Driving instruction

UK drivers kill themselves and others at the rate of nearly 10 a day – that’s 3400 a year. They put 1000 people a day into hospital, with the cost of these accidents running into billions of pounds annually. Under the Road Traffic Act 1988 it is illegal for anyone to charge money or ‘monies worth’ for instruction in driving a motor car unless either their name is on the register of Approved Driving Instructors (ADIs) or they hold a Trainee Licence in accordance with the Act. Qualified ADIs must display a green certificate on the windscreen of tuition vehicles, trainees show a pink one.

The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) is a Department for Transport agency that manages driving instruction on an annual turnover of £110 million. It also runs a register of inspected ADI training establishments. It carries out a number of driving tests each year:

- 1.5 million theory

- 1.4 million car

- 60,000 lorry and bus

- 96,000 motorcycle.

It employs 2200 staff, of which 1450 are driving examiners, and has over 150 theory and 430 practical test centres, and an instructor training centre at Cardington in Bedfordshire. There are nearly 32,000 people on the DSA’s compulsory Register of ADIs for car instruction; its LGV Register is currently voluntary but likely to become compulsory soon.

Driving tests continue to evolve, with the screen-based theory element of multiple-choice questions now followed by a hazard perception test: a selection of 14 film clips showing real road scenes and potential problems. The pass mark for the multiple-choice element is 30 out of the 35 questions correct, and that for the hazard perception element 38 for car and motor cycle drivers and 44 for LGV and PCV drivers, out of a possible 75.

The pass mark for all levels of licence is being increased so that car and motorcycle drivers/riders will require 44 marks, lorry and bus drivers will need 50, and ADIs and LGV instructors will require 51.

The practical test for cars takes 40 minutes, with routes designed to include a range of road and traffic conditions. There is no quota for passing or failing either part of the test, but people must show that they have reached the correct standard to be allowed to drive unsupervised.

A recent development is the Driver’s Record. This is a log book that is filled in by both instructor and pupil, and is designed to show when the latter has demonstrated all the competencies required to pass the test and is judged to be ready to take it.

Around 60,000 company car drivers are injured in crashes each year – a likelihood of accidents up to 50 per cent higher than that of private motorists. Fleet driver trainers, qualified to a higher level, teach more advanced driving, usually in the corporate market. Recent health & safety directives demand up to 100,000 fleet trainers, and the government intends to introduce minimum standards for this training. There is currently a shortfall.

There is a voluntary registration scheme in existence for people who have either passed a DSA exam or completed an accredited training course, or who have passed a similar course and worked in the sector.

Driving instruction in the Services

Each Service has its own driving instructors based at the Defence School of Transport, its satellite establishments, single-Service bases and with units – all of them trained and qualified to DSA standards. Some will be on the appropriate register, others may not be. However, virtually every motor transport pool is able to instruct people to drive the vehicles it manages. With the vast range of Service vehicles, there are people holding every conceivable licence and others who have trained them.

Driving instructors do not need to be expert drivers or to have nerves of steel; flexibility, imagination and commitment are much more important. A Service background, with its social interaction and self-discipline, is a very good preparation, with individuals generally being articulate and personable. The ability to teach is vital, as are a high level of driving skill, a knowledge of how people learn, an ability to assess the performance of others, and communication and inter-personal skills.

Qualifications and training

To join the ADI Register it is necessary to:

- hold a full UK (or EU) unrestricted car driving licence

- have not been disqualified from driving

- be a ‘fit and proper person’

- pass the Register qualifying exams

– Part 1 – a multiple-choice, touch-screen knowledge paper, taken at a DSA Theory Test Centre

– Part 2 – a driving test, scrutinised by a Supervising Examiner

– Part 3 – a teaching test, again scrutinised by a Supervising Examiner.

Part 1 takes 90 minutes and consists of 100 questions banded into four areas:

- road procedure

- traffic signs and signals, car control, pedestrians, mechanical knowledge

- driving test, disabilities, law

- publications, instructional techniques.

The overall pass mark is 85 per cent, with a minimum of 80 per cent in every area.

Parts 2 and 3 must be passed within two years of passing Part 1; each may be taken up to three times, but three failures in either means that the individual cannot restart the qualifying process until the two years are up. There are some other complex rules, and an ongoing requirement to take check tests to remain qualified. The ADI qualification lasts four years and is renewed automatically provided the check tests are satisfactory.

PassPlus encourages better driving practices from new drivers by offering six extra lessons covering driving in and out of town, on motorways and dual carriageways, in all weathers and at night. For a payment, ADIs can obtain PassPlus packs from the DSA.

Motorcycle instructors may be trained directly by Approved Training Bodies (the only organisations that can teach the Compulsory Basic Training), and they will then need to complete a two-day assessment by examiners at the DSA’s establishment at Cardington. Further qualification is required to teach Direct Access courses.

LGV instructors, who wish to be on the DSA’s voluntary Register take a similar series of exams to those for ADIs. They can be certified for four years, after which time they will need to re-register.

Lift truck instructors should pass a course with a trainer accredited by the Health & Safety Executive.

Blue light vehicles (police, fire, ambulance and MoD) are now recognised as a specialist category for the training of drivers who are competent in emergency situations. The three core competencies are:

- assessing the need for an emergency response

- driving the vehicle safely to emergencies

- demonstrating the correct attitude when responding to emergencies.

Potential instructors should ensure that the training provider they use is reputable. The Register contains suitably qualified and inspected trainers and establishments, and anyone seeking ADI training can approach them knowing that they have achieved the required standards.

Many companies advertise in the press, and there is no requirement to be registered. Alternatively, people could contact a CTP Preferred Supplier.

It is possible to gain other qualifications in driving instruction – for example, the Diploma in Driving Instruction, the Cardington Special Test, the Diamond Advanced qualification – and perhaps a further education teaching certificate or even a degree.

Please note that, following a consultation exercise, driving instructor standards will be raised this year by the introduction of some new measures, including:

- all ADIs passing a hazard perception test

- the computer-based test will include multiple-choice questions of knowledge and understanding

- pass marks for the above will be the same as for new ADIs

- ADIs will have 12 months to achieve these standards from the date they are notified by DSA

- ADIs will have three attempts at the tests before being removed from the Register

- introducing role-play elements into the test of instructional ability.

Employment

Once qualified, there are several options:

- move into the profession gradually by fitting instruction around another employment

- launch immediately as a sole trader

- become a franchisee with a local or national school

- enter a partnership with other instructors and pool efforts.

The marketplace is very diverse. As well as training learner drivers to pass both the theory and practical elements of the test, there is the PassPlus Scheme, the Driver Improvement Scheme and retraining people who have fallen foul of motoring laws.

Section: Case study: driving instruction

Been there, done that …

John Thrower

His 25 years in the Army’s Corps of Military Music provided variety, travel all over the world and interest for Ex-Band Sergeant Major John Thrower, but he felt ‘it was time for a change’. He had developed self-discipline, the ability to deal with people, networking skills and presentation experience that were topped up with ‘a must’ Career Transition Workshop.

As well as musical and medical training, he had qualified as a driving instructor (privately), joined the Institute of Advanced Motorists, and taken fork-lift truck and service funds accounts courses, so he was ready to start his own business. Resettlement training included business start-up, articulated lorry and fleet instructional courses, with a civilian attachment with A1 Roadcraft in Salisbury.

Since last April, Thrower has set up his own driving instructional business – operating within the A1 Roadcraft consortium – and offers a range of training. As a sub-contractor to another company he trains fleet drivers and manages risk assessments, and also trains driving instructors for another company. Retraining drivers who have fallen foul of the law and offering the PassPlus scheme to newly qualified drivers take up any slack. He is ‘still working weekends and evenings, but at least I can say no. Dislikes are the odd cancelled lesson and the price of diesel.’