Frequently Asked Questions

  • What makes us different?

    We have a variety of different instructors using their unique backgrounds to help your student learn. Instructor backgrounds vary from teachers to former police officers to retired military. We also feel we go above and beyond the basics of driving by teaching additional topics such as critical tasks, insurance, maintaining a car and driving for pleasure. Driving is a privilege that needs to earned, so we have designed a course that includes completion of several elements in order to earn their Traffic Safety Education Certificate. Students comment that our course is very hard and parents comment that our course is very thorough.

  • How can a student register?

    We need a completed registration form and the deposit amount to secure a spot in one of our classes. Registration forms can be found online, faxed or mailed directly to you. Simply complete the form and mail back with payment. We can also accept registrations in person at our Port Angeles or Silverdale offices. Completing registration over the phone with a Visa or MasterCard is also acceptable and is the fastest way to secure a spot.

  • How old do I have to be to take Driver's Ed?

    Students must by 15 years of age on the first day of class. This is according to Washington State Law, so there is no way around this.

  • What is taught?

    At northwest driving school, inc., we teach the rules of road as they pertain to driving. We also teach sharing the road with others such as: Bicycles, pedestrians, motorcycles, large trucks, construction sites, slow moving vehicles and railroad crossings. Other tasks related to driving taught at our school are: critical tasks (hood flies up, loss of power/brakes, blow-out, etc. – all simulated in our vehicles), buying, insuring, owning and maintaining a vehicle, adverse conditions and highway driving. We can provide you with our flow chart depicting subject matter in relation to class and drive flow. To request a copy of our flow chart, please contact one of our offices. We also stress the importance of the responsibility new drivers are about to accept. Making the lessons meaningful to our students is a very important goal to all of our instructors.

  • How long is class? Will I complete?

    Each course takes between 6 and 8 weeks to complete. Students have homework and quizzes every night they attend class that has to be turned in and passed. They also have a total of 10 driving appointments that they will be attending in addition to class time. Most of the time, this will take an extra 2-3 weeks after the classroom portion has ended for them to complete. nds does not use a standard grading system, we use Pass or Practice. Some students will Pass the requirements on the first try and some will Practice on their first attempt only to come back to try again. Here at nds we believe driving is a privilege and students must earn this. We truly want every student to be successful not only in our program, but also on the roads we all share, where it truly counts. As long as the student is dedicated to the program and trying their very hardest, we will be pro-active in assisting their completion.

  • What kind of cars do the students drive in?

    We have a fleet of nine 2006 Scion XBs between our six locations.

  • Do you offer manual transmission training?

    Yes, but not in all locations. Please contact us for more information.

  • What if I miss a drive?

    All drive cancellations can be made 48 hours in advance with no penalty. Students and parents can cancel at the school, on the phone, or online at www.schedule2drive.com. Depending on which driving appointment was missed there is a no-show fee charged of $35 or $55. Once this is paid we simply reschedule the missed driving appointment.

  • What if I miss a scheduled class; do I need to make it up?

    Yes, you will need to make arrangements to make up the specific class you have missed or intend to miss. To obtain the date and time of a make-up class, students or parents can call our office or ask a classroom instructor. Students are allowed to make up only one scheduled class throughout the duration of their course, which cannot be Class #1. Make-up classes are taught at another time and location involving travel to a different city and are not considered part of the basic package, incurring $15 for the consideration and booking of it. Our classes are taught consecutively and integrated with our driving lessons, therefore missing even one class out of only 15 classes can not only make learning a little more difficult but can inhibit the student’s drive schedule.