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Frequently Asked Questions
What do I need at the DMV?
All Students must obtain a Permit from the DMV to enroll in any Driver’s ED course. The process is simple, as long as you arrive to the DMV prepared with the proper documents. You can find a list of the required documents below.
Important: You must retain a copy or take a picture of the Permit receipt. Without proof of permit, you will be unable to enroll in Driver’s Ed. (Picture of permit receipt must be uploaded for enrollment.)
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:
- Certified Original Birth Certificate (available from the Bureau of Vital Statistics)
- Photo ID – This can be in the form of the student’s yearbook, school ID, US Passport, etc.
- Social Security Card or Number for Verification
- Proof of Idaho Residency
- Liability Signer (if under 18 years of age) – Must be birth parent or court-ordered guardian
- Verification of Compliance Form (VOC), if under 18 years of age. This is issued by the Idaho school the student is attending (Idaho Code 49-303A). The student’s administrative office will be able to assist with providing this form.
- Acceptable Lawful Presence Documents (if applicable)
You will be asked where the Student is taking driver’s ed. You will tell them Drive Smart Idaho! The DMV will mail Drive Smart Idaho the physical copy of the Student’s permit. Once the Student success completes and passes the Driver’s Ed course Drive Smart Idaho will award the Student their permit.
You can find more information here: https://www.sde.idaho.gov/student-engagement/driver-ed/students-families.html
What I need to enroll in Drive Smart Idaho?
Good Question!
Drive Smart Idaho makes it easy to enroll online!
Important Note: Service Area
Drive Smart Idaho primarily serves Owyhee (Within 20-mile radius of Marsing, ID) and Canyon Counties. If you need Driver’s Ed, but do not live in Owyhee or Canyon County, you should first contact Luci@DriveSmartIdaho.com (or by phone/text: 208-850-6351) prior to enrollment to determine service availability. There is no guarantee Drive Smart Idaho will be able to serve students in outside of Owyhee and Canyon County. Please do not proceed with enrollment without confirming service availability, if you reside outside of Owyhee or Canyon County.
You must obtain a Permit from Idaho DMV. To do this you will need to go to the DMV. Please see ITD’s website for requirements and necessary documents to obtain a Permit. https://itd.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/3506_gdlfactsheet.pdf
NOTE: Student must be 14.5 years of age or older to obtain a Permit and enroll in Drivers Ed.
Assuming you have already obtained a Permit from DMV
To enroll in Drive Smart Idaho, you will need:
- Student’s Parent or Guardian’s Information
- First/Last Name
- Email Address
- Phone Number
- Student’s Information
- First/Last Name
- Email Address (If applicable)
- Age (must be 14.5 years old)
- Date of Birth
- Emergency Contact Information
- Payment
Click the “Enroll Now” button or click here to get started.
Who do I Pay?
All payments are made to Drive Smart Idaho. Once payment is made, you will receive an onboarding email from “Idaho Online Driver Education” to start your online Driver’s Education classroom instruction. Drive Smart Idaho will notify Idaho Online Driver Education of your enrollment.
Students can choose between ‘Full Course’ enrollment (requires full payment of $400 enrollment fee) or ‘Behind-the-Wheel Only’ instruction (requires full upfront payment of $300).
Note: Student’s will not receive their Permit until full payment has been received for services.
Do I have to have a PayPal Account to make a payment?
No! Drive Smart Idaho uses PayPal as our invoice management and payment processor. You are not required to have a PayPal account to make a payment on a PayPal invoice. You can pay a PayPal invoice using the following payment methods:
- Credit/Debit Card
- Venmo
- PayPal Account (with linked payment methods)
All payments must be made payable to: Drive Smart Idaho, LLC.
Wait, I thought Drive Smart Idaho was my instructor...who is "Idaho Online Driver Education"?
Great Question!
I understand it can be slightly confusing. In the state of Idaho, all Driver’s Ed students must complete 30 hours of classroom instruction, 6 hours of “behind-the-wheel” instruction, and 6 hours of Student observation (observing others drive). Drive Smart Idaho (us) primarily focuses on your behind-the-wheel guided driving instruction. Idaho Online Driver Education strictly provides the classroom instruction. By combining our services, Drive Smart Idaho is able to provide a unified Idaho Driver’s Education course. Once you enroll (through Drive Smart Idaho), we will immediately notify Idaho Online Driver Education that a new student will be joining for online instruction. Idaho Online Driver Education will reach out to you directly to provide the account information required to access the online material. As you progress through your online courses, Idaho Online Driver Education will keep Drive Smart Idaho updated with your progress.
When you have completed approximately 25% of your online classroom work, Idaho Online Driver Education will let Drive Smart Idaho know. At this point we will work with you to begin scheduling behind-the-wheel guided instruction. You will continue to do your online courses and also behind-the-wheel instruction until you meet the state’s requirements of 6 hours behind the wheel and 30 hours classroom instruction. On your own, the Student will also work to fulfill the required 6 hours of observation. Once you have completed the online course and behind the wheel instruction with an 80% or better grade, Drive Smart Idaho will provide you your Supervised Instruction Permit. Per Idaho State Law, “Graduated Drivers License” (GDL), requires the Student to drive with an adult over the age of 21 for a total of 6 months. At the end of the 6 months, Idaho State Law will require you to take a written test at the DMV and a skills/driving test with a skills tester. Upon passing both tests, you will receive an Idaho Driver’s License
ITD GLD Resource: https://itd.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/3506_gdlfactsheet.pdf
Do I have to pass a test? What if I fail?
At Drive Smart Idaho, our goal is to make sure you or your family member is prepared to hit the road with confidence! For both online classroom instruction and behind-the-wheel instruction there will be a final test. Students must receive an 80% or better on both driving and written tests to be considered passing. While there is always a chance a student may fail, please understand we will do everything in our power to make sure our students succeed. When a student fails, it means we failed!
If a student fails their online course test, they will have unlimited retries to pass at no additional cost. In the event a student fails the behind-the-wheel instruction test, we allow up to 1 free retry test no earlier than 3 days after the failed test. If more than 1 retry test is required, the retry driving test fee is $30.
I got my permit, now what? Am I free to drive on my own?
Congratulations on successfully completed Driver’s Ed! You now have what is known as a “Supervised Instruction Permit”. This permit is issued by the Idaho’s DMV, but is given to you by Drive Smart Idaho. It’s important to understand this permit comes with limitations. In the State of Idaho, once a student has completed all requirements for Driver’s Ed, they will receive a “Supervised Instruction Permit”. This permit requires your drive with an adult over the age of 21 for a period of 6 months. At the end of the 6 months, you will be able to get an Idaho Driver’s License.
Requirements (Idaho State Law)
- The supervising driver must be at least 21 years of age and possess a valid driver’s license.
- The supervising driver must sit in the seat beside the permit holder.
- No other passengers are allowed in the front seat.
- The SIP must be in the permit holder’s possession while driving.
- All occupants must wear seat belts or child safety restraints.
- The permit holder must observe all laws regarding the use of alcohol and other intoxicating substances.
- *Permit holders may continue to drive on an unexpired SIP past the minimum supervised period. *
- Drivers under the age of 16 are restricted to driving during daylight hours only unless accompanied by a licensed driver who is at least 21 years of age and sitting beside the driver. No other passengers are allowed in the front seat.
- Licensees under the age of 17 are required—during the first six (6) months from the date the license was issued—to limit number of passengers in the vehicle who are under the age of 17 to not more than one passenger, unless the passengers are related to the driver by blood, adoption, or marriage.
For more detail information on restrictions, you can visit: https://itd.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/3506_gdlfactsheet.pdf
Can I use another program from my required classroom coursework?
Yes, it is possible to purchase only Behind-the-Wheel instruction from Drive Smart Idaho. However, there are some key things to be aware of.
- Behind-the-wheel (Students under 17): To conform with Idaho Driver’s Ed business law, Drive Smart Idaho, LLC will only accept Certificates of Completion for online coursework from www.DriveSmartIdaho.com, www.IDLA.org (Idaho Digital Learning Alliance), www.DriversEd.com, or Idaho Online Drivers Education (by Brian Johns). If the Student has received in-person classroom/coursework, it must be from an Idaho-approved public or private resource. You can view all Idaho public programs HERE. You can also search for Idaho Licensed private Drivers Ed businesses HERE.
- If the Student has not received their classroom/coursework from one of the resources listed above, Drive Smart Idaho, LLC will be unable to provide the Student their permit. Do not complete the Behind-the-wheel only enrollment if the student has not received classroom/coursework from one of the approved resources listed.
- Behind-the-wheel (Students 17 and older): Students over 17 are required to have a Permit receipt from an Idaho DMV or a valid Driver’s License to enroll in Drive Smart Idaho’s Behind-the-Wheel only instruction.
Important Note: Drive Smart Idaho will not provide behind-the-wheel instruction without the Student’s physical permit or driver license. If you obtained a permit through the Idaho DMV, you were asked what Driving School the Student would be using. The DMV mailed your permit to the school or organization you provided. If that was not Drive Smart Idaho, you will need to contact that school and have them mail the Drivers Permit to Drive Smart Idaho (23401 Hoskins Rd Wilder, ID 83676) before behind-the-wheel instruction can begin.
Scheduling Behind-The-Wheel Instruction
Behind-the-Wheel drive instruction scheduling is conveniently done through our online platform, accessible by clicking here. Before scheduling a drive, please be sure to read through the requirements, policies, and procedures.
This section lists requirements for scheduling a behind-the-wheel (BTW) instruction drive with Drive Smart Idaho.
- All appointment requests are submitted for approval and must by confirmed by instructor. Your request is not formally scheduled until approved. You will receive appointment confirmation once accepted and approved.
- To schedule a drive, you must be actively enrolled in Drive Smart Idaho (either Full-Course Enrollment or Behind-the-Wheel Only)
- First Drive Scheduling – Student’s enrolled in our “Full Course” plan must have:
- Completed Unit 1 (25% of total coursework) of online coursework before scheduling the first drive.
- Paid at least the deposit amount on the registration invoice.
- Failure to meet all the above requirement will result in your first drive appointment request being denied.
- Final Drive Scheduling – Students who are enrolled in our “Full Course” plan and are scheduling their final drive must have:
- Completed all online coursework units before scheduling the final drive.
- Full balance of invoice must be paid
- Completed their Student Observation Log – Log must be uploaded via our website (click here to upload) or have it in person for final drive. More information on the Student Observation Log can be found here.
- Failure to meet all above requirements will result in your final drive appointment request being denied.
- All appointments are set in 2-hour blocks. Please contact me directly if special arrangements are needed.
- Service Area: Drive Smart Idaho primarily serves Owyhee (Within 20-mile radius of Marsing, ID) and Canyon Counties. Pick-up/Drop-off meeting locations for drives must be within our service area. If you need special arrangements, please reach out to me directly before scheduling a drive so we can discuss potential options.
- Meeting Locations – Behind the Wheel Instruction requires Students choose one of the meeting locations listed below:
- Due to tight scheduling and volume of Students, the Student must arrive to appointment on time. If Student is more than 10 minutes late, the appointment will be cancelled.
- I do my best to keep all appointments as scheduled, but sometimes “life” does happen! Scheduled drives are weather and road-conditions permitting. In the unlikely event I need to cancel and/or adjust a Student’s drive date or time, I ask for your patience, grace, and forgiveness.
Failure to follow the guidance above will result in your drive appointment request being denied.
If you have any questions or concerns, contact Luci Asumendi by phone or text at 208-850-6351 or email at Luci@DriveSmartIdaho.com. To review our Terms & Conditions as well as generally policies, please click here.
What is the Refund and Cancellation policy?
Drive Smart Idaho does allow refunds and cancellations with restrictions based on time, services rendered and stated policy. See table below for the refund policy. For up-to-date information on Terms and Conditions, and general policy information, click here.
Service Name | Description | Price | Refundable |
Driver’s Ed Full Course Enrollment | Includes full access to online instruction/course work as well as 6 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction. | $400.00 | If no behind-the-wheel instruction has begun, a $350 refund is available. If Student has completed one (1) behind-the-wheel instruction, a $275 refund is available. If Student has completed two (2) or more behind-the-wheel instructions, no refund is available. |
Behind-the-Wheel Instruction Only Enrollment | Includes 6 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction and 6 hours of observation (performed simultaneously) | $300.00 | If no behind-the-wheel instruction has begun, a $290 refund is available. If Student has completed one (1) behind-the-wheel instruction, a $225 refund is available. If Student has completed two (2) or more behind-the-wheel instructions, no refund is available. |
Retry Driving Test Fee | If a student fails a behind-the-wheel driving test, one (1) free retake test is given. Any subsequent retakes are charged per attempt. | $30.00 | No |