Above Average Driving School Inc — Local services in Durham

Mr. Vaughn Cole is 100% one of the best people I have ever met, personally or professionally. He is so incredibly zen and calm, yet also direct and specific with feedback. His former experience as an engineer and business owner comes through: he is extremely attentive to detail and breaks driving technique down into its constituent mechanical components in simple layman's terms and straightforward, foolproof formulas. He is an excellent teacher - he never overwhelms the student with information overload; he addresses each component straightforwardly and simply. I think most importantly of all: he inspires confidence and comfort in his students so that they are empowered to be in the drivers seat of their own lives. I have a diagnosed, medicated anxiety disorder and driving was one of my greatest fears before taking classes with Mr. Cole. I am now at a point where I enjoy driving and am confident in my own ability to make good defensive-driving decisions in stressful scenarios (e.g. screaming toddler, someone in the car is mad or irritated with me, weirdos out on the road not using their turn signals and being aggressive, etc).

For what it's worth: I chose the 10 hrs behind the wheel driving package. After the 3rd or 4th lesson I was able to also start practicing outside of class with my husband in his SUV. I also rented the Above Average Driving School car for my DMV road test. This brings me to my next point: you should absolutely pay the extra money to rent the car that you have practiced in and have the instructor with you when you go to take your road test. Why? You are effectively paying for a DMV diplomat and road test DOULA.

Let me explain: When you give birth in a hospital, you are either given the option of bringing in your doula, or sometimes you will even be able to utilize the services of a volunteer doula at the hospital. What does a doula do? A doula is an ADVOCATE for someone to help them navigate the medical system and liaison with the doctors and nurses. They help keep you confident and comfortable in your ability to deliver a baby. They fight for your autonomy and help you make informed decisions so that you are not bulldozed by medical staff into doing things that you don't want to do. This is like that, but with the DMV.

When I went to the DMV, the staff member who initially came out to test me automatically refused to test me on the basis of her perceived issue with the car. She immediately wrote me off and walked away. I hadn't said a word to her. I had barely turned on the car. And yes - everything was working fine, and I had made sure we were both buckled before turning the key in the ignition.

I am not the kind of person who would fight for myself in this scenario. I am not a "I want to speak to the manager" kind of person. If I had been by myself, I would have just rolled over and taken it. I would have let it ruin my entire week and utterly destroy my work week, which - I am a full time working mother to a toddler. I do not have a lot of hours to spare.

I called Mr. Cole, who THREW OUT HIS BURGER to come to my rescue. He immediately walked in, tried to very politely and patiently inquire as to what happened with this staff member, and was met with absolute vitriol. Just an absolutely nasty person. He did not yell. He did not curse. He did not treat her with disrespect. He was able to talk to the DMV site manager, and brought her out to inspect the car - which, by the way, was FINE. Ultimately, he was able to persuade the manager to give me the test instead. And I passed! In spite of the stress, and not because the manager felt sorry for me or because he told her to. I passed because Mr. Cole advocated for my right to at least try and be tested.

There are plenty of actually kind-but-tired people at the DMV. There is also of course ALWAYS a nasty person working there who gives the DMV its scary reputation. I 100% think having an advocate to appeal on your behalf is worth it, in addition to the incredibly helpful lessons.

Y'all saved my life....

I'm extremely happy that I got to take the Above Average Driving School Inc! Mrs. Tracy was my teacher, and she was informative, helpful, and taught me everything I could've needed regarding safe driving.

The first thing she taught me was the Importance of seat belt usage: Mrs. Tracy would always engage with us, and made sure we understood the importance of wearing your seat belt before driving or riding in a vehicle. She brought up many examples throughout her life, where seatbelt usage was important o her, along with her friends and families. This led to me better understanding the overall importance of driving safety. The second thing Mrs. Tracy taught me, was maintaining a safe following distance: She made sure we always understood the importance of maintaining a safe following distance between your vehicle and the one ahead of you. By maintaining a safe following distance, we were able to drive safely and avoid any bad actors. Mrs. Tracy also made sure we understood the importance of checking mirrors and blind spots. She signified the importance of regularly check your mirrors and blind spots before changing lanes, merging, or making turns. This action helps you stay aware of your surroundings and avoid collisions with other vehicles. Most significantly, Mrs. Tracy also made sure that we were obeying all traffic signs and signals. We needed to always obey traffic signs, signals, and pavement markings, as they provided important information and instructions to help you navigate the roads safely. Finally, she helped us learn how to avoid distractions. Specifically minimizing distractions while driving, such as texting, talking on the phone, eating, or adjusting electronic devices. She signified the importance of having your focus on the road and always remaining alert to potential hazards.

Because of her awesome instruction and directions, I feel like I've grown as a teen driver, and learned the importance of...

I have to agree with another reviewer on here that they have very below average customer service, but their instructors are AMAZING! Ms. Tracy is the BEST! They better keep her b/c if their customer service was the only gauge, they would not have any customers! I had to phone this business for what I thought was a very easy "issue" (just needed clarification and guidance for a special case) and spoke to a Mr. Calvin. Mr. Calvin would not even listen to my question. He repeatedly interrupted me, accosted me for something I had no control over, accused me of asking him to break rules (which I NEVER asked him to do as I was calling to get clarification myself on the rules) and he repeatedly went on a rant about things above my head or level of knowledge. Honestly, I was shocked at the juvenile level conversation style of this gentleman. He accused me of being unprofessional and continuously "threatened" me with "this call is recorded" as if I had to worry about that. Mr. Calvin was rude, unhelpful and absolutely unprofessional. He hung up on me during my honest attempt to clarify the conflicting information and accused me of being the problem. Unbelievable! I hate this happened BUT was glad to see that someone else experienced the same thing as I was left baffled and feeling as if I had lost my mind! In the event an enrolled student has no issues throughout the process, perhaps this business can be safe to engage. But if you have ANY minor issues, do not expect adult level professionalism in answering your questions or providing clear...