Introduction

The following Terms and Conditions set out the basis upon which I, the owner and operator of the driving school, provide driving lessons and courses to you, the student.

My driving school is independently owned and operated. Therefore, the contract for the provision of driving lessons and courses is between you and me. My continued status as an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI), however, is dependent upon me maintaining the required professional standards of service and conduct.

1. General Conduct

I will be courteous, polite, tidy and punctual. I will behave in a professional and ethical manner at all times.

My car will be clean, tidy and properly maintained, weather and circumstances permitting. It is fitted with dual controls and is fully insured for driving tuition purposes.

I am a non-smoker and do not smoke or permit smoking in the car. I will not use your lesson time for any other business or personal activity - your lesson time is dedicated to your driving tuition.

2. Qualifications

I am a fully qualified Approved Driving Instructor (ADI), not a trainee, and am legally authorised to provide driving tuition in the UK by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).

3. Driving Licence and Eyesight

You must hold a current and valid driving licence (provisional or full), which must be produced on or before our first driving lesson.

You must prove your entitlement to drive and provide me with a DVLA licence check code prior to your first driving lesson. I can provide instructions on how to obtain this if required.

You must also be able to read a standard number plate from a distance of 20.5 metres (approximately 67 feet or five car lengths), using prescribed visual aids such as contact lenses or glasses if normally worn.

If you require contact lenses or glasses in order to meet the required eyesight standard, you must wear them on every driving lesson.

4. Safety, Comfort and Well-being

Safety is a shared responsibility. The following points apply to every driving lesson:

1. In the interests of comfort and safety, you are advised to wear suitable footwear and clothing that does not restrict movement or otherwise interfere with your ability to drive safely.
2. It is important that you act responsibly at all times and give your undivided attention to the driving task at hand. If anything is distracting you during your lesson, please make me aware of it, 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 welcome your feedback and will never think less of you for raising a concern.
3. In an emergency situation, it is important that 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, including the brake and/or clutch pedals, and may therefore override your use of them. As soon as it is safe to do so, I will explain why my intervention was necessary and, where appropriate, help you to regain your composure. Any subsequent discussion will focus on what can be learnt from the situation rather than on assigning blame.
4. I will do my best to deliver instructions and take any necessary actions, even in an emergency, in a calm and measured manner so as not to unnecessarily alarm you or make you feel uncomfortable or disheartened. I will never shout at you or make sarcastic or derogatory remarks.
5. You can be assured that I will not use improper language, engage in suggestive behaviour or engage in inappropriate physical contact.
6. You must take into account any medication you are taking which may affect your ability to drive safely and advise me accordingly before attending any lesson. Similarly, you should inform me of anything else that you feel might affect your ability to undertake the proposed lesson safely.
7. If it becomes apparent that you are unable to concentrate or participate safely due to illness, tiredness or your emotional state, I reserve the right to terminate the lesson early or, where appropriate, agree an alternative learning activity that 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 or terminate any lesson if you are, or I reasonably suspect that you are, under the influence of drugs, legal highs and/or alcohol, whether prescribed or otherwise.

If this occurs, the full training fee for the affected lesson will be forfeited or, where applicable, become payable.

6. Lesson Postponement and Cancellation

You may lose, or be required to pay for, any lesson booked in my diary that is postponed or cancelled by you, particularly where I am unable to obtain replacement work for that appointment time.

I reserve the right to postpone lessons if I consider the weather or road conditions to be unsuitable or dangerous.

Where I postpone or cancel a lesson, you will not be charged for the lesson or any time that you have not received. I cannot, however, accept responsibility for any other costs or expenses you may incur as a result of a lesson being postponed or cancelled.

7. Punctuality

In your own interests, you are advised to be punctual for your lesson appointments. All appointments should be recorded, and where possible checked with me, to help ensure that mistakes or misunderstandings are avoided.

I would normally wait for you for a maximum of 15 minutes before the lesson is abandoned and the lesson fee forfeited or becomes due for payment.

A reciprocal waiting period may occasionally be necessary if I am delayed due to unforeseen circumstances. I will endeavour to make up any lesson time lost as a result of my delay, either at the end of the normal lesson time or as soon as reasonably possible. I will never charge you for lesson time that you did not receive.

8. Payments

1. Payment for driving lessons and courses is required in advance of training unless otherwise agreed.
2. Once a booking has been accepted by me and the lesson or course has been placed in my diary, a binding agreement is formed between you and me. Any deposit or subsequent training fees paid may therefore be non-refundable in accordance with the cancellation terms applicable to your booking. This does not affect your statutory rights.
3. If I am unable to provide a service that has been agreed and paid for, or I cannot reasonably accommodate a specific requirement that I have agreed to provide, I will discuss the appropriate remedy with you, which may include a refund where applicable.

9. The Driving Test

• 9.1 Test Bookings

Due to recent changes to the DVSA booking system, driving tests can now only be booked by the learner.

Driving test bookings always take priority over other lessons. Therefore, your lesson may occasionally need to be postponed to allow for someone else's driving test, and vice versa.

Any changes to lesson bookings resulting from someone else's test being moved will be communicated to you as soon as possible.

Test appointments must be notified to me as soon as they are known to you. Otherwise, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide the training vehicle for your test or for any lessons immediately prior to it.

• 9.2 Use of the Vehicle

In the interests of your safety and the safety of other road users, I reserve the right to withhold the use of the training car for the test if, in my professional opinion, your driving is actually or potentially dangerous, or is at a standard where similar behaviour would be likely to result in a test failure.

• 9.3 Test Cancellation

Ten clear working days' notice of test cancellation or postponement is required by the DVSA in order to avoid losing the test fee. Sundays and public holidays do not count as working days. You will find the relevant deadline date on your DVSA test confirmation email. Failure to provide the required notice may result in the loss of your test fee.

I cannot be held responsible for any postponement or cancellation of a test by you or the DVSA. However, I will do all that I reasonably can to arrange another test as quickly as possible and, where appropriate, help you to reclaim eligible expenses from the DVSA.

10. Special Offers and Lesson Price Changes

Driving lesson and course prices are reviewed occasionally and may be subject to change. I may also decide to run special offers from time to time and reserve the right to withdraw or amend them.

Any price changes will apply only to new bookings made after the new prices come into effect. I will never increase the price of lessons for existing bookings, or increase the price of lessons that have already been paid for.

11. Complaints

If you have a complaint or concern about any aspect of your driving lessons or the service I provide, I would be extremely grateful if you would give me the opportunity to resolve the matter in the first instance.

Please do not allow a problem to continue without raising it with me. I will always endeavour to listen to your concerns and resolve them fairly and professionally.

12. Your Statutory Rights

Nothing in these Terms and Conditions is intended to restrict or remove any statutory rights you may have as a consumer.

I have a legal obligation to provide services with reasonable care and skill and in accordance with applicable consumer protection legislation.

If you have any concerns about your statutory rights, you may wish to seek independent advice from Citizens Advice or your local Trading Standards service.