Keys Driving School

Segment One Classes are $360. We offer highly skilled instruction with a stress free environment. This class is 24 hours of classroom instruction (12 classes, two hours long) and 6 hours of behind the wheel drive coaching. Students must be at least 14 years and 8 months old on the first day of class. On day one, we set up student driving partners and schedule driving times. During the school year, we pick up students at their school at 3pm and drive for two hours, each student driving for two, half hour shifts. Then we arrive at Keys Driving where they have class which is 5 30-7 30. After class, we drive with other students for two hours and they drop themselves off at their home when finished at 9 30. The students will return home with their driving schedule after the first class. Each student will have six drive times. We are flexible and can change the driving time if given enough notice. Other than the six drive times, the students are responsible for getting themselves to and from class on time. If the students are picked up promptly, that helps us get out driving and return the students home as early as possible in the evening. Summer classes are 9 to 11 am. Students will arrange drive times on the first day and will be picked up and dropped off at their home, not school. Again, picking up your student promptly at 11 00 will help us keep our schedule timely. The state examination is given on the last day of class. The students will be issued a certificate of completion when their drives are finished, exam is passed and final payments have been made. This green certificate should be presented to the Secretary of State’s office as soon as possible so that the Level One Driver’s License can be issued. For students already 16 or nearly 16, this is critical. They must hold their level one license for at least 6 months from the date of issue before they can qualify for a level two license (independent drivers license).

Segment Two Classes are $45. Classes are two hours a day for three days in a row. Segment Two is a review class designed to bring the driver’s responsibility to the forefront just prior to the student becoming an independent driver. Defensive driving, defusing road rage, alcohol and drug abuse issues and safe driving practices are all covered. We talk about the passing the road test and give them the final exam. After the student has passed this class, they are ready to make an appointment to take the road test with a third party road test examiner.

Keys Instructors also drive with adult drivers who are learning for the first time or want to refresh their skills in preparation for an upcoming road test.

Michigan has instituted a graduated driver education system for drivers aged 14 years and 8 months up to 18 years of age. This licensing system has been credited with greatly decreasing teen driver deaths and accidents in the first two years of driving. Many insurance companies offer lower premiums for teens who have successfully completed an accredited driver education program. The first step is to complete a Segment One Driver Training program. You must be at least 14 years, 8 months old or older for this class. It is 24 hours of classroom instruction and 6 hours of behind the wheel, 4 hours of observation, on the road training with an instructor. The state examination is given and the student receives a certificate of completion. Keys Driving offers this instruction for $360. The completion certificate must be presented at the Secretary of States office by the student and a parent. They will issue the Level One Driver’s License. Some may refer to this as their “permit”. It allows the student to drive with a parent or another adult approved by them. The student must keep a driving log during the six months (possibly longer) that they hold the Level One license. The log should be kept until it has recorded 50 hours of driving practice. When the new driver has held their level one license for nearly 6 months, or the student is approaching their 16th birthday, they should enroll in the Segment Two Driver Training program. This is a 6 hour classroom only review class. This class is three days in a row for two hours a day that reiterates defensive driving practices, defuses road rage, revisits alcohol and drug abuse issues and safe driving practices. The exam is given and successful students receive a certificate of completion. Keys Driving offers this class each month for $45. You must show your log and level one license on the first day of class. This class may not be taken sooner than 4 months after completing segment one. Next, the student and parent must make an appointment with an independent, third party road tester. They should expect to pay about $50 for the road test. They will need to bring their driving log, level one license, the certificate of segment two completion and the car in which they will be tested. Be certain everything on the car is in working order. Testing includes a parking lot section and an on the road section. Speeding is the most often listed reason for failure on the road test. Once these steps have been completed, and the student is at least 16 or older, you may then again visit the Secretary of States office with your documents. This is when the photo is taken and the Level Two Driver’s License is issued. The student may drive alone in the car, with family members, or with only one other teen friend in the vehicle. The state will allow driving this first year only between the hours of 5am and 10pm. Parents may make their own rules regarding passengers and time frames, but they may not be more generous than the law allows. If there are no tickets, accidents or other incidents during this time period, the license becomes a Level Three Driver’s License after one year, with no restrictions of time or passengers. Here are two examples of time frames for student driver training.