Finding qualified driving instructors to teach students in Southern Nevada is a problem according to a driving school owner and it’s causing a delay in scheduling student drivers.

The summer months are the busiest time for Kathy Kelly, owner of Safeway Driving School. However, a lack of driving instructors is forcing her to schedule students’ weeks and even a month out. An inconvenience for Cindy Stephens who did not anticipate the delay.

“The expectation is she was going to be driving next week and all on her own and doing well with it,” Stephen said. “The reality is, is that it's going to take some time.”

Stephens said she was informed there was a backup due to a shortage of driving instructors. A problem Kelly said is attributed to various reasons including a certain DMV requirement that is impacting her hiring process.

“There are rules and there are regulations because we are a school, I totally understand that,” Kelly said. “But the high school diploma thing is what really bothers me the most."

The DMV Drive School Instructor information requires the applicant to have received a high school diploma or equivalent. Kelly said she’s turned away more than half of potential applicants because of that stipulation.

“I understand the reason why because you're a teacher, basically, but when you hire someone in their 50s and 60s and they moved from state to state, they don't have those diplomas anymore,” Kelly said. “It's 5,6,8 weeks before they can even get a copy of it. They don't want to wait. "

Kelly and other driving school instructors noticed a decline in applicants post-COVID which is now causing student drivers like Paige Stephens, 19, to delay finishing her lessons to test for a license.

“I want my license very badly because I don't want my parents to have to take me everywhere,” Kelly said.