Intensive driving is an instruction technique where students are taught how to drive in a short period of time. Rather than completing the driving course by attended sessions over a period of weeks or months, the student undergoes what is usually called a crash course that lasts roughly a week. With an intensive driving course, it is not unusual for the classes to last for eight hours each day, for five consecutive days.
The driver safety course that is structured to be an intensive course of study will include a combination of in-class time as well as field instruction. Students are drilled on the basics of road safety, traffic laws, and provided with scenarios in which they must choose a course of action. These simulations help the novice drivers get a feel for what can happen on the open road, and provide them with information to help them make responsible decisions while driving.
Along with learning the basics, students also spend time behind the wheel with a licensed driving instructor. During the first part of the week, the intensive driving often takes place on a private driving track that is set up to represent some of the simulations discussed in the classroom. As the week progresses, the student is taken on the open road and allowed to drive in a real-life situation.
Assuming the student performs satisfactorily in the classroom and behind the wheel, he or she is authorized to take the final exam. This examination involves both a written test and a driving test on streets and roads selected by the instructor. If the student passes both components of the final exam, he or she is awarded a certificate of completion and is considered ready to apply for a permanent driver’s license.
Like any type of driving program, an intensive driving school must comply with government regulations in order to offer their services to the public. All instructors must be registered and properly certified according to the standards put in place by the local jurisdiction. The structure and the depth of information provided to the student must also meet minimum standards in order to comply with existing regulations. Failure to comply with these standards can mean the loss of recognition and certification by the jurisdiction, effectively rendering the services of the school of no value to anyone seeking a driver’s license.
In their advertising, some intensive driving schools claim they can provide the same amount of information that any driving course can do, only in much less time. The comparison is sometimes made that a full week of study with an intensive driving school will yield the same benefits offered by schools that offer one-hour courses per week for forty consecutive weeks. Opinions vary on whether the intensive method is comparable to driving instruction that takes place over a longer period of time, with proponents claiming the quality is just as good and opponents stating that the pace of the coursework does not allow the student time to assimilate the data properly.