Teen Driving Classes for Metro Atlanta, GA
Taggart’s Basic Driver Education Program, licensed by the Georgia Department of Driver Services, consists of 30 hours of classroom instruction and six hours of private, individual, behind-the-wheel training. Historically, students enrolled in this program were teenagers. Now however, effective January 1, 2002, under O.C.G.A. 40-5-22, option (A), ANY person, TEENAGER or ADULT, must complete this driver education program prior to obtaining their initial driver’s license in Georgia.
Further, each applicant must also obtain 40 additional hours of driving experience, six hours of which must be at night. All or a portion of those 40 hours can be obtained at Taggart’s with hourly lessons or package programs. Parents of applicant’s under 18 years old will be required to sign an affidavit at the DDS attesting to program completion. Click here to view and print the “DDS Parental Guide” for more information on the special Class D teenage driver’s license requirements, affidavit and time log. (Requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
Under Georgia law,
O.C.G.A. 33-9-42(c)(3), mandatory 10% reductions for three years in insurance premiums shall be available to licensed drivers under 25 years of age, if they have a clean driving record and successfully complete our driver education program.
Under state law, O.C.G.A. 40-5-22, individuals under 18 years of age must complete a four-hour Alcohol and Drug Awareness Program, commonly referred to as ADAP, before a driver’s license can be issued. ADAP is included at no additional charge in our classroom program.
Students must attend class on time. Classroom grades will be based on attitude, participation and achievement. Students should attend each class with a notebook, and pen or pencil. Textbooks and all materials will be provided to each student by Taggart’s.
The six hours of private, behind-the-wheel training, which includes home pick-up, must be completed within 60 days after the classroom portion ends. Before actual instruction begins, the student is evaluated by their in-car instructor to determine what they need to learn to pass the DDS road test and to drive safely on our streets and highways.
All training vehicles are equipped with the exclusive Taggart’s two-steering wheel, two-brake and two-gas pedal system. Taggart’s has installed the two-steering wheel system since 1957 for two specific purposes. The first reason is the instructor can demonstrate from his/her side, saving valuable time, especially when the student is learning the maneuvers for the DDS road test. Learning these maneuvers quicker allows for more time to be spent in actual traffic conditions.
Also, because the instructor can take over at any time, our students are able to relax, learn faster and cover more material in the allotted time.
During the school year, Taggart’s Driver Education Programs are taught on the weekends. In the summer, and during Winter and Spring Breaks, the classes are scheduled during weekdays. Click on Class Schedule for actual dates, days, times and locations.
CLASSROOM AND DRIVING SCHOOL SERVICE AREAS
Taggart’s Driving School locations offer standard programs and clinics for Defensive Driving; DUI traffic school, DWI, and drug offenses, including Assessments; and, Teenage and Adult driving classes, all satisfying licensing requirements in the State of Georgia. Service areas include all metro areas: Atlanta, Georgia, including Buckhead, Chamblee, Doraville, Smyrna, Marietta, Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Norcross and the counties of DeKalb, Gwinnett, Fulton, Cobb, and parts of Cherokee, Clayton, Walton, and Fayette.
OUR INSTRUCTORS
All Taggart’s Driving School instructors complete an extensive pre-employment interview prior to being accepted into our training program. The training program for instructors consists of three weeks of classroom and field training, so they are well versed and knowledgeable about teaching methods, traffic laws, rules and regulations, in addition to defensive driving techniques.
After the completion of our initial training program, each instructor must pass an examination administered by the Georgia Department of Driver Services. The Department also completes a thorough background check, which includes submission of fingerprints and photos to the G.B.I. and F.B.I. All instructors must have and maintain a clean driving record.
Taggart’s Driving School is the only school in the country to have a training video for each of our approximately 20 lessons that an instructor must learn before teaching for our company. These videos provide an excellent source for learning the techniques necessary to become an outstanding instructor. They are also used as a review to ensure that Taggart’s instructors remain “on track” with our high teaching standards and methods.
Careful selection of our company’s instructors is extremely important and we are always seeking individuals of good character, sound judgment, direction of purpose and the ability to work with and enjoy people.
LEARNER’S PERMIT SERVICE
Under Georgia law, students taking lessons with Taggart’s Driving School are not required to have a learner’s permit. However, this only applies when the student is in one of our Department of Driver Services’ (DDS) licensed training cars taking instruction from one of our licensed instructors. Thus, an individual is required by law to have a learner’s permit, if they are practicing in a vehicle not licensed for driving instruction by DDS.
For students who wish to practice in other vehicles and want to obtain a Georgia learner’s permit, we offer a Learner’s Permit Service. Our licensed instructor will pick you up at home, work or another convenient location, prepare you to answer the questions on the DDS learner’s permit test and provide round trip transportation to the DDS testing location. Allow approximately three hours to complete this service.
The test will consist of 20 questions about traffic laws, rules and regulations and 20 questions covering traffic signs. The fee for a learner’s permit by law is $10.00, which is the applicant’s responsibility. DDS Customer Service Centers accept cash, money orders, checks, credit cards and debit cards issued with a MasterCard or Visa logo for payment of fees.
The permit is valid for two years.
Click on link below for required documentation:
http://www.dds.ga.gov/drivers/Dldata.aspx?con=1745971759&ty=dl
ROAD TEST SERVICE
To obtain a driver’s license in the state of Georgia, an applicant must pass both a written test (for a learner’s license) and a road skills test to obtain a driver’s license. The Department of Driver Services’ (DDS) road test usually consists of maneuvers such as parallel parking, weaving through traffic cones, reversing the car in a straight line, making left and right hand turns, giving proper signals, and actual driving on the streets and highways with a state examiner sitting in the passenger seat of the car.
Taggart’s Driving School offers two road test services. First, as an authorized DDS third-party examiner, Taggart’s can provide the road test service at our main Tucker location to students (both teenagers and adults) who have taken and successfully completed the required training. Effective January 1, 2021, Taggart’s will be able to administer skills tests to individuals that:
- Complete a DDS-approved 30-hour online driver training course
AND 6 hours of behind-the-wheel with Taggart’s Driving School.
- Complete a DDS-approved 30-hour classroom driver training course
AND 6 hours of behind-the-wheel with Taggart’s Driving School.
One benefit is that the Taggart’s instructor/examiner spends about 15 minutes with the student and the parent prior to the actual road test, going over what to expect and answering questions in a relaxed environment. Additionally, the road test is conducted in a Taggart’s DDS-approved training vehicle equipped with our exclusive 2 steering wheels, brakes and gas pedals system. After the test, the Taggart’s examiner discusses the student’s performance and provides valuable feedback.
As a final step, the student must take their Road Test Completion Certificate, provided by Taggart’s to any Georgia DDS location to have their actual driver license issued. In most cases, the applicant will be assigned the shorter, renewal line at D.D.S. Please be sure to bring all required documents to DDS. A complete and current list can be obtained from www.dds.ga.gov. The above service is $125, unless paid upfront as part of any Driver’s Education special package. The Taggart’s Road Test process takes approximately one hour. By D.S.S. regulation, the Taggart’s road test service must be completed within two years of the student starting the Driver’s Education Program. Appointments are available each week at our Tucker location on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, between 9:00am and 4:00pm (no walk-ins).
As a second option, Taggart’s Driving School provides a “road test service” in which the instructor will pick up the student at home, work or another convenient location, provide transportation to and from the DDS testing area, provide use of the training vehicle for the test, then return the student to the pick up location. If a person who has not taken any recent lessons with Taggart’s Driving School requests the “road test service” we require a minimum of a two-hour in-car driving/evaluation lesson completed at least a day before the scheduled date for the road test. This allows an instructor to determine if the applicant has learned the skills necessary to pass the state road test, can safely operate our training vehicle with only the state examiner in the car, and to give the applicant instruction helpful to passing the road test. If the student is not ready to pass the state road test, then the student can cancel both the DDS and Taggart’s “road test service” appointments at no charge with a 24 hour notice. The fee for the “road test service” is $355. Please allow approximately 3 hours from start to finish. The student/applicant is responsible for payment of the D.D.S. fee charged for the issuance of the driver’s license.
PACE ACADEMY - SUMMER PROGRAMS
During the summer, driver’s education is taught as a daytime program during a week selected by the Pace Academy administration. Summer sessions are available during June and July, and will be offered to Pace students, as well as students from surrounding Metro Atlanta area schools. Click here for additional information and registration. (Students will need to sign in or create an account prior to registering for a class.)
