Please read these terms carefully before booking lessons or packages with DriveSQ. By booking, you agree to the following terms.
These terms and conditions govern all driving lessons, packages, and services provided by DriveSQ Driving School ("DriveSQ", "we", "us") to learner drivers ("you", "the learner") in Greater Manchester and surrounding areas.
By making a booking — whether via WhatsApp, our website booking form, phone, or any other method — you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to these terms in full.
DriveSQ reserves the right to update these terms at any time. The most current version will always be available at drivesq.co.uk/terms.html. Continued use of our services following any update constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.
To qualify for the PassFirst guarantee, all of the following conditions must be met:
Scope of FREE support lessons:
We understand that plans change. However, our instructors' time and income depend on scheduled lessons. Please give us as much notice as possible.
| Notice Given | Charge |
|---|---|
| More than 24 hours before the lesson | No charge — lesson rescheduled free of charge |
| Less than 24 hours before the lesson | Full lesson fee charged (£35) |
| No-show (no contact made) | Full lesson fee charged (£35) |
| Cancellation during the lesson | Full lesson fee charged (£35) |
DriveSQ aims to be fair and transparent with all refund requests. The following policy applies to all lesson packages and block bookings.
How refunds are calculated:
| Scenario | Refund Amount |
|---|---|
| 10-hour block (£330) — 0 lessons taken | £330 (full refund within cooling-off period*) |
| 10-hour block (£330) — 4 hours taken | £330 − (4 × £35) = £190 refund |
| ⚡ PassFirst (£1,100) — 10 hours taken | £1,100 − (10 × £35) = £750 refund |
| ⚡ PassFirst (£1,100) — 31.5+ hours taken | No refund (full value consumed at £35/hr) |
The safety of our learners, instructors, and the public is our absolute priority. The following rules apply during all DriveSQ lessons:
All DriveSQ vehicles are fully insured for learner driver tuition. In the event of an accident during a lesson:
DriveSQ takes your privacy seriously and complies with UK GDPR.
If you have any questions about these terms, or wish to make a complaint or refund request, please contact us:
Building local road knowledge is one of the most underestimated aspects of driver training. Knowing which junctions require extra observation, where speed limits change, and where vulnerable road users are most likely to appear turns a competent learner into a genuinely safe driver for life. DriveSQ lessons are planned around the actual roads you will drive every day after passing.
Stopping distances: The Highway Code stopping distances — based on a 13.5-metre car in dry conditions — are the minimum legal reference points. In wet conditions, stopping distances at least double. In icy conditions, stopping distances can be ten times greater than dry distances. At 70mph on ice, a car travelling with 13.5 metres of following distance needs 750 metres to stop safely — over half a mile. These figures make a compelling case for reduced speed in adverse conditions.
DriveSQ instructors bring nationally-accredited teaching methodology to every lesson, combined with deep local knowledge of Greater Manchester roads. Every lesson is planned to build on the previous one, creating a progressive learning journey from first drive to test-ready confidence.
Greater Manchester's road network covers over 4,500 miles of road managed across ten metropolitan boroughs. The network includes motorways (M60, M62, M56, M61, M63), A-roads of regional importance (A6, A34, A56, A57, A580), and an extensive local road grid of B-roads and unclassified roads. Understanding the network hierarchy — and the different driving demands at each level — is a key part of driver education.
Manchester's city centre road network is managed by TfGM (Transport for Greater Manchester) using a SCOOT adaptive traffic signal system that responds to real-time vehicle detector data. This means signal phases can be shorter or longer than expected — learners should always approach signals prepared to stop rather than accelerating in anticipation of a green phase.
The emergency stop is a controlled, maximum-effort braking manoeuvre that must bring the vehicle to rest in the shortest possible distance while maintaining steering control. On modern vehicles with Anti-lock Braking Systems (ABS), the correct technique is to press the brake pedal as hard and as quickly as possible and maintain full pressure — ABS prevents wheel lock by pulsing brake pressure automatically, so do not pump the brake. Without ABS, the threshold braking technique — pressing to just before lockup point and holding — is optimal for straight-line stopping. Steering control during an emergency stop allows the driver to maintain their lane position even when braking at maximum effort — this is a significant safety advantage over uncontrolled stops. The emergency stop may be requested by the examiner during a DVSA practical test by raising their hand and saying 'stop' — one in three candidates are asked to perform an emergency stop. After an emergency stop, before moving off again, check mirrors, signal and check both blind spots, as following vehicles may have pulled around or beside you during the stop.
Driver fault accumulation is not linear in its impact on test result. A candidate with 14 driver faults (one below the fail threshold) passes with the same result as a candidate with zero driver faults. However, the driver faults recorded provide useful feedback — any category with three or more driver faults recorded by the examiner is typically highlighted for post-test improvement even when the test is passed.
After passing your driving test, your journey as a driver is just beginning. The first year of independent driving carries the highest collision risk of any stage of a driver's career — new drivers are involved in road incidents at four times the rate of experienced drivers. Post-pass programmes including Pass Plus, motorway lessons with a qualified ADI, and telematics (black box) insurance all demonstrably reduce first-year risk. DriveSQ offers post-pass sessions specifically designed to build the additional skills that DVSA testing cannot fully assess: motorway driving, night driving, rural roads and adverse weather confidence.