Tri-City Driving School
Colonial Heights, VA 23834
Phone: (804) 526-7798
User Reviews for Tri-City Driving School
08/21/2007 Posted by beatlesgirl
I was sent to Tri-City Driving School in order to get my driver's license (I wasn't the right age to take the class in school the year before). It wasn't long before me and the rest of the class realized that we were in for a horrible two weeks. The teacher was rude and took delight in embarrassing us. If he didn't like our questions, he treated them like they were unimportant. He picked out one particular student as a troublemaker and called him out for everything he did (that particular student became a friend of mine and he wasn't a troublemaker). We suffered through what I considered tantrums when the teacher thought we weren't sitting on the edges of our seats and hanging on to his every word. He was grouchy every single day. He enjoyed telling us that if we failed, he wouldn't care because he was retiring after our class and wouldn't have to reteach us. (He now teaches only weekend driver improvement classes). By the end of our two week class, he was something of a joke among a few of us. I have never had a more insulting, uncaring teacher in my entire life.
Pros: Easy to sign up
Cons: Rude teacher, difficult parking
05/06/2007 Posted by liavt
I didn’t expect it to be a great deal of fun (it’s punishment for a ticket, after all) but I did expect it to be a learning experience. Instead, it was an unbearable, insulting eight-hour ordeal. The instructor began class by asking each participant about the details of their offense. He mocked and harassed each one of us, even those (such as myself) who were obviously not proud of the situation. While it may have been entertaining for the large contingent of juveniles in the group, it was completely unnecessary and insulting to everyone else. He singled out an older woman in the group, asking how long she’s been driving. Obviously embarrassed, she simply said, “Longer than most people in here.” He was unwilling to let it go, and demanded that she tell the class exactly how long. She finally said, “50 years,” and was met with guffaws from the aforementioned juveniles. He encouraged the class to share their experiences with road rage. The resulting discussion degenerated into loud complaints about women drivers from the men in the group, some of whom even went so far as to detail the sexual favors a woman might use to get out of a ticket. I asked him if we could move on to something else, and he said, “I’m not saying a thing. If the women in here aren’t going to defend themselves, they just have to accept what’s being said.” I’m a college-educated, professional woman in my 30s. Why should I have to involve myself in a shouting match with teenaged boys when the “teacher” refuses to bring control to the situation? I understand that the bulk of driving school participants are under 21, and so the average class is probably going to feel like a return to high school. However, for the adults in the class (particularly the women), it would be advisable for this instructor to show some respect -- and to demand it from others in the group.
Pros: Easy to schedule (just show up)
Cons: Insulting teacher, rude classmates, not a place for grown-ups
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

