Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Grizzly Driving Academy is a driving school licensed by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), License E0816. We provide online driver education and behind-the-wheel driver training to students in California.

We do not operate a customer service phone number or customer service email address. All customer service communication is handled online through Chat Support on our website, through the Student Dashboard, or by text message.

2. Information We Collect

Information You Provide During Enrollment

• Student first and last name, date of birth, and age
• Student email address and mobile phone number
• California learner's permit number, permit issue date and permit expiration date
• Parent or guardian name(s), relationship to the student, phone number(s) and email address(es)
• Pickup address and, when different, billing address
• ZIP code entered for service-area verification
• Disabilities, medical conditions, learning needs or other circumstances you voluntarily disclose so we can determine whether appropriate accommodations can be provided
• Electronic signatures, printed names and date/time stamps captured on the enrollment agreement, parental consent and terms acceptance

Payment Information

Deposits are paid online by debit or credit card. We collect the cardholder name, billing ZIP code and the card details required to process the transaction. Remaining balances are collected in person by the instructor in cash, money order, or cashier's check and are recorded as a payment entry in your account. We retain transaction records, receipts, the last four digits of the card and the authorization result. We do not sell payment information.

Course and Lesson Records

• Online course progress, module completion, quiz and test results
• Scheduled lesson dates, pickup windows, pickup locations and assigned instructor
• Completed driving hours, remaining hours and lesson status
• Instructor evaluation notes covering skills such as steering, braking, turning, parking, lane control, speed control, awareness, defensive driving and overall readiness
• Cancellation, no-show and rescheduling history
• Certificate status, certificate numbers and mailing status
• Student reviews and ratings submitted about an instructor

Communications

We retain Chat Support conversations, including the name, email address, phone number and ZIP code you provide when you start a chat, along with date and time stamps (Pacific Time). We also retain text messages exchanged with the driving school or an instructor about a scheduled service.

Automatically Collected Information

When you visit the website we automatically receive standard technical data such as IP address, browser type, device type, referring page, pages viewed and time of access. We use a session cookie to keep you signed in to your dashboard. We do not use this data to build advertising profiles.

In-Vehicle Recording

Our training vehicles may be equipped with audio and/or video recording for the safety of the student and the instructor and for training, quality assurance, incident review and dispute resolution. Consent to recording is obtained during enrollment as part of the signed terms.

3. How We Use Your Information

• To create and administer student, parent/guardian and instructor accounts
• To verify that a pickup ZIP code is inside our current service area
• To schedule lessons, assign instructors and communicate pickup windows
• To verify the student's valid California learner's permit before a lesson begins
• To process deposits, record balance payments and issue receipts
• To track completed instruction hours and determine certificate eligibility
• To issue, mail, replace and track completion certificates
• To provide Chat Support and respond to customer service requests
• To send text messages and phone calls from the driving school and/or instructor about a scheduled lesson
• To maintain a record of exactly which version of the Terms & Conditions was accepted, by whom, and when
• To respond to payment disputes and chargebacks with supporting documentation
• To maintain records required by the California DMV and to comply with law
• To detect, prevent and address fraud, misuse and safety incidents

4. Text Message and Phone Communication

By scheduling a lesson, you agree to receive phone calls and text messages from the driving school and/or the assigned instructor related to the scheduled service. These are transactional service messages, not marketing messages. Message and data rates may apply. You may ask us to stop sending text messages through Chat Support; however, phone or text contact is how instructors coordinate pickup, and opting out may prevent us from delivering the service.

5. How We Share Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share information only as described below.

• Assigned instructors. Instructors receive the student's name, contact information, pickup location, pickup window, permit status, payment status and prior lesson history so they can safely deliver the lesson.
• California DMV. Records, certificate information and other data are provided as required by California law and DMV regulations governing licensed driving schools.
• Parents and guardians. For students under 18, the parent or guardian who signed the enrollment agreement may access the student's enrollment, scheduling, payment and progress records.
• Payment processors and financial institutions. To process card transactions and to respond to disputes and chargebacks. When a chargeback is filed on an authorized transaction, we may provide the processor with enrollment records, receipts, lesson records, attendance records, communications and signed agreements.
• Service providers. Hosting, email delivery, mail carriers used to send certificates, and similar vendors, limited to what they need to perform their function.
• Legal and safety. When required by law, subpoena or court order, or when necessary to protect the rights, property or safety of a student, instructor, the public or the school.

Please note that in certain circumstances another student or driving instructor may be present in the vehicle during a lesson, for reasons including instructor training or scheduling needs. We make reasonable efforts to maintain student privacy and safety in these situations.

6. Students Under 18 and Children's Privacy

Driver education and driver training are commonly purchased for minors. Enrollment for a student under 18 requires a parent or guardian to provide their own information, review the Terms & Conditions and sign electronically alongside the student. We collect a minor's information only in connection with that enrollment and only with parental or guardian consent.

Our website is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from a child under 13 without verifiable parental consent. A parent or guardian may request review or deletion of their child's information through Chat Support, subject to the record-retention obligations described in Section 9.

7. Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use a small number of strictly necessary cookies and browser storage items to keep you signed in, to remember your progress inside the enrollment funnel and the online course, and to maintain your Chat Support session. Disabling cookies will prevent the dashboard, enrollment and chat features from working. We do not use third-party advertising cookies.

8. Data Security

We host our platform on a private server we control, transmit data over encrypted HTTPS connections, store account passwords in hashed form, restrict dashboard access by role (student, instructor, administrator), and keep staff login pages unpublished and excluded from search engines. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If you believe your account has been accessed without authorization, contact us immediately through Chat Support.

9. Data Retention

We retain enrollment records, signed agreements, lesson records, attendance records, payment records and certificate records for as long as required by the California DMV and applicable law, and thereafter for as long as reasonably necessary to resolve disputes, defend chargebacks, and enforce our agreements. Chat transcripts and text message records are retained for customer service and dispute-resolution purposes.

10. Your California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, you may have the right to request access to the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, request correction of inaccurate information, request deletion of your information, and not be discriminated against for exercising these rights. We do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.

To make a request, use Chat Support on our website. We will verify your identity before responding, and for a student under 18 we will verify the requesting parent or guardian. Certain records cannot be deleted where retention is required by DMV regulations, tax law, or where the information is needed to complete a transaction, prevent fraud, or defend a legal claim.

11. Third-Party Links

Our website may link to third-party websites, including the California DMV and payment providers. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites. Review their privacy policies before providing information.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. Continued use of the website or our services after an update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

13. How to Contact Us

All privacy questions and requests must be submitted online. Open Chat Support from any page of GrizzlyDrivingAcademy.com, or send a text message to the number used to coordinate your lesson. We do not provide a customer service phone number or customer service email address.