Criminals Training Children - Who Are Children Learning to Drive With?

LONDON, May 24, 2016 -- A recent study by online insurance comparison site, Quotiva.co.uk sampled over 5,500 driver trainer applications over a one year period. They found that over 7% of applicants admitted to a previous conviction.

"While the statistics are limiting in the sense that they don't break down the type of conviction," said a spokesperson for Quotiva.co.uk, "It does paint an ominous picture. Not only potentially in terms of the quality of training, but also as a wake-up call to parents, who are your children getting into a car with?"

While the logical solution would be to increase regulations for potential driver trainers, there is another issue - the UK is struggling to meet driver training demands as it is. While application requirements leave much to be desired, the training program for the instructors themselves is rigorous to a point of being restrictive. With expensive licensing fees and ongoing costs to maintain accreditation, the industry is rarely seen as a viable career choice even for those with an interest in training or motor vehicles.

Adding to the problem, unfortunately it is unlikely to become a politically contentious issue, because driver training is not seen as an important talking point. The end result is a lack of poor driver training, accidents on roads, the deaths of young drivers through foolish error, and mistakes that could have been rectified through effective training. This means that more thought, planning, and perhaps a complete overhaul is in order for how trainers are attracted, trained, and judged. 

"A logical starting point would surely be to ensure that those with a criminal record do not see the industry as a safe haven. There are over 120,000 driving tests undertaken every month, 67% of them are people under the age of 21 who are potentially more vulnerable. A more due diligent process should be ensured when becoming an Approved Driving Instructor," concluded the Quotiva.co.uk spokesperson.

Data Sources:

(https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/car-driving-test-data-by-test-centre)
http://www.quotiva.co.uk