Police are warning learner drivers to ensure instructors are properly qualified, after roadside checks found some giving lessons were unlicensed.
The Metropolitan Police told the BBC that if people were not taught properly it could impact long-term road safety.
The Driving Standards Agency has undertaken 30 roadside operations since 2011 to target illegal instructors in England, Scotland and Wales.
On average a suspected illegal instructor is reported to it daily.
A qualified instructor will teach you skills which will set you off on your driving career, so you can be a safe driver for life, as opposed to someone who might just teach you skills which are very limited.
More than 41,000 approved and trainee driving instructors were working in England, Scotland and Wales in 2012-13, and all DSA-registered instructors giving lessons to learners have to display an in-date badge on their windscreen.
A green badge shows that the instructor is fully qualified and undergoes regular DSA checks.
A pink badge indicates a trainee who can teach for six months while acquiring teaching experience.
The badges should carry the instructor’s photograph, a unique reference number and an expiry date.
The police are also worried that illegal driving instructors may not have been through the obligatory criminal background checks
Learner drivers are now being urged to check their instructor’s qualifications before getting into the car.
