American Defensive Driving School

I have two teens, one who is completed the American Defensive Driving School and a second that is currently enrolled and have had great results. Doug, the owner, is a retired state trooper with a great sense of humor and lots of credibility with his students because of his previous line of work as a state trooper. He has collected many stories over the years… many of which my son would repeat at the dinner table. These stories are not only tasteful but had a message about safety that reached my kids. Besides that my kids never complained about being bored and really seemed to get a lot out of the class. I believe that the class made them safer drivers which is something that was worth a lot to me. Especially male teen drivers! We found that American Defensive Driving School was very flexible when my son’s soccer team had a conflicting schedule — futsal games on Sunday mornings. I called and in one phone call they changed my son to another weekday class. It is great to feel like you are getting something for your money when your sign up for a driving school, with this in mind, I strongly recommend that you consider this school because they actually teach your children a lot about safe driving!

Know the owners of the business personally, and if you want your students, young adults and or adults to learn how to safely and properly operate, drive and how to conduct themselves while driving, look no further… American Defensive Driving School should be at the top of your list. They truly care about their students, supportive staff are available to assist and want to help them during this next phase of their lives.
Pick ADDS, you be completely satisfied.

Got my license! I took the permit test myself and bf taught me how to drive. I picked it up pretty quickly, but I wanted to get a lesson to see if I’m doing things «properly» before I took the test.
They have a website, but I wasn’t sure what suited my situation and had questions. I tried to call them during their listed hours several times on different days at different times, but no one ever answered. But there are people at the office if you go down yourself, as I had 5 minutes after calling and getting the machine. –1 for not being reachable over phone.
But other than that, on the day of my appointment, Ryan was on time, patient, and answered all the questions I had. We went and took a practice run that was exactly like the one they gave on my test day (but I think the DMV considers it «cheating»), and he cautioned me about all the little things they look out for and evaluated my driving during the trip there and back to see if I was ready to take the test.
I actually ran into my instructor with another student the day of the test, for their pick up/​use their car to take the test service and he stayed with the student the entire time before the test. They were the car behind me waiting in line for the actual test, and he seemed to be very engaged, even at 7 in the morning. The other guy passed, too, if that means anything about the quality of their service.
Overall, I dont’ think I received $ 100 worth of information in my 1.5−2 hours, but for my purposes I got exactly what I needed, and it was a convenient and pleasant experience overall.

I’m sure there are people who had good experience with American Defensive Driving School but unfortunately I haven’t had that. I have never been this mad at a store or institution before.
I purchased the 6 hour (4 lessons) package. When I first went there, I was asked to schedule the 4 classes in advance. The first two classes were good. The instructor was patient and made me feel comfortable behind the wheel.
For my third class, I was sick and was in no condition to get my lesson. I called and told them I needed to reschedule. This is where the problem starts.
The woman who answered the phone told me I could reschedule but there was no availability until more than 2 weeks later. I knew if I didn’t have my lessons soon enough, I would forget most of what I learned. I asked if there was an earlier time. Her response was «That’s the first available time. I’m looking at the schedule right now and there is no other time. It’s your fault you canceled.»
If she said
«I’m sorry about this but we do have a tight schedule right now. I understand your situation, so, how about if anybody cancels within the two week time-​frame, I’ll call you to see if you’re available. But I hope you understand that I can’t guarantee anything.»
I would have been totally fine with it. But she continued to say «It’s your fault. You should have managed your schedule (like I could manage my schedule to get sick).»
So I asked her if they provided refunds and she said no. I said I understand that was the policy and I wouldn’t be taking any more classes. I also told her that I thought they were understaffed and that I would write about my experience in reviews.
She got very annoyed about this comment and said «You should think that us being busy is a good thing since so many people use us. It’s a busy season and it’s your fault that you canceled.»
I told her that was the meaning of under-​staffing and they should add more instructors during busy seasons.
She went on to say «You should be fair when you write the review because it was your fault you cancelled and I tried to give the fasted time possible.»
I hear «it was your fault» about 5 – 10 times.
If you are absolutely sure you would never reschedule for your classes, you can go with them. Or if you are okay with waiting 2 weeks and hearing «It’s your fault» so many times after a cancellation, you’ll be perfect for them.
Otherwise, please stay away from this place.

I used American Defensive Driving School for some practice driving and to take me to take the driving test. It had been about 4 years since I had driven and my old license was expired. Also, I needed a car to take the test in. They picked me up at my home on the morning of the test and we drove around for about an hour to practice. They took me to the Niles examination facility and showed me the route that the exam would be so I could do a practice run. When I took the test, it was exactly as he told me it would be, down to every detail. They were really friendly and professional and offered a great rate. I definitely recommend them if you have a similar situation — need a car to take the test in or need some practice driving.