Bexhill driving instructor seeks clarity on government advice

Don Harris has had no means of income since the government first announced the lockdown and said driving instructors have a 'huge problem' with the social distancing requirements.

The government has insisted people stay two metres apart to help stop the spread of coronavirus - something which is not possible for driving instructors.

In his letter to Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, and Bexhill and Battle MP Huw Merriman, Mr Harris asked whether driving instructors would be forced to stop working all the while social distancing measures remain in place.

He said: "If this 2m distancing is to remain then any ADIs (Approved Driving Instructors) who are teaching will be doing so against your guidelines and in breach of the law, as I understand it. Should the separation be reduced to just 1m (as is rife with speculation at the present) we shall still be in breach of the law and open to both prosecution and persecution from the public and our peers.

"Should this happen and we are prosecuted then the DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) would possibly remove the offending ADI from the register and they would then lose their source of income completely."

Mr Harris said driving instructors would need social distancing to be removed to enable them to work properly which would then in turn put them at greater risk of catching Covid-19.

He asked Mr Shapps and Mr Merriman to provide a 'definitive answer', adding: "If we are given the OK to return to work and the social distancing, therefore does not apply to us, can you also please advise on what we shall need to wear in terms of PPE and to what extent do we need to clean and sanitise our cars between lessons?

"Again we are receiving no definitive guidance from the DVSA who should be our lifeline on these issues but merely tell us to check out the government guidelines which give no reference to our industry of 40,000 ADIs plus trainees."

Mr Harris asked, if driving instructors are allowed to return to work, whether they would be required to wear PPE, or whether their students would also be required to wear the equipment.

He said a number of driving instructors have been forced to quit and attempt to find alternative work as a means of securing an income.