MOSES LAKE – Central Washington Driving School in Moses Lake was able to reopen its doors to students last week after Grant County shifted to Phase 2 of Gov. Jay Inslee’s program to reopen the state. Students are now able to return to driving lessons and tests.

C.J. White, manager of the Moses Lake location, said the school can now hold classes in its building again, with a limited number of students at a time due to state guidelines.

The driving school has been offering online courses since the pandemic-related closures went into effect. White said it made a huge difference not having the students in the classroom to learn about safety on the road face to face.

“This classroom is normally our setting,” he said. “We normally have 20 to 25 kids in this setting. Now, with the social distancing, I have 11 seats in here.”

Without having students in front of him, White said, it was tough to keep their focus on the importance of the lessons of the road.

“In the car, it’s all hands-on, and they realize, ‘Oh, that’s what they were talking about,’” White said. “They’re probably getting it really slow and then when they come in for a drive, it’s bam. I’m just hoping to open their eyes and, as long as they’re getting their practice in, I just want to help and get them driving.”

The online lessons were created by the company’s president, Angela Erickson, from Central Washington Driving School’s primary location in Ellensburg.

“We all try to make it a fun learning experience; she definitely takes that to heart,” White said. “She’s a very, very bright individual.”

White said the school is operating by appointment only at the moment in order to limit foot traffic coming into the Moses Lake office. Students who come inside for an extended period also sign a sheet with their name and contact information, in the event that someone is affected by COVID-19.

Students are required to wear a mask for driving tests, while instructors are required to wear a mask and gloves, wiping down and disinfecting the car in between tests. White said a typical student drive lasts 60 minutes, but an extra five minutes have been added for disinfecting and sanitizing in between drives.

For driving tests, which only last about 20 minutes, White said it’s tough to squeeze in that extra time when there are appointments back to back.

“I’m out testing someone for 20 minutes,” he said. “As soon as I get back in, I have that next person ready to go, so I’m wiping down that car, trying to give that person their score. It’s different.” And, as the temperatures rise with summer approaching, White said the gloves and mask can be uncomfortably warm.

While some of the challenges related to the pandemic have been difficult, White said there are some changes he wouldn’t mind seeing stick around: Prepaying for appointments and group testing, rather than just having one person at a time come in.

White said the business typically ramps up as the summer approaches.

Due to the closures statewide, White said, a lot of students are behind on some of their requirements.

“Kids are struggling because one of the state requirements is three drives by the last day of class,” White said. “Now, the schedule’s pretty much wide open. From nine until five today, I’ll have three appointments.”

White said some of the requirements for students, such as having so many hours of driving lessons within 120 days of beginning driver’s education classes, have been eased with the closures. White said he hasn’t heard when the Department of Licensing offices will reopen for students waiting to obtain their permits.

“We’ve had kids that have finished the classroom, but the DOL’s never been open for them to get their permits,” White said. “And they haven’t done any of the drives yet.”

White said he’s sure the DOL will be pretty busy when it does open back up.