Charity putting the brakes on abuse

A Wiltshire charity is calling for a law change to ensure learner drivers are protected from abuse.

FearFree's "Emergency Stop" campaign is calling for driving instructor to become a position of trust within the Sexual Offences Act (2003), insisting that if the law remains as it is, young people are at risk.

The charity says a loophole in the law needs to be closed, mandatory safeguarding training introduced for instructors and an independent complaints body for the driving instructor industry created.

CEO Debbie Beadle said: "We were seeing more and more cases of young people under 18 who were being either abused or stalked by their driving instructors.

"This compelled us to make sure that we did something about it."

The charity is adamant that driving lessons aren't inherently unsafe and that most instructors can be trusted.

But Ms Beadle tells us its still very concerning.

"The majority of people that go in to driving instructing are doing it for good reasons and are good people," she said. "But we've noticed that there is this loophole that people who want to potentially go and harm can become driving instructors and get access to young people alone, as well as having their phone number and address.

"It leaves them quite vulnerable to being abused."

Ms Beadle said driving is quite often a necessity in modern society and that every step to ensure learning to drive is safe must be taken.

The charity has launched a petition and is calling for us to help drive abuse out of society.

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