The driving standards check is an important way of reassuring every student that their instructor is keeping their foot on the accelerator when it comes to teaching you how to drive. Every four years, your instructor must complete an assessment where they are then ranked out of 17 different competencies to ensure they’re fit to teach you.
For example, instructors are marked on areas such as lesson planning. This gauges how well they are able to plan for you, the student.
As you’re probably aware, driving is composed of several different skills and requires you be aware of many elements. Not to mention, lessons are short and expensive, so testing a driving instructor’s ability to lesson plan effectively means that you’re getting the best possible tuition and value for money.
Your instructor is also graded on how well they can adapt to your needs during the lesson.
The roads are complicated and unpredictable places, where any number of things can happen. Due to this you’ll want an instructor who is flexible and talented enough to adapt not only to your needs but also conditions, traffic, emergencies and more.
The driving standards check guarantees that your instructor is fully fit to do the job – giving you the peace of mind you need to focus on learning to drive.
An instructor should be able to adapt, but they should also know the roads intimately enough that they can guide you towards areas more suited to the learner driver. These areas should be less intimidating for you, the student. An ideal area for beginners would have less traffic than normal, with roads suitable for the learner to begin working on manoeuvres.
With all of this considered, the driving standards check again works to benefit students, as instructors are also graded on their knowledge of the roads.
It’s also important that student drivers are allowed to work towards goals. Whether this be moving out on to busier roadways or learning to do the more difficult manoeuvres, a good instructor will be able to work with their student towards these achievements.
To do this effectively, instructors undertaking the driving standards check are assessed on their teaching skills, such as their ability to clearly and concisely give you directions and advice while in the high pressure environment of the roads.
In short, the driving standards check is a safety net that ensures the student is being taught by a fully up-to-date and assessed driving instructor. In theory, you’ll learn to drive quicker, better and more safely and all the while you’ll be getting the most value for money from your driving lessons!
