Moray's driving instructors gear up for lessons restart
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LOCAL driving instructors geared up for the return of regular driving lessons with a gathering in Elgin at the weekend.
As Approved Driving Instructors (ADIs) were given the green light to resume lessons from today, August 24, around half of Moray's local instructors met at Elgin's Lossie Green car park on Sunday afternoon, August 23, for a socially-distanced photo shoot.
The event was organised as a catch up before hitting the roads again, but also to mark a turning point as Scotland maps its way out of the challenging circumstances presented by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The industry came to a sudden halt in March. Driving lessons continued throughout lockdown for key workers and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continued to test these workers in Scotland.
Spey Bay-based instructor Matt King, who is chairman of the Moray Association of Professional Driving Instructors, said there was good camaraderie between local ADIs and they were used to giving each other a wave out on the roads.
He added: "While we’ve been able to provide lessons for key workers, the majority of us had perhaps one or two on our books.
"Therefore, we’re all really excited to get back to lessons and to try to make some headway into the huge backlog of learners that has built up.
"We’re looking forward to seeing our learners from before lockdown started and we appreciate their patience. We're also excited to meet new customers."
Now operating a waiting list as lesson slots book up, Matt added: "We’ll be adhering to guidelines to reduce risk, track and trace procedures, masks will be worn in cars and interiors cleaned between lessons."
Driving tests will start again in Scotland on Monday, September 14, which will give learner drivers some time to have refresher lessons and practice before taking their test date.
Driving instructor testing and standards checks will also restart on September 14.
The DVSA has published guidance, on GOV.UK, for instructors and candidates outlining what they can expect on the day of their theory test and practical test.
