Driver Safety Academy's Editorial Standards

Here is an overview of the editorial standards that guide our work. We are posting them publicly in the spirit of transparency.

Driver Safety Academy is a publication dedicated to reimagining online driver training. Our mission is to save students time and money by recommending the most effective, affordable, and painless traffic schools and driver education courses. Our core values are in service of that goal.

We always work with complete editorial independence, as the most important thing to us is reader trust.

We want to help drivers navigate the often confusing world of traffic laws, court requirements, and insurance premiums wisely and quickly. We achieve this by independently testing and reviewing DMV-approved schools, performing rigorous research into state regulations, and having empathy for the stress our readers face when dealing with citations.

These editorial standards are a living document composed of practical guidelines based on a set of broad reporting and ethical standards that we use to maintain reader trust: accuracy, honesty, independence, and transparency.

Standards Quick Reference

Here are the most important things to remember from Driver Safety Academy’s reporting and ethical standards policies.

Preserve our editorial independence with regard to the courses we test
We do not accept payments to rank schools higher. Our recommendations are based solely on our editorial evaluation of quality, ease of use, and value.

Present information honestly
We verify that every school we recommend is legitimately licensed by the relevant state DMV or court system. We cite official sources, such as the Judicial Council or Department of Motor Vehicles, when discussing laws and fines.

Be transparent about revenue
We are reader-supported. We clearly disclose that we may earn an affiliate commission if you buy through our links, but this never influences our rankings or recommendations.

Accuracy

To ensure our readers’ trust, accuracy is paramount. We aim to verify that every fact we publish regarding traffic laws, insurance impacts, and course details is supported by reputable sources.

Using authoritative sources
When discussing legal requirements, we consult authoritative primary sources such as the California Vehicle Code (CVC), the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), and official court websites. We avoid relying on third-party blogs or forums for legal facts unless they can be verified by an official source.

Verifying our reporting
We scrutinize every guide we publish to ensure that details about course length, timers, and final exam requirements are accurate. If a school changes its curriculum or pricing, we strive to update our reviews to reflect the current reality.

Honesty

Honesty in how we represent ourselves and our work is fundamental to reader trust. We never assert a false identity or affiliation. When we test courses, we often do so as regular students to ensure we experience the product exactly as our readers would.

How we present information
We do not plagiarize. If we include information verbatim from a source, we use quotation marks and proper attribution. We link to the official regulations and studies we mention.

Transparency

Transparency about our review process is essential. We are open about the methods we use in reporting and take ownership of our journalism.

Revealing our process
We explain our methods in our "How We Tested" sections. For example, we disclose that we spend hundreds of hours researching and personally taking courses from start to finish to evaluate the user experience, quiz difficulty, and customer support responsiveness.

Corrections
We make every effort to ensure accuracy, but mistakes can happen. When we encounter a factual error in our reporting, we update the article with the correct information. If a reader or school alerts us to an error, we investigate and fix it swiftly.

Independence

Conflicts of interest can undermine trust. To ensure the integrity of our coverage, we reduce the potential for bias by exercising independent editorial judgment.

Policy on affiliate revenue
Our business makes money primarily through affiliate revenue. If readers trust our recommendations and register for a course we review, we may earn a commission. If they request a refund because they are dissatisfied, we generally do not earn a commission. This aligns our interests with yours: we only win when you are happy with your choice.

Advertising and Partnerships
Our editorial team’s decisions on which schools to recommend are never influenced by potential affiliate revenue. We do not allow schools to pay for better reviews or higher rankings. We approach every course with healthy skepticism and careful analysis.

Policies on courses we test
We often purchase courses ourselves to test them. If we are provided with access codes for review purposes, this does not guarantee a positive review. We evaluate every course based on the same strict criteria: content quality, ease of navigation, speed, and customer support.

Sustainability and Accessibility

We aim to recommend courses that are accessible to as many drivers as possible, including those who may not be tech-savvy or who require audio read-along features. We prioritize recommending schools that offer mobile-friendly platforms and clear, simple language to help all drivers succeed.