancel the appointment I have before I can look for another appointment at a different location?
  
• Do you schedule Saturday appointments anywhere?
  
• How can I confirm my appointment?
  
• What should I do if weather or a local emergency might be cause for the cancellation of my road test?
  
• Can I schedule my road test before I take the 5-hour pre-licensing course?
  
• My certificate is expiring before I can get a road test appointment. What can I do?
  
• If my certificate expires, can I renew it?
  
• What can I do if I lose my 5-hour course completion certificate?
  
• I have a foreign license. Must I take the 5-hour pre-licensing course?
  
• What should I bring to my road test appointment?
  
• If I fail my test, how long do I have to wait to reschedule another test?
  
• How many road tests can I take, and do I have to pay any additional fees?
  
• How can I ask another question about the scheduling of my road test?

Driving School in white plains

http://www.nysdmv.com/rtlocation.htm

When You Have Your Permit

Practice frequently. The DMV recommends that you practice at least 30 hours for your road test. Practice at least 10 hours in medium to high volume traffic. You can practice with a driver who has enough driving experience, but the DMV recommends that you take professional driving lessons. Most new drivers fail their road test because they were not prepared.
Attend a mandatory pre-licensing course or complete a high school or college driver education course. Most commercial driving schools licensed by the DMV offer the DMV-approved pre-licensing course. Look in the telephone directory under "Driving Instruction."
When you complete the course, you receive a pre-licensing course certificate (MV-278). You must provide the certificate number when you schedule your road test. You must also show the certificate to the road test examiner on the day of your road test.
Only students who complete a high school or college driver education course approved by the NYS Education Department (NYSED) receive an MV-285 student certificate. (This certificate was called a "blue card" in the past.) You do not receive an MV-285 if you complete the pre-licensing course. The DMV does not provide a list of approved driver education courses. Contact your school or the NYSED.
Schedule a Road Test. Make an appointment for a road test by phone or schedule a road test on-line. The test date is normally from three to ten weeks after the date that you make the appointment. The time between an appointment and the road test is normally longer in the summer.
Before you take your road test, read the DMV brochure, Road Test Tips.
After your road test, the examiner will inform you of the results. If you did not pass, you can schedule another road test. If you do not pass the second road test, you must pay a $10 fee to take a maximum of two more road tests.
You can renew a learner permit if:
You passed the written test in the last two years, and
Your permit expired in the last 30 days.
Because learner permits are normally issued for 5 years, most new drivers never renew their learner permits.

When You Apply for a Learner Permit

Complete form MV-44 (Driver License Application). Take the form and your proofs of identity and date of birth to a local DMV office. Take a vision test at the DMV office, or bring a valid form MV-619 (Eye Test Report) completed by an eye-care professional. If the form MV-619 has a print date of 9/03 or earlier, the form is valid for 6 months after the date of the eye test. If the form has a print date of 3/04 or later, the eye-care professional marks a box on the form to indicate if the form is valid for 6 months or for 12 months after the date of the eye test. Bring cash, a personal check or a credit card to pay the application fee and the driver license fee. See the driver license fee schedule to determine your fee.
Take the written permit test. An appointment is not required, but you must arrive at the DMV office at least one half hour before the office closing time. The written test for a commercial learner permit (CDL) is given during specific hours. Contact your local DMV office to determine when the test is given. To pass the test, you must give the correct answers to at least 14 of the 20 multiple-choice questions, which includes the correct answers to at least two of the four questions about road signs.
If you do not pass, you can take the written test again any number of times without a limit. You do not pay additional fees to take the test more than one time. If you do not pass, the DMV recommends that you study the Driver's Manual and take the test on another day. If you pass the test, the DMV issues you a learner permit valid for approximately 5 years. The exact expiration date depends on your date of birth and the date that you applied for the permit.
You are not required to take the written test if you have form MV-285 (Driver Education Student Certificate of Completion).
Read the DMV brochure, Learner Permits and Junior Licenses, to learn about the restricted driving privileges for learner permits and junior licenses.

How to Get Your Driver License

What You Need to Know to Apply for a Learner Permit:
You must be 16 years of age or older to apply for a learner permit. If you are under the age of 18, your parent or your legal guardian must sign the consent section of your form MV-44 (Driver License Application). Your parent or legal guardian can sign the form before you bring it to a DMV office. Your parent or legal guardian is not required to go to the DMV office with you to sign form MV-44. You do not require consent if you are age 17 and you have form MV-285 (Driver Education Student Certificate of Completion).
Study the New York State Driver's Manual. You can read the Driver's Manual on-line and take practice quizzes, or you can get a Driver's Manual from your local DMV office or DMV Call Center. Part Two and Part Three of the Driver's Manual contain the information you must know to pass the written test to get a learner permit. You are not required to take the written test if you have form MV-285 (Driver Education Student Certificate of Completion).
You must have proof of identity. The proof must have a total value of at least six points and must prove your date of birth. If you do not have 6 points of proof of identity, your parent or your legal guardian can complete form MV-45 at a DMV office and show proof of identity.
You must show your Social Security card. If you are not eligible for a Social Security Number, you must get a letter from the Social Security Administration that indicates that you are not eligible for a Social Security Number. You must show the letter to the DMV

Driving School White Plains

Adrian is AMAZING!!! He is patient, professional, encouraging, makes you feel confident throughout all the lessons. NO question is too silly and all his answers come with a positive response. He is the perfect person you need sitting right next to you when you are scared, nervous and excited in the car. He covers all the steps needed for the road test as well as everyday driving and the “unexpected” events on the road. Mulţumesc , tu eşti cel mai bun Adrian!!! Johanna from “Bronxville” :-)

Adrians Driving School

Thank you for choosing Adrian's Driving School. We are located in the heart of Westchester, in Tarrytown, New York. Adrian's Driving School is a private business, approved by NYS DMV, dedicated to teaching smart and safe vehicle driving.Our instructors are dedicated to provide the highest level of service to both teenagers and adults. They are well trained, patient and very professional, and are licensed by New York State.Nervous drivers and senior citizens are welcome. We can help you restore your confidence in your driving skills. Also, we offer refresher lessons for people who have passed the road test a while ago, but have no experience behind the wheel.

Westchester Driving School

Hi,I come from India and have taken only two lessons with Adrian and got my Driving Permit today after a successful road test. I can only have praises for the driving school. Adrian (instructor) is very polite, attentive and gives you a instant feedback of your mistakes. He is patient with students to help them overcome the initial driving fear and gain confidence. I highly recoomend Adrian's for the following reasons:1. Personalized instructions2. Quality of the Car3. Tips for parallel parking, 3-point turn etc are amazing. It seems so easy after learning from him. 4. Very timely. 5. Adrians experience with students and inspectors makes him very capable of telling you the right thing at the right time. 6. Cost of an hour lesson with Adrian is un-believeable considering the amount of tips you get from him and the practice you can do. So Fasten your seat belts, check the mirrors, start the car and step on the gas (dont forget the driving gear)... Adrians.. You Rock!!Safe Driving!!!Thanks Adrian for everything