This is our 2nd experience with Bill's Defensive Driving school. 3 years ago, our older daughter took 3 two-hour lessons with Bill during her 6-month permit period. She learned so quickly with Bill's calm, thoughtful, supportive style. Within 30 minutes, she was driving at the speed limit along curvy roads like Camino Alto between Mill Valley and Corte Madera. By the end of 2 hours, she was at highway speed with the flow of traffic down 101 South from San Rafael back to Strawberry! I was amazed at how her confidence and control of the car progressed. I am also proud that she passed her driving test with flying colors and has been a safe driver with an independent license for the past 3 years. Now, our 2nd daughter has completed her 1st of 3 two-hour lessons, and she has a different instructor named Frank. I was pleasantly surprised that Frank has a similar calm, reassuring, expert style that is at once disarming and inspiring. He instantly picked up on my daughter's anxiety and adapted his style to her needs. Within about 10 minutes, we were out of the parking lot and on the road! I don't know which of us was more surprised -- my daughter or me? Frank took us on the same route that Bill had taken 3 years ago, and many of the same teaching points were covered in the same locations. Clearly, the organization has a method. Last time, my wife accompanied my daughter on the 2nd lesson -- which is a trip to Stinson from 101, but now I am curious to go on that one myself. Finally, the 3rd lesson is more of a prep for the test -- usually just a week or two beforehand. Overall, I think Bill and his staff are terrific, and I would highly recommend them to any Marin parents of aspiring teenage driver. Both your teen and you will be happy with the experience and the results. read more

Called at least 10 times to schedule my lesson, the one time it got through they hung up on me. No instruction after you pay. Email DID NOT WORK. When I called to get a refund they kept arguing how it was their day off (even though I called during when they said they'd pick up the phone) and how they called me back (there is NO RECORD of them calling me back). And then tried to give me a life lesson of how I'm just trying to go too fast. Well I guess people should just pay $400 and not being able to get the service now? This is the worst business and the most entitled customer service I've ever interacted with. Can't imagine how their instructor will behave if they can't even handle their scheduling right. It's like they're allergic to responsibility LOL update: They have since sent me a message "I'm sorry you got impatient and jumped the gun". Sounds like someone never learned to take responsibility and apologize. Does it sound like your abusive family member trying to blame you on their fk ups? It sure does. I have to block their phone number from the harassment. read more

I loved that I got to ride around with my son during his first lesson. It was a great experience for us both. I am better prepared to help teach him read more

Definitely not recommending this school , an instructor should never tell a new Teen Driver "what are you doing?" in haste, nor should they be coughing and hacking all over the car... just not a good match. Comparability is key. Plus, he tried to get us to pay for an extra session... because she supposedly wasn't doing a great job 200 for 2 hours - no thanks! read more

I felt the training my teen received was very thorough and took him thru many scenarios that will help him to be a competent, conscience and prepared driver. Bills was very organized and thru Covid had made every modification to keep us all safe. Thank you!!!! read more

I had 2 kids complete 3 lessons (2 hours each time) all with Bill. One a boy and one a girl. The following is the same experience for both my kids. Bill did almost all the driving, he controlled the gas and stirring 95% of the time. I thought, that might make sense for the first lesson until he learns their skill level. But NO! Did it throughout all 3 lessons, for both kids. They did not learn how to drive any better but came back very frustrated. He talked and talked and talked about his own life, and made negative comments about others. NOT Professional at all! I also drove with my kids prior to him "teaching" them, and he did not approve of that, and said as much to me. Because by law he needs to sign their permit. OK whatever, at least they learned how to drive with me, even if it was in empty parking lots. Not the end of the world. If you are hoping he helps your kid(s) learn how to drive, you will be disappointed. Find someone else! He even asked my kids questions about my driving and my husband's, but only to criticize us to my kids. I have never gotten a ticket in my 23 years of driving. He comes off as someone who isn't very secure, and thus must put down everyone or anyone he feels may be a threat. He also commented about where we live and the cars we drive. We live in a nice area and drive nice cars, so he had to tell my kids that he also grow up rich and had nice things and on and on. My kids didn't care because they were there to learn how to drive. I have nothing against opening up and building a relationship. But again, why have such negative comments or have the theme of every conversation be about you, comparing yourself to my kids life. LOW and LAME! I went with him for the second time in hopes that maybe we caught him on a few bad days, and it wasn't a true representation of him or his teaching skills. But we were mistaken for thinking he would be different. DO NOT DRIVE WITH BILL!!!!!! read more

Our friend recommended Bill's Defensive Driving School to us and David Lam was my instructor for the first lesson and it was amazing! He was very calm, patient, and gave valuable feedback. I will recommend Bill's Defensive Driving School to my friends read more

I completed one lesson two and a half weeks ago. It was not worth the time and money due to my experiences during the lesson and in communication with the business. I've been practicing driving on and off for years and I thought actually purchasing a lesson would give me the push to finally get my license because I would be guided by an expert rather than a friend. This was not the case. My phone happened to break a few days before my lesson and when I reached out to confirm details and inform them they wouldn't be able to reach me by phone they didn't answer any of their emails. This is unprofessional and unhelpful for a business especially when the email is listed prominently on their website. I purchased the nervous driver two hour lesson and Bill was my instructor. He was very hands and feet on the whole time except in the 40 mins we just sat in the car. He didn't ask for my consent nor inform me he was going to put his hands on the wheel and move my hand around before doing it. I didn't expect to be touched and didn't like it. This was throughout the entirety of driving time. I was a passenger during the ride even though I was in the driver's seat; that's now how any driving lesson should go. While we sat in the car to chat about random things, he also commented on someone's body who was just walking by, calling them 'disgusting'. This was disappointing and inappropriate considering he's a business owner and studied sociology which was part of the reason I selected this driving school and not others as I thought I'd be safer and more understood. The two things I took away were to relax my hands and how to adjust my mirrors. Other than that, I did not feel like I was driving at all and didn't learn tools or strategies to relieve my anxieties. I could've taken my hands on the wheel and the pedals and there wouldn't have been an issue. This was a wasted educational opportunity for me. read more

We have used Bill's Defensive Driving School for all 3 of our kids and we are so glad we did. We started with another driving school initially but after our daughter told us the instructor mostly talked about her dog the entire time we decided to try someone else. Our instructor Steve was the the best! He invited us to ride along and it was a great lesson for our kids and a great refresher lesson for my wife and I. Steve was constantly explaining things as we drove along and actually taught the kids to be on the defensive at all times. We've recommended the company to friends, you will not be disappointed! read more

Steve was fabulous!! Appointments were easy to book!! He was great with our son and was very informative for all sessions. He came HIGHLY recommended to us by 5 of my sons friends parents who also used him! We will DEFINITELY recommend this company and Steve to other friends as well as use again in the near future when our daughter learns to drive. read more

Steve is an awesome instructor. I rode along on my daughter's first driving lesson with him. He was so knowledgeable and calm, and put my daughter at ease immediately. It's clear he really loves his job and is great with teenagers! read more

Very Friendly and easy to set up appointments. Availability was very opened & flexible. We absolutely appreciate Steve. Highly recommend.

We picked Bills based on the ratings, but didn't end up feeling like any of the 3 lessons were very helpful (despite being predisposed to expect them to be great). During the first 2 lessons our daughter was very inexperienced and during the 3rd she had been driving for awhile (though still has things to work on). I rode along for the 1st and 3rd lessons and my husband rode along for the 2nd. We didn't feel like her teacher's communication style was very effective during any of the lessons. It's possible that many of Bill's students have more experience (either through practicing before they are supposed to, or through video games). But for someone like our daughter who needed basic driving teaching at the beginning, we didn't find his approach helpful. There was too much esoteric info and not enough basic instruction about the mechanics of driving during the first 2 lessons. The last lesson, unfortunately, wasn't a great experience either and ended up undermining her confidence more than helping her. I think her teachers teaching approach may work better for some people than others. read more

I highly recommend this company. My son just had his first driving class with Steve. I was impressed with the amount of instructions and high quality of instruction Steve provided. He gave a lot of information about how to develop a safe style of driving, they drove different types of roads and discussed what to pay attention first on the road to drive safely, the class was interactive, on each stop they discussed the situation and where to pay special attention, where the most dangers can come from. I am totally impressed with the quality of instruction and feel much safer about my son's future driving. read more

I took the defensive driving course online and it was great!!! I would recommend to everyone!!!!

Bill's Defensive Driving School has helped me a lot ! Steve is a awesome instructor and is a great teacher ! I recommend Bill's Defensive Driving School to anyone and everyone learning to drive ! read more

Bill was recommended to me and taught both my teenagers to drive. They both passed their test first time! Bill focuses on teaching you how to drive safely and defensively. He typically recommends 3 x 2 hour sessions that include freeway driving, how to pass bikes on narrow roads (Mount Tam), driving in high traffic areas and driving on different terrains. He likes to have parents join their kids so they can reinforce his teaching. I cannot recommend him highly enough. Ask for Bill when you're booking a lesson - you will not be disappointed. read more

Steve is an amazing driving instructor. I can't imagine how anyone could do a better job of teaching my son to drive. Seriously. I was totally blown away by how thorough he was and how he adjusted the lesson to exactly meet my son's needs. read more

Steve is soo good!!! That sums up my 2 hrs. experience. A lot of thumbs up!! Thank you bill for a smooth transaction

As most parents are, I was very nervous having my 15 year old behind the wheel. Bill was very calm and I felt safe. She was given a lot of different driving opportunities in our two hour lesson; residential, rural curvy roads and a little freeway! We have already booked our 2nd lesson and I have referred him to a friend. read more

Before bill's defensive driving school, my girlfriend was terrified of the freeway. After one class with bill, she was driving on 680 with such serinity. Thanks bill!!! read more

After an ordeal with an unnamed driving school, Bill's Defensive Driving School came to the rescue. My niece needed to take her driving test and was anxious about failing again. Bill helped her feel at ease behind the wheel, and for a two hour class she learned a lot! I highly recommend this school for beginning drivers, and even experienced drivers. After the instruction, Bill called me and gave me a full report of what she needed to work on. Excellent customer service and not shady like some of the other schools out there. read more

Wow. I sat in the back during this first lesson and I'm so impressed. Frank is so calm, precise and practiced. Super approach, perfect demeanor. Easy for me to learn too. I cannot recommend enough. 5 stars. read more

Our son passed with flying colors! I have to give props to Frank and Bill's Driving school. Our first instructor from another company couldn't fit my son in for his remaining two lessons and Bill's came to the rescue. My son really enjoyed Frank's teaching style (better than his first one). Thanks for the lessons. We appreciate your help. Let the driving without me begin!! read more

Frank was a great fit for our daughter. He made her feel comfortable and confident in her driving skills.

Paul taught my son and was calm and clear. I rode along the first time which was helpful. It was easy to schedule.

Frank is a great driving instructor! He is very calm and makes new drivers feel confident and safe. Scheduling with the school is easy and flexible. I highly recommend Frank and Bill's Defensive Driving School. read more

Bill does more than just meet the six-hour requirement; he gives you more than your money's worth teaching your child how to drive in real world situations. The level of skills my teenage daughter has after just four hours with Bill is remarkable. Makes the value of other driving schools I used in the past highly suspect. read more

Bill is the best. He taught both my kids how to drive and made me a better driver in the process. He really got them to internalize defensive driving. read more