By By Dylan Thompson,Stephanie Zollshan — The Berkshire Eagle,The Berkshire Eagle

Copyright berkshireeagle

PITTSFIELD — The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles believes that returning driver’s education classroom instruction to in-person only classes will build better drivers.

Jeff Coco, director of Dave’s Driving School in Pittsfield, thinks the transition will benefit students and allow instructors to bring back activities and exercises that wouldn’t work remotely.

“[With drunk goggles], we can show different levels of impairment,” Coco said. “We have goggles that will show the effects of drugs, particularly cannabis. This isn’t stuff that we were able to do on Zoom.”

The RMV announced on Sept. 19 that all driver’s education classroom instruction will return to an in-person format. Remote classes were offered as an accommodation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Research supports that in-person learning fosters better focus, higher engagement and more effective preparation for safe driving,” the agency said.

Dave’s Driving School in Pittsfield, along with Karen’s School of Driving in Adams, are among driving schools in the Berkshires that will be adjusting to the change, which became effective on Sept. 22.

“We’re excited about it,” Coco said. “The kids will learn a lot better in an in-person atmosphere … It’s more personal with the in-person classes.”

A live instructor will be required to teach all classes with a maximum of 30 students per class, the registry said.

Located at 210 Elm St., Dave’s Driving School has been providing driver education and training for over 53 years.

Coco said that, although the Zoom format was a challenge in some aspects, some students benefited from taking the class at home. He said that some students had challenges getting to and from the in-person classes after school.

“A lot of our students are in rural areas, so to offer it in a Zoom atmosphere was better for them,” Coco said.

Karen Scholz, owner of Karen’s School of Driving, said it was the right decision and that students learn best in person. The school, located at 7 Park St., in Adams, has been serving Adams and surrounding towns for 19 years.

Driver’s education is offered at public high schools and by professional driving schools licensed by the RMV in Massachusetts. Classroom instruction focuses on the Massachusetts driver’s license, motor vehicle safety, rules of the road and motor vehicle ownership.

According to the RMV, students must complete a minimum of 30 hours of classroom instruction and 18 hours of driving instruction with a minimum of 12 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction and six hours of observation in order to obtain a driver’s education certificate.

Scholz said the return to in-person will allow for more hands-on activities, and bringing that back is “one of the important things.” She’s also excited to bring back speakers into her classroom, including accident victims.

“It’s much more powerful for the accident victims to be present [in the classroom],” Scholz said. “It’s more emotional.”

Coco said Dave’s was allowed to have up to 50 students in Zoom classes. In-person classes will allow up to 30 students, which Coco says creates more interaction between the instructors and the students.

Starting Oct. 6, Coco said Dave’s will return to its past practice by going into schools around Berkshire County.

The school currently runs classes at their main office in Pittsfield, Lee High School, Lenox Memorial High School, Monument Mountain Regional High School, Mount Everett Regional High School, Mount Greylock Regional High School, Wahconah Regional High School and Berkshire School in Sheffield.

From a business perspective, Coco said the format change will add more expenses and strain manpower. Instead of having two instructors teaching classes at a time, they will now have four to six instructors going out to high schools to teach.

Karen’s has made changes and is now offering free transportation to Hoosac Valley High School, Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School, McCann Technical School and Drury High School students for any of their after-school in-person classroom sessions. They also offer a shuttle service with an additional add-on fee for students at schools that are further away, Scholz said.

Scholz said Karen’s offers classes monthly and has students from Hoosac Valley, BART, McCann, Mount Greylock, Wahconah, Drury and Taconic. All classes are held at the school’s Adams office, she said.

Feeling students engaged in the classroom is what Scholz is most excited about.

“It’s just a different experience overall,” she said. “You lose that emotional connection when it’s virtual.”