The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has delivered a stark warning to any Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) who engages in fraudulent practices by misusing their status of responsibility.

ADI Peter Cyril Groombridge, 72, of South West London was today sentenced at Inner London Crown Court to 10 months imprisonment for encouraging four illegal instructors to provide driving tuition to candidates through his company ‘Professional Driving School.’

It is illegal to receive money or monies worth in exchange for driving tuition unless you are a qualified, registered ADI.

Early suspicions were raised when a DSA test centre staff member expressed concerns that illegal instructors were presenting candidates for test.

Bogus instructors, Edward Asare Afriyie, 58, of Peckham, George Ferreira Cabral, 35, of South West London, Ali Mazhar Mirza, 74, of South East London and Astley Hasten Davis, 73 of South East London received a combined fine of £2,580 for their illegal activity.

The DSA’s driving instructor Registrar, Charles Morton said:  “The DSA message is clear: if you are not an ADI qualified to teach learner drivers, but continue teaching for money or moneys worth, you can expect to face ever increasing penalties.

 “Illegal instructors are a danger to the public. They have not been assessed by us to ensure they are able to provide driving instruction to required standards.

“It is very simple to check that a driving instructor is qualified. Ensure they display an in-date pink or green badge in their windscreen during lessons and that the photo on the badge matches the person providing the instruction. The pink badge indicates that they have trainee status and are entitled to give paid instruction whilst acquiring practical experience. The green badge indicates their name is in The Registrar of Approved Driving Instructors, they are fully qualified to give paid instruction and are subject to regular checks by DSA to ensure their continued competence and suitability to give instruction”.

The head of the DSA Fraud and Integrity Team, Andy Rice added: “We investigate all reported cases of suspected illegal instruction and work closely with the police and criminal justice agencies to identify offenders and prosecute”.

If you have any doubts about whether your driving instructor is teaching you legally, call DSA on: 029 2058 1140

Notes to Editors:

1. The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) is one of the Executive Agencies that forms the Motoring and Freight Services group, within the Department for Transport.
 
2. DSA’s vision is “Safe Driving for Life” with an overall mission to contribute towards a Government target of achieving a 40% reduction in riders and drivers killed or seriously injured in road accidents, in the age group up to 24 years, by 2010.

3. Current information on road casualties is available from the Department for Transport website: www.dft.gov.uk

4. The Agency’s aim is to promote road safety through setting standards for drivers, riders and trainers, testing drivers and riders fairly and efficiently, maintaining the registers of Approved Driving Instructors; Large Goods Vehicle Instructors; Fleet Trainers; Driving Instructor Trainers and Post Test Motorcycle Trainers; supervising Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) for learner motorcyclists; and driver education and the provision of learning resources.

5. We are a Trading Fund with planned turnover of £199 million in 2009/10, largely funded through fees and revenue from other road safety initiatives. We are a national organisation delivering tests from over 400 practical driving test centres and 158 theory test centres.

6. DSA employs over 2,700 staff, of which some 2,000 are driving examiners based at over 400 test centres across mainland Great Britain. In 2008/2009 the Agency conducted 1.72 million practical tests for car drivers, 84,000 vocational tests and 105,000 motorcycle rider tests. A total of 1.5 million theory tests were carried out at 158 centres. At the end of the year there were around 44,768 people on the Register of Approved Driving Instructors.

7. DSA was one of the first Government Agencies to introduce an online booking service.  Candidates can book and manage their theory and practical test appointments on line at www.direct.gov.uk/drivingtest