Can I resume driving lessons?

[anonymous-user]

Before lockdown I was teaching my son to drive. Given today’s relaxation of the rules, am I safe to take him back out again? Don’t want to incur the wrath of the law.

[WJNB]

No problem & don't forget a nice long drive of say many hundreds of miles as a form of eye test.

[pip t]

Technically probably not. I doubt it would fall under the current 'reasonable excuse.'

Nothing to stop you driving to and from an outdoor area for exercise or recreation though, with no limit on the distance to that. Your son is presumably from the same household, so can be in the car with you. So no reason why the L plates shouldn't be on the car and he shouldn't do the driving.

Essentially, don't go out 'for a driving lesson,' just go somewhere with him and let him do the driving.

Someone with more legal ability than I may well come along and give a better answer!

[Wilmslowboy]

I've started taking my daughter out (passed a few rozzers when out and not a peep from them).

We live in the same household, don't engage with any others, and stick to an approx 10-mile radius of the house.


I would say its safer, than us both going out for a bike ride togther, which has been permissible for weeks.

Happy to be corrected ??

[QBee]

Driving a car is a very good way of staying isolated.
You are not putting anyone else at risk, especially as you will not be stopping and getting out.
Good for her mental health, just not for your anxiety levels

[barian]

There are really two questions here. Is it a safe (i.e. very low risk) thing to do? Answer yes. Is it lawful? Probably not. I think it is very likely that you would get away with it, and even if stopped (which driving around displaying L plates might lead to) the worst that is likely to happen is that you would be told to stop. The point is that simple rules are always going to prohibit some things which can be done safely. So depends on how law abiding you feel.

[ric p]

My daughter was 17 at the start of April. Fortunately she applied for her Provisional before the DVLA stopped processing applications. We had lessons booked but these were cancelled.
However, in Sept she will be attending college at Hartbury, near Gloucester, and we are in Somerset. Her course will be unachievable without a driving licence to get there and back with kit (equine related - a hobby / career even more expensive and dangerous than daft cars!)
We have been out driving locally almost every day for an hour or so and even out to buy her a car (a rather nice blue Alfa Romeo Veloce that may get borrowed by me for the odd little trip). Passed many Police, none who have shown the slightest interest.
'Reasonable excuse'. yes as far as I am concerned for me and her due to the effect on her future education and opportunities vs the almost negligible risk. We live in the same household etc. And I'd be quite content to politely refuse a FPN and put my case. That said, no one has shown the slightest interest around our way and it is not as if you don't stand out with L plates!
Life must go on with people exercising some common sense and judgement. She and her age group are likely to be the most long term disadvantaged by a zero appetite to any risk. Contrast that with the large numbers of grey haired shoppers in Taunton on Friday, or the garden centres an the numbers visiting each other in our village without a care in the world. But that is another argument.