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New Driver Training

I Drive Smart teaches the State Driver Education Certification course for new drivers. This required course is mandated by certain States and provides all required classroom and in-car training to become licensed in your state. Explore the tabs below to determine your state's requirements and to see the locations where our training is offered.

State Regulations

Maryland law requires all first-time drivers to complete a Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) certified Driver's Education course in order to obtain a driver's license. This rule applies to all Maryland residents, regardless of age. The certification course runs 30 hours in-class (10 three-hour sessions) and 6 hours behind-the-wheel (3 two-hour sessions) and is part of the Maryland's Rookie Driver Program.

In short the recommended path to a Maryland License:

  • Take the in class portion of driver education starting at age 15 which prepares the student for the learner's permit test. The learner's permit not required until the in car training begins.
  • Get a Learner's Permit at 15 and 9 months (not needed to take the in class) but necessary for the driving part of the course.
  • Complete the 6 hours of the course required behind the wheel training in the program while logging the 60 hours with a supervising driver.
  • Once the driver education course is completed along with the required 60 hours logged with a supervising driver, schedule the MVA Provision Licensing Test.
Below is detailed informarion on the entire licensing process:

Maryland uses the Graduated Licensing System (GLS), a system incorporated in the Rookie Driver Program, which requires new drivers to gain driving experience with a supervising driver. It encourages the development of safe driving skills by imposing certain limitations during each step of the licensing process.

Graduated Licensing System (GLS)
You do not need a learner's permit to start the in class portion of driver education which you can begin at any age. Many students find that taking the class first helps them to pass the MVA learner's permit test later when they apply for a permit at the MVA. You can apply for a learner's permit at the age of 15 and 9 months which requires a short computer test taken at any full service MVA. If under age 16, you must provide a completed verification of identity and/or school attendance, form ( #DL-300 ) to an MVA official during the learner's permit application process. The attendance form must be presented to the MVA in a sealed, unopened envelope provided by the applicant's school or county home school coordinator, if home schooled.

A parent or guardian must co-sign the learner's permit application if the applicant is under 18 and all applicants are required to submit sources of proof of age and identity, lawful status, social security number or proof of ineligibility, and Maryland residence. The learner's permit must be held for nine months before testing for the provisional license.
You must have completed driver education, your logged hours with a supervising driver and passed the Maryland driver skills test to obtain a provisional license. In the provisional phase, the driver gains experience by driving without supervision but with restrictions. The restrictions are as follows:
  • Provisional drivers under the age of 21 may not drive with any measurable alcohol in their systems. Older drivers must comply with Maryland's impaired driving laws.
  • Provisional license holders under the age of 18 may not drive with passengers under the age of 18, other than immediate family members, for the first 151 days, without a qualified supervising driver, may not drive between 12 midnight and 5 AM unless:
    • A supervised, licensed driver who is at least 21 years old and has 3 years of driving is with them.
    • You are driving to or from a job, official school activity, organized volunteer program or are participating in an athletic event or related training session.
  • May not use any wireless communication device, including a hands-free device.
  • Must use a safety belt, every trip, every time. All passengers must use safety belts or child safety seats.
The State of Maryland's full driver's license is a privilege awarded to drivers who progress through the Rookie Driver graduated licensing system.
  • Minimum age is 18 years and 0 months.
  • Drivers must hold a provisional license for a minimum of 18 months and be conviction-free during that period.
  • If under 21, the applicant's license and record must be alcohol-free.

When provisional license holders successfully meet all requirements, the MVA automatically converts the license to a full driver's license status. An attachment card showing the conversion to a full license is mailed to the driver. The card should be carried with the Provisional license to show the change in licensing status. The attachment card is no longer needed when the provisional license expires. The driver comes in for a license renewal, pays the renewal fee and then is issued a full license.

You must be a resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia and at least 16 years and 3 months of age to obtain a Virginia driver's license. If you are under age 18, you must complete a state-approved driver education program. The first step is to secure a Learner's Permit.
To obtain a learner's permit, you must be at least 15 years and 6 months of age and pass a vision screening and the two-part knowledge exam at a full service DMV Branch. Possessing a learner's permit allows you to operate a motor vehicle when a licensed driver at least 21 years of age is seated beside you. The driver accompanying you may be 18 years of age if he or she is your legal guardian, brother, sister, half-brother, half-sister, step-brother or step-sister. This person must hold a valid driver's license, be legally permitted to drive, and be alert and able to assist you.
If you are a Virginia resident under age 18, you must hold your Virginia learner's permit for at least nine months and complete a Virginia state-approved driver education program. This required course, for individuals under the age of 18 consists of two parts which you can purchase together or separately:

  • Part One: 30 hours of in-class (knowledge) training
  • Part Two: 14 fifty-minute periods of Behind-the-Wheel Training

If you are a Virginia resident age 18 or older and have never held a license issued by any state, U.S. territory or foreign country, you must either:
  • Hold a Virginia learner's permit for at least 60 days and complete a Behind-the-Wheel Checklist ( Form CSMA 19 ) This checklist describes specific driving tasks that you may be asked to perform while taking the road skills test, to be administered by a DMV staff member. A licensed driver must certify on the form that he/she has been with you while you practiced your driving skills and that you have complied with all requirements for learner's permit holders while operating a motor vehicle.
OR
  • Show completion of a state-approved driver education program. IF you take an approved class the DMV will waive the requirement to hold your learner's permit for at least 60 days. In addition, the road skill test will be administered as part of the driver education course at an approved school and you will not be required to take the road skills test at DMV. The school will issue an Adult Waiver which the school will send to the DMV on behalf of the student for processing. The DMV will issue the driver's license and mail to the student.

Once a student has completed all the required in class and/or in car training requirements. The Driver Education School will issue the student a Temporary License after the successful completion/passing of the Final Road Skills Test.

The District of Columbia does not have a driver education course requirement although many DC residents elect to take our Driver Training Program as an effective way to learn the rules of the road. Most DC students elect to take the course that follows the Maryland Program which includes thirty (30) hours in-class (10 three-hour sessions) and 6 hours behind-the-wheel (3 two-hour sessions) .

The in car training for the Maryland Program can be scheduled at our DC and Maryland Market locations. If you choose to purchase the Virginia Program, the in class content is similar and the in-car training consists of seven 100-minute sessions (50 minutes driving and 50 minutes observing another student driving) where the in car traning occurs in our Virginia Market.

The Classroom sessions cover:
  • Novice driver responsibilities and the Graduated Licensing System
  • Introducing operator and vehicle control tasks in a controlled environment
  • Space management system
  • Basic maneuvering
  • Risk reducing strategies for high speed, multi-lane expressways
  • Personal factors influencing operator performance (drugs and alcohol)
  • Environmental conditions that affect safe vehicle operation
  • Vehicle functions and malfunctions and collision reporting

New Driver Training Programs

Use the filters below to find a location and purchase!

Pick your state, pick your product, hit search, and purchase by clicking the map pin for in-car training, and the Register button below for in-class training.

Location Search

Scheduling Policies

State regulations indicate certification training sessions must be scheduled on separate days and a student may not train behind-the-wheel more than two hours in one day. Please do not schedule two behind-the-wheel sessions in one day.

Once logged into the student user account, a student driver may schedule sessions through the I Drive Smart online system at locations through out our operating area. I Drive Smart does not conduct home pickups and drop offs which are discouraged by the Motor Vehicle Administration. Instructors will meet students at public locations indicated on the behind the wheel schedule where our training vehicles are positioned. The student must be in possession of a valid learner's permit or license to train and should schedule all in car training over a reasonable amount of time and not all at once.

Important:

  • Students may change or cancel up to three (3) calendar days before the scheduled session worked out to the hour the session starts over a 3-day, 24-hour period (that is, 72 hours prior to the session start). Once the student is inside the three (3) calendar day window (up to the minute) prior to a scheduled drive time, the session cannot be rescheduled or cancelled. Please be sure that the selected sessions are sessions that will be attended by the student driver. Email reminders are sent as a courtesy. Clients should pay close attention to their training schedules via their user account.
  • A client is able to cancel a session directly through his or her account 24 hours per day by clicking the "Unreserve" link and confirming the cancelation. A successful cancelation will be reflected immediately in the user account on the My Account page.
  • Students meet their I Drive Smart Instructor at the yellow I Drive Smart car at the location selected. It is the responsibility of the student to know and be familiar with the location of the training and where the vehicle will meet him or her. See the directions link next to your selected behind the wheel location.
  • The Instructor is available to meet with a parent or guardian before and after each training session to receive input, discuss the performance of the student, and make recommendations. Feel free to discuss with the Instructor the type of training that will take place, any concerns about your new driver, or specific training objectives for your new driver.
  • In the event that a student is running late to a session, the Instructor will remain at the training site for 30 minutes after the scheduled start time. If a student misses a scheduled behind-the-wheel session, that student will be required to purchase an additional Replacement behind-the-wheel session to make up for the missed driving appointment.
  • All students must have in their possession a valid state learners permit in order to be able to train. If the student fails to bring a valid state learners permit they will not be able to train.
  • Proper shoes are required during in-car sessions: NO flip-flops, loose fitting shoes, open sandals, slippers, open back shoes (Ugg slippers, Crocs, clogs, etc.), high-heeled shoes, or barefoot driving is allowed. The instructor will cancel the session, and the student will have to purchase a replacement, if they are not in proper shoes.

State regulations require in car certification training sessions to be scheduled on separate days and a student may not train behind-the-wheel more than 1 hour and 40 minutes (one session) per day. The purchase of an I Drive Smart Driver Education Package or the Virginia State-Required BTW (in-Car) Training Package includes seven (7) sessions lasting 1 hour and 40 minutes. The seven sessions are divided into (2) fifty-minute training periods where each student drives and observes. Two students are in the car with the instructor, which is the Virginia State mandated minimum. This process is regulated by the Code of Virginia under Virginia State Law. Please do not schedule two behind-the-wheel sessions on the same day.

Important:
  • A student driver training toward state licensing, who is taking the complete program with I Drive Smart, is encouraged but not required to start to schedule the in-car training through the I Drive Smart on-line system after completion of Unit 1 of the in-class program.
  • If a student has completed the in class with another school or in a high school program, the student is required to submit proof of this completion to I Drive Smart via the student user account before the in car scheduling can start. Public school programs issue a DEC-1 (pink or green certificate) and a DTS-36 Form is issued from other commercial schools.
  • The student must be in possession of a valid State Learner's Permit and its image uploaded and approved by I Drive Smart in the User Account, before any in-car training can occur. It is recommended that the mandated behind-the-wheel training sessions be stretched out over a reasonable amount of time and not scheduled at one time.
  • Under the Code of Virginia, a minimum of two students must be in the car at all times when training toward state licensing requirements. Waivers are permitted under Virginia Law only for the driving portion of the training for special circumstances, namely if the partner fails to show up for the appointment, but qualified observation time must be with another student.
  • Under the Code of Virginia, students under the age of 18 may only pair with other students under the age of 18. Students age 18 and over may only pair with other students age 18 and over. Under no circumstances will they allow an adult and minor to partner together for training.
  • Students may change or cancel up to three (3) calendar days before the scheduled session. The three days are worked out to the minute the session starts. Once the student is inside the three (3) calendar day window (up to the minute) prior to a scheduled drive time, the session cannot be rescheduled or canceled. Please be sure that the selected sessions will be attended by the student driver.
  • Please understand that I Drive Smart has no control over whether a partnering or buddy student shows for a training session. In the event that one of the scheduled students does not show, the drive time portion of the training will hold and the training student will be credited with one-period of qualified driving training time and will have loaded into the User Account a single Observation session that can be scheduled through the student's User Account. Instructors cannot perform as the "driving student" for the observation portion of the training under Virginia State Law. The student who misses an assigned in-car training will be required to purchase an additional Replacement behind-the-wheel in-car session to make up for the one missed.
  • Clients are able to cancel a session directly through his or her account 24 hours per day by clicking the "Unreserve" link and confirming the cancelation. Unfortunately sessions that are inside the three-day window cannot be rescheduled or canceled. Therefore, please be very careful when scheduling your drive time. It is best to schedule each training session one session at a time rather than all at once.
  • All students must have in their possession a valid learner's permit in order to be able to train.
  • Proper shoes are required during in-car sessions: NO flip-flops, loose fitting shoes, open sandals, slippers, open back shoes (Ugg slippers, Crocs, clogs, etc.), high-heeled shoes, or barefoot driving is allowed. The instructor will cancel the session, and the student will have to purchase a replacement, if they are not in proper shoes.
  • Please meet your I Drive Smart Instructor at the yellow I Drive Smart car at the location you have selected. The Instructor is available to meet with a parent or guardian before and after each training session to receive input, discuss the performance of the student, and make recommendations. Feel free to discuss with the Instructor the type of training that will take place, any concerns about your new driver, or specific training objectives for your new driver.