A fifth of all fatalities on the road involve new drivers and those travelling with them. Furthermore, at the age of eighteen, a driver will be three times more likely to crash than someone who is twenty years their senior. It is these facts that are leading the government to look at changing many of the laws governing how young people learn to drive and indeed the way in which they are able to drive after they first pass their test.
Whilst being restricted to day time driving is one option, along with having a limit on the number of passengers that can be carried, one of the biggest changes is likely to be a minimum learning period, something that could significantly alter the way in which individuals are taught to drive.
Many driving instructors find it hard to be competitive, having high overheads and a great deal of competition from other driving schools. Furthermore, reducing prices can lead to more long-term problems, and if instructors cannot guarantee work, then they may find that, in the long-term, such a venture simply is not financially viable.
If the government’s proposed changes are implemented, instructors will have a guaranteed number of lessons for each student, and will not have to worry about individuals trying for their test too soon – when they are not ready and when they have not allowed the instructor to recoup their overheads. In turn, instructors may also be able to charge more to get students up to what might eventually be a more rigorously tested standard.
It may also eventually have an effect on ADI insurance. With longer to get individuals up to a certain level, it may be the case that fewer accidents occur and that in turn the cost of policies may ultimately drop for instructors.
In short, if the proposals are put into action, instructors’ lives will be easier, and it may even mean that those who have previously considered looking at driving instructor insurance in the past to set up their own school may be able to do so without too much fear of being able to keep customers for as long as they need to for their venture to be a viable success.