My name is Catherine Burris. I found Start Smart Driving Academy thru a friend that unfortunately got a DUI, like myself and Start Smart was the only driving facility that would take me with a breathalyzer in my car. So I made an appointment and thought wow this will be a piece of cake. So Vachelle took me out on my first go at it. Anything and everything went wrong. We came back and I had literally flunked every aspect of the test. Vachelle was very calm and went over everything that I did wrong. She highlighted the areas that I failed and showed me what my mistakes were. I thought she was MAD at me so It was really embarrassing to say the least. So, I made an appointment for one week and took that material that she gave me and I PRACTICED my butt of - I went over everything she highlighted and told me. I practiced all week and then, it was the second try. I took the second test and Vachelle was my coach again. I wanted her to know how much I practiced and almost just wanted her to be proud of me... When all was said and done... I passed. I was so excited I cried and hugged Vachelle. So what it all comes down to is that the woman helped me so much and she was never angry - she just wants me to be a good driver! She was the reason that I passed that test. Had she not been stern with me and showed me all that I had done wrong I would have never ever passed that test. I know they have to be reserved and strict but when it's all said and done she was so happy for me! She is a caring and compassionate human being that just wants the best for people. She is my hero and I owe it all to her. Thank you Vachelle. Thank you Startsmart! read more

If I could give them a zero I would. They failed me twice and as I was crying because I had just failed Sandy was smiling and explaining driving rules. Give me a break. She said that when I merged I was "too close for comfort" even though the car was very far back and he drove up close to me and i got marked for it. These ladies are so mean and I'm feeling very defeated after this. Save yourself the time and money just go somewhere else. They are money hungry and it shows. I also went to their permit classes and they were extremely rude and was constantly putting down the teenagers by saying things like "I'll be surprised if any of you pass". How could you say even say this when you are the one who are teaching the kids? They are completely unprofessional and rude here. read more

Start Smart was highly recommended by other parents for getting started on getting our grandson driving classes, driver permit, driving lesson, and driver license. The services provided were easy, the instructors were patience, feedback after driving lessens were very helpful, scheduling all services was easy, and they knew Colorado driving laws. We feel our grandson is ready to drive safely, and understand the rules of the road. read more

my son did he driving lessons and testing at the location in Lakewood. We had a wonderful experience. All of the ladies were very patient kind and giving lots of feedback. Very happy with our experience.! read more

Start Smart Driving Academy - Driving Schools Near Me - Lakewood, Colorado

Rip offs!!! She takes you down frontage rode of 285, down Estes street which is uneven & bumpy but don't try & dodge pot holes hit all of em! Or you'll get dinged for "being in wrong lane" the route was always 1 rode in each direction so how can you be in wrong lane? Make sure to watch your speed got dinged 3 times for being under even in school zone. This place is a joke. read more

Shady organization. Contractually, they mentioned that they could , at there discretion, reinstate the student for a fee of $75 after the contract expired (12 months). After talking with Vachelle Voss, they stopped adding that option language to the contract and further stated the never reinstate a student past, present, or future. Stating something with no intentions of doing is shady. BEWARE. ​ read more

Very accommodating and helpful! Used for our oldest daughter and the whole staff was female, and high made me feel much more at ease-would absolutely recommend! read more

Customer service was poor. I was asking about rescheduling cuz I misplaced my cars registration and the first thing that came out of her mouth was "you forfeit your deposit it's not our fault you lost your registration" read more

I had an 8am appointment scheduled, and although it was early everyone there was very nice. They checked me in, had me read the testing criteria, and then the test was underway. The test was very straightforward with directions given well in advance. Once it was complete, the evaluator calculated my score and told me places where I lost points; something to keep in mind for future driving. At the end, they asked if I had a DMV scheduled and even reminded me of the paperwork needed to bring to my DMV appointment. read more

Where to begin with this business. First I'd like to start by saying, I respect all driver test rules. I scheduled this test as my previous state's license expired and Colorado requires a permit and retest under the circumstances. I'm appalled that the state would mandate driver's ed tests through private companies, they are incentivized to fail students at their discretion. This is an obvious conflict of interest as the company makes $70 per test. Colorado's failable offenses are: 1. Intervention by examiner. 2. Striking objects or curbs. 3. Disobeying traffic signs or signals. 4. Disobeying safety vehicle or personnel. 5. Dangerous maneuvers. 6. Speeding. 7. Auxiliary equipment use. 8. Lane violations. My reasons for failure were as follows: - "Left turns hanging on by a thumb, right turns one-handed." A fair assessment, but dubious as to whether it's a failable offense. - "Turn signal 1/2 block before the turn lane and/or turn." An incredibly subjective issue, as soon as the tester pointed out the turn I signalled. Somehow this isn't enough time. - "Do not encroach over the stop line and, crosswalk or past sidewalk on first stop." Another subjective measurement, I recall stopping at each sidewalk line. At first the instructor said this happened once, on further discussion the instructor changed her story and said this occurred 6 times and docked me 6 points. - "Observes the traffic environment, looks over shoulder before changing lanes or moving into a turn lane." At this point I can clearly see a bias issue. I twisted to check my blind spot at every turn. Discussed with the instructor and she wasn't satisfied by the degree that my head should have turned. While these are normally notes an instructor gives back, this is my first time seeing a failure from such subjective standards. Not a single note is related to any of the Colorado state failable offenses, and though Start Smart Driving Academy claims to operate by the state's rules it is obvious that they take liberties to stretch their bottom line. I have attached the rubric by which I was graded. The tester had to add notes on top of this, and those added notes are the standards I failed. I'd be surprised if they passed me on a second try, this company coaches their instructors to nitpick so that testers are forced to pay for another test. I will not be retesting with them and will be disputing these charges. At best Start Smart is an extremely shrewd business, at worst a careful scam. read more

Start Smart Driving Academy - A biased grading rubric. - Driving Schools Near Me - Lakewood, Colorado

As part of a package, I paid for both driving school and 6 hours of driving lessons and the drivers test. Driving school by Vachelle Voss was reported to be belittling and demeaning. We never receive the value of over half the contract because they have written the contract so that you forfeit the value of the driving lessons and driver's tests if you don't take them within their arbitrary deadlines which expire throughout the year. Our teenage took a couple of months to feel comfortable driving and we didnt push it. When we went to schedule the driving lessons when our teenage was actually ready, they claimed we had forfeited the lessons. We have learned this is not industry standard - most schools let you reschedule as necessary and will refund the value of the contract if you dont use the lessons. Furthermore, they require you to schedule the driving lessons 2 months in advance and then claim you forfeited lessons when they can't fulfill the terms of the contract. While they are less expensive on paper - it is not worth it. read more

Others seem to have a good experience... my son and I did NOT. The instructors seem to treat their students (and myself) as toddlers. The instruction comes across as a lecture on safety even after a year of having a driving permit. Understandable there needs to be instruction however, the approach to the student on an individual basis was poor. The instructor enforced specific corrections for the driving test and then when given the chance to correct those used the term "overcorrected" as the student was aware and was prompted to do so. In the end the instructor "scolded" the student for not being safe. The instructors were very nice and pleasant and are very "politically correct" on the phone and answering questions prior to my son's driving test. However, As the day of experience happened there was a turn in those behaviors as my son (and myself) felt as the instructors were not giving the proper respect as they took my money. VERY disappointed on how the instructors treat their students, adults, the strictness of the drive rules, inconsistency, and overall experience of presenting to be a driving academy. My location is Lakewood, CO read more

My 16-year-old daughter just finished her required driving instruction hours and driving test with Start Smart Driving Academy, and we were very happy with her experience. The driving instruction was invaluable. There are so many things that have either changed since I learned to drive (no more "hands at 10 and 2" because of air bags, for example) or that are so ingrained in the habit of driving that I can't parse them out to instruct my daughter. But not only are they important for passing the driving test, but just for making her a safer driver. She enjoyed the driving instruction, and passed her behind-the-wheel test with flying colors on her first try. I highly recommend Start Smart Driving Academy for anyone who needs driving instruction for themselves or their teens. I'm even planning to sign up to learn to drive our truck and horse trailer, rather than have my husband teach me! read more

Do NOT recommend taking your children here. They are extremely rude and make their student drivers very uncomfortable when driving. Again, do NOT recommend. Mile High Driving is the place to go! Had one kid here and one kid there. Thought we signed up with Mile High for the second one as well unfortunately we didn't. Terrible terrible experience from the very beginning. read more

I DID NOT TAKE A TEST HERE, NOR DO ANY BUSINESS HERE, IM JUST SPEAKING UP AGAINST THIS SCAM!!! This owner of this place (Vachelle) fails people for money. I know multiple people who have gone here and been failed for reasons that are not true (I will not be sharing these reasons, but multiple other reviews on here say they were failed for the same exact thing). And there seems to be an odd pattern of the owner specifically failing minorities. This place is run by a money hungry woman & her response to this will probably be filled with lies just like her "nice voice" is . Don't fall for it . read more

Gary and Sandy made my journey to drive successful. Both are patient, understanding, professional, and will give you the confidence you need. I will recommend this driving school. Vachelle greets you always with a warm and loving smile. read more

I wouldn't go here because of how strict they make the test. I've been driving for 20 years, went here to reinstate my license so I scheduled a test. I went to master drive driving school and still could not pass my first test. Things like "looking over my shoulder"and not stopping long enough when I was (she was too busy looking at here test sheet) and I was counting to three for stops. The first thing she asked was if I wanted to retake it for 80$! This place is an obvious money grab now that the dmv no longer does testing. read more

Do NOT take your children here ... the owners are extremely rude. Instructors are decent but they don't give the actual driving test the owners do and they are mean and take it out on the children. Let's start this off with YES my child failed his driving test the reasons why and the lies are why I am writing this review, I will also be reporting them to the BBB. And for the record my son retook his driving test 2 days later and passed with flying colors had 1 knock - didn't look over his shoulder when entering a turn lane! This will be long only because I highly recommend taking your children somewhere else and they go into very long rude replies. We purchased the whole 9 from them when my son was turning 15, online Drivers Ed, 6 hours behind the wheel ect. The online part was fine because we didn't have to deal with them. When we went to schedule the 6 hours behind the wheel is when it all started. Gary who was scheduling the times for his 6 hours of driving was pretty much calling me an idiot because I was trying to schedule each a few days apart. I called him out it and said you know what just give me a refund. At that point a lady, Vechelle, called back and repeatedly apologized for the incident and tried to reschedule. We decided to stick with them since it was paid for and give them another chance, man do we wish we didn't. We continued and scheduled. After everything was all set, we had a set schedule for a 3:30 on a Sat weeks in advance and it had to be that late because my son plays football. I got a call the day before and was asked if we could do it at noon, to which I said no I'm sorry and can't remember my son has a football game they then precede to tell me "well gonna have to be another day then" which would have pushed him back from getting his license. I guess to demand someone to reschedule less than 24 hours before the instruction and because they couldn't say "well gonna have be another day" is professional. You post a lot about following Colorado State Law with everything you do, is it Colorado State Law to allow your students to drive vehicles with the check engine light on, the tire pressure lights on and vehicles that sputter when they are trying to accelerate but can't because the vehicle won't let them. I'm sure if you were audited by the State they wouldn't think so. The bottom line is the lady owner Vechelle (the same person who gave me son his test) got angry because I thought that the driving test was included in the package we bought originally, a year ago. They told me at the time I purchased it, it was not included, but now it is. They even proceeded to tell me there's a discount now as well. I then asked ok can I get the discount and they said no, but I can print off your package if you like. This place uses the fact they have power to control something and if they are having a bad day take it out on the kids. She automatically failed my son for "speeding in a school zone" 21 in a 20, well that was what she originally said then it changed to 23 and then all of sudden there was more. It's just ridiculous... They used their frustrations to win this battle and cheated a kid out of what should have been a great day for him. From reading the other reviews we aren't the only people they have done this too. So please keep telling yourself that you "test" according to state law when in reality it's a scheme to retest to get more money. Please know if your child is failed there is a fine when they do get their license so please do yourself a favor and go somewhere else. There was only 1 Saturday not all, the rest were during the middle of the week. I also called to schedule these in June so and that's when you tried to belittle me. Your mood sure did change when you found out I wasn't having that. Again it doesn't matter what's done is done, you got whatever it is that you wanted ($) The reason we went to your company is because we thought you were the one that's in the same parking lot. Which is where our older son went too. Great experience there and that's where my daughter will go. read more

I have noticed several negative reviews here, and I am adding another one. We scheduled an appointment online and then called to confirm because the card we were using was not activated, but the appointment went through. When speaking with Vachelle, she assured me that the payment had gone through and stated our appointment was at one time. I asked if she could change it to a later time, and she stated that she did. However, when my son showed up, she stated that he did not have an appointment and that no payment had been made. I spoke with Vachelle, and she mentioned that she did not recall our conversation as she had spoken to hundreds of people after me. I explained the conversation we had, and she seemed to recall some of it. She then proceeded to tell me that the credit card had settled and that it did not go through, and it was our fault for not checking. I can understand that issue, as the card was run 3 times, and the third attempt went through. I will need to have my bank dispute the deposit. This place has very unprofessional service, and I would definitely advise anyone not to use them. read more

I recently took the towing class to be more proficient in backing up my camper. Gary was incredibly patient with my lack of skills and in four hours he got me very comfortable in backing this thing up. I'm definitely going to do this again as I get more practice in. Their experience with towing lead to some very clever ways to learn. Thank you! read more

Use your own car so you can bring a friend and record... because you're going to need someone to witness this. The scoring is ridiculously nitpicky and feels like a money grabbing scam. read more

Highly recommend Start Smart Driving Academy. Gary and Vachelle have managed to create both a professional and safe drivers education program while combining a welcoming atmosphere. Gary was an excellent teacher and gave my daughter the confidence and skill that she never would have obtained without his expertise. I felt both Vachelle and Gary cared about making my daughter a confident and safe driver. I was very grateful for their high standards and expectations. Their communication with me regarding her driving was invaluable and I felt I could call or email anytime with questions or concerns. read more

Two of my kids have gone through the program. Highly recommend. Super nice people, great teachers, small town feel as they remember your name. read more

Failed my first test for bending the rules a little bit for safety, like driving closer to the middle of the street in a residential area because there were people on the side of the road and cars were parked in the street. If I drove like the instructor wanted me to, I would've ripped off the mirror on their car or someone else's. Lord only knows what could've happened if a child ran out in the street or someone opened their car door. I took my business elsewhere, passed the test with a perfect score and they were far nicer. Don't take drivers tests with "Smart Start" Academy, they will fail you first time if you don't take their classes with them. read more

I purchased ten hours of driving time for each of my twins. After the first lesson with Gary, neither one of my children wanted to go back for another lesson. After all was said and done, we used a fraction of our time because Gary was demeaning in his lessons. My teenagers were so excited to practice driving. One of my children passed the driving test. The other, who drove with Gary, did not. That is fine. But upon return to the office Gary proceeded to mimic my son right in front of him, and others, in his office, loudly over exaggerating my son looking in his mirrors. He went on and on like a child practically yelling at my son. So unbelievably rude. He took what was supposed to be an exciting time and made it dreadful. read more

Now that my daughter is of the age to get her driver's license we decided to look around for a driving school and we came across Start Smart Driving Academy. Gary and Vachelle run a very professional and patient driving school. Gary over the course of the six hour behind the wheel with my daughter has been very professional, calm and informative . Gary has allowed me to ride in the car and observe his teaching techniques which is helping me when I'm in the car with my daughter to practice the driving skills he has put together. My daughter's driving has drastically improved thanks to the skills learned through the school. My daughter and I are glad we made the decision to use Start Smat Driving Academy. Thanks to Gary and Vachelle.. read more

Great experience! I was able to get in for a driving test right away. Gary was very professional and within 30 minutes I was at the DMV with paperwork to get my license. I would highly recommend! read more

I wish we would have read the reviews before subjecting our son to these people and this company. We used this company for a driving test because the DMV was not making testing appointments due to COVID. From the minute we walked in the door for his test, they were already trying to get us to sign him up for a driving class. After taking our cash, yes they only operate in cash, and failing my son on his driving test after having him retest; they yet again pressured him to take a class at their academy. The instructor even made an asinine comment to my son. She said, and I quote, "You might find it fun to cut corners but you won't find it fun when you scrape up your car." The instructor obviously assumed that my son takes driving lightly and had the nerve to make a snarky comment based off of her uninformed assumption. Even my 16 year old son was taken aback by this abject unprofessionalism. There were other things that were said that led us to question the objectivity of the driving evaluation. When I shared our concerns with the owner, he left me a condescending and lecturing voicemail. I have never been spoken to in such a rude manner by a business owner. I will allow for the possibility that the instructor may have been objective in her evaluation, but her comments throughout did not inspire confidence. And the follow up voicemail message from the owner (who is also the co-owning instructor's spouse) further confirmed the unprofessionalism of these people. We had already suspected that this cash only business was more concerned with upselling their programs, but now that I've read the reviews, I see that we were not off base to think that (no matter how much Gary attempted to gaslight me that it was all in concern for helping my son become a safe driver). I took the time to write this detailed review to hopefully help caution other people, especially parents, from patronizing this business. When I read the few reviews indicating that they are 'super nice people,' and 'professional' I cannot help but to wonder if they are only super nice and professional to certain people and not to others. I highly recommend avoiding this driving academy. read more