A shortage of qualified driving instructors, high lesson costs and long waiting times for driving tests are seeing more people turn to family members to help them learn to drive.

Recent research from The Green Insurer highlights some of the reasons as to why learner drivers are relying on family members to gain valuable driving practice before they pass their test.

The study found that almost one in three drivers had received instruction from a family member when learning to drive, with almost one in four (22 per cent) motorists saying they had had a combination of driving lessons from both a qualified driving instructor and a family member.  Seven per cent of motorists said that a parent or other family member had been their sole teacher.  Seven in 10 (71 per cent) had taken driving tuition from a qualified driving instructor.

Of those who had chosen to take lessons from a parent or other family relative, 49 per cent said that the high cost of driving lessons had been one of their main reasons. Two in three (66 per cent) liked the convenience of being able to take the car out for practice sessions anytime. With waits for a driving test at many UK centres at 20 weeks or more, one in five (19 per cent) said that driving sessions with family members had given them regular driving practice during their long wait for a driving test. Five per cent said that a shortage of qualified driving instructors had made them turn to family members for lessons.

Paul Baxter, CEO at The Green Insurer, said: “A combination of instructor shortages, high costs of driving lessons and a wait of several months to secure a test date is forcing many families to take a more active role in helping their children get the driving practice they need before taking their test.”