Calls to help ensure driving instructors on the right road
MSP calls for clarity on when driving tests and lessons can start again here
NICOLA FINDLAY
Calls are mounting for clarity over when driving instructors can resume lessons following lockdown.
That’s after the UK Government gave the green-light for tests and lessons to resume in England.
Two long-standing driving schools in East Kilbride previously told the News there needed to be more guidance from the Westminster government and the Driver and Vehicle and Standards Agency (DVSA), claiming communication was shutdown during the pandemic.
A limited number of tests and lessons have been taking place for key workers such as the NHS, but no date has been given for driving schools across the board in Scotland.
Now Tory MSP, Graham Simpson, is urging the Scottish government to follow suit and provide much-needed clarity to instructors here.
He said: “I asked the First Minister why driving lessons and tests can’t restart in
Scotland – I’m none the wiser.
“Driving instructors have reached out to me and have indicated they’re ready to resume lessons with face masks, gloves, and sanitiser. Everything that’s required to keep the instructor and the learner driver safe.
“It’s frustrating for instructors and people who have been waiting months for lessons and a test.”
The Approved Driving Instructors National Joint Council (ADINJC) has also written to the Scottish government asking when instructors north of the border will be able return to work.
The ADINJC letter added: “We realise the pandemic risks have not gone away, but we feel prepared as a profession to deal with them as safely as possible when we are allowed to return to work.”
East Kilbrid-based Freedom School of Motoring owner and instructor, Bobby Russell, previously said he feared the lack of clarity could put instructors out of business.
However, he feels that the more cautious approach taken here is the safest option for driving instructors and students alike.
“I think the Scottish government have taken the right approach to be fair. I still think July 4 was too early in England which has higher infection rates.
“I have set a date of August 24 if the science gives the go-ahead, although some were talking about starting back sooner.”
Local MSP, Linda Fabiani, is adamant that the Scottish government is heading in the right direction, adding that Nicola Sturgeon provided Mr Simpson with clear answers to his enquiry.
She added: “The Scottish Government is trying to drive the virus to the lowest possible levels, which means some things may be going a bit slower than they are in the rest of the UK.
“By doing as Mr Simpson suggests would compromise the strides we have made in the past few months.
“I understand however the Scottish Government is currently developing guidance for driving instructors and any decision to ease restrictions will be taken only when scientific advice determines it is safe to do so – not when the opposition demands purely for the sake of it.”