Currently, in the UK, only Approved Driving Instructors (ADI) are permitted to charge for providing car driving instruction (with the exception of partially qualified, would-be ADIs who hold a Trainee Licence). The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) maintain a Register of ADIs. There were approximately 29,000 names on the Register in April 1999, with a further 10,000 or so people at various stages in the qualification process. In recent years approximately 2,500 new ADIs qualify each year, with some 4,000 leaving the Register in each of the past two years. The great majority of these leave of their own accord; around 500 pa are removed for failing to attend a periodical Check Test of their continued ability and fitness to give instruction or for unsatisfactory performance or conduct. These are disproportionately large numbers of new and young drivers represented in the road casualty statistics and it can be argued that better driver training would reduce these numbers. It can also be claimed that to deliver better instruction, improvements are needed to the way in which car driving instructors are themselves trained and qualified. This report presents the findings and recommendations from a review of the training and qualification of ADIs. The research on which it is based was carried out during 1998-99. It is based on wide consultation within the driver training industry, surveys carried out by the research team, data provided by DSA and account has been taken of practice in other countries. (Author/publisher)
Abstract