Terms of Service

Last Updated: 20/08/2023
For the purposes of these terms & conditions, the terms "you", "student", and "learner" refer to any client - even if the client is a full license holder rather than a learner permit holder. The terms "we", "us", and "the instructor" all refer to the approved driving instructor - Conor O'Driscoll (ADI #40379).

1. The instructor will be registered as an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) with the Road Safety Authority. You can check this at any time at this page on the RSA website
2. The instructor will behave professionally, and in a courteous and polite manner, at all times.
3. The instructor will provide an appropriate vehicle fitted with dual controls, and insured for driving lessons.
4. Students may use their own car for lessons provided this has been agreed with the instructor in advance, subject to the terms on this page. Cars used for driving lessons must be appropriately insured (some types of insurance, e.g. free accompanied driver insurance from Aviva, do not cover other driving instructors to give lessons). The student must ensure that appropriate insurance is in place before using their own car for lessons.
5. The instructor may insist on using the driving school car for lessons in the interest of safety if they feel that a dual-controlled car is necessary for the lesson, even if the student's own car has previously been used. This may also apply if the instructor is not familiar enough with the student's standard of driving, e.g. for your first driving lesson (even if your own car has been used in lessons with another instructor).
6. The instructor may also refuse to carry out, or terminate, a lesson in a student's car if, in the opinion of the instructor, the car is not roadworthy or legal in any way (e.g. worn/dangerous tyres, tax or NCT out of date, dangerously worn brakes, etc.). The instructor may also terminate the lesson if a dangerous/illegal issue is only noticeable after starting the lesson.
7. The instructor may refuse to carry out a lesson, or terminate a lesson, at any time if the student is (in the opinion of the instructor) unfit/unsafe to drive for any reason - e.g. if they appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. We may also refuse/terminate lessons if the student displays any abusive or threatening behaviour.
8. The instructor reserves the right to cancel a lesson, or terminate a lesson, at any time on the grounds of road safety.
9. Students may be refused use of the school car if they are wearing visibly dirty clothes/work boots/etc. If the student does not have their own car to use (which satisfies all other terms outlined here), or the instructor feels the lesson needs to be carried out in the school car, then the lesson will be postponed to a mutually convenient time.
10. Students must ensure that they hold a valid learner permit and carry it with them on every lesson (as it is a legal requirement to carry your permit/license at all times while driving). Students must also comply fully with any codes/restrictions noted on their license, e.g. if they are required to wear corrective lenses while driving.
11. Students should inform the instructor, before their lesson, if they are taking any medication or suffer from any condition which may affect their ability to drive safely (however this does not require any student to share private details such as the specific medication or condition - only how it affects your ability to drive).
12. If a student is unsure of whether, or how, a specific medication/condition might affect their ability to drive they should seek advice from a suitable medical professional, e.g. doctor or pharmacist. It may also be helpful/relevant to specify that you are learning to drive.
13. We reserve the right to substitute another Approved Driving Instructor and/or a different vehicle for lessons, or to rearrange any lessons to a mutually convenient time where necessary.
14. Students must follow all reasonable instructions given by the instructor during their lessons.
15. The Instructor may refuse to continue providing driving lessons to a student if they are not satisfied with a pupil’s conduct or commitment throughout the lessons.
16. Lessons can be booked at any time using our online booking form. This is the preferred method of booking and we ask all students to use it where at all possible.
17. We try to respond to calls/texts/emails etc. from students as soon as possible, however for obvious safety reasons we cannot take calls or respond to texts/emails during a lesson. Additionally, we believe firmly in the idea of the right to disconnect and maintaining a clear separation between working and non-working time. We use a separate, dedicated phone for work which may not be checked/answered outside of normal working hours. Additionally we do not guarantee that this phone will be carried/checked during days off (which may be weekends or weekdays) or during longer periods of time off/holidays (which may be one or several weeks). While it may occasionally suit the instructor to take calls or respond to messages late in the evening/during time off/etc., this should not be expected. Students should therefore plan accordingly when booking lessons or driving tests and understand that it may not be possible to contact us on short notice, or during non-working days/time off.
18. All queries related to an individual driving test application (including but not limited to special accommodations, issues when trying to apply for a test, waiting times etc.) should be taken up directly with the RSA. The instructor has no involvement in the driving test application process, and no access to any information on any individual application.
19. All queries related to driving licenses, learner permits, eligibility for reduced EDT, etc. should be taken up with the NDLS.
20. All queries related to driver theory tests should be taken up with the theory test service.
21. The instructor will not make or manage any applications for driving tests/theory tests/learner permits etc. for a student, or contact the RSA/NDLS/theory test service on behalf of a student.
22. Where a student wishes to make a complaint in relation to a driving test, theory test, etc., the instructor will not become involved in any way other than to direct the student to contact the relevant service/organisation.
23. Lesson times will include discussion time (including overview of the lesson at the beginning, recap of the lesson at the end, and discussion during the lesson which may necessitate pulling over to discuss the particular topic/fault in detail).
24. We currently accept payment by cash or by card (taken at the time of the lesson via a card reader). If needed we can also issue a SumUp invoice which can be paid online - if using this method, payment must be made before the lesson except with the agreement of the instructor.
25. We take payment on a lesson-by-lesson basis. Prices are subject to change at any time and full details of our pricing is available on our prices page.
26. Our operating hours vary by day/week, and available times will be put on the website in advance for students to book. As such we do not guarantee any specific lesson times, including evenings/weekends.
27. The instructor will advise the student on when they think the student should apply for their driving test. Test applications are made directly to the RSA by the student, and the student will be contacted directly by the RSA for their test. The instructor has no involvement in the application process, and does not have access to any information on a student's application - therefore any queries on test applications/waiting times/etc. should be sent directly to the RSA.
28. When a student receives a test date from the RSA, and they wish to request to use the driving school car for the test or be accompanied in their own car by the instructor, they should inform their instructor as soon as possible. This does not guarantee that the car, and/or the instructor, will be available at that time. If this is the case we will aim to make the student aware of this so that they can make alternative arrangements or reschedule their test date. However, as noted above, we do not guarantee that we will respond to calls/texts outside our working hours or during time off (which may last one or more weeks).
29. During the lessons you will be taught to drive in a wide variety of road and traffic conditions, and will cover all the manoeuvres required on the driving test. However, we do not specifically cover driving test routes. This is in line with the code of conduct for driving instructors which states: "ADIs should avoid using test routes for driving lessons". It also states that "RSA Examiners report that familiarity often adversely affects a candidate’s performance during the test". Students often place too much emphasis on trying to learn off test routes, instead you should focus on developing the necessary skills/knowledge to be able to drive well in any situation that you may encounter during your test. The same applies to students doing "mock tests" - the route covered will be broadly similar in length/difficulty to an official test route, and there will likely be some overlap with the official test routes, but we do not specifically cover them.
30. In terms of bookings for lessons/tests/car rentals, we generally give all bookings equal priority. If a student wishes to rent the car/be accompanied by the instructor for their test, or has an urgent need for lessons, in trying to facilitate this we may (in some cases) request another student to cancel or postpone their lesson booking. However, we will never force another student to cancel or postpone a booking if they do not wish to do so. We will not generally make this request on short notice, in cases where we have already rescheduled a lesson recently with the same student, or where multiple other test times are available that do not require us to reschedule lessons.
31. Where possible we will make reasonable efforts to facilitate students who wish to use the school car for their test. However students should note that the school car may not always be available (e.g. if mechanical repairs are being carried out on the car on that day, or if the instructor is not working that day/on holidays/has other commitments at that time).
32. Students intending to put themselves on the cancellation list, or request an urgent test date from the RSA, should note the possibility that we may not be able to provide our school car, or test accompaniment/pre-test lessons on short notice. We generally do not advise students to apply for short-notice/cancellation tests unless they feel fully prepared for their test and have alternative arrangements in place (such as their own car & insurance, and someone to accompany them) in the event that the instructor is not available.
33. Where students are renting a car for the test they should note that, at any time, our school car may change (either due to mechanical breakdown/damage, or simply buying a new car), or we may need to substitute another ADI who may provide their own car (e.g. due to illness/injury etc.).
34. The instructor may refuse to provide the school car for a driving test if, in their opinion, the student has not demonstrated a reasonably safe standard of driving. This may also occur where a student does not keep up with lessons or practise as agreed/discussed, and the instructor is therefore unable to assess their level of driving or to address deficiencies in their driving. This may also occur if the student is unable to carry out sufficient practise while waiting for the test, which may cause them to lose some skills/knowledge.
35. Where a student is using the school car for the test and accompanied by the instructor, and needs to travel to a particular location after the test, the instructor will generally drive back to that location. This is because, whether the result was a pass or a fail, students are often tired and distracted after the test.
36. Gift vouchers are valid for a period of 5 years and will be issued for a specific monetary value. Lesson prices may change after the gift voucher is purchased, we cannot guarantee that the voucher will still cover the same number of lessons.
37. Gift vouchers should be handled with care - if lost you can contact us and we may be able to issue a replacement. The replacement will be clearly marked as a replacement voucher by the instructor (words to this effect will be hand-written onto the voucher by us), and will have the same voucher code so that we can track the remaining balance. The expiry date on the new voucher will be the same as the previous voucher, it will not be extended.
38. Students doing Essential Driver Training (EDT) lessons should note the importance of consistent practise (3 hours) with a sponsor between each lesson. Practise between lessons is a very important part of the EDT programme. This practise can be achieved by taking extra driving lessons, however where possible we strongly recommend that students get insurance on another car (own car/parent's car/etc.) and practise between lessons with a suitable accompanying driver. EDT lessons will not be carried out if a student does not have a sufficient base line of skills/knowledge required to be able to safely carry out that particular EDT lesson, therefore we strongly advise all students to start practising as early as possible.
39. We will also require students to leave some time between their EDT lessons, both for practise and to give them time to reflect on what they have learned in the lessons/practise. The RSA recommends lessons be taken every 2 weeks; if a student is able to get consistent practise (3+ hours between each lesson) then it is possible to do them slightly more frequently but we do not generally recommend/conduct more than 1 EDT lesson per week on average. The instructor may advise longer spacing, or additional practise, where needed and students should adhere to this advice. We reserve the right to change or cancel online booking requests where students have requested several EDT lessons over a short period of time. The online form will sometimes give an error message where a student is attempting to book many lessons over a short period of time, but absence of this error does not automatically mean that your booking requests are adequately spaced apart - they will still be reviewed manually by an instructor before approval.
40. The requirements to leave adequate time between lessons, and get the necessary practise to establish a safe base-line of skills & knowledge, will still apply equally to students who have had previous lessons cancelled due to COVID-19 (either as a result of restrictions or self-isolation/restricted movements). While we can appreciate students' frustration with delays in lessons, this does not make it acceptable or adviseable to rush through your EDT lessons without being properly prepared for them.
41. Meeting & finishing points for lessons will be agreed in advance. Where the instructor has to drive to a particular location in the interest of safety, this will constitute part of the lesson.
42. Where a student is unable to meet at the agreed meeting point for a particular lesson and needs to meet elsewhere (within Carlow Town) due to unforseen circumstances (e.g. where a parent is called into work and thus unable to drop them) they should notify the instructor as soon as possible. Students should note that it may not always be possible to facilitate this, even if we have previously been able to do so. For example, if we have lesson(s) just before and/or after your lesson which are also due to take place at the originally agreed meeting point.
43. Lesson bookings are confirmed based on the agreed details such as time, meeting point, and type of lesson (e.g. EDT lesson, practise lesson, mock test, etc.). Where a student wishes to change any of these details, we ask that they give as much notice as possible. However, we do not guarantee that it will be possible to facilitate such changes and may require the student to make a separate booking in these cases.
44. Students are advised to familiarise themselves with the law concerning learner permit holders, including the requirement to display "L" plates and to be accompanied at all times when practising outside of lessons. Students are also advised that these requirements continue to apply after they have passed their test - only after you have actually received your full licence can you begin to drive unaccompanied and must now display "N" plates. Students should promptly notify their insurance once they have obtained a full licence.
45. Any recommendations/requirements for practise made by the instructor should be carried out in full compliance with all applicable laws/regulations - including, but not limited to, the requirement to have proper insurance.
46. We reserve the right to cancel/terminate/postpone/reschedule appointments at any time due to adverse weather or road conditions, mechanical breakdown, illness, medical treatment or other circumstances that may arise. The instructor cannot be held liable for costs incurred as a result of this.
47. We reserve the right to update these terms at any time by posting the updated terms on this webpage, without prior/separate notification to you. You should check these terms each time you access the website to book driving lessons or before taking your driving lessons/test.