Safety First Driving School

What Safety First Driving School does

Safety First Driving School, Inc. is a New Jersey-licensed driving school (Lic# 205-93C) founded on July 4, 1992, headquartered at 3031 NJ-27 in Franklin Park (Kendall Park), NJ. The company delivers behind-the-wheel driver education primarily to two customer segments: 16-year-old permit applicants completing the state-mandated 6-hour program under New Jersey's Graduated Driver License (GDL) framework, and adult learners (17+) seeking flexible, pay-as-you-go two-hour lessons. Supporting offerings include road test services with vehicle use and MVC licensing assistance, state-certified written and vision tests, refresher courses for returning drivers, and online practice tests hosted via Google Forms.

The underlying "technology" layer is operational rather than software-centric. All instruction is delivered in a standardized fleet of Toyota Prius vehicles equipped with passenger-side brake controls for instructor intervention. The school enforces a proprietary universal curriculum that ensures every student covers the same topics in the same sequence regardless of which instructor teaches the lesson, and all instructors must pass a multi-step Safety First certification course including state and FBI background checks, defensive driving coursework, crash avoidance training, and an internal written exam. Customer-facing infrastructure is a Squarespace website (safetyfirstdriving.com), a toll-free phone line (800-237-1095), Facebook and Instagram profiles, and direct links to the NJ MVC appointment portal.

The business model is direct-to-consumer, sales-led, and quote-based. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; customers must speak with a representative for rates. Services are delivered regionally across 19 Central NJ towns plus Atlantic County and Northern Cape May County in South NJ, with door-to-door pickup. The 12-employee operation has no outside funding, no parent company, and no public listing, and generates revenue through one-time lesson and program fees rather than subscriptions or recurring contracts.

Name

Safety First Driving School

Legal name

Safety First Driving School, Inc.

Website

https://safetyfirstdriving.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Safety First Driving School is a New Jersey-licensed driving school that delivers behind-the-wheel instruction, road test services, and written/vision testing to teen permit applicants and adult learners across Central and South New Jersey using a standardized Toyota Prius fleet.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Franklin Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Driving Lessons and Programs: Revenue generated from behind-the-wheel driving instruction programs including the 6-hour mandated program for 16-year-olds, adult learner lessons, refresher courses, and road test services. Each class is two hours with door-to-door service. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.
2. Written and Vision Testing: State-licensed administration of knowledge tests for 16-year-old students and vision tests, which are included as part of the 6-hour program or offered separately
3. Road Test Service: Package including review lesson, vehicle use for the actual MVC road test, and optional licensing processing assistance at the MVC

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Safety First Driving School provides state-licensed behind-the-wheel driving instruction to New Jersey residents, centered on the mandatory 6-hour permit program for 16-year-olds, adult learner lessons, road test services, and state-certified written and vision tests. Lessons are delivered two hours at a time via door-to-door service using a Toyota Prius fleet equipped with passenger-side brake controls and a standardized universal curriculum across Central and South New Jersey.

Product overview

Safety First Driving School offers a unified suite of driving education services centered on behind-the-wheel instruction for New Jersey residents. The core offerings include the 16 Year Old Permit Program (a mandatory six-hour program for teen drivers), the Adult Learner Program for those 17 and older, Road Test Services for MVC testing, and Written/Vision Test administration. Supporting services include Practice Tests (online) and Refresher Courses for licensed drivers. All programs utilize a standardized universal curriculum and Toyota Prius vehicles equipped with passenger-side brake controls for instructor intervention.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 16 Year Old Permit Program A six-hour behind-the-wheel instruction program mandated by New Jersey State law for 16-year-olds to obtain their learner's permit. Includes three two-hour lessons or two three-hour lessons, MVC paperwork handling, and covers vehicle orientation, brake control, hand-over-hand steering, turns, right-of-way, reverse driving, K-turns, U-turns, curves, lane changing, parallel parking, and highway driving.
• Adult Learner Program Driving lessons for individuals 17 and older, with each class lasting two hours and including door-to-door service. Lessons are tailored to individual needs with no minimum or maximum number required. Covers learner permit procedures including vision test, knowledge test, and silver decal installation.
• Road Test Service Service allowing students to use a Safety First vehicle for their actual behind-the-wheel test at the MVC. Includes a review lesson covering parallel parking, K-turns, reverse driving, and basic driving skills, plus vehicle use for the test and assistance with driver's license processing at applicable MVC locations.
• Written Test and Vision Test Services Licensed by the State of New Jersey to administer the knowledge test to 16-year-old students and vision tests to all permit holders. Written tests are administered by appointment only; vision testing is handled during the 6-hour program.
• Refresher Courses Two-hour driving sessions tailored to individual needs for licensed drivers or those who have not driven in a long while. Focuses on specific skills the driver wishes to improve.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (NJ MVC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormal regulatory and operational partnership with the NJ MVC. Safety First is licensed by the State of New Jersey to administer knowledge tests to 16-year-old students and processes required MVC paperwork for permit applicants. The company directs customers to the official NJ MVC appointment portal for road test scheduling.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Aceable: Online driver education and defensive driving provider with state-approved courses. Comparable to Safety First as a competitor for the same teen permit customer journey, particularly on the classroom/knowledge-test portion.
• I Drive Safely: Online traffic school and driver education provider with state-approved courses across multiple states. Comparable to Safety First as an alternative pathway for the same teen and adult driver education customers, especially on the written-test prep segment.
• DriversEd.com: Nationally-scaled online driver education platform approved in multiple states. Comparable to Safety First as a substitute for the in-class component of driver education and as a disruptor to in-person school models, even though it does not deliver behind-the-wheel lessons.

Direct peers

• Coastline Academy: Regional driving school with similar teen permit and adult lesson offerings plus door-to-door instruction. Comparable to Safety First on customer segments, curriculum structure, and use of standardized vehicles for in-car lessons.
• Drive Rite Academy: Regional driving school offering door-to-door in-car instruction, road test services, and teen permit programs. Comparable to Safety First on delivery model, customer profile (NJ teens and adults), and standardized curriculum approach.
• All-Star Driver Education: Multi-state behind-the-wheel driving school chain operating licensed programs for teen permit applicants, with a similar SKU structure (6-hour programs, road test services, written tests). Comparable because it competes directly with Safety First on the same mandated teen driver education use case across overlapping Northeast markets.
• Safeway Driving School: Multi-state behind-the-wheel driving school with state-licensed permit programs and road test services. Comparable to Safety First on regulatory licensure, the mandated teen program SKU, and standardized instructor training.
• 911 Driving School: Regional driving school chain offering teen and adult in-car instruction with a multi-branch footprint. Comparable to Safety First on behind-the-wheel lesson delivery, fleet-based operating model, and adult learner programs.

Broad incumbents

• AAA (American Automobile Association): Large national membership organization that offers driver education, road test preparation, and defensive driving programs through select clubs. Comparable to Safety First as a broader driver-safety brand serving the same teen and adult learner segments, though offerings vary by region.

Regional players

• Local NJ Driving Schools (e.g., Garden State Driving School): Single-region NJ-based driving school offering state-mandated teen programs and adult lessons. Comparable to Safety First as a direct geographic competitor for the same Central NJ and South NJ teen permit customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SafetyFirstDrivingNJ
• Instagraminstagram.com/safety_first_driving_school_nj
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/safety-first-driving-school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Safety First Driving School