WOODBURY – Every high school student anticipates the day they turn sixteen: the day they are eligible to get their driving permit. But what eligible juniors don’t anticipate is the time and the struggle it takes to eventually get their license. New drivers must choose a path to learn how to drive through either a driving school or the DMV. When it comes to choosing a route, they overwhelmingly choose a driving school. But why are driving schools a green light for student drivers?
Most Nonnewaug students choose to get their license through a private driving school because of talk they heard through the grapevine.
“I got mine through a driving school,” says junior Finn Farrelly. “I’ve heard that it’s a lot more convenient and easier than choosing the DMV.”
“I’m probably going to get my license through a driving school,” says junior Sabrina Myshrall. “I don’t have my permit yet but I’ve heard what people say about the DMV and I’d rather not go through that whole process.”
Although they are more expensive and usually cost around $800, driving schools offer many benefits along with instruction.
“When I got mine through the driving school, it was super easy because they had all my paperwork ready to go,” Farrelly says. “It was over in Southbury so it was close and I knew the exact route we were going to do when I took my test.”
In Connecticut, teen drivers who completed courses through driving schools are eligible for insurance discounts which is beneficial as new driver insurance rates are through the roof.
“It gives you better and cheaper insurance if you go through a driving school,” Myshrall says. “It’s something I’d like to take advantage of in the future.”
Although the majority of students choose the path of a school, some prefer the DMV despite popular opinion.
“I went through driving school and did all my lessons but my actual license I got through the Waterbury DMV,” says junior Ada Gorka. “It was definitely different compared to everyone else who got it at a driving school. I honestly chose it because I couldn’t really drive in the driving school cars and was more comfortable with my own. The test was also a lot cheaper.”
Students who choose the DMV, however, see both the positive and negative sides of both routes.
“Some negative things people say about the DMV is that they definitely think the instructors will fail you,” Gorka says. “And they say it’s harder which is usually why people tend not to do it there. I think that it’s not like that but it definitely depends on the instructor and how their day is going. Some benefits with the driving school is that you might find it easier to drive their cars and you may know the route where you’re taking a lesson or a test a lot better.”
Nonetheless, a majority of Nonnewaug students continue to choose a driving school over the DMV, although their rationale is sometimes rooted in more than convenience.
“I heard the DMV is harder to pass and the people aren’t as nice to you,” Farrelly says. “Doing it through a driving school makes it super easy. It costs a lot more, but it’s definitely worth it.”
