When I first booked the behind the wheel for my child with Lindsey, I made an agreement for 3 lessons package at a certain price. Because I was uneasy paying up front for all 3 lessons, Lindsey said I could pay for each lesson by check at the time of my appointment. This sounded great. Bill ended up being my child's driving instructor for the first lesson. Like other people have said, he did have his hand on the steering wheel most of the time, not allowing my child to have their own control. I thought this was weird, but honestly, I just needed the lesson for dmv purposes. Fast forward to several months later and I try to book the last 2 lessons. Because it's a new year now, the male on the phone said the price had gone up. I understand. The price went up. But I already had made a pre existing agreement with Lindsey, so my initial quoted prices should be locked in and honored. I already had the first lesson. The male on the phone was very insistent that even though I had spoken with Lindsey on pricing, I still have to pay the new increased price. Now how is this fair? I'm still waiting to hear back from him...so we shall see how great of a company they are....or how money hungry they really are. read more

My daughter just finished her second lesson with Shelley. What I really liked about this school: 1) They encourage the parent to go along on the drive so you can learn how to instruct your child and be consistent with what the instructor is emphasizing. 2) There was no down time sitting in the car listening to the instructor. The two hour driving lesson was spent with my child driving - that's what I paid for! 3) The lessons have been challenging. I can do the easy stuff with my child; I want the two hour lesson to bring her to the next level. Shelley had her practice what she would need to know for the test and also what she would need to know for real driving (freeway lane changes, merging, narrow mountain road, etc.). 4) I also liked that I paid per lesson and didn't get hooked into three lessons from the beginning. Yes. we will do all three lessons with Shelley, but if the first lesson hadn't gone well then we didn't have any commitment. 5) My daughter's review "Ms. Shelley is a hoot. No really, she's a good teacher." Before the first lesson, my daughter was very scared. She even asked if she could cancel it. Shelley put her in the driver seat quickly, so she didn't have time to increase her anxiety. Shelley stayed calm and gave her confidence pointing out how well she was doing. And like I said, Shelley made it challenging (from Danville drove South Gate to North Gate roads then down Ygnacio through Walnut Creek) so that no matter where I took her during our practice in between lessons I could just refer back to her lesson and say this isn't as hard as what you did on your lesson. read more

Appreciate you for accommodating my last minute booking request and for providing me the best instructor. I had a great time learning from Steven. He's teaching skills is very commendable. Makes you feel calm and confident. Thank you Steven for all the help! More power to all of you at Bill's Defensive Driving School. read more

This review is for Stacey. If you want to learn how to be a good, solid, safe driver, Stacey is who you should try to work with. She is incredibly experience and her tips, tricks, and wisdom have helped me become a better driver. I went to Stacey to brush up on some skills after 5 years of driving and I am so happy I did! Stacey gets right to the point and teaches you how to drive. She doesn't sugarcoat anything and will tell you when you have made a mistake and praise you when you do well. We did streets, parking, curvy hills, narrow streets, highways, traffic, lane changes, intersections, you name it. She can teach all of it! When it's time for my kids to learn how to drive, I know exactly who I will be calling, Stacey! With regards to scheduling, Calvin does the scheduling and doesn't live in the Bay Area so has absolutely no idea about traffic or distances. My advice is to set up times with your instructor who knows the area and what you need and then tell Calvin that those are the times you'd like to confirm. read more

Simply the best you can get. Pay the tiny bit extra and know that your son or daughter will be getting EXPERT instruction in a REAL FULL SIZED car with a caring and knowledgeable coach. Our daughter was super nervous, and David was just the greatest. He empowered her to make safe decisions, built her confidence, and offered advanced instruction with genuine kindness and caring. Bills Defensive Driving School is the best in the SF Bay Area by a long shot! read more

2 stars because Bill was not a very good driving instructor for me. But I'm a little on the fence about Bill's Defensive Driving School. Bill was awful, but Steve was great. Always. Ask. For. Steve. Steve is patient, kind, and very calm when teaching students. After 4 or 5 lessons with Steve, I now have my license! He was great. But I repeat, ASK FOR STEVE! My experience with Bill was very different than my experience with Steve. Bill was stressful, rude, and absolutely degrading. Kept making snide comments about if I "knew how gravity works." He never let go of the steering wheel the whole time and kept changing the speed of the car with the pedals on his side so I had no idea what I was doing because whatever I did, he did something different and it made it terribly confusing. I'd never been behind the wheel of a car before and driving with Bill reduced me to tears. read more

My instructor was Stacey. I had a great experience with her! She helped me overcome my fear of driving as well as provided me with some helpful tips when I am feeling anxious. I felt very comfortable with her as an instructor. I definitely learned a lot about navigating the road and taking control of the wheel. Thanks to her I was able to pass my test on the first try! read more

I had a very confusing experience with Stacey. She is mostly good and I learned a lot of knowledge on how to stay safe on road. She corrected some of my driving habits at the beginning of the lesson and I felt doing much better after that. However, she kept chatting with me and pointing to irrelevant things around the road the whole time which made me distracted. While asking me to merge to left, she insisted that I should NOT check my left side blind spot but just check the mirror. In the latter hour, all she did was talk about how badly I drove and that I should drive on the computer instead of on the road. Before this lesson, I was already building confidence in driving with other instructors and never made a mistake, but with her, I feel nervous and almost missed a stop sign because she was always talking. Further, she was misgendering me all the time while she had clearly noted my gender mark on the permit. I don't know what's going on with her but I'm definitely not going to ride with this school again. read more

A friend of ours sent their daughter to Bill's Defensive Driving school and recommended them to us, and we are so glad that we chose them. My son had his first driving lesson with David Lam and he was so great! David is patient, has a calming voice, and explains driving to students and parents. He asks the driver questions and reinforces safety and driving laws throughout the lesson. If driving for the first time with your teenager causes anxiety, this is the place for you, they are excellent! read more

Not a positive experience for me. The instructor took me to the hardest road AND freeway after I told him that I hadn't driven for a long time. The instructor also keep his hand on the wheel 80% of the time, so I wasn't able to improve my driving skills at all. I think his intention is well, but I don't think you can learn much from him if you're a new driver. read more

Here's the thing. The lady over the phone is a sweetheart and we had no issues with communication. Due to where I live, I was assigned Bill as my instructor. He came out three times (on time I must say) He is an old school, blunt, hands on type of guy, and it carries over. As you probably already know, the instructor can control gas and brake on his side. At first I thought that would be wonderful because prior to my first lesson I had zero experience behind the wheel. This was not the case. Bill practically drove for me the whole time, not to mention he had his hand on the wheel about 60% of the time. Even turning the wheel for me on turns while I had both hands on the wheel making it way more dangerous and jerky. The conversations I had with him were friendly and interesting, he is a nice guy and means well. I'm just not sure the money spent for these lessons were completely worth it. I did pick up some good tips from him but was never able to really apply them during the lesson. And in all honesty I was fairly discouraged about my growth as a driver towards the end of each lesson because of how much he was in control even though I'm the one who is supposed to be learning!! Moral of the story: Ask for someone else. read more

The office person(s) are great. (They answer the phone and have good follow up.) Paul was nice and very helpful. My son learned a lot and was given helpful tips on the upcoming test with the DMV! read more

We got Steve... he was an expert at getting my daughters anxiety of driving turned around. She was so nervous and afraid, I didn't think it was possible for her to get a license. After driving with Steve, she passed her test and is doing great. Don't get me wrong, She still has anxiety...but she is now licensed and totally capable to drive herself anywhere she needs to go. Thanks Steve!!! read more

My son was taught by Frank at Bill's Defensive Driving school in the Marin County area. Not only was Frank an incredible teacher, personable, funny and very serious, but the team at Bill's Defensive Driving really bent over backwards for us. My son splits time between his Dad's house and mine and due to those circumstances he didn't have his official permit with him for Frank to sign at the last lesson...only the copy that he carried around. My son's DMV test appointment was right after the holidays and we were without the final certificate. The staff at Bill's Defensive Driving school - Deb and Frank both made us feel like we were part of the family by coordinating a meet up with Frank for him to sign the paperwork and hand out the certificate just in time before the appointment. Frank also knew all the ins and outs as to where the Corte Madera DMV would test him...which neighborhoods, etc. This really assisted in calming my son's nerves and allowed for him to only miss 4 points on the test altogether. HIghly recommend Bill's and definitely request Frank! read more

Steve was absolutely incredible! I went with another popular driving school last time for my other daughter and the difference is astounding! Steve explained everything from the very beginning and instructed her with patience for the whole lesson, he was really amazing. I would recommend Bills driving school to anybody without hesitation. They even recommended that I drive along with them and observe. read more

I should have read the reviews of this school more closely because I had the same problem with Bill that some other people have had. For the entire two hour lesson, he had his hand on the wheel, and his feet on the brake/gas, effectively driving for me the whole time. For example, he would tell me to brake, but already be pushing his brake. This gave me no sense of how my actions were manipulating the car, and therefore no way for me to learn how to actually drive. In addition, he would constantly grab my hands and move them on the wheel which was not only incredibly distracting but super inappropriate. Also he was 15 mins late picking me up. read more

This review is from my teenager: "I had my first behind the wheel lesson today, and everything went smoothly. Bill showed up on time, I felt safe for the entire drive, and the explanations of the skills I needed to work on were clear and helped me. Can't wait for the next lesson!" read more

My brother and I have both went though Bill. He is an amazing coach!! He takes you through everything. Shows how to properly turn, properly do everything. I would not be a good driver nor defensive if it wants for Bill. Thank you Bill! read more

A big waste of time. Bill is condescending and rude and really stressed my daughter out during the lesson. We got her in driving courses elsewhere. read more

I've never written a review before, but I felt like I needed to let people know about my experience with Bill. I had scheduled two two-hour lessons in advance. When I got in the car, I told him that I hadn't really driven before at all. He talked for the first hour of my lesson but somehow only talked about the actual controls of the car for a few minutes. He was also incredibly patronizing. He has a gas and brake pedal in the passenger side which I thought was wonderful, but because of this, he spent the whole time we were actually on the road with his hands on the wheel in front of me and his feet on the pedals doing the driving himself. At points, he would say "okay less gas" when I didn't even have my foot on the gas so I had no idea what we were actually doing. Was it necessary for him to do this? Absolutely! He took me on busy streets and the highway without me being ready at all! He physically pushed my hand up and down on the wheel and yelled "signal, mirror, blind spot" in succession so fast that I didn't know which side I was supposed to be looking at. Unfortunately, the poor driving instruction wasn't even the worst part of my lesson. As an adult, the person I will be practicing with to get my license is my girlfriend. I told him that, and after he referred to her as my "friend" or "roommate" at least five times, I said "she's not my friend, she's my girlfriend." His response was "oh well I didn't know." He then switched to calling her my "partner." If I had called her my partner, that would've been fine, but I exclusively said "my girlfriend." As a queer woman, this made me really uncomfortable. Towards the end of the ride, he went back to calling her my "friend." The whole thing left me with a bad taste in my mouth, and I felt crappy for the rest of the day. As someone who had explained that I had put off driving out of anxiety and was finally trying to learn, Bill sure knew how to make me want to never try again. The only good thing about Bill's Defensive Driving School was the scheduler over the phone who refunded me for my second lesson and was very sympathetic about my experience with Bill. read more

This is the second time we used Bill's Defensive Driving School for the six hours needed for a teen driving license. The driving instructor was great: patient, knowledgeable and spent time making the driver feel comfortable. Also, it was one of the few driving schools that let a parent go with the student on the lessons. read more

Very professional, yet very personal and simpathetic. I had a fantastic instructor who made driving relaxing and easy. Learned a lot in three lessons and ready to take the test. Highly recommend these guys. read more

Just spent two hours with Steve. I sat in the back while he took my daughter on her 2nd lesson confidently through the Oakland and Berkeley hills. Not beginning driving roads, but he patiently and safely instructed her on the journey. He has a calm and encouraging manner that just radiates confidence to your teen. She came home feeling great about the experience, it was not stressful at all and she learned so much. I would highly recommend asking for Steve specifically - I would give him six stars if I could. :-) read more

My daughter had been to two driving schools one in San Francisco and one in Concord. She failed her first driving test and was really hesitant to try again. I enrolled her to Bill's defensive driving and the improvement was really amazing. She got Steve and she gave him great reviews on her first day of instruction. She said he was tough when needed to be without being disrespectful. And she learned a lot more on her first day with him compared with the instructors she had before who were really nice but spent more time talking and being friendly than really teaching her how to drive. He took her to winding roads, freeways, city streets and really eased her anxiety in driving. She passed her test today thanks to Steve. I just wish we found him much earlier we could have save a lot of time and money. read more

Bill's driving school is great, they are so helpful and flexible. Both my kids used them and had a great experience.

Bill has taught two of my kids how to drive. He gives solid memorable instructions. Parents are invited to ride along to learn as well and reinforce teaching points when driving later with your teenager. He took both of my girls straight onto winding hilly roads and then the highway their very first time behind the wheel. While it was a bit nerve-wracking (for me), his teaching approach also gave them a ton of confidence. Proud parent of two good drivers. read more

Bill's Defensive Driving School = two teenage drivers with defensive driving skills, no accidents, no tickets and situational awareness. Mom and Dad = more relaxed when the teenagers are behind the wheel, confident that they can safely handle 101 and the twisting Marin roads (as much as a responsible teen can) and happy that they spent their money and time wisely (bonus... they picked up some driving skills refresher points too). So what to expect... 1. A professional instructor with a low-key, even temperament, that teenagers and parents can relate too. 2. A new, clean, safe and well maintained full size car that has dual mirrors,gas pedals and brakes for Bill to take control and keep your kid safe. 3. Common sense step by step directions and then tips galore (he knows all of the local roads and the types of decisions that the driver will need to make as they encounter the non-conventional situations). 4. Bill encourages parents to accompany their teen on the training ride; there is nothing to hide and he provides advice on what to practice with your "student driver." 5. He emphasizes DEFENSIVE driving. 6. Bill trusts his teaching skills and therefore will expose your teen to all types of roads and conditions; this means 101, North San Pedro Road in China Camp, city streets in San Rafael and Fairfax-Bolinas Road (yes you read that correctly), in what ever weather conditions. They will experience it, so what not do it during a driving lesson? 7. Confidence building for the student driver and parent. 8. A "What to expect at your driving test" during lesson three which will include tips about the expectations of the DMV Driving Inspectors (by facility) and dry-run through the typical test course with commentary about what the student is doing correctly or incorrectly from the Driving Inspectors point of view. The purpose of his lessons are not directed to pass the driving road test the first time, rather it is to make sure that you are a safe defensive driver. Thank you Bill. Good luck to future drivers, please drive defensively. read more

Super helpful in whole process. Great instruction. Patience, professionalism and humor. As a mother I appreciated all. Thanks Frank!

Both of my kids used Bill's Defensive Driving program and I'm very glad they did. My kids me things they learned from the instructors and both passed their tests on the first try. The day my son took the test we realized we did not have the certificate and Debra and Roland were great. They arranged to meet us at the dmv office minutes before my sons test and they literally saved us. Great people and great service. read more

I am sad to say this was not a good experience for my teen. My child came home in tears after her lesson saying Bill cursed her under his breathe, grabbed her arm, and raised his voice. He constantly controlled the gas and brake pedals while criticizing her for not starting and stopping fast enough or slow enough. I do not think this is a good way to teach or help someone develop confidence. I can not recommend Bill as a teacher at Bill's Defensive Driving. Maybe other teachers are better. read more

We taught our 18 year old how to drive and went on the road with him to help him get ready for the driving exam, but there were some gaps in his knowledge and we felt he needed a lesson or two. We called Bill's Defensive Driving School and were able to get a Saturday afternoon appointment. Paul was our instructor. He was very thorough and we spent two very productive hours with him. My son and I enjoyed his teaching style and his sense of humor. My son took his driver's road test 6 days later and passed. Paul shared with us that he has been teaching people to drive for 29 years! We are very glad that we chose Bills and got the good fortune to have Paul as our instructor. Paul was the perfect instructor for my son. Patient, thorough, kind and funny. I hope he's still instructing when our 13 year old is ready to start driving. read more

Sucks , stood up my appointment. They were suppose to arrive to my house at 4pm today for my first driving lesson , but never showed up. Ruined my day , wasted my time. Don't waste your time guys. read more

My daughter had her first lesson with Frank today. He was terrific. Knowledgeable, patient, kind and funny. I was in the back seat and was impressed with how quickly he made my daughter feel Comfortable behind the wheel and on the highway. We will take more lessons from him for sure. read more

Bill's Defensive Driving school is a parent's dream come true! Bill is an excellent, calm and personable professional who encourages parents to drive along during lessons. As an experienced driver, I realize how many little things one does automatically while driving. Bill does and amazing job of breaking down each component of driving skills -- signalling, braking, changing lanes, etc. -- into small steps and then reinforces each skill in subsequent lessons. I also really like that unlike other driver's programs where there are multiple students in the car (Egads!!! who would want their kid in the back seat while someone else's kids is learning to drive!!??!?) -- with Bill's its just your child. Bill also has a brake AND steering wheel -- just in case (though I do not believe he ever employed either during our son's lessons). Thank you Bill!!! read more

Bill is a former CHP officer. On my daughter's first lesson (she had never even sat behind the wheel), he made her drive on the freeway AND over Wolfe Grade in a driving rainstorm. In all the lessons she had with him, he never let go of the steering wheel, so she never got to feel how it was to really drive the car. I should mention that my daughter is a cautious and sensible person, and is a safe driver. read more

Do not use for au pairs! Poor customer service! Little progress no willingness to accommodate! We booked in 12 sessions in rapid succession to get our Columbian au pair (had a international drivers license) ready to drive our kids to school. I spoke to Susan in the office at length about my concerns about the language barrier and I suggested a FREE translator app in which would help the instructors with explaining the why in their corrections to my au pair so it would be understood. Susan said all her drivers should have it and ensured that she would make it happen and I was told that every day I would get a progress update. The first instructor Paul didn't call until the second double lesson. He said progress was slow and that my au pair may not have understood. Asked about the translator and he said he would use it next time but Susan never told him. I explained my au pair is very sweet and if asked if she understood she will always smile and say yes, but she still wouldn't understand. Two session later he reports that progress is small and asked if she understood the rules. He said he didn't know and would use a translator ( thus was the 6th session I paid for) He said he had his "own ways of being understood"! Was passed to the owner Bill for lessons and he too didn't call until after the 4th lesson--not the deal. No translator used even though he knew she understood little. He offered he regretted that "we should have talked earlier". Bill chastised me and said I should have rode along (I was traveling--was discussed to Susan and Paul) No discount offered for the MASSIVE money wasted or no make up sessions and no accountability. The only reason this review has one star is because they had availability -- but we know why now, don't we!!! read more

Bill is the best teacher by far. He encouraged me (the parent) to join the lesson to gain some insight on how to better instruct my 16 year old son. I actually learned a few things myself. He has a really nice temperament and balanced style of teaching which left both me and my son really impressed. I used him for a few extra lessons just to make sure my son is as safe as possible once he drives alone. Highly recommend Bill, you will not regret it. read more

My son is like a few other students I know -- didn't get lessons until after high school. Bill is an incredible teacher! You can see for yourself because he invites parents to come along on a few lessons. At every intersection he is instilling good defensive driving advice. I've learned to correct quite a few of my own errors I didn't even know I had! His other instructors are just as good, and driving in a car with pedals on the teachers side is a whole lot safer than me in my car trying to stay calm on the passenger side (parents of teens -- you know what I mean!) Anyway you can't go wrong with Bill's Driving School read more

Recently I had been helping a friend (first time driver) learn how to drive in the SF Bay Area. I'm a retired professional driver. After going out with my friend about 6 times we signed up for a 2-hour lesson with Bill's Defensive Driving School. I found Bill's methods invaluable for my friends driving skills. Bill verbalized important mechanics that need to be incorporated into "muscle memory". Bill also allowed my friend to get the feel of driving on the freeway and in the hills with correct speed, lane and hand position while allowing him to relax enough to pay attention to the many important factors a first time driver needs to notice. I can't imagine that my friend would have made a near perfect score on his DMV Drive Test without the rigor employed by Bill. Learning to drive safely is not an easy task in the Bay Area, and I can recommend Bill's Driving School to anyone who is serious about getting excellent training! -Brian Morris read more

My niece is naturally very bold....she took double diamond ski runs the first time she saw them. But driving....another thing. I think it is the responsiblity of having lives in your hands. So we set up lessons with Bill. He's calm and patient but stretched her comfort zone a bit. Two lessons down and her comment was "I'm still a bit nervous, but i'm feeling so much more confident....this was a good idea, Tia." read more