The Irish Road Safety Authority (RSA) has announced that they will impart a fine of €5,000 on anybody who is found to be giving driving lessons in the country without a full driving licence. The announcement comes after it was revealed that there were 200 reports of unlicenced driving instructors giving lessons since the introduction of mandatory accreditation last year.
There have been no prosecutions of any driving instructors or driving schools thus far, though some applicants have been refused due to an unsatisfactory record. A further 120 withdrew their own applications.
"Important criminal offences such as murder, manslaughter and sexual offences are taken into account when determining whether someone is a ‘fit and proper’ person to have their name entered on the register of approved driving instructors," a spokesman commented. "To date, two have been refused permission following a review by an independent appeals panel. One hundred and twenty have voluntarily withdrawn their application. Each application is currently dealt with on a case by case basis and risk assessment."
Under rules brought in on 30th April 2010, learner drives are entitled to ask to see the full accreditation of their driving instructor.