Standard Terms and Conditions of Service

Last updated 05 July 2021

The following terms and conditions represent the basis upon which I offer driving lessons and courses to you (the student). However, my continued ownership of Confident Driving School is dependent upon me maintaining the highest standards of service and behaviour. 

1. General conduct

I will be courteous, polite, tidy and punctual. I will behave in a professional and ethical manner at all times. My training car will be well maintained, clean and tidy (weather permitting). My car is fitted with dual controls and is fully insured for driving tuition purposes. I am a non-smoker and therefore, will not smoke in the training car at any time, nor will I use your lesson time for any other form of business, personal or otherwise without your expressed permission.

2. Qualifications

I am legally authorised to give driving tuition in the UK by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).

3. Driving Licence and eyesight

As required by law, you must hold a current, valid driving licence (provisional or full), which must be produced on or in advance of your first driving lesson. You must also check you can read a number plate at a distance of 20.5 metres (i.e. 67 feet - about 5 car lengths) with prescribed visual aids (i.e. contact lenses or glasses) if normally worn. Please note if you need contact lenses or glasses to achieve this, you must make sure you wear them on each and every driving lesson. Failure to do so will terminate the lesson for safety and the full training fee for the period in question will be lost or charged.

4. Safety, comfort and well being

Safety is a shared responsibility as identified below: 

a) In the interests of comfort and safety you are advised to wear suitable footwear and clothing.

b) It is important you act responsibly at all times and give your undivided attention to the driving task at hand. Should anything be distracting you during your lesson it is important you make me aware of this fact even if it is something I am doing. Similarly, if you are feeling uncomfortable or uneasy about any driving task please let me know. I will be grateful for your feedback and I will think no less of you for doing this.

c) In an emergency situation it is important you follow my instructions and allow me to take control of the steering wheel if necessary to avoid an incident. I may also need to make use of the dual controls (i.e. brake pedal) and thus override your use of them. As soon as it is safe to do so I will advise you of why my actions were necessary and help you to calm down if required. Any subsequent discussion will focus on what can be learnt rather than who was to blame.

d) I will do my best to deliver any instructions or take any actions (even in an emergency) in a calm and measured manner so as not to alarm you or make you feel uncomfortable or disheartened in any way. I will definitely not shout at you or make any sarcastic or derogatory remarks. 

e) You can be assured I will not use improper language or suggestive behaviour and/or physical contact.

f) You must take note of any medication you are taking which may affect your ability to drive safely and advise me accordingly before taking any lesson booked.

Similarly, you should inform me of anything you feel might impact on your ability to undertake the proposed lesson safely.

g) In the event it becomes apparent you are unable to concentrate due to illness, tiredness, or your emotional state of mind I reserve the right to terminate the lesson early or require your agreement to choose an alternative learning activity which can still be undertaken safely.

5. Driving under the influence

To ensure the safety of you and other road users I reserve the right to 

cancel any lesson if you are or if I suspect you are under the influence of drugs, legal highs and/or alcohol (prescribed or otherwise). If this occurs the full training fee for the period in question will be lost or charged.

6. Lesson cancellation and postponement

a) If you cancel your lesson with less than 24 hours’ notice, you will be liable for the price of what your lesson would have been charged at. You may lose, or be required to pay for, any lessons booked in my diary which are postponed or cancelled by you, with more than 24 - 48 hours’ notice, especially if I am unable to obtain new replacement work for those appointment time(s). 

b) I, however, reserve the right to postpone lessons through no fault of my own, for circumstances such as family emergencies, mechanical breakdown of the tuition car or bad weather which may affect your ability to learn safely, heavy traffic, or the previous student’s lesson or driving test has overrun for unavoidable reasons, and it means I cannot arrive at your lesson within good time. I will rearrange your lesson for the next available, mutually convenient, date and time. If I am late to your lesson for reasons such as the above, you will still receive the full lesson time where possible. Unfortunately, I cannot be held responsible for any costs incurred as a result of me having to postpone any lessons, for whatever reason.

c) If I feel your behaviour or attitude whilst driving is threatening, dangerous, or compromises safety, I reserve the right to cancel the lesson in progress and any future lessons. I cannot risk a driver who threatens their own, mine, other road users or pedestrian’s safety.

7. Punctuality

In your own interests you are advised to be punctual for your lesson appointments. I would normally wait for you for a maximum of 15 minutes before the lesson would be abandoned and the lesson fee forfeited or become due for payment. A reciprocal waiting time may become necessary if I am delayed due to unforeseen circumstances. I will make up any lesson time lost as a result of this at the end of the normal lesson time or as soon as possible. 

8. Payments

a) Your lesson rate is as agreed with me.

I accept payments in the form of cash, bank transfer or cheque.

b) The first lesson must be paid for upon confirming your booking to guarantee your space. All further payments must be made at the end of each lesson to book the following lesson in. No bookings will be placed in my diary without payment in advance. Any block booking payments must be paid up front, and by the date displayed upon your invoice, to secure the lesson bookings into my diary.

c) If you are taking a Semi-Intensive Training course, you are required to pre-pay for the course. To book a course, a 50% deposit or the full course fee (if the course start date is within 4 weeks of the booking date) is required.

The deposit or any subsequent training fees paid are NOT refundable in the event you decide to cancel the training once the booking has been accepted by me and placed in my diary. At this point a binding agreement is made between yourself and me. This does not in any way affect your statutory rights to be provided with the goods and services you have bought (please see term 12).

d) A full refund will be given if I cannot satisfy any special requirements noted and as shown under “Special Requirements” on your initial contact form. I cannot issue a refund for any lessons already taken. If you are dissatisfied with a lesson for any reason, please do talk to me as soon as possible and we may be able to work something out.

9. Accidents & The Law

I make every effort to avoid damage and accidents, and I do anticipate that accidents may happen as you are learning to drive. However, if I believe you were driving in a dangerous manner or ignoring my instructions and actual damage is caused to the tuition car, you may be expected to contribute towards the cost of repairs (ie. Tyres or insurance excess).

I will make every effort to avoid you breaking the law or committing any traffic offence – you are under my close supervision during every lesson, and I may use controls such as speed limiters, and verbal or physical control such as giving verbal instruction, taking the steering wheel or using the dual control pedal(s) where necessary, to avoid dangerous situations or accidents. However, I cannot accept any responsibility of you breaking the law – this includes speeding, traffic offences, regulations, or laws that you could break whilst driving, especially if you have ignored my instructions. Any fines or penalties are legally the sole responsibility of the driver. It is an offence on my part if I fail to give the driver’s details to the DVLA or Police when asked to provide that information as to who was driving at the time of an offence. 

These conditions also apply during your driving test where you are officially driving un-supervised - DVSA Examiners are NOT operating in a supervising capacity.

10. The Driving Test

a) Bookings

Driving tests will solely be booked by me on your behalf, with the £62 test fee to be reimbursed to me within 1 week of me making the booking. Driving test bookings always take priority over other lessons. Therefore, your lesson may be postponed to allow for someone else's driving test and vice-versa. Changes to lesson bookings as a result of this will be notified immediately. Please do not book your own test as I may not be able to fulfil the appointment.

b) Use of the vehicle

In the interests of customer and public safety I reserve the right to withhold the use of the training car for the test if, in my opinion, you have not completed the training syllabus, your driving is actually or potentially dangerous - behaviour which if repeated on the test would result in a test failure and/or an accident, rendering my tuition vehicle unusable. I further reserve the right to refuse to take you to your driving test if you haven't agreed to move your driving test date when I advise you to, if you haven't had regular lessons, or I believe you are unsafe to be driving my tuition car by yourself on test. Under NO circumstances will I allow any student to go to test to “give it a try, to see how I get on”.

c) Test cancellation

Three clear working days (Sundays and public holidays don't count as working days) notice of test cancellation or postponement is required by the DVSA. Therefore, to cancel a test booked for a Friday we would need to do this online no later than the preceding Monday thus giving three clear working days (i.e. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday). Failure to provide the required notice will result in the loss of your test fee. I cannot be held responsible for any postponement or cancellation of tests by you or the DVSA. However, I will help to arrange another test as quickly as possible and to reclaim expenses from the DVSA if appropriate.

11. Complaints

In the event of a complaint, I would be extremely grateful if you would give me the opportunity to resolve the matter in the first instance. However, please do not let a problem linger. 

12. Your statutory rights

Nothing in these terms and conditions will reduce your statutory rights relating to faulty goods or services provided. I have a statutory obligation to provide you with goods and services fit for the purpose for which they were bought and as described. If you have any doubts about your statutory rights, please contact your local Trading Standards Department or Citizen’s Advice Bureau.