GovWire

Eligibility

You can supervise a family member or friend who is learning to drive if:

• youre at least 21 years old

• youre qualified to drive the type of vehicle theyre driving - for example, you must have a manual car licence if youre supervising someone in a manual car

• youve had a full driving licence for at least 3 years (from the UK, the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein)

• you are not currently banned from driving

Only approved driving instructors (ADIs) and trainee driving instructors can accept payment for driving lessons.

Skills and knowledge you need

You must know and be able to apply all the rules in The Highway Code to supervise a learner. Its regularly updated, so make sure you check for any recent changes.

Ask the learners driving instructor if they can give you a lesson before you start supervising the learner. This will help you avoid passing on:

• any bad driving habits youve developed

• old techniques that may have been updated since you passed your driving test

Who you can supervise

The learner must:

• have a valid UK provisional driving licence

• meet the minimum eyesight rules

• be at least 17 years old

Check the car you want to use is suitable

The learner can practise driving with you in any make or model of car.

The car you use must:

• be fitted with L plates (or D plates in Wales) - these must be on the front and the back of the car

• be taxed

• have a valid MOT (if it needs one)

• be safe to drive - help the learner check its safe each time they practise driving

• be registered with DVLA

You should:

• remove or cover the L (or D) plates when the car is being driven by anyone with a full driving licence

• fit an extra rear-view mirror so you can see behind the car during the practice session

Get car insurance

If the learner will be driving your car, they must either:

• be added to your insurance policy as a named driver - your no claims discount could be affected if they need to make a claim

• take out learner driver insurance to cover them driving your car - check with the provider if any claims they make will affect your no claims discount

If they want to use their own car, they must:

• be the registered keeper

• have their own insurance policy covering them as a learner driver

Driving lessons with an instructor in the learners car

Check with the insurance company if the learner intends to have driving lessons with a driving instructor in the learners car. Some policies do not cover this.

When to start private practice

Either you or the learner should tell their driving instructor that you intend to do private practice when they reach a suitable level.

The driving instructor can then:

• tell you when the learner is ready to drive under your supervision

• help you plan practice sessions at the right level

• invite you to sit in on one of the learners lessons (if they agree) before you start supervising - this can help you see how the driving instructor handles situations that you might find difficult

Plan your practice sessions

Before you plan any sessions, ask the learner about their driving skills and what theyd like to focus on. You can ask things like:

• what theyve been practising with their driving instructor

• what types of roads they feel ready to drive on - for example, dual carriageways or busy junctions

• if theres anything they want to practise - for example, reversing manoeuvres, roundabouts or following a sat nav

This will help avoid putting them into a situation that they cannot cope with.

Based on what theyve said and their driving experience and ability, think about these things when youre planning:

• where youll ask the learner to drive

• time of day

• manoeuvres theyll practise

• weather conditions

Where youll ask the learner to drive

You need to think about:

• what types of roads your route will include - for example, country roads or dual carriageways

• what your route will include - for example, roundabouts, traffic lights, junctions, steep hills

• if youll use a sat nav or not

Time of day

You need to think about:

• how busy the roads will be - try to avoid busy times of day until the learner is confident in heavier traffic

• how light or dark it is - they should practise driving during the day and at night

Manoeuvres theyll practise

You need to think about:

• which manoeuvres the learner needs to work on

• which car park to use - try to use a quiet area of the car park where there are several bays to choose from

• which roads you can use - try not to disturb other road users or local residents

Weather conditions

You need to think about:

• what the weather is like - they should practise in a range of weather conditions, for example, rain or windy conditions

• if its safe to drive

Skills youll need to help the learner with

You need to be able help the learner to:

• understand their legal responsibilities as a driver

• carry out safety checks before they drive

• understand how to find and use the controls in the car (for example, the windscreen wipers and indicators)

• move away and stop safely

• judge the cars position on the road

• check their mirrors and blind spots correctly

• signal correctly before turning

• recognise hazards

• drive at an appropriate speed

• navigate junctions, roundabouts and pedestrian crossings

• reverse and turn the car around safely

• understand how to drive safely on different types of

  

  View the original news story