GENERAL TERMS – Applicable to ALL Customers
Illness: Masks are highly recommended for lessons or tests if you have mild respiratory symptoms (coughing, sneezing, runny nose). If you are ill and would like us to make an exception to our late cancellation policy, we may reduce the fee if you provide us with a physician-note with diagnosis and lab test results that include the student’s name and date/time of the test. Doctor visits must occur before the scheduled driving lesson or test time.
Often, with enough notice, we are able to fill appointment slots. When your appointment fills with another student, we can waive the late cancellation fee. Without enough time, we cannot do that and are contracted to pay the instructor.
Acute injuries: Please notify us as soon as possible if you’ve broken a bone (arm, wrist, leg or knee) or hurt your eye(s). We will cancel all remaining lessons until your doctor clears you to drive again and work with you on your completion deadline. Please submit a physician’s note after you call us.
TEEN COURSES
General Information: State law requires that students be 15 years old by the first classroom session of the course. Students must obtain a permit from the DOL and bring to all driving and testing appointments, along with photo ID if using a non-photo permit. Students cannot miss more than 3 classes. Teen driving courses must not be less than 30 days in length and all course requirements must be completed within 4 months. Behind-the-wheel driving lessons are scheduled separately from the classroom sessions and typically extend beyond the last classroom session. Most of our communication is through email. A valid, regularly checked email address for both student and parent is recommended to not miss any important emails. By signing up you authorize receiving text messages and reminders from the driving school and Schedule Agent. No food, drink or gum is allowed in instruction cars or in the classroom. The participant and/or the parent or guardian of a minor participant, grants permission for the participant to have photos and/or videos taken of him/her, without recompense, to be used for publicity, monitoring, and security purposes. Students can start a teen course with a $250 deposit but the balance of the course is due 2 weeks after the 1st day of class (and before scheduling drives). For in-person classes the balance is due by the 1st day of class.
Understanding the Department of Licensing requirements is crucial for parents and students to successfully complete our program and to obtain a driver license. I confirm that I have clicked on the link in the previous sentence and have reviewed the entire page regarding intermediate licensing requirements, restrictions and penalties.
Classroom Sessions: Live web-based classes are now permanently approved by the DOL. Students are accountable for their classroom conduct and attendance. Students will be dismissed from the course without a refund for misbehavior, excessive tardiness, more than 3 absences, multiple failed tests (a score below 80%), or sharing contact information with other students. Any missed class sessions will need to be made up (cannot miss more than 3 sessions). If a student fails either the original midterm OR the original final exam, it will need to be retaken and passed. Students who fail BOTH the original Midterm and original Final open book exams must take an entire web class series over again (34 hours). Student tardiness in excess of 10 minutes to class is viewed as an absence and the entire lesson needs to be made up, whether the student attends the remainder of class or not. Students will receive a course workbook at the start of the course. Replacement workbooks may be purchased for $10. Parents are expected to attend a web-based parent informational session, during which intermediate licensing and organ donation will be discussed. Parents must proctor both the midterm and final exams and any required make-up exams. If your student has an IEP/504 plan, severe anxiety, or learning disability, or is attending classes through Special Education please contact us prior to registering and enrolling so we may gather more information regarding your student, their needs, and address any challenges driving may present. You can purchase the teen individual driving plan consult here. This will also allow us to create a plan to help your student succeed if additional time, lessons, or help is required. Defensive Driving School reserves the right to cancel any class due to low enrollment.
Driver Awareness Training: This is a 4-hour class built into the regular course that helps cognitively train students on how to appropriately handle hazardous driving situations. This is part of the DOL requirements for the course.
Behind-the-Wheel Lessons: Students must obtain a permit from the DOL and bring the physical permit (ie. not a picture on your phone) to all driving and testing appointments, along with photo ID if using a non-photo permit. Students are required to complete 5 driving lessons plus 1 observation where they observe another teen’s driving lesson. An educational clock hour is defined as 55 minutes of teaching time with a 5-minute break. A briefing prior to the lesson and at the conclusion with a student and/or parent is part of the clock hour. Driving lessons will extend beyond the end of the classroom portion of the course and typically take place every 1-2 weeks starting the second week of class (2-4 weeks between drives early summer through fall due to high demand). Please note that there are periods where our demand for driving lessons is high and starting your driving lessons may be delayed 4-8 weeks or more. If your summer course is marked as a “Fall Drives” course that means that you cannot drive during the peak summer season and must complete your drives after 9/1 due to limited availability (you will have 6 months to complete the course instead of 4 months). It may be necessary to do some of your driving lessons during school hours due to the limited availability of after-school and weekend appointments at certain locations. Students are expected to get 2-4 hours of home practice in between each lesson so keep that in mind when spacing your lessons. To reschedule or cancel behind-the-wheel lessons, please log in to Schedule Agent. If a driving lesson needs to be rescheduled or canceled, students must contact our office or login to Schedule Agent at least 2 business days before the scheduled lesson. Weekends and holidays are not considered business days. If a student cancels a lesson less than 48 hours in advance, does not bring a valid learner’s permit to a lesson, is more than 10 minutes late to a lesson, or fails to show up for a lesson, they will be charged a no show/late cancellation fee of $75. If any additional lessons are required for them to pass the final assessment it will cost $75 per one hour lesson.
Completion of the Course: Course requirements for both classroom and driving must be completed within 4 months unless otherwise posted on the class registration page. If desired, we offer a two-month extension for $87. If the student misses more than 3 classroom sessions or goes beyond the purchased extension date, they will have to enroll in another class, to start from the beginning, at a reduced rate of 75% of the tuition cost.
Upon successful completion of the course, including all required tests and activities, and upon the payment of tuition and fees, the Department of Licensing will be electronically notified that a student has passed our course, which must be done prior to doing state testing and obtaining a driver license. We will notify students via e-mail upon completion of our course. This notification typically takes 3-4 weeks after all requirements are met. A student who is under the age of 18 and obtains a permit with a waiver must wait until they have completed the course (classroom and driving lessons) and before being able to take the State Knowledge Test. If you need expedited notification service, there will be a $21 rush fee charged. Personalized, physical certificates can be ordered for $25.
Refunds: All refunds are subject to an administrative fee of $15 (or 3% if over $500) if requested 10 days before the first day of class. If you need to transfer classes, you must request it at least seven days before the first day of class. 50% of tuition will be refunded if cancellation occurs within 10 days of the first day of class, but before the 2nd class session. There are no refunds after the 2nd class. There are also no refunds if you have used your waiver to obtain a permit. A $15 fee is charged for returned checks or disputing a credit card charge that is shown to be valid.
DRIVER LICENSE TESTING
General Information: To get a Washington State driver license, applicants are required to pass a knowledge test and a driving test. Defensive Driving School is authorized by the Department of Licensing to provide both the knowledge and driving tests. In order to test with our school, applicants must first visit a Department of Licensing office or may pre-apply online. Anyone under the age of 18 years of age must have completed a Driver’s Education Course within the state of Washington. For both the knowledge and driving tests, applicants need to provide a valid PIC number issued by the Department of Licensing, along with proper photo identification. Applicants must call to confirm eligibility and availability prior to registering for driver license tests. By signing up you authorize receiving text messages and reminders from the driving school and Schedule Agent. The participant and/or the parent or guardian of a minor participant, grants permission for the participant to have photos and/or videos taken of him/her, without recompense, to be used for publicity, monitoring, and security purposes.
To reschedule or cancel a test, customers must contact our office or login to Schedule Agent at least 2 business days before the scheduled test time. Weekends and holidays are not considered business days. If a customer cancels a test within the required time for notice of cancellation or fails to show up, they will be charged as if they were present at the scheduled time. Customers will be required to purchase an additional test if they wish to test with us. Customers must arrive on-time for the test. Any late arrivals will not be able to test.
We offer the knowledge test in: English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Vietnamese, and Korean.
Scores for the knowledge and driving test will be reported to the Department of Licensing electronically within 24 hours. Passing the knowledge and driving test does not guarantee that an applicant will be issued a driver license. The Department of Licensing will determine if an applicant has met all licensing requirements.
By purchasing a test, the purchaser acknowledges notification of our policies and procedures regarding testing.
Knowledge Test: The knowledge test consists of 40 multiple choice questions about traffic safety laws. Applicants must answer at least 32 questions correctly in order to pass the test. Applicants will be given a maximum of 35 minutes to complete the test. Applicants who arrive late for their scheduled tests will not be allowed to test. The knowledge test will be offered at specific times at select locations. For those who believe they will need more time to complete the knowledge test, we recommend going to one of the Department of Licensing offices where they offer testing (Lynnwood, North Bend, Tacoma, Poulsbo). We also offer a private knowledge test where the applicant will have 55 minutes to test for the same price as a 1 hour driving lesson (call the office to purchase and schedule).
Skills Test: The driving test will test applicant’s ability to drive legally and safely. Applicants must pass the driving test with a score of 80 or better out of 100 possible points. Skills tests are held in English only (unless you make arrangements in advance with the office). Applicants who arrive late for their scheduled tests will not be allowed to test. A passing Knowledge test score is good for two years and is required to be eligible to take the skills test (no refunds if your knowledge test has expired). For more information on what applicants will be evaluated on, please visit the Department of Licensing’s driving test page.
Applicants must use one of our vehicles for the driving test. Our cars are midsize sedans with automatic transmissions. Applicants are encouraged to schedule a warm-up session prior to the test to become comfortable with the operation of the vehicle.
Driving tests will be provided in English, unless prior arrangements have been made. Due to Department of Licensing regulations, interpreters are not allowed on driving tests. If a test ends early because the applicant is unable to follow the directions of the examiner, there will be no refund.
If an applicant has a temporary or permanent physical, visual, or mental impairment, or take medication which could impair their ability to operate a motor vehicle, the Department of Licensing must conduct the skills examination.
Any grievances about a driving test must be submitted in writing with a carbon copy of the test. Mail this to: Defensive Driving School, 10505 NE 38th Pl, Bldg 9, Kirkland, WA 98033.
The Department of Licensing reserves the right to conduct random re-examinations; applicants refusing to take a re-examination may have their license revoked.
Refunds: Any refund requested for a test that was never scheduled or is requested a minimum of 2 business days prior to a scheduled test will be subject to a $15 application fee (or 3% if over $500). In the event that Defensive Driving School cancels a scheduled test, the applicant will be given the option to reschedule the test or obtain a full refund. Tests must be taken within 3 months of payment. There will be no refund on unused tests (or no shows/late cancels) and after 3 months, unused tests will be considered lost. A $15 fee is charged for disputing a credit card charge that is shown to be valid. For current test pricing, please see: https://driving-school.com/driver-license-testing-for-knowledge-and-skill-tests/
ADULT LESSONS
General Information: Adult students must carry a valid learner’s permit or license during every lesson. To reschedule or cancel lessons, students must contact our office or login to Schedule Agent at least 2 business days before the scheduled lesson. Weekends and holidays are not considered business days. If a student cancels a lesson within the required time for notice of cancellation, does not bring a valid learner’s permit or license to a lesson, or fails to show up for a lesson, they will be charged as if he were present at the lesson. An educational clock hour is defined as 55 minutes of teaching time with a 5-minute break. A briefing prior to the lesson and at the conclusion with the student is part of the clock hour. By signing up you authorize receiving text messages and reminders from the driving school and Schedule Agent. The participant and/or the parent or guardian of a minor participant, grants permission for the participant to have photos and/or videos taken of him/her, without recompense, to be used for publicity, monitoring, and security purposes.
Pick-Up & Drop-Off Service: Pick-up and Drop-off services are available for adult lessons and for applicants registered to take the driver license driving test (at certain locations only). The pick-up and drop-off location must be within 5 miles and 10 minutes of the branch location selected. If additional travel time is required for an adult lesson, it will be deducted from the lesson time.
Refunds: All refunds are subject to a $15 application fee (or 3% if over $500). Refunds will be granted only if requested at least 2 business days prior to the scheduled lesson. Lessons must be taken within 3 months of payment. There will be no refund on unused lessons and after 3 months unused lessons will be considered lost. A $15 fee is charged for returned checks or disputing a credit card charge that is shown to be valid.
OTHER SERVICES
General Information: To reschedule or cancel, students must contact our office or login to Schedule Agent at least 2 business days before the scheduled appointment. Weekends and holidays are not considered business days. If a student cancels within the required time for notice of cancellation or fails to show up, they will be charged as if they were present. By signing up you authorize receiving text messages and reminders from the driving school and Schedule Agent. The participant and/or the parent or guardian of a minor participant, grants permission for the participant to have photos and/or videos taken of him/her, without recompense, to be used for publicity, monitoring, and security purposes.
Cancellations (Collision Avoidance): Please cancel or reschedule at least 10 days in advance. If it is canceled within 10 days of your scheduled appointment, you will be put on stand-by and can call to reschedule within 10 days of another scheduled date. Refunds will not be given for no shows or late cancellations.
Refunds: All refunds are subject to a processing fee of $15 (or 3% if over $500). Refunds will be granted only if requested at least 2 business days prior to the scheduled appointment. Other services must be taken within 3 months of payment. There will be no refund on unused services and after 3 months unused services will be considered lost. A $15 fee is charged for returned checks or disputing a credit card charge that is shown to be valid.
USER PRIVACY
Under no circumstances will Defensive Driving School share a client’s personal information unless required by law.
POLICY CHANGES
Defensive Driving School reserves the right to update or modify these terms and conditions at any time without prior notice. In the event that any changes are made, the revised terms and conditions will be posted on this website immediately.