In Braunschweig new data on sexual misconduct during driving lessons were presented on 4 November 2026. The Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences presented the findings of an anonymous online survey. Around 10,000 young adults born between 2000 and 2009 had been invited by post to take part in June and July. A total of 928 people responded. The survey focused on the region, but the researchers say action is needed across Germany.
Respondents reported various forms of unwanted, sexualised behaviour in the context of driving lessons, ranging from suggestive jokes and comments and intrusive stares to unwanted physical contact, invitations to meet in private and sexually explicit messages. Forty-one per cent of the young women surveyed said they had experienced unpleasant jokes or comments; the figure for young men was 19 per cent. According to the survey, 68 per cent of reported incidents took place in the driving school car. Of those identified as perpetrators, 88.6 per cent were described as male, often estimated to be aged 41 or over. Twenty-three per cent of the women affected rated at least one incident as bad or very bad; the figure for men was 12.5 per cent.
One striking finding is the low rate of reporting: most people affected told neither the driving school nor the authorities. Reasons included believing the incident was not serious enough, a lack of evidence or expecting that reporting it would make no difference. The study was led by Prof. Olaf Lobermeier. He sees the findings as a clear indication of gaps in prevention, particularly in one-to-one situations during training.
The City of Braunschweig’s municipal equality officer and bib Youth Advice Service are calling for stronger safeguards for driving school students. The Lower Saxony Driving Instructors’ Association said it would use the findings in training and guidance. The Ostfalia researchers also emphasise the limits to how far the findings can be generalised: the data reflect experiences in and around Braunschweig and are based on self-selection by participants. Nevertheless, the patterns—incidents in driving school cars, a high proportion of male perpetrators and low reporting rates—point to structural risks that are not confined to one region.
The study was developed by the driving school working group of the Round Table on Sexualised Violence against Children and Young People, and carried out in collaboration with local authorities, advice services and driving schools. The findings were presented in the Great Council Chamber of the City of Braunschweig.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).