RSA awards certs to new instructors

THE FIRST approved driving instructors have been awarded their certificates. From the end of this year only driving instructors who are registered as Approved Driving Instructors (ADI) with the Road Safety Authority (RSA) will be permitted to provide driving instruction for reward.

As part of the registration process, applicants will have to show that they are tax compliant and will also face background checks by gardaí.

Speaking at the ceremony, RSA chairman Gay Byrne said: "This is a crucial building block in our work to make the roads safer. The quality of driving instruction in Ireland impacts directly on road safety and it is essential for a credible driving instruction industry that every instructor meets a minimum standard in terms of his/her ability to deliver instruction."

"By introducing the ADI standards and creating an Approved Driving Instructor Register, we are regulating more closely this vital industry to improve road safety," said Noel Brett, chief executive of the RSA. "By January 2009 every driving instructor must be registered with the RSA."

There are three parts to the ADI test: the driver theory test, the driving test and the instructor ability test.

Existing driving instructors have been given approximately 18 months to complete the test, but no allowance is being made for existing experience or training.

There are an estimated 2,000 instructors in the State, although this number is expected to rise sharply as driving lessons with a professional instructor become a requirement to gain a driver's licence.