The Royal Automobile Club has thrown down the gauntlet to the Department for Education with a proposal that could fundamentally reshape how Britain teaches young people to drive – suggesting driving lessons should become part of the standard school curriculum alongside maths, English and science.
The intervention comes as the cost of learning to drive reaches record highs, with the RAC arguing that the current system creates a two-tier structure where affluent families can afford professional tuition whilst those on lower incomes struggle with the financial burden. Private driving lessons, combined with theory and practical test fees, now represent a significant expense that can exclude young people from poorer backgrounds from gaining what has become an essential life skill in much of the country.
Under the RAC's vision, secondary schools would integrate driver education into the standard timetable, delivered by qualified instructors rather than leaving families to navigate the private lesson market. This would not only democratise access to driving education but could establish more consistent teaching standards across the board – addressing the current postcode lottery where lesson quality varies dramatically between different instructors and driving schools.
The road safety implications are particularly compelling for policymakers. Young drivers aged 17-24 remain disproportionately represented in serious accidents, with inexperience and poor initial training often cited as contributing factors. A structured, curriculum-based approach could produce a generation of more competent drivers, potentially reducing the human and economic costs of road traffic incidents that currently burden the NHS and emergency services.
For parents, the proposal offers relief from what many describe as one of the most stressful aspects of raising teenagers. Rather than taking on the dual role of instructor and passenger – often leading to family tensions and inconsistent teaching – professional educators would handle this responsibility within established safeguarding and quality frameworks that schools already maintain.
However, the practical challenges are formidable. Schools are already grappling with curriculum pressures, funding constraints and teacher shortages. Integrating driving lessons would require substantial investment in qualified instructors, dual-control vehicles and insurance arrangements. The Department for Education would need to consider where driving lessons fit within existing statutory requirements and how to accommodate them without displacing other subjects.
The RAC's intervention opens a broader debate about schools' role in preparing young people for adult life beyond academic achievement. As policymakers weigh the proposal's merits, they must balance the potential benefits of improved road safety and social mobility against the practical realities of implementation and the competing demands on educational resources.