MSA Newslink by Rob Beswick

MSA Newslink February 2013

MOTOR SCHOOLS ASSOCIATION

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Issue 248

The ADI’s Voice

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25/2/11 15:49:16

Great venue: Hellidon Lakes Hotel, Northamptonshire

DSA chief ready to face members at MSA Conference

HE MSA’s Annual Conference is fast approaching – we’re just finalising the details for what we are sure will be a superb event. Running from Friday, March 15 to Sunday, March 17, this year’s conference promises to be even bigger and better than previous events. At the heart of the weekend we have the MSA Training Day – a full day event packed full of information, advice and new insights into the world of driver testing and training. We’re delighted that the DSA chief

March 15-17, Hellidon Lakes, Northampton Prices start from just £40 executive, Rosemary Thew, has agreed to act as our keynote speaker – and will take part in a Q&A session with delegates that we’re sure will be a lively affair. This is your chance to put the head of the DSA on the spot, to ask those questions that have been keeping you awake at night and make your

contribution to the future direction of the industry in the UK. And there’s so much more on offer. The day will also feature a choice of workshops with subjects as diverse as alcohol and drug awareness, alternative business opportunities for ADIs, and thinking outside the box about coaching. Speakers will include Newslink columnist Sue McCormack and Tony Stanley, owner of AJS Training and a man with over 44 years’ experience of driver training. More on Conference - pg 18

Ashford ADIs in major win over parking After two years of talks between Ashford Borough Council (ABC) and Ashford Driving Instructors Association (ADIA), the ADIs’ group has secured a major concession after the council agreed to grant instructors special permits to conduct bay parking practice exercises on council premises.

See page 4

Service woe ADIs have been urged to stress

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Contents

This issue: Welcome to MSA EeziBuy – your new one-stop-shop for business suppliers The MSA has teamed up with PartnerSave to provide you with access to the EeziBuy procurement solution, especially designed to deliver real cash savings on key products and services to trade association members...

See page 16

Our strength lies in the name, says Ian McIntosh, the chief executive of RED Driving School, as he plans further growth for the company

See page 26 The humble UK driving licence has been in the news a lot recently, with three major announcements...

See page 8 Editor: John Lepine MBE t: 0161 429 9669 e: john.lepine@msagb.co.uk mail@msagb.co.uk f: 0161 429 9779 Motor Schools Association of Great Britain Ltd (MSA), 101 Wellington Road North, Stockport, Cheshire SK4 2LP The paper for this magazine has been sourced from sustainably managed forests and controlled sources. See www.pefc.org

MBE honour for ACDE Graham Shaw, Assistant Chief Driving Examiner at the DSA, has been awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours List 2013. His award is for services to motorcycle safety. MSA General Manager John Lepine said: “On behalf of the MSA I would like to offer our sincere congratulations to Graham, who is greatly respected by both the rider and driver trainer communities for the work he has done.” A keen motorcyclist both professionally and on a personal level, Graham has been involved in many motorcycle projects, including setting up the CBT (Compulsory Basic Training) management team, the Register of Post-Test Motorcycle Trainers (RPMT) and the ERS (Enhanced Rider Scheme) for qualified bikers. He currently works as part of the technical support team of the Operations Directorate, having worked at DSA’s head office for the last 14 years. Graham joined the Department for Transport in 1987. He is a former police officer and qualified road traffic accident investigator and specialist vehicle examiner.

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‘No privatisation’ argument has stood test of time

Newslink talks to... RED

ADI has to put learners in centre of the lesson Sue McCormack looks at the importance of establishing a good rapport with every learner – no matter how different they are from yourself

See page 20

‘The idea of privatising the DSA has been raised before... and its arguments didn’t hold water then, either...’

Letters, page 14 Are local authorities viewing traffic cameras as cash generators or road safety devices, asks Terry Pearce

Regional news, page 37

Production editor: Rob Beswick t: 0161 426 7957 e: rob@chambermediaservices.co.uk beswick@cssystems.net

Newslink is published monthly on behalf of the MSA and distributed to MSA members throughout Great Britain by Chamber Media Services, 4 West Park Road, Bramhall, Stockport, Cheshire SK7 3JX

Advertising contacts: Joanne Cantwell t: 0161 432 9717 e: joanne.cantwell@hotmail.com

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of material contained within this publication, neither the MSA nor the publishers can accept any responsibility for the veracity of claims made by contributors in either advertising or editorial content.

Colin Regan t: 01925 468403 e: colinregan001@yahoo.co.uk

Views expressed in Newslink are not necessarily those of the MSA.

DTC news

Mitcham expands off-road motorcycle training TRAINING at the motorcycle manoeuvring area (MMA) at Mitcham will be available all day, every Saturday and Sunday, as the DSA opens up its facilities to the industry. You’ll be able to book the MMA to use between 8.30am and 3pm. You can book using the DSA online business service if you’ve already signed the MMA Agreement. The service is available from 6am to midnight, 7 days a week. You can sign the MMA agreement in the DSA online business service if you haven’t already. The test centre address is: Mitcham driving test centre, Redhouse Road, Mitcham CR0 3AQ.

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News

ADIs urged to submit bid to run DDRS courses The application process for approval of Drink Drive Scheme Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS) courses has opened. This initial application period will close on 8 February 2013. You will be told if you have been successful, or not, in writing, week commencing the 25 March 2013. In the response to consultation report published in November 2012, DSA confirmed that: • a more rigorous course approval and quality assurance process will be introduced • the current minimum course fee will be dropped, allowing courses to offer better value for money • the cost of administration, compliance and quality assurance will be transferred from the taxpayer to the offender Successful new course approvals will take effect on 24 June 2013. Drink Drive Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS): what’s involved in getting course approval DSA announced on 8 January 2013 that you’ll be able to submit an application to have your DDRS course approved under new

arrangements from 14 January 2013. Being the provider of an approved course: What’s involved The courses: • are provided to offenders referred from the court for drink-driving offences • give training about the problems associated with their offence to reduce the likelihood that they’ll reoffend Course providers must get their course approved by DSA. Submitting a course for approval You’ll need to provide lots of information to DSA to prove that you can provide a DDRS course. This will include: • outlines of your course plans • how your course would fit with the DDRS syllabus and course guidance • details of each trainer you’d use to provide the course delivery, including their relevant experience and qualifications • proof that you could provide enough courses to meet demand within the geographic areas you’re seeking approval for

• the addresses of premises where training will be provided Fees You’ll have to pay a fee of: • £1,000 to DSA for each application for DDRS course approval • £7 to DSA for each offender who completes the DDRS course To keep fees affordable to the majority of offenders, you can only charge a maximum course fee of £250 to offenders.

To submit a course, your bids must be in by February 8

Want to know more?

You’ll need to read the following information if you’re interested in submitting a course for approval to DSA: DDRS: application for course approval see www.gov.uk/drink-driverehabilitation-scheme-ddrs-application-for-course-approval DDRS: course approval and quality assurance model – see www.gov.uk/ drink-drive-rehabilitation-scheme-ddrs-course-approval-and-qualityassurance-model Drink-drive rehabilitation syllabus – see www.gov.uk/drink-driverehabilitation-syllabus

MSA NEWSLINK : FEBRUARY 2013 : 03

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News

Ashford ADIs secure major deal over bay parking practice by Derek Goodwin After two years of talks between Ashford Borough Council (ABC) and Ashford Driving Instructors Association (ADIA), the ADIs’ group has secured a major concession after the council agreed to grant instructors permits to conduct bay parking practice exercises on council premises. ADIA chair Sally Simmons and secretary Derek Goodwin were invited for talks with the Council deputy leader Gerry Clarkson CBE and Mark Carty, the head of project services. The problems of teaching learners bay parking were discussed and Cllr Clarkson suggested the council could provide parking bays for the exclusive use of ADIA instructors free of charge to enable quality instruction in a safe environment. Various options were discussed in regard to their location and how best to ensure the process went ahead smoothly. It has taken six months of site meetings and talks with ABC officials, but in January a lease was signed on behalf of ADIA to ensure a five-year renewable tenancy agreement with ABC. Councillor Clarkson said: “Ashford Borough Council engages with all local business representatives to promote enterprise and new jobs. So we are delighted to have worked closely with the

Practising permitted: ADIs can apply to the local council for permission to use the designated parking bays

Ashford Driving Instructors Association to introduce a dedicated parking bay provision. “The scheme has provided six dedicated parking bays for learner drivers to practice within a large public car park and close to the driving test centre, which is located in the council’s Civic Centre. This helps our learners to prepare for their driving test in a realistic setting which will clearly be of benefit to learners as well as our local driving instructors. “I hope other progressive councils will consider introducing dedicated L-driver practice bays.” This agreement is legally binding between ABC and ADIA and both parties are keen to ensure that everyone involved works to make this unique opportunity provided by ABC worthwhile. Each member of ADIA was given the option of applying for a permit and council civil enforcement officers will be responsible for ensuring only those with permits are able to use the bays. The bays are just for bay parking practise with a short briefing session if necessary, but not for long-term parking. As a separate issue, prior to the move to the Civic Centre, Ashford Test Centre was set to close while another was found when their existing offices within the Inland Revenue were no longer able to be used. This was a very unpopular move with local instructors, who were faced with using other

centres. After several weeks of discussion a temporary site was set up in The Holiday Inn. Ashford was chosen as one of three sites exploring the use of private/council-owned facilities and as a result Ashford Test Centre is now housed within the council building and uses dedicated bays for the bay parking exercise. This move was not without its difficulties but now after initial teething and usage problems, the improved facilities within the council building, and access to the car park, are providing a much better environment for pupils, instructors and examiners. It is hoped that the good working relationship between ABC and ADIA will continue to be of benefit both to pupils and instructors; there is also the added bonus of pupils becoming used to negotiating busy car parks and paying respect to pedestrians who are constantly coming and going through the car park and Civic Centre complex.

Want to know more?

For more information on how the Ashford ADIs secured this major concession from their local council, contact Derek Goodwin via a.d.i.a@ntlworld.com

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New motorcycle rules coming into force New rules affecting motorcyclists in Great Britain were introduced from 19 January 2013. They include changes to motorcycles that can be ridden and the age riders have to be to ride them. The change also affects the rules for the motorcycle that can be used on practical riding test. If the candidate’s vehicle doesn’t meet the new rules their test will be cancelled and they will lose their test fee. The biggest change is to the minimum age to ride larger motorcycles, which has increased from 21 to 24 for riders with no previous experience of riding bikes. Their access to more powerful motorcycles will in future be staged subject to competence, age and previous experience. The new rules are outlined in the table (right). A video about the new rules has been created by the DSA, and can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=CVZP0VzIj_4 It is a short video – only three-and-a-half minutes, but is narrated in easy to understand, common sense language that should be accessible to all learners. The DSA allows ADIs to include the video on their own websites – using the embed code on YouTube. You’re also free to share it on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. The changes are being introduced into the UK as part of the changes under the third EU licensing directive. All official DSA Learning materials have been updated to reflect the new rules, including The Official DSA Guide to Riding - the essential skills and The Official DSA Guide to Learning to Ride. Both are available from the official TSO shop as well as usual high street stockists.

News

Motorcycle ratings Licence Vehicles you can ride Requirements for licence categ.

Minimum age

AM Mopeds with speed range of 25 km/h to 45 km/h

Compulsory basic training (CBT), theory test, practical test on all powered 2-wheeled moped

Small three-wheelers (up to 50cc and below 4 Kilowatt)

Compulsory basic training (CBT), theory test, practical test

Light quadricycles (weighing under 350 kg, top speed 45 km/h)

Compulsory basic training (CBT), theory test, practical test

Same as AM plus 2 or 3 wheeled mopeds with top speed of 25 km/h

Granted with AM

Small motorcycles up to 11 kW (and a power-to-weight ratio not more than 0.1 kW per kg) and 125 cc

Compulsory basic training (CBT), theory test, practical test

17 17

Motor tricycles with a power output not more than 15 kW

Compulsory basic training (CBT), theory test, practical test

Medium motorcycles up to 35 kW (and a power-to-weight ratio not more than 0.2 kW per kg), bike mustn’t be derived from vehicle more than twice its power

Direct access - theory and practical; staged access - two years experience on A1 motorcycle and a further practical test

Direct access - CBT theory and practical (you must be at least 24 years old); Progressive access route - held an A2 licence for a minimum of 2 years - practical test (21 or over)

24 (direct) or 21 (progressive access)

A Motorcycles unlimited in, size/power with or without a sidecar, and motor tricycles with power output over 15 kW

MSA NEWSLINK : FEBRUARY 2013 : 05

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News DTC news Thurrock to provide vocational tests after Purfleet closes Purfleet test centre is to close, but the DSA has announced that it will provide vocational tests from Thurrock, on the Roadtrain’s site. The last day of testing at Purfleet will be Tuesday, 26 March 2013. From Thursday, 4 April DSA will start testing from ‘Thurrock LGV’ which is based at Roadtrain’s premises. You’ll need to continue to select ‘Purfleet LGV’ until testing finishes at Purfleet at the end of March. Tests booked under ‘Purfleet LGV’ for 4 April onwards will automatically be transferred to Thurrock. The relocation is in response to VOSA’s decision to stop operations at Purfleet and use authorised testing facilities instead. This has meant that DSA needs to move off the shared Purfleet site. Roadtrain has already been operating as a customer site, hosting tests for their own customers. DSA has agreed a licence with them to operate a replacement test centre from their site. The Thurrock centre’s address is: Roadtrain, Burnley Road, off Oliver Road, West Thurrock, Essex RM20 3EY.

DSA delays closure of Chalfont Drive

The Nottingham (Chalfont Drive) driving test centre will remain open in February instead of moving to Beeston next month, as previously announced Car tests already booked in February will remain booked and will take place from the current test centre location of: Driving Test Centre Nottingham (Chalfont Drive), Block 6, Room F4, Government Buildings, Nottingham NG8 3RF The longer term plan is still to open a new centre in the Nottingham area, said the DSA. “We’ll let you know as soon as we’re able to confirm the operational date and details of the new test centre. “All test bookings will then be transferred to the new centre for the same date and time as the existing appointment. “We apologise for the short notice of this information and appreciate your patience and support during this relocation period.”

Want to know more? Register for updates on DTC closures and future openings with the DSA. See www.gov.uk/browse/driving

Halfords opens its doors to L-test candidates As reported in Newslink in November, the Government is pressing ahead with plans to offer practical driving tests from branches of Halfords. The first tests took place at the Halfords store in Wellingborough on Tuesday, 5 February, with other branches expected to start offering tests in coming months. The move is part of an initiative to offer a more local service for driving test candidates. As well as using conventional test centres, DSA is working with public and private sector partners to provide driving tests in areas that don’t have a local test centre. Road Safety Minister Stephen

Hammond said: “We are very pleased to be working with Halfords to provide a more local service for driving test candidates. “This is a great example of working with private sector partners to provide an important local service that is convenient as well as being cost effective.” Halfords Commercial Director, Paul McClenaghan, said: “Halfords is already a local destination for motorists, who come

to us for a diverse range of automotive products and services. “We’re always seeking new ways in which to enhance our offer, so working with the DSA is a natural fit for the business and extends the help we are able to provide to motorists.” The Government is currently consulting on proposals to improve the way all motoring services are delivered. The Motoring Services Strategy consultation outlines long term proposals to put customers firmly at the heart of the way motoring services are delivered, so that they best serve the consumer while getting the best possible deal for the taxpayer.

Councils given green light for more 20mph zones New guidance to help local authorities across England set speed limits has been published by Road Safety Minister Stephen Hammond. The updated guidance will help councils implement more consistent speed limits on local roads and incorporates recent changes that create more flexibility for authorities to implement 20mph limits and zones. Stephen Hammond said: “We want to see safe roads which meet the needs of everyone, so it is vital that councils have clear and consistent guidance to help them set appropriate speed limits on their roads. “Local councils should set speed limits based on their local knowledge and on the views of the community. That is why we have launched an online toolkit alongside our new guidance to help councils make the best decisions for their local areas.”

The new guidance has been published following an extensive consultation which was held last year, the results of which are on the DfT website. The online toolkit will enable local councils to calculate the potential costs and benefits of implementing new speed limits. The launch of this toolkit fulfils a commitment in the Department for Transport’s ‘Strategic Framework for Road Safety’ published in 2010.

Want to know more? See www.gov.uk/government/ consultations/consultation-of-revisionof-dfts-speed-limit-circular

At-work drivers still biggest concern People who drive for business purposes are a bigger threat than the general motorist, according to research by road safety charity Brake and Direct Line. Despite being on average more experienced drivers than those whose jobs don’t involve driving, at-work drivers admit to a litany of dangerous driving practices – texting, speeding and grooming at the wheel. Nearly a third (31 per cent) text while driving, one in six (17 per cent) admit to grooming, such as putting on make-up or shaving, while at the wheel, while three-quarters admit to speeding at more than 35mph in built up areas. Nearly a third (30 per cent) of journeys on our roads are made by drivers who are

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at work at the time. It is estimated these drivers are 30-40 per cent more likely to be in a crash than people driving on their own time. In Great Britain, 10 people are killed each week and 100 injured by people driving for work. Julie Townsend, Brake deputy chief executive, said: “It is appalling so many people who drive in a professional capacity are taking such horrendous and unnecessary risks, doing things we all know are unbelievably dangerous behind the wheel. “People who drive as part of their job should be taking great care to stay within the law and not put people in danger, but according to these results, at-work drivers are more likely to take many deadly risks

than other drivers. We are urging all employers to ensure they have comprehensive safe driving policies in place and that staff know the importance of not speeding or driving distracted. Anyone who drives for work needs to make a commitment to stay within speed limits and stay off the phone.” Commenting on the survey, MSA general manager John Lepine pointed out that these errors left a clear role for ADIs who wish to conduct fleet training to improve standards of at-work drivers. “Committed ADIs with the necessary skills can have a major impact on driving behaviour by working with companies who are concerned about the standard of driving of their employees.”

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News

Humble driving licence takes to the centre stage • New European licence launched ‘to boost road safety’ • Government promises to close loopholes over licence exchanges • DVLA wakes up to expired photocards

Want to know more? More details the new licences can be found at www.gov.uk/ changes -to-thedriving-licenceand-categories

As widely reported in previous issues of Newslink, 19 January saw the introduction of a European driving licence as part of the third EU Driving Licence Directive. The new credit-card style format will replace some 100 paper and plastic models currently in use by more than 300 million drivers across the EU. The licence will, its originators claim, stop citizens, police forces and those responsible for the issuing of driving licences becoming confused by conflicting rules in different countries, and should help prevent criminals producing fraudulent driving licences. It is also hoped to make it easier for countries to accept driving licences issued by other member states and let people living in these countries move more freely around Europe. “This will be a major advance in improving road safety across the EU, allowing enforcement bodies to ensure unsafe drivers are kept off the roads,” said a spokesperson for the EU. However, while creating a single European licence does no harm, any claims that it will improve road safety appear wide of the mark, says MSA general manager John Lepine: “This is a great idea on paper – or should that be credit card-sized piece of plastic – but for it to work we would need to know that all police authorities share data on drivers at every level. “This does not happen. A British driver who is stopped for speeding in Latvia is unlikely to find that information filtering its way back to the DVLA, and vica versa. Equally, a drinkdriving conviction by a Polish worker in the UK will not stop him driving in his home country.” It is not clear whether this ‘European-wide’ licence is actually that, either.

EU’s new licence benefits queried as agencies refuse to share key data “For a driving licence to be truly European wide, it should be created in one country and then be totally transportable. Where you live within the EU should be immaterial,” added John. “However, if you have a UK licence issued by the DVLA, and then move to live in France, for example, you cannot simply request that the DVLA changes your address on the licence, which would be the case on a truly panEuropean licence. Instead you have to apply for a French licence as the DVLA cannot issue licences to people who don’t live in the UK.” He was sceptical of any benefits. “It sounds good to politicians but it will not ensure drivers are trained and tested to our own rigorous standard, nor will it improve road safety by lifting the problems of poor driving or reducing the risk-taking elements that too many young

and new drivers succumb too across Europe.” All new driving licences will now be issued in the new format, with existing licences switched to the new format when drivers notify a change, exchange or renew their licence. All vehicle categories will be shown on the back of your licence with dates shown against those you are entitled to drive. Drivers will not be entitled to drive any category of vehicle that has lines shown instead of dates. Drivers will keep entitlements from when they passed their driving test and the types of vehicles that applied at that time. To learn to drive or pass a test to drive additional vehicles on or after 19 January 2013, drivers will have to meet any new minimum age limits, and the entitlement they receive will be as described under the new rules.

At last! DVLA wakes up to expired photocards THE DVLA has finally decided to get tough with motorists who fail to update their photocard driving licence. As reported in recent issues of Newslink, ADIs have become increasingly concerned about this issue, with some questioning whether they should accompany drivers with out of date licences, particularly on driver rehabilitation courses, and whether carrying an expired photocard invalidated insurance. What was also frustrating was that while this was clearly a growing problem, with nearly two million motorists believed to be holding an expired licence, the DVLA was doing nothing to enforce renewals. Motorists received a single letter to inform them of the need to update, but despite having the power to issue a fine of up to £1,000 for non-compliance with this regulation,

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had yet to issue a single prosecution as far as the MSA could ascertain. However, the MSA’s pressing, along with that from other parties, has clearly brought the issue to a head and prompted the DVLA to act. The DVLA issued the following statement: “Many drivers face a fine of £1,000 if they fail to update their photocard driving licences. We started issuing photocard licences 15 years ago and more than 30 million drivers now have one. These are usually valid for 10 years and there is a legal requirement for drivers to renew the photograph at the same time as they renew their licence.” “Should a motorist be pulled over by the police, who then discover that the photo and licence is out of date, they could be liable to a fine of up to £1,000.” Even failing to notify the DVLA that you have

changed address could be costly. Photocard driving licences are set to become mandatory in 2015, when paper licences are officially phased out. Victoria Ford from the DVLA said updating the photograph was necessary. “Appearances can change and it is important that photocard licences are updated every 10 years to ensure the police and other enforcement agencies have the best possible photograph to help them correctly identify whether a driving licence is being used fraudulently,” she says. “This helps prevent driving licence impersonation, stopping disqualified drivers taking to our roads.” Recent research from LV Car Insurance shows that nearly a fifth of drivers had no idea when their licence would run out, even though the expiry date is shown on the front of the licence.

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News

Hammond gets tough on licence exchanges 3 Foreign drivers must prove they have passed an appropriate driving test before receiving a British licence under tough new rules announced by Road Safety Minister Stephen Hammond. An inconsistency in the law meant that previously some non-EU drivers were able to exchange their licence without proving that the necessary standards to drive in this country had been met. The change in law means requests to exchange driving licences from outside the EU will only be accepted if the licence holder can prove they passed a driving test in a country where the testing standards are comparable with those in Britain. It came into effect on 11 January. The move comes at a time when the numbers of drivers exchanging licences stands at an all-time high. As reported in December’s Newslink, over one million foreign drivers have exchanged their driving licences for a UK one since 1997, over 83,000 of which took place in 2011. One particular area of concern has been Hong Kong, whose licences are accepted for immediate exchange for a UK one. However, it appears obtaining a Hong Kong licence is very easy from countries with which the UK does not have an exchange agreement, such as India, amid allegations of fraud and bribes being paid. Stephen Hammond said: “The UK’s roads are

among the safest in the world, thanks in part to the rigorous standards demanded by our driving test. By closing this loophole we will not only make Britain’s roads even safer, but will help tackle fraud and level the playing field for British drivers who spend time and money learning to drive at the standard required in the UK. “It is obvious to everyone that drivers who have not been through a rigorous driving test will not be as safe as those who have. This change in the law will mean we can be sure that any foreign drivers exchanging their licence here have already passed a test of a similar standard to ours.” The law will now make clear that the licence to be exchanged will only be issued on the basis that the driver has met the appropriate standards to drive in this country. All driving licences issued by an EU state allow that driver to drive in any part of the EU and there is no need for them to exchange their licences. This does not apply to drivers outside Europe but arrangements are in place with 15 countries that allow drivers to exchange their licences for a Great Britain one. They do not need to take any additional driving tests as DVLA recognises that the licence they hold proves that they have already met the appropriate standards to drive in this country. In addition to the obvious road safety problems

Stephen Hammond MP

created by unqualified drivers taking to the UK’s roads, this move closes a worrying loophole which had been exploited by criminal gangs who used UK driving licences as an identity document to open a bank account, prove age or gain credit. An investigation by the BBC has exposed this alarming problem. Professor Richard Aldrich, a terrorism and security expert from Warwick University, said: “I was really delighted that the Government seems to be responding to the BBC investigation because this was a serious gap in the wire in terms of our security. “A driving licence is effectively an ID card in the UK and can be used for a range of significant purposes including boarding a domestic aircraft, taking out a loan and even gaining entry as a visitor to a Government building.”

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Comment: DSA’s view

DSA has six steps planned to reform our driver services ROSEMARY THEW Chief Executive, DSA

The Department for Transport (DfT) has launched a consultation on proposals to reform motoring services such as driving tests and vehicle licensing. The consultation outlines broad reform proposals for the four motoring services agencies: • Driving Standards Agency (DSA) • Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) • Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) • Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) The consultation proposes rationalising the number of agencies and bodies, and working with a broader range of partners to deliver services. The aim is to put customers at the heart of the way motoring services are delivered so that they best serve the consumer while getting the best possible deal for the taxpayer. The Department is proposing six key actions: • maximise the digital delivery of services • reform VCA so it can grow and contribute more to the wider economy • bringing the driving test closer to the customer • transform HGV, bus and coach testing by expanding joint ventures and collaboration with private sector providers, and reducing the number of Government-owned test stations • delivering better customer services through dialogue with customers • rationalise the number of agencies and reconfigure our organisations to reduce cost and improve consistency Read the full consultation document on GOV. UK. You can respond to the consultation using Citizen Space. It will run until 7 March 2013. Cancelled tests Staff in the agency’s deployment section battled to re-schedule tests cancelled as driving rain, sleet and snow swept the country in January. I would like to remind ADIs that out-of-pocket expenses cannot be claimed by test candidates if their practical driving tests are cancelled because of bad weather. Their tests will automatically be re-booked at no further cost but expenses incurred preparing for the test, such as a lesson beforehand or loss of earnings, will not be paid for by the agency. A similar policy applies if the agency cancels a test at short notice because of poor light, or vehicle or driver problems, such as the candidate feeling

10 : FEBRUARY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK

DDR courses The agency has confirmed plans to improve Drink-Drive Rehabilitation (DDR) courses following a public consultation. In its response to the consultation, DSA has confirmed that: • a more rigorous course approval and quality assurance process will be introduced • the current minimum course fee will be dropped, allowing courses to offer better value for money • the cost of administration, compliance and quality assurance will be transferred from the taxpayer to the offender.

unwell during the test. However, candidates may be able to claim out of pocket expenses if their test is cancelled by the agency with fewer than three clear working days notice for other reasons. An out of pocket application form and further information on cancelled tests are available at GOV. UK at https://www.gov.uk/practical-driving-testfor-cars/cancelled-or-stopped-tests-and-badweather New Licences New driving licences are being introduced to comply with new European Union rules which come into force on Saturday, 19 January 2013. The new-style licence will look different to the current one. All vehicle categories will be listed on the back of the licence with dates against those the licence holder is entitled to drive. Below are some of the main changes that will be on the new licence: • all dates will be shown as DD.MM.YYYY • categories shown will be separated by a slash • the date in 4b will show the licence expiry date • all vehicle categories will be listed on the back of the new licence • the expiry date of the entitlement will be shown against the category.

Applications to become a DDR training provider From 14 January 2013, people have six weeks in which to apply to provide drink-drive rehabilitation courses under the new arrangements. Members have until the end of February to apply to provide drink-drive rehabilitation courses under the new arrangements

Improving check tests The agency is developing proposals to improve ADI check tests and better align them with the ‘National driver and rider training standard.’ The aim is to provide a more realistic assessment and a more rounded evaluation of the ADI’s ability to teach. We are considering: • introducing a new assessment form to help provide a competency record of the instruction provided and • removing the option of the examiner playing the role of a learner during the assessment to ensure a more realistic scenario with a real pupil. The agency is planning to consult on this, along with other proposals such as replacing the trainee licence with a trainee exemption so that trainee instructors must be accompanied by an ADI when they are giving paid instruction, improving existing ADI qualification tests and introducing a vocational qualification for potential driving instructors. MBE for Graham Shaw Assistant Chief Driving Examiner Graham Shaw has been made an MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in the Queen’s New Year Honours list for his contribution to motorcycle safety. A keen motorcyclist both professionally and on a personal level, Graham has been involved in many motorcycle projects, including setting up the CBT (Compulsory Basic Training) management team, the Register of Post Test Motorcycle Trainers (RPMT) and the ERS (Enhanced Rider Scheme) for qualified bikers. Graham currently works as part of the technical support team of the Operations Directorate. He has worked at DSA’s head office for the last 14 years and recently took partial-retirement. Graham joined the Department for Transport in 1987. He is a former police officer and qualified road traffic accident investigator and specialist vehicle examiner.

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Comment: Letters

JOHN LEPINE MBE General Manager, MSA

Come on down to the Conference This issue of Newslink contains full details of this year’s MSA National Conference and Training Day. I do hope that as many readers as possible will make the effort to come along and take part in the event. The main conference day is on Saturday, 16 March and I can promise you an interesting, entertaining and informative day which must be about the keenest priced one-day event in the industry. Priced at £40 for MSA members, this event really does represent fantastic value for money. The support of sponsors and conference partners enables us to keep the cost to delegates at an absolute minimum and there are no business interests or sponsors looking to make a profit from the event. Even if we do create a surplus it all goes back into the association’s coffers to support the MSA’s work and its members. If you fancy treating yourself to a night or two in a four-star hotel then book some accommodation too, and join us for the social events. The chances for ADIs to meet each other and socialise are few and far between these days. Enjoying some down-time with like-minded colleagues is valuable and informative. I hope to see you at Hellidon Lakes

You’ve got to laugh

Like most readers I get the odd joke sent to me via email; some are rubbish, some are quite amusing and then every once in a while there is one that simply seems to hit the spot… A lady was working in her garden when she was startled by a car that came crashing through the hedge and ended up in the middle of her front lawn. She rushed to assist an elderly gentleman who was clambering out of the driving seat. Fortunately he was not badly hurt and she helped him from the car and sat him down in order that he could recover his composure. Once he had got his breath back she said to him; “You appear quite elderly to be driving.” “Well, yes, I am,” he replied proudly. “I’ll be 97 next month, and I am now old enough that I don’t even need a driving licence anymore.” “Are you sure you don’t need a licence,” asked the lady. “Yes,” replied the gent. “The last time I went to my doctor, he examined me and asked if I had a driving licence. I told him yes and handed it to him. He took some scissors out of a drawer, cut the licence into pieces and threw them in the bin, saying; ‘You won’t need this anymore,’ – so I thanked him and left!”

12 : FEBRUARY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK

Newslink Postbag. We welcome contributions from our members. Would all contributors please remember that Newslink cannot publish letters anonymously. Pen names will be used to protect the identity of the author if necessary. Please address all correspondence to The Editor, Newslink, 101 Wellington Road North, Stockport, Cheshire SK4 2LP. Letters can also be sent by email, to mail@msagb.co.uk

Arguments against New car design has privatisation have been a signal failure stood test of time Dear Sir, In the January issue of Newslink you asked for members’ thoughts on the possible privatisation of the driving test. It is, of course, difficult to discuss this in any meaningful way because its sole justification appears to be based on political dogma, rather than logic – a sort of political “when did you stop beating your wife” rationale. If, as you suggest, the DSA was not consulted prior to the consultation, then precious little thought will have been given to the practicalities of contracting out driver testing to the private sector. ADIs with long memories may just recall that back in the early 1990s, the Cabinet Office published a long list of public sector functions/organisations that were candidates for abolition; among these was the ADI Register. The list was not compiled by the Cabinet Office but supplied by the right-wing think tank, the Institute of Directors. Alarmed by this, a number of senior figures in the industry such as Barbara Rogers attempted to find out why the Register had been included. They ascertained that the IoD didn’t actually know what the ADI Register did but included it merely because it appeared to restrict free competition. Political dogma again, you see. Given the paranoia about identity fraud that exists in Government circles, it is difficult to understand how contracting out driving tests could be acceptable, especially as, as you point out, a previous Conservative Secretary of State for Transport stated that he could not be satisfied that fair and uniform standards of testing could be secured without disproportionate enforcement arrangements. How much more vital, then, is the security of the testing system with the addition of concerns over identity fraud. What price corruption? At the very least, one would have expected an explanation as to why the previous conclusion was no longer valid. One suspects that those who put the “consultation” document together were probably unaware of its existence. The law requires that there is a uniform test. A previous Chief Driving Examiner once stated that he could not guarantee this if testing was carried out on a Sunday. Equally, how could this be guaranteed if the practical test was to be the responsibility of a number of different organisations? It is said that the NHS is now very much a post code lottery. Do we want the driving test to be the same? Brian Austin ADI Registrar (retired)

Dear Sir Am I alone as an ADI in getting wound up about not only the lack of signal use but also visibility of signals on modern cars? It seems that style and, perhaps, cost of manufacture could be compromising road safety. Front indicators are part of headlamp assembly on most cars which means a driver has to look right into dipped beam to try to see if an approaching car is intending to turn. The problem is just as bad from the back where indicator lights are buried in the brake lights (Volkswagens are, in my opinion, particularly bad in this respect). Ideally, mirror, signal before braking, but how many drivers actually do that? It would be interesting to know if rear end accidents have gone up and if VWs are prone to this more than others. Has anyone else noticed this? Nicky Corke Lincolnshire

LPG’s the fuel for me, too Dear Sir, I just wanted to say that I fully endorse everything that Stephen Bell and, in January, Rob Beswick, said in recent Newslinks about running a vehicle on LPG. I have had a Ford Focus dual-fuel since November 2004, bought at a very competitive price, brand new off the forecourt as it had been registered in 2003 and not sold. I have been very, very pleased with it, but as Rob pointed out in his article, even in a factory-fitted system the spare wheel chamber holds the gas tank! I insisted on the garage supplying me with a proper spare wheel as, even on a lesson, a puncture may occur and changing a wheel is not necessarily a bad thing to cover – especially if the student was the cause by clipping the kerb.They will take more care in future! When I first bought my Focus, the saving on fuel more than covered the £300 per month loan to purchase the car. The only problem since then has been my reluctance to use petrol, coupled with the unwillingness of manufacturers to continue making this version of dual fuelled vehicles, meaning that I am still on the same car - over 200,00 miles down the road. However, when my petrol automatic was retired and I bought a pre-owned automatic C3 I was appalled at the cost of petrol, and invested £1,200 to have it converted, as the Megane was in Rob’s article. I am very pleased with the result, having used a very good converter (Autogas UK Exeter) which was nearly on my doorstep. The C3 was supplied with a ‘small’ spare wheel so I had a full size one included in the purchase, since that is no

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Comment: Letters

Future fuel for ADIs? A Megane boot, complete with LPG fuel tank after a retrofit

use on test. As a result, the LPG ‘donut’ tank is slightly oversized for my tailgate, leaving a rather uneven floorpan. It does not bother me. However, if any of our readers are considering either having existing cars converted, or perhaps buying one that someone else has converted, they should be aware that there is a small amount of paperwork to be dealt with. First, the car must be properly registered, and this should be done by the converter. If you are buying one previously converted you can check by going online to: http://www.drivelpg.co.uk where a link for your reg no will be available. If it has not been registered, don’t consider buying a second-hand one without this being rectified. This online registration replaces the old paper certificate – important for Insurance purposes. Second, you have to inform your insurer since this is a modification to the original spec for the car. Third, your V5c (Log book) needs to be adjusted to reflect the new fuel system. This (being a Government department) is not entirely straightforward, as you can ONLY do it when the car is due for a new tax disc which also needs to show the new

status. You have to send the old V5C off with a covering letter and a copy of the converter’s paperwork (or a print off from the drivelpg webpage), asking for the car to have its paperwork brought up to date. As far as servicing goes, it is important to take up the post-fitting checks by your converter - even if the vehicle appears to be running well, as they will be able to diagnose any problems before they show up. It will also need a periodic once-over by them, even if you choose to have the normal servicing done by your usual garage. In the case of my Ford, just about everything from headlight bulbs to plugs and head gasketts have been a different order number from the ‘normal’ Focus, which gave my local Main Dealer some headaches to begin with, but they now search for parts using the chassis number to prevent problems! That will not happen with the C3 as it is a retro fit. On cold mornings, when other cars are pumping out clouds of dubious vapour it is good to reflect that the by-product of burning LPG is water vapour. I shall certainly have future cars converted. Meg Privett DipDI Feniton, Honiton

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Comment: Letters

New project needs Grade 6 ADIs Dear Sir I am currently undertaking R&D around a project, as yet still in its infancy, concerning a new advanced driver training establishment. I am hoping to open a dialogue with Grade 6 ADIs who have high-performance experience and might be interested in working on nationwide projects on a sub-contract basis. I would like to invite any Newslink readers who would like their details to be considered for this type of work to email their CV, including ADI number, date of qualification, their location and all other relevant information (including particular areas of expertise) to me at adi@highperformancedrivingacademy.com The responses will dictate aspects of the project’s development which, once established, could provide an income stream for suitably qualified driver trainers. Jonathan Clarke Middlesex

MoD work available for instructors Dear Sir I am an ADI and the owner of AcciDONT Ltd, one of the largest suppliers of driver training to MoD. As a company we manage the training of over 5,000 members of the armed services per year, mostly Cat B and B+E with a limited number of D1, C and C+E. I have a regular supply of students in various locations including Larkhill and Middle Wallop (near Andover), Worthy Down (near Winchester), Bordon in Hampshire and at several locations in and around the Aldershot / Farnborough / Camberly area. In addition we are tendering for work from North Yorkshire to Devon. If any of your members are interested in gaining further information, I would be obliged if they could contact Martyn at Deepcut on 01252 838 708 or by email dtws@accidont.co.uk Simon Johnston Director, AcciDON’T Ltd

A trip to Cheshire doesn’t disappoint Dear Sir Returning to the subject of shared roads (once again), Dave Evans’ report from the contentious Poynton shared space scheme spurred me into action (Newslink January 2013), so much so that I had to view the scheme for myself; nothing beats a site visit. Having been to an AIRSO meeting in Oxford, I broke my return journey at Stockton. Having a scientific disposition I was prepared to change my mind if I found the facts justified it. Although most attention is paid to the junction in Poynton it is the approach roads that play an essential part in setting the scene. The street furniture together with subtle shading of bricks on the road, pavement and crossings announce to drivers – ‘this is something different’. The sign on entry ‘Give Way To All’ confirms that difference. I drove through the junction a number of times

14 : FEBRUARY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK

without problem. To return I used a nearby miniroundabout to perform a U-turn. In the spirit of the area I made the turn, watching for traffic from the left, because I may have had priority but I was performing an unusual manoeuvre. I then explored on foot. Crossing the road was no problem for me or the many elderly people who seemed comfortable crossing the road and were able to size-up traffic that was prepared to stop and those which would not. In that respect they were far superior to a cyclist on the recent BBC programme War on Britain’s Roads, who allowed himself to crash into a car which was not giving way to him on a roundabout. Had he the eye of an experienced driver he would have seen the car was not slowing at all as it approached the roundabout. As Dave Pepperdine said previously, “It’s no use having ‘I had right of way’ written across your headstone”. I was disappointed that at both ‘roundabouts’ drivers had imposed the ‘give way to the right’ rule despite the fact that there are no give way lines. I would have preferred a ‘merge in turn’ practice. On one occasion a lorry and two cars who were rotating managed to briefly cause gridlock themselves but that was due to poor planning not the layout. During my observations I saw no crashes or near misses; I wonder if the clashes reported by Rob Ridley and Dave Evans were really due to the junction layout or just due to bad driving which could have arisen anywhere. While filming the process I caught sight of a van driver on his mobile. I could not resist tracking him with the camera, which made him self-conscious, causing him to lose the phone. His anxious look was tinged with incredulity; I could see he was thinking, ‘Surely they are not using plain clothes policemen to gather evidence who are almost the same age as Jack Warner from Dixon on Dock Green’ . Passive filming has a more positive outcome than shouting. One good piece of advice, which came from the BBC programme, was from one of the wiser cyclists: “Banging on someone’s window – how do you think that is going to end? Do you think the driver will get out and say, ‘I didn’t realise I cut you up, here shake my hand’.” No, as was seen they will punch you. I apologise to Dave Evans for some woolly writing. When I said cyclists do not need a brain I was addressing a driving audience. Had I been talking to cyclists I would have urged them not to rely on drivers for their safety. Drivers have a licence, which should prove that they are the ones who must have the capability to avoid dangerous situations caused by others, if not to avoid a crash at least to mitigate the damage and injuries. From my observations drivers waste too much time being taken by surprise because they assume that other road users have a similar mind set to themselves. But as I say, cyclists do not have a licence which would have proved that they had had some training, so drivers must expect them to act differently without complaint. I don’t like the current dismissive phrase but on this occasion it seems appropriate – deal with it. Recently, and for the first time in ages, the traffic

lights at the end of my road were switched off. I was struck by how much less traffic there seemed to be, which resulted in no queuing; time and fuel was obviously being saved. The co-operation evident in Poynton was also apparent in my district of Morningside. However, one sheep-like driver did stop at the line waiting for a light, any light, to tell her what to do. I told her carefully that she should treat it as a give way junction, from any direction. Any instructor will know how carefully you have to advise a novice about undue hesitancy because of the natural reaction to injudiciously dash away next time. By way of contrast one driver, like a goat, just pushed his way through; perhaps he saw a green light in his imagination. But again, it is up to drivers to deal with the good, bad and indifferent; road users are individuals and should not be treated as if they were identical to each other. My sat-nav is very accurate but it makes some mistakes which makes me check the information. Drivers must think for themselves. Stories of drivers being told to turn, when turning involves falling into a dock, are legion. This controversy over Poynton has a broader aspect, which is do we want drivers to be able to think for themselves or give them more electronic devices, such as radar which detects conflict with other road users and automatically slows them? Stephen Haley, who wrote the most impressive book on driving, prefers thinking drivers: “Relying on rules becomes reckless if it paralyses your proper thinking and judgement; we should never become ‘lost without rules’. Make your own decisions and take responsibility for what you do.” He also said, “Anticipation, at the expert level, can be like psychic powers”. When this book is made into a series on BBC television it will become such a benchmark that no TV production company will ever dare to inflict on us such vacuous programmes as War on Britain’s Roads again. We just need to ask them for it again and again. If cooking biscuits can be taken seriously so can driving; the knowledge of one saves more lives than the other. Stanley McWhirter Edinburgh

“Relying on rules becomes reckless if it paralyses your proper thinking and judgement; we should never become ‘lost without rules’. Make your own decisions and take responsibility for what you do.”

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700 NEW Eco-Friendly Audi A3’s Established in North Yorkshire over 20 years ago, this family run business has always focused on a good deal at a fair price and, as a result, has grown to become the UK’s second largest ADIonly driving school. Instructors joining the Bill Plant National Driving School are expected to be of the highest quality, they can also enjoy the added job satisfaction which comes with a package that is second to none.

The Premier driving school have placed an order for 700 new diesel-powered Audi A3 1.6 TDI SE 5dr vehicles in addition to the current fleet, arguably the premier driving instructor vehicle within the UK, giving every instructor the opportunity to teach in one of the best-equipped and well-made vehicles in its class on the roads today. The cars are renowned for ergonomic design with the driver in mind, with controls and dials all placed to be easily reached or read. However, company general manager Jake Plant said the cars’ green credentials are equally impressive. “The Audi range offers fantastic fuel economy, which helps us cut costs and ensures we can continue to offer lessons at such competitive rates,” he

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Membership Offers

Beat the downturn: save money on a host of key services with MSA EeziBuy The MSA has teamed up with PartnerSave to provide you with access to the EeziBuy procurement solution, especially designed to deliver real cash savings on key products and services to trade association members.

Special deal at Halfords To see what’s on offer couldn’t be simpler: just go to www.MSA.eezibuy.co.uk – and register with the MSA/EeziBuy portal Why have we formed this partnership? More than 20,000 UK companies went to the wall last year, many the victims of soaring costs and tight credit conditions. This was a seven per cent increase over the previous year – which was already a very dark year for corporate insolvencies – and doesn’t include all those failed companies that have simply ‘ceased to trade’. Overhead costs in particular have increased enormously in recent years, with this class of business expense escalating by nearly 25 per cent over the past five years. In some specific operating expenditure categories, such as energy and transport, the percentage inflation rate has been well above this average figure and this has hit small businesses particularly hard. While there is nothing the MSA can do to govern global price trends we do know that the best way for companies to control soaring overhead costs is to buy smarter. This is why we have brought the MSA EeziBuy service to our members. The MSA EeziBuy service is your shortcut to saving you time, money and aggravation, leaving you to get on with running your business, satisfying your customers and generating income. Benefits: Your business convenience store - MSA EeziBuy provides you with a one-stop-shop for a wide range of common business expenses saving you time and aggravation.

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Easy to use - designed for simplicity, MSA EeziBuy allows you to get on with managing your business. Free of charge - as an MSA member it doesn’t cost you a penny to use MSA EeziBuy, so give it a try. You’ve nothing to lose and much to gain. Special Offers - check out our Special Offers page where you can pick up some great deals and discounts. How to use MSA EeziBuy First you must register at www.MSA.eezibuy.co.uk/ register/php. Your MSA membership will then be verified and you will receive access to the portal within 48 hours. Once you have received confirm-ation of your registration, simply go to the log-in page at www.eezibuy.co.uk/MSA/log_in.php then simply click the ‘Offers’ button and choose the category(s) of interest from the black navigation bar. Then for more information or to place an order simply click on the appropriate banner which will then take you directly to the supplier’s website. What categories of goods and services are available? There are dozens of categories of goods and services available, including printing, software, hotels and telecoms. See the panel for a fuller list. Now it’s up to you to take advantage of some great offers. MSA EeziBuy suppliers offer an excellent combination of price, service and quality for your company, covering a wide range of business services. There is no commitment or charge, just a real opportunity to get the best value-for-money packages for your business. We hope you ﬁnd it beneﬁcial. Any questions please email PartnerSave at enquiries@partnersave.co.uk or call 01524 782830.

MSA members can save up to 15% on servicing at Halfords Autocentres – and there’s a third off MoTs, too, and five per cent off repairs.

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Safeguard your family now! Financial security for your loved ones in the event of your death - with cover at a special rate Through the MSA’s relationship with HMCA, we are able to offer the following exclusive offer for members.

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Ensure that there will be enough money available for your family to pay the urgent bills if you die suddenly from any cause. Safeguard your family now by joining the HMCA Term Life Plan.

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The plan is a ten-year term life plan which provides £25,000 in the event of death due to any cause. This plan has no surrender value or investment content. Cover of up to £100,000 is available on request, subject to underwriter’s approval. • HMCA is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (reference no. 307587) and has been providing these services to membership groups for over 30 years. Key benefits above are correct as at 01/01/2013.

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MSA Conference and Training Day

Are you concerned about the changes taking place in driver training?

Worried that your voice on matters concerning learner drivers is not being heard?

Then join us at the MSA Conference and Training Day You can’t afford to miss this: Find out about the changes coming to the industry – Question the DSA chief executive – Learn more about coaching – Networking – Exhibitors... and much, much more

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MSA Conference and Training Day: It’s your chance to quiz DSA chief What’s ‘flipping the classroom’? What’s the latest on coaching? Want to find out...? Continued from page 1 There will also be plenty of time for delegates to air their views about driver training and its future, including the opportunity to try out the new teaching and learning trend “flipping the classroom”. There will also be exhibition stands, we hope to have vehicles available for test drives, and we’ve built in plenty of breaks between sessions during which you can chew the fat with your fellow ADIs, network and learn more about the industry from your peers.

There’s time for a spot of fun, too The weekend also features a special Party Night featuring Hunsbury Central • Ten-pin bowling competition • Open golf tournament Check out the National Conference page on the services drop-down menu on the MSA website for regularly updated information on events planned for the weekend

18 : FEBRUARY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK

Of course, because it is an MSA event you can be sure of a few surprises along the way, some serious learning and a few laughs in between the serious bits. To make sure it’s a truly memorable weekend we have a number of social events lined up to allow you to have a spot of fun, too. On Friday we are introducing the inaugural MSA Open Golf Competition, taking advantage of the Hellidon Lakes Hotel’s own 27-hole golf course as our high-class venue (see below). In addition the Friday night will see our traditional ‘ice breaker’ – this year we’ll see who’s got what it takes at the bowling alley as we set up an MSA challenge, with some games of golf on the hotel’s own golf simulator, too. The event will include a hot buffet. Of course, you don’t have to bowl or swing a club, you can simply use the opportunity to chill out and

network with friends old and new. Saturday night is Party Night. Delegates will enjoy a wonderful four-course meal before being entertained by one of Northamptonshire’s finest cover bands, Hunsbury Central, a five-piece live act which prides itself on accurately reproducing songs from the 1950s right up to 2000s. Many driver trainers were disappointed when compulsory CPD slipped off the Government’s agenda, a few were relieved. Whatever your view of CPD, there is no doubting the responsibility of all professional driver trainers to keep themselves updated on all matters concerning the profession and to keep an up-to-date record of their personal development. That’s why all MSA members should think about attending our 2013 Conference and Training Day. All attendees will be issued with a CPD completion certificate at the end of the day.

Get in the swing with the MSA MSA Open Golf Tournament, Friday 15th March. Price – just £30 This year’s venue for the MSA Training Day and Conference, Hellidon Lakes Golf & Spa Hotel, Daventry, has a 27- hole golf course – and that seemed an ideal opportunity to host our first MSA Open Golf Tournament! The event takes place on Friday, 15 March – the day before the Training Day. We’ll start the day with tea, coffee and bacon butties before a draw will put us into groups of three and we’ll embark on a Stapleford competition, which means everyone, no matter what their handicap, has a chance of winning.

Although we hope to get support from golfers who are MSA members, this event is also open to non-MSA members and non-ADIs at a cost of just £30 to include a light meal and presentation after all have completed their rounds. Whatever your choice, whether you come just for the golf day or you stay for longer, we look forward to welcoming you to the first MSA Golf Tournament. To book your place, for what should be a great day’s golf in friendly company, call the MSA head office on 0161 429 9669.

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It’s the ADI Event of the Year. Not a stuffy room being lectured to – due to popular demand we make our events as interactive as possible and offer as many choices of break-out groups as possible. In just one day you’ll have access to information and knowledge that’s priceless. This event is a great opportunity to hear the latest from the people who run the driver testing and training industry. New to the industry and looking for tips, ideas and the inside track on what changes are coming to the industry? If you answer ‘yes’ to any of the questions above then you must attend the MSA National Training Day. IN D – ON AN 40 I AT GL M OC EN AND L F 6 G IN RT O 1, M N UN EA M ST E H E TO TH LOS C

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Towards your CPD: Coaching

The customer has to be at the centre of the learning process In the second of her series of ADI improvement articles on coaching, Sue McCormack looks at the importance of establishing a good rapport with every learner – no matter how different they are from yourself

20 : FEBRUARY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK

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In my article in January’s Newslink I looked at how people learn differently and how learning is most effective if the instructor adapts the way they teach to suit the way the customer learns. This month I want to consider the effect the relationship has on the learning potential of the customer – that is, the rapport between the instructor and the pupil. I also want to look at the difference between a traditional ‘instructor-led’ relationship and a coaching ‘client-centred’ relationship. When I first trained to be a driving instructor I was taught that I could allow myself one personality clash in my professional career. I understood this to mean that it was entirely down to me to get on with my customers. If they expressed views I didn’t agree with, it was not good for my business for me to show my disagreement or disapproval. I was to be non-judgemental. As driving instructors we would all recognise that this is fundamental to our business success – to get on with our customers. This can be done in two ways: from an instructor-led point of view or from a client-centred perspective. What does it mean to get on with our customers from an instructor-led point of view? Many instructors have great personalities and in the car they come across as larger than life characters. They would tell you that all their lessons are a great laugh and their pupils love them. They tell jokes, tease and banter and expect their customers to behave in a certain way so that they will be able to take and pass their test. Their pupils learn to drive and probably get to grips with the controls of the car and driving in different road, weather and traffic conditions in

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reasonable amounts of time. But they go away with little or no understanding of the higher level goals in driver education – how their personality, views, values and opinions affect the choices and decisions they make when driving independently with their friends in the car; how susceptible they are (or are not) to the effects of fatigue, or to peer pressure; how risky they are (or are not) and what their potential likelihood is (or is not) of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The driving instructor may cover the effects of alcohol and drugs or the risks of distractions inside and outside of the car, but if the driving lessons have all been about the instructor putting on a show to get the pupil to have a good time, then the teaching has been one-sided. Some people will take on board the information and will process it effectively – these people probably share the same learning styles as the instructor. Rapport is key to creating a learning environment where the customer can feel safe enough to express how they really think and feel about things – things that are not always related to driving. This is important for them to develop an understanding of the inextricable link between behaviour, thoughts and feelings. How they think and feel affects the choices and decisions they make – always. They might not be clear what they think about things or how they feel about things because often their attitudes to driving, drink, drugs, sex, religion, road safety, seat belts, speeding, etc, are the result of a lifetime of influences from friends, family, the media and people they look up to. For example, being told ‘you are stupid’, or ‘you will never make anything of yourself ’, or ‘you are selfish’ will affect the way we see ourselves and the world in a very different way from if we had been told ‘you are going places’, ‘the world is your oyster’, ‘you are really bright’. As driving instructors, we have to build a different relationship with each of our customers because each one has a different set of experiences, which will affect the quality of their learning. Some will really respond well to banter, joke telling and levity. Others will much prefer a studious silence without constant interjections. And most will be somewhere in the middle. However, the point is that until you are with your customer on their driving lesson you cannot decide how to communicate best with them in order that they learn most effectively about how their thoughts and feelings govern their behaviour. It is important in a client-centred relationship that the customer is treated as an equal and knows that their views and opinions are a crucial part of the learning process. The instructor’s job is to ensure they are non-judgemental so that the customer can work on developing their selfevaluation skills so that when they are out driving on their own they know how to recognise a near-miss, reflect on it, and put strategies in place to avoid it happening again. How is client-centred rapport established? Mainly through non-verbal communication techniques, the driving instructor takes their cue from the customer. It is necessary that effective learning takes place and for this to happen the instructor needs to use non-verbal communication techniques to relate on an equal basis and establish trust. Eye Contact: This doesn’t mean staring into someone’s eyes but it is about looking at the person when they are talking rather than looking down at some notes or straight ahead out of the windscreen. It helps establish equality and makes the person feel valued.

Towards your CPD: Coaching

“Rapport is an essential coaching skill in a client-centred relationship because it puts the responsibility for learning on the learner” Body language: Ensure that your body language is open. When parked at the side of the road turn and face the customer. Nodding, smiling: Nodding and smiling is part of active listening. These non-verbal communication techniques encourage the customer to open up further because they know they are being listened to. Matching: Listening to the words that someone uses and adopting those types of words really helps build rapport. If you have an aural learner they may say things like: ‘I hear what you’re saying’, ‘That sounds like a plan’, ‘That rings a bell’. A visual learner might say: ‘I see what you mean’, ‘That looks okay’, ‘I see what you are saying’. A kinaesthetic learner might say: ‘That feels good to me’, ‘I get your drift’, ‘I’ll give it a go’. By matching the words they use you are breaking down a potential processing barrier. If you don’t adapt the language you use to suit the language of

your learner, they have to work through and around your learning style before they can even get to theirs - many people give up on the way. Matching tone of voice and speed of speech can also be very effective in establishing both rapport and an excellent learning situation. Rapport is an essential coaching skill in a client-centred relationship because it puts the responsibility for learning on the learner (customer). This will accelerate their learning because rapport will ensure that barriers to learning are broken down. The instructor, through their non-verbal communication techniques, will establish a relationship that is non-judgemental and equal, so that the person learning will become more self-aware – aware of how their individual and personal thoughts and feelings affect their behaviour. In my next article I will look at another essential coaching skill – Listening.

About the author:

Susan McCormack has been in the driver training industry for over 25 years as an ADI, instructor trainer and producer of training materials, and has an MSc in Driver Behaviour and Education from Cranfield University. She is a director of Tri-Coaching Partnership Limited, which delivers driver training and coaching courses to all driver trainers. In particular, the company offers a BTEC Level 4 and Level 3 in Coaching for Driver Development, as well as a two-day course called ‘aCCeLerate’. Visit the website for further information: www.tri-coachingpartnership.co.uk. Susan can be contacted on 07817 646970. MSA NEWSLINK : FEBRUARY 2013 : 21

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News

Men paying price for ignoring winter risks Britain’s motorists can’t cope with winter driving – with as many as one-in-four having been involved in a motor accident in snow or icy conditions. Six per cent have done so in the past 12 months. Male drivers feel far more confident when the roads get icy, with only 16 per cent admitting to being concerned about driving in the winter compared with 43 per cent of females. Yet their confidence is misplaced, with nearly twice as many male drivers – 33 per cent against 18 per cent of female motorists – involved in a winter weather road accident. This may be partially due to a refusal to adapt their driving style in snow or ice; nine per cent of male drivers say they choose not to adapt their driving style in adverse conditions compared to just three

Driving safely? Too many men ignore the risks posed by driving in the winter months

per cent of their female counterparts. Overall, 29 per cent of drivers say they don’t feel confident driving in winter weather and six per cent feel they are bad winter drivers. Six per cent also don’t know how to adapt their driving in winter weather and 45 per cent of drivers are more concerned about how the conditions affect other people’s driving than their own. Motorists are also failing to prepare adequately before driving in winter conditions, according to the study.

Younger drivers run risk through service skipping ADIs have been urged to stress the importance of regular servicing on their cars to younger and novice drivers after research by the SMMT revealed that many fail to have their cars maintained correctly. “With rising costs associated with insurance and fuel it is easy to see why some young drivers may think they can save money by skipping servicing and maintenance, but not only is that likely to be a false economy but it’s potentially dangerous,” commented a spokesman. “It’s important ADIs make the case for regular services as part of their teaching programmes.” Polling 2,000 motorists on attitudes towards car maintenance, the survey found that 10 per cent of drivers aged 18-24 claim their vehicle isn’t ever serviced. This figure rises among 25-34 year-olds, with 12 per cent of owners failing to have even basic service and repair work carried out. In contrast, however, the number of over-55s claiming never to service their car is just two per cent, as well as around five per cent of 35-54 year-olds. The research highlights the danger to which some motorists are exposing themselves, with tyres and brakes among the many safety-critical items left unchecked. Additionally, the service-skippers risk greater likelihood of a breakdown, reduced efficiency and increased wear and tear. A modern car has more computing power than the craft that took man to the

Moon, yet the survey highlights that most young drivers are oblivious to the benefits of upgrades to vehicle software. Surprisingly, 57 per cent of 18-24 year-olds were unaware that software upgrades from the manufacturer can help maximise efficiency, not to mention the security, safety and comfort benefits of software upgrades. “Most drivers are aware of the benefits of regular servicing, but a significant number of drivers are putting themselves at greater risk of an accident, breakdown or costly repair by not taking their cars to a dealership for servicing,” said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive. “A properly maintained car is not only more fuel-efficient, but will be safer and more reliable. “Putting off service and repair work is a false economy with risks and costs outweighing short-term gains. “To stay safe and keep costs down, motorists should stick to servicing schedules and have repairs carried out promptly at a manufacturer main dealer. There, fully-trained technicians will work with the latest diagnostic equipment and fit manufacturer-approved parts,” added Everitt. “Given the speed with which vehicle systems move on these days, it’s also important that drivers check with their local main dealer to see if software upgrades are available for their model of car.”

22 : FEBRUARY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK

The vast majority of drivers (92 per cent) still don’t put on winter tyres, 53 per cent don’t ensure they have sufficient anti-freeze and 52 per cent don’t check the tyre tread and pressure are of the required levels before setting out on their journey. • What was the worst piece of winter-related driving behaviour you saw during the recent cold spell? Let the Newslink editor know – the address is on page 12.

Picture courtesy of Autonational Rescue

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Road safety in Europe

EU announces plans for safer roads, bikes

At the beginning of 2013, the Irish Government took over the Presidency of the European Union. One of its priorities at home has been making progress towards adopting a new Irish Road Safety Strategy, which is to cover the period up to 2020. As part of this strategy, it has placed road safety high on the political agenda for the whole of the EU during its presidency. Key elements of the new Irish Road Safety Strategy will focus on serious injury reduction, tackling repeat road traffic offenders and developing better roads. Provisional 2012 figures from the Irish Road Safety Authority show

that 161 people lost their lives on Irish roads in 2012, 25 fewer than in 2011 and 51 fewer than in 2010 when 212 people lost their lives on Irish roads. Other key provisional statistics for the last year highlight that 30 per cent of road deaths were under 25 years of age and 41 per cent of road deaths occurred on Saturday and Sunday. The average monthly death rate in 2012 was 13 compared to 16 in 2011 and 18 in 2010. The findings also revealed that 108, or 67 per cent, of those killed on the roads were male. At a national level, it is fundamental to keep road safety

EU plans compulsory fitting of ABS on bikes from 2016 New rules to make motorbikes safer and greener got the thumbs up from the European Parliament at its Strasbourg Plenary Session and formal agreement from the Council on 11 December. They are to apply to new models of powered two- and three-wheel vehicles, from mopeds to heavy motorcycles, and also quads, as of 2016, and to new vehicles as of 2017. As L-category vehicles account for 16 per cent of collision deaths on Europe’s roads, but only two per cent of road traffic, MEPs approved more stringent safety requirements for them, as well as tougher emission targets. “Of course, safe motorcycling is largely the responsibility of the rider, but there is still some scope to make bikes safer and cleaner”, said rapporteur Wim van de Camp (EPP, NL). Under the new rules, anti-lock braking systems (ABS) will have to be fitted to all “bigger” motorbikes (ie, with an engine capacity over 125 cc), while ABS or combined brake systems (CBS) could be fitted to smaller ones (under 125 cc), including scooters and mopeds. By the end of 2019, the Commission should present a

24 : FEBRUARY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK

cost-effectiveness analysis, with recommendations as to whether the rules should be revised to make ABS mandatory for smaller motorbikes, too. MEPs also welcomed the measures to improve the visibility of motorbikes and riders by introducing automatic switching-on of lighting when the engine starts. The ETSC recommends that Member States and motorcycle manufacturers anticipate the implementation of the functional safety requirements in order to reap the maximum benefits in terms of reducing the number of road deaths.

a priority on the agenda to assure that Ireland continues its steps toward achieving the 2020 road safety objective of halving road deaths. During the Irish Presidency a number of issues presented by the European Commission in the “Road Safety Policy Orientations 2011-2020” are on the agenda. These include the much awaited progress on tackling serious injuries on our roads. Other priorities are being work on in conjunction with the European Transport Safety Committee (ETSC), with some reported on here.

EU moves eCall systems a step nearer The European Parliament’s draft report on the regulatory introduction of eCall, drawn up by Olga Sehnalová and Dieter-Lebrecht Koch, has strongly backed mandatory eCall in all new type approved cars. eCall is a public emergency call service based on the E-112 number which automatically contacts the emergency services if a vehicle is involved in a collision. The rapporteurs gave their commitment to ensuring consumers’ freedom of choice and to safeguarding competition in the area of in-vehicle devices by supporting an eCall system based on an interoperable and open access platform. Importantly, it was also underlined ‘that the mandatory deployment of a public eCall should not be based or made conditional on the existence of a positive business case for the standalone eCall service, as its benefits for society as a whole should also be considered.’

Budget cuts hit road safety As in the UK, the EU is struggling to match its budget discussions with ambitious plans to boost road safety and reduce road deaths. As part of its presidency, the Cypriot Government proposed cuts to the Multiannual Financial Framework for the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) – in particular the ones for the transport sector. All EU actions aimed at reaching its 2020 road safety target of halving road deaths will be financed through either this fund or regional funds. “Without cash from this fund, the EU will struggle to meet its 2020 targets,” said a spokesman.

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Special feature: Interview with Ian McIntosh

It’s all in the name, says RED’s chief as he plots further growth Rob Beswick talks to the CEO of RED Driving School, Ian McIntosh, about the company’s philosophy, its plans for the future and Ian’s own thoughts on what changes need to be made to the UK’s driver testing and training regime

ANY ADIS would naturally assume that the head of the UK’s largest single driving school would have got the job after a long career in the driver training/road safety industry. But at RED, the CEO comes more with a head for business, not a gift for teaching the fine arts of vehicle control – though that doesn’t mean quality tuition isn’t uppermost in his thoughts, he insists. Ian McIntosh, chief executive officer of RED Driving School, is not totally ignorant to the task of teaching learners to drive, however, though his CV of former pupils is limited to just three – his children – and even then his lessons were confined to a handful of basic ‘controls and manoeuvres’ lessons. I’m not sure he charged the going rate, either! “I taught my three children the basics. It was a typical decision by a Yorkshireman who keeps his eye on the pennies. I reasoned that I could explain what a car’s controls could do as well as an ADI and refused to pay someone else to do it. “Once they’d got the basics I handed the job over to a professional, however.” Ian has been CEO at RED since May 2012. He joined the company at a time of strong growth – which continues – as it looked to rebuild after slipping into administration back in 2010. His career background is dominated by the food industry, with his last position at AAK UK, a Swedish-based company which has its British headquarters in Ian’s home city of Hull. There he had the grand sounding title of Chief Executive of the Western Division – a position which involved a lot of travel, airport lounges, hotel rooms and lost family time. By last year he was keen for a change, and jumped at the chance to move into a totally new industry. But does heading-up RED without that driver training/road safety background put him at a disadvantage? “I don’t think so, no. When I took the post the

“We won’t compromise on quality of the tuition, and we aim to portray a professional image in all that we and our franchisees do. We hope this helps the RED brand be viewed positively by the general public...” 26 : FEBRUARY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK

owners said they wanted someone with the right business experience. If anything, they wanted someone from outside the industry, someone who could bring a fresh pair of eyes and new ideas and input. “It doesn’t matter what business you are in, the principles are the same. It’s all about the product – service – price; it’s about seeing what the competition is doing and asking if we can do it better. “Industry ‘insiders’ have been very welcoming. I attended the ADINJC Conference last year and didn’t feel at a disadvantage. I admit to not knowing all the ins and outs of the industry but to me, if the business is to succeed, we have to get the core principles right, and that’s what I’m determined to do.” RED’s growth in recent months has been noticeable, and the company now has around 1,600 cars on the road. What has driven this growth, which has taken the company to a position where Ian can proudly proclaim it is the UK’s biggest standalone driving school? “We aim to deliver a quality product at a fair price. Our lessons are not the cheapest on the market, and deliberately so. Yes, we offer promotions – 2-for-1 deals, for example – but our average price is £24 an hour, which is competitive but allows our franchisees to make a good living.” “Instead of simply offering the lowest price, our promise is a professional driving lesson that provides quality tuition. We back that up with a programme of structured training that doesn’t just teach learners to pass the test but instils in them the good driving habits that will stay with them for life. “But we won’t compromise on the quality of the tuition, and we aim to portray a professional image in all that we and our franchisees do. We hope this helps the RED brand be viewed positively by the general public.” “The DSA has said that a learner needs 47 hours of quality tuition to make them test-ready and that is what we aim to deliver to our clients.” Ian believes the RED offer will receive a further boost when it rolls out its latest product, a new cognitive training package. “It is an e-learning programme that we think is better than anything else currently available. It’s free to learners who have registered with us and gives IT-based tuition to expand the learners’ experience. ” Ian’s continual references to the company’s drive for high standards may surprise some who see RED as a big business with an eye that rarely

leaves the bottom line.“Because we are a big business, perhaps some people think it is all about profit for us. It isn’t, it’s about making sure we deliver quality tuition.” This passion for quality has been crystallised into a new mission statement, again recently launched, that will underpin all RED’s work: ‘Our Mission: We teach people of all ages and abilities to drive with a particular emphasis on safe driving. We expect all our staff, instructors and suppliers to behave in line with our values of operating to a high standard in all that we do and always with the highest level of integrity.’ Behind those words, says Ian, lay five key points: Passion – all that we do, we do seriously; Teamwork – we work together to achieve common goals; Service – our goal is to achieve customer delight; Quality – our goal is to deliver excellence in everything we do; and Trust – we want to be respected as a trusted business and a trusted driving school. Strong words. Ian admits it smacks of the kind of corporate rallying call you rarely see in the driver training industry but he’s determined to create a culture within the organisation that sees these points become the company’s watchwords.

he mission statement notwithstanding, why should an ADI consider joining the RED team? “It all comes back to the brand. My ambition is to see RED become synonymous with driving instruction so whenever people think about driving lessons they immediately think of us.” The Hoover of the ADI world, I suggest? “Yes; no-one can say I don’t think big, can they!” With many ADIs complaining that pupils are in short supply, it’s perhaps surprising that that’s not the case at RED. “We market extensively, through the internet, through printed media and in places where young people will see us. We’ve just had a major promotion in cinemas, with pop-up stands and posters advertising the brand and the offer. We also work with Tesco’s through their Clubcard scheme and with the NHS, and we’ve just joined the Asperity Employee Benefits Scheme to reach out to employees of companies such as McDonalds and Sky. The result of this activity is that we have a lot of learners on our books.” To Ian, this is RED’s crucial advantage. “This is an area where independent ADIs just can’t compete with our reach. “A lot of ADIs come into the industry with little or no business experience. It’s difficult

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enough to learn how to become an ADI, let alone learn all the business skills you need to maximise your income, market your school and sell more lessons to your customers. We provide that kind of support, channelling pupils to our franchisees.” What is surprising is that RED franchisees can’t rely on this support alone, however. “On average I think we directly supply 30 per cent of an instructor’s work. The rest comes from selling more lessons, referrals and generating your own leads.”

o how does RED help ADIs make sure this happens? “Every new franchisee takes part in a two-day induction programme which is 75 per cent focused on the business side of being an ADI. Finding new pupils is the lifeblood of a successful school; we coach our ADIs on how to generate and retain new customers.” Contrary to what many think, RED doesn’t make any direct promises on pupil numbers, however. “People think we guarantee business but we never do. We’re confident that our brand will drive learners your way but we can never guarantee it.” So how well are RED franchises doing? How many earn the ‘30k salary’ suggested by many instructor trainers in their adverts? “I don’t keep tabs on our franchisees’ earnings. But I do know most are doing well. We hold regular forums with our instructors and while these do tend to attract those with issues and problems – perhaps the successful ones are too busy with a full diary to attend! – the issues that surface tend to be operational ones.”

Special feature: Interview with Ian McIntosh

Such as? “We’ve had complaints about how the online diary works, and we took the criticisms on board and made changes. But the majority of the conversations we had were positive. I wasn’t surprised by much that I heard but I did learn a lot. The forums were very useful and we’re putting them on again this year. It’s vital we keep communicating with our instructors. I try not to think of them as simply ‘franchisees’, more part of the RED team.” The current economic picture has depressed demand for lessons, with many instructors struggling to fill their booking diaries. Predictably perhaps, this downturn has led to claims that there are too many ADIs on the Register, and that it is time to close it to newcomers. Does Ian support such claims? “No, certainly not. There are 46,000 ADIs, but only around 35,000 are active. Compare that figure with 740,000 17-yr-olds being eligible for a provisional licence every year, and the fact that half of all people with a provisional licence are over 25. There is plenty of scope for the current number of ADIs to make a good living – but they’ll only succeed if they deliver a quality service.” Does RED monitor the number of franchisees it has in any one area to avoid saturating the market? “In some ways, yes. We have a colour-coded chart which tells us whether an area has capacity for more franchises, whether current ones are doing well, and we’ll hesitate to put new ones in if an area looks like earning potential is limited.” RED’s business model means they rarely turn newcomers away, however, which seems at odds with that comment. “For trainees, we don’t turn

Up for growth: Ian McIntosh has ambitious plans for the RED brand

any away. When ADIs attend the induction programme we do have the odd one who is clearly struggling with the business side of the equation and we can sometimes say to them, ‘we won’t take you on’. But if you want to come to us to train to become an ADI, the door’s open.” With one exception. “We insist on a good level of spoken English. We had one man who asked if he could bring his 14-year-old daughter with him on all training sessions to translate for him. We politely said no.” But this open door policy to newcomers doesn’t come without risks for the people concerned. Every year, many enter the industry and spend money on training only to walk away later without building the career they envisaged. Often they do so with veiled hints at promises made but not kept. It is a complaint levelled at all driving schools that work with trainees, and RED is no exception. I suggest to Ian that perhaps the industry as a whole should make a bigger effort in vetting new applicants who want to become ADIs – especially as I’ve discovered the surprising stat that it is easier to become a Royal Marine than an ADI! From arrival at the training barracks, the drop-out rate for the Marines is just under 75 per cent – compared with the ADI qualification process, which has a current failure rate of 77 per cent. “When you put it like that – particularly with that example to compare it with – the failure rate is striking but why should we turn our backs on someone who wants to have a go at what I think is a great new career?” Continued on page 28 » » »

MSA NEWSLINK : FEBRUARY 2013 : 27

Special feature: Interview with Ian McIntosh « « « Continued from page 28 “People need to do their homework before training to see if it is for them.” RED does not do credit checks on potential new trainees or franchise holders. “That’s one of our ‘USPs’ over our rivals.” That surprised me, as ensuring someone’s creditworthiness is a pretty basic part of most business models. But Ian offers a stout defence: “If someone has had a chequered financial past and failed in business we don’t deny them the opportunity to get their lives back on track.” Clearly then RED remains committed to the PDI scheme, allowing fledgling instructors to train while they earn? “Yes, absolutely committed. I’ve heard the comments against PDIs by former Road Safety Minister Mike Penning – comments which appeared strongly influenced by his daughter’s experiences of learning to drive! – but I think the trainee system has a lot going for it. “If you scrap the current PDI system you will still have a situation where one day, a new ADI will have to sit in a car with a pupil on their own for the first time and deliver a lesson. At that point they have to learn how to teach driving in a real-life situation. “There are benefits from learning from a PDI, too. Let me turn the argument round. Who would you rather be taught by: an older, experienced ADI who’s been doing the job for 20 years, has never taken any CPD or brought his teaching up to date, has seen it all and has perhaps become tired and cynical as a result – or an enthusiastic newcomer, excited by their new career, learning the latest teaching techniques and bang up-to-date with trends in tuition and the demands of modern driving?” Ian is enthused, too, about a fresh chapter for RED as an ADI trainer, with the company having recently launched a new training programme for the Part I exam, with an updated programme for the Part II coming soon. “One of the really exciting things about this for our franchisees is that we are looking for them to deliver this new programme for us. It will be a great way for our people to boost their income: teaching learners and PDIs, with some great incentives planned. We think it will be a great opportunity.” The new programmes are part of RED’s growth plan. “We’re looking for further growth. We’d like to get to 2,000 franchisees fairly quickly, with a long-term goal of 3,000.” An ambitious plan. “Yes, but look at it another way; go back to our 46,000 ADIs, with 35,000 active. Even with 3,000 franchisees we’d still be at less than 10 per cent of the whole market, and we have plenty of areas where we can look for growth. “We are very strong in London but not quite as prominent in other areas, such as the northern cities. That’s where our growth could come from.

The future for independents is healthy – f or the good ones, yes. But poor ADIs, those doing lessons at £10 an hour, they won’t survive.” 28 : FEBRUARY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK

“We’re committed to PDIs. I’ve heard the comments against them by Mike Penning – which appeared strongly influenced by his daughter’s experiences of learning to drive! – but I think the trainee system has a lot going for it...” Ironically, we don’t have a big presence in my home town of Hull.” Why the gaps? “Price, I think. As I said earlier, we’re not competing on price. “I spotted an advert in my local paper recently: 20 lessons for £200. Just do the maths on that: if you assume £2-3 a lesson for petrol, and take your other motoring costs into account – insurance, tyre and brake wear, etc – plus other business costs such as accountancy, marketing, then that ADI is earning less than the minimum wage. Good luck but we’re not competing with you. I think we are always going to struggle in some of the northern urban areas when the competition is pricing like that.”

erhaps that’s another example of an ADI without the business sense that they need to succeed – which takes us nicely on to RED’s own recent financial problems. The current company was bought out of administration by Kelso Place Asset Management, a private equity fund, in 2010 after the previous owners hit financial difficulties. What lessons had been learned from that experience? “Oddly enough, I wouldn’t say ‘lessons learned’. I’m relatively new to the business so that story is well in the past as far as I’m concerned. I think it must be stressed how different the RED of today is from the business that went into administration. “Then it was an instructor training college, not the dynamic driving school it is today. Preadministration is ancient history to me.” The problem with modern life, however, is that the internet makes ancient history often feel very current. A cursory Google search on RED throws up a host of negative comments. Does that concern Ian? “Yes, because much of the criticism is unfair as it is talking about RED before 2010, and I stress again how much the company of today is totally different from the one that existed before. “When I came here I had a look at what

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people were saying about us and I was struck by how much of it was old news. For example, the ITV Tonight programme which was critical was from 2009, the Watchdog piece was from 2007. Unfortunately, these stories will stay on the internet forever. It’s uncomfortable but there’s nothing we can do - only reiterate how much we’ve changed as a business since coming out of administration.” Despite improvements, the company has to cope with what seemed to me like a worrying churn in instructors. “We lose around 500 instructors a year, and gain over 500, hence our numbers are rising. I don’t think our percentages of people leaving us are any worse than our rivals, possibly slightly better.” Does that worry him? “A little, but I understand why it happens and I don’t think it is a reflection on us. “Look, I think being an ADI is a great career, and I accept that people join RED, train, pass their exams, stay for three years, build up a reputation in their local area and then are tempted to go it alone.” So becoming an independent is a goal – surprising for the boss of a national school! Proof that the future for independents is healthy? “For the good ones, yes, if they can find and retain their pupils. But less able ADIs, those doing lessons at £10 an hour, they won’t survive.” “The key to running a successful driving school is finding and retaining customers and then delivering a quality service. RED is absolutely focused on pupil sourcing and this is what makes our franchises attractive. We have the marketing reach that no independent could dream of and that is why a RED franchise makes a great proposition.” RED sees itself as a quality school – but does that mean its ADIs are aiming for Grade 6s on the check test? “We don’t keep a record of our ADIs’ check test grades. “We remind instructors when their check tests are coming up, and used to do training through our own trainers if people asked for it but not any more. “I know some schools say ‘We employ only Grade 5/6 instructors’ but what do you do if you have a good ADI who gets a 4? Sack him?” You could do just that, I point out. It’s perhaps the biggest surprise for me that a school looking to promote the quality of its customer offer appears to pay little regard to the only truly meaningful benchmark of an ADI’s ability – the check test. Ian accepts that there is a discrepancy: “Perhaps this is something we should look at in the future, but good customer service, which we take seriously, is not just about the grade of the ADI.” Continued on page 30 » » »

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Special feature/TTC Group Continued from page 28 Looking a bit further afield from RED, how does Ian see the industry overall? What’s his view on the DSA? “I’ve met senior figures and they seem to do a good job but I’d ask why a pass rate of less than 50 per cent seems okay and no one is doing anything about it.” So would privatising the DSA help the industry? “It’s not something I’ve thought about but given the Government’s current line of thinking, it wouldn’t surprise me if it happened.” What changes should be made to the driver testing and training regime? “It would be nice to see graduated licences brought in. Pass Plus lost its mojo pretty quickly; the insurance industry isn’t interested in it any more. If we look at learning to drive practically, what do our customers want? A licence. Once they’ve got that it is hard to convince them to do more training. “The problem is people in the UK don’t value good quality driver training. Take the RED offer. We agree with the DSA, that an average of 47 hours tuition is required for a learner driver, at around £24 an hour. What you are getting for that is a life skill, a passport to mobility, to jobs, to earning more, for around £1,100-£1,200. “Yet we all know that plenty of people in this country will baulk at that final price.” As I point out, many of those same people who won’t pay for high-quality driving tuition probably won’t think twice about spending £300-400 on a day’s work-related training course or conference.

“The problem is people don’t value good quality driver training. Take the RED offer. We agree with the DSA, that an average of 47 hours tuition is required for a learner driver, at around £24 an hour. What you are getting for that is a life skill, a passport to mobility, to jobs, to earning more, for around £1,100-£1,200...” The key difference is that if you make a mess of the skills you learn, you rarely run the risk of dying as a result – or killing someone else. With 2,000 people being killed every year on Britain’s road, I agree that it’s amazing people say no to paying just £1,200 for a life’s quality training. As Ian is a fan of graduated licensing, how would he envisage that helping to improve overall driving standards? “This isn’t necessarily RED’s opinion, just my personal feelings, but why can’t we have two tests? The first - Part I - takes you to a level where you can drive alone but not on motorways, with no passengers apart from family members, and you are restricted to certain engine sizes. Perhaps have a logbook for manoeuvres. “I’d then say you can’t take ‘Part II’ for 12 months, and in the meantime you can take lessons on motorways, for example. Only when you’ve passed your ‘Part II’ can you get a full licence and

drive any car you want, with passengers.” Ian pointed out that it’s not a new concept he’s pushing. “My nephew in Sydney, Australia, had to have 100 hours driving logged by his parents or instructor before he could take his test, and there are speed restrictions on his licence. “I know everyone asks ‘how do you police it’, but how do you police anything?” That’s something I too also find frustrating, agreeing with Ian. We haven’t scrapped the drink-driving laws because they are ‘difficult to police’, yet a driver could be miles over the legal limit without anyone else ever knowing unless they commit a driver error that brings them to the police’s attention. The fact is, it is up to the state to set the rules by which we live, and transgressing them brings sanctions. As Ian put it: “Laws work when the public accepts them as being sensible. I think the ideas for graduated licences above would be seen by the majority of people as being just that: sensible.” Wrapping up, what changes would he make if he was asked to be the Secretary of State for Transport for a day? “Definitely graduated licences; I’d also like to see more attention paid to road design and engineering. It’s crucial to get that right. “I’m a keen motorcyclist – it’s my hobby and I’ve taken a lot of courses to get my skills up – and I know how vulnerable bikers are from bad road design, particularly around junctions.” Finally, how’s his driving? “I know everyone says this, but I think I’m a good driver. The motorbike experience helps.”

‘Cutting-edge’ training on menu at TTC Group Driving instructors at the TTC Group are to receive “cutting edge” training to enhance their training and presentation skills as part of a series of professional development courses. Successful psychological training techniques will be taught along with methods to improve communication and presentation skills, widen legal knowledge and understand more about teaching disabled people. From March to July, a total of 19 training days will be held across the UK – open to all Approved Driving Instructors – by the TTC Group, the largest provider of speed awareness courses and diversionary driver education schemes. The four-hour course counts towards the DSA’s recommended seven hours annual Continual Professional Development training. For more information ADIs should contact NDORS Development Director Alan Prosser at alan.prosser@ttc-uk.com “Our driving instructors are already very highly skilled and these special training courses are aimed at improving their skills even more,” said Alan. “TTC is among only one per cent of organisations in the UK that has achieved the prestigious Investors in People award at ‘Gold’ standard and we have introduced these workshops to help our instructors to maximise their potential by linking learning to actions and theory to practice.” Course presenter Diane Hall, who helps learner drivers overcome their anxiety behind the wheel, has been praised by both driving instructors and pupils for her revolutionary techniques. The award-winning instructor trained in alternative stress therapy with the help of techniques used by TV star Paul McKenna. She wrote an acclaimed 240 page book entitled L Of a Way To Pass to help novice drivers

30 : FEBRUARY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK

overcome their nerves. Her research and efforts to adapt the novel teaching techniques for both instructors and new drivers was rewarded with an award from the Millennium awards Trust for Social Entrepreneurs. She has also featured in the Department of Environment Road Safety Challenge Awards. Trainers who attend the course will boost both their classroom presentation skills and in car practical sessions by eliminating continued repetition and reduce “trainer frustration.” Multi sensory learning also aims to enhance communication skills especially for people with dyslexia, dyspraxia or ADHD. Interactive best practice sessions will be provided by businesswoman Ann Johnson, of Wave-Length, which

helps organisations to understand the problems still suffered by the disabled in today’s society. The workshop aims to help instructors keep within the law, how to “adjust” training sessions and overcome language barriers. Her inspirational “have you thought of ” training techniques and passion to “disable disability” have been widely praised. A successful businesswoman, Ann was confined to a wheelchair after a road crash but continued with her life despite suffering life changing injuries and runs equality and diversity awareness training to leading organisations. The award-winning TTC Group is a leading provider of courses for speed awareness, NDORS education and drink drive rehabilitation in the UK. Visit www.ttc-uk. com for more information.

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ADI offer

Collingwood offers learner driver policies that generate £s for ADIs MANY driving instructors are concerned about the amount of money they are able to make at the moment. The current economic downturn has clearly depressed the learner driver market – and that situation hasn’t been helped by the high price of post-test insurance putting off many young people from learning to drive. Add in the high prices charged for insuring the family car for private practice, and in many ADIs’ eyes you have a perfect storm that is making the job a real challenge at the moment. But Collingwood Insurance Services is offering a solution to these problems though its Learner Driver Insurance policies and Learner Driver Referral Programme. The Learner Driver Insurance policy is a short-term option for those looking for private practice in their own, the family car or a friend’s prior to their L-test. Leaners can take out either an annual or a short-term policy from seven days to 24 weeks, with rates starting from as low as £1.49 a day. Learners can also insure a second vehicle for half the premium of the first when insuring both vehicles at the same time on the short-term insurance option. Getting insurance is easy: it’s just a case of the pupil going online to www.collingwoodlearners. co.uk, click on “Get a Quote” and complete the

“An added incentive for the ADI... it brings in some very welcome additional income through the referral scheme”

simple quote process. That’s a great way to get your pupils taking the private practice they need to build on your work during lessons. And you benefit, too. Simply register as an ADI through the Collingwood Instructors website and every time one of your pupils buys a new policy quoting your unique discount referral code, you earn £20. And as an added incentive to start your involvement, if instructors register with promotion code NEWS2013 before the 31 May 2013, they will receive £50 for their first referral. Not only that, but to make sure the pupil does refer you, your student can save a minimum of £20 when using your referral discount code - available each time they renew their short-term learner driver insurance policy. Referral fees are paid monthly by BACs straight into your bank account – it’s as easy as that. To assist instructors in promoting the Learner Driver Insurance, Collingwood also provides the following free material to ADIs; • Referral cards • Driving lessons appointment cards • Magnetic car decals personalised with the instructor’s own referral code • Web banners – an extra income earning opportunity for those ADIs with their own websites The company also runs regular competitions with prizes up to £1,000 to be won, in addition to

incentives such as “Double referral fees in December” to encourage and motivate participation. Peter Harvey mbe, MSA National Chairman and a full-time working ADI, is just one of the many MSA members who takes advantage of this great scheme. He recommends Collingwood learner driver insurance to all his pupils who are in a position to gain some private practice. He says: “The insurance is a great way to allow learners to get extra practice and to introduce them to planning for their own insurance when they pass the L-test. “As an added incentive for the instructor it brings in some very welcome additional income through the referral scheme – that’s something I’ve appreciated over the years I’ve used the scheme. “As a member it costs you nothing to enrol with Collingwood and both pupil and parents or guardians can view the excellent website before making any decisions or commitment. “Give it a go: your pupils will like the extra freedom – and I’m sure you will like the extra income it generates.”

Want to know more? Go online for more details and to register at www.collingwoodinstructors.co.uk

LEARNER DRIVER INSURANCE FOR YOUR STUDENTS £20 PER STUDENT FOR YOU* Collingwood Insurance have been offering learner drivers the chance to take out their own short-term learner driver insurance policy since 2007 and still offer one of the most flexible and competitively priced policies today, especially when using your instructor discount code. Your students can choose from a short-term policy (7 days - 24 weeks) or a full annual policy, to insure either their own car or a vehicle owned by someone else i.e. parents, relatives or friends. You earn £20 for each student that uses your unique referral code when they purchase their initial policy, and your student will receive a discount on all subsequent short-term policies purchased.

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* Referral fees are paid on the inception of new policies only, not on renewals or existing customers. Referral fees are paid monthly by BACS. ** Vehicle as specified on the policy. Prices are correct as of 21st January 2013. Collingwood Insurance Services UK Ltd are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority, Register no. 310870. Registered in England No 4174235. Collingwood Insurance Services UK Ltd, Collingwood House, Redburn Court, Early Grey Way, North Shilelds, Tyne & Wear, NE29 6AR. For security and training purposes calls may be monitored or recorded.

MSA NEWSLINK : FEBRUARY 2013 : 31

Regional view:

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» » » The MSA’s nationwide network of editors with the news and opinions that matter at local level

As economic malaise continues, think carefully about your costs ROD CAME Editor, South East

There was me thinking that my chance to comment on all and everything in the last December issue was a one off, then unexpectedly I have the opportunity to carry on the role, which I will do – interminably, you may think. We say farewell to Mike Bassett who carried the MSA(SE) Editor mantle for six years doing a fine job in his own inimitable style. He has other interests in life and will now have more time to pursue those. We all wish him well.

Vacancy

The resignation of Mike Bassett leaves a vacancy on the MSA(SE) committee. If you have an interest in helping to promote the MSA and driver training in general in the South East, please contact any of the MSA(SE) Committee whose contact telephone numbers and email addresses can be found on the MSA website, or use mine which is at the bottom of this page.

Ashford council car parking

Right, Mike Bassett has stood down as editor after six years’ sterling service for the region

What a result! You will have read the article by Derek Goodwin, MSA (SE) committee member and Secretary of the Ashford Driving Instructor’s Association (ADIA), elsewhere in this issue of Newslink on the hard work that he and other members of the ADIA put in to secure practice bay parking spaces in an Ashford Borough Council car park (see page 4). It only goes to show that there does not have to be a conflict between local authorities and ADIs about the use of parking spaces for practice. This could be a blueprint for approaches to other local authorities to resolve the problems ADIs experience elsewhere. Maybe it is not necessary to have designated spaces but just a permit issued to ADIs to enable them to use vacant spaces for practice of this manoeuvre. Ashford obviously has a strong ADI association, elsewhere such groups may not exist. However, it would be a great advantage for all MSA members to be able to use local authority car parks

32 : FEBRUARY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK

nationwide. This is something the MSA Board of Management should pursue for the benefit of all members.

Cost cutting

I would like to offer you some more good news, but unfortunately this year promises to be no less difficult than the last trading year. There is no sign of fuel prices reducing any more than there is for that other staple for our trade, car prices coming down. Nevertheless, there are always steps that can be taken to reduce costs if you have not done so already. There is not really any way of substantially reducing the cost of fuel, although supermarket deals that give you 5p or 10p off a litre when you do the weekly shop can help, as could being fairly strict on eco-driving by your pupils, though not by much but as they say, ‘every little helps’. Also, don’t forget that several credit cards will provide a discount on fuel purchased, usually up to a maximum of £100 pa. Diesel over petrol? A few years ago there was a definite cost advantage when using diesel in that consumption was considerably less, and that is still the case. However, since then environmental restrictions on diesel engines have required the addition of particulate filters and other technical items to reduce pollution. The result is that some diesel cars are not really suitable for driving tuition. Some particulate filters require the use of high engines revs for 20 minutes or more to burn off the carbon deposits, some require the addition of a combustible liquid to aid this process, both of these operations mean an additional cost. Small petrol engines are really quite frugal these days and are more suited to hours of low speed running. They are usually the better bet.

In the October 2012 issue of Newslink there was an interesting article extolling the virtues of running a tuition vehicle on Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG). This has since been followed up by a more in-depth article by Rob Beswick in the January 2013 issue. I have no experience of using this fuel but the financial argument used in both articles was pretty convincing, provided you do the necessary mileage. It would appear that you could make a substantial saving after the initial installation costs. Rob was somewhat concerned by the lack of space for a spare wheel when an LPG tank is fitted. ADIs will know how often a puncture occurs and the simple precaution of carrying a can of tyre sealant and a compressor will cover most circumstances. Remember, that in order to carry out a conversion on a leased car you require the leasing company’s approval. Another practical way of substantially reducing fuel costs is to reduce unnecessary mileage. I do not mean sitting on the side of the road with a pupil as an alternative to the practical driving experience – maybe that is where the expression ‘talk is cheap’ comes from. It is more a case of organising your diary so that you don’t have a pupil at A the next at B, and then have to drive back to A for the next one and so on. I appreciate that organising pupils is a bit like herding cats but where it can be done it would assist in keeping costs down. Then we come to the thorny subject of which car to use, how to source it and the most financially efficient way of acquiring it. You want a comfortable, reliable, economical car. Your pupil wants a car which is easy to drive with good visibility and comfort. These two desires are not necessarily incompatible. Comfort for you is a personal choice and depends on your stature.

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Nerves can get the better of anyone! David James p34

When considering comfort for your pupils you cannot keep all of them happy all the time because they are going to vary between 4ft 6 and 6ft 6 and 8 to 18 stone, but what suits you will probably suit most of them. Reliability - most mainstream cars are reasonably reliable these days and in the first years of their life have a manufacturers’ guarantee which covers the cost of any warranty repairs, but does not cover lessons lost due to time off the road. Sometimes a dealer will be able to provide a replacement dual controlled courtesy car, but they are unlikely to have more than one and if it is already hired out, then what? Also having a car that lets you down soon upsets the pupils and word gets around – not good for your reputation. It is often possible to rent a car after an accident when yours is in for repair. It may not be the same make and model and sod’s law is that you will have somebody for test the following day. If they fail they will blame the car – and you. As always there is a way round this problem but as ever there is an expense, it just depends which is the more important to you and your personal circumstances. Let us assume that you are not a single person, that your partner drives and the vehicle you choose as a tuition car is suitable for their purposes as well, in which case it would be reasonable to pass your year old/two-year-old car on to them. This may kill several birds with one stone, provided the cars are the same the pupil will hardly notice the difference, a change of vehicle could be carried out very quickly if required and it would be much easier to rent a suitable vehicle for your partner to use in the meantime. Also it may well even out the mileage over two or three years so that when it comes time to part with the older car it is nearer average mileage. This vehicle would also very likely be a tax deductible expense. But how to acquire a vehicle in the first place – there is no doubt that paying outright for a car is by far the cheapest way of doing it, especially with a negotiated discount. Any other way, be it leasing or hire purchase, may be more convenient for your circumstances but you will pay for that convenience. It is always nice to have a brand new car, but again you will pay for that comfortable feeling as soon as you drive out of the showroom. It pays dividends to purchase a low mileage used car which is still within the manufacturer’s warranty period (make sure the service history is

Increased calls for graduated licences Mike Yeomans p40

Good runner: Old-style Nissan Micras such as the one pictured above are easily capable of 100,000+ lesson miles

up to date), you will save £000s and your pupils will hardly notice, especially if you have a personal registration plate. In fact, in my experience a lot of new drivers would prefer not to learn in a shiny new car in case they damage it. When should you change your car? Some manufacturers warranty their cars up to 100,000 miles and five or seven years. I imagine that most ADIs working full-time would get to 100K within two or three years and that would seem to be a good time to change. I recently sold a Nissan Micra with 165,000 learner miles on the clock which was still on the original exhaust and clutch, that vehicle was excellent value for money. I pity the next owner who had to pick up the bills. Economy does not only mean fuel consumption although it is a major consideration, but also servicing schedules (how often? how much?). The MSA deal with Halfords could be a money saver in this respect and is worth checking out. Consider the cost of tyres. Bling wheels and low profile tyres look smart but, oh boy, do they cost! And they are much easier to damage. Keep to steel

In a skid over driver training John Lomas p42

wheels with regular size tyres and save pounds. The cost of insurance increases year on year and must be a consideration. The premium may differ substantially for variations of the same make and model of car. It is worth checking before buying. If you have read right through to here and either have, or have considered, taking some of these steps, at least it confirms that we are both thinking along the right lines. Alternatively, if any one of the above suggestions saves you money in the future, my time and yours has not been in vain. n Next month: Pensions; are they worth having?

Keep in touch Rod can be contacted at camedt@onetel.com or via Crown Cottage, Brede, Rye TN31 6EA

MSA NEWSLINK : FEBRUARY 2013 : 33

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Regional News: South East & South Wales

Sauce for the goose... New Code of Practice for the DSA Following requests from ADIs, learner drivers, the Queen and the President of the United States, an update of the Code of Practice for the Driving Standards Agency has been put out for consultation, writes MSA South East editor Rod Came. For those members who wish to voice their own thoughts on this new Code of Practice, please note the closing date for submissions is the day before your copy of Newslink arrived. No consideration will be taken of your comments. For your information (though you hardly need telling), the old code is printed below.

The old DSA Code of Practice... The DSA will do everything in our timehonoured way, solely for our convenience and at our leisure.

The new DSA Code of Practice...

% 00

The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) must at all times provide all of their services for the convenience of a driving test candidate or an ADI, ie, their customers The DSA must provide a driving test at a time, day, date and location convenient to the candidate and in any case within one week (seven days) of the date of the candidate’s application All driving test centres used by the DSA must provide comfortable waiting areas in modern buildings with clean male, female and disabled toilets available for candidates’ and ADIs’ use. All driving test centres used by the DSA must have parking facilities available for the candidate to use, both for parking before and after their driving

“

test, and for freely accessible bay parking practice with their ADI instructor. All driving test centres used by the DSA must have available refreshment facilities on site. In order to dispel any thoughts of ‘them and us’ the candidate’s waiting area and the approved driving test examiners’ (ADTE) offices must be open-plan so that the candidate can be introduced and then complete the initial paperwork at the ADTE’s desk. The DSA must provide the services of an ADTE for the duration of the driving test. If a driving test has to be terminated for any reason, including bad weather but not crashes, the ADTE must drive the vehicle back to the driving test centre (this will obviate the need to cancel the following test). The DSA must provide comprehensive insurance for the ADTE to drive a candidate’s vehicle in the above event. If, for any reason at all, including strikes by personnel, a candidate’s driving test has to be cancelled the DSA must provide another driving test appointment within 48 hours at the same location, the choice of time being at the discretion of the candidate The DSA must comply with any requirements

L IA

C I FF

O N U

that the driver training industry might come up with from time to time.

The Approved Driving Test Examiner

The ADTE provided by the DSA must hold a driving licence for the class of vehicle being used by the candidate for the driving test. The ADTE must support the candidate in every possible way to ensure a satisfactory outcome of the candidate’s driving test. ADTEs must not sigh, tap their pen, mark the DL25 with a flourish or in any other way distract the candidate from the task of driving the vehicle.

Complaints procedure

The DSA must welcome complaints as a way of improving their service to their customers, must take note of any complaint and must act to rectify their systems, methods and inputs and outputs immediately if not sooner

Penalties

The failure of the DSA to comply with any of the above requirements will result in immediate privatisation of driving test provision in the UK.

Nerves are still capable of

Questions for the modern ADI How come the DSA can provide a new test date for candidates whose test is cancelled by bad weather within three working days, but it takes them up to 10 working days for a new test date if an examiner goes on strike? Which is the more predictable, snow or strike action? Rod Came

“

34 : FEBRUARY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK

DAVID JAMES

Editor, South Wales

THE SOUTH WALES committee is looking at making this year’s regional AGM a full-day event in the autumn, probably in the Cardiff area. Paddy gave an account of a similar event in recent years that had positive feedback from those who had attended. We would be interested to hear from members regarding the closure of the Cardiff Fairwater test centre, with the work moving to Cardiff Llanishen test centre. Has this switch been a success? Although I should by now be getting used to the

check test – yes, I still think of it as a test – I find it curious that my nerves get a bit jangled by the process. I still get a little nervous wondering what may go wrong, or perhaps I should say, things that may not go as right as I hoped. It should be good news that the present system is being looked at, but I had to deal with it in its existing form recently. In preparation, I turned to my trusty MSA Check Test Guide and went through it in detail, planning to follow it as best I could. I used the advice on selection of a suitable learner, giving me several options for a lesson plan. I casually mentioned the test to one pupil and yes, he was available and he didn’t mind another person sitting in the car. I also had a back-up plan of another suitable learner who would sit in if necessary. But how would you feel if you had a call from your learner to say his next lesson needed to be rearranged because of work pressure? Not a problem? What if it’s your selected learner and you then find out that your ‘back-up plan’ learner can attend on that date but not at the time due to other things that have cropped up? Then an ADI friend says “mind that you don’t use the role-play option, it can be a problem”?

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Regional News: East Midlands

Branded fuels have the edge as we look to reduce running costs insurance due to a ‘fault accident’. It may make some of us think before we go to deliver that lesson in the snow due to the potential higher costs involved if an insurance claim was made.

DEREK BRUTNELL

Chairman & Editor, East Midlands

It seems last month’s article on possible benefits of using branded fuel rather than supermarket stuff has struck a chord with colleagues. From the feedback I’ve received, it’s clear I’m not the only ADI to discover that a vehicle does run better on branded. Taking the two types of Shell branded fuel and which to choose, “Fuel save’ or ‘V Power’, I experimented using a set amount of cash (£61), using each type of fuel in turn going about my daily work. I found the mileage for fuel used was almost exactly the same at around 420 miles. My recommendation would be, if you are planning a motorway journey, opt for V Power as the vehicle does run better on it at higher speeds. Continuing on this subject Mike Rutherford wrote recently in his Sunday Times column: “If fuel consumption figures for new cars continue to improve, and the price of insurance keeps rising, it could be that the cost of insuring becomes higher than the cost of refuelling in 2013”. After lessons being cancelled due to poor weather recently, it puts into perspective the higher financial risk we all carry if we have to claim on our

Keep in touch Derek can be contacted via e: derekbrutnell@ yahoo.co.uk

I read with interest recently some research carried out by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), which revealed that many younger drivers are failing to have their car serviced and maintained correctly. Nothing new there, as I am sure most if not all of us know that our young clients plan to spend as little money as possible to learn to drive, never mind servicing their vehicle after the L-test has been passed. However, do we as instructors promote the need to have a vehicle service to our clients enough? Surveying ADIs present at a local association meeting in Leicester recently I came to the conclusion that when it comes to vehicle safety, covering the ‘show and tell’ questions is about as far as it goes. Surely, as road safety professionals, we should spend more time on the importance of a properly maintained vehicle? To stay safe and keep the overall costs of vehicle ownership down servicing schedules should be kept up to date and any repairs needed should be carried out by the manufacturer’s main dealer, which has fully trained technicians to work on the vehicle and will fit proper manufacturer-approved parts, according to the SMMT. It is fair to say that most drivers are aware of the benefits of regular servicing, however, many others are putting not only themselves but also all other road users at far greater risk.

So as ADIs, how do we teach this important message? The SMMT poll, conducted on their behalf by OnePoll, asked 2,000 motorists across the UK about their attitudes towards car maintenance, They found that 10 per cent of drivers aged 18-24 claim their vehicle isn’t ever serviced. This figure rises among 25-34 year-olds, with 12 per cent of owners failing to have even basic service and repair work carried out. By contrast, the number of over-55s claiming never to service their car is just two per cent. Food for thought as we teach the next generation of drivers. As you read this page the regional committee will have met to discuss the programme of meetings and events planned for 2013. Looking ahead to the region’s ‘flagship day’, our winter training day and AGM is set for Sunday, 24 November 2013. It will be held in the Gary Lineker Suite at the King Power Stadium, home of Leicester City Football Club, so put date in your diary now!

In next month’s issue... Keep a look out for more news of this meeting and others planned, including a garage meeting in Loughborough in April. It is also good to see many East Midlands members booking for the MSA Annual Training Day and National AGM, to be held once again in our region at Hellidon Lakes Hotel, Northamptonshire on Saturday, 16 March 2013. This is a top venue in our region so do not miss out! Hope to see you there.

getting the better of me before a check test Of course, it wasn’t the end of the world. One ‘phone call and I had arranged for another learner, who didn’t mind the idea of a passenger sat in the back seat, to take the lesson. He was almost fully trained, so I was not following the MSA guide as well as I should have, but decided to go ahead. The test day arrived and I had a lesson planned; the Supervising Examiner soon put me at my ease and the test went well. I later felt a bit silly that I had been tense beforehand; I guess most of us would feel that way after the event is over; we all have different feelings before a test. When I was a new ADI, I had some help from others I had met at MSA meetings. It made me think about the effects of the L-test on our learners. After several check tests and other driving tests over the years I should be able to cope, but how do my learners feel about it? Those who are really nervous may be under real pressure, who knows? I recently rang the DSA call centre to book a practical test. The call was answered promptly but the person I spoke to politely explained that bookings were a little slow due to staffing and it

was the holiday period. Could I call back later? It was also pointed out that the DSA encourages ADIs to use the Online Booking Service. I must admit that I am more comfortable with a book than a laptop or tablet and I am more comfortable talking rather than punching keys. I know that I’m a bit old-fashioned and IT is here to stay, and even older people need to get to grips with technology, but sometimes being comfortable with things can make us slow to change. In the event I did not ring back later, I went through the process of registering with the online booking service. I did have some initial problems, partly due to the holiday period and partly due to a mistake I might have made. I have used the service now and so far it seems okay. I will give feedback to the MSA on the subject. Are you one of the members reading this who may have something interesting to contribute? It will be welcome because there is so much experience among our membership, so come on, please! Get in touch, it doesn’t matter whether it’s an idea, an opinion or small piece of information;

any of these may be of interest to other members. Interesting news that the DSA is closing a loophole that was being used by drivers from non-EU countries and who hadn’t been trained or tested to UK standards to obtain a UK licence. It is good to see positive action on this. As I write this, the weather is grim here in the Met Office’s ‘red zone’; the road conditions are definitely not suited to driving lessons; maybe not suited to driving at all. This is not because of the snow and ice as I believe learners should experience these conditions when it is safe to do so, but I went driving earlier in a 4WD and my assessment of the driving by others helped me to decide that I didn’t want to risk my car or terrify a learner. It’s not that I think I am better than other drivers but some of their behaviour today was bordering on crazy. One example was when an HGV had jacknifed at a roundabout and had blocked that entrance road; an oncoming driver pulled out and came the wrong way directly towards me. I had stopped and he managed to swerve around me. The horrified look on the driver’s face was proof that he had not even seen me.

Keep in touch David James can be contacted via e: d.james869@ btinternet.com or via 07733 070888

MSA NEWSLINK : FEBRUARY 2013 : 35

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Regional News: Scotland, West Midlands

Online service needs a little thought BOB BAKER Chairman, Scotland

“The new booking service... worked very well and met all my needs... but it will not be ideal for all ADIs, only those familiar with the internet”

On Wednesday, 9 January I received an e-mail from the DSA, bringing news of the ‘new ADI test booking service’. Having some 15 years under my belt I am not a new ADI - but I do embrace technology and all things internet. I currently book all my pupils’ theory and driving tests on line paying with my business credit card. I then give the pupil an invoice for the fees. I believe this to be the professional way to do it. I know of very few other teaching organisations where you can take a structured course of instruction and then be expected to book and arrange your own qualifying test. Over the years of sitting around in test centre waiting rooms I’ve seen many a pupil and ADI turned away because they have either the wrong date or time. This, to me, is so unprofessional of the ADI not to have checked the pupil’s email or letter at least the week before. This ADI Test booking service was going to make things so much easier; I would even be able to check my local test centre for cancellation test slots, book more than one test at time and no Captcha code to enter every time.

All I had to do was follow the instructions in the DSA e-mail. Being ex-military, I was well capable of following instructions to the letter. First line of the DSA’s e-mail stated in bold print, If you have a business ID email it to customer services and the DSA will send back an activation code called a DAT code. In my DSA correspondence folder I had a letter dated 15/09/1999 stating I was registered with the DSA Driving Test Control System (DTCS) and my Business Id was 16XXX. This business identification number was issued by the DSA to enable you to identify test time slots for which you would be available. So I sent an e-mail to customer services with my business ID. The following day I received a reply to my e-mail stating: “If you already have a Business ID, we can issue you an activation code once you provide us with the following identifiers: Business ID, Business Name, Business post code.” I replied to the e-mail giving all information requested and pointed out that the business ID I was quoting was issued to me by the DSA under the DTCS. By now I was beginning to think that I may be doing something wrong. Pinned up in my study was a Government Gateway User ID. This was not the same as the DSA User ID I was issued for use with the Integrated Register of Driver Trainers (IRDT) but something I used when registering my S.O.M. However, this Government Gateway account was an ‘Individual Account’. On re-reading the DSA initial e-mail it referred to registering as an ‘organisation’ on the Government Gateway. While waiting for a reply from the DSA I went ahead and registered my SOM under the Government’s

Gateway Organisation account. This gave me another user ID, and password, to add to my working collection of over 30. It also gave me another Business ID. Within five minutes of registering I received an e-mail from the DSA giving me my Activation (DAT) code and how to complete my enrolment and start using the practical test business service. Once I had completed the enrolment, it all worked very well and appears to meet all my requirements. In summary, it will not be ideal for all ADIs, only those who are familiar with the internet and using a computer. The DSA instructions could be a lot clearer, particularly with reference to which business ID is required. Most ADIs will have at least three business IDs to my knowledge, ie, self-assessment tax return, completed on line through Government Gateway Individual account, DSA (DTCS), DSA (IRDT) to name but a few. Unfortunately, the following day I received another e-mail from another department within the DSA, stating removal of my business Id 16XXX with immediate effect. It pointed out that the DSA permit a business to operate with one business identification number only, as stated in section 17 of the trainer booking agreement. One gets the impression that the DSA has forgotten about its DTCS registration system, or has it been overtaken by the practical test online business service? Have we lost the facility to identify preferred test slots under DTCS, or are the DSA simply reinventing the wheel? I may save the question for Rosemary Thew when she acts as our keynote speaker at this year’s MSA Training Day, in March.

What’s most important: cash or safety? TERRY PEARCE

Editor, West Midlands

Councils are responsible for signing various items such as bus lanes, yellow box junctions or parking restrictions but if, after signing them correctly, motorists continue to use them illegally, should the council go that extra mile and put up more signs, or simply sit back and let enforcement cameras make a lot of money for them? There have been various issues reported locally and nationally in the media recently where fining motorists appears to be the norm instead of sorting out the root problem. There was a programme on BBC recently called Parking Mad which highlighted a lot of these problems. One bus lane was catching out many motorists every day. It was correctly marked but motorists were still ignoring the signs. If the council really wanted to stop vehicles going into the bus lanes shouldn’t they put up more signs even if they are non-standard? On the other hand I didn’t get caught out by a new bus lane in Coventry even though 1,500

36 : FEBRUARY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK

motorists in a single week were, costing them £90,000 in fines. The signs were clear enough and the council even warned residents about the camera and the first week of fines followed a four-week ‘amnesty’ period after the bus lane opened during which drivers received warning letters, rather than fines. As a councillor said: “We sent thousands of warning letters to drivers who encroached on the bus lane. That shows our intention is not to use this as a cash cow. The camera has been put in a place where it is not unsightly. Signs are up warning drivers about it.” CCTV is still relatively new and perhaps motorists are being caught because for years they have blatantly taken chances and got away with it. One good example I see occasionally is when a motorist goes the wrong way down a one-way street. You know they are doing it deliberately by the way they check it’s clear and then take a short dash to the next street which stops them having to go the long way around to get to their destination! Yellow box junctions also appear to be a big earner. How many of us can say that we have never been caught out when a vehicle ahead unexpectedly stops? I had an interesting experience a number of years ago in London when I correctly stopped outside a yellow box. The vehicle behind wanted me to go forward so he sounded his horn and waved telling me to go. As it was a marked police car I thought it best to oblige and he followed me in blocking the junction even more. Putting up more signs goes against those who wish to de-clutter our streets. Over the Christmas

“Yellow box junctions also appear to be a big earner. How many of us can say that we have never been caught out when a vehicle ahead stops suddenly...”

period I visited a seaside resort and was interested to see a sign on the seafront stating it was a ‘Shared space’ with a picture of a car, bicycle and a pedestrian. Immediately behind it was a Puffin crossing. If it is a shared space why is a Puffin crossing needed? Looking on the internet the councillors there seem to be doing what my local council is doing, ‘making it up as they go along’. One comment I saw was that signs should be considered a “short-lived measure” which can be removed once people became “familiar” with the shared space zone. If a stranger visits how will they know it is a shared space? According to the article I read crossings will be provided in the form of coloured paving, marking points at which pedestrians would be expected to cross, but drivers will not be obliged to stop for the crossings. However, under British law, motorists can be prosecuted if they hit pedestrians who are judged to have behaved responsibly when stepping into the road. I enjoy visiting different areas around country but the only way I know what is happening in this region is if you tell me. Please let me know anything you consider would be of interest, in particular any shared space ideas your local council may have.

Keep in touch e: t: a:

terrysom@ aol.com 02476 335270 20 Brownshill, Green Road, Coventry CV6 2DT

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MSA’s ADI guides:

A quartet of good advice THE MSA has four guides to help ADIs in key areas. The MSA Part 2 Guide is designed to assist those studying to take the ADI Part 2 examination by bringing much of the theoretical information together in one place. It is not a substitute for training or for a thorough study of other literature, in particular the DSA manual Driving - The Essential Skills and the Highway Code. It explains the three sections of the ADI Part 2 examination and gives advice on what to do when you arrive at the test centre, including the documentation you need to take with you and the way the safety check questions will be conducted. Advice is given on the Part 2 Test of driving ability. It is explained that this is an advanced driving test and a very high standard of driving competence is required. Candidates must show that they have a thorough knowledge of the principles of good driving and road safety and are able to apply them. The MSA Check Test Guide gives you full details of what is required on your check test. It is written for ADIs by ADIs and will demystify the whole business of the check test and help you to prepare properly. The guide gives details of the list of pre-set lesson plans that are used and advises what happens on the day; the type of pupil to take; the questions your examiner will ask you and the sort of answers s/he is looking for. It also explains the core competencies of fault identification, fault analysis and remedial action. The MSA Driving Test Guide is designed to explain how the driving test works, what examiners are looking for and what the markings on the DL25 marking sheet actually mean. It details the duties of a professional driving instructor who presents pupils for test and goes on to explain the driving test assessment guidelines, and gives full details of the differences between driving faults/ serious faults and dangerous faults. The guide goes on to give details of how errors are categorised in order to assist ADIs in interpreting the DL25, the Driving Test Report form. The MSA PDI Guide provides help for those who want to become ADIs. It is not intended to be a substitute for instructor training or for the information contained in the DSA folder “Your Road to Becoming an Approved Driving Instructor” (ADI 14) which the MSA recommends all PDIs read. The guide gives details of all three sections of the ADI examinations and explains the qualification system. It gives help and advice on the test of theoretical knowledge and hazard perception skills and suggests strategies to help candidates to prepare for the test. It also includes a number of helpful tips for preparing for the Part 2 exam. These invaluable tools for all ADIs are available to purchase from MSA head office at a cost of £6 each. Telephone 0161 429 9669 now with a credit card number or send a cheque made payable to the MSA to MSA Head Office, 101 Wellington Road North, Stockport, Cheshire SK4 2LP.

Recommend a colleague to join the MSA – and receive a £10 M&S voucher

Many new MSA members join on the recommendation of a colleague – and we want to make sure that if that colleague is you, you know that your work in spreading the good news about the MSA is appreciated. So if you do recommend a colleague, we’ll send you a £10 Marks & Spencer’s voucher as a thank you.

Application Form

It’s time for you to join the Representation • Information • Services

THE MOTOR SCHOOLS ASSOCIATION OF GREAT BRITAIN LTD Head Office: 101 Wellington Road North, Stockport, Cheshire SK4 2LP Tel: 0161 429 9669 Fax: 0161 429 9779

Application form for membership Title: Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Surname First name Business name Address Town County Post code ADI

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DSA ref no. /ADI no. Your nearest L-test centre Tel no. home Office/mobile E-mail address Declaration: I, the undersigned, agree to be bound by the constitution by-laws and code of conduct of The Motor Schools Association of Great Britain Ltd. I understand that, in accordance with the Data Protection Act, my membership details will be kept on computer and may be made available to third parties. Signature Date

Please tick the membership option you require 12 months’ membership, by cheque or debit/credit card

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@ £45

Both include one-off £15 joining fee Driving Test guide @ £6.00

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PDI guide @ £6.00

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Special offer: Save £2 when you buy all four guides @ £22.00

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by cheque: Please make cheques payable to the Motor Schools Association

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MSA NEWSLINK : FEBRUARY 2013 : 37

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Regional News: Eastern

Teaching in the snow has benefits – but the hazards are real, too SARA BRADLEY Editor, Eastern

Having recently been voted in to be the Eastern Editor, this will be my first column! I have always read the other regional editors’ articles and found them very informative, interesting and amusing. I can’t promise that will always be the case with me but I’ll do my best! I am only three years into the ADI world so am certainly no expert on hot topics. I will just attempt to report on issues that I think are relevant and, of course, you can also help me out by contacting me with any thoughts! As a busy mum, being part of the MSA and also being a Governor at our local high school, time is limited, so I may not manage to get in every issue but I will try. So here we are at the start of a new year and what fun we have had over in the Eastern region, shivering under our recent ‘Arctic blast’. I thought I would take advantage of a ‘snow day’, and get my article written, while the children are at home due to school closures, (260 of them). It’s given me time to observe what is going on around me. Even though the forecasters did actually give us plenty of notice re the snow, and there were 60 gritters out covering 2,000 miles of Norfolk’s roads, and 1,200 tons of salt were laid down every day, Norwich city centre was still completely gridlocked by the conditions. In Norfolk there were 84 traffic collisions, not including minor bumps and scrapes, in one day. My pupil’s test was cancelled so I was on my way home when the snow came, but very quickly the city ground to a halt. As usual the Highways Agency came under attack due to the level of chaos but to be fair to them, the temperature at Norwich Airport was registered as –11, and so the problems started. Our roads were turned into ice rinks. A journey from Aylsham to Norwich takes 20 minutes but on this day it took one couple seven hours! What makes someone do that journey, I wondered: it would have been quicker if they got out and walked. Do we as instructors decide to stay or go? Is there a correct answer? There is the argument that we teach pupils to drive in all conditions so it’s a good experience for them, some instructors don’t want to lose the money so plough on regardless, some go out and teach how to deal with skids on the side roads and some cancel everything and stay at home with a cuppa! As advanced drivers we know how to drive safely in these treacherous conditions but as an instructor told me, he now thinks very carefully after a pupil, (who was test ready and had plenty of hours on the road), skidded slightly, panicked, pressed the gas instead of the brake and the instructor prayed and held his breath!

38 : FEBRUARY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK

“So to sum it up, are ADIs and their learners okay out there? It’s the drivers that don’t drive to the conditions that are dangerous and cause problems for the rest of us” Another instructor was having a good lesson and teaching how to drive in the snow until, while waiting at a junction, another car slid right into the back of them, and now he has to wait for repairs and cancel the next lessons anyway. So to sum it up, are ADIs and their learners okay out there? It’s the drivers that don’t drive to the conditions that are dangerous and cause problems for the rest of us. More significant snow fall is expected so the fun continues. I have decided to put L-plates on the sledge and go out in that! However, as you read this the snow will probably have melted, and we will probably be back to dodging the floods, newly emerged pot holes or in the middle of a hose pipe ban! The test centre will be back open, and the process under way for clearing the back log of tests that were cancelled. I always enjoy my visit to the test centre, as a great people watcher I find it all very amusing in there! I have come to the conclusion that although we are all PDI/ADIs, there are many varieties. A bit like pedestrian crossings! So, of those ADIs in the DTC waiting room, which one are you? The oldest ADI in town. This one has been doing the job since the dinosaurs were around. They know everything and everyone and tell you so. They hold court in the middle of the waiting room, speak very loudly and everyone hangs on their every word. Their crown and sash with ‘World’s best ADI’ on is often visible on the back seat! Do they keep up to date though?

The examiner’s best friend: This ADI knows every examiner and always talks to them using their first name, they also have a cheeky little flirty comment ready to amuse the lady examiner! The Muncher ADI: This one comes in ready for their picnic, (minus the blanket). They settle themselves down with their Tupperware tub, spread their sandwiches out and pour a coffee from the flask. They sit quietly reading the paper, rustling their crisp packets and then aim their apple core into the bin with a loud bang! The expectant father ADI: This one never sits still. Checking their watch every five minutes as soon as the pupil has gone out on test. They sit looking longingly out of the window, pausing only to pace the waiting room and then back to the window. When their pupil reaches the gates the ADI is off like a rat up a drainpipe without so much as a backward glance. The ‘really busy’ ADI: Very friendly and talks to everyone. Is often well-known and well-liked. Their first question to anyone they meet is “are you busy”. That then gives them the green light to express their own concerns that the phone never stops ringing, they have a waiting list, pupils coming out of their ears, don’t know how they will fit everyone in, etc. They invariably get a pupil call while waiting, yet a couple of hours later you see them parked up on the side of the road reading the paper The nervous ADI: Comes in, sits quietly, speaks when spoken to and can’t wait to get out of there. The rude ADI: – Strolls in, very confident, completely ignores everyone else as if they are not there. Doesn’t have eye contact with anyone, sits in the middle of everyone, and then spends the whole

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MSA Eastern: Members’ meeting Event details:

Date: Tuesday, 5 March Venue: Heartsease Methodist Church, Norwich NR7 9NR Time: from 1830 Cost: Just £2 for members; £5 non-members Guest speakers - to be announced Great networking opportunity and path to continuing your professional development

40 minutes playing with their phone and doesn’t look up once. The know-it-all ADI: Well they think they do! Very loud, very over-confident, been everywhere, done everything, driven everything, know of everyone, seen everything, experienced everything. They have really trendy shiny cars with amazing stickers, and trendy business names. They have all the latest designer clothes and haircuts, big trainers with no laces and their pants hanging out their trendy jeans!! The ADI loonie: Always one of these wherever you go! There are train loonies and bus loonies, café loonies, and waiting-in-a-queue loonies. They come and sit right next to you even though all the other seats are empty. Then they sit smiling at you, give an occasional tut or grimace or raise an eyebrow and then you suddenly need the loo! The Tramp ADI: They turn up in an old filthy banger, practically back-firing as it comes through the gates. You have no idea who they are as you can’t see the name through the dirt on the car. They come in dressed like they have just got up and not looked in the mirror. You hope they don’t speak to you in case people think you are linked in some way. Everyone wonders who in their right mind would send their child to learn with someone like that. The real ADI is the last one: The true professional, genuine, doesn’t need to announce their achievements and is respected by their peers, and is the instructor that everyone aspires to be. I know which one I am! No matter who you are, we all have common denominators. We walk in to the test centre with our fingers secretly crossed and point our pupils to the “lucky chair” ! On a more serious issue, we have set our date for the next MSA Eastern region meeting. It will be on Tuesday, March 5, starting at 6.30pm at Heartseas Methodist Church, Norwich. Speakers are yet to be confirmed, but there will be a networking session included. Look out for the posters in the test centre. We really hope lots of people join us again as the last meetings have been really well-supported. Don’t forget we are always ready to welcome anyone who is interested in joining the committee. Until the next time ... stay safe out there.

Keep in touch

Any thoughts or comments? I can be reached via email at bradley213@btinternet.com

Regional News: Greater London

Self-employed v employee status TONY PHILLIPS

Editor, Greater London

Now that 2013 is firmly here, the word ‘Happy’ that is commonly pre-fixed before the words ‘New Year’ has definitely been dropped. From a local viewpoint, we have had the helicopter tragedy in Vauxhall on our door step here in south London, but more generally British hostages taken and, in some cases, murdered in Algeria and tragic child deaths on our roads. These terrible events, while devastating to those very closely involved, tend only to become sound-bites for the media and regrettably tend to fade into memory within a short period for the rest of us. When things are closer to home however, they tend to have so much more impact on our lives. One of my very close friends, who is my age, took a very different route from my own in a professional sense and became a marketing expert. Because he was always going to great company events and getting a very good salary, I was very pleased for him but have to admit that sometimes it was galling when I compared my financial situation with his. Then he was recently made redundant. He has worked at some big companies as a marketeer and was responsible for one very well-known advertising campaign from the 1980s. Some of you may remember the ads for Scotch Video Tapes, which implied they would record forever. A dancing skeleton sang along to a parody of the Rolling Stones track ‘Not Fade Away’ as the main theme of the advert. Suddenly, at the age of 62 he now finds himself out of work with a mortgage and having to compete with ‘younger’ people aged in their 40s with great experience who are in turn competing with even younger ‘blades’ in their 20s and 30s with great bright ideas and a lot more years ahead of them. Thankfully he was able to negotiate a deal that left him with his company car (Mercedes Benz estate, not bad eh?) and a ‘parachute’ pay off, but it was clear when I saw him last that he’s definitely worried about the quality of his future. It’s happening to so many people and it really made me think about our own situation in the driver training industry. Selfemployment means no paid holiday; sickness; pension schemes; company jollies; the various ‘perks’ in fact that are associated with employment. However it does give us one major benefit – independence. I have made the point to any that has cared to listen (not that many, I suppose!) that one of the major problems with our industry is the fact that we’re self-employed. If driving schools

employed driving instructors rather than tied them to a franchise, there would be a compulsion on the employers to ensure that their employees were not only looked after in a financial sense but would also be compelled to ensure that their employees’ standards were maintained, ie, CPD would be much higher on the agenda of many ADIs than it currently is. However, being independent means that the amount of work that we can do is not only limited by market availability but by our own ability to gain profitable employment. We can take holidays when we choose within our personal situation and not when the human resources department dictates and yes, we can work until we drop if we like. We moan a great deal about our situation and no, it isn’t ideal. The amounts that we charge to the general public very often are far too low which accordingly leave us with earnings that are in turn far too low. There are very very few millionaires in our industry. The MSA’s very own Ron Feltham, God rest his soul, died a couple of years ago at the ripe old age of 80 and was still working a few hours a week, teaching other elderly people in his Rover 25 automatic. At least we have the choice of deciding when we go out.

Greater London seminar

Yes, it’s seminar time and we’re looking to get things moving in Greater London. To this end we have arranged a seminar at St Albans Parish Church, 99 Albert Road, Ilford, Essex IG1 1HS. The principal speakers will be our newly elected Chairman Tom Kwok (who is also STILL our treasurer) with information on the new proposed check test. Forgive me please, but I will also be presenting on feedback within the coaching client-centred learning approach to driver education. Doors open at 6.30pm with a 7pm start and everyone who wants to attend is very welcome. MSA members are invited free of charge and non-members are, of course, very welcome for an incredibly great value door charge of only £5. If non-members join MSA on the night then the fee is waived! You just can’t say fairer than that, can you? Oh, by the way, the date: 20 February 2013. Put it in your diary and be there to keep yourself up to date with what’s going on in the driver training industry. All the best and until next month, have a prosperous time.

Keep in touch e: tony@tonystrainees.co.uk Please ensure all emails contain MSA Greater London in the subject

MSA NEWSLINK : FEBRUARY 2013 : 39

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Regional News: North East

Pressure mounts to bring in graduated licences Picture courtesy of Autonational Rescue

MIKE YEOMANS Deputy Editor, North East

An article from the BBC in October 2012 called for a restricted “graduated” licence for those driving within six months of passing the test. People should spend at least a year learning to drive, said insurers, who were calling for an overhaul of the system. The Association of British Insurers says drivers aged 17-24 are responsible for a disproportionately high number of crashes, deaths and claims. The ABI also wants new drivers to face restrictions on driving at night and a lower alcohol limit. But it says they should be allowed to start learning six months earlier - currently they must be at least 17. It said the need for more rigorous driver training had been side-stepped “for too long”. “Radical action is needed to reduce the tragic waste of young lives on our roads, especially among the 17 to 24 age group,” said ABI director general Otto Thoresen. The ABI’s Malcolm Tarling: “There are two key issues, we improve road safety and lower costs” “A car is potentially a lethal weapon, and we

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must do more to help young drivers better deal with the dangers of driving. Improving the safety of young drivers will also mean that they will face lower motor insurance costs. “Northern Ireland is introducing reforms, and politicians in Westminster should follow their lead in introducing meaningful reform to help today’s young drivers become tomorrow’s safer motorists.” Among the reforms insurers want to see are: • A ban on learners being able to take an intensive driving course as their only method of passing • The introduction of a new “graduated” licence for the first six months after passing a test • During this time the number of young passengers that a newly-qualified driver could carry would be restricted • They would also be banned from driving between 11pm and 4am for the first six months, unless they were driving to and from work or college. • Finally, their blood/alcohol limit would be 0 during those first six months The ABI said all the evidence showed that newly passed young drivers were the riskiest on the road and that special care was needed to avoid them having accidents. It said an 18-year-old was more than three times as likely as a 48-year-old to be involved in a crash, and that a third of drivers killed in car accidents were under 25. That was despite the fact that the under 25s form only one in eight of all car drivers. More than a quarter of all personal injury motor claims for more than £500,000 are due to crashes involving 17 to 24-year-olds, it said. “Young drivers are far more likely to be involved

in crashes involving three to five high value bodily injury claims, reflecting the increased risk they face of having a serious crash while carrying passengers,” the ABI said. Road safety minister said the Government would consider the ideas. “We are already working with young people, the insurance industry and other key stakeholders to identify what else can be done to ensure that newly-qualified drivers are properly prepared and drive safely,” he said. The president of the AA, Edmund King, said there might be some practical difficulties with the proposals. “We should be looking to get people safer before they get on the road, rather than restricting them afterwards, because a lot of these proposals are very difficult to police,” he told the BBC. We have now moved into the New Year 2013 and there are changes to the look of driving licences, age restrictions are changing for vocational licences and once again we are led to believe the driving test itself is being re evaluated. In addition, we are certain the ADI qualifying process is changing and we are all becoming client-centred in our approach. So does this mean we could be looking at the return of a logbook system requiring 12 months or four seasons of driving to be logged before we can allow a person to become a qualified driver? Insurances are keen to use the ‘Black Box’ system for driver activity; I wonder if this technology could be used while learning? It would negate the 12 months minimum but would register driving conditions as proof of where you have been and for how long. Isn’t future technology good!

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Regional News: North East

Now you see me... now you don’t PAULA MORRIS Editor, North East

Teaching your pupil how to approach a junction: Your instruction: “Take the next left”. Pupil’s actions: • Check mirrors inside and outside; • Read the sign • Reduce speed using brakes and select appropriate gears • Read the sign • Move out to miss that hole in the road • Check for pedestrians • Read the sign • Check mirrors again • Read the sign • Check for pedestrians • Read the sign • Now begin to turn Ooooops, missed that sign :( What a shambles! Today, motorists can’t see the wood for the trees – or we can’t see the sign for the signs. Whatever the phrase, in this case you can’t see the sign for the For Sales signs. So it’s not just the DSA and the Department of Transport who need to make a “clean up of the signs”. The Highway Code says about road signs: Traffic signs play a vital role in directing, informing

and controlling road users’ behaviour in an effort to make the roads as safe as possible for everyone. This makes a knowledge of traffic signs essential. Not just for new drivers or riders needing to pass their theory test, but for all road users, including experienced professional drivers. We live in times of change. Society, technology and the economy all play their part in changing the way we travel. New road signs conveying new messages and in new formats are introduced from time to time, so drivers or riders who passed their driving test a few years ago need to keep up to date or run the risk of failing to understand or comply with recently introduced signs. I agree that there needs to be a BIG clean-up of our cluttered roads by removing all those old and unwanted road signs. Drivers of today have enough to look for when driving and if I were to list them here I would take up all this page. I think, however, that there is a simple solution to this problem. It works along the lines of the old proverb: Give a man a fish and you feed him for the day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Or put another way, get the right people to organise these road signs in the first place and you won’t have this problem in the future. Pictured here (right) is an example of one four ‘well-placed’ signs in Huddersfield. Can you spot the crucial road sign? Any idea what it is? Do you think your pupils would?

12 years on, the same debates are raging Another year gone, another one starting. What will this bring? Who knows. I recall writing an article for Newslink 12 years ago after a we had held a regional meeting up in Tynemouth. Our speakers then were Mike Ambrose, the then registrar, and Gary Austin, DSA chief executive. Mike said that his vision for five to 10 years’ time was that CPD would become part of the criteria for getting onto the register and staying on it. Gary favoured us with his thoughts, ideas and plans. These ranged from the new hazard perception testing, P-plates, log books, mechanical aspects for the driving tests, and creating a register for PCV and LGV – and more to the point there should be more than one register. That was 12 years ago, some things have changed let’s see what 2013 will bring. What you would you like to see? Some ideas could be: • Limit the number of hours ADIs are allowed to work in a day?

“

KARL SATLOKA Chairman, North East

• 35 hours compulsory CPD over five years • Could this possibly replace the check test grading system? Maybe this would include some business training which may encourage some ADIs to stop paying themselves less than the legal minimum wage – who knows? It’s all been said before; tell us what you think. Just before I sign off, a moment to remember friends who are no longer with us. Happy new year to you all and may it be a prosperous and healthy one.

Can you tell what it is yet?: The important sign is there...

MSA Scotland extra

Steven’s off to tackle West Highland Way One of the Central Strathclyde branch members, ADI Steven Porter, and three friends are hoping to avoid being eaten by grizzly bears and Nessie when they attempt to walk The West Highland Way over five days in March for three charities close to their hearts. The three they are raising money for are Help for Heroes, Accord Hospice and CLIMB (Children Living with Inherited Metabolic Diseases). The boys are hoping to raise £1,500 and at present have raised over £600. Your help would be very much appreciated and any donation, no matter how little, will be most welcome. To donate, go online to their donation page at: http:// uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/ showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=WestHighlan dRovers&isTeam=true Alternatively, use this QR code to go straight to the page.

Mike Ambrose said that his vision for five to 10 years’ time was that CPD would become part of the criteria for getting onto the register and staying on MSA NEWSLINK : FEBRUARY 2013 : 41

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Regional News: North West

Losing control of reasons why drivers crash JOHN LOMAS

Editor, North West

Bl**dy Cyclists

Tony Phillips (Editor, Greater London) had an interesting article in the January Newslink re the BBC’s War on Britain’s Roads programme. While I broadly go along with his assertion that there was not a lot of balance to the programme, the principle spokesperson for cyclists, Gareth, showed himself up very poorly, in my opinion. I could have found many far harsher adjectives to describe him but they would have involved the use of too many ******* and tiptoed into personal abuse, so I will relent on this occasion. Incidentally, swearing at the screen during such a one-sided programme is preferable to letting one’s anger spill over into other areas of your life :)

Does skid pan training work?

I have recently been following a discussion on the internet on the subject of skid pan training. The person who started it had found that:Over at least the past 38 years (ie, since at least 1974), the body of research has grown which indicates that teaching either skid-recovery or evasive-swerve manoeuvres is likely to lead to an increase rather than a decrease in posttraining crashes and deaths – clearly an outrageously unacceptable situation. Research excerpts quoted include: • Advanced training aimed at increasing the vehicle control and handling skills of experienced drivers has not been shown to be effective in crash or violation reduction terms (Christie, 2001, p.23). • [Following] a debate in Sweden, ... the National Society for Road Safety (NTF) took the initiative for a research programme which

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was carried out by VTI. This research programme resulted in proposals that a course syllabus should be formulated with the emphasis on risk awareness, anticipation in driving and recognition of the driver’s own limitations, instead of teaching the pupil how to handle the vehicle in critical situations, as in the previous course syllabus (Gregersen et al 1994). • In a road safety context, skid-control and emergency braking are seldom required by drivers in everyday driving... under these circumstances, a driver trained in these skills is highly unlikely to retain them... drivers quickly forget those behaviours which they do not have to use regularly. Malaterre (1989), who tested the competency of experienced drivers immediately after advanced training, concluded there was little point in training these drivers in such skills as they did not retain them (Christie, 2001, p.29). • A word of warning: taking a course in more advanced driving skills such as emergency braking, skid control, [or] collision avoidance maneuvers may create a new risk for you. If the extra skills make you overconfident, that cancels out the advantages of having the skills in the first place. Research has indicated that drivers who take advanced skills courses have a tendency to misuse the skills and actually have a higher crash rate... Advanced skills such as emergency braking and collision avoidance are not a substitute for good risk management. (Drivers.com,2007) • Traditional driver-training programs that aim to improve vehicle-handling skills, including manoeuvring exercises and skid training, have tended to be relatively ineffective in reducing crashes. In fact, the introduction of skid training into driver training programs has been found to increase certain crash types for young drivers. This has been attributed to associated increases in confidence that resulted in greater risk-taking. Rather than focusing on physical skills, insight training focuses on attitudinal-motivational skills. The aim is to raise drivers’ awareness of factors that contribute to crashes and potential risks when driving... Overall [the insight

training] program did not inflate the confidence of the young drivers, as found to be true of other driver-training programs... Overall, the insight-training program resulted in important road safety messages being relayed and adopted in a relatively short time period. Researchers and others involved in the field of road safety should consider the potential benefits of insight training... (Senserrick & Swinburne, 2001) If you wish to see more on this – and there is a lot more research to see (three separate entries in the one thread on Linkedin, running to three times more than I have quoted here), go to LinkedIn via the following tiny url: http://tinyurl.com/abtb33g You will need to be a member of LinkedIn to access the information. Now if we take such results too literally then we would probably not carry out any post-basic training; after all, it could be described as giving pupils an exaggerated impression of their own abilities and that may well be the cause of their higher-than-average crash statistics. But should we not also be wary of the dangers of ‘throwing the baby out with the dishwater’? I remember that, when we used to have the skidpan facility in Blackburn, we made a point of not only demonstrating skid recovery but also skid avoidance, which was done in a safe environment by recognising the signs that signal skid likelihood and the driving faults which actually cause the skid. If someone is NEVER shown these things then they are surely just as likely to get into trouble as someone who is overconfident because of such knowledge. I would be supportive of the ‘Insight training’ which focuses on attitudinal-motivational skills but not to the exclusion of advanced types of practical skill training. The particular group is designated as a worldwide group of driver trainers but what is not made clear in the thread I have been following is where all the research emanated from. Indeed, the originator was from the USA and responses have come from USA, Australia, Ireland and the UK. I suppose the question has to be asked: Have those of us who have given any form of advanced/ enhanced driver skills training actually unwittingly contributed to the crash statistics?

On the skid: “When we used to have the skidpan facility in Blackburn, we made a point of not only demonstrating skid recovery but also skid avoidance, which was done in a safe environment...”

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Newsextra

EU moves away from bringing MoT checks into line with the UK The European Commission has launched three proposals to revise EU roadworthiness legislation as part of a new initiative to improve road safety, including a review on the frequency of annual vehicle checks (MoT). The first instrument is a revision of the 2009/40/EC Periodic Roadworthiness Directive. The second covers the revision of Directive 2000/30/ EC on technical roadside inspections of commercial vehicles. The final Directive to be revised is 1999/37/EC on issuing vehicle registration certificates. The Directive on Periodic Roadworthiness tests was recast in 2009 but the body of the text has not seen any major revision since adoption in 1996. Since then both cars and in-vehicle safety systems that are electronically controlled have developed rapidly. Vehicle examiners need to assure a rigorous testing regime for new in-vehicle technologies. The EC also proposed extending the Directive to cover other vehicle types such as light

commercial vehicles and Powered Two Wheelers (PTWs). The main objective of the proposed legislative package is to enhance road safety and the European Commission clearly sets out both the long-term ‘vision zero’ objective of the Transport White Paper and also the target of halving road deaths by 2020. The Parliament has published an initial appraisal of the Impact Assessment the Commission together with its proposal and has held its first reading of the legislation on 18 December. The raporteurs – Werner Kuhn (EPP, DE), Olga Sehnalová (S&D, CZ) and Vilja Savisaar-Toomast (ALDE, EE) – agreed that tougher vehicle rules will increase road safety. The proposal on technical roadside inspections of commercial vehicles led to a debate on the introduction of a risk rating system, the percentage of vehicles to be checked and the use of mobile control centres. Other points raised by TRAN MEPs included the choice of a legal

instrument (Regulation versus Directive), the statistics available and the scope of the proposals. The deadline for amendments is 22 March 2013 and voting in the TRAN Committee is scheduled for May 2013 and in the plenary session in July 2013. On 20 December, the Council agreed a general approach on the roadworthiness package. Overall, states estimated that the costs of the proposal are too high when compared to the expected benefits and said that they would prefer a Directive (as currently) to take account of the national differences. The Council included fast agricultural tractors in the scope of the legislation, with possible exemptions. The Council general approach, however, does not retain the Commission’s proposal to extend periodic tests to motorcycles and light trailers and to increase the minimum frequency of checks for older cars and LCVs from every two years to annually, as currently happens in the UK.

“The Council does not retain the proposal to increase the minimum frequency of checks for older cars from every two years to every year throughout the Union”

Pothole woe for millions as penny-pinching comes back to haunt authorities Warranty Direct has claimed that a decade of reliance on cheap and brittle road repairs by local authorities and the Highways Agency will come back to haunt motorists in the coming weeks as the road network struggles to come to terms with a period of heavy rainfall followed by freezing temperatures. After the UK experienced more than a foot of rain in November and December, followed by sub-zero temperatures and heavy snowfall in January, the road surface has become cracked, worn and pot holes are growing. In January, for example, the M32 near Bristol was partially closed when one lane needed emergency repair work for potholes that appeared ‘overnight’. Meanwhile, a half-mile section of the M6 motorway had two lanes closed at Garstang for pothole repairs. Yet Warranty Direct’s campaigns website, potholes.co.uk, says the relaying of cheap materials – brittle, porous stone mastic asphalt as opposed to the more hard-wearing hot rolled asphalt – to surface and fix roads over the last 10-15 years is now leaving Britain gridlocked. Data taken from 10,000 pothole reports on Potholes.co.uk reveals that not only are the craters appearing on the UK’s crumbling network deeper than ever before, increasing in depth from three to four inches on average in the last two years, but that the problem is not limited

to smaller, rural roads. The Local Government Association revealed that the Department for Transport will reduce budgets for councils by £442m over the five years of the Comprehensive Spending Review, leaving authorities £164m worse off by 2014/15. Warranty Direct managing director, Duncan McClure Fisher, said: “The pothole epidemic is the direct result of years of under-investment in our roads by successive Governments. “Temporary fixes have just escalated the problem over the years and our highways have now got more holes than Swiss cheese. “Unless more permanent repair materials and methods are adopted immediately, Britain may never again be able to get through a winter without having to contend with a ‘Developing World’-style road network.” Potholes are created when moisture seeps into cracks in the street surface and freezes, cracking open the road as the water expands as ice. Last year was the second-wettest since records began in 1910, with an average of 1330.7mm falling on the UK; combined with the heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures of the last week, UK weather has created the ‘perfect pothole storm’, destined to tear apart the second-rate stone mastic asphalt now used as standard for road repairs.

ADIs: The Driving Centre UK needs YOU We are looking for highly-skilled, professional and independent ADIs in the following areas • Bath • Birmingham • Bournemouth • Brighton

• Bristol • Cardiff • Glasgow

• Manchester • Reading • Swansea • Swindon

Become a member – not a franchisee • Local students • No franchise payments • Use your own headerboard

• Phone and booking support • Grow your own school • No contract

Please email or txt for further details

Drivingcentreuk@hotmail.com

Txt 07585 660412 or see www.drivingcentreuk.biz

MSA NEWSLINK : FEBRUARY 2013 : 43

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Motoring news

MPG figures questioned as motorists see economy come up short

Do you struggle to get the mpg from your car that the manufacturer claims you should? Many ADIs do, with most putting the poor economy down to the stop-start, low-speed driving associated with teaching learners. However, research by consumer motoring website HonestJohn.co.uk suggests that poor mpg return may not be all down to pupils – the manufacturers themselves could be to blame. For Honest John has found alarming discrepancies between the mpgs claimed by car makers and those that are possible to attain. The website invited drivers to submit how many miles their cars actually do to the gallon. To date is has collated more than 30,000 entries, covering all major manufacturers and models, with the majority failing to meet official figures. On average cars achieve only 88 per cent of their official fuel consumption figures, forcing drivers to spend around an extra 2p per litre every time they fill their tanks. The underlying message from the results seem to suggest that drivers of older cars are able to achieve the official figures more easily, but as the drive to offer competitive CO2 emissions for taxation purposes has taken hold, more recent models seem to have been optimised for the official test cycle and perform less well in real-world driving. According to the research the worst performing car was the Mercedes-Benz B-Class (2005-2012 generation), which on average achieves just 71.2 per cent of its official fuel economy rating. The Lexus CT200h and Range Rover Evoque come a close second and third in the worst performing stakes, achieving 73 per cent and 73.4 per cent respectively. The Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer (2010-) is also one of the UK’s worst performing cars, managing to achieve 74 per cent of its recorded fuel economy. On paper it is capable of up to 70.6 mpg, but

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of those owners who have submitted figures to HonestJohn.co.uk, none have reported a figure higher than 55 mpg. The Audi A1 fares little better and is fifth worst, managing on average only 46.8 miles to the gallon, 74.2 per cent of its official consumption figure. Land Rover may be responsible for one of the worst performing cars, but it is also responsible for the best: the Defender achieves 105.4 per cent of its official test result. Second place is taken by the Toyota Celica with owners reporting 103.8 per cent of its official consumption. The Jaguar S-Type also exceeds expectations, achieving an average of 33.3 miles to the gallon, 3.6 per cent better than official figures permit. The previous Nissan Micra K12 (2003-2010) and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class (2002-2009) finish third and fourth, achieving 102.7 per Making it up: Official mpg figures for the Mercedes Benz B-Class up to cent and 102.1 per cent of their official fuel 2012 (top picture), the Lexus CT200h (above) and the Range Rover Evoque economies, while the Honda Civic Type R were all far higher than the average economy motorists achieved (2007-2011) comes a close fourth with a Real MPG ratio of 102.1 per cent. While drivers might buy cars informed by official (laboratory tested) fuel consumption figures, the research shows actual rates of fuel consumption can only be measured by assessment of engine performance in on-the-road mile per gallon figures. The question the website doesn’t ask, however, is how’s your eco-driving? It never asked whether poor performance is down to the way the drivers handle their cars. Could motorists themselves be at fault for worsethan-expected mpg? While eco-driving is part of the official L-test, it is a fact that few motorists adhere to the principles of sensible fuel conservation, racing up to red lights, selecting inappropriate gears, accelerating and braking too harshly and failing to conserve fuel when possible. Perhaps the car makers aren’t as much to blame as HonestJohn suggests!

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Motoring news

Fuel trouble: Hitachi reports batch of contaminated diesel The Hitachi Capital Driving Instructor Centre has reported a spate of calls from ADIs about contaminated diesel in pockets of the UK. A spokesperson for Hitachi commented: “Our eight Hitachi Capital Driving Instructor Centre account managers speak to hundreds of driving instructors a week who use us for their supply of vehicles, and they have been inundated with driving instructors claiming their cars perform sluggishly after filling up, raising the possibility of bad batches of diesel being in circulation. “Symptoms reported include their vehicles starting to ‘kangaroo jump’ upon acceleration where the vehicle jerks violently up and down. The solution to fixing a contaminated fuel tank is to take the car to a garage and have the fuel tank and filters cleaned.” However, this is an expensive procedure, with some ADIs reporting that after going to their local garages to fix the problem, the repair costs to drain their tanks of the contaminated diesel and fix their vehicles can run into the hundreds of pounds. In addition to this, diesel contamination affects driving instructors more than other road users as, as one ADI put it: “My vehicle is my business and if it’s off the road it means I’m not doing lessons which means I’m not making a living. It may cost a little more but in the future I’m going to make sure I fill up at a reputable station rather than just chase the cheapest price per litre.” Why the contamination? Experts believe it is because modern diesel now contains more biofuel

Warning signs: • • • •

Contamination can lead to cars ‘kangarooing’ Stalling engines, poor performance Unresponsive when accelerating Engine generally sluggish - even stopping completely than ever before. Biofuel increases the ability of normal diesel to absorb water via condensation or loose fittings, something that is highly dangerous to the life of engines. Contamination can also occur due to poor fuel storage or human error resulting in grit, sand or other contaminants ending up in the diesel. Candice Walters, Hitachi Capital Driving Instructor Centre head of sales, said of these recent events: “We’ve been getting lots of calls from driving instructors across the country on diesel contamination so it’s not isolated to one particular area. Fortunately there is something driving instructors can do to safeguard themselves. “We would advise keeping your car regularly serviced, avoid water entering your tank when filling up and to purchase your diesel from reliable sources. “If you spot or suspect any symptoms of diesel contamination such as poor performance after

filling up, visit a garage immediately and they will be able to clean your tank before further and more expensive damage is done.” The Sale of Goods Act 1979 states that where the seller sells goods in the course of a business, there is an implied term that the goods supplied under the contract are of satisfactory quality. Walters added: “The law is on your side. Should your car incur damage as a result of filling up with contaminated diesel, it’s important you retain proof of this before looking to claim compensation. Keep the receipt, credit or debit card statement from the petrol station you purchased the diesel from and then retain the report from the garage which repaired your vehicle. From there you can pursue a reimbursement claim under the claims procedure for the retailer in question.”

“Should your car incur damage as a result of filling up with contaminated diesel, it’s important you retain proof of this before looking to claim compensation...”

MSA NEWSLINK : FEBRUARY 2013 : 45

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Motoring

Super deal on Astra Active Nearly £2,500 off an Active 5-door hatch through Partners VAUXHALL’S Partners Programme offers exclusive deals and huge discounts off the price of new cars to qualifying ADIs through their MSA membership. At the moment discounts of up to eight per cent are available on Corsa and Astra models. As an example, the Corsa S, 5 Door Hatch 1.0i 12v (65PS) ecoFLEX, is available to MSA members for just £11,091, a saving of £959 on the list price (eight per cent off). And there’s an even better deal off the new Astra Active 5 Door Hatch, 1.4i 16v VVT (100PS), Petrol, manual. MSA members can now purchase one with a massive saving of £2,486, with the car available at a special Partners Price of £16,149 as long as you order/register it before 2 April. To take advantage of these great schemes, ADIs just need to register and take proof of eligibility to their participating dealer. A key point of the Partners Programme is that its not just ADIs who can benefit either, but members of their family, too. There’s even a flexible finance package to making paying for your new car even easier. With Flexible Finance 0% APR Representative, there’s no fixed deposit requirement, so you decide what you want to put down. Then simply spread the remaining balance over the payment period you select, between 24 and 60 months (two to five years). At the end of the finance period you fully own your vehicle. See the special Partners website at www. partnersprogramme.co.uk – and register, using the unique ADIs’ password DRIVING. Alternatively, call the Partners Helpline on 0844 875 2448.

Free £40 MasterFit voucher for all new Service Club members Vauxhall is offering a free £40 MasterFit voucher for any Vauxhall owner who signs up to its MasterFit Service Club before the 31 March. The MasterFit Service Club is open to any Vauxhall owner and is free to join. Members enjoy a range of benefits, including 50 per cent off MoTs, 15 per cent off parts and labour for cars aged between two and three years old and 25 per cent off parts and labour for cars over three years old. MasterFit Service Club members enjoy the peace-of-mind of it being part of the Vauxhall Aftersales network, with over

400 outlets nationwide that support the Motor Industry Code of Practice. The MasterFit promise means its members only use genuine Vauxhall parts fitted by Vauxhall trained technicians, because “no one knows Vauxhalls better than them”. Vauxhall owners can register for the MasterFit Service Club at the Vauxhall Drivers’ centre website: www. vauxhalldriverscentre.co.uk. The £40 MasterFit voucher is available until 31st March and is redeemable until 30 September 2013.

New diesel power units to deliver savings Vauxhall has continued the renewal of its powertrain portfolio with an all-new four-cylinder, turbo-diesel engine. The second family of new downsized power units to be introduced after the petrol 1.6-litre SIDI ECOTEC, the 1.6-litre CDTI ECOTEC diesels will replace existing 1.7-litre engines and certain lower powered versions of the 2.0-litre range. Featuring closed-loop combustion control and an aluminium block, the new 1.6 CDTI ECOTEC is the first diesel from Vauxhall to comply with future Euro 6 emissions requirements. The engine will be available in a variety of power outputs across several car lines. Class-leading NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness), high power/torque density and low fuel consumption were the main development targets. Initially maximum power and torque have been increased versus the 1.7-litre engine to 136PS and 320Nm respectively, while fuel consumption

46 : FEBRUARY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK

has been reduced by up to 10 per cent compared with similarly powerful 2.0-litre diesels. “The comprehensive renewal of our powertrain portfolio continues at full throttle,” said Dr. Thomas Sedran, Deputy Chairman of the Opel/Vauxhall Management Board. “Our new 1.6-litre diesel will set benchmarks for refinement, performance and environmental compatibility. By the end of next year we will have launched three all-new generations of petrol and diesel engines, as part of our roll-out of 23 new models and 13 new powertrains by 2016.” The new 1.6-litre diesel and its innovative engine control unit have been entirely developed in-house by a global team of engineers in Turin, Ruesselsheim and the USA. Beginning in spring, the 1.6 CDTI ECOTEC will be manufactured at the same “flex plant” as the new 1.6-litre petrol engine, in Szentgotthard, Hungary.

“Our new 1.6-litre diesel will set benchmarks for refinement, performance and environmental compatibility”

www.partnersprogramme.co.uk

DRIVING SCHOOL PARTNERS BENEFIT PLUS

Finance

Finance*

Choose your deposit, choose your term* PLUS Lifetime warranty.†

Take advantage of our latest offers, with Vauxhall Associate Partners you don’t just get your exclusive discount, you also get our unique Flexible Finance. Flexible Finance calculations below include Associate Partners discount and additional customer saving.

Corsa Active 1.0i 12v ecoFLEX 3dr

£139

per month 60 month term Customer Deposit ^

£2585

Mokka Exclusiv 1.6i 16v VVT (115PS) FWD Start/Stop

£199

per month 60 month term Customer Deposit

£5256

Offers end 2nd April 2013 so to find out more about our great Partners Programme offers, simply visit partnersprogramme.co.uk and use the login: DRIVING. Call the Partners helpline on 0844 875 2448 or visit your nearest Vauxhall retailer.

WARRANTY 100,000 MILE

Models shown for illustrative purposes only and may be fi tted with options available at extra cost. *Available on selected models only, at participating Retailers, exclusions apply. Refer to www.vauxhall.co.uk/offers or contact your local Vauxhall Retailer for details. 24-60 month term, excluding ADAM models (24-48 month term). Finance subject to status. Terms and conditions apply. Applicants must be 18 or over. Guarantee/Indemnity may be required. Finance supplied by either Vauxhall Motor Finance RH1 1SR or Vauxhall Finance, PO Box 6666, Cardiff, CF15 7YT. Offer will apply to private individuals, Vauxhall Partners and small businesses 1-24 (purchase only excluding B2B supported units). All other customers are excluded. Offer available on orders or registrations before 2 April 2013. ^Customer deposit shown after Vauxhall contribution. †Vauxhall Lifetime Warranty covers lifetime ownership of fi rst registered keeper, 100,000 mile limit. Terms and conditions apply. Offers available to private individuals, Vauxhall Partners and small businesses 1-24 (purchase only excluding B2B supported units). All other customers are excluded. Available at participating Retailers only. Vauxhall Partners includes all employees and pensioners of nominated companies and their nominated eligible Vauxhall relatives. Vauxhall Partners process/savings include Vauxhall Partners discount savings and additional customer savings (incl. VAT) where applicable, number plates, delivery, Vehicle Excise Duty and a fi rst registration fee. Excludes fuel and insurance. We reserve the right to change or withdraw any aspect of the Vauxhall Partners Programme without prior notice. Correct at time of going to press 18/12/12.

Official Government Test Environmental Data. Fuel consumption figures mpg (litres/100km) and CO 2 emissions (g/km). Vauxhall range (excl. Ampera): Urban: 14.4 (19.6) - 76.3 (3.7), Extra-urban: 27.4 (10.3) - 91.1 (3.1), Combined: 20.6 (13.7) - 85.6 (3.3). CO 2 emissions: 324 - 88g/km.

Becoming an AA Driving Instructor never looked so good

We’re proud to introduce an exclusive new vehicle option for all new AA Driving Instructors* – the recently launched 1.0 Ford Fiesta Titanium Ecoboost. With just the right combination of style, economy and comfort, you could be one of the first behind the wheel of these brand new cars – just join us today.

SPECIFICATION INCLUDES: • Fuel savings of up to £1,000 a year** with EcoBoost • 67 MPG on a combined cycle • 125 BHP

*Offer subject to availability of vehicle stock. **Saving is not guaranteed. Calculation based on current Ford Fiesta 1.4 Zetec petrol model MPG 49.6, assuming you drive an average of 600 miles per week and petrol costs £1.40/litre.

To find out more call the AA Driving School

0800 107 1552