I had stopped in on two other driving schools before choosing ADDS. One felt like a wrong fit, mostly due to availability and the other (also in Evanston) had a front desk person who was condescending and gave what I knew was incorrect information. As an elderly woman, new to Illinois and not having driven for over a year, this challenge was almost overwhelming. From the minute I entered the office of ADDS, I felt comfortable. First contact was the very busy Kemyta, who was juggling phone, paperwork, walk-ins and still smiling. When she was free, she asked me a few questions, then showed me how to maneuver their website, which had practice tests and much other information. There was also a voice behind a partition - an instructor giving a lesson to a group of high school students. Kemyta and I discussed my tailored requirements including pick-up and drop-off as well as instruction for written test, driving test and all the crazy paperwork associated with an out-of-state elderly person licensing situation. Kemyta assured me that the owner Doug Whitmore, a retired state policeman, would lead me through the process. When I met Doug, I asked him to be very straightforward with criticisms because I wanted to get this right. In turn, he gave encouragement, precise feedback, directions and kindly-phrased criticisms. After each session, I received a detailed summary from Doug's wife Andrea, while Doug was off giving CDL lessons for truck drivers. Text messages and emails were answered in reasonable time. This group has so many dimensions but operates very compatibly. I was apprehensive about taking the test and asked if I should have one more lesson, but Doug said he thought I could pass and gave specific issues on which to focus. He easily could hae had another payment from me, but he took the high road (no pun intended). I passed all the testing and got a license. Yay! This company is like family. They care about your success, know what they are doing, kind, moral and truly a pleasure to work with. read more

On the plus side, they teach the kids the necessary theory and the driving instructors are great. It would do them a lot of good to be well mannered on the phone with parents. The person on the other end of the line is rude, unhelpful and should not represent this school. I have had more than one child learn from them and their manners just don't seem to improve, to the point where they have a reputation for being nasty. Would love to write a more solid review as your instructors are great and I like how you teach them the theory with realistic scenarios. You seem to care that they do well, just change the person at the other end of the phone! read more

Wonderful people to work with. Kimeta and Andrea who coordinated the schedule were very friendly and helpful. Kevin was my instructor (adult lessons) and I really think I came out a safe, confident driver and a safer pedestrian. Plus it was really fun chatting with them. Driving lessons was really the highlight of my work days. I'm counting on them to stay open for the next 10+ years so my son can take the lesson from them when he's old enough. read more

Great experience here. Instructor Kevin and Doug the owner are both top notch. I would recommend this place without reservation.

I so hate to write this review. As a professor of African American Studies, I try, wherever possible, to support Black businesses. I was so happy to find this school two years ago when my daughter was beginning the process of getting her license. Unfortunately, things took such a tragic turn recently I feel compelled to write this review. To make a long story short, we signed a contract for four drives and only completed two before our contract expired. When I called recently to see about scheduling the remaining two drives, the woman who answered the phone informed me that we had to pay the remaining $150 from the contract in addition to $75 per drive for two additional drives. Okay fine. We were in the wrong. But the woman also said that sometimes Doug works with families and she's seen him "meet families half way." She said he would maybe take off the cost of one drive. She called him to ask and when we got back on the phone she said I would have to pay full price. I asked what happened to meeting us half way? She then got flustered and apparently called back only to get back on the phone and tell me they would email me. Fine. That evening I received an email from Andrea saying the same thing as the woman on the phone. The next day I emailed her back to ask her how to remit payment; I also informed her we were going to move forward with a different school where the people answering the phones were pleasant and helpful. I wanted to confirm that she would send a certificate of completion for my daughter's classroom portion of the program and completed drives. When I didn't hear back from Andrea, I called the office to see if there was a way to expedite the process so I could move forward with the other school. This is where things took a HARD left! I explained to the same woman I spoke with yesterday that I had been emailing with Andrea and that I was hoping to expedite her response so that I could pay and move forward. She told me she understood I was corresponding via email and that I should email Andrea. I responded that I did email her and I didn't receive a response which was why I was calling. I asked if there was a number I could reach Andrea at. The woman replied, "I can't make her respond to you. If you need to talk to her, EMAIL HER!" Ummm...what? I said, "nothing about this request necessitated such an aggressive response." And as a Black woman who's been called aggressive, I said it only because the shoe fit. Perfectly. Yesterday she was rude, short, and interrupted me several times. Today, she was downright aggressive. She responded, "I am not being aggressive. I'm sorry you're having a bad day. Good bye," and hung up in my face. I literally couldn't believe it. I tried to call back to ask her name for this review but of course she didn't pick up. Again, I so hate to write this review for a Black owned business but I am still in shock at how poorly I was treated. Like you don't have to work with our family. You don't have to care that we had twins in the middle of Covid etc. etc. You really don't have to care about us at all and you don't have to give us any extras. But you DO have to be respectful and you DO have to be minimally pleasant. And you DO have to be reasonable and helpful in how you respond to a paying customer. She could have easily just said, "I'm sorry, she doesn't have a phone number but if you don't hear back from her by tomorrow, I can try and reach out to her and let her know you're trying to expedite the process." That's all. It's not hard. It doesn't take a lot. And it's really the least I deserved in that moment. There's enough going on in the world as it is. No one wants to be disrespected simply trying to communicate with their child's driving school! There is another driving school in the area; they have been extremely helpful and I would recommend giving them a call if you're trying to decide between the two. read more

Got my license! I took the permit test myself and bf taught me how to drive. I picked it up pretty quickly, but I wanted to get a lesson to see if I'm doing things "properly" before I took the test. They have a website, but I wasn't sure what suited my situation and had questions. I tried to call them during their listed hours several times on different days at different times, but no one ever answered. But there are people at the office if you go down yourself, as I had 5 minutes after calling and getting the machine. -1 for not being reachable over phone. But other than that, on the day of my appointment, Ryan was on time, patient, and answered all the questions I had. We went and took a practice run that was exactly like the one they gave on my test day (but I think the DMV considers it "cheating"), and he cautioned me about all the little things they look out for and evaluated my driving during the trip there and back to see if I was ready to take the test. I actually ran into my instructor with another student the day of the test, for their pick up/use their car to take the test service and he stayed with the student the entire time before the test. They were the car behind me waiting in line for the actual test, and he seemed to be very engaged, even at 7 in the morning. The other guy passed, too, if that means anything about the quality of their service. Overall, I dont' think I received $100 worth of information in my 1.5-2 hours, but for my purposes I got exactly what I needed, and it was a convenient and pleasant experience overall. read more

Know the owners of the business personally, and if you want your students, young adults and or adults to learn how to safely and properly operate, drive and how to conduct themselves while driving, look no further...American Defensive Driving School should be at the top of your list. They truly care about their students, supportive staff are available to assist and want to help them during this next phase of their lives. Pick ADDS, you be completely satisfied. read more

American Defensive Driving School - Driving Schools Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

A big thanks to Doug and his team - they were very accommodating to us and I would recommend them any day... Andrea - thanks for all of you help! read more

ADDS is the best! It came highly recommended to us when we had our first child learning to drive and now we have our 3rd child completing his drivers ed. We couldn't be happier with the instructors and the staff. Doug, Al and Kameeta are amazing! Thanks ADDS for preparing our kids to be safe drivers read more

I used American Defensive Driving School for some practice driving and to take me to take the driving test. It had been about 4 years since I had driven and my old license was expired. Also, I needed a car to take the test in. They picked me up at my home on the morning of the test and we drove around for about an hour to practice. They took me to the Niles examination facility and showed me the route that the exam would be so I could do a practice run. When I took the test, it was exactly as he told me it would be, down to every detail. They were really friendly and professional and offered a great rate. I definitely recommend them if you have a similar situation - need a car to take the test in or need some practice driving. read more

American Defensive Driving School - Driving Schools Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Our daughter took the ADDS program starting in August, and they had a great info night for parents the first day. With all of the new laws for drivers at 16, Doug, the owner, made things very clear and provided us with a well-laid out folder full of information. The office staff was always polite and responsive if I called with a question, and our Daughter's driving instructor Darren was prompt, professional and very helpful with tips for her. Overall, a great experience for our daughter and as parents- would highly recommend! read more

We have had a great experience with Doug and his team at ADDS. Classroom instruction is thorough, kids are well behaved, and our son is always happy to go to class. The website makes it easy for my son to keep up in classes and driving lessons as well. Overall very impressed! read more

Took a couple of adult classes with Al, he prepared me amazingly well for my road test. Cool guy, excellent teacher, thoroughly enjoyed my time learning how to drive with this guy. read more

We didnt sign up as the lady who answered my phone was rude and aggressive. she won't let me complete my sentence, every thing she said was with so much aggression that I think we are better off giving our business to another company. Watch who u have serving your customers. read more

In total I took 8 courses at ADD with coach Al. He is an excellent teacher, nice and patient even when I made a stupid move on road LOL. The lectures cover scenarios where you will not very often encounter and Al gave very adequate instructions regarding how to cope with those. Just pay attention, follow the instructions, and you will be all good! read more

I took a refresher course first with Ryan, outstanding instructor but then they switched me to Robert and lost me. He smelled strongly of cigarette smoke and/or raw garlic. I have a low tolerance for the former and zero tolerance for the latter. In addition, he would get on my nerves being a stickler with the speedometer up to the point that it became annoying. Actually, I passed the driving test later in flying colors and it didn't matter whether I did 34 mph in a 35 mph area. His attitude, plus the unpleasant odor broke my concentration and I decided to continue my practice somewhere else. read more

I'm sure there are people who had good experience with American Defensive Driving School but unfortunately I haven't had that. I have never been this mad at a store or institution before. I purchased the 6 hour (4 lessons) package. When I first went there, I was asked to schedule the 4 classes in advance. The first two classes were good. The instructor was patient and made me feel comfortable behind the wheel. For my third class, I was sick and was in no condition to get my lesson. I called and told them I needed to reschedule. This is where the problem starts. The woman who answered the phone told me I could reschedule but there was no availability until more than 2 weeks later. I knew if I didn't have my lessons soon enough, I would forget most of what I learned. I asked if there was an earlier time. Her response was "That's the first available time. I'm looking at the schedule right now and there is no other time. It's your fault you canceled." If she said "I'm sorry about this but we do have a tight schedule right now. I understand your situation, so, how about if anybody cancels within the two week time-frame, I'll call you to see if you're available. But I hope you understand that I can't guarantee anything." I would have been totally fine with it. But she continued to say "It's your fault. You should have managed your schedule (like I could manage my schedule to get sick)." So I asked her if they provided refunds and she said no. I said I understand that was the policy and I wouldn't be taking any more classes. I also told her that I thought they were understaffed and that I would write about my experience in reviews. She got very annoyed about this comment and said "You should think that us being busy is a good thing since so many people use us. It's a busy season and it's your fault that you canceled." I told her that was the meaning of under-staffing and they should add more instructors during busy seasons. She went on to say "You should be fair when you write the review because it was your fault you cancelled and I tried to give the fasted time possible." I hear "it was your fault" about 5-10 times. If you are absolutely sure you would never reschedule for your classes, you can go with them. Or if you are okay with waiting 2 weeks and hearing "It's your fault" so many times after a cancellation, you'll be perfect for them. Otherwise, please stay away from this place. read more

I cannot tell you how disappointed and upset and mad I am at that school. The receptionist gave me the wrong time for the LAST class for my son and he now has to wait until after his sixteen's birthday to take the final test because we were misinformed by someone. Why did I go to this school? This ruined my son's birthday who now has to wait for the next correct lesson class and time before he can actually take his driving test. A SHAME!!! DON'T GO THERE AND DON'T BELIEVE WHAT EMPLOYEES TELL YOU OVER THE PHONe! read more

Today I passed my road test, and I would like to thank Al and Doug at ADDS who did more than just guide me through the subjects on the test, but more importantly, encouraged me to be a responsible and cautious driver on the road. One of my biggest takeaway from taking lessons with ADDS is to not make assumptions about what other drivers intend to do. I would highly recommend ADDS to new drivers or drivers who had prior driving experience in a foreign country. read more

Best driving school in the North Shore founded by a former State Trooper who cares deeply about teaching his students to be safe drivers.

Both my kids went through the program. Family-operated business in downtown Evanston. Good people, good service, very easy to work with. The owner, Doug, is a retired IL state trooper and really knows his stuff. I recommend without hesitation. read more

I got my license with American Defensive Driving Academy as an adult driver. The group of instructors at ADD is a bit of a mixed bag. My first class was with Robert, and his personality unfortunately was far to abrasive for me. He insisted on playing the radio and since he is a smoker he smelled strongly of smoke. I am a person who does not have a tolerance for abusive language, smoking and radio noise so needless to say Robert was not a good fit for me. Robert also kept telling me what a good driver he was, which was really not helpful. I then had a few drives with Jon, who was very pleasant and patient, and I was very calm when I was driving with him. He was unfortunately too forgiving of my mistakes, and recommended that I take the test way before I was ready. So when I went with the owner, Doug, to take the test, Doug very quickly figured out that I was in fact not at all ready to pass this test, so I started to sign up for lessons with Doug. Doug was exactly what I needed. Someone who was going to be patient but also real with me when I was making mistakes. I had a lot of trouble with my left and right turns and he practiced those with me until they were perfect, and only then did we go on to the next skill. It is clear that Doug really enjoys what he does since he would really celebrate with me and give me a fist pump when I was done something good. Since Doug is also the owner of another business he is very busy, and will have to answer calls during drives. It can be difficult to sign up for classes with him since his schedule is very packed. Eventually Doug's schedule made it hard for me to get lessons in with him, so they moved me to Al, who was perfect for me: he was patient and real about my mistakes, and he gave me his undivided attention. Al also took me on drives around the Elston DMV, so I new the area well when I took the test. It took me three tries but Al was extremely patient and real with me. The two failures came from a weird situation at the DMV and then a very silly mistake on my part, so I don't think he had me take the test before I was ready. In fact, I was prepared to keep taking classes but Al encouraged me to go take the test, and I feel he made the right call. The girls at the desk, Marie and Scotty, were always very nice to work with. The lessons weren't cheap, but they were very reasonable about applying the Northwestern discount and 6-hour bundled price even when I bought the lessons in smaller chunks. And I wasn't charged for the extra lesson on the day I was first scheduled to take the test. (I'm told this was because Doug was running late that morning--otherwise they were always quite prompt). Reflecting on my overall experience, I highly recommend American Defensive Driving, especially Al. read more

Got my license today as an adult driver and am really pleased with the instruction I got here! I bought the 6 hour package from them (4 classes, you pick when you want to drive according to your schedule) and they come to your house to pick you up. This arrangement was perfect as a college student, plus there's a discount if you use your wildcard (if you go to NU) which really I mostly worked with John during these classes and he was really patient and helpful. I also took a diagnostic drive and took the test with ADDS for an additional fee. They really check your skills then and during the test they get you to drive to the facility and stay with you from start to end. That's when I worked with Doug, the owner and a really warm, funny guy and great instructor who gave me so many great tips as a new driver for improving my skills! I could feel my skills improve so much with his helpful pointers! The people who work the front desk/ phones were also so patient with me when I called to reschedule or ask about various rates. Minus one star for some minor inconveniences. The answering machine isn't really updated with their real hours so calling them can be a pain, and as someone who didn't have access to a car to practice regularly and was totally new to driving, sometimes I felt instruction could be a little bit more pointed to help nail down the basics - what you're supposed to do at each step and why - rather than just directions to kinda drive around for an hour or so. Thank you, ADDS! read more

I had never sat behind the wheel before I signed up with American Defensive Driving School. I took a series of lessons and had the instructor bring me out to the test. It was a great learning experience. Instructors at this school are very helpful. They teach you not just to pass the test but to be a safe driver on the road. Definitely recommend especially for someone who doesn't have a car just like me. Got my license today, yah! read more

I have two teens, one who is completed the American Defensive Driving School and a second that is currently enrolled and have had great results. Doug, the owner, is a retired state trooper with a great sense of humor and lots of credibility with his students because of his previous line of work as a state trooper. He has collected many stories over the years...many of which my son would repeat at the dinner table. These stories are not only tasteful but had a message about safety that reached my kids. Besides that my kids never complained about being bored and really seemed to get a lot out of the class. I believe that the class made them safer drivers which is something that was worth a lot to me. Especially male teen drivers! We found that American Defensive Driving School was very flexible when my son's soccer team had a conflicting schedule - futsal games on Sunday mornings. I called and in one phone call they changed my son to another weekday class. It is great to feel like you are getting something for your money when your sign up for a driving school, with this in mind, I strongly recommend that you consider this school because they actually teach your children a lot about safe driving! read more