FAQs

General
How long is the class?
Do you use my car or do you supply them?
When do you offer training?
What is the cost of training, are there payment plans?
What is covered in the training?
Can you train on a permit?
What if there is bad weather the day of my course?
Who offers insurance discounts?
Can I get a duplicate for a lost graduation certificate?
Can I fail the class?
What's the best location to train at?
What is your cancellation / reschedule policy?
Where can I get directions to your facility?
Do you offer private lessons?
Is distracted driving (and specifically text messaging) covered in your course?
Is it better to train in the snow?
What is your winter or snow course and how do I sign up?

 
Other FAQ Categories

Parent/Teen

Senior/Mature Drivers

Groups

Commercial

Police/Municipal 

General

How long is the class?
Our All Ages, Family and Senior Classes last 4.5 hours. Commercial classes start at 4.5 hours and can go to a full day or longer based on the needs of that client.

Do you use my car or do you supply them?
Our All Ages, Family and Senior Classes use our vehicle exclusively. You really do not want to perform these drills in your vehicle (we go through a set of tires every 7 days). Commercial clients may elect to introduce their van, truck, etc for a portion of our training, but we do most of their program in our vehicles to avoid unnecessary wear and tear on their equipment. The safety maneuvers we train translate from our vehicle to all vehicles on the road smaller than tractor trailers. The maneuvers are the same whether you have front wheel drive, manual transmission, etc. We will spend time training you on non-ABS brakes, but we will also spend time trying to convince you to stay away from non-ABS vehicles.

When do you offer training?
Training is offered Saturdays, Sundays, Weekdays and some holidays. We offer regular training at some facilities and bi-monthly visits at others. Please see our schedule for a live calendar. Classes are generally offered at 8am or 1pm, but make sure to refer to your registration email for the exact class time.

What is the cost of training, are there payment plans?
All Ages, Family and Senior Classes are $350 for the first family member and (thanks to support from our sponsors) $230 for each additional family member. In most cases you should be able to recoup the cost of training through available insurance discounts (not to mention avoiding crashes in the first place). If money is an issue, we offer a payment plan of $24.99/month

What is covered in the training?
This closed course, hands-on training focuses on the most likely crash scenarios and how to avoid them. Check out our course overview section for more information.

Can you train on a permit?
Absolutely, in fact we prefer to see new drivers before they get their license. It’s important to note that you should come see us in the last few weeks or months prior to going for your license test, do not come in the first few days of driving. You need to have the basic driving skills down before we work on more advance concepts. Incidentally, if you’ve had your license 1, 2, 5, 10 years, you’re not necessarily out of the woods or skilled. Car crashes are the #1 cause of death under age 45 and the #1 unnatural cause of death for all ages in the U.S.

What if there is bad weather the day of my course?
As long as it is safe to travel to our class, we will train. In rare circumstances (generally blizzards) we will update our outgoing voicemail and email you if a class is cancelled. We drive in the rain, so we train in the rain (and you’ll be inside or in a car most of the time…so you shouldn’t get too wet).

Who offers insurance discounts?
In Massachusetts as of late 2010 about 85% of the insurance market offers discounts for new drivers (generally the first 3-6 years). 50% of the insurance market offers discounts for drivers of all ages. We encourage you to call your insurance agent and if they are unaware or do not currently have a discount filed, have them contact us. At this point, they are missing the boat with everyone else AND we’re happy to share the details and benefits of our program. Students outside Massachusetts generally have a variety of discounts available as many of the national insurance carriers offer defensive driving discounts and we have qualified every time a carrier has contacted us to get details on our program.

Can I get a duplicate for a lost graduation certificate?
Yes, please visit www.DriveInControl.com/Proof to request this.

Does everyone pass the course?
No, if you are unable to complete the course we offer you the option of taking the class again or a two hour private lesson to improve in the area you had difficulty with. Graduation certificates are only awarded to students who can complete the entire course. In 15,000 graduates we have failed only a few dozen students. Typically those students visited us within weeks of getting their permit and lacked basic driving skills OR more recently we’ve seen an influx of mature drivers who lacked the reaction time and strength to had minor emergency situations. It’s worth noting that many of these senior drivers were grateful to learn that they were not as safe a driver as they thought. Note: In Control only reports graduates of our program to the Department of Transportation, we do not track those that do not get a graduation certificate.

What's the best location to train at?
Our course is the same regardless of the location you choose. We recommend you choose the location nearest you or that meets your schedule demands (particularly if you live closest to a site we visit bi-monthly)

What is your cancellation / reschedule policy?
If you choose to reschedule for any reason, we request at least seven days notice. Requests to reschedule prior to seven days are done with no financial penalty. Requests to reschedule within seven days of your training date result in a $50 per person reschedule fee. In the event a blizzard or some other weather that makes travel to our site dangerous, no reschedule fee will be charged. While we do not refund your registration cost if you decide to cancel altogether, we will issue you a gift certificate valid for seven years from the original date or registration.

Where can I get directions to your facility?
Our facilities can be tricky to find as they are often off the beaten path. Please download the appropriate preparations packet and use those directions to find us. If you are late to a class, you may not be able to train particularly if you miss the initial safety presentation. Late students are subject to our reschedule policy above.

Do you offer private lessons?
Private lessons are available to all graduates and we encourage you to discuss your private lesson desires with the coordinator during your group training. In rare instances we will offer private lessons to students who have not completed our regular training, but 99.9% of the time we require attendance of our group class first. Private lessons take place at our facilities and some facilities may not be accessible for non-group events. Contact us with questions or additional details.

Is distracted driving (and specifically text messaging) covered in your course?
Absolutely, In Control has been training students to avoid distracted driving and text messaging since our inception. We generally provide drivers a greater appreciation of the risks in driving and have a great track record for showing "texters" that they are not as invincible as they think they are.

Is it better to train in the snow?
Ironically training on a dry or rainy day is a lot better than initially training in the snow. Many drivers tell us they are waiting until the snow falls to come see us, but actually training our training in less slippery weather allows us to drive the vehicles a little faster. Faster speeds equal greater g-forces, so the ability to control the vehicle requires a little more effort and a greater appreciation of that power is realized. Basically, you’ll learn how to drive better in the snow regardless of when you train with us, but if you only take our snow class your expertise in driving may be limited to slippery roads.

What is your winter or snow course and how do I sign up?
If you have more than five years of driving experience you can sign up for our snow class email alerts here. If you have less than five years experience, we expect you to graduate from our all ages or family class before you sign up for a snow class. Once we have Mother Nature’s cooperation, we email everyone and it’s a first come, first serve opportunity to sign up. Only some locations allow for snow classes and there are over 6,000 people on the list, so register quick once you see that email.