Warning over illegal driving instructors

The warning from the DSA comes after more than 123 people have been arrested for offences relating to illegal driving instruction in the last four years.

Of those 39 were convicted and 31 received police cautions, the DSA said.

Police have warned getting into a car with an unlicensed instructor who has not undergone the obligatory criminal background check is as dangerous as getting into an unlicensed minicab.

Inspector Vince Brady, of the Met roads unit, said: “We talk an awful lot with people around using a licensed minicab, because you’ve got confidence that that vehicle, that person, is subject to a process and a series of checks.

“It’s exactly the same with learner drivers. They’re getting into a vehicle with a stranger they may know nothing about.”

Learners also risk missing out on key driving skills essential to instructors being awarded a licence.

The DSA said it has carried out more than 30 roadside operations in the UK targeting illegal instructors since 2011.