Hibernian to link driving schools to insurance

A new national driving school which will link premiums to the level of training received by motorists is being set up by the motor insurer Hibernian.

Three schools in Letterkenny, Cork and Limerick are already in operation with up to 12 due to open by the end of the year. These will include schools based in Dublin, Galway and Carlow.

Michael Bannon, of Hibernian said the driving schools will use instructors from the Institute of Advanced Motorists who are compliant with the Road Safety Authority's standards for advanced driving instructors.

The move is in anticipation of a greater demand for lessons from qualified instructors as lessons become a compulsory part of preparation for a driving test under licensing reforms under consideration by the RSA and the Department of Transport.

By linking lessons to reduced premiums the driving schools also offer Hibernian a means to try and increase its estimated 25 per cent market share.

Mr Bannon said while the training was geared towards those learning to drive it would also cater for experienced drivers who want to improve their skills.

He said the children of motorists with a Hibernian policy could become a named driver for free for six months once they sign up for 10 lessons with the insurer's driving school.

Lessons will be in new, dual-control cars and will be recorded from inside the car and outside to allow the pupil watch how they tackled certain manoeuvers with their instructor on a laptop.

Hibernian says it sold more than 2,000 hours of lessons during a trial period, indicating strong demand. Over the next four to five years it expects the number of its driving schools to increase to around 50. It plans to have one close to each one available close to each driving test centre.

"It is not just for provisional drivers. We offer discounts of up to 35 per cent for life for licenced drivers who want to become advanced. Motorists can prepare for this test in our schools," he said.