Summary: Take measures to reduce the backlog of young people awaiting driving tests. Capitalise on opportunities to increase the proportion of electric vehicles on UK roads, thereby reducing emissions. I have learned much from my experience as an approved driving instructor (ADI) with the following points of particular relevance here: 1. It is somewhat quicker, with fewer lessons, to achieve a good standard of driving in an electric car as opposed to a geared car but… 2. …young people seek a full driving licence, whereas tuition on an electric car leads to an automatic licence. 3. Some schools are reluctant to allow students to do driving lessons during school time, even in ‘study periods’. 4. Young learners tend to develop a loyalty to the car, both brand and model, they learned to drive in. 5. Very few ADIs instruct in an electric car. 6. The government ban, as part of its green agenda, on the sales of petrol, diesel and hybrid cars by 2030 is slowly gathering pace but may result in a rush to buy many of the worst vehicles just before the ban occurs! Some actions that could help reduce the back log are: A: Encourage learners to choose electric cars, reducing by perhaps 10% the numbers of lessons needed. This could be achieved by: Removing the barrier to a full driving licence to those who train on an electric car – if not removed altogether, then have a ‘staged licence’ that allows straightforward qualification to a full licence at a later date. Giving priority for electric cars in the queue to book Driving Tests. Heavily promoting electric car benefits to younger people – greener, cheaper to run, easier to drive; they are the future! Encouraging manufacturers of appropriate (small, city car) electric vehicles to target young people with advertising, and pricing structures. B. Encourage schools to allow pupils to do driving tuition in study periods – enabling more driving lessons to take place. This could be achieved by: Convincing schools that learning to drive is a life-skill and that allowing students to take a proper driving lesson in study periods is part of their learning. Encouraging more schools to invite appropriate driving experts (ADIs?) into school to ‘set the scene’ for economical, green, safe driving. Place driving safely more firmly on the life-skills curriculum. C. Increasing the availability of electric cars for driving instruction. This could be achieved by: Incentivising ADIs to use electric cars by, for instance, increasing the subsidy on such vehicles when purchased for instructional use. Some actions to assist the proper implementation of banning ‘polluting’ vehicles: The increased use of electric cars for driving instruction will increase their appeal among young drivers who go on to influence parental choices of a first car. The greater number of electric cars on UK roads will help with, hopefully, a reduction in prices, and gradually build a second-hand stock for the future ‘new drivers’. Education of a new generation of road users will help promote the green agenda.
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