Message from our Patron, Quentin Willson

ADINJC has received the following message from our Patron, Quentin Willson, following the recent DVSA blog and press release on ADI conduct –

‘We shouldn’t be surprised. The cross hairs of political correctness were always going to fall on driving instructors. Last week, despite decades of teaching tens of millions of 17 year-olds to drive to the highest professional, ethical and moral standards, ADI’s were made to feel undeservedly grubby. The lumpen blog from the DVSA, rushed out in reaction to an ill-considered question in Parliament, helped nobody. Instead of saying that the amount of sexual exploitation within our industry is barely measurable and defending the decency and integrity of 39,000 ADIs, it allowed the media an opportunity to create the shamefully sensationalist storyline ‘was your driving instructor a pervert?’ The DVSA and the BBC really should know better.
For the record (and let’s hope somebody prints this) the dedication and professionalism of qualified driving instructors in this country is world-class and their relationship with young drivers is beyond reproach. Society doesn’t appreciate the massive life-saving contribution to road safety made by ADIs or their tireless dedication to driving education. To suggest an element of sexual exploitation within their ranks is mischievous and inaccurate. There’s no evidence to suggest there’s a level of inappropriate conduct that needs extra guidance and to allow the media to seed a false perception into the minds of the public without a robust defence has done the craft of driving instruction a grave disservice. So if you’re an ADI who feels hurt and insulted, take heart – right thinking parents and teens all over the UK appreciate and know the nobility and honour of your profession. Its a significant tragedy that the BBC and the government don’t.’

Quentin Willson

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