Is Your DAS Training Up to Standard?

Is Your DAS Training Up to Standard? Why 40% Still Fail the Assessment

Becoming a DAS instructor is a major milestone for any motorcycle trainer. It signals you are trusted to deliver the highest level of training in the licensing process. But with up to 40% of instructors failing their DAS assessment on the first attempt, there’s a clear problem in the industry: most are not being taught how to teach.

Many trainers simply step up from CBT without any structured development. They learn by watching others, mimic what they see, and then pass those habits on to the next generation of instructors. It creates a cycle of under-performing instruction, limited progress, and ultimately, higher risk to learner riders.

This isn’t about pointing fingers. It’s about raising the standard. The only way to raise the standard is by raising the standard of the motorcycle instructor would is delivering the training.

DAS Training Isn’t Just CBT with Bigger Bikes

The DAS assessment isn’t about how well you ride or whether you can keep up with a pupil. It’s about whether you can manage risk, plan structured lessons, and develop rider thinking in complex, higher-speed environments. The stakes are higher and the margin for error smaller.

Passing your DAS assessment means demonstrating real teaching skill, not just riding around and hoping for the best. Getting a trainee to follow you for mile after mile might seem like a good idea, but it is not a good teaching method. It’s lazy, unprofessional and an easy way to earn a days pay!

Trainers must be more Client Centred and have a good understanding of education and different methods of instruction. One size does not fit all and unfortunately many trainers have been trained bu the uneducated. The DVSA early assessment allows weak trainers to teach others trainer. A crazy loophole in the rules that is archaic and should have been changed many years ago.

Where Instructors Go Wrong

Most instructors fail their DAS assessment for one of three reasons:

1. Lack of structure: No clear objectives, poor use of briefing/debriefing, or lessons that feel improvised.
2. Poor risk management: Failing to predict, identify, or correct rider errors before they escalate.
3. Limited CCL (Client-Centred Learning): Falling into a one-way, command-style approach that alienates the learner and misses teachable moments.

Simon Hayes, owner of RMT Motorcycle Training said “None of this is about bad riding. It’s about poor teaching methods, if you don’t know what teaching methods are you need some education yourself.” This is the industry norm, most trainers do not have any teaching qualification other than a certificate issued by the DVSA after a 2 day or half day assessment.

This is not restricted to the motorcycle industry, it is across all training provider platforms. ADI’s (car instructors) are in the same boat, hence the poor test pass rate of around 40%, delivering under prepared students to test from poor training methods and a lack of professional guidance. The LGV side is even worse, as a HGV driver of three years, you can become a trainer of the biggest vehicles on the road without any qualifications at all.

No wonder road deaths are staying staggeringly high and why something needs to be done to address the situation.

A Professional Approach to Passing

Our DAS Assessment Course is built to fix these issues head-on. It’s not a box-ticking exercise. It’s an immersive training experience that helps you to:

• Understand the specific assessment criteria used by DVSA
• Create structured DAS lesson plans that work on real roads
• Balance risk, control, and freedom for your learner
• Apply adult education strategies to deliver better sessions
• Reframe your role from instructor to professional teacher

We show you how to teach, not just how to tell.

This is vital if you’re going to meet the demands of the Standards Check, which now applies equally to DAS instructors. The DVSA is no longer tolerating outdated, unstructured training methods and neither should you.

It’s Time to Stop the Cycle

Trainers are not born, they are trained and taught how to apply educational skills. Any DVSA assessment will expose anyone who hasn’t taken that training and development seriously.

If you want to operate at the highest level in this industry, you need more than a bike and a badge. You need an educational toolkit that allows you to pass your assessment, protect your learners and deliver education that truly makes a difference.

Is Your DAS Training Up to Standard?

To get the best start to pass the DVSA assessments, take a look at the wide range of training material in the shop to help you prepare.