Recommendations for Bay Area driving lessons?

October 27, 2018 4:16 PM

It's been quite some years since I've driven a car (in a different country), and even then I was super anxious and hated every minute of it. I now have a CA learner's permit and would like to get this over with as painlessly as possible. I can look at Yelp and Google but they all seem filled with suspiciously glowing, formulaic reviews (of the "give us 5 stars and we'll give you a discount or something" type) so I'd prefer recommendations based on your own personal experiences. Thanks!
posted by btfreek to Grab Bag (4 answers total)

I think this might also depend a lot on the specific teacher and your chemistry. I went with Dee Dee at Berkeley Driving School and was very happy (similar situation to what you’re describing). That was 7 years ago but maybe she still works there.
posted by The Toad at 4:24 PM on October 27, 2018

I took some lessons in SF with Fearless Driver and thought they were good albeit pricy. They specialize in students with fear/anxiety (that was why I was taking the classes).
posted by rogerrogerwhatsyourrvectorvicto at 5:07 PM on October 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

join AAA and they should be able to put you in touch with good companies.
posted by brujita at 9:42 AM on October 28, 2018

Seconding Fearless Driver (Ann's Driving School). I took lessons with Rita this August-October, and she was great at putting me at ease. I learned more in three lessons with her than I did in years of solo driving. (I'm in a similar situation -- haven't driven in a while, never felt confident when I did.)
posted by guybrush_threepwood at 11:18 AM on October 28, 2018