Did you know teenagers only represent 7%
of the licensed population, but are
involved in 20% of fatal crashes?
We opened the driving school with mixed emotions
Services Available in Spanish
.png){kind=small}
.png){kind=small}
Information Board
Online Driver's Education
Online Driver’s Education is a California DMV approved program (online classes) created for teenagers with little or no time to obtain a learner’s permit in a very simple, fun, and convenient way
This class consists of 25 to 30 instruction hours and it blends reading, audio narration, and Flash animation with interactive learning exercises to help you review the principles of road awareness and safety for first-time teen drivers. This class can also serve as an excellent refresher for those who are more seasoned at being behind the wheel.
This course will:
-
Cover the fundamentals of being a safe and responsible driver, including knowledge, attitudes, and driving skills necessary for the safe operation of a motor vehicle.
-
Teach you pertinent laws in California, such as who has the right of way and proper stopping distance.
-
Helps you identify California state-specific road signs and know what they mean
-
Prepare you for the hazards and driving precautions that must be observed during dangerous conditions, emergencies, construction zones, and railroad crossings.
This course, approved by the DMV, can be taken online at Continental Driving School at any time by minors who are at least 15 ½ years old or any person who wants to increase and refresh their driving knowledge. The great advantage of this course is that it can be taken at your own pace and return at any time where you left off.
Our course was designed to be convenient and interesting with fun videos and interactive exercises for you to learn and enjoy at the same time. Quizzes and final exams can be taken as many times as necessary to complete the course. The student will have to answer 80% of the questions correctly on each quiz to move onto the next unit.
Once the student finishes the Online Drivers Education course, he/she has to notify our office immediately to be issued a certificate of completion of non-classroom driver education.
Driver's Training Program
Driver’s Training consists of one-on-one supervised behind the wheel instruction with a student and a California licensed driving instructor. Minors (under the age of 18) have to complete a minimum of six (6) hours required by the DMV, and these hours consist of three (3), two (2) hours lessons of training behind the wheel course per day. In addition to the six hours of driver training with a professional driving instructor, the student has to practice driving for 50 hours supervised by a licensed adult who is at least 25 years old. A minimum of ten (10) hours must be completed at night.
During each lesson, our instructors will cover as many driving situations as possible; knowledge of car devices, hand (arm) signals, steering control, changing lanes, parking, reverse, right and left turns in various driving areas, freeways, an overview of defensive driving, etc.
Once the student has completed the six (6) hours required (or more if needed) by the DMV, will receive a certificate of completion of behind the wheel training.
Choosing a driving school
As choosing a driving school can be confusing for new students, we've provided you with some advice for you to make the best decision.
The right driving school has to be accredited according to state laws and will prepare you to be a safe and confident driver.
Driving is a serious activity that requires adequate preparation and practice, and without the right training, a new driver is at-risk not only by failing the driving exam, but by making the wrong decisions on the road, or worse, endangering themselves, passengers, and pedestrians. We strongly suggest you choose the driving school right for you according to several crucial factors.
1. Accreditation: State law of California driving schools must be accredited and approved to provide driving instruction. Make sure that the driving school you choose meets these standards: DMV certification, insurance, bonded, periodic car service inspection, etc.
2. Experience: More experienced driving schools will be able to tailor their instruction to meet your current comfort level on the road and the way that you learn. For example, some new drivers are very nervous and unsure of themselves, while others may be overconfident. An experienced driving instructor can tell the difference and make sure people of all types succeed in their driving goals.
3. Success Rate: A good driving school will have a high success rate when it comes to people passing their road test on the first or second try. You can usually just ask for this detail by phone or review a driving school’s website to learn about this.
4. Driving Instructor: You want the driving instructor that is right for you. Usually, this is difficult to know until after the first driving lesson, but the right driving instructor will teach you how to drive and improve your confidence behind the wheel. You should feel like you are making progress after each driving lesson.
5. Services: If you are looking for an appropriate driving school service for a new teen or adult, look for a driving school that fits your needs like driving education, full complete driver’s training program, or just the six hours package deal, pick up and drop off, DMV road test services, etc.
These are some of the most important criteria for selecting the driving school right for you. If you would like more information or have any question (s), feel free to navigate through our website or contact us by phone or email to learn more about us.
Driving basics
When you first start learning to drive, it can seem overwhelming. We know that, but don’t worry – You are in good hands!
Just about everyone learns to drive at some point, and most people enjoy a normal, completely safe, and fun drive every single time they get behind the wheel; however, getting to that point will take significant preparation and practice.
Here are 10 primary topics you will want to study and can expect to be covered when receiving instruction from our driving school.
1. Traffic Laws: This is a very important matter that will make a big difference when driving because not following them will end up in a penalty. Driving rules are there to avoid accidents and they can be a small as a warning from an officer or minor point deduction on your license or as major as time behind bars. Just remember, laws are implemented to be followed for drivers and pedestrian safety.
2. Traffic Signs: When you first start driving, you will notice just how many different types of signs are on the road. It may seem confusing at first, however, over time you will become familiar with the colors, shapes, and sizes of signs and the various phrases placed on them. You will react almost instinctively, but it all starts with studying the signs first.
3. Car Basics: If you did not know about car fundamentals before, you will learn them directly through driving instruction. Lights, brakes, gears, windshield wipers, and much more are all crucial parts of a car for a driver. To operate a motor vehicle, you will need to study the basics of how they work and how drivers use them.
4. Defensive Driving: Once you get behind the wheel, you are expected to act responsibly by committing yourself to drive non-aggressively and defensively, by being courteous to other drivers on the road, obeying rules such as the “right of way”, by making full stops at stop signs, checking traffic, intersections, etc. Follow our defensive driving techniques to be a safe and confident driver.
5. Parking: Students are often surprised by the challenges of parking. Parallel parking, large garage parking, home garage parking, parking on hills – these are some of the circumstances involving parking. In all cases, parking requires effective command of your vehicle, but there are specific techniques you will study to cover these different parking circumstances.
6. Turning: U-Turns, left and right turns, turning signals – these are some of the major subjects covered in turning. Turning can also be tricky for new drivers, because you may find yourself turning from one lane into the wrong one or making wide turns at an inappropriate speed. Study turning to help make the right turning decisions at the right time.
7. Speed: Speed is a big topic as well – some drivers go too fast and others go too slow. Some drivers are too fast in special zones like school areas and too slow on highways. Speed is regulated by signs and the natural flow of traffic, which do not always agree with each other. Pay close attention to the instruction you receive about speed. The details are important.
8. Blind Spots: Most car mirrors say “things in mirror may appear closer than they are”, and blind spots create even more confusion because these are locations you can’t even see by looking into your car mirrors. You will need to learn the relative distance of other vehicles to your own and remember to check the locations you cannot see directly before merging, turning, speeding up, and taking other actions that affect how other drivers must react on the road.
9. Special Conditions: Special conditions such as rainy or snowy weather, darkness, and poor lighting, and more affect how you drive. You will become familiar with these special conditions over time, but well before experiencing them, you should study and think about how you would handle them. Ask your instructor for more information as well.
10. Road Test: Our students usually contact us because they want to pass the road test and earn their driver’s license (of course!). We’re proud and certain that over 90% (or more) of all our students pass their road test on their first attempt. We have prepared a guide especially for new drivers on why people fail their exam and it will be given to you at the last lesson.
Road test preparation
Practice and more practice makes perfect! And that’s the key to success when it comes to driving.
The more experience and practice you accumulate before your road test, the more prepared you will be to pass the road test on your first or second try and earn your driver’s license.
We believe there are specific reasons why we see all types of new and inexperienced drivers achieve these outcomes.
1. Professional Instruction: This is very important for several reasons. First, a professional driving instructor is more familiar with the rules of the road than the common driver (parents, guardians, and friends), which means you are more likely to learn from these professionals the proper habits for driving safely, confidently, and correctly in all driving situations.
Second, we often suggest against parents being the first driving teachers of their teens. Sometimes more experienced drivers, as parents usually are, will unknowingly pass on the bad driving habits to their kids. Experienced drivers often use “shortcuts” in their driving, such as reversing quickly, parking in narrow and unusual spaces, completing a U-turn in a busy area, and going past the speed limit on open roads, which inexperienced and new drivers should not be exposed to until they know how to drive traditionally and correctly. Perhaps more importantly, many of the shortcuts used by experienced drivers would cause a point deduction during a road test!
The third and very important reason is, we prepare students not only to pass their driving exams but to face dangerous situations in the everyday driving environment. We specialized in Defensive Driving Preventive Techniques.
2. Appropriate Practice: Our driving school offers several different hourly packages because new drivers will often have unequal access to cars; yet, everyone needs a lot of practice! For example, teens often do not have their own cars to practice on. Therefore, longer practice sessions from a professional driving instructor can help make up for that since you can use our cars. If you do have access to a car, then you can choose fewer hours of professional instruction simply because you have a car to use for practice in your spare time.
Either way, the bottom line is that you need a lot of practice to help you pass the road test. Road test administrators are using many criteria to evaluate your performance, and they take their jobs very seriously. After all, this person is directly responsible for putting safe drivers on the road! Seemingly small mistakes in turning, parking, speeding, and more can translate into big point deductions quickly and could cause you to fail your road test if you are not careful.
For this reason, it is important you receive plenty of hours of practice because it is the only way to become an experienced driver with good habits and judgment calls.
3. Approved Vehicle: This is probably a no-brainer, but if the vehicle you bring to the road test is behind on inspections, registration, insurance, or any other factor that can prohibit you from driving it, the Department of Motor Vehicles will find out, and you will not be able to take the road test in that vehicle.
Let us know if you would like to use one of our vehicles for your road test – that is one way to deal properly with this requirement. Besides, if it is a vehicle you have used for practice, you are more likely to do well on the road test.
4. Confidence: Good drivers make good decisions, constantly. Driving requires making lots of big and small decisions quickly and correctly, and that requires confidence in your driving skills. Sometimes even the best drivers will get nervous during the actual road test, and the loss of confidence will negatively impact their performance on the test.
Our suggestion to deal with this is simple: be confident in what you know and take the test only when you are ready. If you have received professional instruction, hours of practice, and experience in a safe and Department of Motor Vehicles approved car, then what you know about driving should be sufficient to earn you a successful outcome on test day.
Just be confident in the skills and instincts that you have developed through hard work and overtime, then take a deep breath on test day, and get yourself a driver’s license. You’ve earned it.
What to expect from your first driving lesson
Congratulations, your first lesson is finally here! The day you get behind the wheel for what is probably the first time. It's a big day – but it can be pretty nerve-wracking too.
It helps if you know what to expect beforehand, so make sure you prepare well. You'll pick things up much easier if they're familiar to you and you feel confident about what happens next.
Before Your Lesson
• Get some sleep
• Do not drink alcoholic beverages the night before
• Breakfast
• Double-check where and when you're being picked up
• Choose comfy, non-slip shoes
• Take glasses if you need them
• Remember your provisional license (Learner’s permit)
The Pick-Up
• Don't worry - you're not going to have to get in the driving seat right away!
• You'll be getting in the passenger seat to start with, while your instructor takes you to a quiet place to start you with the basics.
When you've arrived at a quiet road with low traffic, your instructor will have you switch so you're in the driving seat. Isn’t that exciting?
Your instructor will introduce you to car instruments, controls, and some basic driving techniques to start with.
Below are some checks you'll need to do every time you drive.
• Vehicle instruments and safety
• Seat in a comfortable position
• Steering position established
• Seat belts
• Mirrors adjusted
• Etc.
The Controls
• Next, you'll learn about the accelerator and brake pedals, how to use the
handbrake and indicator; and how to change gears.
• Don’t worry too much though - your instructor will talk you through everything as you go.
The Road
You guessed it: time to drive. Before you start the engine, your instructor will explain a few basic but key procedures:
• Steering (how to)
• Checking your mirrors and blind spots
• Signaling (with indicator)
• Moving off: getting ready to use your gas and brake pedals
• Covering the brake and stopping the car
• Curbside parking
• Etc.
Once you get going, the instructor will introduce you little by little to more advanced training techniques. Try to relax and remember that your instructor has their own set of controls so you can focus on learning without being scared.
Important note: If you are afraid or nervous when on the road, it is very important to let the instructor know about it so he could change the strategy or release you from traffic pressure for you to feel relaxed again (or a little more relaxed). Remember, at this point, he is your best friend and he will happily help you.
After your lesson
Your instructor will drop you home (or from the pickup place) once your time is up. Have a chat about how you found the lesson and anything you think you need more work on next time.
Ideally, you should have 1 or 2 lessons in a week or 3 lessons within two weeks to minimize the time between lessons so you don't forget what you're learning. But don't rush, everyone learns at their own pace and it's important to be fully prepared when you take your test. If you're wondering how many driving lessons you'll need, talk to your instructor after the first lesson and make a learning plan that fits your needs.
How to pass your driving test
We understand it is our duty to prepare you in the best way possible to make you pass the driving exam, but please understand that passing your driving test does not mean you know everything about driving and are 100% ready to rule the road. You will be facing dangers on the road every day.
Recognizing this can actually help you understand the hazards on the road and prepare you better to learn and pass the test: If you think you're the best driver that ever lived after 3, 5, or more lessons, your test might not turn out so well for you.
To make sure you do your best when it comes to driving test time, take a look through these 5 tips.
1.- Take enough Lessons, PLEASE!!
When it comes to saving money when taking driving lessons with a professional driving instructor, please think again. Investing in additional driver’s education isn’t just a great way to spend a few days, but it’s also something that can easily save your life.
Whether it’s raining, or texting drivers, the highways are full of unpredictable things that will put you into tight situations, but if you obtained the proper driving training and practice it will help you get out of those situations alive.
Did you know teens only represent 7% of the licensed population but are involved in 20% of fatal crashes?
For this very reason mentioned above, we strongly recommend our students and parents to invest in their safety. God forbid that you, your kid, or faa mily member gets involved in an accident because you didn’t receive the proper training. Yes, believe it or not, this is a very common situation nowadays whether we like it or not.
Remember, a better driver will not just react better to adversities (safety matters) but will also save money in the long run by keeping lower insurance renewal prices by avoiding accidents.
The average number of hours with an instructor to be able to pass the road exam varies depending on the student’s skills, learning capabilities, and amount of practice. Our recommendation is:
If you are a minor, try taking more than just the basic six hours of training required by the DMV. You will be better prepared, not only for the test but for excellent training for different driving situations on the road.
And if you are an adult we recommend you to talk to the instructor after the first lesson to follow a plan that better fits your necessities
2.- Get familiar with (streets-like) the surrounding driving exam area, not the route itself!
Facing an unfamiliar route during your driving test is not a great start, so try practicing on the roads near to where you will be tested because they might be very similar in size, shape, traffic conditions, number of pedestrians on the road, etc. Remember, driving on the test route it’s illegal.
Look out for things like hills, major streets, intersections, left turn center lanes, complicated traffic systems, etc. This will also help you see what kind of situations you may be up against during your test.
3.- Work on the most common driving test faults
Observation:
• Not checking mirrors before reversing and parking
• Not checking mirrors when changing lanes
• Lack of proper observation at junctions
Awareness:
• Not reacting to what’s in the mirrors
• Failure to drive to weather or traffic conditions
• Hesitation at junctions when it is safe to go
• Failure to drive at the appropriate speed - whether that’s not making progress after moving off, driving too slowly on the main road
Signaling:
• Failure to signal
• Giving a confusing signal
• Failure to cancel a signal
Control:
• Poor hand placement on the steering wheel, if it's affecting your control
• Steering accuracy for the turn on the road, reversing around a corner and sharp turns
• Having a hard time recovering after a turn
Even if you think you’ve got these down, practice and then practice again. You’ll be nervous on the day, so you need your body to remember the action instinctively if your brain decides to switch off.
Be aware of everyone around you, not just other drivers!
Someone told me recently that their son failed his driving test because he approached some standing water too fast to negotiate oncoming traffic and ended up drenching some pedestrians. The issue was not anticipating the problem and adjusting
4.- Be Prepared
Get enough sleep the night before your driving test and make sure you eat breakfast. Don’t plan anything else for the day - you don’t want to have to rush or worry about something else you have to get done.
Important things to remember on the day of your driving test:
Student
• Behind-The-Wheel certificate
• Learner’s permit
• Glasses if you need them for driving
Companion
• Registration
• Insurance
• Valid driver license
• Car in good condition
If you don’t bring these, you fail before you’ve even started the engine.
Another side to being prepared is how you come across. Look tidy, be polite - even if the instructor is made of steel and immune to the usual subconscious decision humans make about each other, you’ll feel together and responsible.
5.- Keep some perspective
If you usually drive well during a lesson, why shouldn’t you drive well during your test? You know the area, you know the car, and you know what you’ll be tested on.
You might be nervous... But why are you nervous? If you’re prepared enough, you’ll pass. If you don’t pass, you weren’t ready.
Just remember not to give up after a mistake. You might think you’ve made the worst error ever, but calmly putting it right and carrying on shows you can deal with problems on the road. You never know, it might not have been as bad as you thought - so continue with your test until it’s over.
Good Luck with the driving exam!!
We are very confident that we will provide you with the absolute best driver education to get you on the road safely because we can guarantee and back-up our complete driving education instruction program to your satisfaction.
Call us if you’re ready for driving training or if you have any questions
Office Hours
Monday - Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Sunday
Closed
Address
28150 Avenue Crocker #224
Valencia, CA
91355
Contact Info
(818) 741-4181
continentaldrivingschool@yahoo.com
