GETTING STARTED
We believe that a driver’s most important task is to get You. Passengers. Others. HomeSafe. Our online Driver’s Education and Behind the Wheel Training is dedicated to doing just that while making a positive impact in the lives of young people and their families. Here’s how to get started.
Driver’s Education.
ONLINE DRIVER’S EDUCATION
It all begins with learning. Before you can get your license you will need to take a written exam and get a permit. For students under the age of 18, the CA DMV requires completion of a DMV certified Driver’s Education course before you can take that exam. HomeSafe offers an online course.
This self-paced online class fulfills the DMV requirements for Driver's Education. The cost for the course is $39.
Behind the Wheel Training.
BEHIND THE WHEEL TRAINING
Once you have your permit, it’s time to schedule your first behind-the-wheel training appointment with a DMV Certified Driving Instructor. 6-Hours is required by the CA DMV for teens.
We offer the completion of the six hours through four 90-minute lessons. The cost is $125 per lesson.
Our Process.
Our Behind the Wheel Training program fulfills the 6-hr DMV requirements for obtaining a driver license. Our encouraging classes go step-by-step to help produce a safer, more confident driver. Learning to drive requires:
Controlling the basic dynamics of the vehicle and interacting with the different forces that act upon the vehicle.
Taking responsibility to get your passengers, other drivers, and you home safe.
Develop proper habits - visual lead-time and scanning.
We cover these skills in four, 90-minute lessons. Pickup and drop off from your home, school or other specified location in Costa Mesa, Newport Beach and Huntington Beach. If you live out of this service area we can meet you at our office: 188 E. 17th Street, Suite 201-B, Costa Mesa, CA .
Have more questions? Check out our FAQ page.
Why 90-minutes?
HomeSafe is now offering our driving instruction in four 90-minutes lessons instead of the previous three 2-hour sessions to meet the 6-hours DMV requirement. The reason for this shift is two-fold.
SCHEDULING - Many students are having difficulty blocking out two hours in their busy schedules. And from those that do, the last ½ hour is a little long, and we can have diminishing returns.
REPETITION - With a 1.5-hour lesson, we are able to take advantage of more focused time and we are able to do 4 lessons (suggested for every 2-3 weeks) creating valuable repetition and using our time together more efficiently to help create a safe driver (not simply learning how to pass the test)!
Lesson Plans
LESSON 1
We will begin and end at your house or desired location (in most cases).
Our students will receive an overview of the controls of the car and the terminology for the lesson.
Cover smooth peddle control for starting and stopping the car,
Introduce the importance of vision and managing one's emotions,
Turning points and reference points (This includes knowing the size of the car as well as when to turn and how much),
Left and right turns in residential and surface streets,
Blind spots and lane changes (we work at the pace of the student, their comfort and skill level, therefore the amount we cover will vary).
After the first lesson, we will be able to give honest feedback on where the student will be able to safely practice. Our hope is for the student to practice at least 15 minutes a day for 2-3 weeks. If the student is not able to safely practice with a parent or trusted adult 25 years or older, then we will request to come back ASAP to reinforce the skills learned in this first lesson.
LESSON 2 & 3
This lesson will generally come after about 2-3 weeks of practicing the skills learned on lesson 1 (and lesson 2 for the third lesson).
In this lesson we will:
Work with dynamic control of the vehicle (including how gravity, centrifugal force, and the physical laws interact with the driver and the vehicle).
We will introduce backing, parking and in many cases, we will introduce freeway driving to the student.
Again, we will offer feedback for practicing and be available for any coaching tips that may be wanted or needed. After these lessons, we encourage our students to practice at least 15 minutes a day for 2-3 weeks.
LESSON 4
Often works to fine tune the student's habits.
Here we will:
Ensure the student is doing the "little things" more habitually (like making full stops behind the limit lines, appropriate space cushions, and visual scanning - these skills are taught throughout the previous lessons, however here is where we tighten the screws so to speak).
During this time, we will also prepare the students as to what they can expect on their driving test. We are not allowed to go on the DMV route, however we will prepare them to be a safe driver and work to limit the surprises they might encounter, on their DMV test, and in life!
The bare minimum for practice is 50 hours according to DMV We recommend at least 80 hours, or more, before allowing your student to drive alone (regardless whether or not they can "pass the test").