Do You Need to Take Driver Education Before Embarking on Driver Training?

Johnson Smith
Aug 25, 2017 · 3 min read

The common rules for New Jersey states that 16 year olds have to spend about six hours behind the wheel to be able to receive their learner’s permit, which they can at any driving school in Essex County, NJ.

Learner’s permit allow an individual to learn how to drive, with the license acting as a legal document for them doing so.

However, it is different from driver’s permit, for the latter allows an individual to drive a vehicle as specified in the driver’s permit on public roads legally. It is necessary, according to NJ driver rules, that one must obtain a learner’s permit first before obtaining a driver’s permit.

There is some confusion among New Jersey teenagers on whether they should take driver’s education course or not to be able to obtain a driving/learner’s license. This article aims to clear up that confusion.

There is a difference between driver education and driver training. It is just like in schools and colleges; driver education is held in classrooms where individuals are taught about the basics of driving, road signs, warning signs and basic vehicle information. It is the kind of education one takes before getting behind the wheel to experience it all in real life.

Frankly speaking, driver education is not mandatory to take before driver’s training, although it is highly recommended to do so. While most driving schools in Essex County NJ would provide driver education along with training, the same is also being included in the high school curriculum as prescribed by New Jersey’s core curriculum content standards. This means high school students are given driver education in the classroom itself so that every teen has an idea about it all.

Obtaining a learner’s permit requires you to pass a written test, and that is where driver education comes in handy. The test consists of 50 questions and takes place either in high school, a licensed driving school or in the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission Agency. Teenagers also need to pass a vision screening test.

Now the debate arises on whether providing driver education before learning how to drive behind a wheel produces safe drivers or not. While this a topic for another time, the stats of research carried out in this regard show mixed results.

Sometimes the safe drivers didn’t take driver education while getting their permit, whereas sometimes the most reckless drivers have a history of driver education completion.

Hence it cannot be truly said that driver education makes one a safe driver. However, that does not mean that one should skip out on driver training.

Read More: Steps for Choosing the Best Driving School in Essex County, NJ

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