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Classroom Simulator InstructionFreedom_to_Drive_-_Class_Simulator_Instruction.html
 

Driving Simulators – What’s this?

Our professional instructor will acquaint you with all the basic skills of operating a vehicle while you practice them sitting in an actual true-to-life automobile dash with speedometer, tachometer, fuel and temperature gauges etc. We will teach you the correct techniques for hand over hand steering, shoulder checking, braking and accelerating, plus many other important skills.

Our professional instructor will acquaint you with all the basic skills

Why Choose Freedom To Drive?

  1. 1.Approved Vendor of Edmonton Public Schools

  2. 2.Exciting New Simulator Program taught in the Blue Quill Driver Training Centre

  3. 3.Driver Training Classroom is taught by an Automotive Expert and an Edmonton Public Teacher

  4. 4.All driver education DVDs and simulator programs are displayed on a 12 foot wide (3.6m) screen.

  5. 5.Government certified to award Insurance Reduction Certificates

  6. 6.CRITICAL SKILLS PACKAGE for novice drivers who have access to a class 5 driving coach / buddy

  7. 7.Special Classroom for parents or driving buddies

  8. 8.Premium Packages for Students without access to a Driving Coach / Buddy

  9. 9.FAST TRACK program for EXPERIENCED class 7 drivers who want to earn their licence and their certificate FAST

  10. 10.Special 6 hour program for experienced class 5 drivers who wish to qualify for the insurance certificate

  11. 11.Automatic or Standard Transmission available

  12. 12.Adaptive Controls available for Persons with Physical Disabilities

  13. 13.Excellent accredited in-car instructors with very High Performance Standards

  14. 14.Our compact Training Vehicles have good visibility and maneuverability

  15. 15.In-car Instruction occurs all over Edmonton to take advantage of the wide variety of Driving Challenges our city has to offer

  16. 16.Certified to teach the Canada Safety Council Defensive Driving Course for demerit reduction.

Driving is probably the most dangerous thing you will ever do on a regular basis!! By taking professional driving lessons, you will develop skills and habits that will keep you out of trouble on the road and possibly even save your life!

I am a typical class 7 licence holder with some driving experience and a dedicated driving coach to help me practice. The CRITICAL SKILLS PACKAGE FOR NEW DRIVERS was designed with you in mind!


I am an eager new driver, but I am sometimes too busy to do the practicing I know I should.
Our policy is to postpone your lessons for a week or two if it appears that you have not practiced adequately.  You may then resume in-car instruction once you have caught up with your practicing. This greatly increases your chances of passing your road exam the first time as well as saving you money!


I am new to Canada and I have no one to practice with.
Freedom to Drive has PREMIUM PACKAGES that offer shorter multiple lessons per week with a professional driving instructor that allow you to earn your licence in  about a month.

I am a senior citizen, and with all the new developments in driving, I am afraid of losing my driver’s licence.
We have a special BRUSH-UP package for seniors who would like to hone up on their driving skills and learn what is new in driving.

I just purchased a new car with standard transmission and I have no idea of how to drive it!
Our STICK package is exactly what you are looking for.

I am an average Edmontonian who also happens to have a physical disability, and like everybody else, I want to learn how to drive!
Our thing at Freedom to Drive is to make sure that our driver training for persons with disabilities is ON PAR with instruction for non-disabled people. What more could you ask!

I just immigrated from “country X” and although I was a good driver in my country I had to trade in my licence for a class 7. I must be able to drive right away for my job.
You need to take the FAST TRACK package to acquaint yourself with Canadian driving practices and to earn your insurance certificate in 2 weeks!

For every freedom in life, there is a corresponding responsibility. At Freedom to Drive, our clients graduate with a knowledge of safe driving strategies, with the skills to execute them, and with a responsible attitude toward this very serious business of driving.

Make a donation to help a driver with a disability!

As Margaret is disabled and Drew was formerly a DATS driver, Freedom to Drive has purchased a variety of adaptive automotive devices for persons with physical disabilities with the intent of providing professional driver training of comparable quality and cost to that provided to our clients without disabilities. Persons with disabilities, however, generally require many times more hours of instruction and practice than persons without disabilities. In order to make driving lessons financially accessible to persons with disabilities who are generally on reduced incomes, we are soliciting charitable donations from organizations and individuals who have a stake in increasing independence for persons with disabilities. These donations will not go to Freedom to Drive, but will go directly to students with disabilities to reduce their the cost of instruction. If you would like to help, please give us a call at 437-4833 and we will connect you with someone who would like to have their Freedom to Drive. We will make arrangements to have your donation applied directly to their driving lessons (this can be arranged anonymously if you prefer).

WHO ARE WE? 

Drew Baron was a people friendly Edmonton Transit DATS driver, former bus maintenance mechanic and professional driver for over 15 years.

Margaret Wardell (now Margaret Wardell Baron) was an active Edmonton Junior High teacher who woke up in the hospital after two months in a coma to discover that she had been disabled in a horrific motor vehicle collision on the way to work.

Drew met Margaret while he was driving her on DATS, and their personalities and life philosophies dovetailed resulting in a relationship that gave birth to Freedom to Drive, Inc.

Drew and Margaret’s close association with other car

accident survivors in the disabled community led them

to realize how many of these tragedies could have

been avoided through vigilance and common sense. This motivated them to use their skills and professional backgrounds to train others to steer clear of potentially avoidable tragedies.

Drew is now a provincially accredited Senior Driving Instructor, and Margaret manages the driving school as the curriculum coordinator. They are both passionate about helping others gain freedom and independence by learning to safely operate a motor vehicle.  Drew and Margaret now have several excellent staff members working with them, both as instructors on the road and as office staff in the Blue Quill Classroom location.

We believe that the most effective learning takes place when the serious side of driving is blended with enthusiasm and enjoyment.

Here are comments made by some of our customers:

David (young man starting out in life)

"I really appreciated Drew's patient help. He made me feel at ease, increased my self confidence and my driving improved! This was not just a course, it was fun!"

Mike Cooper, RSW

"Drew's instruction is friendly, easy going, and informative. The staff at Freedom to Drive is amazing. It's everything you could ever want from a driving school."

Savannagh (mild physical disability)

"I would like to thank you for the wonderful driving instruction. I was apprehensive about getting behind the wheel, but with Drew's patient and experienced instruction each lesson was fun!"

Tim Davis

"I just wanted to say thank you to Drew, Margaret and Mark for helping me to learn to drive. I passed the in-car exam with 0 points largely due to your efforts.

Drew and Margaret: Thank you for keeping classes interesting and for helping to hammer home the rules of the road.

Mark: You made it very easy to begin driving. As a green driver, I was very nervous to begin driving. Mark's in-car instruction style helped to ease the tension and allowed me to learn very quickly.

Bravo and thanks again,
Tim Davis"

Deb Odland

"Just wanted to thank you once again for the driver training you provided for Kyle. He is a confident and safe driver, thanks to you. From the very first day you took him out on the road his confidence was built and therefore made it easier for us to teach him in between lessons. Kyle really enjoyed his lessons with Mark, he said it was more like driving with a good friend than a driving instructor. Thanks Mark for making the lessons enjoyable for him!

Your driving lessons in and out of the classroom were fun, whilst still providing professional quality, safe driving instruction. Kyle always looked forward to them. We really appreciate you working with Kyle's schedule and you were more than accommodating.

Once again, thank you and I will certainly be highly recommending your driving school. Thanks guys, you did an awesome job."

freedomtodrive@shaw.camailto:freedomtodrive@shaw.camailto:freedomtodrive@shaw.ca?subject=From%20Website...shapeimage_11_link_0

The following federal and provincial sites provide valuable information on transportation and automotive safety:

CANADA SAFETY COUNCIL: www.safety-council.orghttp://www.safety-council.org/http://www.safety-council.org/shapeimage_12_link_0
TRAFFIC SAFETY IN ALBERTA: www.saferoads.comhttp://www.saferoads.com/http://www.saferoads.comshapeimage_13_link_0

Edmonton, AB

Tel: (780) 437- 4833
(780)  4DRIVE3
Fax: (780) 437- 4841

How they met and how FREEDOM TO DRIVE was born

How FREEDOM evolved

FREEDOM today

Freedom to Drive, Inc. is a premier Edmonton driving school that offers superb Class 5 driver education to new drivers. We will help you gain your freedom and independence by teaching you how to responsibly operate a motor vehicle.

Freedom to Drive is located in The Blue Quill Driver Training Centre facing 27th Avenue on the south side of the Blue Quill Shopping Mall, close to the Heritage Transit Station in South Edmonton. However, we do have in-car instructors that will travel throughout the city.

Welcome to FREEDOM TO DRIVE!

In conjunction with our classroom and in-car instruction, the Blue Quill Driver Training Centre features computer monitored Driving Simulators that make driving instruction fun, safe and effective!

In-Car LessonsFreedom_to_Drive_-_In-Car_Lesson.html
Online Registrationhttp://www.freedomtodrive.ca/registration/

of operating a vehicle while you practice them sitting in an actual true-to-life automobile dash with speedometer, tachometer, fuel and temperature gauges etc. We will teach you the correct techniques for hand over hand steering, shoulder checking, braking and accelerating, plus many other important skills.

Our driving simulators also teach scanning, steering control, blind spot awareness, and more advanced skills such as threat recognition and collision avoidance. Simulators have been around in public education in one form or another for several decades. They have been used extensively for some time now in the US, but Freedom to Drive is the first private driving school in Western Canada to offer this program for the benefit of beginning driving students. With complex and dangerous traffic situations becoming more and more commonplace, this sophisticated and efficient method of driver training is a much needed development.

LinksFreedom_to_Drive_-_Links_We_Recommend_and_Use.html
Defensive Driving CourseFreedom_to_Drive_-_Defensive_Driving_Course.html
Driving Instruction PackagesFreedom_to_Drive_-_Driving_Instruction_Packages.html

Hi Drew,


        Well I didn't find any section on your website to post my testimonial and comments.  So I’m just writing it out.


"I would like to take this opportunity to thank you a million times….Drew.

Because of you today I'm on the roads of Alberta with lot of confidence and knowledge of road safety and rules.

           I wanted to get my license in January 2009 but couldn't really achieve it with my previous instructor.  But with help of Drew's training It was possible with just 6 hours of training - 1 week in September  - which was awesome.  I think he is a great instructor.  So friends I just wanna say  - Rather than going to a school which has low charges, it’s always beneficial to go to a school which has  excellent training and excellent instructors.   And all this at a very reasonable price.   That’s what is “Freedom to Drive"...It has changed my life.”


Thanks & Regards,


Tapasya Pai (Tap)