Martin Saarinen

New site a welcome step to ensuring learners are taught by a respectable instructor

LEARNING to drive is a key milestone for many people, and having the right instructor can make all the difference as to whether you’ll be a safe driver in the future.

Having a great driving instructor not only helps you pass your test first time, but will also ensure you’ve got the right skills to be a safe driver on the road. We’ve all heard the horror stories where instructors have purposefully made it harder for students to pass their test so they can bill for more hours of tuition.

Thankfully the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has now made the process of picking the best instructor easier. In May, the agency hinted it would publish OFSTED-STYLE driving instructor ranking tables due to poor pass rates among students. Indeed, less than half of all driving exams are passed, with some students sitting the test 39 times before passing.

Now the agency has taken the first step towards transparency by launching a new website called finddrivinginstructor.direct.gov.uk that lists 26,000 approved instructors. Those listed have agreed to display the grades awarded to them by performance regulators, plus the codes of practice to which they have signed up.

As with OFSTED school ratings, learners can now pick and choose the best instructors in their area to ensure they get the best driving tuition from the very beginning.

Transparency is key to improving standards, especially when the DVSA’S own figures show just 30 per cent of instructors received the highest possible scores from regulators. What is needed now is for the other 14,000 British driving teachers to sign up.

“Those listed have agreed to display the grades awarded to them by regulators”