WIREDGOV

Bogus driving instructor punished with suspended prison sentence and fine

News Release issued by the COI News Distribution Service on 06 October 2009

* Susan Wilson made an estimated £3,000 by duping learners
* Suspicion was raised by driving test centre staff
* Driving Standards Agency issues stark warning to fraudsters

The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has delivered a stark warning to bogus driving instructors who flout the law by illegally teaching learner drivers.

Offender Susan Wilson, of Woodbridge, Suffolk, was sentenced to 12 weeks’ imprisonment suspended for two years after pleading guilty to five offences of fraud by misrepresentation, including fraud in obtaining her insurance policy. She was also ordered to pay £85 costs and a total of £617.50 compensation, and was prohibited from teaching driving and from applying to become a driving instructor for two years, when she appeared at Ipswich Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 2 October.

Wilson, 49, is estimated to have made about £3,000 by conning at least three learner drivers into believing she was an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI). It is illegal to receive money or monies worth in exchange for driving tuition unless you are a qualified ADI who is currently registered with DSA.

Suspicions about Wilson were raised by DSA staff at Ipswich Driving Test Centre in September 2008. Wilson had been a trainee ADI but her Trainee Licence had expired after she failed to meet the standard of instruction required. However, she continued to teach illegally, duping learner drivers into believing she was still an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI).

DSA investigators located three of Wilson’s unsuspecting, paying pupils and uncovered the fact that Wilson had fraudulently taken out an insurance policy under the pretence that she was an ADI. She was arrested at home in June 2009.

DSA’s Registrar of Driving Instructors, Charles Morton, said: “Our message is clear: if you are not an ADI or a Trainee Licence holder and teach for money or monies worth, you can expect to face ever-increasing penalties.

“Susan Wilson was assessed by us to ensure that she was able to provide driving instruction to required standard and when she failed that assessment she continued to operate illegally.”

Mr Morton continued: “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 on The Register 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: “Illegal instructors present a real risk to public safety. We investigate all allegations reported to us 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: 02920 581155

Notes to Editors:

1. The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) is one of the Executive Agencies that forms the Motoring and Freight Services (MFS) group, within the Department for Transport.
2. DSA’s vision is “Safe Driving for Life” with a mission to contribute towards the Government target of a 40% reduction in riders and drivers killed or seriously injured in road crashes, in the age group up to 24 years, by 2010.
3. Information on road casualties is available from dft.gov.uk
4. DSA promotes 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. DSA is a trading fund with planned turnover of £199 million in 2009/10, largely funded through fees and revenue from other road safety initiatives. It delivers 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. In 2008/09 DSA conducted 1.72 million practical car tests, 84,000 vocational tests and 105,000 motorcycle tests. A total of 1.5 million theory tests were carried out. 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 at direct.gov.uk/drivingtest

Contacts:

Driving Standards
Phone: 0115 936 6133
nds.dsa@coi.gsi.gov.uk

Joanna Roberts
Phone: 0115 936 6138
joanna.roberts@dsa.gsi.gov.uk