MSA MOTOR SCHOOLS ASSOCIATION
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DSA’s chief executive to deliver keynote address at MSA Training Day Your chance to question Rosemary Thew on the future of driver training and testing. Concerned about being eaten up by the changes in driver training? • New check test • Code of Practice • National Driver and Rider Training Standard?
Then this is the event for you! See pg 14-15
MSA launches an ‘Eezi’ way to boost your business The MSA has teamed up with PartnerSave to provide members with exclusive access to the EeziBuy procurement solution, especially designed to deliver real cash savings on key products and services to trade association members.
See pg 4
Newslink January 2013
Issue 247
The ADI’s Voice
Government hints at private sector future for the driving test ‘We will not be constrained by thinking of the Government as the only provider of L-tests’ A major consultation exercise into how motoring services such as driving tests and vehicle licensing are delivered has been launched by the Department for Transport – and it has reignited rumours which began last summer that the delivery of driving tests will be handed over to the private sector. In May Newslink reported that this was possible after the DSA’s Business Plan for 2012-13 made a number of references to the Government’s Open Public Services White Paper, calls for “public services to be open to a range of providers.” This is Whitehallspeak for “private contractors are asked to come in and provide services on behalf of the state.” We even provided a man to hold the smoking gun in the form of Francis Maude, the Cabinet Secretary and Minister responsible for public sector efficiency and reform and a long-standing advocate of a smaller state and a greater involvement of private companies in public services. At the time our suggestions
The consultation document suggests Government is planning for a future of private sector-run driving tests
were dismissed by the DSA, which said that there were no such plans. However, this latest consultation exercise clearly opens the way for the Government to test the water over passing the delivery of L-tests into private hands. It contains a number of pointers to the future, all of which suggest privatisation is a very real possibility – even, perhaps, more of a probability. In the consultation the
Government says: “We want to deliver the vision set out in the Open Public Services and Civil Service Reform White Papers for improving public services by opening up their delivery to a diverse range of providers and new and innovative delivery models... working more closely and collaboratively with a broader range of partners to deliver services. “We want to explore new options for delivering services. We will not be constrained by
thinking of government as the only provider...” In addition, the briefing document that accompanies the consultation paper says: “We want to build on our existing joint ventures and partnerships and engage with a wider range of partners in the public, private and third sectors to drive improvements to the quality of motoring services.” Continued on page 8 » »
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Newslink The ADIs’ Voice
Editor: John Lepine MBE t: 0161 429 9669 e: john.lepine@msagb.co.uk mail@msagb.co.uk f: 0161 429 9779
Advertising contacts: Joanne Cantwell t: 0161 432 9717 e: joanne.cantwell@hotmail.com Colin Regan t: 01925 468403 e: colinregan001@yahoo.co.uk
Production editor: Rob Beswick t: 0161 426 7957 e: rob@chambermediaservices.co.uk beswick@cssystems.net Newslink is published monthly for the Motor Schools Association of Great Britain Ltd, 101 Wellington Road North, Stockport, Cheshire SK4 2LP and distributed free of charge to MSA members throughout Great Britain by Chamber Media Services, 4 West Park Road, Bramhall, Stockport, Cheshire SK7 3JX Views expressed in Newslink are not necessarily those of the MSA. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of material contained within this publication, neither the Motor Schools Association nor the publishers can accept any responsibility for the veracity of claims made by contributors in either advertising or editorial content. ©2013 The Motor Schools Association of Great Britain Ltd. Reprinting in whole or part is forbidden without express permission of the editor. The paper for this magazine has been sourced from sustainably managed forests and controlled sources. For more information see www.pefc.org
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All change for licences
New driving licences are being introduced to comply with the 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 the dates against the relevant entitlements. Some of the main changes on the new licence are: • 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 a licence • The expiry date of entitlements will be shown against the category. From 19 January 2013 all drivers will be issued with a photocard licence as pictured above. The expiry date of your licence will be shown on the front in section 4b and the expiry date of your entitlements will be shown on the back of your licence. All vehicle categories will be listed on the back of your licence, with dates against those you are entitled to drive or
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ride. You won’t be entitled to drive any category of vehicle that has lines instead of dates. The photocard licence will still be accompanied by a paper counterpart. This will contain provisional driving entitlements, driving offences and other relevant information. What is interesting is that the paper counterpart was meant to be part of the Government’s much-vaunted ‘bonfire of the regulations’, to cut red tape, but despite the claim that this is to be scrapped, it is still going to be used on the new licence for the time being.
Key to new licence: The new design showing full table of categories, pictograms, start and expiry dates and any codes that apply. Legend containing explanation of each field’s contents Overflow of information/ restriction codes
For lorry, bus and minibus licence holders, if they apply to claim their first lorry or bus test pass or renew your driving licence on or after 19 January 2013, the licence issued will be valid for a maximum of five years. This affects you if you have passed driving tests for categories C1, C, D1, D, C1E, CE, D1E or DE. Once you’ve been issued with a five-year licence you’ll need to renew the licence when it expires - the licence expiry date is shown in 4b. See https://www.gov.uk/changes-tothe-driving-licence-and-categories for more details
Girls take a tumble while bike training According to figures released to the DSA, there were 149 reported incidents during motorcycle training between October 2011 and September 2012 – and it has highlighted a worrying trend among female pupils. Some of the main findings where the detail has been specified are: • 40% of all incidents happened during CBT training on road • there were 27 serious incidents - 52% of which involved females • a third of all incidents happened between 1pm and 3pm • 65% of incidents happened where there was a training ratio of 2:1 • 35% of incidents happened where the trainee was following the trainer Even though the data captured so far is limited, the worrying trend emerging
shows a disproportionate number of females involved in incidents resulting in serious injury. To put the incident numbers involving females into perspective, over 50,000 males took a motorcycle test in the
reporting period, compared to around 5,000 females. The DSA and other authorities are keen to hear the views of ADIs involved in motorcycle training as to their views on this issue.
From a driving instruction industry point of view, what is your biggest hope for 2013? We asked MSA regional chairs and editors for their views on the ADI industry during the past 12 months, and their hopes for the future. Throughout this issue you will see a selection of their thoughts.
Looking back ... Looking forward
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New online booking service for business users goes live If you don’t have a business ID THE DSA has taken the wraps off its new practical test You’ll need to register as a business with DSA if you online business service, which it hopes will help ADIs don’t have a business ID. You’ll be sent your unique search for driving test availability, make multiple activation code (DAT code). bookings and manage their availability for tests in a more You should then follow the steps above. efficient manner. To use the online business service if you’ve already When you want to use the service in the future visit got a DSA business ID, you need to: www.gov.uk/dsa-online-business-service – you can add • be registered as an organisation with Government this page to your favourites or bookmarks. Then click on Gateway – if you’re not registered, go to the Government ‘Start now’. You’ll then need to use your Government Gateway and click on ‘Register as an organisation’ Gateway user ID and password to log in. • email customer.services@dsa.gsi.gov.uk to get your The service was launched to motorcycle and vocational unique activation code (DAT code) – you’ll need to give trainers on 22 October, and feedback has been really your business ID (if you’ve lost or forgotten it, send your positive. Comments include: business name and personal reference number (PRN)) “The new trainer online booking system is truly • when you’ve got your DAT code by email, go to the excellent. Well done, it’s saving me time and money”. Government Gateway and click on ‘Enter the Government Gateway’ and log in with your Government Gateway user ID and password Biggest hope for 2013...? • select ‘practical test online business I hope the economy starts to make a service’ from the list of services recovery and allows more people to have • enter your DAT code, business ID and postcode. disposable income, to be able to afford to Once these steps have been completed take good driver training. you can then use the online business Peter Harvey, MSA Chairman service on GOV.UK. You’ll be taken to the home page where you can use the wizard to set up your account.
“It’s a fast and efficient way of booking and managing tests online and it’s saved a lot of time and stress.” Benefits for you include the ability to: • view all test slots available without entering candidate details • set up favourite test centres and quickly check availability at them • get alerts for cancellations • make and manage multiple named bookings easily • manage your availability • view and download a business statement showing all business and financial transactions • set up payment cards • access the service without entering a Captcha code All of this is available from 6am to midnight, giving you greater flexibility to manage your business.
Looking back ... Looking forward
What do you think of the new service? Have you used the test booking service? Let the MSA know your thoughts on this new service. Contact the head office - details on pg 2.
MSA NEWSLINK : JANUARY 2013 : 03
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Membership discounts and services
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.
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To see what’s on offer couldn’t be simpler: just go to www.MSA. eezibuy.co.uk – this will take you to the dedicated MSA EeziBuy portal where you can register and log-on. 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. 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 confirmation of your registration, simply go to the log-in page at www.eezibuy.co.uk/MSA/
Biggest hope for 2013...?
I hope that the industry becomes more united and less factional. I find it sad that many good ADIs struggling in a restricted market are investing in schemes that do not improve profitability. Colin Lilly, MSA Western chairman
More realistic and affordable motor insurance, especially for new drivers. David James, MSA South Wales
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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-formoney packages for your business. We hope you find it beneficial. Any questions please email PartnerSave at enquiries@ partnersave.co.uk or call 01524 782830.
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Too many young people were out of work... hopefully many will find jobs and invest in learning to drive, in turn creating work for ADIs From a driving instruction industry point of view, Derek Brutnell, MSA East Midlands chairman what is your biggest hope for 2013?
That the minister MIGHT come up with some sensible ideas and actually carry them through before he is moved on. OK, cloud cuckoo land, I know. John Lomas, MSA North West
Looking back ... Looking forward
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Transport costing homes dear Spending on transport is now comfortably the biggest single spend in the average UK household once the mortgage has been taken into account, according to the Office of National Statistics. Out of an average weekly household spend of £483.60, £65.70 was spent on transport. This is a major rise on previous years, and reflects the 15 per cent rise in fuel costs over recent months. In addition, the figures compiled do not include motor
insurance. At an average of £9.40 a week this has to be added to the £65.70 figure, to give an overall transport cost of £75.10. Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “If the chancellor needed even more proof of the impact of high fuel prices, then here it is. Yet again the cost of getting about – and for most people most of the time that will be by car – is the single biggest area of household expenditure.”
Car gender imbalance falls as women get behind the wheel At least two-and-a-half million more women have driving licences in Great Britain today than 15 years ago. The biggest increase came in the North East of England. The average distance women drive has increased too: up over a fifth (22 per cent). Again, the North East led the way. However, the number of men behind the wheel is falling: down 14 per cent compared with mid-1990s. Over the same 15-year period there has been a collapse in company car mileage. This is a male phenomenon as men have typically been much higher users of company cars than women. London is unique as the only British region - prior to the recession - to have
seen a decline in traffic. This is probably due not just to the introduction of the Congestion Charge Zone and investment in public transport and cycling, but the large number of international migrants and young adults living in the London, two groups which drive less than average. The reasons for these large changes are hard to explain, said the research team leader, Professor Peter Jones of University College London. However, the changes in travel patterns have occurred alongside big societal shifts: The average age women have their first child is 28, up from 25 in 1980, while their rate of economic activity has increased from 68 per cent in 1985 to
74 per cent in 2010 while men’s has fallen. Finally, more middle-aged people are living alone. Increased life expectancy. For men it has gone from 71 in 1985 to 78 in 2010. For women, from 77 to 82 This complex picture of changing national travel behaviour is revealed in On the Move: making sense of car and train travel trends in Britain. The report found little evidence of ‘peak car’ – the situation in which there is no increase over a sustained period of time (and in some cases a decline) in average car mileage per person. Once company car mileage was excluded, those aged 30 and over outside London actually increased their car travel.
Biggest hope for 2013...? That ADIs get their act together in 2013 and start selling themselves more realistically, and charging a more sensible rate for lessons rather than selling themselves short. Sadly, a lot of instructors have either savings to get them by or have another wage earner in the family, so they don’t understand that they are not only selling themselves short, but are making it very difficult for the whole industry to be seen as professional. Geoff Little, MSA Deputy Chairman
It would be nice to see reductions to the numbers on the ADI register Rod Tipple, MSA Eastern
Looking back ... Looking forward
MSA NEWSLINK : JANUARY 2013 : 05
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NDORS to bar expired photocard holders from retraining courses want of an up-to-date licence. But there is so much confusion surrounding this issue at the moment that it was deemed the best outcome.” It was pointed out that participants are given advance notice of what they need to bring on the course. “The police forces tell them they need to bring an up-to-date photocard licence, where appropriate. It is up to the motorist to attend with the correct documentation.” But he stressed that this in no way suggested that NDORS thought the licence was invalid. “It has clearly not expired, the motorist has a licence to drive.” It appears the DVLA has finally woken up to the problem and is looking into a solution. “I believe the DVLA is working on this at the moment, as there has been a great deal of confusion about expired
The saga of expired photocard driving licences has continued over the past month, with the National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme (NDORS) informing all service providers that if there is a practical element to the course, as is the case on the National Driver Alertness Course (NDAC) or Driving for Change, all clients must have both parts of the licence and the photograph in-date. If the photograph is out of date then the client will be barred from attending the course. A spokesman for NDORS admitted the situation was far from satisfactory, and that barring a participant from a course was the last resort. “We look at these courses as a way of changing participants’ potentially dangerous driving habits. We would not like to see a person excluded for
Royal seal of approval for offenders scheme
“We look at these courses as a way of changing participants’ potentially dangerous driving habits. We would not like to see a person excluded for want of an up-to-date licence. But there is so much confusion surrounding this issue at the moment that it was deemed the best outcome.”
photocard licences. I think it has been a bit of a shock to know how many there are out on the roads, and to hear the way some bodies have reacted.” However, the licences do not impact on insurance. “No, in no way is insurance invalid unless it clearly states in your premium terms and conditions that you must keep the licence up to date, and to my knowledge the standard terms do not.” If a participant on an NDORS course is refused entry would it impact on their eligibility to join a future course? “No; they may have to pay a small administration fee to attend a subsequent course but it is our intention to make things as easy as possible for people to attend the course and get the retraining they need. “That’s what is most important: not the paperwork.”
Biggest hope for 2013...?
The recession will ease enough to encourage sufficient spending on driver training for the average family, enabling ADIs to stop the cut-throat antics of ridiculous low introductory prices and charge what they are worth to create a living wage and better working hours
The National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme (NDORS) has been awarded one of the leading prizes in road safety after it won the Premier Award at the 2012 Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards in December. NDORS, operated by all UK police forces, offers a diversion from prosecution into driver education for motorists who have committed a low level offence. The scheme does not draw on the public purse with the costs for administration and delivery being met by the ‘offender’. On completion of the course the original offence lapses and no further action is taken in relation to prosecution. The course was conceived and implemented initially by Devon and Cornwall Constabulary, Devon Crown Prosecution Services and Devon County Council in 1991, under the title of the Driver Improvement Scheme. The scheme won a Prince Michael Award in 1997 and has grown into a national course. More
than one million motorists have been through the course and it is being replicated internationally. In his address to guests at the awards’ luncheon, HRH Prince Michael of Kent spoke of the importance of funding from the private sector combined with strong leadership from central Government. In a strongly worded message to cyclists, the Prince – who is a cyclist himself - described ‘bad cycling’ as a ‘growing tendency’ and called for more effective enforcement for cyclists who break the law. DCC Suzette Davenport, ACPO lead for roads policing, said: “It is an honour to win such a prestigious award against such fierce competition. “It is a testimony to everybody who has contributed to the scheme over the years. “We are incredibly proud of the NDORS scheme and the important role it plays in casualty reduction, and we are delighted that it has been recognised in such a significant way.”
Bike day moves in Kirkham
DSA goes with the flow
Module 1 motorcycle tests at Kirkham are moving from Sundays to Mondays from 18 February 2013. At the moment module 1 tests at Kirkham are conducted on Sundays. The last Sunday test will be on 24 February 2013. Monday tests are available to book now using the DSA online business service for trainer bookers, or on GOV.UK.
DSA has published five new flow charts showing the routes to your motorcycle licence from 19 January 2013. These flow charts have been designed to help ADIs and their clients to understand the process to get a specific category of licence. There are charts for both the current and new routes. MSA general manager John Lepine commented: “These are superb resources.
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Mike Yeomans, MSA North East
Looking back ... Looking forward
Drivers gambling with lives The scale of drinking and driving across the UK has been revealed in a poll undertaken before Christmas for the AA and drinks manufacturer Pernod Ricard. Nearly one in five drivers (19 per cent) admit to having taken a risk by drink-driving at Christmas – though the more cheering news was that for nearly half of them, it was over 20 years ago. Another four per cent admitted to drink-driving between 10 and 20 years ago. Some three per cent admit to
Someone has clearly gone to a lot of trouble to plan these, as they make a potentially complicated matter quite straightforward. “I would like to think the DSA will produce something similar for other vehicles.” You can see the flowcharts for yourself at http://assets.dft.gov.uk/dsa/dsa-routesto-your-motorcycle-licence.pdf
drink-driving in the last five years, one per cent in the last year. This research shows that drinkdriving is more likely to happen when people are young, with more drivers 20 -24 failing breath tests than any other age group. And it also shows that social norms and attitudes to drink driving have changed over time. 50 per cent of respondents felt that better education and publicity had made the biggest contribution to reducing drink drive deaths.
End in sight for visible tax disc?
The Government is giving serious consideration to abolishing the tax disc, it has been claimed. Opponents say that the disc is no longer required because this can instantly be confirmed by accessing DVLA computers. “It is great that the Red Tape Challenge we participated in last year is continuing to bring results,” John Lewis, chief executive, BVRLA.
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DSA set to lose L-test role? Continued from page 1 Finally, and in the most obvious signpost of the Government’s intent on this issue, it said: “We aim to move away from a position of direct provision to commissioning high-quality individual services from a diverse range of providers. “Opening up motoring services provision to a wider range of organisations will allow service providers more freedom to innovate, improve the choices available to service users and deliver better value for money.” Alongside these clear indicators of how the Government expects to put the case for privatisation, it is interesting to note that a DSA source has suggested to the MSA that the agency has had no prior involvement in the drawing up of the White Paper: “this has come from the heart of Whitehall and the DfT” – which suggests a higher hand is holding the strings, possibly Francis Maude. It is clear why the Government would see hiving off the driving test from the state’s direct control would be attractive. At present the theory test is delivered by an outside agency – Pearson Vue – and this has provided an encouraging template for the Government. The fact that, largely, the theory test is delivered well, and with few complaints from either Government, the industry or the public, would ease the journey of
“We aim to move away from a position of direct provision to commissioning high-quality individual services from a diverse range of providers...”
L-test delivery into private hands. However, the theory test is more in line with a school examination, which has always been set by outside agencies working in tandem with the Department for Education. The L-test is a different kind of test: the examiners require training to a specified standard, and quality control of their work is rigorous. Could a private sector business – with one eye on the bottom line and its share price – maintain the scrupulous fairness that the British L-test is renowned for? Would it be unfair of us to suggest that failing candidates who would have to pay a fresh fee for a re-test would be a more profitable ‘customer’ than one who passes at the first attempt? Certainly this very question of the integrity of the L-test was key to the discussions in the 1990s, when John Major considered privatisation of driver testing. Plans were scrapped when the then Secretary of State for Transport, John MacGregor, said: “I am not satisfied that
fair and uniform standards of testing could be secured if the work was contracted out, without disproportionate enforcement arrangements.” However, the current Government’s over-arching desire to reduce the size of the state and the Civil Service payroll is so evident that it could mean such problems are glossed over. There is a feeling within Whitehall that the Government wishes to demonstrate its determination to reduce the size of the state’s role in public life, and taking the delivery of L-tests away from the DSA would be an interesting test-case for this strategy.
It would be a significant statement of intent while remaining a politically safe option that is unlikely to cause too much bad publicity. Few people outside the driver testing and training industry would even notice the change. Privatisation would be an attractive option for other reasons, too. The DSA has struggled in recent years, with high absenteeism among examiners and staff, problems of morale and questions over some decision making, particularly surrounding the DSA driving test estate. n The MSA view: see facing page
Government launches major consultation on motoring services This is the official communiqué from the DfT which launched the consultation exercise Road users have been invited to suggest improvements to the way motoring services such as driving tests and vehicle licensing are delivered in a major consultation exercise. In its introduction to the consultation, the Department for Transport said: “The Government is putting 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.” To achieve this, the Department for Transport is outlining 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) and the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA). Roads Minister Stephen Hammond said: “If you drive, run a business or pay taxes you will be a customer of ours and I hope you will have your say about how we can
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improve the services we offer you. “Much progress has already been achieved and it is now much easier to use digital services to get driving licences, and sort out vehicle tax. We have also already announced that we are bringing the driving test closer to customers by exploring a range of different locations, such as colleges and retail premises. “But there is more that can be done and this consultation is about the government listening to its customers before agreeing the way forward.” The department’s four agencies are already engaged in programmes of reform to deliver long-term financial stability and efficiency, and better services. The consultation sets out a longer term view of the future of these reforms. The department will: • Position the agencies at the forefront of digital services, ensuring that those who find access to digital services difficult are supported to do so. • Support economic growth and vehicle manufacturing by reforming the Vehicle Certification Agency. • Bring the driving test closer to the customer by exploring opportunities to
improve convenience to customers. This includes assessing options for the delivery of the practical test. We are keen to explore all options that maintain the integrity of the test and high quality standards whoever is the provider. • 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.
• Deliver better customer services. • Consider rationalising the number of bodies and agencies involved in delivering services - delivering services as simply as possible, increasing flexibility and innovation, improving efficiency and reducing costs. The consultation will run until 7 March 2013. You can find out more by visiting www.gov.uk/government/consultations/ motoring-services-strategy
Biggest disappointment of 2012...? Change of minister, causing many of the items under discussion by his predecessor to stall. Colin Lilly, MSA Western chairman
Change of Road Safety Minister before he had actually carried out any of his commitments. Geoff Little, MSA Deputy chairman
I saw very little action regarding modernising driver training, just more talk. David James, MSA South Wales
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Consultation is ‘unusual’ way forward, says John Lepine MSA general manager comments on the DfT Consultation on Motoring Services Strategy. This is a somewhat unusual consultation document, very different to most of the Government consultations I have viewed in the past. A quick read through the couple of dozen pages leads to something of a surprise when the penultimate page is reached. Apart from the heading ‘Impact assessment’ the page is completely blank save for the brief statement: “As no formal proposals have been made there is no requirement for an impact assessment at this stage.” It may be considered old-fashioned terminology but this is unlike most other DfT/DSA consultations in recent years: it is really a Green Paper rather than a White Paper. These terms date back to a time when a consultation such as this published on white paper, and was seen as signifying a clear intention on the part of Government to pass new laws. Whereas consultations published on green paper were seen as a more tentative attempt to float policy proposals for debate and discussion. Alongside a lot of self-congratulatory stuff about how well the four DfT motoring services agencies, as they define DSA, DVLA, VOSA and VCA, are doing and their plans for the future, there are a few other pointers as to how Government may see things going in the future. There is talk of “rationalising the number of agencies to reduce cost and improve consistency”. What does that actually mean? It could mean the DSA and DVLA joining together, perhaps, or even having just one motoring agency instead of four. There are, as you might expect, passages about saving money – “thinking longer term about how we keep costs and
fees down” for instance. It, perhaps, becomes more obvious to understand “tentative” future thinking when the document moves to the subject of what the DfT calls ‘Our guiding principles’. In this section we find the sentence: “We will not be constrained by thinking of Government as the only provider.” That would appear to me to be a very obvious, if tentative, move towards the possibility of privatisation. The idea of future privatisation is backed up in a bullet point under the heading ‘What we will do to deliver that vision’. It states: ‘explore the options for the delivery of the practical test, including the options for private sector involvement and greater diversity of provision, as well as considering other commercial and mutual options’. So it is all fairly straightforward: the Government is tentatively floating the idea of merging some or all of the DfT motoring services agencies and privatising the driving test. What could that mean for the future? Who knows; it very much depends on where Government eventually decides to go. Clearly this consultation gives those of us involved in driver training, along with other stakeholders, the opportunity to voice our opinions. I do not believe the status quo will be maintained regarding the DSA and driver testing. Change will happen. What do you want? Are you keen to see tests delivered by examiners who are civil servants with a Government-run test booking system using traditional test centres? Or would you prefer a different view of the future? Driving tests booked through Amazon with self-employed examiners meeting candidates in their local branch of McDonalds or KFC? Please don’t ignore this consultation. It is vital to all your futures. Let the MSA know what you think. Drop me a line at john.lepine@msagb.co.uk with your views.
Biggest disappointment of 2012 ? That the trainee licence in its present form has not been stopped Terry Pearce, MSA West Midlands
What happened to L-drivers on motorways? These politicians promise so much but deliver nothing, listening is one thing but no action ever comes from it. Rod Tipple, MSA Eastern
Although it was tough, many ADIs did not see it as an opportunity to invest in themselves by attending training course or look more positively at what MSA membership had to offer, such as the regional meetings Derek Brutnell, MSA East Midlands
Looking back ... Looking forward
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DSA’s new online business service puts the ADI in control If you’re not already signed up to receive DSA Direct email alerts, sign up now to make sure you don’t miss out.
ROSEMARY THEW
Changing practical driving tests
Chief Executive, DSA
You can now change a practical driving test up to six times before you have to cancel and rebook it. This has been increased from three times to make the service simpler for our customers to use.
The DSA’s new practical test online business service will be open to all ADIs by the end of January 2013. The service, which was launched to motorcycle and vocational trainers on 22 October, allows business customers to book and manage multiple tests online. DSA is opening the service up to ADIs in stages over the next few weeks. If you’re signed up to receive DSA Direct email alerts you’ll get a message telling you how to register. The service allows users to: • view all test slots available without entering candidate details • set up favourite test centres and quickly check availability at those centres • set up email alerts for cancellations at selected test centres • make and manage multiple bookings easily • manage instructor availability • view and download a business statement showing all business and financial transactions • set up payment cards • access the service without entering a Captcha code The service is available seven days a week from 6am until midnight, giving businesses greater flexibility to manage their bookings and track their business more efficiently.
DSA website has moved to GOV.UK
GOV.UK is the new place for corporate and policy information from DSA and the Department for Transport (Dft). The Inside Government section of GOV.UK has been designed to make Government information more easy to find and more transparent for the user. For the first time, you can begin to find out what’s happening inside Government all in one place, and in a clear, consistent and transparent format. For example, you can find out everything that the Government is doing to make roads safer. You’ll be able to see what the Government is doing, including all the latest publications and announcements about that policy, regardless of which part of government is doing it. Go to www.gov.uk/government to take a look. You can also find corporate information about DSA, such as what we do and how we keep you informed, driving test statistics and what it’s like working for us. To find out more, visit www.gov.uk/dsa.
Drink-drive rehabilitation courses
Road Safety Minister Stephen Hammond has confirmed plans to improve drink-drive rehabilitation courses following a public consultation last year.
Biggest hope for 2013...?
A change in the thinking of those silly ADIs and driver trainers who are charging rates whereby when all costs are taken into account they’re paying themselves less than the legal minimum wage. They are having to work silly hours to make ends meet and are a risk to road safety. They would be better doing 10 hours at £35 than 30 hours at £10. Karl Satloka, MSA North East
That instructors stop undercutting each other. If the pupil can afford the insurance why should we subsidise their learning? Terry Pearce, MSA West Midlands
Looking back ... Looking forward 10 : JANUARY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK
In its response to the consultation, DSA has confirmed that the cost of the administration and quality assurance of the scheme will be transferred to the offender, in line with the ‘user pays’ principle. More rigorous course approval and quality assurance processes will be introduced to ensure high and consistent standards. In addition, the current minimum course fee will be dropped to encourage more open competition between providers. This should help to promote greater take up by ensuring courses offer value for money. DSA will implement the new scheme next year.
YouTube comments on HPT example clip The agency would like to thank everyone for their comments and suggestions regarding the latest example of the HPT clip in CGI technology. The DSA YouTube channel received over 25,000 views and over 80 per cent of those people who expressed their opinion using the like and dislike facility, indicated that they ‘liked’ the clip. The agency is working closely with Jelly – the company that is producing the updated clips – to incorporate and improve technical aspects of the clips including the example published on YouTube. Once finalised the example clip will be used in the introduction to the HPT. An updated version will be published on YouTube in the next couple of months. • You can still view the clip at www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTxo7qsjtFU
Cold weather hastens the start of ‘pothole season’ Campaign website Potholes.co.uk is urging UK motorists to be vigilant on the roads and watch out for thousands of potholes in order to avoid a hefty repair bill in the new year, as likely freezing conditions in January herald the start of this winter’s “pothole season”. Every year when temperatures first drop below zero, water freezes in small cracks and holes in the road. As it freezes, it expands and breaks apart the surface, then melts in the daytime and repeats the process the following night in a cycle that allows craters to get bigger and bigger. Warranty Direct’s Duncan McClure Fisher, who created Potholes.co.uk after seeing the amount of damage poor roads
does to car suspension parts, said: “As soon as the first cold weather hits the UK every year, we suddenly notice a spike in the number of people coming to Potholes. co.uk, either to report potholes they’ve seen or to find out how to claim compensation because they’ve damaged their car on poor roads. “More cold weather over Christmas will not only create more holes, it will move council staff from repairs to gritting duties, so potholes will appear faster than they get fixed. The only way to avoid damaging your car is to be on the lookout.” Warranty Direct cover starts from as little as £15 a month. For more details, go to www.warrantydirect.co.uk.
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Comment
JOHN LEPINE MBE General Manager, MSA
Check test change is on the way The DSA has confirmed its intention to make radical changes to the ADI check test. It says that officials want to better align the check test with the National Driver and Rider Training Standard and provide a more realistic assessment and more rounded evaluation of the ADIs ability to teach. What they are planning is a new assessment form, with the method moving from a bi-polar fault assessment process to a competency-based approach. It has also been announced that it is intended that the option of the examiner playing the role of a learner during the check test will be removed – to ensure a more realistic scenario with a real pupil. The hope is that the new assessment form will help to reinforce the importance of risk management during lessons by the instructor, and provide ADIs with clear feedback about their strengths and areas for development. It is also stated that the term ‘check test’ will be dropped, to be replaced by ‘standards check’, which will better reflect the level of instruction required, based on clearly defined national standards. What does all this mean for ADIs? Well, for those who are properly informed about the changes, I think it is a step in the right direction. In this issue of Newslink you will see details of the MSA Conference and this is a great opportunity for you to keep ahead of the game. The new check test – sorry, standards check – will be high on the agenda of topics to be discussed and we are also very lucky this year to have secured DSA chief executive Rosemary Thew as our keynote speaker. Please book early. There are a limited number of places available and to encourage you there is an early bird discount available. In this issue of Newslink we are very pleased to launch the new MSA Eezibuy service for MSA members. We have linked up with PartnerSave in order to link you to suppliers and help reduce your business costs. To see what’s on offer couldn’t be simpler: just go to www.MSA.eezibuy.co.uk; this will take you to the dedicated MSA EeziBuy portal where you can register and log-on. There is no commitment or charge, just a real opportunity to get the best value-for-money packages for your business. We hope you will find it beneficial.
12 : JANUARY 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
FairFuel UK thanks to its supporters Dear MSA As we sit down to write this letter, we can’t help thinking how far FairFuelUK has come since we started it in January 2011 – just 23 months ago. We’d had the idea of uniting the UK road freight industry with the motorists and consumers of Britain into a focused campaign group with the aim of stopping the never-ending increase in fuel duty that seemed to come Budget after Budget. Looking back now, we’ve been through two Budgets and two Autumn Statements. There hasn’t been a rise in Fuel Duty since we started... Indeed, there was a small, but welcome, cut of 1p last April. We know that petrol and diesel are still too expensive. We know that there is still much to be done if we are to get the cut in fuel duty that we all need. However, let’s acknowledge what we have achieved. Petrol and diesel are now 9p per litre (11p if you include the VAT) cheaper than they would have been. We’ve campaigned, lobbied, petitioned, marched, commissioned independent research, forced debates in Parliament, held talks with the Treasury, and driven the issue relentlessly up the media agenda. Absolutely none of this would have been possible without your support. It’s supporters like you that made all this possible – so please accept a massive ‘Thank You’ from all of the FairFuelUK team. There’s a group of organisations that we’d like to thank too. These are our major backers: the RAC, the Road Haulage Association, the Freight Transport Association, Palletline, Aldermore Bank, and the Fuelcard Company. They supply the vast majority of the funding that keeps FairFuelUK going month in, month out. If you share our view of their support, we know that they’d really appreciate you visiting their websites and giving them a follow on Twitter. Some of you may have seen a fascinating documentary on the TV recently called The Tube. It detailed the trials, tribulations and successes of those that work on the London Underground and became a ‘cult’ watch. The company that made this series is about to make another one – this time, it’s going to be about the roads of London. We’d like to help them as many of the issues they are likely to feature will be of interest to our supporters. If you commute by car into London, or deliver goods in London, or are a cabbie in London, or have any regular experiences (good or bad) of using the roads in the capital (London ADIs, that means YOU), the TV production company would love to hear from you. If you’re interested in talking with them, here’s the link http://www.fairfueluk.com/london.html Next year, we’ll …. 1. ...be fighting for a cut in Fuel Duty as a means of getting the UK economy back to growth 2. ...be fighting for full inquiries into making sure
that the oil markets are not being ‘rigged’ and that the market for the supply of petrol and diesel is fair. But for now, we’d like to say once again how much we appreciate your support and to wish you a Prosperous New Year… The FairFuelUK Team • The MSA is a supporter of FairFuel UK
Shame Reds forgot to mention the ADIs
Dear Sir I totally agree with Mike Abrams of Merseyside Police in thanking Liverpool Football Club and Chevrolet for their commitment to promote road safety to their young players (reported in Newslink December). However, the article did not mention one important ingredient of this campaign – that’s the three driving instructors without whom the event would not have gone ahead, and who supplied £30,000 of equipment and gave 10 hours of free tuition time to the players. I think Mike’s road safety presentation at the end got the young players thinking a little more about their own driving skills which has to be good Blue nose ADI, Merseyside
Shared space: the local angle Dear Sir I have been following the debate in Newslink about shared space schemes, in particular the one at Poynton, with some interest. I now write to give you my view, as an instructor with 24 years experience in both car and HGV tuition who is actually BASED in Poynton. I have to say I fully support the case as put in your magazine by Robert Ridley, who I believe originally wrote to say how much he disliked such schemes. Since then he seems to have come under attack in your letter pages from people who live nowhere near the scheme he is talking about. In my opinion the Poynton scheme is not the way forward. I drive through it many times every day and have lost count of the number of near misses and actual collisions I have seen there. This argument that removing rules makes people take more care just does not hold water. Yes, it might work if we were all top-class defensive drivers with brilliant anticipation skills, but sadly that is not the case. I obviously understand how the scheme is supposed to work, but a lot of experienced drivers out there clearly do not. There are quite a number of drivers who do not drive intelligently, and correct markings and signs are essential to guide them. As for cyclists riding through red lights, that can
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Comment
surely never be justified. In your last issue Stanley McWhirter wrote: “Cyclists riding through red lights are just something to be dealt with. Like pedestrians they do not have to have a brain but I have a licence so feel responsible for their safety.” So if you are a walker or a cyclist you can be forgiven for not having a brain? You can be forgiven for breaking the rules of the road? This can’t be right: at what point do cyclists start taking a responsibility for themselves? They are very vulnerable road users — if anything they should be taking MORE responsibility for their actions which would not include running red lights! And this is not a ‘them and us’ mentality. I have a respect for cyclists but believe they and motorists should all behave the same – namely all using our brains and all following the rules. Dave Evans Poynton, Cheshire
Eye spy a problem Dear Sir I am an ADI in the Blackpool area and would like to bring to everyone’s attention the dangerous use of the style of glasses with the solid wide side arms that are so much the trend these days. An average person has peripheral vision which is normally about 180 degrees – give or take a bit – but drive wearing the solid, wide side arm-style glasses and
peripheral vision can be reduced by up to 90 degrees. The driver can only see what’s happening directly in front of them – a sort of “tunnel” vision and nothing to the side – so therefore they won’t see a pedestrian running to cross a zebra crossing at the last second, cars approaching from either side at junctions/roundabouts etc, or a child on a bike coming out of their driveway. So if you wear the wide side arm-style glasses for driving, my advice to you is STOP right now and just wear them when not driving. Get a new pair of glasses with a narrow side arm and you will be amazed at the bigger ‘window’ you have on the road ahead! If you don’t wear glasses but your pupils/friends/ family do – show them this article and let them make their own minds up! I feel very passionate about this, as it is being brought to my attention every time I get a pupil learning to drive with these types of glasses. It is a fashion trend that, while driving, needs to be nipped in the bud before too many accidents are caused and people are injured. Anne Holt Marton, Blackpool
Biggest disappointment in 2012...? Those silly people out there on the roads appeared to have multiplied Karl Satloka, MSA North East chairman
My 66-year-old student did not pass first time Peter Harvey, MSA national chairman
The removal of Government road safety targets and the funding from central government that would attract. The result of the lack of funding affects the work opportunity within schools and educating young and impressionable new drivers. Mike Yeomans MSA North East
That decisions, one way or the other, weren’t forthcoming on the previous minister’s proposals. John Lomas MSA North West
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MSA Training Day
Have you ever wanted to meet the DSA chief executive?
Are you concerned about being eaten up by the changes happening in driver training? New check test, a lack of new business, worried about increasing fuel prices?
Now you can...
Then this is the ADI/PDI event you can’t afford to miss.
Keynote speaker at the MSA National Training Day, Saturday, 16 March 2013 at Hellidon Lakes Hotel, Hellidon, Daventry, Northamptonshire NN1 6GG will be Rosemary Thew, Chief Executive, Driving Standards Agency. Also on the programme will be speakers covering a wide range of subjects including diversifying your business, understanding coaching and enhancing your understanding of drink and drugs and how they affect the driving task, an update on the proposed modernising driver and rider training agenda and details of the new check test, which is coming to you very soon. Away from the conference floor you’ll be able to network with your fellow ADIs and talk shop with people who really understand the driver testing and training regime, while browsing the exhibitors looking to show off a range of goods and services aimed at driver trainers
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If you were Prime Minister for the day... ? I would target the negligent drivers and make more offences open to optional remedial training instead of points. Six points = a half-day compulsory training; 12 points, two days training before return to full licence. From a driving instruction industry point of view, Colin Lilly, MSA Western chairman
what is your biggest hope for 2013?
For once I would get all groups with an interest in saving lives on our roads together and, putting politics aside for once, LISTEN to what they had to say. Derek Brutnell, MSA East Midlands
Looking back ... Looking forward 14 : JANUARY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK
MSA TRAINING DAY 2013
Want to update your skills and increase your driver training knowledge? Looking to add to your CPD? New to the industry and want the latest from the DSA and to network with your fellow ADIs? Then can we ask....
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March 16? msa Annual Training Day 2013
Hellidon Lakes Hotel, Northamptonshire 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 – AN 40 TION L A G DM N N E G LOCOF 6 A M , ART M1 HE TO STUNNIN E E TH CLOS
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News: Review of 2012
Finally... a review of 2012 that doesn’t feature the Olympics... Penning leaves the scene... ticking off for Government over lack of road safety plan.... no L-drivers on motorway or end to trainee licences... mandatory CPD plans scrapped... MSA offers money-saving deals to members... and a little fuss about shared space... that was 2012 for the ADI industry
That was the year that was… one when the ADI world was awash with bold statements, great ideas, rumours of exciting developments – but absolutely no official action. We lost a roads safety minister, gained another who doesn’t seem too bothered to talk to ADI organisations, and have seen a number of positive Ministerial statements enthuse the industry only for hopes to be dashed against the rocks of Government inertia. What happened to learners on motorways? Nothing: the then roads with safety minister Mike Penning announced this in a great fanfare, along with the much-anticipated demise for trainee licences for ADIs. Indeed, in a really positive start to the new year, Newslink devoted a number of pages in our January issue to what we labelled “some of the most exciting developments to reach the ADI world for some time.” Indeed, we went further, saying that the Government proposals could be a watershed moment for driver testing and training in what was a difficult economic environment: “ADIs struggling with the current downturn in demand for driving lessons have been given a glimmer of hope for a brighter New Year after the roads safety minister, Mike Penning, announced two major changes to the ADI world – and both have been long-standing and cherished MSA policies. “Addressing a lunch at the IAM, Mr Penning announced the end of the current trainee licence scheme and also stated that he would initiate plans to allow learners on motorways if supervised by an ADI in a dual-controlled car.” We even went further: with DSA sources saying that “consultation would begin as soon as spring 2012, and the legislative framework fairly simple to implement, we could see both proposals take effect as earlier as the start of 2014.” Some hope. Month by month, MSA officials questioned the DSA as how these plans were taking shape. And month by month we had the distinct image of the long grass looming, as the minister’s statements were reduced to mere suggestions of actions rather than definitive plans for a radical shake-up of the industry. Whether he was talking out of turn or his ideas were simply crushed by the Government’s obsession with cutting red tape, we don’t know. But it is disheartening to know that, as far as Government is concerned, reducing red tape is perceived as more important than reducing KSIs on Britain’s roads.
16 : JANUARY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK
Newslink
MSA
december 2012
MOTOR SCHOOLS ASSOCIATION
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Admiral accused of being blind to NdOrS’ benefits ADIs, police and insurers queue up to criticise Admiral over a change in policy over NDORS
p6
dSA asked to think again on new code of Practice
We won’t be rushed into accepting hastily drafted proposals, says the MSA p16
exciting plans for improved online access
ADI groups given first sight of the DSA’s proposed online business booking system p22
Making India’s roads safer – a special report
How India is rising to the challenge of creating a better road safety culture, by Trevor Wedge, former chief driving examiner p28
MSA at Christmas
Compliments of the season to all our readers and best wishes to everyone for a prosperous and healthy 2013. Please note that the MSA head office will close for the Christmas holidays at 4.30pm on Wednesday, 19 December and re-open at 9am on Thursday, 3rd January 2013.
Issue 246
The ADI’s Voice
Members to save as MSA signs discount deal on car services
MSA services: Good news for members as we sign a deal with Halfords Autocentres that will deliver real savings on car servicing and MoTs
MoT prices slashed and 15% cut from servicing at Halfords The MSA hAS Secured a major membership benefit after entering into a partnership agreement with Halfords Autocentres. As part of the deal, MSA members and their families will be able to access exclusive discounts on servicing and repairs at over 265 Halfords Autocentres nationwide. Members will receive • 33% off an MoT • Up to 15% off servicing • 5% off repairs Plus a FREE 15-point check! These translate into major savings, with over £35 off a major service and £18.10 off an MoT. MSA national chairman Peter Harvey commented: “I am delighted we have formed this partnership agreement with Halfords Autocentres. They are a trusted, well-known national brand, and with 265 centres around the country most members are within easy reach of one. “What is particularly pleasing is that this partnership delivers real value for money to our members at a time when I know many of them are struggling with the economic downturn. “By having your MoT and your major annual service at a Halfords Autocentre, members will save over £50 a year. When you consider that MSA membership is
Great support: Halfords Autocentres offer servicing and repairs with the backing of a major national chain but at a cost below that of main franchised dealerships
only £57 a year, this single deal virtually justifies paying for your annual membership on its own.” It is hoped that this deal will be extended in the future to include discounts off purchases from Halfords stores, too. Halfords Autocentres is the largest car service network in the UK. It currently has around a one per cent market share of the estimated £9bn car aftercare market. Its unique selling point is delivering a quality service that you would expect from a national organisation, but without the costs often associated with services at the main franchised dealerships.
It also does not compromise manufacturers’ warranties and is carried out by staff who have had the latest training using the most up-to-date technology. This balance of franchise-quality service and competitive pricing is attractive to business customers such as ADIs, and the Autocentres are big enough to handle multi-car fleets, too. A spokesman for Halfords Autocentres commented: “We are delighted to enter into this agreement with the MSA, which we hope will really benefit its members. continued on page 2 » » »
2012: The year we discovered cutting red tape was more important than reducing KSIs What is certain, however, is that no progress has been made, and at the MSA this has been the most bitterly disappointing feature of 2012: the year that could have seen a host of exciting changes to our industry but all appear to have fallen foul of the current inertia that’s creeping round the corridors of Whitehall. And we also know that this was the year when Mike Penning was moved to pastures new, replaced by Stephen Hammond as roads safety minister, ending a long stay in post that had promised much but delivered little. Another great idea that shuffled off the stage was mandatory CPD. In many ways, the news that the DSA had finally accepted defeat on introducing this for ADIs was the industry’s worst-kept secret. It had been talked about for several years but the DSA had been unable to turn its words into committed action. You could sense the frustration when, in October, DSA chief executive Rosemary Thew admitted defeat, despite it being a proposal that
‘the agency had been keen to introduce’, but it had had to back down in the face of ‘insurmountable obstacles’. She said: “One of the main challenges in introducing a mandatory scheme is the additional burden it would create when the Government’s commitment is to reduce the burden (of red tape) on small businesses”. The agency was also concerned that mandatory CPD would force an increase in the ADI registration fee. Ah, that red tape burden again! Instead we look forward to 2013 with rumours building around the future direction of the DSA – something we predicted way back in May when, ironically, our suggestion of that the DSA could be opened up to full privatisation was scoffed at within the DSA. However, we pointed out then that Cabinet Secretary Francis Maude was looking into how many Government departments and agencies operate – and he is an avowed fan of reducing state control of public-facing operations.
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MSA MOTOR SCHOOLS ASSOCIATION
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European update Peter Harvey examines the differences that exist across Europe in driver training – and the similarities p8
ADIs warned over lazy SEN labels Just badging some pupils as having specific needs isn’t helping anyone learn to drive, says John Brown p16
Rally star in a training car Life at the Wheel meets an ADI who swapped learners for fleet training, rally cars and Porsches p28
Life’s an App Latest news on products and services for the ADI industry p30-31
Regional news A hoarse story... why Volvos lead the way... and shared steets on Blackpool’s front p34
MSA AGMs & training days Full details of who’s speaking and how to book on our regional training days and AGMs p24-25
News: Review of 2012
Newslink November 2012
Issue 245
The ADI’s Voice
Don’t talk: Act A WAR OF WORDS has erupted between the Transport Select Committee and the Department for Transport over the future direction of road safety policy – and MSA general manager John Lepine says that their row is symptomatic of a political class that appears to want to talk about the issues but not act on them, and that neither side comes out of the affair with any credit. “I understand fully the points the Select Committee made when it criticised the Department in the summer. In response, the DfT has offered what it claims to be a strong defence of its record,” he said. “Yet when you examine what’s been said by both sides it is simply calls for more talks, more inquiries, more research and more consultation. “Why? We know what the problems in road safety and driver training are. The MSA has been calling for change for decades.” Instead of more reviews and talks, John called on Government to build on its own national standard for driver training. “This syllabus sets out what is required for new drivers. It is a good model. Yet it sits on paper with few people enacting it. “We believe that to improve driver training we need to have every learner
Calls for further reviews and consultations hide fact that it’s time for action
completing a compulsory record of achievement linked to the national standard. “If this was done properly it would ensure all learners cover the key elements for safe driving in detail, signed off by an experienced, professional instructor. “By expanding it to include elements of post-test learning such as driving at night, on motorways and in bad weather it would replace the current Pass Plus model. “Finally, back this up with a course of compulsory theory training led by an experienced facilitator. I’m not talking chalk and talk with someone stood at the front lecturing from a text book but getting young people to discuss the key issues surrounding driving in a peer
MSA MOTOR SCHOOLS ASSOCIATION
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All change at the top Former economist is given politics’ top job in road safety as Mike Penning departs p2
group setting, allowing them to express their thoughts in an open environment and learning from each other. “We know that the main problem with young drivers is not aptitude it’s attitude. These sessions would allow us to mould novice drivers’ attitudes before they get behind the wheel.” Instead, the Select Committee has called for Government to carry out an independent review of driver training to reduce the casualty rate for young drivers; explain in its annual report whether road safety is improving each year in line with its forecasts; and highlight best practice by local authorities, in particular noting innovative practices and multi-agency approaches. Sounds great on paper but as John points out, “this isn’t real action: it’s a lame excuse for more committee-led myopic inertia that fails to get to grips with the real issues.” The Select Committee’s call for a review was particularly hard to fathom, says John. “Great idea: however, back in 2007, the then Secretary of State for Transport, Ruth Kelly, ordered what was possibly the most Continued on page 4 » » »
Expired photocard driving licences: Over 1.7 million in circulation The humble photocard driving licences has found itself in the centre of a gathering storm as the DVLA fought to explain the rules over the eligibility of drivers whose licences had expired. A number of recent issues of Newslink have carried articles from members who had been challenged over expired licences by insurance companies and the police, with a number saying they had been told that holding an expired licence meant you were no longer eligible to drive. That was not the case, said the DVLA – but as the number of expired licences approaches two million in just four years, and police and insurers appeared confused as to their legal status, the MSA has urged the agency to issue a definitive statement to put the situation beyond doubt.
Special report: see pages 18-20
Three little words Why professional indemnity insurance is so important to ADIs p14
Accessible for all Report on DSA working party looking into the challenges some pupils face with the theory test p26
Newslink October 2012
The ADI’s Voice
DSA admits defeat on mandatory CPD Drive to cut red tape and concerns over enforcement and implementation costs force agency to drop proposals
Newslink
MSA
Issue 244
July 2012
MOTOR SCHOOLS ASSOCIATION
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The ADI’s Voice
Penning moves to close 45-day gap in ADI suspension law
25/2/11 15:49:16
DSA beats its 2011 targets
Agency report says it has met 24 out of its 26 performance targets for last year
p2
Hi-tech driving licences planned Fully chipped driving licences containing all your personal details look set for EU-wide implementation
p4
DRIVING INSTRUCTORS who pose a significant threat to public safety will face immediate suspension under new legislation put forward in Parliament on June 20 by the Roads Safety Minister Mike Penning. Under the current legislation, it takes a minimum of 45 days to prevent an instructor from continuing to give paid driving instruction. However, from 13 July, the registrar of ADIs will have the power to immediately suspend the registration or trainee licence of an instructor who presents a significant danger to the safety of the public. Mr Penning hailed the move as providing more effective safety for learner drivers: “Driving instructors play a vital role in helping to ensure Britain’s roads remain among the safest in the world. “The vast majority of instructors meet the extremely high standards we require of them, but in the very rare cases where an instructor presents a significant danger to the public, it is right that we take prompt and effective action to protect learners and other road users.” The registrar is likely to exercise the suspension power in cases where instructors have been convicted of a violent or
Life’s a gas... Fed-up with high fuel prices? There is an alternative – find out what life’s like teaching in an LPG car p28
Regional news:
When a right answer is wrong, a look into the future of driving testing – and a police double-act explains the mysteries of car crashes p34 - 43
MSA regional training days Full details of who’s speaking and how to book on our regional training days and AGMs p32-33
THE DSA HAS formally announced that it is dropping plans to make continuing professional development mandatory for ADIs. The proposal, which has been debated by the ADI industry for some time, has been axed after the agency admitted it could not force instructors to take CPD without increasing the regulatory burden on ADIs or raising registration fees. In her column in this month’s Newslink Rosemary Thew, the DSA chief executive, stresses that it was a proposal the agency had been keen to introduce but it had to back down in the face of unsurmountable obstacles. “One of the main challenges to introducing a mandatory scheme is the additional burden it would create when the Government’s commitment is to reduce the burden on small businesses,” she said, adding that mandatory CPD would also lead to an increase in the ADI registration fee. In addition, with ADIs’ standards of instruction monitored through the check test, Rosemary admitted that it would be difficult to create sanctions against those
New folders for Scotland’s learners Man on a mission: New Tory Party chairman Grant Shapps demonstrates the Government’s commitment to cut red tape, on this occasion slashing regulations surrounding house sales
ADIs who fail to take CPD: “Any attempt to remove an ADI from the register because they had failed to undertake mandatory CPD would be hard to justify – and it is on that basis that we are proposing to keep the scheme voluntary at this time.” The MSA has been a keen advocate of CPD for many years and believes all members need to improve their skills and make sure they keep up-to-date with the latest tuition and training techniques. On the issue of red tape, the Conservative-led Coalition has made great play on its ambition to slash regulations from the moment it entered office. Government departments are expected
to introduce new regulations on business only as a last resort; in such a culture, clearly the DSA feels forcing ADIs to take CPD was not in keeping with the current Whitehall philosophy. “ADIs’ standards are monitored through the check test,” commented MSA general manager John Lepine. “However, I believe it would have been very straightforward to make the taking of regular CPD a condition of being on the Register. After all, passing a check test is not the only condition for ADIs to remain on the Register: they have to remain fit and proper persons and it could be argued that failing to stay up-to-date as a driver trainer is as bad as exceeding the » » » to page 3
Issue 241
MSA backs new initiative to give pupils a personal driver information pack p6
Rules change
Which motorbike you can use on test, eyesight rules and epilepsy... are you up to date? p8-9
Why join the MSA? ... and what has bus lane rules got to do with being a member? p12
Plan completed: Former MP Willie Rennie was the architect of the legislation that allowed the registrar to suspend instructors from the ADI register if found guilty of serious offences
sexual offence or are delivering tuition of a dangerously low standard, while the formal removal or revocation processes are being completed. The idea to immediately suspend an ADI has been discussed for some time. The current legislation was introduced via a Private Members’ Bill by Scottish MP Willie Rennie in February 2009, receiving Royal Assent in the
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November of the same year. However, one part of the legislation that has troubled many people since day one is that the process for removing an ADI from the register is both cumbersome and time-consuming. Allowing an ADI convicted of a serious offence but whom the court has released back into the community pending police or psychiatric reports before
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sentencing does potentially put pupils at risk from a known offender. This delay will now be remedied by this latest piece of legislation. While the delay has caused concern for some time, changing the law to give the registrar immediate powers of suspension has proved very difficult. Continued on page 2 » »
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Front page news: Calls for Government action over road safety, the end of mandatory CPD, and the good news that Mike Penning had acted over closing a loophole in the ADI suspension law
This issue’s front cover story suggests the idea is gaining traction in Whitehall. There would be an irony if the authority with control over road safety was to find the time, energy and drive to implement such a change – which is little more than pandering to the political theorising of its masters and will not impact directly on how well people drive – yet could not muster the necessary enthusiasm to push through proposals such as learners on motorways which would have a direct impact on road safety. Other big news included the DSA increasing the pace of its retreat from permanent driving test centres, as big High Street names Halfords and ASDA came forward to offer their premises as an alternative, quasi-ad hoc DTC.
This policy – dubbed ‘testing anywhere’ – has the virtue of keeping the driving test regime local, taking the DSA to the people rather than the other way around, but it does put into question the wisdom of the DSA’s policy of building a number of expensive MPTCs, many of which are based out of town and all of which are increasingly looking like agency follies. Perhaps 2013 would be a good time to reflect on why the UK insists on implementing expensive EU directives when our European partners do not; particularly as the ‘off-road’ capability for bike testing that MPTCs deliver is increasingly looking like yesterday’s great idea. There was some positive news – and some progress was made. In July Mike Penning announced he was closing the loophole under
which an ADI who was considered a danger to the public could not be suspended immediately. Under the then legislation, it took a minimum of 45 days to prevent an instructor from continuing to give paid driving instruction. However, this was closed over the summer – and it took just 20 days from initial proposal being announced to implementation for the closure to take effect. After announcing on June 20 that he intended to act on this matter, by July 13 Parliament had granted the ADI registrar the power to immediately suspend the registration or trainee licence of an instructor who presented a significant danger to the safety of the public. Proof that Whitehall can function quickly when it wants to. If only the same enthusiasm couldn’t have been found to scrap trainee licences, of which Mike Penning had once said: “Currently trainee instructors can give tuition and the only indication a pupil has that their teacher is not fully qualified is a small screen sticker. I am going to put a stop to that. I am going to stop people who are not qualified doing this. Some of these guys never get qualified.” No news on this. In fact, few people within the DfT would admit it was even mentioned. As the Texans would say, ‘big hat, no cattle.’ There was plenty more news to keep Newslink’s pages buzzing. The 2011-2012 Annual Report on the DSA prompted a self-satisfied smile to spread over the face of the agency, though after drilling down into the statistics there were still some questions to be asked, particularly over the way the finances balanced and staff sickness levels. Review continues: see page 18
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MSA NEWSLINK : JANUARY 2013 : 17
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News: Review of 2012
MSA MOTOR SCHOOLS ASSOCIATION
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MSA in action: how we help our members
How the association’s officials represent members when they are in need p8
EU consultation aims to cut road crash injuries
Road safety campaigns tend to concentrate on cutting road deaths – but a new paper aims to focus on injuries caused p6
p18
Familiar look to Bedfordshire’s new DTC
When Bedford test centre was earmarked for closure, the DSA didn’t have far to look for a new DTC p12
Life at the wheel
An ADI who struggled after a spell of ill health... and how do you get started as a fledgling ADI? p26
Regional News...
From page 28
Newslink June 2012
MSA
The ADI’s Voice
ASDA price helping the DSA bring tests back to Angus ADIs The agreement in Arbroath and Forfar reflects a wider strategy to offer more local services for driving test candidates. In areas without a local test centre where there is sufficient demand for tests, DSA is looking at offering tests from alternative premises such as local authority buildings or retail outlets. Road Safety Minister Mike Penning said: “I am delighted that we can continue to provide a local service for driving test candidates in Angus. We have worked very closely with the MP for Angus, Mike Weir, and with the local community on this. “I want us to be more flexible and innovative in delivering driving tests to make sure that we are offering people the best service possible, wherever they live. “Our aim is to offer a local service that is convenient for candidates as well as being cost support this strategy, which gives effective.” space for candidates to carry out Robert Hallyburton, store their driving tests in their local manager at Asda Forfar, was area. enthusiastic about this “Hopefully we will see many innovative use of his store: “We people pass with flying colours.” are delighted to be able to Continued on page 2 » » »
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Privatisation: back on agenda for DSA?
Why are those drivers who have been taught to parallel park the ones who struggle the most? p4
Zero tolerance call on alcohol
Driving test privatisation - a real possibility or scaremongering by the irresponsible?
ETSC urges EU to adopt tougher policies on legal drink-driving levels p6
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MPs urge action over crash fraud
RUMOURS ABOUT THE possible privatisation of the Driving Standards Agency have been circulating since the agency published its 2012-2013 Business Plan a few weeks ago. The plan contains a number of references to the Government’s Open Public Services White Paper, which includes among its statement of key principles the following comment about diversity: “Public services should be open to a range of providers. Commentators have speculated that a range of providers of driving tests could include an extension of private sector testing. Theory tests and some vocational tests are already carried out by the public sector.” It is just on 20 years ago that the previous Conservative administration (under the then Prime Minister John Major) considered the privatisation of driver testing. Interestingly, despite the time span between the governments, there is a common denominator which the conspiracy theorists – or realists, depending on your point of view – have lighted on to support the idea of creeping privatisation. That link is Francis Maude, the man who a few weeks ago suggested we all store fuel in Jerry cans in the face of a threatened tanker drivers’ strike. Mr Maude is the Member of Parliament for Horsham, West Sussex, and more importantly in this case, the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General. He is responsible, among other things, for public sector efficiency and reform. It is a job he has done before, having held a
Parliamentary Select Committee wants the Government to act quicker over insurance costs p18
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Newslink January 2012
So what are we going to do about DPFs?
Issue 235
The ADI’s Voice
25/2/11 15:49:16
Serious about CPD?
We take a look at an issue that has been taxing some members over recent months – should ADIs avoid DPFs in tuition cars?
Minister pulls plug on trainee licences
p24-27
Second boost as Penning says yes to M-way learners
MSA National Conference 2012 Saturday, March 24 Crowne Plaza Hotel Nottingham Full details – see pg 14-15
MP’s Daylight Bill backed by UK’s road safety lobby
p16-17
DSA confirms change to theory test booking p3
ADI finances: making the sums add up
p8
ADIS STRUGGLING WITH the current downturn in demand for driving lessons have been given a glimmer of hope for a brighter New Year after the road safety minister, Mike Penning, announced two major changes to the ADI world – and both have been long-standing and cherished MSA policies. Addressing an IAM lunch, Mr Penning announced the end of the current trainee licence scheme and also stated that he would initiate plans to allow learners on motorways if supervised by an ADI in a dual-controlled car. On motorway tuition, Mr Penning said: “We have been looking at the whole of the driver testing and training regime to make sure that all new drivers are properly prepared for life on the roads. “This includes investigating how learners could be given experience of motorway driving while ensuring safety. My aim is for this change to be implemented next year following a full public consultation.” A spokesman for the DSA told Newslink that while no date had been announced as yet for the start of the consultation process, it was hoped it would commence early in 2012 - “sometime in Spring is likely.” This is a considerable victory for the MSA and other ADI groups who have been pressing for such a change for some time. MSA General Manager John Lepine said: “We have been pursuing this policy for many years. In the evidence given by the MSA to the Transport Select Committee a couple of years ago we said: ‘Learner drivers should be allowed on motorways with driving instructors in dual-controlled cars. We think it is very
important, not just because they need to be prepared for driving on motorways but because in a number of areas the road systems have no fast dual carriageways apart from motorways’. “In such areas, if we prevent learner drivers from going on motorways we are preventing them from driving at high speed. “A motorway is just another road and the difference between that and a major dual carriageway is not that great. Where there are motorways available to an
instructor, he or she should be allowed to take their pupils on them when they are ready.” The possibility of creating a ‘two-tier’ system, with some pupils with motorway experience and others without, was not an issue. “We encourage people to drive on major dual carriageways and we test them where available, but in some parts of the country there are none, and it doesn’t cause any problems or confusion.” Commenting on the Mike Penning’s announcement regarding the end of the current trainee licence system Mr Lepine added: “When the ADI groups met with the Minister a few months ago he said he realised that for many of us this must seem like Groundhog Day. He was not wrong: discussions on the rights and wrongs of trainee licences have been raging for decades, probably since they were first introduced in the 1960s. “The MSA always supported the trainee licence system up until the introduction of the ADITE scheme (the forerunner of ORDIT). After ADITE/ORDIT was introduced the MSA took the view that now properly inspected training was available there was no longer a need for unqualified trainers to practise instruction on the public for a fee. However, the MSA has always and continues to support those working on trainee licences as this is currently perfectly legal. “So, for just on 20 years we have pursued this policy – let’s hope it will now come to fruition soon.”
Issue 239
Regional news
News and views from your local region p32
Man behind a plan? Francis Maude MP, pictured while out campaigning during a recent by-election in the north of England. His presence in the Cabinet Office creates a strong link with the privatisation plans of the 1990s, and with the Government keen “that public services should be open to a range of providers” there are plenty of people willing to speculate that the DSA’s current position as a public sector body could soon come under scrutiny from central Government
similar post when John Major was Prime Minister – the last time privatisation was considered. He was then appointed Financial Secretary to the Treasury and after he lost his seat in the 1992 General Election he chaired the Government’s Deregulation Task Force from 1994 to 1997. Back in the nineties, ADIs were very much against the idea of privatisation of the DSA and after a campaign against it led by the driving examiners’ trade union and supported by the MSA and others, the idea was dropped.
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Making the announcement to reject the idea, the then Secretary of State for Transport, John MacGregor (now Baron MacGregor of Pulham Market) said: “I am not satisfied that fair and uniform standards of testing could be secured if the work were contracted out, without disproportionate enforcement arrangements.” If proposed again, would ministers still hold that same line? Who knows. Newslink would be interested to hear readers’ views.
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Newslink March 2012
Issue 237
The ADI’s Voice
25/2/11 15:49:16
Last chance to book
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Royal reward: MSA national chairman Peter Harvey with his wife, Jean, outside Buckingham Palace, where he received his MBE from His Royal Highness Prince Charles. Full story - see page 3
MSA National Conference 2012 Saturday, March 24 Crowne Plaza Hotel Nottingham Day ticket only £40 for members Friday night evening meal, accommodation, and full English breakfast on the Saturday, £70 Full details – pg 14-15
New e-petition demands closure of ADI register Sign up now, asks Biggleswade instructor
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Insurance costs: does anyone have an answer?
BG Insurance’s David Harvey talkes to Newslink about why the cost of cover is going through the roof for young drivers p26
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‘Local L-tests’ idea takes on new look as supermarket chain acts as a DTC WITH MANY supermarkets banning ADIs if they use their car parks to practise bay parking, members will be delighted to learn that two stores in Scotland are actively encouraging learners to use their premises. However, rather than giving the green light to the bay parking exercise, they are allowing their stores to be used as a driving test centre. As part of the DSA’s new programme of taking tests out to the people – local tests for local people, as the MSA called it when we asked for this programme to be implemented some years ago – driving tests are now being conducted from ASDA stores in Arbroath and Forfar, after the leases on the existing driving test centres in the two towns expired. Before the deal was struck ADIs had feared that testing would move to the DTC in Dundee, which would be both inconvenient and costly for pupils. However, the DSA has reached an agreement for Asda to host the tests, ensuring that candidates will continue to be tested in their own area.
Newslink
Issue 240
Conference countdown THE DRIVER AND RIDER training and testing industry is about to enter a period of perhaps unprecedented change: do you have all the information you need to adapt to the new landscape? No? Then come to the MSA Conference, March 23-25, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Nottingham. The DSA is looking to change forever how ADIs operate, what qualifications they have and how they maintain their licence to instruct. Are you prepared to develop new skills to suit the new standards demanded by the agency? Where are you going to turn to for advice? Need help? Then come to the MSA Conference. The industry is going through a period of contraction as the economic downturn impacts on the number of pupils coming
forward for lessons – do you have the business skills to survive and thrive? No – then come to Conference. We will have specialist workshops and advice on ways to boost your pupil numbers and drive down your costs. Are you keen to broaden your ADI network and want to soak up advice and tuition techniques from others with more experience, or perhaps from instructors who just have a different way of handling the same problems you have with pupils? Yes? Then come to Conference: as one regular attendee put it, “I learn more chatting to my fellow ADIs in the coffee breaks and at the bar at Conference then I do for the rest of the year.” It’s a weekend-long occasion, but drop in for as much or as little as you can manage. Day tickets are available for only £40,
including lunch, for the whole day on March 24, or you could stay the night before, take advantage of the hotel’s excellent leisure facilities, enjoy an informal hot buffet meal in the company of your fellow ADIs, and a full English breakfast the next day before conference starts for an extra £70. Many members join us for the full weekend: a special rate rolls together all the prices for two nights’ accommodation, conference, Friday night meal and Saturday’s party night for just £170. Book now: free from a landline on 0800 0265986 or 0161 429 9669 from your mobile. Want to know more: See pages 14-15 for details on workshops, speakers and other activities » » »
28/2/12 16:27:10
What’s the story?: Main image, Newslink suggested Government plans for the DSA included an option for privatisation. While denied by everyone at the time, this issue’s front page suggests the idea is very much open a live option within Whitehall. Other issues featured the DSA programme of taking tests out of formal DTCs and using local facilities – in the case of Angus, at the local ASDA (top left). Sadly, the headline in January 2012 (bottom left) – ‘Minister pulls plug on trainee licences’ – proved wildly optimistic. On a positive note, the picture of Peter Harvey and his wife, Jean, outside Buckingham Palace graced our March issue after receiving his MBE from HRH Prince Charles
THEORY FIRST COPYRIGHT © 2012
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2012 in review: MPs’ anger as Government lets road safety standards slip Feltham Memorial Trophy for membership recruitment. However, for MSA national chairman Peter Harvey and his wife Jean, the year’s highlight was a more personal one, as he received his MBE awarded in 2011 for services to driver training and road safety from HRH Prince Charles. The investiture took place at Buckingham Palace and was a fitting tribute to a man who has given a great deal to the driver training and testing industry.
Continued from page 19 MPs finally lost patience with a perceived lack of Government grip on road safety in August. The supposedly influential Parliamentary Select Committee on Transport said: “Recent increases in road fatalities should be a wake-up call for Government to step up and provide stronger leadership on road safety,” while the committee’s chair, Louise Ellman, went further, saying: “We are very concerned that 2011 saw the first increase in road fatalities since 2003, with 1,901 people killed on the roads. “It is shocking that road accidents are the main cause of death among young adults aged 16-24 and that so many cyclists continue to be killed or injured. “In 2010 there were 283 fatalities among car occupants aged 16-25. 27 per cent of young men aged 17-19 are involved in a road collision within the first year of passing their test. ” The MSA was delighted to support this call, though we did wonder why it had taken so long for them to wake up to this growing problem. Within the MSA we had our own good news to bring you. In March, North West member Mike Longbottom was named Member of the Year at the annual conference, with awards too for Colin Lilly as editor of the year and to MSA Scotland, which landed the inaugural Ron
18 : JANUARY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK
But you said...: You didn’t think we were serious about not mentioning the Olympics, did you? A completely pointless picture of Bradley Wiggins - but he is a living legend, so why not
Throughout the year Newslink has been covering the major stories impacting on our industry – and spotlighting some of the key issues affecting you. We’ve looked at the high cost of insurance for new drivers in an interview with BG Insurance’s David Harvey, considered the viability of LPG as a fuel for ADIs, discussed marketing your school in an economic downturn and investigated problems with DPFs after a number of members voiced their concerns over clogged filters caused by the ‘unusual’ way tuition cars are often driven. In recent issues the attention has turned to
the complex administrative case of expired photocard licences, and we’ve mounted a stout defence of speed awareness courses after Admiral Insurance withdrew its support for them despite everyone else in the industry saying they played a vital role. We’ve highlighted new products and services, backed ADIs with a problem – including a landmark article that managed to combine ‘ADI’ ‘fit and proper person’, ‘swinger’ and ‘viagra’ in one sentence – and stood tall to fight professional driving instructors’ corners throughout the country. But we’ve also found space for your own disagreements, which in a professional industry there are always bound to be some. When we ran a comprehensive feature on shared space road schemes in July, a particularly contentious scheme in Poynton, Cheshire was highlighted as an example. Since then the pages have been alive with ADIs giving their views on the wisdom of such schemes – something we’ve encouraged as Newslink is your publication, in which we always want to represent your views. Thanks to all the people who have helped us through the year, have contributed letters or articles, advertisements or provided advice or information to support a story. We look forward to you doing the same in 2013.
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26/10/2012 10:29
Towards your CPD: Coaching advice
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In the first of a series of articles, Sue McCormack examines how coaching is the best way to put the client’s needs first and improve the standard of your instruction You must have noticed the current buzz in the industry around the words ‘coaching’ and ‘client-centred learning’. Some of you have probably spent quite some time looking into client-centred learning, and some may be unsure and unconvinced about what it is supposed to achieve. Some of you may even be questioning why you worked so hard to become an ADI if your badge alone no longer seems to be good enough. In this article – the first in a series on coaching – I would like to set out my reasons for believing that all driver-training should be ‘client-centred’.
People learn best if we adapt the way we teach to suit the way they learn Consider how you got on at school and which lesson or activity you enjoyed the most – was it maths, English, sport, science, cookery, woodwork, history, art, music or French? In your class you will not all have got the same amount of information from all of your lessons. Each of you will have taken something different from each of the lessons because each of us processes information through different channels. The majority of people are able to process information through several channels – visual (seeing), auditory (hearing) and kinaesthetic (feeling). However, a significant minority process information strongly through just one and possibly two channels, to the exclusion of the other channels of communication. In schools it is expected that most information will be learned through reading and writing and yet this does not meet with the learning needs of a large proportion of the population. The result is that lots of people go through school without feeling they learned very much at all and, possibly, blame themselves for this because they didn’t concentrate or pay enough attention. In actual fact, it wasn’t their fault but rather the fault of the teacher, the school or the system, which was incapable of taking into account different learning needs and styles. Similarly, in driver training, it is important to vary the means of communication to ensure that each customer is learning to the best of their ability. This means that the traditional form of ‘Explain, Demonstrate, Practice’ is not always the most effective way to learn. Identifying how someone learns best (by asking them) and then choosing together what to do will ensure that learning takes place at a deep and long-lasting level because it has been specifically adapted to suit the individual learning needs of the client. Together, you could choose to let them have a go; get out of the car and look at the road layout; talk them through a situation; swap seats and encourage them to talk you through a situation; draw a mind map; draw a diagram; use a pre-printed diagram; or give a demonstration; or experiment with any other idea the customer might suggest.
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Putting the client’s needs first People learn best through experimentation and self-discovery Assuming that everyone needs a briefing before having a go at something new for the first time potentially slows down their learning from the outset. No one taught us how to walk or talk – we just acquired those skills through trial and error. As we grow we take on a whole load of different beliefs about ourselves that affect our ability to learn in the same accelerated fashion that we were used to as babies and toddlers. People tell us constantly what we can or cannot do and even if they avoid using words like ‘stupid’ or ‘thick’ we end up forming beliefs about ourselves that might have little or no basis in reality. Some clients will switch off the moment they see their instructor use their presenter because they cannot process information effectively in this way. They might not want to say anything about this because they assume there is something wrong with them – rather than recognising that
their instructor has not bothered to find out how they learn best. Learning through experimentation and self-discovery means having a go at something and then working out what was good about it; what needs to be done to improve it next time; and deciding how this improvement is going to be measured. For this to happen safely the instructor needs to ensure that the route and the area used is suitable. The instructor also needs to accept that some of their customers may appear reluctant to learn in this way because they have been conditioned for so long to rely on being told how to do something. In this respect, learning is a two-fold process: learning all the information and knowledge; and learning how to learn. It is this process of learning how to learn that leaves the learner with a greater understanding of who they are and how the choices and decisions they make are influenced by their personality, values and opinions.
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Towards your CPD: Coaching advice
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.
If you were Prime Minister for the day... ? Take on board the recommendations from the Transport Select Committee, and show leadership in the fight to make UK roads safer. Geoff Little, MSA Deputy Chairman
Learning is longer-lasting if it comes from within
Traditional driver training looks at learning to drive in building blocks, where we start at the bottom with the controls lesson and steadily put each block in place, ensuring through repeated explanation and practice that it is firmly in place until the day of the driving test. Driving instructors might believe that their customers are learning safe driving for life because that is what they are teaching (or preaching) but, unless the learning has come from within, it will be lost as soon as the driving test is passed. Client-centred learning means that the driving instructor adapts to meet the client’s needs. This type of learning is not about building blocks and repetitive practice. It is led by the client, who knows best what they need in order to be able to learn safe driving for life. The instructor uses their skills to draw out from the client what are their strengths and development needs and how will their
personality, views, values and opinions impact on the way they handle the vehicle every moment of every journey they make for the rest of their lives. Client-centred learning is necessary because it is all about recognising individual differences and adapting to suit those differences. There cannot be a ‘one size fits all’ approach, which is what traditional driver training has encouraged, because it doesn’t work. One-in-five newly qualified drivers is involved in a serious crash within the first six months of driving. That may mean that 20 per cent of drivers did not receive training that was adapted to suit their individual learning style; that encouraged them to experiment and discover for themselves; and that was based on the understanding that learning is longer-lasting if it comes from within. In the next few articles I will be looking at essential coaching techniques we can use to ensure we are being client-centred with our customers.
Introduce a more structured learner driving qualification process, including a graduated licence system. David James, MSA South Wales
Next issue: Essential coaching techniques
Looking back ... Looking forward
MSA NEWSLINK : JANUARY 2013 : 21
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Special feature: Road safety in India
In last month’s Newslink, former DSA chief driving examiner Trevor Wedge explained the difficult journey India was taking to improve its road safety, and highlighted some of the challenges that need to be overcome as it strives to reduce its appalling KSI casualty rate. This month, he outlines some of the initiatives that have been developed and implemented by the Institute of Road Traffic Education in partnership with a number of organisations and individuals, to try to halt the mounting carnage on the roads in the world’s second biggest country.
The College of Traffic Management harnesses the latest technology, as shown by the introduction of an impressive suite of driver simulators
IRTE’s helping to drive India to a safer future Last month’s article explained India’s road traffic casualties statistics in the context of the current global situation before describing some of the factors that contribute to its position as the country with the highest number of traffic fatalities. In this final part the focus will be on steps that are bring taken to try to stem the rise in road casualties in India, the work of Dr Rohit Baluja and the Institute of Road Traffic Education, and my involvement. Rohit Baluja took over his family’s leather and shoe business on the death of his father. A pioneer of the Indian leather industry, he expanded the retail business to become a manufacturer and exporter, primarily to Germany. Passionate about driving, he became frustrated at the contrast between the driving standards in Europe and those in India. He was determined to do something to improve the situation and especially to try to halt the increasing casualties on the roads. His solution was, in December 1991, along with a multi-disciplinary group of members
22 : JANUARY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK
“
including educationalists, doctors, engineers, ex-servicemen and members of the police, to set up The Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE), a non-profit making organisation. IRTE’s single aim was to make Indian roads safer for those who use them. For many years Rohit has been the primary provider of funds for IRTE, having reorganised his leather business so that he can devote his working life to this cause. Rohit is President of IRTE, which works relentlessly to help build capacity in all aspects of traffic management: traffic engineering, traffic enforcement, crash investigation, driver training and assessment, development of traffic legislation, road safety education and post-crash management. Until 2004 IRTE’s focus was on improving traffic management across India. Since that date
IRTE’s mission is to “make global roads accident free, pollution free through education, discipline, research and planning...”
it has been transformed into a global organisation with the aim of sharing and learning from best practice and carrying out research to build capacity in the nations of the developing world, particularly in southern Asia. To take forward this important work IRTE is a member of the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration, represents India at The Commission for Global Road Safety and has earned roster consultative status from the United Nations Economic and Social Council. IRTE’s mission is to “make global roads accident free, pollution free through education, discipline, research and planning. That is the corporate philosophy of IRTE, a non-profit institution for making people aware of the value of life, so that happiness prevails.” I first met Rohit Baluja in Bristol in 2000 when he was a presenter at the Novice Drivers’ Conference. This was the start of a friendship and collaboration that continues to this day. I next met him in Goa in November 2002, when I presented two papers at an IRTE Conference, on Professionalism in Driver Training Systems, supported by what is now the
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Special feature: Road safety in India
Department for Transport. This important conference resulted in the Goa Declaration, a summary of the recommendations and actions that emerged from the event, which was signed by all the international experts who were present. In 2005 I was invited back to Delhi to carry out a review of IRTE training facilities and the courses delivered from their headquarters. The facilities were housed in humble buildings on a rambling industrial estate. Surprisingly the classroom facilities were spacious, comfortable and equipped with all the latest equipment and resources. All courses were well designed and supported by comprehensive documentation. The training I observed was of ‘experienced’ lorry drivers. It came as a shock to find that most were illiterate and had virtually no knowledge of even the most basic road signs or rules of the road. Similarly I found, as I observed interviews for driver trainers, that there was little difference in their background knowledge to that of the trainees; the main differences appeared to be in their outlook, motivations and literacy. It was simply a question of selecting the individual who was most likely to be able to complete the demanding trainer course. It was during this visit that Rohit shared with
me his determination to build a College of Traffic Management. There is no similar facility in the whole of India where individuals can be trained in the various disciplines that make up traffic management. We were driven out of Delhi to the Aravali Hills in Faridabad. He
If you were Prime Minister for the day... ?
Opening ceremony: Trevor was invited to perform the honours at the official opening of the Department of Driver Training and Road Safety Education
proudly indicated a plot of land that he had acquired. All I could see then was an enormous rocky outcrop – but Rohit was not to be deterred. Continued on page 24 » » »
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I’d introduce 10-year driver assessments
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From a driving instruction industry point of view, Karl Satloka, MSA North East what is your biggest hope 2013? ... eyesight testing to acquire or for renew a driver licence every five years.
Mike Yeomans, MSA North East
... a 0% limit on alcohol whilst driving Peter Harvey, MSA Scotland ... and I’d introduce more traffic police Terry Pearce, MSA West Midlands
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MSA NEWSLINK : JANUARY 2013 : 23 Newslink Jan 13.indd 1
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Special feature: Road safety in India « « « Continued from page 23 Today the College of Traffic Management (CTM) has been established by Rohit, who is its director, to take forward IRTE’s vision of creating an umbrella facility for research-based training to aid capacity building in road safety management for India and other developing countries. Fast forward to my next visit in February 2011. I was back in Delhi in a private capacity, to formally inaugurate the now completed college’s Department of Driver Training and Road Safety Education in an imposing, new building that stood where once there was only a rocky hillside. The facility houses four departments: • Department of Traffic Enforcement • Department of Traffic Engineering • Department of Driver Training and Road Safety Education • Department of Public Health for Road Safety At the same time the Department of Public Health was inaugurated by the National Centre for Injury Prevention and Control (USA) Director, Dr Linda Degutis. The dignitaries attending the opening of the college were welcomed by an impressive and colourful pipe band and after the official inauguration were treated to a tour of the four Departments, housing the latest technology. I was particularly impressed with the driver simulators. The event got widespread media coverage and both Linda and I were interviewed for the national television news. Much of the success achieved by IRTE has been due to the support and assistance from a wide range of national and global contributors. There is insufficient space here to do justice to the wide range of road safety projects that have been introduced. The examples below serve to illustrate the diversity of the interventions that have been developed by Rohit and his team.
Road safety champion: Dr Baluja and his daughter, Arushi, with Trevor at the School of Driver Training. Dr Baluja has sacrificed a great deal in his bid to improve India’s poor road safety record and is a real pioneer in this field, whose efforts should be applauded
Risk management
IRTE has conducted journey risk management assessments of over 32,000 kms of Indian highways. Data from these assessments have been used to provide pre-journey advice for road users undertaking long journeys on the network of highways.
Work in schools
A national programme to introduce road safety education in schools (School Conclave™) has been developed and introduced. So far the programme has been rolled out to over 4,500 teachers from 1,550 schools from across India
24 : JANUARY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK
Traffic volunteers
Each year since 1999, over 100 university students have been inducted into the IRTE Student Traffic Volunteers Scholarship Scheme, which receives corporate sponsorship. After training the volunteers support the Delhi Traffic Police in managing traffic in the city. Since 1998 over 170,000 drivers have been trained by IRTE, each going through a process of pre-and post-training assessment.
IRTE, with the support of members of the police service, developed mobile traffic education and enforcement vehicles (called Interceptors™), containing the latest technology to detect traffic violations and collect data. Police officers were trained in their use and the units were deployed across India. The Government of India recognised the technology by inviting the Interceptors™ to participate in the National Republic Day Parades in 1996 and 2001. CrashLab™ is a mobile accident investigation and road safety laboratory developed and introduced by IRTE which is revolutionising scientific collision investigation in the country. This initiative complements the crash investigation training courses, incorporating the latest computer modelling, that are delivered at the college to police officers from across the country.
Road Safety Literacy programmes for village and towns on the major highways have been developed. Under this programme IRTE has covered over 1,800 kms of national and state highways.
Driver trainers
Policing the road
CrashLab
Road safety literacy
Reducing crashes involving lorries
Check it out: Dr Baluja and Trevor with the Lorry Project Team at the School of Driver Training
IRTE, with the support of the CDC Foundation (Centres for Disease Control & Prevention) and the Conrad N Hilton Foundation, has initiated a research project for the Development of a Safe Systems Approach in Fleet Management of Heavy Vehicles, especially in the unorganised (sub-contracted drivers) sector. The aim is to help reduce crashes involving lorry drivers. Along with Dr Will Murray, I am a member of the project team providing technical and operational expertise. The project will develop an evidenced-based
post-test curriculum and training tools and systems for lorry drivers. The training will be piloted and delivered across India and pre- and post-test data collated, analysed and evaluated to establish the effectiveness of the programme. Guidance will be developed and circulated to those who employ or manage lorry drivers. At the end of the project the detailed findings will be shared with key audiences. As a result of the successful programmes and its contribution to road safety, both IRTE and Dr Rohit Baluja have received widespread recognition. In the year 2000-2001 IRTE won the Indian Government’s Ministry of Road Transport & Highways national road safety award. The same year IRTE became the first organisation outside the UK to be recognised with the coveted Prince Michael International Road Safety Award. Dr Baluja became the first person to be presented with the RoSPA Distinguished Service Award for Road Safety in 2003.
Next steps
I am continuing to work with Rohit to develop proposals for an accreditation scheme for driver trainers and training schools based on agreed standards. Resource materials, including an e-learning package are being developed to support learning among those who use the roads. Progress is being made towards IRTE hosting a special meeting of a working party of United Nations Economic Commission for Europe at the end of next year at the CTM, providing another valuable opportunity to share information about the problems and potential solutions on the roads of the developing world. As a result of this work I spoke at the International Road Federation (India Chapter) Conference earlier this year and am a contributor to Birmingham University’s annual Senior Road Executives Programme and the FIA Foundation Scholarship, both of which attract road safety practitioners from the developing world. The work I am lucky enough to be able to contribute to aligns perfectly with International Solutions 4 Safer Driving Ltd’s aim. Further information can be found about the work or IRTE by visiting www.irte.com and Trevor Wedge can contacted at trevor.wedge@ is4sd.com.
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Regional view: » » » The MSA’s nationwide network of editors with the news and opinions that matter at local level
ADIs fight back against council’s MIKE BASSETT Editor, South East
We are off into another New Year. So, as it is the first month, we need a few firsts of our own. We don’t really want to drag the same old problems with us, do we? What about giving them the heave ho and a ‘so what’? Were those problems really worth the effort?
Light up the year
Let’s all look forward to car manufacturers – any one of them – designing their vehicles so we can change bulbs in less time than it takes paint to dry. Blood on the bulbs never looks right to me.
Refusing refuse
Sorry, folks, I really couldn’t make it up, if I tried – but someone did. Readers of the South East column certainly hit a first when hitting out at the plan from the Kent County Council to charge all signed vehicles as ‘trade waste’. I am grateful to Alan from Tonbridge for putting me onto it. Desperation came to mind, as I read how the KCC was looking to save £500,000 on unwanted trade waste. So, heading off to the council tip, in his signed instructor vehicle, Alan was indeed surprised to find the he was now ‘trade’, in the same way painters and plumbers are. We both had a bit of tooing and froing with letters to the KCC and, of course, got the official council policy line in reply. Unless you are dropping off pupils or clients at the local tip, you are hardly ‘trade’. The florist with a signed vehicle, disposing of a pile of flowers, is ‘trade’. The florist, with a signed vehicle dropping off an old TV and a duvet, is a ‘household’ user. Simples, init.. Not good enough for us. I whacked a tough email complaining about the policy into our local county councillors and to our MP for Tunbridge Wells, Greg Clark. Seems along the way, up at Sittingbourne and Sheppey, they felt the same. MP Gordon Henderson, labelled it a ‘Sovietlike dictat’ and raised the matter in Parliament. That’s pretty good going for a mild bunch of driving instructors. Driving instructor Jan Perry, featured in the Kent On line article, was among those banned from using a recycling facility
26 : JANUARY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK
Tipping point: As far as Kent County Council is concerned, both of the vehicles pictured right are commercial trade waste vehicles!
because of her signed vehicle. You could, of course, obtain a permit and pay. But why should you? We didn’t have to wait long for a change. Rather than paying up, we voiced up. Backing down to pressure from users like ourselves, KCC dropped the policy change at the end of November. It was hardly a way to get votes for county councillors or MPs but it is reminder to you all – you do have a voice – use it.
Parking highs
Well, there certainly has been quite a few lows down at Ashford in Kent, over the past few years, when it comes to parking. But that is soon to change. Derek Goodwin and fellow instructors have been working very closely with Ashford Council to find a solution to practising bay parking in the town and are close to finalising an agreement. Look out for a further update in next month’s Newslink.
Good COP – bad COP
So, in the Highway Code, it says a driver MUST... do whatever it says he is supposed to do. And as you all know, the MUST is backed up by Road Traffic Acts – Law. Consider for one moment, the proposed new DSA Code of Practice, suggesting an instructor MUST do this or that. Is that MUST backed up by legal precedent? Wouldn’t it be rather nice, if we were invited to follow, rather than be whipped into it? Going on strike and disrupting clients’ tests might well warrant a MUST. You MUST not do it. Ah, but that’s not us. We don’t strike. Perhaps there will be amendments to the DSA examiners’ Code of Practise, so that we might be invited to attend for tests with our clients. It is well known – and for those of you who followed industrial history – we have known for over two hundred years that; bad management and bad management decisions leads to industrial unrest. Is there just a merest hint of cynicism in my comment? Perhaps when the DSA is privatised (despite all of us and our clients already paying for its very existence), we can politely suggest they MUST turn up for work.
A good year for older drivers
Older drivers are becoming a bigger percentage of drivers out there on the road. The good news recently out is that they are safer, too. Their life experience is keeping them safe, despite some lacking in road rules and Highway Code knowledge. The other good news is that some of them are actually asking for a bit of help. I have several drivers at the moment who have a bit of a gap in their driving, owing to health problems but are still keen to carry on driving. The good news continues, as I have to say that, with a bit of sensitive tuition, they are out and about, not just driving but enjoying driving.
A New Year for old habits
I must extend my New Year’s greeting to a few road users I have had the ‘fortune’ of meeting. First, the young lady driving a blue minibus, with disabled passengers on board – texting while in heavy, slow moving traffic. Second, to the elderly gentleman cyclist who walked across the pelican crossing on my green light and was heading for the front of an approaching Arriva double decker bus until we both hooted and waited. Third, greetings to the young lady cyclist who pulled out in front of traffic behind her without warning while on her phone and promptly continued to cross into my path. They live because we let them.
Holding a glass to Hogmanay
There’s a thought: don’t drink and drive, you might spill it... but it won’t be a drink. It will be yours, or somebody else’s blood. Ever graphic, it was good to see in the papers, a father brave enough to put the car his daughter died in, following a drinking session, on display. For me, it is always a timely reminder at Christmas of the effects of drink-driving. My father, when in the fire service, had the sad duty of identifying my brother’s best mate, who
had failed to negotiate a double bend and flew 60 yards through the air into a field and a further 20 yards upside down. A life in his early twenties, that had so much to offer – lost.
Get a grip in winter
Might do, if they made vehicles available to us that were quite happy to be on snow and ice. I have a pair of studded grippers to go over my wellies, so at least I will alright walking around. Not so, on the car. Can’t switch off the ABS, like a lot of police forces do. It’s hopeless in the ice and snow. Why bother with it. There are all-season tyres available, albeit at a cost. Might save you the cost of buying a winter set and will actually give more grip in those torrential summer rains. Chains sound a bit like Scrooge chasing Marley and if you run out of snow, do beware of shake and shudder to the steering and suspension. With the low front skirts fitted, most of us are lucky if we can safely negotiate four inches of snow. Perhaps it is a day to walk up and collect the paper, rather than drive, when it gets that bad.
Learn to love your pothole
Oh, don’t worry. There will be enough to go around. Even the most ardent driver won’t be able to drive unwittingly into all the potholes out there. There will be, by the time you receive this issue, probably four times as many potholes as discovered in December. Fact is, you can’t go round bashing up nearly every country in the world, spending billions on war rather than defence and expect something not to be missing. In this case, it is our roads – and even pavements. Since 2012, there has been a real time cut in Government grants to local authorities of 28 per cent. Road maintenance grants for 2013 are expected
Behind the wheel but not behind the times.
If you were Prime Minister From a driving instruction industry point of view, for a day? what is your biggest hope for 2013? I’d remove driver protection systems from cars while improving passenger and pedestrian safety systems. John Lomas, MSA North West
Looking back ... Looking forward
barmy tip idea
Take card payments and keep your pupils happy.
Make it easy for your pupils to pay. LCard offer a complete card payment service for the professional driving instructor. The chip & PIN service is the solution for taking lesson payments by card before or after the lesson. LCard will provide you with fully bank compliant mobile terminal which you can use wherever you are. The cost for this service is £4.75 including vat per week.
Low Cost to fall by nearly £100 million. That’s on top of the £10 billion pound it will take to bring our roads up to scratch. Not much point building another London airport, or the HRS2 high speed train link, when we can’t even fill in a few potholes. It’s only going to be when injuries and deaths mount up, that we might see an improvement. If the Government want to get the economy moving, why don’t they make a start on the existing roads?
You are in – but should you be out? Tricky one that. You got into the occupation. You took a few exams. You have a lot of work but don’t work hard at instructing/coaching. It’s a nice little earner, out in the countryside, looking at the scenery. Time to do your shopping between lessons. Sounds an ideal job. But shouldn’t you be doing more? Shouldn’t you be doing more training yourself? Reading up and following up. It’s not about the money, money – as the song goes. It’s about what you give for the money you take. It’s a fair bet that, for low prices, you don’t beat yourself up and put a lot into the lesson plan – do you? Well, it’s time to make good use of the last of the winter dark nights and get some studying done. Ask yourself: could I pass more knowledge on in the same lesson time, if I had more knowledge? Be honest with yourselves, even if when it comes to it, you are not quite so honest in your endeavours to your pupils/clients. It doesn’t help that the Government has backed away from compulsory CPD for teaching staff, as well as driving instructors. It is personal
development. Don’t be a negative – be a picture – a picture of excellence.
First Aid for instructors
A comment recently passed to me, was where can I get an MSA instructor training book? We really haven’t produced our own, have we, unlike the DIA. The comments continued, asking if the MSA is able to train up drivers for advanced qualifications. We do actually have the skills within the MSA to take up those training issues and it would indeed be a good New Year present if the association were able to deliver.
My pen has run dry..
Getting you started into a New Year has been great fun but I have to confess I am running out of time to keep up as editor for MSA South East and sadly it is time to stand down. Your comments and contributions have been most welcome over the past few years, particularly those from Steve and Alan and Derek. We certainly scored a few firsts, hammering the sites that charged for a theory test and I’m grateful to Wolverhampton Trading Standards Officers for helping to take it through. Getting a policy change out of the Kent County Council over the trade waste issue reaffirms that driving instructors may work as individuals but collectively, they are a force to be reckoned with. I felt for Derek when he was bashing his head against the town hall wall, but it is good to see that his determination has paid off. Don’t forget SSRIs. Remember what I have written. So long, all. MSA South East Training Day report – see page 28 » » »
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Regional News: South East Learning: MSA South East attend the region’s training day, where David Downing and Sandra Dodson were among the speakers (right)
A chance to catch up and meet up... by Mike Bassett Editor, MSA South East That was exactly what the MSA South East meeting and AGM held on November 18 down in Sussex was all about. From Sandra Dobdon, DSA Deputy Chie Driving Examiner, a good piece on the future direction of the DSA, where we may well see a move towards competency-based testing and use of a hand-held scanner by examiners to record results. I wonder if it will talk to us and say, ‘unnamed driving examiner in rear seat’, a bit like the self-scan checkouts. Di Everrett-Skinner, on behalf of Tri-Coaching Partnership, set about highlighting the differences between instructing and coaching. For those of you that go on and take some sort of teaching qualification, you will find that a big piece of your
training will consist of assessing which method of instruction applies to your clients. David Downing from Drive Compare provided an overview of the services they provided. From pupils finding an instructor to booking a lesson, via the web, it’s the way many of our customers use the internet. David stressed that there is no charge unless a driver is provided. An industry update was given by John Lepine, covering some of the topics that are new to us. DSA Modernising Driver Training is being led by the Registrar, Mark Maghee; so look out for a lot more computer-based information coming your way. Cereal avoiders – those that only like toast. No, serial avoiders in attending for a check test. There is promised to be a big change with the introduction of competency-based check tests. Let’s face it folks, if you don’t turn up – or don’t pass – then, like Elvis, perhaps you should leave the building.
Shutters set to fall on speed cameras TERRY PEARCE
Editor, West Midlands
It has been reported that from next April, all fixed speed cameras in the West Midlands Police area will be switched off because they cannot afford to upgrade them from the costly wet film to digital. A review will take place into the long-term future of cameras at the worst accident blackspots, with council chiefs considering spending £489,000 to upgrade the outdated cameras. The upgrade would eventually fund the replacement of 71 cameras at sites where accidents are most likely to occur. Another 147 camera housings will be kept as a deterrent. Until then they will rely on camera vans, which are being doubled in number to four! When you consider that they had just over 300 fixed cameras, will four camera vans covering the whole of the West Midlands Police area have the same deterrent effect? Motorists may not like them but speed
cameras do work, this was demonstrated when they were introduced. When I used to turn onto the A45 in Coventry heading towards Birmingham and the traffic lights behind me changed it was like I had turned onto a racetrack, with everyone desperate to break the speed limit and overtake me. But that all changed the day they were switched on. There will always be the driver who will speed up between camera sites but with more motorists keeping their speed down, the opportunity for excessive speed was curtailed. Before camera sites were listed online a company used to produce a paper map showing where they were. One of their maps, which happened to be of my home town of Coventry, was published in Newslink. What puzzled me was that it showed 18 sites when there were only 17. I discovered that the 18th site was placed outside the cemetery gates. An interesting attempt at black humour, I have often wondered if other towns also had that extra location added. Having written part of my article I have just driven down the M40 from Warwick to High Wycombe. One of the gantry signs advised a 50mph speed limit due to ‘debris in the road’. The majority of the traffic heeded the warning and slowed down. It was repeated on the next two gantry signs but the following one was
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Contact e: terrysom@aol.com t: 02476 335270 a: 20 Brownshill, Green Road, Coventry CV6 2DT
blank. It left me wondering, have I passed the hazard, if so why did the sign not confirm it? The answer was soon there as the next gantry also had the warning as well as the next eight, that’s 12 in all. No one had seen any evidence of debris in the road and most motorists were now ignoring the 50mph advisory limit. Looking in the distance I think I saw the next sign saying end but as it went out the only confirmation that I had the road was clear was that the remaining signs were blank. This highlighted that most motorists are sensible but it’s like the story of the ‘boy who cried wolf ’. If there is no evidence that the signs are true, we ignore them! Another example of signs we ignore is the ‘Baby on board’ sticker. Initially it had good intentions as it tried to warn other motorists behind them to drive carefully but with so many vehicles having them does anyone take any notice? Instead they are now used as a fashion statement, with motorists more interested in telling
everyone that their ‘little princess’ is on board. There has been a proliferation of different car stickers over the years. One that always amuses me is ‘No tools are kept in this vehicle overnight’. I am waiting to see a thief leave a sticker behind saying ‘There aren’t now’. The one version of this sign that made me laugh recently was on a van carrying pies. As part of its livery it said, ‘No pies are kept in this vehicle overnight’. Wishing you all a Happy New Year.
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Regional News: South Wales & Western
We’re there to make sure drivers’ attitudes change for the better DAVID JAMES Editor, South Wales
By now the turkey is gone; a good time was had by all and we are eagerly waiting to have lots of good work at an attractive rate with no problems or bureaucratic nonsense. With a bit of luck we can pot one or two of those flying pigs as well! I recently saw a minor incident which could have led to a serious collision. Fortunately there was no contact between the cars, but there were a series of horn blasts and shaking of a fist; we all see these things every day and cope quite well with it, but I began to think of how this affects learners (and indeed pre-learners) and their attitudes. We all know that giving help to new drivers so they can develop a good attitude to their driving responsibilities is, at best, not easy and perhaps is almost impossible. I recall being involved with off-road driver training for 11-to-16-year-olds and I think it was a valuable learning experience for yours truly. One eye opener for me was discovering how much some youngsters learn as passengers and develop some sense of judgement based on the
attitude being shown by drivers, both in the car and drivers of other cars. Generally, I found that although these youngsters didn’t know how to control a car well, they had often detected a bad attitude from others. I think there are studies showing that if it is not corrected, a poor attitude to road safety could one day become the norm for them. The minor incident I spoke of earlier involved one male and one female driver; one very angry and one terrified; but both in their fifties, I would guess. It was one where both drivers had made mistakes but it seemed to me that neither of them had the best attitude to driving. None of us are perfect, but I try to use situations like this to help teach learners how easy it is to find yourself in a bad situation and how to protect yourself as much as possible. I have heard lots of comments from other ADIs that it isn’t possible to tackle or correct bad attitudes, and I know it can be difficult, but there are sources of expertise available to us to continue our training through books, seminars and courses. Although we as trainers may not have created the attitude problems in the first place, we are one of the groups of people who can help to show our learners how to deal with them. I’ve heard recently that South Wales Police is looking to tackle this as a project. I hope it develops into something worthwhile. There are moves afoot to try and organise a South Wales event in the first
quarter of 2013, with one location being looked at so far in the Bridgend area. If you are interested in attending, could you contact me – sooner rather than later, please. Another thought comes from Paddy our Chairman. He wonders if there is sufficient interest from members in our area in attending the MSA National Conference in March 2013. Contact any of the committee if you are and there may even be an opportunity to arrange transport, or provide contact among those interested. Recently RoSPA produced a report called “Social Factors in Road Safety”. It shows how exposure to danger can vary significantly between socioeconomic groups and also how economic factors (we all know these) can have impact on road safety. It is available for viewing on the RoSPA website. Although it isn’t always easy for individuals to influence the effects of these factors, there may one day be an opportunity and I think it is good for us all to be aware of studies being published and how it may in future change our profession. I saw some comments recently from an ADI who no longer trains learners, pointing out that his experience was that attitudes in the learners’ group were worsening, and also the fierce competition from other driver trainers was reducing the net value of one hour’s work by him to an unacceptably low level. He had
therefore moved to another area of work in driver training. It is a shame when well-qualified people leave this area of work, but what is the alternative? I personally find it difficult to compete with the very low prices being offered widely in our area and I try to continue to offer a good service at a reasonable price in the hope that it will improve eventually. It must be more difficult for those who are newer to the profession and they will gain from getting in touch with others through an organisation such as the MSA. Of course, many of you who are reading this are members but do you get involved as much as you could? You may be surprised how much it is possible to learn from going to a meeting to listen to informative talks on relevant subjects from those working in our field. Finally, I find it strange that a Government Department takes the trouble to draw up a document and draft it quickly to get past the draft stages without apparently proof reading it. I recently saw a reference to meeting the rules set out by “HM Revenue and Customers”. (The DSA’s proposed new Code of Practice; December, Newslink, page 17). Your feedback is appreciated, please keep it coming.
Contact David James can be contacted via e: d.james869@btinternet.com or via 07733 070888
Tough times demand tough words COLIN LILLY
Chairman & Editor, Western
Well, here we go, another year! At the regional AGM in November I was re-elected as regional editor. I know that many readers have found some of my articles in the past a bit negative. Regrettably I have no control over the way the industry has developed; if I had I would be ashamed. Equally I have no influence on the changes in motoring trends and the financial situation in the country. Although I am willing to draw on the experiences of the past, I do not expect things to return to the way they were. I feel that in the late seventies and eighties we probably had the best business levels among learner drivers. However,
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there were still periods when financial recessions and DVLA strikes affected our businesses. Since then we have had the opposing forces of oversupply and insufficient demand. My nature is one of progress and moving forward. My previous career was based on research and development. Events do not always develop in the way we hope. I learnt at an early stage to report things as they were no matter how unpalatable they were. One problem with an over-subscribed industry is that in order to make a living some will try to offer services at which they have no experience and inadequate skills. In fact they just talk the talk and persuade others to part with their money. That I feel is morally wrong. So without apology I will continue to say it how it is. In November almost 40 members of MSA Western gathered for the Annual Seminar and AGM in East Brent. Speakers were varied but excellent. Rosemary Peel of The Road User Support Service, based near Exeter, explained the work they do,
providing a post-incident counselling service and practical rehabilitation for people affected by road traffic incidents. She gave an interesting talk on the history and development of the service with some case studies. Paul Russell of Barry Grainger Insurance gave delegates a background on the question of out-of-date photocards on insurance cover. Delegates had many questions on all aspects of driving school insurance. Peter Harvey gave an update on the latest developments in the industry. The latest DSA proposals on the industry’s Code of Practice were discussed in depth to formulate a response. At the AGM almost all the existing committee were re-elected. Derek Prestidge stood down this year because he has decided to retire. We wish him a long and healthy retirement and thank him for his services to the region. If you have any comments or news please contact me at 7 Bampton, Tamar Road, Worle, Weston-super-Mare BS22 6LD, on 01934514336, Mobile: 07768367056 or e-mail: cglilly@ btinternet.com
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DEREK BRUTNELL
Chairman & Editor, East Midlands
Happy New Year to you and if, during these tough economic times, 2012 was difficult, I hope that 2013 brings more prosperity. Readers may recall that it was about the turn of 2012 when Newslink ran an article on DPFs, fitted to all modern diesel vehicles, and the expense of replacing one, which I personally found out. The DPF on my own vehicle (which I own) was replaced in September of last year. I later found out that it would have been changed as part of a routine 75,000-mile service on my vehicle, which is a Volvo C30 coupe. Along with a replacement fuel filter and all lubricants and labour, etc, this service would have cost £1,200. I just had some of this work done early (the DPF and also a replacement fuel filter), the discovery for the latter later. Having various discussions with technical ‘experts’ has led me to experiment with feeding the tank with a different brand of fuel, which only over a long period of time would start to prove their theory. First, the reason for the fuel filter change. This was prompted when the engine was temporarily starved of fuel one morning when joining the M1/J23 on my way to a job in Derby. It is not very pleasant when you suddenly find the car cut out after accelerating down a slip road with a 38-ton lorry behind, this was one time I was grateful for a hard shoulder. After a couple of visits to my friendly Volvo dealer the fuel filter was replaced which solved the problem. It leads me to think, why did I need these genuine Volvo replacement parts fitting before the service interval was due? Could it be down to the stop-start nature of the job I do? My working week is not entirely with novice or learner drivers, as at least half the working week is made up of journeys of 20-40 miles, where I would meet a client and use their own vehicle. In addition my personal circumstances mean the vehicle has a 450-mile motorway run every other week. With this type of ‘lifestyle ownership’, surely this would mean no DPF problems? Obviously this was not the case. It lead me to question what I had been ‘feeding’ it. Supermarket fuel in any town is often the most convenient and usually the cheapest, plus you get loyalty points or the odd voucher for £5 off the shopping for being a regular customer. Having the DPF and fuel filter problems led me to do some probing and ask questions regarding what was the best type/brand of fuel to feed the engine. If the ‘experts’ at my friendly Volvo garage are right, it appears I have been getting it wrong for years. As one put it ‘If you have two teenagers and feed one with hamburgers and the other with salad, after three years who is going to run the fastest?” They believed supermarket-branded fuel is not of the same quality as the others. At the start of December I thought I would put the theory to the test, as a new Shellbranded garage opened in a convenient part of town. From the first fill up I discovered the vehicle ran so much sweeter you could clearly feel the difference. Subsequently I have tried BP and Texaco brands, which produced similar
Regional News: East Midlands
DPF problems prompt question about the true cost of filling up with cheaper fuel
Pricey – but possibly priceless: Could paying more to fill up at the garage save you money in the long-run over cheaper supermarket fuels? Picture of a Shell Station taken in Hong Kong
Contact Derek can be contacted via e: derekbrutnell@ yahoo.co.uk
results to Shell. It was explained to me that diesel is produced at differing levels of quality and supermarket fuels are not refined for as long, which could lead to it having more moisture and being a more ‘dirty’ fuel, producing more emissions over time. Could this have lead to my DPF problems? I will never know, but it’s an interesting theory. So from now on it will be branded fuels for me even if it is 1p – 2p more than the supermarket. As the Shell garage is convenient, it is the likely brand I will use. So which grade of Shell diesel shall it be, V-Power or FuelSave? FuelSave is, dependent on the area of the country, a penny or two more expensive than the supermarket, but Shell claims on its website: “Enriched with Efficiency Improver, Shell FuelSave is designed to help improve fuel economy by reducing energy loss. It helps prevent the build-up of deposits in the engine, leaving more of your fuel’s energy to power the wheels, providing you with improved fuel efficiency.” V-Power is about 8p more than the supermarket, which at current prices would cost about £4 for the average tank full. Again,
however, Shell has a claim: “Shell V-Power is designed to improve performance in any car you drive. Its unique double action formulation is designed to actively clean your engine and protect vital engine parts to help deliver more powerful performance.” I have tried both grades and it appears that for my vehicle V-Power does deliver better fuel economy than FuelSave. I would like to hear from you if you have had similar experiences supermarket fuels. It is fine to scientifically produce fuel consumption figures, but what about the real world? If you run a very efficient small engine vehicle, will it make much difference? Have you gone back to running a petrol engine vehicle because the cost of petrol is cheaper anyway, and on some small petrol vehicles the consumption is much better these days? I will keep a note of my fuel consumption on my Volvo, which has a 1.6L diesel engine, over the coming months and compare it with last year’s figures to get a comparison, and return to this item during 2013.
MSA NEWSLINK : JANUARY 2013 : 31
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Regional News: Scotland
Conference rocks! BOB BAKER Chairman, Scotland
You may have noticed that there has been a lack of articles from the Scottish region over the past two issues of Newslink. Our editor, Clive Scott, has had a spate of writer’s block. I do, however, know he has also been extremely busy with his off-road tuition courses, which have taken him from one end of the country to the other. Recent phone calls found him in the hills of South Wales and north of Aberdeen. He also gets heavily involved with his B + E courses and has had quite a bit of fleet work. In addition, Clive’s son is trying to make it big in a rock band for which Clive acts as the sound techy and looks after all their sound needs. This additional skill came in very handy at the Scottish training seminar, which I will come to later. The region has been quite active over the last couple of months. On Sunday, October 27, the Glasgow and District Branch held a charity dance. Branch chairman Alex Buist (my deputy and regional secretary) was very keen to keep the annual charity dance going, this being the sixth year that the branch has run such an event. This year’s proceeds of £300 will go to Yorkhill Hospital, Glasgow. The branch also held another very successful meeting on November 25, with the next meeting planned for January 27, which will include their AGM. On Monday, December 3, Peter Harvey MBE, MSA National Chairman, held a meeting of the Central Strathclyde Branch where he was able to bring members up to date with the DSA’s proposed Code of Practice for ADIs, the MSA’s letters to and from the Minister and many other topics relevant to the driver training industry.
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The branch will hold its next meeting on Monday, 4 February. The Dunfermline and District Branch, under the chairmanship of Trevor Williams, held another well-attended meeting on December 13. The guest speaker was Gregor Steele, a representative from the Scottish Schools Education Research Centre (SSERC), which leads the way in road safety response time measuring equipment. In addition to an excellent and very informative presentation by Gregor, the branch also held its free Christmas raffle for all members present. The first prize of a £100 food hamper went to Ian Marshall. The second and third prizes of £50 food hampers went to Finlay Graham and Heather Winter respectively, while Chris Munro won a £20 ASDA voucher. The fifth prize, of a spare set of replacement car lamps, went to Martin Capel. The next two Dunfermline and District Branch meetings have been booked for Tuesday, February 26 and Tuesday, May 28. Rosyth Community Centre, the usual meeting place is undergoing a six-month refurbishment, therefore during this time meetings will be held in the Camdean Community Centre. All details, as always, are available on the MSA Scotland web page. That should bring you all up to date with branch news from around the country. So far, the weather has been relatively kind to Scotland and only a handful of driving tests have been cancelled due to the ice and snow. We keep our fingers crossed that the weather remains suitable for driving tests to continue. A very successful and informative Scottish Training Seminar (STS) and AGM was held on Sunday, November 4. For the second year running the committee decided to run the event at the four-star Westerwood Hotel and Golf Resort in Cumbernauld. Last year we were slightly disappointed by the small, portable and limited sound system and acoustics while addressing over 150 members in a large conference room. The hotel only had one radio microphone which
Great turnout: The conference hall at the Westerwood Hotel, Cumbernauld
was insufficient for our needs. This year we put Clive, our editor but wearing his sound engineer hat in this case, to good use by tasking him to look after our sound requirements. He arrived at the hotel at 7am on the Sunday morning and set up a full and comprehensive sound system the like of which most rock bands could only dream of. The rest of the committee had arrived late Saturday afternoon in order to spend the evening making up the delegate’s conference packs. We were even able to rope John Lepine MBE into giving us a hand. I’m pleased to say the sound system worked perfectly throughout the day, not only for addressing the 130 or so attendees but also for the background music during lunch and coffee breaks. We had decided this year to name the groups at each table and had chosen Scottish bridges, this would then give a whole table of delegates the opportunity to win a raffle prize of a winter de-icing kit. Although I have lived and worked in Scotland for over 50 years I still sometimes find it hard to pronounce Scottish place names, however I do know a man who can. My deputy, born and bred in the Glasgow area and with many years service as a traffic police officer, speaks the language perfectly. I often use the Glasgow police officer joke while trying to explain to pupils the importance of phyisically stopping the car at the stop line. It goes like this. A London lawyer runs a stop sign and gets pulled over by a Glasgow copper. He thinks that he is smarter than the cop because he is a lawyer from LONDON and is certain that he has a better education then any Jock cop. He decides to prove this to himself and have some fun at the Glasgow cop’s expense! Glasgow cop: ‘Licence and registration, please.’ London lawyer: ‘What for?’ Glasgow cop: ‘Ye didnae come to a complete stop at the stop sign.’ London lawyer: ‘I slowed down, and no one was coming.’ Glasgow cop: ‘Ye still didnae come to a complete stop. Licence and registration, please.’ London lawyer: ‘What’s the difference?’ Glasgow cop: ‘The difference is, ye huvte to come to complete stop, that’s the law. Licence
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Ronnie Simpson
and registration, please!’ London lawyer: ‘If you can show me the legal difference between slow down and stop, I’ll give you my licence and registration; and you give me the ticket. If not, you let me go and don’t give me the ticket.’ Glasgow cop: ‘Sounds fair. Exit your vehicle, sir.’ The London lawyer exits his vehicle. The Glasgow cop takes out his baton and starts beating up the lawyer and says, ‘Dae ye want me to stop, or just slow doon?’† This was an ideal opportunity for my deputy to compere the day’s event, giving me a chance to meet as many members as possible and take a couple of photos along the way. He made an excellent job as the compere, not quite so sure about my photographic skills! After the usual welcome and health and safety brief I handed over the microphone to Alex for the rest of the day. The first speaker he introduced was an old colleague of his from his former police days, George Gilfillan, a road traffic crash investigator. George gave us an excellent presentation on his day-to-day work, pointing out the many factors that go into investigating some of the more serious vehicle crashes and the type of state-of-the-art equipment used to determine the cause of a crash. Next up was Ronnie Simpson, DSA area operations manager Scotland. Ronnie brought the seminar up to date with DSA intentions for future driving tests, both booking and locations. He also answered verbal questions from delegates, as well as those written and submitted by members unable to attend. Other speakers before the AGM and lunch included James Wilson, CEO Drivecompare.com; Neil Beaver, Robosoul, Apps for ADIs; and Guy Whaley, Network Rail Senior Asset Engineer Scotland. All gave excellent presentations. Guy Whaley, apart from explaining some of the problems associated with gated and open level crossings and the overall stopping distances of high speed trains, finished his presentation by showing genuine film clips of foolish road users negotiating gated level crossings. There were lots of cars losing aerials and door mirrors and a camper van having its satellite dish ripped from its roof as the barriers came down. I am pleased to say they do not have one film clip of a driving school jumping the barriers. Let’s hope it stays that way.
Jean Harvey and John Lepine
The Annual General Meeting went without a hitch; there are no changes to the Scottish Committee, which remains as published on our regional web page. John Lepine MBE, General Manager of the MSA, officiated during the election of office bearers. On completion of the AGM John was asked on behalf the Committee to present Mrs Jean Harvey with a bouquet of flowers in appreciation of all her extremely hard work throughout Scotland. After lunch John Lepine MBE, was once again in action, giving his thought-provoking presentation on the right and wrong way of running a driving school business. Mid-afternoon saw the delegates taking another coffee, pastry and cake break (four-star hotels certainly know how to shrink your belt). This left Peter Harvey MBE, MSA National Chairman the graveyard shift or last presentation of the training day. Peter, as usual gave an excellent presentation and update of all things ADI/DSA. Alex Buist, deputy chairman presented Alan Henderson with a voucher to attend the 2013 STS totally free as the winner of the data-gathering raffle. Alex then closed the meeting at about 4.45. The planning for next year’s Scottish Training Seminar starts at our Committee meeting on Sunday, February 17. The date has been set for Sunday, November 3 2013; the venue has yet to be decided. The committee and I will do our utmost to keep the cost to a reasonable level. For those of you who missed the 2012th STS may I remind you to get the date in your diary – save the date on November 3. That concludes my wee round-up of what’s been happening in the Scottish region. Next month I hope you will be in a position to enjoy a riveting article from the Scottish editor, Clive Scott. Hope you all had a good Christmas and Hogmanay. I look forward to seeing the Scottish MSA members throughout the year at various branches and, in particular, at next year’s STS. All contact details are on the Scottish region’s web page. Please make full use of your MSA membership, if you have not yet joined your local MSA Branch why not make this the year that you start getting even more from your membership? † We would like to apologise to any Londonbased lawyers offended by this joke. We’re not actually going to apologise... but we’d like to...
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MSA NEWSLINK : JANUARY 2013 : 33
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Regional News: North West
Welcome to the news - 1949 style JOHN LOMAS
Editor, North West
I know Newslink wasn’t in existence back then, but motoring magazines have been around for many years and I thought I would share with you this letter which was drawn to my attention recently:
The competent passenger
He can sit in the back [62324] Regarding [62304] I quote a case that happened before the war. Mr Griffith Jones, magistrate at Greenwich (London) police court, ruled that the examiner might sit in the back. He dismissed a summons alleging that an examiner had not conducted a driving test in accordance with the regulations by sitting in the back. A Ministry of Transport official said: “When a driver enters for the test he is expected to be able to drive by himself and there is no regulation which rules that the examiner must sit beside him. One part of the test is the proper giving of hand signals, and obviously the examiner cannot see these from beside the driver.” I have also another cutting in my possession where a case was dismissed against a driving instructor because he was directing a learner driver in reversing while he, the instructor, was out of the car. It was stated that he could assist the learner better out of the car than in, and advise as to obstructions and approaching traffic. FH Beresford RAC Registered Instructor Macclesfield, Cheshire
• Note the number 62304 refers to a previously published letter. As an aside, it strikes me that forum users could profitably adopt this idea, or if entries don’t have a number at least use the quote function, to avoid the arguments that start when people don’t know to whom a posting is addressed. I wonder if the regulations have actually been changed re examiners’ position in the vehicle? I did hear shortly after I qualified back in 1970 that at some time previously it had not even been a requirement for an examiner to hold a licence for the vehicle class in which he was testing. For the younger reader, vehicles used to be divided by Classes which then became Groups before they were named as today’s Categories. You might still on occasion see a licence with Group A for Cars + other vehicles upto 7,500 kg and including trailers, Group B was Automatic Car, Group C MotorTrikes and Group D Motorcycles. The second part of the letter refers to an instructor supervising a reversing lesson for a learner while outside the vehicle. I wonder when, or even if, they actually thought to bring in the law which required that the instructor must be in a position to take control of the vehicle? Not that I am recommending instruction from outside for L-drivers, of course, though it is a technique I have used with FLH trailer manoeuvring off road.
Minister declines to meet MSA John Lepine mentioned at our North West training day that the minister had declined the MSA’s offer of a meeting. It was publicised in December’s Newslink. First impressions are that it is an unwise move. As John says, the Ministry are probably re-considering some of the ‘promises/pledges’ made by his predecessor. I think we should also consider the possibility that all hands from all sections of the DfT are running around like the proverbial bluebottomed flies, trying to cover up the atrocious mess they have made of the West Coast Rail tendering process. To quote from the press release about the
Are you concerned about the future of the industry? My concern is that the DSA and DfT seem to be identifying the industry as weak, to be ignored and walked over. The industry must pull together and take more control. A conspiracy theorist might say this is a result of allowing the register to swell beyond demand. Colin Lilly, MSA Western We’ve always had challenges, some of the biggest come from within the industry; those who won’t change anything, those who want us to change everything, those who think nobody other than an ADI should do any driver training. John Lomas, MSA North West I think the profession has learned to stand up to the challenges and bounce back, no matter what Peter Harvey, MSA National Chairman
34 : JANUARY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK
Laidlaw Report: “The independent inquiry into the cancelled West Coast Main Line franchise competition has concluded that the project failed because of an accumulation of significant errors related to inadequate planning and preparation, complex organisational structure, and a weak governance framework.” Are we surprised? NO.
Disappearing Drivers How prescient of the DVLA to announce that it is to investigate the high proportion of NDA revoked drivers who have apparently not returned to driving. This matter was raised in this column some years ago when DSA used to publish the figures regularly in Despatch. Of course no action was taken then, after all Government departments and agencies can’t be seen to respond to industry initiatives, can they?
Online. Better? And how good of the powers that be to refine all the different departmental and agency websites into one easy-to-use system. Strange that improvements so often result in less accessible features. The old DVLA site and the original DSA site were far more user-friendly and if the online services now available had been added to those sites it would have been a great improvement. But no, first they make them portals into the DirectGov and now they have changed the access again to www.gov.uk – now try to find what you want!
Contact e: johnstardriving @hotmail.com t: 01254 705999 m: 07796 091767 a: 7 Devon Street, Darwen, Lancs BB3 2JZ
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Regional News: Greater London
About the BBC
(that’s ‘Bikes Before Commonsense’) by Tony Phillips Editor, MSA Greater London The BBC aired “War on Britain’s Roads” on 5 December. I feel that the way it was portrayed was very weighted and had an agenda. There was an attempt to be fair but to me it came down heavily in defence of the cyclists, even though quite clearly there was some incredibly dangerous behaviour on display from them. The programme was about the dangers that cyclists are encountering on the roads. As would be reasonable to expect, the programme started with some dynamic clips but the voiceover referred to a London cabbie as someone who confronts cyclists but at that moment, without real context. The view is then led to believe that the cabbie is an unreasonable and aggressive person and although later on in the programme a different viewpoint is shown, the scene, the mood and the first impressions are set. From a personal viewpoint, I have every sympathy with cyclists. They have a right to be there and as vulnerable road users, we as motorists have responsibilities to ensure that we do not endanger them. But they have responsibilities too, but this programme made light of this and came down on the motorists. Gareth, 24, says “… I ride fast, and I enjoy to ride fast…”. He likes to know that he can keep up with the traffic and go as fast as everyone else. The word ‘fast’ appears quite a few times but what do we think of motorists that tell us that they like to drive fast? A lot of the video clips taken from his ‘helmet cam’ are of roads very close to my home in South London and I can see that some of the footage was misleading. The roads and space are not as tight as it seems when watching it on telly. However, in one clip early on, he is in Park Lane heading north and there is traffic emerging from his left. Should the traffic be there? Most probably not, but like motorists in busy situations everywhere, they’re crawling very slowly looking for a gap in the traffic and having driven (and taught) along that stretch of road many times, naturally the idea is to ease off one’s speed on approach to this situation, allow the traffic to emerge into the main road and then continue on behind it. Who has the priority? I do, but at that point, any motorist’s inclination is to ease off as I suggested. What does Gareth do? He speeds up and screams at the motorists that are emerging. Very aggressive and confrontational behaviour. Just a little further on in the series of clips, Gareth emerges right from a righthand lane and the car next to him in the left-hand lane also emerges right. There is a clear road marking allowing traffic in the left-hand lane to emerge either left or right, ie, the car driver to his left is making a perfectly correct manoeuvre, especially as the driver takes an immediate left turn.
Our friend Gareth shouts at the driver “Oi, you w….r!” At this point, even though the voice-over clearly states that the cyclists’ helmet camera highlights what they (the word THEY being emphasised and obviously referring to the cyclists themselves), the damage has already been done – the programme has taken you towards the ‘bad’ behaviour of motorists towards cyclists. Gareth’s ignorance and bad attitude is there for all to see but the voice-over glosses this out. It’s quite clear that motorists are behaving badly but in order to really make your statement, shouldn’t you always make sure that if your own house isn’t in order, then you at least admit that it isn’t perfect and something has to be done about that too? On the other hand, Alf a cabbie aged 77 and in his job for 50 years tells of how one cyclist spat in his face. Alf has taken the view that it’s best not to get involved. “More and more cyclists are using helmet cameras to document their journeys and record aggression from drivers”, says the voice-over during a series of clips and yes, cyclists are getting hit by motorists that just don’t seem to consider cyclists as something to be aware of. However, even the police cyclist states that he stops a lot of cyclists running red lights; “it’s not the crime of the century but it could get you killed” is what he says. I made the point in an editorial a couple of months ago that it doesn’t bother me that much if a cyclist runs a red light provided they do so having made sure that the junction is safe and clear (one MSA member did take exception to that, but we’re all entitled to our opinions, aren’t we?), however a clip just after the policeman’s comments shows a cyclist getting hit as he runs a red light. If the police were called, who gets the blame; especially considering the rules on driving through a green light? The major problem here is that overall the programme is sympathetic to cyclists to a point in my opinion that doesn’t have balance. As mentioned in the first paragraph above, the BBC seems to be showing too much bias. One clip shows an idiot riding into a closing gap between a car waiting to turn right and a bus coming through on its near side. It looks as though the cyclist has been squashed between the vehicles but thankfully gets up – the cyclist is alright. What about the damage to the car and the bus? Who’s going to pay for the damage? Why isn’t there some sort of penalty imposed on the cyclist for behaving recklessly? This isn’t addressed in the programme and it furthers the cause of cyclists’ rights without cyclists’ responsibilities. For a vehicle that needs a great deal of balance, I feel that the programme displayed a great deal of imbalance.
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Special feature: LPG on test
LPG passes the test A test-drive in an LPG-powered car suggests there are few barriers to ADIs switching from petrol or diesel to gas for their fuel. Rob Beswick reports
Chancellor George Osborne’s Autumn statement announced a short-term reprieve for motorists when he withdrew the planned fuel tax rise. But fuel prices are still eye-wateringly high: it says much about the current high price of petrol that paying less than £1.32 a litre is regarded as a success, and there can’t be too many ADIs who aren’t concerned about the constant upward march of the cost of fuel. In our October issue, Newslink carried a comprehensive overview of the latest developments in LPG technology, suggesting that ADIs could reduce their running costs by switching from traditional petrol and dieselpowered cars to the forgotten man of alternative fuel, gas. We were helped by one ADI who has done just that. South Manchester-based ADI Stephen Bell is a keen advocate of LPG and makes a powerful case for considering making a switch: “It’s saved me money and it runs like a dream – it’s smoother, quieter and it feels lighter. It’s a better car than before (when running on petrol)”. The article prompted a number of members to contact the MSA, with most asking for more information on how LPG cars perform, and whether learners will take to it. After all, as one pointed out, “it’s no good being cheaper to run if the pupils can’t drive it”.
36 : JANUARY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK
Well, there was only one way to answer that question and that’s to find out... but it’s a long story and starts somewhat oddly, but you’ll get the point. Many, many years ago, while working for another publishing company, I used to test-drive new cars for an NHS staff newspaper. It was a lovely perk: I didn’t own a car at the time, and clever manipulation of the press fleets meant I had cars just about every week. I was 21 at the time and having a series of sparkling new cars turn up at my door made me look pretty flash with my friends: one week a new Peugeot 205, the next a sporty Vauxhall Nova. Every now and again the usual nurses’ and midwives’ supermini choices were replaced by something a bit bigger – I recall a mammoth Vauxhall Carlton, a Mondeo and a plush Toyota Camry – and I quickly gained a good insight into the new cars available, how good they were and what to watch out for. I tested all sorts – well, I thought I had. One day, a Fiesta arrived. The delivery man handed the keys over, gave me a quick whistle-stop tour of the inside and outside and added, as he left, what was to me a worrying parting shot. “Don’t forget it’s a diesel...” A diesel, I thought; a diesel? I suddenly realised that, in my three-year driving career, I’d never actually driven a diesel before. First thoughts: smelly, mucky, slow, with all sorts of inherent problems that will mess up how I drive... the street cred was going to be shed. I recall slipping behind the wheel with a sense of trepidation. How different would this experience be? I turned the key expecting dreadful things to happen... yet nothing did. Instead the car cruised off, was quite pleasant to drive and I forgot about the fuel – luckily remembering just as I was picking up the unleaded petrol nozzle at the filling station!
I commented to a friend, an LGV driver at the time and a man with a passion for motoring, “you know, it’s exactly the same as a petrol car...” to which he replied, somewhat sarcastically, “exactly what did you expect? You really know nothing about cars, do you...?” He’s a policeman now. Known for his diplomacy and patience. He was right, of course. At the age of 21 what I knew about cars I now realise could be put on the back of the proverbial fag packet. But that particular episode has stayed with me and has often prompted me to smile when I hear how hung up some people can be about the fuel in their car. Even to this day, some diesel owners swear so blind by the virtues of the fuel that they would never consider a petrol option; some petrol drivers still think diesel comes with so many issues that they wouldn’t touch it with a bargepole. Of course, both camps are living in the motoring dark ages: modern petrol engines are frugal, modern diesel engines responsive; both are about as clean as each other, the average diesel is a touch noisier than a petrol, and if you are doing heavy mileage, you save a bit over the long-term with diesel but often not as much as people think. As we all know. There are differences but, frankly, get over it. Why the story? Simply because, on taking delivery of an LPG-powered Renault Megane estate – or sports tourer, as the manufacturer rather pompously calls it – courtesy of Autogas, the whole episode came flooding back to me in an instant. Simply put, I know there will be members reading this who instinctively thought ‘I’d never buy an LPG car’ when they saw the article. The question I want to ask here is, why? Could I see an ADI following in my footsteps and teaching in a gas-powered car? Is LPG really a third option, a better bet than electric?
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Special feature: LPG on test
On test: The Megane Sports Tourer (left); a dashboard that looks strikingly similar to that of the petrol version; and the LPG fuel gauge, which sits at the foot of the gear stick
The simple answer: yes. My first impression was that it didn’t look any different from the driver’s seat. As with most LPG cars in the UK, the model tested was a petrol convert, and as with all conversions to LPG the Megane has retained its petrol tank. The dash and switchgear are identical to an ‘ordinary’ Megane, and a pupil who drives a petrol one day then an LPG the next won’t spot the difference – unless they glance at the base of the gear stick, where they will find the world’s smallest fuel gauge, monitoring the gas left in the tank. Stephen Bell had warned me not to expect anything different – “I defy anyone to notice the difference. I bet 99 per cent of drivers would never notice” – and he was right. No one would. Next, to drive. It has to be said my ability to accurately compare the Megane LPG with its petrol or diesel counterpart is limited, as I’ve never driven a Megane diesel, and while I own a petrol Megane it is the Grand Scenic version, the bulky 5+2 so beloved of families with little or no interest in motoring for enjoyment. Trust me on that last statement, by the way... Start the ignition and there is an immediate engine roar followed by a barely audible ‘click’ – that’s the LPG system kicking in and feeding gas to the engine. According to the rule book LPG cars always fire up on petrol and the gas kicks in when the engine temperature reaches 40 deg C. However, my guide suggested the transfer is almost immediate. The car cruised away from stationary in a hushed tone – certainly quieter than my petrol Grand Scenic, though as that car has ‘issues’ at the moment, it perhaps isn’t the ideal comparator. There’s certainly nothing to fear on the road. Through the gears the 1.6-litre engine was surprisingly responsive, with plenty of
power available and – crucially – a quick pick-up when asked. I tried stuttering with the clutch and a few crunchy gear changes to test the performance but found no lag in response that could alarm. Try as I might – and I tried hard – I couldn’t find any way in which the Megane didn’t respond exactly as I would expect any mid-range-engined hatchback to. If I’m being ultra-critical I sensed a tiny sluggishness in low gear, in the 0-10mph range, perhaps taking a half-second longer to pick up before second is engaged. BHP seemed a little reduced. That response could be a result of running on gas – or could be because of the presence of the extra tank itself. Fitting an gas fuel tank can add as much as 60kgs when full. It’s an issue that links in with reduced mileage, too. But that’s it. Handling isn’t affected in any way, and more obviously, nor is braking. What about noise? Most drivers like a quiet cabin but for ADIs it’s crucial. Getting lesson points over above the roar of an engine is something older hands reminisce about in hushed tones but for newer instructors it is rarely a concern, as modern cars are far quieter than their older counterparts. Does the LPG reverse this major leap forward? Frankly, no, if anything it’s quieter than petrol. The fuel burning process seems cleaner and popping my head under the bonnet while the engine was revved it certainly seemed a decibel below the expected level. I even had the luxury of comparing my own 1.5-litre Megane with the test car at the same time. LPG wins on noise. Continued on page 38 »
MSA NEWSLINK : JANUARY 2013 : 37
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Special feature: LPG on test
Continued from page 37 So where’s the story? Honestly, from a purely mechanical point of view, there isn’t one. I would defy any ADI to drive petrol and LPG versions of the same cars and grumble about the latter. I think the LPG would be marginally slower; the petrol marginally noisier. In low gears there is a subtle lag but we are talking minor and I’m convinced it wouldn’t be picked up by any but the most astute driver. What about the addition of the LPG tank? Here, at last, you have an issue to consider – but in my mind it’s only a negative if you want it to be one. To begin, I was somewhat surprised to find the petrol tank still in place, but a mechanic rattled through why you didn’t remove it. Therefore, you have to find somewhere else in the car to drop in an LPG tank when doing the conversion, and as we all know, modern cars, particularly smaller models, aren’t blessed with lots of space going begging. You could simply have the tank retro-fitted to the boot – losing space, and not a likely solution. A more workable option is to utilise the space taken by the spare tyre – a solution that doesn’t compromise room in the boot but does potentially offer ADIs a dilemma. Legally, you don’t have to carry a spare tyre. It is not an obligation laid down by law. It has often been considered best practice to carry one, however – and as teachers of the best driving behaviour, ADIs may feel they should be leading on issues such as this. However, that ‘best practice’ theory is increasingly being challenged. Many manufacturers have dispensed with full-size spares in favour of ‘skinnies’ or space savers, which cannot be used on driving tests and – best practice again – shouldn’t be used on a lesson anyway, apart from to get the pupil home in an emergency. One popular tuition car manufacturer, MINI, has gone even further than that: there’s no spare
38 : JANUARY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK
Under the hood: There’s no real changes under the bonnet, with the addition of a second set of fuel injectors and a special pressure reducer, all controlled by gas computer system (ECU)
of any kind in its cars. Instead they come with either ‘run flat’ tyres as standard or a MINI Mobility System – better known as a puncture repair kit, or ‘a can of gloop and a pump’, as one ADI described it. MINI even suggested there was a road safety basis to this decision: “Changing a tyre by the side of the road can be a dangerous practice and we don’t recommend it; instead, MINIs are equipped in such a way that you can get to a garage for essential repairs or a new tyre,” said a spokesman. From an L-test point of view, losing your spare is not an issue. A test interrupted by a puncture would be terminated immediately, as the time taken to change tyres would compromise the testing process. A space saver isn’t allowed on test as it breaches minimum vehicle requirements. Perhaps a spare would be handy if a puncture occurs on the way to a test: possible, though unlikely. A way round it could be to simply carry a spare in the boot on those days when a test is on. The irony is that when full-size spares were the norm, losing the replacement tyre for an LPG tank could have been a problem for an ADI; modern motoring practice, however, suggests it’s no longer the issue it could have been in the past. In the Megane, the retro-fitted tank was tucked out of the way without any problems. It sat in a deep well in the boot vacated by the spare, with plenty of room for the circular tank and the necessary kit. The boot carpet fell flat, and it did not intrude in any way into the cargo space. The fuel lines run to the engine in an unobtrusive manner and don’t compromise cabin space. The tank is smaller than the petrol one, and that fact, when combined with the slightly higher fuel consumption you get from LPG vehicles explains the reduction in the LPG Megane’s range, to around 250 miles from full.
Remember, however, that the petrol tank is still available, and the system can switch from gas to petrol seamlessly. You’re not talking about range anxiety as you scrabble around for an LPG filling station, as you are with cars running on pure electric. Fuel consumption is reduced, though it’s hard to nail down an accurate figure. Stephen Bell suggested his fuel consumption worsened on his Skoda Fabia from “37-38mpg to 34-35mpg” after converting from petrol to LPG; a quick look around internet forums found plenty of LPG owners discussing reductions in mpg of between five and 10 per cent. However, a more striking difference was claimed by the Next Green Car website, which stated that “when comparing the price of LPG per litre with petrol, LPG’s lower energy density means that 30 per cent more fuel is required per mile,” though this statement does appear alarmist when viewed alongside the statements of independent users. So how does the LPG Megane rate? First, the car itself had possibly the worst rear view of any car I’ve ever driven: I would imagine a closed-in small van with a full load wall is marginally worse, but you get the picture. But taking the Megane sports tourer’s inherent unsuitability for driving instruction out of the equation for a moment, the addition of LPG is not a factor. No pupil will notice. The car will drive in exactly the same way as a petrol or diesel. As the owner, you will have no qualms on the mechanical front – as long as you follow one simple golden rule: know your converter. It’s clear the key to a successful switch to gas is down to the conversion itself. The internet is awash with horror stories of jobs being botched and cars struggling to run smoothly. However, it is also full of lavish praise for well-crafted conversions, put together by skilled mechanics with a deep understanding of the complexities involved. It cannot be stressed too highly that
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Special feature: LPG on test
“
Using the Megane LPG as a base, there is a clear advantage on the finances. From a driver – or learner’s – point of view, I would hesitate to spot the difference...
giving the task of a conversion to someone with a proven track record is vital – but once that is taken care of, you will no doubt go forward without a care in the world. Consider too the potential cash aspect of a conversion. The Megane’s fuel economy was down compared to the ‘official’ petrol mpg but at the time of testing the average UK prices for unleaded petrol was £6.14 a gallon, compared with £3.49 for LPG. Based on 35mpg for unleaded, with the LPG version delivering a conservative 31mpg, the running costs per mile came out at approximately 17p per mile for unleaded, 11p per mile LPG. Extrapolating those figures out over a year, at just 10,000 miles, there’s a saving of £600 in fuel costs. Working it out over 20,000 – typical ADI mileage – then the saving comes in at £1,200 per annum. Using the Megane LPG as a base, there is a clear advantage on the finances. From a driver – or learner’s – point of view, I would hesitate to spot the difference, the slower pick-up in low gear notwithstanding. Only real problem: you lose your spare tyre. Sadly, it’s the one on the car, not the one around your middle. Indeed, the more I considered the whole issue, the more I thought the ‘problem’ with LPGs is not the product but the concept. When you drive one, when you consider the finances, LPG makes sense. It’s the concept of switching to an alternative fuel that people don’t like, the thought of knowing you are doing something different. And then it struck me: why does the industry call it an LPG car when it retains its petrol tank and can switch from gas to petrol seamlessly? Why not say it’s a hybrid, as Toyota and Honda do when they push their electric-and-diesel Prius and Insight? Perhaps in trying to accentuate the difference of LPG, the industry has put people off when there was another path they could have followed – a halfway house, one that people would more readily embrace. The
Neat fit: The tyre-shaped LPG tank sits in the tyre well in the boot, with the gas regulator to the fore with its cover off. The conversion costs around £1,400
car buying world has embraced the concept of a hybrid; has the LPG industry missed a trick in its labelling? Perhaps. That’s for the industry to consider. However, returning to the key question, does this work for ADIs? I repeat the earlier answer, yes. The performance and finances work well and while the issue of the ‘missing spare tyre’ has to be considered, I wonder whether it is as much of an issue as it once was. LPG for ADIs? It’s an option that’s worth considering
Refuelling, the LPG debate One of the big issues surrounding running cars on LPG is the proximity of an adequate refuelling infrastructure. In compiling this article we had a look at the number of sites where Rob Beswick could refuel with LPG from his home in Bramhall, a suburb of Stockport in Cheshire. There are five in Stockport within five miles, but all are central and north Stockport and none to the south and into the Cheshire plain until you reach Wilmslow. Elsewhere in the area south-east Manchester is well served – though East Manchester appears to have none.
MSA NEWSLINK : JANUARY 2013 : 39
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Motoring: Vauxhall
Latest ecoFLEX Corsa sets new standard for economy VAUXHALL has taken the wraps off its thriftiest Corsa ever in the form of the economical and environmentally friendly three-door Corsa 95PS 1.3CDTI ecoFLEX Start/ Stop. This class-leading now achieves 85.6mpg while emitting just 88g/km (five-door: 83.1mpg /89g/km CO2). This is a 2.4mpg and a 6g/km improvement over the 2011 Corsa 1.3 CDTi ecoFLEX (80.7mpg /94g/km). “In just five years, from the first Corsa ecoFLEX to today, we have been able to reduce consumption and CO2 emissions by 26 per cent, while at the same time increasing performance by over 26 per cent,” said Mike Ableson, vicepresident, engineering at Opel/Vauxhall. “Our customers appreciate this, as does the environment.” A number of enhancements have been made to reduce consumption and emissions. The turbodiesel is equipped with a variable displacement oil pump that delivers only the necessary oil pressure. It varies oil volume depending on the load in order to reduce the energy needed for oil circulation. The use of special low-viscosity transmission
Concersn for the industry The future of the industry is in the hands of the current ADIs. My concerns are that good driving instructors have turned their backs on the learner industry in pursuit of an easier income, which is in danger of saturation. I refer here to diversionary schemes and fleet training. Sadly most trainers do not do the work justice and can bring the industry into disrepute. I do feel the industry is about to embark on new challenges and I hope we will be able to overcome them. Mike Yeomans, MSA North East
Looking back ... Looking forward 40 : JANUARY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK
oil also contributes to efficient fuel consumption. These measures are rounded off by an adjustment of engine mapping in the engine control module. The new Corsa will also feature the new generation of Opel/Vauxhall-engineered manual transmissions with a more precise and smooth gear change action. The base transmission was comprehensively re-worked with new gears and modified parts, including the shift rods and fork shaft. The end result is high shift comfort and optimised operation in cold and warm conditions. New 185/65 R15 low-rollingresistance tyres also add to the Corsa’s ecofriendliness. Even with all this economy, performance is not compromised. Maximum torque of 190Nm is available between 1,750 and 3,250rpm. The 95PS turbodiesel allows the Corsa to accelerate from 0-62mph in 12.3 seconds and takes it to a maximum speed of 109mph Opel/Vauxhall engineers also optimised the chassis for all Corsa variants (except the VXR Nürburgring Edition). The suspension and damper system now provides improved ride comfort, especially on rough roads and in urban areas at low speeds. However, this has not come at the expense of the Corsa’s impressive handling and agility. Completing the package is Vauxhall’s unique Lifetime Warranty which provides first owners with the reassurance of comprehensive cover for the life of their car, or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first.
• For those ADIs running second-hand cars, Vauxhall is offering a new service that protects the owner from unexpected maintenance bills. Its new MOT Test Insurance covers owners from this risk, which could ultimately affect their livelihoods or daily needs. The MOT Test Insurance covers the cost of repair and replacement of parts up to the value of £750 including labour and VAT, meaning that an MOT failure becomes at most a disruption, rather than a disaster. MOT Test Insurance is available for up to three years and provides great value, costing just £75, £85 or £95 for 12, 24 and 36-month policies, respectively. It is available for most Vauxhall cars and all car-derived vans up to seven years old and with less than 70,000 miles on the odometer when the policy is taken out. The insurance can be transferred to a new owner if the vehicle is sold. MOT Test Insurance can be taken out if: • The vehicle passes its test at a Vauxhall MasterFit retailer, in which case it can be covered for the next MOT • The vehicle has an existing MOT certificate and it is being covered for the next MOT • It is at least six months before the vehicle’s first MOT test is due. The vehicle has been serviced in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations. • The Corsa ecoFLEX – pictured below in a vivid green
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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.
www.msagb.com
Looking forward
Away from the ADI world, what was your highlight of 2012? And what do you hope for in 2013? Being presented with an MBE at Buckingham Palace, and good health for my family and friends Peter Harvey MBE The birth of our first granddaughter, to join our two grandsons Rod Tipple, MSA Eastern I passed my age-70 medical so I can still carry on doing my ‘small bus permit’ minibus driving. For 2013, promotion for my football team John Lomas, MSA North West My highlight was my son getting married. My hope for 2013 is for my family and I to keep healthy and enjoy our lives. Terry Pearce, MSA West Midlands Apart from personal and professional highlights, which are many, I feel the highlight of 2012 was shown by the Olympics. It showed this country at its best, united and able to achieve results. My hope for 2013 is that people will look at the reality, be less pessimistic, stop whinging and seize the opportunities. Colin Lilly, MSA Western
Looking back ... Looking forward Hope for 2013 - It is our 30th wedding anniversary in 2013, to celebrate with a ‘special’ holiday. Derek Brutnell, MSA East Midlands As a country I think we have so much to be proud of in 2012: the Queen’s Jubilee, the Olympics. For 2013 I would hope the more professional, and conscientious instructors, who are committed to producing good, safe new drivers, will prosper and the bad apples within the industry are removed from ripping off their pupils. I can only dream on that one. Geoff Little, MSA deputy chairman I’m still alive and kicking in 2014 with my health intact; this goes for all my friends and colleagues, too Karl Satloka, MSA North East 2012 assisting with some of the preparations for the Olympics - hope for 2013, my family to be content with life and my own business to flourish and enable others to equally benefit from its prosperity. Mike Yeomans, MSA North East 42 : JANUARY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK
What would you do if you were Prime Minister for a day?
There are so many things he could do, how about compulsory driving assessments for all drivers every 10 years before renewal of Driving Licences? Rod Tipple, MSA Eastern
What was your highlight of 2012? The personal achievement of continuing my health regime and completing the Shine half-marathon around the streets of Manchester with my daughter, Claire, knowing we were raising money for a great cause (Cancer Research) and proving all the doubters wrong. The fifth minute of injury time on Sunday, May 13 wasn’t bad either.
and the low point? Confirmation that we’d lost compulsory CPD
John Lepine, MSA general manager