Driving instructor waiting lists add to learner driver woes

While the chaos and unfairness surrounding hard to get driving test bookings is well documented, there’s another contributing factor making the path to a driving licence harder than it should be: a shortage of driving instructors means learners currently face waits of between two and six months just to book their first lessons.

According to training organisation Young Driver, which offers opportunities for youngsters to develop their driving skills before they’re old enough to take to the roads, two thirds of driving instructors report waiting times averaging two months before they can take on new students. 15 per cent of the 150 instructors polled by the firm said they had waiting lists of four months, while 7 per cent have to tell potential learner drivers they’ve got a six month waiting list.

When quizzed as to the reasons for the extended waiting times, the majority of instructors (70 per cent) blamed the lack of availability of driving tests – as existing learners are left ‘in limbo’ for longer, others can’t start their driving journeys. More than half of instructors say things have never returned to normal after the Covid pandemic, while over a quarter thought there was a shortage of instructors. A fifth of instructors also reported that learners are requiring more lessons to pass their tests.

“Driving is a key life skill. When we recently questioned 1,000 members of the public, 36 per cent of people agreed it was vital, putting it in the top three life skills we should all have,” says Young Driver spokesperson Sue Waterfield. “It’s a real problem when there are barriers to getting behind the wheel – whether that be financial or practical, including lack of availability of lessons and tests.”

Latest information from the DVSA supplied in July, suggests that waiting times for a car driving test in England is 19 weeks, and 14 weeks in Scotland and Wales.

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