We had a horrendous experience with another driving school. For my daughter to get her license without waiting the two months, she needed to get the seven hours of behind the wheel. I went on Yelp and found Safe Driving School. The lady was pleasant, so I went ahead and signed her up. That same evening my daughter was driving. The driving instructor was beyond knowledgeable and kind. Unlike the other driving school instructor, he knew where he was going and wasn't constantly looking at his phone. He also spent the entire time with my daughter and gave her some tips that I am even going to use. It was definitely a different experience, and I can't say enough good things about Safe Driving School. read more

5 STARS! Safe driving academy helped me out so much. I did part 1 of the class back in 2019 and life just got in the way for me to complete part 2. The staff was helpful, friendly, considerate, timely, kind, and efficient. They were understanding and after showing my receipt they were more than accommodating. The gentleman who helped me when I was having trouble was very knowledgeable and worked through the answers with me instead of giving me the answers. I was honestly blown away when he was grading my test and wasn't using a cheat sheet. He was basing it all off of memory. It was fantastic! read more

Awesome training course and awesome trainer . Really helped me in getting my Drivers license . They have flexible classes and flexible course structure .... I am really happy to do business with them and select this driving school. The trainer Saiyyed is also a very experienced and perfect trainer I would love to get trained again and again . If you are in Herndon and need any driving related trainings or programs Safe driving is your best option to go for ! read more

This place was awesome . I came a little unexpectedly, gentlemen Fernado helped me get scheduled . I have failed miserably but , Clelia was able to teach me all questions and answers. She was extremely professional and helpful ! I strongly recommend this company to anyone looking to complete 8 hr course or behind the wheel . I will come back soon ! Thank you read more

Syed Iftikhar is the independent instructor for this school. He offers lessons to both teenagers and adults for Fairfax County residents, and has a 5-lesson package discount available. Each lesson consists of 2 hours of behind the wheel crash course (no pun intended) driving. I chose him because of his relatively flexible weekday and weekend schedule, and he offers pickup and dropoff within a reasonable vicinity. Once he's established that you have basic skills to operate a vehicle, he takes you out on the highways as soon as possible. At the end of each lesson he's willing to go over what you've covered. He swears by one of his parking tips, and runs you through the driving test for Westfields DMV after the second lesson or so. I find his blind spot wisdom much more useful, and felt there was a lack of defensive braking advice. I'd say the average learning driver only needs three lessons, maybe four. He loves chatting while you drive, and will intervene whenever necessary. Expect frequent stops at gas stations. Total patience if you blow a tire as well, haha. Don't ask him to take you to the DMV on a Saturday though, the waits are way too long for him to accomodate the schedule. read more

My instructor, Mr Arif Ali, was very professional and friendly during my driving sessions. I will recommend him to anyone, any day. Go check him out. James Kanu read more

I am a former student from safe driving Academy and I started with their drivers Ed's course way back in February. Starting off the course was slow and tricky, but I eventually got the hang of the reading and quiz portion of the class, I highly do recommend doing the online course, since it does work better for people who have a busy schedule with work or school. After completing drivers Ed I was finally ready to take the behind the wheel course, which I have to say was the best learning experience I've had when driving, I had the instructor of centreville and she was an amazing teacher, she didn't rush or yell whenever you messed up but would instead ease you into the roads bu taking back roads and more scenic routes where there aren't many cars. Obviously these are only for the beginning lessons, after I got the hang of the training car we went on more busy roads and eventually went on highways like Route 66. One thing I love about the teacher I got was that she help build self-esteem when driving and not make driving a nervous or scary experience, instead my instructor would give me small pieces of advice when I did mess up and explain to me in a formal manner why it's important to check and perform certain tasks when driving. I ending up finishing the lessons and finally got drivers license less than a 3 months later in the mail, I was so happy and I was glad I was able to pass this milestone of my life with safe driving academy, I can't recommend them enough, and believe me this is only my story, go and call and apply to a class if you need the certificate, or if your nervous about behind the wheel, they have amazing instructors. Thank you for everything Safe driving Academy, I've recommended you to all of my friends! read more

Our instructor was really friendly and informative. He made the hands on lessons very stress free for my 16 year old daughter. She always felt safe and learned a lot. They took care of all of the paperwork for us, too. Overall, a very good experience read more

I went through the Adult Waiver Program and it wasn't a great experience. First you do the online class and since you do this on a PC by yourself, I decided to do this at home. This class is supposed to be 30 hours long. There is no way that you can finish this class in this amount of time. For example a page is set at 12 minutes (the time that will be recorded even though you might take longer and when you are able to turn to the next page) but sometimes the required videos by itself are even longer and I'm not talking about additional materials. Plus you need time to read through everything and to answer the study questions. There is some useful information like how to buy a car or how to drive in emergency situations etc. but there is also a ton of videos about what happens if you drive drunk or take drugs. The online class for adults is the same one as for the teenagers. In my opinion this should have been made clear before you purchase this class. Because watching all these videos about all these horrible accident due to irresponsible teenage driving was the last thing I needed. As an adult you usually don't have overpowering confidence while you drive more the opposite. There are also tons of physics, how a motor works, how to exchange breaks. Very dry and not easy to understand. Some of the material was really old (10-20 years) with a blurry quality. You have seven levels and in each level you do a test. The first six level I was doing at home. Many of the questions were trick questions with no clear answer in the material or the answer contradicted the material. And many of these questions weren't even from the questions you did in the study material. There is a customer service you can contact but not even their answers were always right. For example they told me that the final test only has questions of level 7 while in a reality it had mixed questions from all levels. It took me over 60 hours to do this class and I have done a lot of online classes before. I have never experienced anything that came close to this. Very frustrating experience. After I was done with the material I called them to make an appointment for the final test. They told me, I can come by anytime. When I went there it was really noisy. One student was sitting in a separate room with the door open and playing the learning videos really loud. Someone behind me was talking on their handy where you could hear the other person talking as well. This wasn't a good environment to do a test. And I seriously wonder how they do this when several people want to study since I didn't see any headphones. My mouse didn't work and all that sudden my whole test was gone so I had to do it again with different questions. After I was done with this part, I got 7 driving lessons. Well, the instructor told me where to go, checked the speed and that was pretty much it. He told me once to stay in the middle of the road and that whoever comes first at a crossroad goes first but otherwise there were ZERO instructions on HOW to drive. One reason why I decided to sign up for this class was because of the great yelp reviews regarding the driving portion and getting to know the parking trick etc. There was none of this. If you just want somebody to sit next to you to have an extra pair of eyes, stays calm and who can break in emergency situations then that would be fine but I really expected much more out of this. read more

Do your homework, find a reputable school, THIS ONE IS NOT TRUSTWORTHY! We paid $250 and registered our daughter for this school. we understood they were to call us to schedule her first lesson. we never got a call and had to call twice to try to get them to respond. finally we gave up and asked for a refund. i was told by the company on Sept 4th that the refund was processed and a confirmation email was sent to my daughter. we never got the confirmation email nor did the credit show up on the Credit Card website when i checked it. i called back again this morning and spoke to someone who said she remembered me and would check on the credit. i told her i would also dispute the charge with the credit card company. she asked me to wait until 12 noon to give her time to work on the issue. She never called me and i disputed the charge. i looked at the credit card online system again to see if a credit was now pending, there was no reference to it. I called the company number tonight at 10 pm and reached someone. He asked when i called this morning and said "we dont open until 9 am, i think" I told him i was disputing the charge with Amex and was tired of the runaround and being lied to. read more

I had good experiences with safe Academy Driving School they did teach me good points and I really learned a lot of rules and how to drive safely I appreciate their help they are the best read more

Safe Driving Academy - Driving Schools Near Me - Herndon, Virginia

Mr Arif Ali was thee best instructor I have ever had. He had prepared me well for the actual road and also the roads that I would encounter in my life. He was patient and the best thing about him that I admired most, he teaches you using examples so that you will never make mistakes that are not necessary. I highly recommend him as an instructor and overall Safe Driving Academy is the best driving academy that exist. You won't be disappointed. read more

I'm so happy I found this place, I came to safe driving academy for the class you have to take in order to retake your permit , and it's 8-hours but worth it the best part you don't have to be there for 8hours you can be there as long as you like I went 2 hours Tuesday wensday and Friday and Saturday morning and then right after I went to the DMV and took the permit test and I'll be happy to say.... I PASSED! I recommend this school for the class read more

Was a really great experience! I really learned a lot from my instructor, Sohaib Akbar. If anyone has to do behind the wheel in northern VA, this is the place. read more

Great teachers who make everything so easy. No stress. The course was actually fun.

Used them to teach my au pair and she learned quickly and they gave her a Spanish instructor.

Horrible experience. The instructor constantly spoke in an offensive manner about other students and cut short on instruction time by arguing or having excessive small talk. She showed up late, canceled 5 minutes before, and did not teach the basics such as parking until asked. She spent 20 minutes of one of my classes dealing with some private business and then proceeded to add that to my driving time. Would not recommend. read more

Syed, he is one of the best instructors in the safe driving. He was a positive and patient instructor and knows how to knows how to manage a learner driver nervous. Thank you very much, syed, for making me a good driver. read more

Its been awhile since I took my behind the wheel with safe driving but I really loved it. They picked me up from my house or from school, depending on the day and the instructor was really nice. I did my research and this is the best deal on a budget. They even let me pay by monthly installments! read more

My two daughters took Driver's Education with Syed. I spoke with them about their experience and they mentioned that their confidence increased as they drove with Syed. He provided positive feedback on their driving skills and also gave them some tips to help them become better drivers. read more

I can't say enough positive things about this place! I absolutely love them! They really care and are willing to help, specially if you have a deadline. Mohamed is the best instructor! He is very patient, friendly and really makes you feel comfortable. He does not judge at all and makes you feel confident about driving. Clelia is also great! She is so friendly and helpful! She is great at communicating with the clients as well as with the instructors. Safe Driving is just a very friendly environment all around! I really enjoyed my experience there!! I thank them all for all their help!! I highly recommend them! read more

The employees are great. Syed is such a nice genuine person, and he loves to joke around with everyone. The accounting guy is really nice and works quick, they check to make sure that everyone is having a good time and is happy with their service. The location is clean, a bit small, but they have really organized the place. From what I have heard and seen, they have a few new instructors who should be just as great as Syed, all in all, I would highly recommend Safe Driving Academy. Oh, and did I mention they sometimes give out some pretty cool freebies! I got this super cool mood detector/driver type keychain. read more

Amazing service. Suitable timings according to your schedule. Friendly staff and very cooperative. Highly recommended

Wow! Is all i can say! Syed Iftikhar is super cool! He has been instructing for over 10 years!! Today was my first day with him, and it was a fantastic experience! He was very laid-back and patient. He jokes around a lot! Sometimes he writes his own lyrics while your driving, and he raps it to a instrumental song! This guy is hilarious! When i first got in the car, he gave me this little plastic card called the: Stress-o-meter. You press your thumb on it and it tells you whether or not your nervous. I think it is a great way for him to see if you are a calm or a nervous driver. I would say my first day with him was a wonderful experience! He makes the atmosphere very casual so you won't get nervous. And since he works for the DMV, you don't have to go to a DMV to get your license! Because once you are finished with the Behind the Wheel course, he automatically gives you your 6-month paper license! Also he has a very flexible schedule! He asks you at the end of each of every driving lesson,"So when do you want to have your next class?" He even calls to remind you that you have class that day! SO I TRULY RECOMMEND "SAFE DRIVING ACADEMY" TO ANYONE SEARCHING FOR A DRIVING SCHOOL!! Also, there are much more services he has than just Behind the Wheel! He also offers: Driver Improvement Course, Learners Permit Re-Exam, Drivers Ed, and Adult Driving School! Go to the website now and enroll!! read more

Excellent place to learn driving!! Recently gt my license frm here..The instructor syed is friendly, helpful and patient..would definetly recommend this place and instructor for anyone who is planning on gettin their driver's license read more

Syed is a great instructor! He has flexible scheduling, which is convenient for everyone. Also, each session feels relaxed, which makes learning much less nerve wracking. The car is electric, which gives learners a chance to experience a different feel (I especially liked this because I usually drive a 2003 corolla). Another thing to add: the price is low! With Syed's personable instruction, this is definitely a driving school to try! read more

Amazing service .. The management is really helpful especially Syed who goes the extra mile to be helpful and understanding of your shortcomings and improve on them . He is flexible with his time and that is very helpful for working professionals ..being open after work and during weekends is a boon and you get to finish your course sooner .. Highly recommended school at a perfect location. read more

Very flexible and accommodating. We've used SDA for all three children. Great experience.

It is such a wonderful experience of learning driving in Safe Driving academy.Mr. Syed made driving simple and easy. I learned how to drive safely and got my drive licence from him. The whole process is efficient and reliable. read more

Excellent school for learners who do not have any previous experience. The instructors were professional, nice and helpful. I do not have any experience on driving before. Now I can drive comfortably after taking Adult behind the wheel program. The most important thing to mention is about driving simulator. This made me drive confidently on Road. Car driving require Hands and legs to operate simultaneously with co-ordination. I could able to gain that skill by practicing more on simulator. Syed was the instructor for my behind the wheel classes. He will make sure to cover all possible kinds of roads, inside the City, Highways, Country Side and Hill areas also. His parking tips makes us to become comfortable with parking fast. Over all I had very good experience. read more

Safe Driving Academy is a fun behind-the-wheel course instructed by Syed Lftikhar. It's pretty simple, he picks you up you drive to someone else's house, that person picks someone else up, and then that person drives you home. Each driving course is about 2 hours and is a good learning experience for new drivers. Even when your not driving, observing the others teaches you the way other drivers are thinking and might also prevent any future mistakes you might have made. I would recommend taking behind-the-wheel with Syed because he's a good guy and provides a relaxed environment while your taking the course. I think pretty much anyone would feel comfortable to ask him questions about anything they're unsure about on the road. read more

Hi All, I have got my license through Safe driving Academy. The sessions were very educative and am very much impressed by the simulator tool they have which gave me a real driving experience and was helpful when I drove on roads. Syed has been very patient and helpful during the process. Thanks, Jyothi. read more

Exceptional .Based on our recent visit i highly recomend This place MR SAFE is easy going and does what he tells. read more

Syed was my instructor, he's very friendly and likes to make jokes. Although the 1st day was a little hard to understand how it's going, but later days I was very comfortable driving with him. He plays music in-car sometimes to relax his student from the pressure they have as a new driver which I think is cool and its work in my case also he do chit-chat while you driving to see how you balancing everything while driving and also their office staff is very helping. Overall, it was a good experience for me and I surely recommend this place. read more

We scheduled our daughter with Safe Driving Academy and they showed up over 2 hours late. We cancelled completely and went with a more reliable driving school. read more

My son had Syed as an instructor. We had problems from beginning to end with his company. First, he arrived for the first pickup at our house 45 minutes after the time he said he would. We thought he'd forgotten our son, but he did finally show up. At the first pickup, he collects payment. I'd written the check out for the amount shown on his website, but he tried to collect a higher fee until I told him that was the website amount advertised....so now he was okay with it. Initially, it was easy to reach him to schedule my son's sessions. But towards the end it was nearly impossible; Syed would not return our calls or texts. It took a lot longer to get all the driving hours/sessions completed than it should have. After waiting 3 months to hear from the Court about the licensing ceremony, I called DMV to find out that they never received anything from Safe Driving Academy. I then had to track him down and ask that he resend my son's information. Very frustrating. His office is a mess of paperwork all over the place, so no wonder. Per my son: Syed allows music to be played loudly in the car while the kids are driving, and doesn't caution them when they are speeding in slow residential zones (though he did slow one kid down on FFax Cty Parkway which is a higher speed road). We had to correct my son on several do's and don'ts that he said he learned in the class that are just plain wrong. I do not know if all driving schools are this way, but I'd suggest finding a place that runs their business in a more professional manner. Being "nice" doesn't cut it. read more

Syed was great! It was so easy driving with him. He made me laugh a lot

I completely loved taking lessons with this academy, Mr. Syed, was a very hilarious yet effective teacher. I would recommend this academy to all my friends and family because I know they will enjoy it and get their licenses through here. I know I loved it! read more

I had two instructors with this company. The first was a very nice woman, but she was 45 minutes late the first two days. On the third day, I waited for an hour and a half at my school and she never showed up. My second instructor was very punctual, but that was about as far as his good qualities went. When directing me where to go, he often gave vague hand gestures instead of actually telling me where I needed to turn. He frequently called me "baby girl", and when I asked him to refer to me by my name instead, he had to ask what my name was and seemed affronted that I didn't appreciate that sobriquet. After that, he still slipped up numerous times and referred to me as "baby girl". One day in the car, he told a joke about abortion which I found highly offensive and it quickly devolved into an argument about feminism. While I was by no means shy about my feminist ideology, I find it highly unprofessional and offensive that my instructor would make a joke about abortion. He also proceeded to tell me about the personal life of one of his employees, details which I am sure she would be mortified that he had told to a student. I got my license from them without much issue, but the course itself was nearly unendurable. The instructors are unprofessional and fairly abhorrent. read more

I honestly don't recommend this place to anyone who's serious about getting their driver's license. You do not learn anything, too many people in the car at once, he's always late. So, so much more negative than positive. I can't even think of one positive. read more