BUFFALO, N.Y. — A Western New York driving school has been shut down and its owner fined for several violations.
The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles say William Thygesen, who is owner and operator of Buffalo CDL Training Institute has been ordered to pay $46,000 in fines for allegedly continuing to operate his business after his business license and certification to teach driving had been revoked.
“Keeping New York’s roads safe is our number one job every day,” said DMV Commissioner and Chair of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee Mark J.F. Schroeder in a release. “I commend the DMV staff that investigated this matter and who also argued the case at the hearing. Businesses like these are regulated for a reason – to make sure those who provide instruction to New York motorists are doing so safely and are adhering to our standards."
Thygesen's certificate and business license were revoked in April 2023 and in August, the DMV says they found Thygesen still conducting business, charging students $400 or more for driving lessons he was not authorized to give.
The DMV charged him with 48 vehicle and traffic violations, including: knowingly continuing to do business after his licenses had been revoked, permitting unlicensed people to provide driving instruction and signing students up for road tests after they completed his driving school program that he had no legal authority to run.
An administrative law judge a $1,000 civil penalty for each violation.
The DMV, which oversees driving schools, suggests prospective drivers to search the DMV website to find license driving schools.
Driving school instructions have to have completed at least 30 hours of coursework in driving training and traffic safety before receiving a certificate and then obtain a business license to operate a driving school.
For more information about opening a driving school, visit dmv.ny.gov.