Driving school car hit three times as impatient drivers cause havoc for learners and instructors

Colin Stenburge says his car has been hit from behind three times in five years as he gave lessons on roads in South Tyneside and Sunderland.

He says it is an issue which is becoming more common, with a number of driving instructors coming up against the same problem.

Mr Stenburge, from South Shields, who has been an instructor since 2010, said: “It’s awful, people see a learner driver and they overtake them, even if it’s not safe to do so. It’s frustrating.

“There have been times when we’ve been at junctions and people have assumed the learner driver is going to pull away and have gone straight into the back of the car.

“It happened on a lesson and the learner driver was shaking. He kept apologising when it wasn’t even his fault.

“It knocked his confidence. Not to mention the whiplash I have suffered over the years.”

Mr Stenburge says it’s not just the confidence of the learner drivers that 
is affected, but also his career.

He added: “When the repairs are being carried out on my car, I can’t just have any replacement car, it has to have dual pedals.

“This has a knock-on effect on my business. I need to be on the road to earn a living.”

He is now calling on motorists to take extra care when they come across a learner driver on the road.

He said: “Motorists really need to take more care when coming across a learner driver on the road – everyone was a learner at one time.”