Driving Lessons – Information & Policies
Driving Lessons at The Next Street
Safety Comes First
Your lessons are built around you. Our instructors meet you at your comfort level and adjust routes and skills so you’re always learning in a safe, supportive way.
- Wear safe driving shoes (see policy below) so you can stay in control behind the wheel.
- Wear glasses or contacts if your permit requires your to wear corrective lenses
- Show up ready to learn — respect for your instructor and everyone on the road matters.
The Easiest Road to a License starts with building safe habits from day one.
What to Expect During Your Driving Lessons
- Start with the basics: Every student begins with core skills like accelerating, braking, turning, and parking.
- Build step by step: Once those are mastered, lessons progress to lane choice, speed management, hills, highway driving, and—if purchased—a mock road test.
- Real-world practice: You may also get the chance to fuel a vehicle, go through a car wash, or even practice drive-thru navigation.
- Practice at home: Plan for 8–10 hours of driving practice between lessons. Use our free Driving Log to track your progress.
- Personalized instruction: Instructors tailor lessons to each student’s confidence, knowledge, and skills—no two lessons look exactly alike.
- Parent involvement: Spend the last 10 minutes with your instructor reviewing the evaluation sheet together. This helps parents understand what was covered and what needs more practice at home.
- Extra resources: Need help teaching at home? Check out our tips on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
Observation Overview
Students must complete 6 hours of backseat observation, done in three 2-hour sessions. During these lessons, you’ll ride along as another student drives. You’ll watch, listen, and learn — sometimes reviewing skills you’ve already practiced, other times seeing more advanced maneuvers in action.
Observer Policy
If the original driver student is tardy or a no-show, the observer student will take the role of the driver student for the lesson. Observer students must arrive prepared to drive. If unable to assume the role of the driver, no show or non-compliant policies apply.
Changing or Canceling Lessons
Plans change — we get it! Here’s how it works:
- 24+ hours before your lesson: You can cancel or reschedule with no fee.
- Less than 24 hours before your lesson: A $100 late cancellation fee applies.
- If you do not call and do not show up to your lesson, you will forfeit the scheduled time.
- Cancel right in your Portal, or call us at 800-732-8090 and we’ll help.
Your lesson time is reserved just for you — keeping it means you stay on the fastest road to your license.
Running Late or Missing Items
- Students must arrive on time for all scheduled lessons. Students are granted a 30-minute grace period after the scheduled lesson start time. If a student arrives late, they will receive credit only for the portion of the lesson completed.
- Failure to arrive within 30- minutes of the scheduled start time will result in the lesson being forfeited in full, with no credit or refund issued.
- For lessons involving observers, a 15-minute grace period applies. Failure to arrive within 15 minutes will result in the lesson being forfeited, with no credit or refund provided.
- The Next Street does not offer partial driving lessons; all lessons are conducted in two-hour sessions. Students who need to make up lesson time to meet state requirements must purchase and complete a full two-hour lesson to remain eligible for course completion and certification.
- Your learner’s permit or license (physical copy)
- Glasses/contacts if needed – Check the back of your permit for a B Restriction.
- Closed-toe shoes (see Footwear Policy)
Footwear Policy
- Proper footwear is essential for safe driving — especially for new drivers who are still learning how to control a vehicle. The ability to feel and apply steady, accurate pressure on the pedals is a critical skill, and the wrong shoes make this much harder.
- Allowed: Sneakers or sturdy closed-toe/heel shoes. These give you firm traction, secure footing, and full control of the brake and accelerator pedals.
- Not allowed: Sandals, flip-flops, heels, or slippers. These can slip off, catch under pedals, or make it difficult to apply consistent pressure — all of which create dangerous situations behind the wheel.
- The right shoes = safer lessons, better control, and more confident driving.
Tracking Your Driving Hours
Practice makes Progress.
- Teens: MA requires 40 supervised hours (your lessons with The Next Street count towards the total).
- Adults: We recommend 40 hours before taking your road test.
- [Download the Driving Log] — Parents/guardians can help track practice, review instructor notes, and make sure you’re on pace.
- Even if you are not comfortable with your new driver taking your wheel, they can learn from the passenger seat. Have them sit up front, without a device, and verbally walk you through safe driving behaviors. Tasks like “give me directions on how to get home” will help your new driver start to understand routes, road names and bring attention towards the little driving details that don’t have to be learned from the driver seat.
Support Devices
For everyone’s safety, students wearing orthopedic support devices — such as casts, splints, or braces — cannot participate in driving lessons or road tests. These devices can limit your mobility and reaction time, which are essential for safe vehicle operation.
Cancellations for Medical Reasons
We understand that unexpected medical situations happen. If you’re unable to attend your lesson or test for medical reasons, we want to support you while keeping our scheduling fair for all students.
Standard Cancellation Policy:
We ask for at least 24 hours’ notice if you need to cancel to avoid a cancellation fee. If you can’t provide that notice due to a medical situation, you may request a fee waiver.
What We Need:
Please provide a brief note from a healthcare provider that includes:
- A confirmation that a medical reason prevented you from attending (no private medical details are required).
- The date of your missed appointment.
How to Submit:
- Fill out the Fee Waiver Form
- Upload the note through your Student Portal within 2 days of your missed appointment.
What Happens Next:
Once we receive your note, our team will review it and notify you about your fee waiver status within 3–5 business days.
Your privacy is important to us — we never require or store specific medical information.
Inclement Weather
If we need to cancel lessons, classes, or road tests due to weather, The Next Street will make that decision and notify you by email and text message. We’ll also include instructions on what to do next.
- Classes & Lessons: You’ll need to reschedule through your Student Portal.
- License Tests: Additional instructions for rescheduling will be provided.
In-Vehicle Participants
To ensure a safe and focused learning environment, only the following people are allowed in the training vehicle during a lesson:
- Enrolled students
- Approved observers
- Authorized instructors
- Company trainees
Parents, guardians, and other guests cannot ride along or observe in-car lessons.
From time to time, a trainee instructor may be in the vehicle to observe or learn. Advance notice is not required, but all trainees are expected to remain professional and non-disruptive throughout the lesson.
Late Pick-Up Policy
We want every lesson to start and end smoothly. Parents and guardians play an important role in making that happen by ensuring timely transportation after each lesson.
Pick-Up & Drop-Off Locations:
Lessons begin and end at specific locations, which will be shared with you ahead of time and are always available in your Student Portal.
After the Lesson:
- Please plan for prompt pick-up at the end of each lesson.
- Instructors will wait with students for up to 15 minutes after a lesson ends.
If Pick-Up Is Delayed:
- After the 15-minute grace period, instructors are no longer responsible for supervising the student.
- If we cannot reach a parent or guardian, we may contact local authorities to ensure the student’s safety