Driving Schools near Derry

“Could not have picked a better driving school for my daughter.
Thank you Anthony“

“The course was very helpful and the instructors were amazing and very patient when you drive with them.“

“An absolutely brilliant and kind instructor who was able teach my daughter driving with such effect that she could pass her road test within one week. Could not have had better instruction!“

“Took Andy’s class many , many years ago, he was awesome, I’m sure he still is the best Highly recommended !?“

“This is by far the best driving school in the area. Having had 2 teens go through 2 different programs/driving schools, AAA was by far superior. Bob and all of the other gentlemen there were patient and positive with my daughter who was initially very nervous about drivers ed and driving in general, and who has some learning challenges. Within a week or two they put her at ease and made things seem so much more manageable, boosting her confidence tremendously. They communicated effectively and thoroughly with me after every drive and were so supportive when she completed the class and went for her license. They helped us navigate the chaos of scheduling the driving hours so she could complete them in a timely manner. She definitely put in time studying and practicing, but with their help she passed the knowledge test and road test on her first try! Not only are they effective but they actually made the experience wonderful!“

“I’ve noticed a lot of the negative reviews for this place have been from years and years and years ago, so I just wanted to post one that’s far more recent as a student who is currently taking and finishing their classes here. I can’t speak on the negative reviews from years ago and everyone’s experience is different, I’d like to say the overall experience as a student here was one that I found enjoyable and honestly valuable. That’s not to say this school doesn’t have its short comings hence the 4 instead of 5 stars. I’ll start with some of the cons. The room is extremely small, almost cramped. You feel like a can of sardines in there when it’s a completely booked class, and it doesn’t help that you have to sit in the tiniest most uncomfortable chairs and that the classes are 2 hours. It is in a “rough” area and there’s a bar next to the school so depending on the time your classes are you just hear loud music, people singing. It’s slightly entertaining but it is a little annoying in the middle of a class. However that’s outside the schools control so there’s only so much anyone can do about it. I do find it a bit odd that you can only miss 2 classes before getting kicked out without a refund I think that’s unreasonable especially when some students have jobs and can’t always make it to a class. The cars you drive are serviceable but you can tell they’re old, one of the cars I was in literally had one of the door handles broken in half.
Now for the pros, and in my opinion the pros far outweigh the cons. If you are serious about learning to drive, and you want to learn, this place will get you there. The information you learn here is genuinely useful, and applicable which is the most important. It helps a ton that my instructor would have me apply what we learned in class on the road. My instructor was very patient, very kind, very constructive, and he was funny. It helped made me feel comfortable. I KNEW he was giving me useful information so it allowed me to trust my instructor. I can’t speak on all instructors and some people simply get along with different instructors, but Mr. Eckman was amazing. I went from someone who was sweating bullets, at just the thought of getting behind the wheel, someone who had never driven before in my life, to feeling more confident in myself and believing in myself at the end of each lesson thanks to him. You WILL learn by taking these classes. There is homework but as long as you’re on top of it, it shouldn’t be a problem it takes 15-30 minutes max to complete when you get home and you can submit it through email for convenience. If you don’t do it my teacher was really lenient and forgiving on people who had even been missing week 1 homework when we were in week 4. Don’t take advantage of that though, do your homework. In general, it’s not the most glamorous school, you don’t get the most glamorous materials or hardware, but the information you learn is valuable, it’s applicable, the instructors are patient and care about the students, they’re humorous so even when a class feels super dull you can tell they make the effort to make it interesting, and you will come out of this a better driver I think if you’re willing to push through it. I hope this helped someone!“