Get your license with us!
Thorough and Safe Defensive Driver's Education
Join us for your state-required driver's training. We pick-up/drop-off at your house (see pricing page for details) so parents don't need to run you around for driving lessons.
Because we are a small school where one or two instructors will teach you from start to finish, we do have limited availability. Plan ahead and begin your drives with plenty of time before you turn 16 or are ready to get your license. (2+ months is ideal, but we will do what we can if you're in a hurry). You do not need to complete your coursework or driving with parents before you begin to drive with us... you just need a current learner's permit.
Visit the Utah Driver's License Division website to learn all the requirements for obtaining your license. The process for 15-18 year-olds is:
1. Pass the written exam, get your Learner's Permit, and hold it for at least 6 months.
2. Complete 40 hours driving with a parent (10 at night) - 6 of those can be with us.
3. Complete the coursework requirement. Here's a link to our online course - it is free to enroll and begin, but $80 to complete and record the results. You will need to complete a 50 question in-person written test before the course is complete.
4. Complete the "behind the wheel driving with an instructor" requirement. Beginning in May 2021, Utah no longer requires observation hours for driving students.
5. Pass the Road Skills Test from the DLD or a 3rd party road tester (we can make recommendations, but private companies are not allowed to test their own students)
6. Don't forget to complete this online Traffic Safety and Trends Exam - make a new account and follow the directions. It doesn't take very long.
We take the time to get to know each student and tailor driving instruction to their needs. Whether you need to spend time driving on the freeway, navigating traffic, or preparing for the road skills test, you're in good hands with Eco Driving Utah.
New local company!
OUR STORY
Ken Wade has taught middle and high school history and coached tennis at Waterford School in Sandy for over 20 years. He has 4 daughters, and as the oldest approached driving age, he decided to learn more about the driver's training process to help her learn to drive safely and confidently. In the process, he decided to become a certified instructor and learned quickly that he really enjoys it. Ken loves to drive and has had such a great experience getting to know young drivers from all over the area that he decided to buy his own car and begin Eco Driving Utah in June 2020.
Ken was excited to add another instructor to the team in Dec. 2021 when his oldest daughter, Amy Johnson, became a certified instructor. Amy is fluent in French and is currently studying at the University of Utah. She is great with people and a natural teacher who makes her students feel confident and at-ease on the road. Lily Olsen also received her state certification and joined the Eco Driving team in Jan. 2022. She also has training and extensive experience teaching children.
Eco Driving Utah was born because all those hours driving around town made us wish we could be driving more ecologically-friendly vehicles. Our hybrid vehicles, a 2020 Hyundai Ioniq hybrid, a 2022 Toyota Prius Hybrid, and a 2023 Toyota RAV4 hybrid are well maintained, fuel efficient, and feature the latest safety and driving technology (including, of course, instructor-side brakes.). Three eco friendly cars will not solve the air quality issues along the Wasatch Front, but it feels good to try to do something.
When Ken he got his driver's license in 1985 in Park City, the requirements in Utah were much less strict - no required 40 hours with parents, no learner's permit, very little driving with the school class, and no requirements about who could ride in the car of a new driver. Ken has only caused one accident in 35 years of driving, and it happened the morning after his 16th birthday! Thankfully, no one was hurt, but Ken is passionate about making sure new drivers are prepared to avoid a similar beginning.
We would love to work with you to fulfill your driver's ed requirements and prepare for the driving skills test, and most importantly, to become safe, defensive drivers. We are patient and friendly, love interacting with teenagers, and will go out of our way to make sure you have an excellent experience. From picking you up at your home, to giving you practice road skills tests, to offering free extra training if you do not pass the test at first, Eco Driving's goal is that you have a safe, thorough, successful, and enjoyable driver's ed experience.
You deserve the best in driver's education!