Reviews for A-1 Defensive Driving School

I recently took Steven Smalley’s driver improvement course in Charlottesville, and I have to say—he made a long, pretty dry 8-hour session surprisingly engaging. He brings real energy and genuine enthusiasm, which goes a long way in a setting like this. You can tell he actually cares about what he’s teaching... READ MORE and about the people in the room. If you need to take a course—whether it’s court-ordered or just to improve your record—I’d definitely recommend him.

This class could be a lot more painful than it is at A-1. Graham kept it very well-paced, relatable, and engaging. Thanks Graham!

Was as positive of an experience as it could have been. Really liked Graham he’s the man and obviously tried his best to make it as painless and purposeful as possible!

Instructor Graham is super chill, made the time fly and made it fun

The class details were very knowledgeable and the stories were real and informative

Graham made the class easier to attend on a Saturday while sharing stories of experiences, giving breaks, & going between paper/book & slideshow.

This was my first defensive driving class, and would definitely recommend this specific course if required to take one. It is an 8 hour course, so it can feel kind of long. But honestly the time went by fast, there were plenty of breaks, and the final quiz was open... READ MORE note.

Great class, good real stories to look into life scenarios that really happen based on your choices.

This an easy gone class and much needed. Thanks

Very good class and super informative!

Taught in a 1 to 1 personal way and shared his own experiences , was a good way of learning.

Good class

Well explained about the driving course!

Cool class, I would appreciate less stories though

Had a replay good class! My instructor graham was very nice and clear with his teaching. Help us all through the class and gave us fair break times.

Graham was a fun teacher for a class that could have been terrible otherwise. The whole process was smooth and it was easy to follow the material.

Super engaging class, the instructor is down to earth and clear with the information shown. There's plenty of breaks which helps the class go by so much faster, and his engagement with the material helped fill in any gaps caused by the videos! He made a dreadful class go by... READ MORE in an instant

Solid class - definitely learned something.

Graham was the instructor for this class he was great and really cared about the information taught during the course, i actually enjoyed it!

Graham is awesome and makes everything so practical and easy to understand.

Super convenient, pleasant, and a trustworthy education system!

Obviously not an ideal way to spend your Saturday but Graham was great and the stories helped it was surprisingly a refreshing class which I was grateful for he’s very sociable and a great teacher.

Graham was probably the best instructor i ever had and was very nice

Graham was amazing and informative! Made the day go by quickly.

Super teachers and super class! He made a long day go by quickly with clear instruction and a lot of energy. There was a lot of information in a long day but delivered in a way I will remember. Refresher course for a long time driver which I think everyone... READ MORE who has driven for a number of years should take. It was the best decision I made! Highly recommended.

Steve gave a great course! He was engaging, understanding, and very knowledgeable. I’d highly recommend taking this course in person with him. It’s a great way to refresh your defensive driving skills.

Super chill and actually made it semi-enjoyable

Wonderful teacher and he actually cares about you

Wonderful teacher and he actually cares about you

Graham was a fantastic instructor! I was dreading sitting in class for 8 hours on a Saturday, but he made the whole experience just fly by. Graham took time to explain things and tell relevant stories to help keep us engaged and achieve a better understanding of the subject matter.... READ MORE While I hope to never have to attend the class again, if it ends up being the case, I will make sure to come back to have Graham as my instructor again. Thank you for a fun class! I feel like I actually learned new material today and will be a better driver for it in the end.

Graham is awesome! His personal stories really helped to solidify the learning experience and added a personal touch that was very relateable. 8 hours flew by and I feel more confident in my abilities to practice defensive driving. Thank you Graham and family for an awesome experience!

I had an amazing experience completing A-1 Defensive Driving. Instructor Graham was awesome and made the day not so boring, he was super helpful and engaging. I was not excited to sit in a classroom for 8 hours today but I was very impressed with Instructor Graham.He told many important... READ MORE stories that allowed me to really understand the importance of driving safely. Thank you!

Not a fun way to spend your Saturday, but I thought it was going to be a lot worse, the instructor made it very interesting and the many stories were very cool.

It's good coupled with Graham's humor certainly made my day less awful. Would recommend if you're here voluntarily or not.

cool teacher, good stories

Instructor Graham was so down to earth and knowledgeable. Really great course and I got even more out of it than I ever could have expected!

He teach me how to be aware of my surroundings and my self to be safe and responsible for my actions in the road

Teacher made the class amazingly pleasing definitely worth the time the teacher making it worth every dollar amazing class would recommend to anyone best one in town

For an 8 hour driving class it was painless. Very respectful and light hearted instructor.

Got it knocked out in one day and I learned lots of things I didn’t know before - turns out things have changed since I learned to drive and I feel safer driving now

Highly recommended, and very helpful.

Class was great and teacher was on point with everything very grateful

Definitely the last thing I wanted to do on a Saturday but Graham definitely made the class engaging with his anecdotes and overall fun demeanor.

I took this class after getting a speeding ticket and I was required to take the class. I went in thinking it was going to be annoying to have to sit there for 8hrs bored but I really enjoyed this class. I learned so much and he teaches so... READ MORE well. I highly recommend this guy over anyone else.

I just wanted to express my sincere gratitude for yesterday’s class. Your teaching style made the lesson very engaging and easy to understand. I truly appreciated the way you explained the material so clearly and with such enthusiasm. It really helped me grasp the concepts better, especially during a long... READ MORE day.

I took the Driver improvement course which was 8 hours long. Needless to say I was dreading how boring this class was going to be but I couldn't be more wrong. He made the class so interesting and I left genuinely wanting to drive safer, thats how... READ MORE much of an impact he's had. Definitely recommend.

Great experience, learned a lot and Steve Smalley was an EXCELLENT teacher.. a lot of fun and made the class enjoyable… HIGHLY RECOMMEND

Great class for a refresher and for unfortunate situations

Great details and eye opening information.

This class went by very fast and Graham made it enjoyable as well! I learned things I didn’t expect to and will definitely be driving safer after today. I also appreciate the cost of this class compared to others going for $100+. 5/5 for me 🙂