AA Defensive Driving Course: Terms and conditions

If you book a Defensive Driving Course or Defensive Driving Course for Experienced Drivers with the AA Driving School, the following terms and conditions apply:

Available to all those on a learner, restricted or full Licence (Class 1).
Students on their learner licence, will need to have enough driving experience and confidence to drive safely for an hour during the practical drive assessment.
Courses are only presented in English.
Each of the four 2-hour classroom sessions must be attended in order from session 1 to session 4. No sessions can be missed.
Arrive at the classroom sessions at least 10 minutes prior to the start time, bring your Driver Licence to confirm your identity, and a pen.
The online portion (eDrive) of the course works best on a desktop or laptop computer. It must be completed prior to the in-car drive.
The 1-hour practical drive MUST be completed within 60 days of completing the fourth classroom session.
The drive is completed in your own vehicle and you must ensure that your vehicle is road legal with a valid registration and WOF and be of a WOF standard at time of lesson, for example the brake light and indicators must operate. Failure to meet this requirement will result in a booking cancellation. You will be required to re-book within the original 60 day period and pay a re-booking fee.
While using your personal vehicle for the practical drive, insurance is your own responsibility.  
For your practical drive you must bring your valid licence, corrective eye wear (if required as a condition on your licence) and appropriate closed shoes. Failure to meet any of these requirements will result in a booking cancellation. You will be required to re-book within the original 60 day period and pay a re-booking fee.
A support person or translator has the option to attend the drive to support you. The support person must not provide input into the practical driving session and should avoid speaking unless absolutely necessary.
You may not have any other passengers (e.g. children or infants) in the car as they may distract you from driving.
You must book the practical drive as soon as possible after your fourth classroom session to ensure you are booked prior to the 60 day expiry, as bookings are subject to availability.
The 60 day period for practical drive completion can only be extended by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi. AA Driver Training is not authorized to extend the 60 day period without approval from Waka Kotahi NZTA. If you cannot complete the practical drive within the 60 day period, you will need to re-sit a full course and incur a booking fee.
You cannot transfer between the course of an AA tutor and an independent tutor. All course transfers must be done through the original booking method. E.g. If you booked via the AA website, the AA can assist you transferring your booking to another course offered by the AA . If you booked directly with an independent provider you must contact them to transfer your course.
Vouchers cannot be exchanged in part or full for cash.
Vouchers are valid for one year from the date of purchase and lapse if not redeemed during the period of validity
All offers are subject to change and notice thereof will be provided online.
All course bookings are customer specific and are non-transferable.
In the event of a necessary change or cancellation by AA Driver Training, we will where possible organise a transfer to a course and date for you to attend.
Any cancellations or changes to your course must be made at least 14 business days prior to the commencement of your booking.
If you cancel your course within 14 business days of your course date, your booking will be non-refundable.
Any cancellations or changes to your practical drive booking must be made directly with your course tutor at least 24 hours prior to the commencement of the booking.
If you cancel more than 24 hours prior to the commencement of your practical drive booking, you can re-book with your course tutor without incurring an additional cost to re-book.
Any cancellation or changes to the confirmed time, date and/or agreed location within 24 hours prior to the commencement of your booking for the practical drive, will require a new booking with a re-booking fee.
If you fail to arrive for your practical drive booking, or are more than 10 minutes late, you will forfeit the booking and the voucher will be void. You will be required to re-book and pay a booking fee.
Defensive Driving Course booking cannot be transferred, exchanged, or used towards any other driving lessons, products, or services offered by our organisation.
AA Driving School - Driving Lessons shall not be liable to you or to any third party for any modification, price change, suspension or discontinuance of the Service.
AA Driving School - Driving Lessons reserves the right at any time and from time to time to modify or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, the Service (or any part thereof) with or without notice.
Please note that if you have battery electric vehicles (BEV) or plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV), you must have a current RUC licence displayed on your vehicle, and the current odometer reading is less than the ‘maximum distance recorder’ shown on the RUC label on the day of your lesson. Otherwise, the lesson will be cancelled, and you will be charged the full lesson fee.
Prices of all Services are subject to change with or without notice.
Credit card security is implemented using secure SSL encryption on all transactions and processed using a secure, trusted, PCI compliant payment gateway and used by AA Driving School - Driving Lessons for payment processing.
All fees and transactions are in New Zealand dollars.
Student's information will be shared with NZTA Waka Kotahi as required for auditing
AA reserves the right to terminate the practical drive if at any time during the booking:

You engage in any behaviour that your instructor determines is reckless; or
You fail to comply with reasonable instructions or directions from the instructor; or
Your instructor has assessed your driving skills/competence and deemed you to be unfit/unsafe to drive; or
You show any signs of impairment that will impact your ability to drive safely.

If your practical drive is terminated for any of the above reasons, you will need to re-book and pay a booking fee.

36. Personal information - For more information regarding:

Use of information
Disclosure of information
Protection of information
Access to personal information

Please refer to the AA Privacy Policy.

Please note:

Any cancellation, unsuccessful completion or termination during a lesson/in-car session, or within the cancellation period of 24 hours will incur a cancellation fee equal to the session fee.

Code of conduct

As a student participating in driving lessons with AA Driving Instructors, you are expected to adhere to the following code of conduct before and after each session:

Respectful Behaviour: Students and Instructors are expected to always maintain professional and appropriate behaviour during the driving lesson and within all communication before and after each session. Treat your Driving Instructor, other road users, and pedestrians with respect and courtesy at all times.
Listening and Following Instructions: Pay close attention to your instructor’s guidance and follow their instructions carefully. Your instructor is experienced and has your best interests in mind.
Feedback and Communication: Communicate openly with your instructor about any concerns, difficulties, or questions you have regarding your lessons after the session.
Zero-Tolerance Policy: AA Driving School has a zero-tolerance policy towards abusive behaviour or the use of inappropriate language towards driving instructors or external contractors and within all communication before and after each session or appears to be under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. Any such instance of inappropriate behaviour will result in immediate action.

If a student is found to be using abusive language or engaging in disrespectful behaviour towards a Driving Instructor, the following consequences may apply:

The instructor has the right to refuse commencing, or immediately withdraw during and after a lesson.
The instructor may cancel any related bookings.
The student may be suspended from further lessons with other Driving Instructor unless approved by AA Driving School.
In extreme cases, the student's enrolment with AA Driving School may be terminated permanently.

AA Driving School aims to provide a safe and respectful learning environment for both students and Instructors. By adhering to these policies, we ensure that everyone can benefit from effective driving lessons without fear of abusive behaviour.