Driving schools using subdivisions to practice in? JAWM

[AimeeM]

I live in a residential neighborhood (a small subdivision).

About a mile away, there is a driving school.

 

Every. Single. Day they use our subdivision (where, especially during the summer, there are small children playing with friends, bikers, walkers, joggers, at all hours until well after dark). From dusk until dark.

 

It's at the point where I don't want DD13 going out and walking/walking the dog because they like to use the front of our yard to practice pulling over (to the curb). Several homes in our subdivision haven't a driveway, so there is a ton of street parking in front of the homes, making it necessary for her (or any child/walker/jogger) to go around the cars and into the street (this is common when the sides of homes are separated by shrubbery and you can't just pass through a neighbor's yard).

 

This wouldn't be an issue if I hadn't witnessed mistakes that, while common for new drivers, could be fatal if committed when there is a human passing... dangerous to other cars as well.

For example, curb pulling on a residential home property... when it's summer time and there are children playing in said yard. 

Not yielding signs.

Using the road to turn in, when it's a slim road and often used for parking, making it difficult to see what is to your front, back, etc.

Today our vehicle was almost hit (as in, there was an inch to spare) when a student driver pulled into the middle of the road from a lot, across a lane going opposite, and into ours. There was no blind spot - I was traveling straight on a through. 

I blame the instructor, not the student driver. It isn't as though our car could be easily missed (large black SUV, no blockage, no blind spot, no stop sign or 4-way), and the instructor should have, imo, used his own brake to stop the car once it became obvious his student was pulling directly into a moving vehicle. The instructor was staring straight ahead, instead of watching for oncoming traffic.

 

I get it - kids need to practice. I have one who will be doing so sooner than later. I don't have the answer as to *where*, but if I remember my own student driving, it was a lot of parking lots and less populated streets. I do not ever recall being taken to a super populated downtown subdivision to practice.

 

Totally a vent. Probably me overreacting. I'm okay with that. 

 

[Laurie4b]

If they were using your neighborhood occasionally, I would be of the mind that the kids need a place to practice. But to use the same subdivision all the time means that you are exposed to more hazards than other neighborhoods.

 

Given that you came close to an accident today, I think it's good timing to call, be nice, explain the almost accident but even more the summer situation with the kids and ask if they could spread the practice into other areas. Summer is a good time to practice in empty school parking lots. An upgrade from there would be large store parking lots.There are not little kids running around in the same way as in a neighborhood. When they need neighborhood practice, it does not need to be done next to the driving school. It could be done at the end of, or in the middle of, a drive somewhere else. 

[Pink and Green Mom]

I would be completely annoyed in your situation as well. 

 

To the extent you have specific instances of illegal and/or unsafe behavior, I would be inclined to speak to the owner/manager of the driving school who may have no idea what is going on, as well as the police.

[Anne in CA]

I am another vote for calling the driving school and making a formal complaint. To not be able to use your own front yard on a regular basis is seriously uncool.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Yes - file a formal complaint with the owner.  I would also call the non-emergency line for your local police and talk to them about it.  

[Butter]

I agree about calling and complaining.

[OneStepAtATime]

Complain but do it in writing or the call may end up being ignored.  You can still be polite, but do it in writing.  

[Pink and Green Mom]

Yep. We get an exercise business too. Nothing like trying to watch a movie when they decide to stop the group and yell for ten minutes of calisthetics on my sidewalk ( yes, its mine. The town does not do sidewalks out here in rural areas, homeowners responsibility. I dont appreciate the accidents waiting to happen with all these overweight out of shape people on my sidewalk either).

 

in this case I would open up an ice cream stand in my front yard  :lol:

[flyingiguana]

At least it sounds like the instructors have brakes on their side.  In our neighborhood, we have a constant stream of drivers in training -- using their friends' cars.  There is no 2nd brake for the instructor --there's not even an instructor.

 

For some reason, using the school parking lot a few blocks away to teach new drivers has gotten to be a thing.  And then they venture out into the neighborhood.

 

So far, a couple houses near us have been run into.  They just didn't plow through the yard and take down sturdy fences, they actually hit the house and caused major structural damage.  A number of trees have also been taken out.

 

The school has put up signs saying no practice driving, but no one pays attention.  I suspect there is actually a business operating, teaching adults to drive.  They set out cones and teach all the skills like parallel parking and backing into spaces.  

 

And there's a playground right next to this parking lot.

 

eta: complaining to the owner of the "business" isn't going to help.  I'm guessing it's all cash and all under the table.  (Gotta love living in the city...)

[Junie]

I would call the HOA.  This is the kind of stuff that ours would deal with in a hurry.

[Tap]

I am sorry, that would be frustrating.  In our state you have to do a driving school course to get your licence under the age or 18yo.  There are lots of driving school's cars out on the week ends and especially during the summer. At least with the driving school's cars you know there is a rookie behind the wheel.  In a parents car, you don't have any clue.

 

Here...at a driving school, the first half of a lesson starts in a parking lot and they move to the roads after that.  In just 8, one hour lessons, the instructors have to mark off everything from parking by a curb, parallel parking, freeways, one-way-streets, city vs rural etc.  There is no way they can do those things in a parking lot where the top speed is 10 mph. You want those people learning to have as much on-the-road experience as possible.

 

I know they usually pick certain neighborhoods because they have specific features that they need to check off in the learning process.  It may not be all the instructors, it may just be certain ones that are using that path. Sometimes is isn't just the neighborhood, but the loop that they take to/from other spots along the way.  ie Close to the free way or a roundabout.

 

I would go to the school in person and talk to the person at the front desk.  Ask them nicely, if your neighborhood can get a break on the number of drive throughs.  They may or may not be willing to listen, but do realize that they don't legally have to comply.  If they do so, it would just be the instructor being nice, so I would ask very, very nice. :0) 

 

 

[zoobie]

Yes, complain! I'd call the school and the non-emergency police number.

[Lara in Colo]

I would complain and if that didn't work, I would try to get as many people together and exercise your rights to park where the school does its "practicing" and if the roads and drives are private, use a chain or block with cones

 

[bettyandbob]

As others have said

1. Call police no emergency and ask what the options are

2. Talk to your HOA and maybe investigate the process of getting restricted access to your neighborhood. You do the prelim research and present it to the HOA.

3. Contact the driving school and see if they would consider spreading the live to other neighborhoods.

 

That said, you are correct new drivers must practice somewhere.

[Laurie]

If calling the school  doesn't help, maybe you and the neighbors need to put up some signs on your property :

 

"Unsafe Driving from XYZ Driving School is Unsafe for Our Kids!"

 

"Put the Brakes on XYZ Driving School"

 

"Dangerous Driving from XYZ Driving School:  Use Caution!"

 

That kind of advertising can't be good for business.  :driving:

[ScoutTN]

Ditto the above advice. Driving schools do not drive in neighborhoods here, all on streets in commercial areas. Some quiet streets with little traffic and some major secondaries. (In addition to interstates, of course.)

 

[Tree Frog]

I am sorry, that would be frustrating.  In our state you have to do a driving school course to get your licence under the age or 18yo.  There are lots of driving school's cars out on the week ends and especially during the summer. At least with the driving school's cars you know there is a rookie behind the wheel.  In a parents car, you don't have any clue.

 

Here...at a driving school, the first half of a lesson starts in a parking lot and they move to the roads after that.  In just 8, one hour lessons, the instructors have to mark off everything from parking by a curb, parallel parking, freeways, one-way-streets, city vs rural etc.  There is no way they can do those things in a parking lot where the top speed is 10 mph. You want those people learning to have as much on-the-road experience as possible.

 

I know they usually pick certain neighborhoods because they have specific features that they need to check off in the learning process.  It may not be all the instructors, it may just be certain ones that are using that path. Sometimes is isn't just the neighborhood, but the loop that they take to/from other spots along the way.  ie Close to the free way or a roundabout.

 

I would go to the school in person and talk to the person at the front desk.  Ask them nicely, if your neighborhood can get a break on the number of drive throughs.  They may or may not be willing to listen, but do realize that they don't legally have to comply.  If they do so, it would just be the instructor being nice, so I would ask very, very nice. :0) 

 

Specifically for this reason, we bought one of the Student Driver magnets to put on the back of the car when dd is driving. Driving in a big city with few opportunities for slower streets without high traffic makes teaching dd more challenging. The magnets let the drivers behind her know she's a new driver. The only drawback is when I drive with the magnet on because we forgot to take it off.  :)

[aug17girl]

I don't know what municipal jurisdiction is like in the United States.  Here in Canada, a local neighbourhood had a number of accidents involving driving school vehicles and successfully got the city to put up a local traffic only sign and banned driving schools from using the area. It became a zoning issue.

[dirty ethel rackham]

I feel your pain.  While we don't get an excess of student drivers learning in our neighborhood, due to our proximity to the local drivers test facility, we get a lot of people in our neighborhood taking their drivers' tests.  There is no "instructor brake" in these cars as they are cars that the person who is testing brings to the facility.  The teen drivers actually do better than many of the adults.  At least the teens have had to go through a strict drivers education program and lots of supervised driving.  Those over 18 can walk in off the street and take the test without any instruction.  One common maneuver they test is backing around a corner, so they pull onto a side street and back around onto one of the busier streets.  It is dangerous.  I have been hit more than once.  What part of "honking my horn loudly and continuously" means continue on as normal (and still not looking behind you.)  So what if the tester failed them.  I still got hit!

[katilac]

Specifically for this reason, we bought one of the Student Driver magnets to put on the back of the car when dd is driving. Driving in a big city with few opportunities for slower streets without high traffic makes teaching dd more challenging. The magnets let the drivers behind her know she's a new driver. The only drawback is when I drive with the magnet on because we forgot to take it off.   :)

 

Thanks for linking! I had no idea you could get this. 

[Murphy101]

At least it sounds like the instructors have brakes on their side. In our neighborhood, we have a constant stream of drivers in training -- using their friends' cars. There is no 2nd brake for the instructor --there's not even an instructor.

 

For some reason, using the school parking lot a few blocks away to teach new drivers has gotten to be a thing. And then they venture out into the neighborhood.

 

So far, a couple houses near us have been run into. They just didn't plow through the yard and take down sturdy fences, they actually hit the house and caused major structural damage. A number of trees have also been taken out.

 

The school has put up signs saying no practice driving, but no one pays attention. I suspect there is actually a business operating, teaching adults to drive. They set out cones and teach all the skills like parallel parking and backing into spaces.

 

And there's a playground right next to this parking lot.

 

eta: complaining to the owner of the "business" isn't going to help. I'm guessing it's all cash and all under the table. (Gotta love living in the city...)

If there is a sign, I'd call the cops and explain that seriously two houses have already been hit and enough already.

[Murphy101]

I'd put one of those big folding signs right at the curb saying, "careful! Children at play!"

 

And I'd let my kids go out all they wanted and if I saw anything even a bit unsafe, I'd be standing up and knocking open the window saying they shouldn't be practicing that around children.

 

There's a time and a place and around kids is not the time or the place to practice heavy machinery.

 

And I have a new driver almost every year for some time to come now, so io have sympathy, but no.

 

I don't let mine and I wouldn't take kindly to someone else letting their teen do it either.

 

I think it your kids aren't out there, then really they might choose your spot specificly bc there aren't any kids playing while they do it.

[JennyD]

 

Yikes.  I would be extremely unhappy about that as well.  Occasional practice, fine, but what you're describing seems like an unreasonable burden on your particular subdivision.   

 

In addition to what others have mentioned (direct complaints, police non-emergency number), it might be worth contacting your town or city government representative.  The current city council rep for my neighborhood, at least, is very helpful with this sort of thing.  

 

[AimeeM]

I think I'll bring it up at the HOA meeting. It's a very small, very old subdivision, and the HOA was only JUST reestablished (we had to get rid of some very outdated, racist by-laws that we stumbled across in some circa 1950's/60's paperwork, and the HOA just kind of "took off" from there), but the head of the HOA has been absolutely fabulous about getting law enforcement in to speak with the neighbors, etc.