Driver education in Long Beach, CA

Students must obtain their permit and contact their instructor within 30 days of the reserved session start date to avoid rescheduling fees and delayed lessons. All behind-the-wheel lessons must be completed within a year of the reserved session date. Fees cannot be waived if the student is delayed in obtaining their permit. No refunds after 1 year.

Lessons are 1 hour each, but keep in mind that teens under 17½ must hold their permit for at least 6 months. The permit is not valid until signed by an instructor during the first behind-the-wheel lesson; please do not allow your teen to drive until their permit is signed. Subsequent lessons are spaced out over the mandatory 6-month waiting time to allow the student time to practice between lessons. We try to schedule a student's last lesson close to their road test date. Students must also complete 50 hours of supervised driving, including 10 hours at night, with a parent or guardian before taking their road test. A parent or guardian must sign under penalty of perjury confirming their student completed 50 hours of supervised driving.

AAA has designed routes for each lesson that challenge new drivers and meet certain learning objectives. These routes begin and end at a AAA location to provide instruction consistency and efficient use of lesson time.

More than an hour behind the wheel at a time can add to the already-stressful learning experience. Hour-long lessons allow us to spread out the learning process over a longer period and to spend quality instruction time with the student. Students spend 55 minutes behind the wheel; the last 5 minutes are spent discussing the student's performance, practice suggestions, and scheduling the next lesson.

Our program is designed around safety, not speed of completion. We space out lessons so the student has contact with their instructor during the 6-month learning process and just before taking the road test.