MSA Newslink May 2013
MOTOR SCHOOLS ASSOCIATION
Issue 251
The ADI’s Voice
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No targets - so no progress on UK road safety
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MSA’s submission to Parliament sets out an action plan to improve new driver standards
T
he Transport Select Committee’s report into Road Safety, published a year ago, was the subject of a somewhat curtailed debate in Parliament’s Westminster Hall on Thursday, 25 April. While it was encouraging that Parliament should debate what we believe is a vital subject, it was disappointing to see that the time devoted to it was reduced. As former Minister for Road Safety, Jim Fitzpatrick, pointed out: “Many of us have lobbied for road safety debating time, and it is a real shame that when we get it, we run up against prorogation,” after the chair announced that the session had to be cut short. In its submission ahead of the debate the MSA supported the original report but was critical of its conclusions, which called for a further review of driver training. We commented at the time that the Government should be prepared to show much more leadership on the matter and “wake up and smell the coffee”. “We have been reviewing driver training for years and despite successive governments and the select committee making several recommendations, little has been done”, said John Lepine. The MSA strongly believes that education is the key to tackling this matter and has made several suggestions in its submission to the select committee. These include: • Introducing a statutory record of achievement as
part of the learning to drive process, whereby new drivers are required to follow a specific syllabus, for which they take ownership. • Allowing ADIs to ‘sign-off ’ driving manoeuvres, thereby freeing-up time on the practical driving test for ‘genuine’ driving. • Allowing learner drivers to take tuition on a motorway, if supervised by an ADI. • Overhauling the ADI qualifying process and the introduction of compulsory continuing professional development. John added: “The MSA is frustrated by the seeming lack of activity on what is a very serious issue. The fact that in 2011 we saw a three per cent increase in road deaths is simply unacceptable. A number of road safety ministers have picked up on these issues, but little has been done. We do not require another review; what we require is firm action to stem this fatality rate – particularly among new young drivers”. Speaking in the debate Louise Ellman MP, Chair of the Transport Select Committee, said: “We do not want young new drivers, young male drivers in particular, to start driving with an attitude of bravado and without realising that a car can be a lethal weapon.” Jim Fitzpatrick, who as a minister had responsibility for road safety in the last Labour administration and who is now an opposition transport spokesman, said: “It is important to put on record that the cross-party consensus on road safety was broken by the former Secretary of State for Transport, the Rt Hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Philip Hammond), when he abolished targets as part of the Government’s approach to road safety. He opposed targets in principle.” Continued on page 6 » » »
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News
This issue: Halfords opens up for L-tests
The DSA’s programme of taking the driving test to the consumer – the so-called ‘Local tests for local people’ strategy – added another new centre when Halfords in Rutherglen held its first driving tests on May 7. Tests will continue to be held at the store every Tuesday and Wednesday.
AGM report: Peter Harvey re-elected as MSA chairman THE MSA Conference 2013 included the association’s Annual General Meeting, at which Peter Harvey was re-elected as the association’s chairman and general manager John Lepine delivered a comprehensive review of the MSA’s current status...
AGM minutes: page 24-25
News, page 4
Regional view: Get up early to catch out the DSA
Weigh-up new loading rules
The DSA has confirmed that, from Monday 1 July, ADIs will be able to conduct training using laden vehicles and bring them to test. In a statement, a DSA spokesman said: “Regulations on real total mass / ‘laden testing’ will let you train your pupils using vehicles carrying the specified loads from this date”.
News, page 4
What drives our young people?
At the request of then Transport Secretary Justine Greening, Aegis Media conducted research into the views, opinions and influencing factors of young people and parents into driving and insurance.
Features, page 8 Eight new sites for module 2 bike test Respite on fuel The DSA has begun a programme of prices... for now offering module 2 bike tests from a number of new sites around the country. The sites come on line at various times in the early summer. All are open for booking slots now.
News, page 5
Editor: John Lepine MBE t: 0161 429 9669 e: john.lepine@msagb.co.uk mail@msagb.co.uk f: 0161 429 9779 Motor Schools Association of Great Britain Ltd (MSA), 101 Wellington Road North, Stockport, Cheshire SK4 2LP The paper for this magazine has been sourced from sustainably managed forests and controlled sources. See www.pefc.org
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ADIs have been promised a ‘glimmer of sunlight’ over fuel prices as four leading supermarket chains began an aggressive petrol price-cutting war...
News, page 15
The DSA are at it again. In the name of progress and improved customer care DSA have reduced their commitment to those who have to use what little service they do provide. In their infinite wisdom they have decided to reduce their customer telephone contact time by 50 per cent to “reflect the declining volume of calls”.
Regional, Rod Came, page 26
Tragedy of looking but not seeing
At the moment in the Eastern region, we seem to be having an awareness campaign on the radio. The advert tells us that 30 cyclists/motorcyclists are seriously injured or killed a day at junctions. It’s the old cliché of looking but not seeing.
Regional, Sara Bradley, page 28
Production editor: Rob Beswick t: 0161 426 7957 e: rob@chambermediaservices.co.uk beswick@cssystems.net
Newslink is published monthly on behalf of the MSA and distributed to MSA members throughout Great Britain by Chamber Media Services, 4 West Park Road, Bramhall, Stockport, Cheshire SK7 3JX
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Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of material contained within this publication, neither the MSA nor the publishers can accept any responsibility for the veracity of claims made by contributors in either advertising or editorial content.
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Views expressed in Newslink are not necessarily those of the MSA.
©2013 The Motor Schools Association of Great Britain Ltd. Reprinting in whole or part is forbidden without express permission of the editor.
DSA comment: Digital take-up leads to cut in phone times
The Agency’s success on digital take-up of transactional services has led to reductions in the volume of calls being taken by our customer service centre, which now handles 100,000 fewer calls compared with a year ago. Currently 78 per cent of practical test transactions are done online. The new online business service (OBS) and the recent launch of a booking application for mobile devices will accelerate further the reduction in telephone traffic, with fewer than 900,000 calls expected to be taken in the current financial year.
Rosemary Thew, DSA, page 10
ADI query over new B+E testing regs
Letters: I read with great interest John Lomas’ article in April’s Newslink regarding the loading of trailers for B+E tests from September 30 this year. B+E training is 60 per cent of my workload and I have been contemplating this change for some time and have had various correspondence with the DSA about it.
Letters, page 13
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News, page 42
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You’re priority is your pupils, training them to be the safest drivers they can possibly be...
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DSA News
Testing time at Salford Fire Station
Car practical tests are now available on Tuesdays and Thursdays from Salford Fire Station, Liverpool Street, Salford, Greater Manchester M5 4LE. On arrival candidates should: • Park on Blucher Street, alongside the fire station • Report to the front door reception to meet the examiner Both the ADI and the candidate must be aware of the following aspects of this location: • You won’t be allowed to report more than 10 minutes before the appointment time • There are no on-site customer toilets available • The site isn’t suitable for candidates with a disability; and • There’s a strict ‘no smoking’ policy All driving tests will still be conducted by DSA examiners.
Halfords opens doors to L-tests in Rutherglen The DSA’s programme of taking the driving test to the consumer – the so-called ‘Local tests for local people’ strategy – added another new centre when Halfords in Rutherglen held its first driving tests on May 7. Tests will continue to be held at the store every Tuesday and Wednesday. It is the second Halfords to start testing, with practical driving tests already available from the Halfords store in Wellingborough. More branches are expected to start offering tests in coming months. Conveniently for MSA members, Halfords offers a range of discounts on products and servics to our members. In addition to the car parts and servicing stores, Nottingham Trent University began offering tests earlier in April, and testing also began from Salford Fire Station in Greater Manchester last month (see left). It is planned to announce up to 21 more fire stations as venues for driver testing, the DSA has revealed. Road Safety Minister Stephen Hammond said: “We are very pleased to be working with Halfords to provide a more local service for driving test candidates. “This is a great example of working with private sector partners to provide an important local service that is convenient as well as being cost effective.” Halfords’ commercial director, Paul McClenaghan, said:
“Halfords is already a local destination for motorists, who come to us for a diverse range of automotive products and services. “We’re always seeking new ways in which to enhance our offer, so working with the Driving Standards Agency is a natural fit for the business and extends the help we are able to provide to motorists.” The government recently published Motoring Services Strategy consultation outlined long-term proposals to put customers firmly at the heart of the way motoring services are delivered, so that they best serve the consumer while getting the best possible deal for the taxpayer. The government’s response to the consultation is due to be published in the summer.
What’s your view? The MSA is interested in hearing from any members who have used the new ad hoc DTCs for their pupils’ driving tests. Have you run a test out of Halfords, a fire station or university? Let Newslink know: contact Rob Beswick on 0161 426 7957, or the head office on 0161 429 9669
Weigh-up new rules on laden vehicles The DSA is introducing a real total mass requirement for vehicles used for driving tests from 30 September 2013. This means that vehicles must carry a minimum weight in order to be used for the driving test. Your test will be cancelled and you can lose your fee if your vehicle doesn’t meet the rules.
Vehicle Category (C1+E Medium sized goods vehicle and trailer) Vehicle Category C+E (Large lorry and trailer) Vehicle Category D1+E (Minibus and trailer) Vehicle Category D+E (Bus or coach and trailer)
Vehicles affected by the new rules The new rules will affect vehicles in the categories below. Vehicle category Vehicle description Vehicle Category C (Rigid lorry) Vehicle Category C+E (Articulated lorry) The rules will also affect vehicle trailers used in the categories below. Vehicle Category B+E (Car and trailer)
Want to know more? See the DSA website at www.gov. uk/new-laden-testing-rulesfor-driving-testvehicles#requirements-fromseptember-2013 for more information
Laden vehicle testing: New requirements from September 2013
From 30 September 2013 vehicles used in these categories of tests must have a load as shown below. Vehicle Vehicle or trailer Minimum Minimum load category real weight requirement B+E Trailer 800 kg 600 kg of sand or a 1,000 litre IBC C Vehicle 10,000 kg 5 x 1,000 litre IBCs C1+E Trailer 800 kg 600 kg of sand or a 1,000 litre IBC C+E Towing lorry and trailer 10,000 kg for lorry 5 x 1,000 litre IBCs (lorry) and 3 x 1,000 litre IBCs (trailer) and 5,000 kg for trailer C+E Combination 15,000 kg 8 x 1,000 litre IBCs D1+E Trailer 800 kg 600 kg of sand or a 1,000 litre IBC D+E Trailer 800 kg 600 kg of sand or a 1,000 litre IBC The load requirement is for: bagged sand or water, in intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) which are made from semi-transparent moulded plastic usually reinforced with a wire framework
04 : MAY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK
Not fit for test: Loads must be either bagged sand or water in IBCs
The examiner may need to inspect an IBC presented as ‘load’ for test; therefore the ability to visually check it has the correct water level is most important. You can’t use any other type of load.
Other notes on load:
The load must be secured appropriately onto the vehicle or trailer. Minimum real weight The ‘real weight’ is the actual weight of the vehicle and the load combined. This cannot be more than the maximum authorised mass (MAM). The MAM is the potential weight of a vehicle or trailer including the maximum load that can be carried safely. This is also known as gross vehicle weight (GVW) or permissible maximum weight.
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News
DSA launches eight sites for module 2 bike testing The DSA has begun a programme of offering module 2 bike tests from a number of new sites around the country. The sites come on line at various times in the early summer. All are open for booking slots now. The sites are: n Chesterfield, with tests available every Wednesday from 12 June. Test centre location: Chesterfield Driving Test Centre, Bus Garage, Approach Road, Stonegravels, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S41 7LT n Southport, with tests available every Tuesday from 11 June. Test centre location: Southport Driving Test Centre, Eastbank House, Eastbank Street, Southport, Merseyside PR8 1HE n Letchworth, with tests available every Tuesday and Thursday from 4 June. Test centre location: Jackmans Place, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire SG6 1RF n Rhyl, with tests available every Friday from 14 June. Test centre location: Rhyl Driving Test Centre, Victoria Road, Rhyl, Denbighshire LL18 2EL n Southampton (Maybush), with tests available every Friday from 21 June. Test centre location: Southampton (Maybush), Green Lane, Southampton, Hampshire SO16 9FP
n Hamilton, with tests available every Wednesday from 26 June. Test centre location: 30 Selkirk Street, South Hamilton, Lanarkshire ML3 6RQ n Stranraer, with tests available every Thursday, from 4 July. Test centre location: Stranraer Driving Test Centre, Northwest Castle Hotel, Wigtownshire, Stranraer, Dumfries DG9 8EH n Bridgend, with tests available every Wednesday from 24 July. Test centre location: Bridgend Driving Test
Centre, Crown Building, Angel Street, Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan CF31 4AD. Any tests you book from now at all of the above will count towards your trainer booking limits for this driving test centre. Opening this test centre for module 2 motorcycle tests is part of DSA’s aim to provide a more convenient and local service for motorcycle candidates.
MSA NEWSLINK : MAY 2013 : 05
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News
Government accused of mixed messages over road safety Continued from page 1 Mr Fitzpatrick added: “The minister used the mantra of the war on the motorist as part of his explanation, but there was never a war on the motorist – only on dangerous and careless driving. Nonetheless, targets went despite the fact that, as the Committee has said, the reduction in road deaths over the past 20 years in every industrialised country that uses targets is between four and 17 per cent. “Mrs Ellman raised the issue of speed limits in transport questions this morning, because there have been mixed messages about motorway speed limits. They were initially going to be tested in 2011. It is now 2013, and there have been statements saying, “No, we’re not going that way.” “This morning, however, the Secretary of State said the Government will start trials later this year. That is a very mixed message, and it will not be welcomed by the road safety community. The Minister might like to say something about that and about increasing the use of 20 mph limits in our communities.” Mr Fitzpatrick also thanked the MSA for its submission to him when he was considering the report. Responding to the debate, Road Safety Minister Stephen Hammond said “Our forthcoming young drivers’ Green Paper will consider a range of innovative proposals for reforming young driver training and thus improving safety. I do not want to prejudge the options or the outcome, but I expect the Green Paper to include temporary restrictions on young drivers after they pass their test; there is a delicate balance between making those drivers safer and not impinging on their freedoms. “I expect that it will also include a minimum learning period before candidates are allowed to sit the test; allowing
learners to practise some form of motorway driving; and providing incentives for young drivers to continue their training once they have passed their test. “That is one area in which we are working with the insurance industry. We want to consider measures to reduce premiums and improve safety. Research shows that telematics can significantly reduce crash rates and risky driving behaviour. I welcome the increase in the number of insurers using that technology. “Improving the safety of young drivers will not only reduce casualty rates, but make insurance more affordable, so that fewer people will commit an offence in that respect. “As to the Green Paper timescale, I should perhaps have said that we intend to consult on the proposals before the summer recess, and hopefully by the end of June. I anticipate a full 12-week consultation. I now seem to have a little longer for my speech than I expected, so I may pick up some more points that were made in the debate. “We are proud of the country’s road safety record, but far from complacent and determined to improve on it: by training and testing drivers more effectively, particularly young drivers; by raising the awareness of road safety; by legislating in response to changing road conditions; by ensuring that the enforcement agencies and the police have the right ability to enforce the law with regard to drivers and vehicles; and by investing in our roads, particularly concentrating some of that investment on the most dangerous road junctions. “Road safety remains a top priority for the Government. We will continue to consider the Committee’s recommendations, as we look at ways in which lives in this country can by saved by preventing road accidents.”
Louise Ellman, Transport Select Committee
From Hansard: What the politicians had to say “A fifth of people killed or seriously injured on our roads in 2011 were involved in a collision in which at least one driver was aged between 17 and 24; 148 young drivers died and 412 people were killed in accidents involving young drivers, accounting for 22% of all road deaths; ... I was disappointed that the Government did not accept the Committee’s recommendation to initiate an independent review of driver training. “We do not want young new drivers, young male drivers in particular, to start driving with an attitude of bravado and without realising that a car can be a lethal weapon. The Government are concerned, but we need some urgency.” Louise Ellman
Targets have a proven track record. They were introduced by the Thatcher Administration in the late ’80s, and they had cross-party support for the following 30 years. Many of us have lobbied for road safety debating time, and it is a real shame that when we get it, we run up against Prorogation. Mr Bayley, I am sure you can take that message back to the Speaker. A number of us will also approach the Backbench Business Committee to try to get a proper debate in due course.
Does my hon. Friend share my concern that, in light of the figures that she has just revealed, councils, including Trafford Council, are cutting road safety posts? We have lost one of our two local road safety officers as a result of council cuts, which obviously creates a further risk that the figures will decline.
Jim Fitzpatrick, former Minister
Kate Green (Stretford and Urmston) (Lab)
Jim Fitzpatrick (Poplar and Limehouse) (Lab):
“Political leadership is a major factor in road safety. For many, the presence of targets under previous Governments was a sign of that leadership; targets help to focus attention on road safety and to prioritise resources. The current Government, however, have decided to adopt a different approach. When the Government published their strategic framework for road safety in May 2011, they decided against the use of road targets... the 2011 figures represent a worrying departure from the long-term trend of decreasing casualties...” Stephen Hammond, Minister for Road Safety
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Young drivers’ views
Twelve months ago, the then Transport Secretary Justine Greening hosted an insurance summit at which the headline topic was the rising cost of premiums for young and novice drivers. One of the initiatives involved engaging with young drivers to understand what they think of a range of policy and marketing interventions designed to reduce their road risk and insurance premiums. Following the summit, the Department for Transport commissioned independent researchers at Aegis Media to undertake focus group research among young people and parents and ask, what is driving young people when it comes to - Their attitudes to learning to drive; holding a licence and about the insurance market - Their views on black box technology; reducing minimum driving age to 16; and use of social media to gauge views Below is an overview of the research findings.
What drives our young people? Methodology: 20 focus groups were held in London, Leeds, Birmingham and Clacton 18 with young people comprising pre-drivers, those who had recently passed their test and more experienced young drivers aged circa 20; plus two groups with parents of young people in social groups BC1 and C2D.
At the request of Transport Secretary Justine Greening, Aegis Media conducted research into the views, opinions and influencing factors of young people and parents into driving and insurance. In this report we are simply setting out the bullet point findings of the report. A far more comprehensive report can be found at the official website, where the full 72-page report can be downloaded.
Young people and parents’ views General views
• Driving gives freedom/breaking out but there is a suspicion that the authorities are out to make things difficult for young people – they don’t want them on the road. • Emotional associations: driving equates to freedom/independence/pride. Negative responses include traffic/stress and concern about doing something wrong, getting caught. • Practical associations: driving is seen as a means to convenience/self reliance. Negatives: include cost, particularly insurance and maintenance. • Perhaps unsurprisingly, safety is more of a concern for parents. The focus groups admitted there is peer pressure to drive recklessly.
Getting a driving licence
• Developing life skills opens opportunities; but balanced by reality of personal circumstances – can I afford it? • Pre-driver courses, aimed at 15-16-year-olds: the mindsets of those interviewed were that they were more focused on school exams. There was a mixture of excitement and nervousness about learning to drive; little consideration was given to the practical considerations of what is involved.
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• Among learner drivers aged 17-18, males were keener to pass. Key concern is cost. • Those who had recently passed admitted that their initial reaction was one of elation: however, that soon faded once the practical cost considerations kick in. There was a general feeling that as young drivers they were victimised for being perceived as less able. The thought of freedom/being in control was highly valued but can lead to male preening and risky behaviour with peers. • There was an overwhelming disillusionment with the insurance industry. The panels were frustrated/confused about what they see to be an illogical unfair process. • Those aged 20+ who were driving and had been for a while did not see themselves as young drivers. Excitement long since passed – car has become a tool not a toy and costs a weighty concern. • Overall: learning to drive is a stressful, difficult, pressured and costly process. There was a strong sense that you pass your test, and then you learn to drive. The L-test itself is regarded as artificial.
Driver attitudes
• There was a clear understanding of what makes a good driver: consideration, calmness, control and awareness. • There were three levels of bad driving: bad habits; bad driving (careless, selfish and bad communication); risky/dangerous potentially risking lives (boy racer deliberate risk taking/poor control). • As far as the focus groups were concerned, they did not feel that young drivers were overrepresented in the bad driving category but accept that some may be more risky. • The ‘boy racers’ tag taints young drivers
generally and the majority were keen not to be part of this stereotype. The interviewees were resentful that the majority tarred by minority. • This perceived lack of respect towards younger drivers had lead to an interesting counter-claim: young people see older drivers as poor and often rude/arrogant. Their perception is that road manners are getting worse. • Attitude is felt to be as important as your technical ability in determining what makes a good driver • Bad habits – ie, not driving to the standard of the L-test – doesn’t mean bad driving. • It is possible to be a good driver and have collisions as you still have to react to others.
Insurance
• Overall, insurance was regarded as expensive, complicated, time-consuming and not calculated fairly. • The people interviewed did not understand why costs are so high when the value of the car being insured was low, suggesting that there was a great need for some basic education on how insurance works to improve understanding of the implications of driving uninsured. For example, to explain that it’s not just your car you’re insuring. • It was generally accepted that the insurance industry is greedy and corrupt, with insurance being confusing and unfair (stereotyping young drivers). •They felt that young people, while more at risk, are being persecuted for wider problems – whiplash industries; uninsured drivers and scams. • A variety of ideas were put forward as to how insurers could bring costs down but the young people felt that there were no real motive to bring costs down. One thought was that everyone should start at a certain level and only if they claim should
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Young drivers’ views
costs go up. • It was also agreed that the Government should take control, tame the insurance industry with premium reduction opportunities coming via Whitehall. • Any changes should be explicitly stated in terms of reducing premiums and increasing safety.
Uninsured drivers
• Here the concerns of the industry, the authorities and the general public were writ large. It was agreed that given the cost of insurance, there was a significant incentive to drive while uninsured; many of those taking part regarded it as a ‘victimless crime’, and placed it on a par with jaywalking. For those who do it, there is some anxiety about getting caught by the police but little concern for the consequences of an accident. Ironically, those who were uninsured drove more cautiously – and here’s another irony, they tended to be very critical of other risky drivers! – and mainly drive for essential journeys only.
Graduated licensing
‘Graduated licensing’ was not used as a phrase, but a phased driving licence system was generally received relatively positively, including ideas of starting driving in cars with a smaller engine. Normal and advanced tests were suggested to bring insurance costs down.
Reducing driving age
It was felt that reducing the driving age would be beneficial in teaching basic controls and building confidence off-road. There were a number of positives to this strategy: drivers would become more experienced; less likely to be reckless; potentially opens up job market at 17; reduce number of mopeds. Males more keen than females. • However, there were negatives too. There was a
feeling that learning to drive at 16 could lead to the young person accepting too much pressure; and that GCSEs were more of a priority. Other issues included lack of confidence; it could widen the inequality gap; the process was too lengthy and costly. Crucially, it would not bring down insurance costs and there were questions over whether it would lead to safer drivers. Overall, the proposal got thumbs down – even a reduction as minor as allowing people to driver at 16-and-a-half. There was a clear communications challenge to explain the benefits of the age reduction.
‘Black Box’ technology
There was a general awareness of what this was but when it was explained further it came with clear negative perceptions: ‘Big Brother’-style untrustworthy insurance companies monitoring your driving, potentially restricting your driving unnecessarily. It was a case for some of ‘punishment before crime’. There were clear concerns about privacy and the mis/unfair use of data. The fallibility of the technology was also questioned. There would not be enough savings to make it worthwhile; concern about penalties; rigidity; and no clear understanding of how it would work. Overall, there was no enthusiasm for young drivers to have to start a regular dialogue/relationship with an insurance company. The few positives noted were that it was an assessment based on your actual driving; it was acknowledged it would encourage safer driving; your car can be tracked (as a measure combating car theft); and while savings may not be as large as many would want, it should make driving cheaper.
Night-time restrictions
Night-time restrictions on young people driving were universally rejected. It was an unfair curfew
for practical and social reasons. Remembering that ‘freedom’ was a key reason for learning to drive in the first place, this was considered the antithesis of this. Parents also rejected this approach as they see children driving at night as a safer option than public transport.
Summary: general issues
• Driving is about freedom/independence but also cost. • Mistrust of insurance companies with young people feeling discriminated against – cost and attitudes • Generally cynical towards Government – they don’t do things out of good will and there is a perception that ‘they’ don’t want young drivers on the roads. These general attitudes influence reactions to individual proposals tested: • Young people struggled to visualise the benefits of black boxes and felt black box restrictions and concerns relating to transparency of insurance companies far outweigh the potential costs that could be saved. Positives identified – costs savings, fairness and encouraging safe driving. • Graduated licensing was universally rejected – night time restrictions seen as restricting freedom and an unfair curfew for practical and social reasons. • The focus groups saw little benefit in reducing the legal age of driving to 16, though slightly more support for a move to 16-and-a-half.
Want to know more? Go to www.gov.uk/government/ publications/young-drivers-attitudes-toinsurance.
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Comment
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Digital take-up leads to shorter opening hours at service centre standards check over the next few months. The proposed consultation on modernising driver training will ask for views on making the standards check booking process fairer. Options include: • an online booking facility • whether you should pay a separate fee for the standards check A separate fee would be in line with the government’s ‘user pays’ principle. It would split the single registration fee into separate fees – one when you register, and one when you book the standards check.
ROSEMARY THEW Chief Executive, DSA
T
he Agency’s success on digital take-up of transactional services has led to reductions in the volume of calls being taken by our customer service centre, which now handles 100,000 fewer calls compared with a year ago. Currently 78 per cent of practical test transactions are done online. The new online business service (OBS) and the recent launch of a booking application for mobile devices will accelerate further the reduction in telephone traffic, with fewer than 900,000 calls expected to be taken in the current financial year. It has therefore been decided to open the public telephone lines for booking driving tests from 8am to 12pm (instead of 8am to 4pm) from 2 April. Telephone bookings for theory tests and business customers remain unaffected by these changes. This is part of the Agency’s drive to respond more quickly and flexibly to changing customer demand where this can be achieved without threatening the integrity of the driving test or resulting in higher fees.
Young drivers’ safety The Government has announced plans to overhaul young driver rules to improve safety and reduce insurance costs. Among the proposals being considered for a Green Paper discussion document to be published later in the spring are: • minimum learning periods • driving practice on motorways, in poor weather conditions and during darkness • more rigorous testing in preparation for driving unsupervised • longer probationary periods • incentives for post-test training The Government is also considering improving the training of driving instructors and giving parents and young drivers’ advice on choosing an instructor. More information can be found on GOV.UK.
Driving tests at fire stations Road Safety Minister Stephen Hammond has given the go-ahead for driving tests to take place at fire stations. The first one to take part in the scheme is Salford, in Greater Manchester, which will be testing every Tuesday and Thursday from 16 April. A number of other fire stations in the area could also offer tests in the future. All of them will be conducted by DSA examiners. The scheme is part of the agency’s ‘taking testing to the customer’ in order to give customers a more local service.
10 : MAY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK
Business Plan
New check tests in April 2014
The ADI check test will be replaced with a new ‘standards check’ from April 2014. DSA published the National standard for driver and rider training in 2011. It sets out the skills, knowledge and understanding that you need to be an effective trainer. The new check will assess how well you meet the standard, which is why it’s being called a ‘standards check’. We want the examiner to assess whether your instruction helps a person to learn in an effective way. So, during the standards check, the examiner will observe you giving a normal lesson to a real pupil. There’ll be a new assessment form which will have three assessment areas: • lesson planning • risk management • teaching and learning strategies The form will give you clear and specific feedback about your strengths and areas where you can develop your competence. You’ll get more information about the new
One of the Agency’s key aims for 2013/15 is to respond more quickly and flexibly to changing customer demand where this can be achieved without threatening the integrity of the driving test or resulting in higher fees. In the latest Business Plan, published 3 April, the Agency, already a star performer on ‘digital by default’, says it will proactively support personal and business customers to drive online take-up to 90 per cent or more by spring 2014. The overarching aim is to become a ‘digital by default organisation’ by 2015. We know our personal and business customers want better access, more choice, faster response times and top class service. They also want to transact with us at more convenient times of the day and at a lower cost. We are working hard to understand their needs and think in new ways about how we deliver services. This includes making sure we deal with concerns and complaints promptly and thoroughly. DSA also aims to be the first point of call for trusted, easily available information on driving and riding standards in Great Britain and has recently published national standards describing the skills, knowledge and understanding needed by drivers and riders to be safe, responsible and respectful road users. They include what instructors need to know or be able to do, to deliver effective training.
Conference response on cancellations During the Q & A session with DSA chief executive Rosemary Thew at the MSA Conference in March, a questioner from the floor asked why there seemed to be different policies covering driving tests when cancelled because of bad weather against those cancelled due to industrial action by examiners or other officials. Some delegates reported longer lead times in obtaining new test slots after industrial action, as against those cancelled through bad weather. We asked Rosemary to clarify this issue and outline if there were different re-booking policies for each type
of cancellation. Her reply to our request was: “While we advise customers on Gov.uk that we will notify them of a rebooking three days after a bad weather cancellation (but up to 7 days if the bad weather persists) and between five-10 days after a strike, the reality is that Deployment try to rebook all agency cancelled tests as quickly as possible. “I accept that our messaging is slightly misleading but its aim was to avoid customers deluging the contact centre with enquiries about the state of their booking after what is likely to be a mass of cancellations.”
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Comment
JOHN LEPINE MBE General Manager, MSA
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he MSA has been a little disturbed by the very short amount of time allowed by the DSA to respond to some proposals regarding Modernising the arrangements for disabled ADIs. We received the proposals on 10 April and were asked to respond before 24 April. This restricted our ability to canvass the views of members through Newslink. However, details of the consultation were published on the MSA web site at www.msagb.com. In addition the information was transmitted through MSA social media channels. We complained about the short notice to DSA chief executive Rosemary Thew, who told us “our wider modernising driver training proposals have taken a major step forward following clearance of the impact assessment by the independent Regulatory Policy Committee. The proposals will now be considered by the Government’s Reducing Regulatory Committee before we can launch consultation; I will keep you informed of its progress. “The regulatory clearance process can take some considerable time. These separate proposals for modernising the arrangements for disabled ADIs had to go through this same process. In the normal course of events we would offer a longer consultation period. However, a possible legislative opportunity has arisen and in order to meet the very challenging timescale we have unfortunately, on this occasion, had to significantly shorten the consultation period. I acknowledge the difficulties this might cause. I should add that there will be a further opportunity to comment on the proposals as the legislation progresses through the normal Parliamentary process.” The MSA has only commented on two of the proposals made. The proposals we have not commented on we are happy to accept. Proposal - it would become a condition of registration that instructors ensure that they deliver instruction only in a vehicle where they can take control in an emergency, where it is reasonably foreseeable that they might have to do so, for example when instructing a novice driver. MSA comment: It would appear from this proposal that the changes would affect all ADIs as it would become a condition of registration that instructors ensure that they deliver instruction only in a vehicle where they can take control in an emergency. If this means that learner drivers could only train in a dual controlled vehicle, this would be acceptable. However, it would be completely unacceptable to allow members of the public to supervise learner drivers in a car with no dual controls but expect an ADI to only give lessons in a dual-controlled car. Proposal: In exceptional circumstances, where the ADI Registrar had reasonable grounds to believe that the applicant could not take control of a vehicle in an emergency, he would be able to require them to pass an ECA. The ADI Registrar could also, in exceptional circumstances, require a registered ADI to pass an ECA as a form of check test where he had reasonable grounds to believe that the ADI could not take control of a vehicle in an emergency. MSA comment: We have some concerns about the practical and safety implications of this proposal and would seek to work with DSA to ensure the safe introduction of this proposal.
12 : MAY 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
Loan companies can add pressure on to struggling ADIs Dear Sir It was disappointing to see the MSA actively promoting the type of loan company that can get the struggling ADI into even more financial difficulties (Newslink, April, advert for Auto Logbook Ltd/ Loan My Motor.com). As a business publishing a monthly newsletter [sic] it is vital to bring in as much advertising revenue as possible, but is it in the best interest of its members? Admittedly, the interest rates are not in the same league as pay day loans but it is the terms of business that is concerning. The type of person who is likely to take out a loan such as this is the ADI working independently without the support of a franchise backer, who has bought or is paying for their car and also has financial commitments (mortgage, etc) but is struggling to recruit new pupils, as many of us are finding in these difficult times. The ADI under franchise or with a lease car will be of no interest to the loan company as the driver does not own the car. Why do they need the log book and keys? So they can snatch the vehicle without too much investigation into why the ADI is failing to keep up with agreed payments. Should it come down to the fact that the ADI is drowning in debt and the car is snatched, that is the end the line for the ADI as they are now total unable to earn a single penny. We need the MSA to assist struggling ADIs, not to point them down the slippery slope to oblivion. Peter Harris Embleton, Northumberland In the interests of fairness, we also asked Auto Log Books to comment on the points raised in Peter’s letter. They replied as follows: Logbook Loans are not suitable for everyone, however, while the banks are slowing down on lending, there has been a massive increase of logbook loans. We have positioned Auto Logbook Limited (Loanmymotor.com) to offer these loans mainly to small businesses, partnerships and the self-employed. Quite simply, Logbook Loans are really secured personal loans. Instead of securing the loan against property or other assets, the logbook loan is secured against your car/van/taxi, etc. Interest rates tend to be high (between seven and 11 per cent per month) as such, most of our borrowers look upon these loans on a short-term basis, typically between three and six months. They are no different to a mortgage, where you could lose your house if you do not keep up with your payments, you could also lose your car for the same reason. With this in mind, we need to be responsible lenders and during our due diligence with any borrower we go
through the process of affordability. Providing the borrower provides genuine documentation supporting their ability to repay, loans are granted and tend for the most part run smoothly. Historically, problems arise when either the lender has not done their due diligence properly or that the borrower has provided in accurate information. Either way, there is protection for both the lender and the borrower. The Office of Fair Trade have specific guidelines and code of practice for lenders to follow.
Fire officers don’t push a path Dear Sir I’m sure I cannot have been alone in raising an eyebrow over the phraseology used in one of your Letters in the last issue. To suggest that fire brigade officers use their emergency lights and sirens “to get home before the chips go cold” may have been said in jest but it is a provocative and mildly insulting line. There used to be a time when this type of comment was commonplace – although wrong – but, thankfully, today most people appreciate that if they see a fire engine in full flight, there is a very serious and important reason why it is doing so. As for the serious point behind the letter, I would suggest that keeping the sirens on was more of a message to those drivers on the main carriageway that the engine was about to cross – a warning that at any moment a large emergency vehicle could emerge, so pay heed. This would be particularly true if the side road the engine was emerging from was slightly hidden or the view from the main carriageway obscured. That the other car drivers at the lights edged out of the engine’s way is not the fault of the fire service driver - although once his path was cleared, it is understandable why he may have thought it was an opportune moment to continue on his journey. That was certainly the strategy many of the drivers I served with took: don’t push other cars out of the way, but if they do clear a path, take advantage. Ex-Fire Officer, Edinburgh
DSA loading sums don’t add up Dear Sir, I read with great interest John Lomas’ article in April’s Newslink regarding the loading of trailers for B+E tests from September 30 this year. B+E training is 60 per cent of my workload and I have been contemplating this change for some time and have had various correspondence with the DSA about it. I have no objection to the new ruling in principal as driving a loaded trailer, especially carrying livestock, is completely different to towing an empty trailer. I would
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even agree it may be a step in the right direction. However, the addition of 600kgs of sand or water to our trailer will put me at a total weight of 1,145kgs, 345kgs more than the 800kgs ‘Real Weight’ that the DSA are asking for. I asked if I could only add the extra 255kgs needed to my trailer to make it 800kgs to meet the new weight criteria. The DSA says no, because you cannot prove the weight of a unladen trailer. Well DSA, yes you can! Some trailers have their unladen weight plated on them, manufacturers publish unladen weights in their specification literature and failing that, surely a certified weighbridge certificate would suffice ? The DSA says no. Why? Lazy, can’t be bothered? Who knows. Having to carry the extra weight will significantly impact on our costs. Fuel consumption will increase, clutch wear and tear will increase plus tyre and brake wear. I have not costed this accurately but an additional £100 per test is a conservative estimate. Will this impact on training uptake? Possibly. Will this continue to increase the number of people towing illegally? Probably. How many ADIs who teach with small cars will have to buy larger vehicles at some point in the future? Many. DSA, lets have some commonsense please and not have the ‘one rule suits all’ approach. Please have a rethink and let us prove the weights of our unladen trailers, after all, its not difficult and the resulting savings to be made will not only help my pocket but yours also, as more people continue to take the test and are not put off by prohibitively high costs. There is an environmental saving to be made as well, with less pollution from increased fuel consumption. Steve Thomas, ADI Raglan Driver Training
Comment • The MSA asked the DSA for their views on Steve’s comments. A DSA spokesperson said: “The new ‘laden testing’ requirements will help to ensure that vocational driving tests accurately reflect the conditions drivers face on the road. “DSA consulted on these proposals in 2009 to determine how they could best be implemented. “It would be costly and time-consuming for DSA to verify the unladen weight of all vehicles presented for test. Easily identifiable standard loads make the process simpler and fairer across all types of vehicle and trailer combinations. “Full information on the new load requirements is available on GOV.UK.”
My lessons always centre round pupil Dear Sir The current debate about client-centred learning has taken me aback somewhat. Am I alone in thinking learning should always have been centred around the client? I appreciate that there is the caveat that in some instances, particularly at the start of the learning journey, all lessons can be pretty similar - I’m thinking controls and basic manoeuvres in lessons one-three – but even then, though I’m working from an almost-pre-prepared script, I’m aware of the personality traits of individual pupils and gearing my lessons accordingly. It does make me wonder just how many ADIs there are out there who simply churn out the same lessons, time and again, regardless of the person sat in the driving seat. Tim Brown, Birmingham
Intensive approach can work for some
Dear Sir I read in Newslink that politicians are considering “a minimum learning period before candidates are permitted to sit their test.” Why is it that so many in authority question the idea that intensive training is a bad idea and why do they think every learner driver has access to a car and a willing supervisor in order to be able to practice? It is a silly idea for a wide variety of reasons: • impossible to police; • no evidence it will work; • length of time licence held may equal no driving experience whatsoever; • all MOD licence acquisition is based on short courses and is cost effective; • I would guess that fewer than 20 per cent of my pupils get any private practice. If Ministers want to up the minimum age for driving they should be honest enough to say so, not regurgitate this discredited old claptrap. Mike Nolan Greater London
“It does make me wonder just how many ADIs there are out there who simply churn out the same lessons, time and again, regardless of the person sat in the driving seat...”
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News
Fleet check tests to stop from April 2014 US parents publish last tragic text The increasing problem of young people texting while driving has led to the parents of a young motorist killed in America taking the extraordinary step of publishing his last message, sent while he was driving and which led directly to his death. Alexander Heit, 22, was killed in a car crash on April 3 in Greeley, Colarado. The message found on his phone, which was unsent, read “Sounds good my man, seeya soon, ill tw ... ”. It is believed the University of Northern Colorado student was composing the message while driving. Eye witnesses say his car drifted into oncoming traffic before jerking violently to one side, causing the car to roll over. One witness said the driver’s head was clearly looking down instead of straight ahead. His mother, Sharon Heit urged young people to stop texting while behind the wheel. “In a split second you could ruin your future, injure or kill others, and tear a hole in the heart of everyone who loves you,” His parents and police are hoping the photo of the text on his phone will remind people not to text and drive. A police spokesman said Alexander had a clean driving licence and was not speeding at the time. Texting while driving has been claimed to be a worse distraction than being over the alcohol limit by some researchers.
In the run-up to the introduction of the new standards check, as revealed in the April Newslink, the DSA has announced a number of minor changes to the check test regime. From April 2014, fleet instructors will no longer need a specific fleet check test to stay on the fleet register. DSA is introducing a new standards check for all approved driving instructors
in April 2014. This will assess how well you meet the standards set out in the ‘National standard for driver and rider training’. Removal of role play DSA proposes to no longer offer role play when the new standards check starts. As the examiner will assess whether your instruction helps a person to learn in an effective way, you can best show this by giving a normal lesson to a real pupil.
Pupils you can bring You already have the flexibility to bring a range of pupils from a learner to a full licence holder seeking development. However, the pupil must not: • be an ADI • have passed the ADI part 2 test As the fleet register is an extension of the ADI register, the ADI standards check will be enough for instructors to stay on the fleet register.
New initiative to boost defensive riding skills A new THINK! road safety initiative to encourage motorcyclists to improve their defensive riding skills has been launched by the Road Safety Minister Stephen Hammond. The ‘stay in control’ campaign – which has been developed with partners from the motorcycle industry – advises motorcyclists to ride defensively and seek further training to sharpen their skills. Posters, leaflets and other promotional material will be distributed to hundreds of motorcycle dealerships and retailers across the UK. The campaign will run throughout the peak riding season this spring and summer, when, historically, the number of motorcyclists killed and seriously injured on the roads sees an increase. Stephen Hammond said: “Motorcyclists make up just one per cent of the traffic on our roads but last year accounted for
19 per cent of deaths. So reducing the number of bikers killed on our roads is a key priority for the government. I am pleased that, in parallel with this initiative, we are also running a THINK BIKER campaign encouraging car drivers to take longer to look for motorcyclists. “This latest campaign urges bikers to ride defensively – this includes taking a ‘lifesaver glance’ around before manoeuvring and giving yourself time to react to potential hazards. Any message that has the potential to reduce the number of tragedies on our roads involving motorcyclists and save lives is worth hammering home.” The campaign has been drawn up with assistance from a number of industry partners including the Motorcycle Industry Association, Motor Cycle Monthly magazine, Devitt Insurance and Yamaha.
Drivers risking all to overtake, says survey The risks motorists take on the roads – particularly men – have been revealed in a survey by Brake and Direct Line which questioned drivers’ attitudes to overtaking. The survey revealed that almost one in four (24%) risk catastrophic head-on crashes by admitting to overtaking blind, while more than four-in-10 (44%) admit speeding at 60mph+ on rural roads. Men are much more likely to take these deadly risks than women, and more than twice as likely to have been involved in an
overtaking near-miss or incident. Th survey of 1,000 UK drivers also found: • One-in-five men (20%) and one-in-10 women (9%) have been involved in an overtaking near-miss or incident while driving in the past year. • More than half of all drivers (54%) have witnessed an overtaking near-miss or incident by another driver in the past year, with one-in-five (19%) experiencing a vehicle approaching on their side of the road.
Over half of women (52%) have been afraid when travelling as a passenger when their driver has overtaken another vehicle in the past year, compared to 44% of men In 2011, six in 10 UK road deaths were on rural roads (1,197 people); and four in 10 serious injuries (9,952). Brake has called for lower speed limits on rural roads to 50mph or lower and implement measures to deter speeding and overtaking, especially on crash black-spots and road that pass through rural communities.
Your local MSA AGM The MSA has finalised the dates for all 10 of its regional training days and AGMs for 2013. Details of venues, timings, costs and speakers will be announced in due course, but make a date now of your local event. October 20 Eastern 21 South East 27 North East
NOVEMBER 3 Scotland 9 South Wales 11 Western 16 Greater London 17 West Midlands 18 North West 24 East Midlands
Make a date of your local event NOW! 14 : MAY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK
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News
Fuel respite but warning of summer price rises ADIs have been promised a ‘glimmer of sunlight’ over fuel prices as four of the UK’s leading supermarket chains began an aggressive petrol price-cutting war, while Prime Minister David Cameron promised that the recent freeze on fuel duty rises would be the first of many such suspensions. The PM’s comments were applauded by FairFuelUK, which said it was an acceptance by the Government that fuel prices were too high and needed to fall. However, the good news may not last, as market analysts are predicting a fresh surge in global fuel prices in the summer, driven by increasing demand and reductions in output. Of the big supermarkets, Asda led the way on April 16, trimming 2p from a litre of petrol, followed quickly by Sainsbury’s, which matched the cut. It also introduced a special fuel price discount for shoppers Morrisons went 1p better before Tesco – the biggest fuel retailer in the UK – announced it was reducing its own prices by 2p, too. Morrisons’ cut takes it prices down to £1.33.7 a litre, and will save a car with a 70-litre tank £2.10 every fill up. Industry experts said the cuts, which follow similar drops in the price of diesel,
Price rise
With fuel fluctuating so regularly, it can sometimes be difficult to keep track of what price petrol used to be. In fact the price has increased by a staggering near 50 per cent since December 2008, when the average forecourt price was 89.5p per litre. Dec 2008: 89.5 96.3 Dec 2009: 108 115 Dec 2010: 122.1 126 Dec 2011: 132.5 141.1 Dec 2012: 132.3 140.4 had been expected after a fall in wholesale prices and the strengthening of the pound against the dollar. Oil is currently at its lowest level in a month. Driving organisations welcomed the cuts, but warned that UK petrol prices were still prohibitively high for many motorists. “We predicted these cuts last month, with oil down to its lowest level in some time and the pound gaining on the dollar after its recent fall,” said AA president Edmund King. “This is perhaps another glimmer of sunlight for drivers after a hard, wet, pot-holed and expensive winter of driving.”
RAC technical director David Bizley said: “Certainly these price cuts will be widely welcomed by UK motorists, and it is encouraging to see that the drop in the wholesale price of fuel is being passed on. “Nonetheless, it is difficult to underestimate the impact that the UK’s high fuel prices are having on us as individuals. Our research has shown that almost half of motorists would avoid promotion or a new job that involves more driving, and a quarter believe prices negatively affect their working life.” What was surprising was that the news came soon after a more worrying report, which suggested petrol prices were ready for a new upwards surge over the summer. At the start of April wholesale petrol costs started to rise again as the market anticipated greater demand with the start of the US motoring season. This will inevitably lead to fuel price rises in summer across Europe. In addition, a reduction in UK refinery production capability with the closure of the Coryton refinery (in Essex) has led to the UK having to import more diesel as the remaining refineries cannot make up the shortfall. The stock market has seized on this to justify pushing up petrol prices.
Brian Cockerill MSA members, particularly those active in the training of LGV drivers, will be saddened to learn that Brian Cockerill passed away on Tuesday, 16 April at Lucas Court Care Home, Moulton, following a long illness. He was 76. Brian had been a member of HM Forces for over 25 years, serving as a driving instructor on heavy tracked vehicles and also HGVs. On leaving the forces he continued as a driving instructor and was one of the founder members of the Institute of Heavy Goods Vehicle Driving Instructors and was instrumental in the early days of what is now the LGV register.
Temporary home for Steeton tests Car practical tests are now available from a temporary test centre facility in Steeton, Keighley. Please note that candidates should: • enter through the main gate and follow the signs to the car parking area, marked with cones (ahead, to the right) • follow the signs on the fencing to the waiting room (in one of the portacabins) • avoid the LGV manoeuvring area • avoid parking in the visitor bays next to the LGV manoeuvring area However, there won’t be any tests conducted from Steeton during the week commencing 10 June, due to the old centre building being demolished.
MSA NEWSLINK : MAY 2013 : 15
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Members’ offers
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16 : MAY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK
Members have the advantage as Halfords offers major discounts on MoTs and servicing MoT prices slashed and 15% discount on servicing at Halfords MSA members are reaping the benefit of the association’s tie-up with Halfords Autocentres, which delivers major savings across a range of products and services. MSA members and their families are now 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 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. It is a well-known, well-liked and trusted brand, and its role at the heart of the motoring community has been acknowledged recently by the DSA, with the agreement for some of its larger store to host driving tests. As this deal is extended, ADIs in some parts of the country will find themselves visiting Halfords on a regular basis.
Home page: The special MSA page on the Halfords Autocentres website. More offers are available online
The company’s 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. “With a growing and ageing car parc and cars lasting longer than ever, the need for car servicing is assured in the medium to long-term. “We have a long heritage of dealing with retail customers. Halfords Autocentres is the UK’s leading MoT, car service, repairs and tyres specialist, and we have an unrivalled team of experts dedicated to our customers and their cars. “We strive to provide a reliable garage that can do every job, provide good value, and we’re supported by a national network of wholly owned garages. Our staff are knowledgeable and approachable and they’ll advise you honestly about your car. We are the only chain of garages that have more ATA trained mechanics than any other independent garage group.” It’s a level of service that has clearly gone down well with the British public. 92 per cent of its customers either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that they were satisfied with their experience (at Halfords), with 91 per cent saying they would revisit a Halfords Autocentre again.
How to take advantage of this offer
Just go to www.halfordsautocentres.com/msa for full details of the discounts available, to find your nearest Halfords Autocentres and see what other services the company offers.
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Opinion
Why aren’t ADIs leading the debate over traffic casualties? When asked which changes would help reduce road traffic casualties the most, the British public came up with a surprising top answer, says Rob Beswick, and it’s one which suggests that they may not be on the same page as ADIs when it comes to improving road safety
I
s it time for the driver training industry to work harder at getting the general public onside over raising the overall standard of driving, in a bid to improve road safety and cut traffic incidents? While many ADIs would claim they are already strong advocates for improving standards, the fact is the industry’s attention often – perhaps understandably – concentrates on direct driver training and testing issues, mainly surrounding the L-test and its accompanying syllabus. ADIs focus on getting the safe driving message out to novices and often leave the so-called ‘experienced’ drivers to fend for themselves. The result is the impact better driving standards and further training can have in improving road safety are overlooked by many motorists. But surely this last statement can’t be right: everyone would accept that improving driving standards is the key to reducing road casualties – wouldn’t they? Sadly, it turns out that the general public doesn’t necessarily think so. In a recent poll by the AA, when asked ‘which single measure do you think would do most to improve road safety”, guess what came out on top? The answer is ‘pot holes’ – or rather, filling them in and improving the overall standard of Britain’s roads. 72 per cent of people polled thought improving the condition of main roads is the best way to prevent traffic collisions and reduce road deaths and injuries. Thankfully, stronger driver and, interestingly, pedestrian training did feature highly: indeed, it came second, so ADIs can stop worrying too much. Indeed, this is a marked improvement on its importance. When the same poll was undertaken 20 years ago, better driver training was an incredible ninth! This time, the introduction of a total drink-drive ban was third, down from pole position 20 years
18 : MAY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK
ago, when it was considered the most important factor. (See table). Clearly calls for a total drink-drive ban are still strong but are less strident than in 1993, while random breath testing has also moved down one place, to fourth in the public’s list of priorities. The DSA may be interested to note that a tougher driving test is now only the sixth most important measure: perhaps the public is getting the message that the L-test is robust enough. But while it is comforting that the areas ADIs would like to see changed are higher up the table than before, it is still stunning that when asked how best to improve road safety, improving the standards of driving was not the automatic first choice of every participant. And while many ADIs have become frustrated over the number of pot holes that are going unrepaired by local authorities after the winter, it is unlikely that many crashes are solely down to the poor state of the road network. It goes to show that for too many motorists, driving well is not something they consider to be important. The standard of their own driving isn’t
open to question: as long as they have not been directly affected by a traffic incident, that is proof that they must be okay at the task. Consider this: it is akin to a hospital publishing a higher-than-expected death rate for patients undergoing a particular form of surgery, and blaming it on the quality of the beds in the operating table. You can imagine the hospital’s chief executive: “We have no plans to look at the surgeons’ ability, nor consider further training for them.” I know the BMA are a pretty good union when it comes to protecting their members’ interests but even they may baulk at such a response.
B
ut let’s move away from the negatives and accentuate the positives. There is a chance that a big effort by ADIs and others working in the driver training, testing and road safety fields could turn round public opinion and push driving standards to their rightful place, at the top of the public’s priorities. A glance at the table above, and comparing it with a
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similar survey 20 years ago, shows how public opinion can change. It has already been noted that improving standards is now deemed more important, rising from seventh to second, while the public’s appetite for tougher penalties against offending motorists appears to be waning (down from the second most important consideration to seventh). While some priorities have attracted consistently strong support, such as random breath testing, others have moved up or down the chart as the years have passed. So perhaps now is the time for a concerted push by ADIs to encourage the British public to think more about their driving standards; it could reap real long-term benefits. On road safety issues, the UK public is clearly prone to re-order its priorities. As an example, the law requiring drivers and front seat passengers in cars to wear seat belts is now accepted as a good move, and is overwhelmingly supported by the motoring public. Yet when it was introduced in 1983 a large and vociferous minority of motorists strongly opposed it, calling it “interference” from the Government. Indeed, when the law came it was not even supported by the majority, with only 40 per cent of drivers and front seat passengers wearing seat belts before its introduction. However, statistics for the time show that there was an immediate 25 per cent reduction in driver fatalities and a 29 per cent reduction in fatal injuries among front seat passengers – the equivalent to saving the lives of 241 drivers and 147 front passengers in 1983 alone. It was possibly as a result of this immediate reduction in road deaths that the public generally warmed to the legislation, and few people today contradict the wisdom of making seat belt wearing mandatory. The use of mobile phones is another example of how attitudes can shift over time. Using a handheld mobile phone while driving was made illegal in December 2003, and for good reasons. The distraction can be comparable to being over the drink-drive limit, while drivers using phones have slower reaction times and greater difficulty
Opinion
Top 10 accident prevention priorities, according to the British public 2013 1993 ranking ranking Improve main roads 1 (72%) 10 Stronger driver and pedestrian training 2 (68%) 9 Total drink-drive ban 3 (63%) 1 Random breath tests 4 (59%) 3 Improve public transport 5 (59%) 7 More stringent driving test 6 (54%) 4 controlling speed and lane position. Those who talk on the phone are four times more likely to be in a crash that causes injury. But the message has got through and it is now viewed as a reviled and anti-social practice by the overwhelming majority. According to research by insurer LV=, 82 per cent of motorists now think it is unacceptable to use a handheld phone when driving. What it proves, however, is that the public’s views on road safety issues can be influenced by a concerted campaign that lays out the benefits of change in a clear and unambiguous way. Ellen Booth, senior campaigns officer at road safety charity Brake says changing driver attitudes and behaviour is the most important thing we can do to make our roads safer. Booth says: “This is tough work, but it can be achieved through a combination of public education and changes in the law. “Bringing in new laws, or toughening up old ones, can help to normalise safer driving behaviour and stigmatise risky behaviour previously seen as acceptable by the public, such as drink-driving or not wearing a seatbelt.
More severe laws and penalties Black spot warning signs More cycle paths and priority for cyclists Restrict passengers
2013 1993 ranking ranking 7 (48%) 8 (47%)
2 5
9 (45%) 10 (45%)
6 12
“The smoking ban is a great example of how a simple change in the law can drive public opinion and behaviour, without requiring a lot of enforcement.” So in 10 or 20 years from now, will we look back at the public’s current driving behaviour and wonder how this was ever not cracked down upon in 2013? Should ADIs start to campaign now for tougher penalties for speeding, for example, and for more training for motoring offenders, in order that the right messages get through? Or do we need to go the whole way and demand that Government introduces a formal re-training element for all drivers, perhaps every 10 years when they have to renew their driving licence?
We want your views? Should the MSA take a more active role in promoting good driving standards among so-called experienced drivers, in an effort to improve road safety? Let the editor know at mail@msagb.co.uk
MSA NEWSLINK : MAY 2013 : 19
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News
16 companies given keys to drink-driving rehab courses The Government has released the list of the providers approved to deliver Drink-Driving Rehabilitation programmes around England, Scotland and Wales. There are 16 organisations listed as approved to carry out DDR courses. They are: • Aquarius • Aspire Driver Development • CATAL Interventions Ltd • Drink Driver Education
• Drive Tech UK Ltd T/A AA Drive Tech • Driver’s Seat • HAPAS • Hertfordshire Probation Trust • IAM Driver Retraining Academy Ltd • Lincolnshire Training Providers Limited • NECA Training • Reform Road Safety & Education • Swanswell • The Albert Centre • TTC • VMCL Limited. These 16 will operate in various geographical areas. In all areas eligible parties will have a choice of at least two course providers, though some regions in England have more. There are only offered in the whole of Scotland. Two organisations have been granted permission to operate in every region: Drive Tech/AA, and VMCL Ltd, based in Royal Wootton Bassett. A full list of the regions, which companies operate in your area and the contact details for the companies running the courses can be found on the MSA website at http://www.msagb.com/uploads/ DDRList.pdf
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• No excess to pay for eligible claims, such as the first £500 of the claim • No exclusions on any occupation or sporting activity • £200 per night cash payable if treatment takes place in the NHS • Free Medical Information and Counselling Helplines Overseas cover up to UK levels of benefits at no additional cost All plans carry a 30-day money-back
To find out more visit the special MSA page on the HMCA website at www.hmca.co.uk/msagb.htm or telephone 01423 866985 for a free, no obligation quote. 20 : MAY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK
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Training: Towards your CPD
Making the Q&A count Effective questioning is key to incorporating a coaching philosophy into your lessons, says Sue McCormack
J
ust because you ask questions, it does not mean you are coaching. Question and answer technique (Q&A) is an important aspect of driving instruction because it involves the learner in the process and allows the instructor to check that learning is taking place. Coaching questions are very different from traditional Q&A and the article this month is going to explore these differences. You’ll remember from previous articles that I have considered the importance of rapport in a client-centred relationship and how active listening is all about listening behind and between the words, looking at body language, and helping the speaker explore their thoughts and feelings. My last article was about my check test and illustrated how the use of questions can be combined with building rapport and active listening to ensure a truly client-centred approach. It is this combination of skills that enables the driving instructor to establish a balance between instruction and coaching – a balance that is critical in keeping the car safe. There are a number of different questioning techniques that can be employed to help strike this balance but before we look at these I would like to explain about coaching questions. Coaching questions are effective questions that target the thoughts and feelings that motivate behaviour. Questions such as ‘What were you thinking as you approached that roundabout?’ or ‘How did you feel as you drove along that road?’ are excellent conversation openers to use parked up at the side of the road. It is important to ensure there is no negative tone attached to these questions so they cannot be used when you know your customer has just made a mess of whatever they were doing. The questions need to be asked in a way that is neutral and non-judgemental. You don’t know what answer the customer is going to give but you are curious and want to explore with them what they were thinking or how they were feeling so that they can understand how these thoughts and feelings link to their behaviour. Actually, the questions need to be even more open than I have suggested because by mentioning the roundabout or the road they have just driven along you are potentially restricting and guiding their response. ‘What have you been thinking about?’; ‘Describe your thoughts to me’; ‘How did that feel?’; or ‘What were you feeling?’ are examples of wide-open questions. If the rapport is good the client will have no problem in telling you they were thinking about what they were going to be having for tea or how they are looking forward to going out at the weekend. These kinds of responses open up a discussion about distractions and how distractions can interfere with the decisions we need to make when driving. This becomes a good example of how thoughts and feelings motivate
22 : MAY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK
behaviour. Now let’s take a look at the different types of questioning techniques we can use to maintain a client-centred approach:
Goal questions
This type of question is used to help the client set the goal and also to check what support is required from you to facilitate them achieving this. These questions would often be asked at the start of a lesson but could also be asked in the middle of a lesson where one goal has already been achieved and another one is being set. Normally, they would be used at the side of the road because they are an ideal opportunity to ensure the customer is in control of their own learning process. Example questions might be: • What would you like to achieve today? • How do you learn best? • How do you want to do this? • What skills do you already have that will help you achieve this today? • What support do you need from me? • Where would you like to practise? • How much time do you want to spend practising? • Do you need me to do anything? • Would you like a demonstration? • How will you know when you have succeeded? • How will you measure your success?
Closed questions
Closed questions are good for checking knowledge and facts. They have just one correct answer. For example, ‘What is the speed limit on
this road?’ These questions can be asked on the move because they are not generally too distracting. They also work well at the side of the road if the customer is a little reticent in opening up – by asking a couple of closed questions you help establish rapport. One of the benefits of the goal-setting questions is that you will have established what level of support the customer requires during any practice. If the customer wishes to have a go on their own this doesn’t mean you would step in and ask them questions to check where they are looking and what they intend to do. You would allow them to drive in silence. However, if the customer is, for example, practising raising their awareness of hazards then you might have agreed to ask them closed questions that draw their attention to particular hazards as they drive on their chosen route.
Safety critical questions
Sometimes it will be necessary to step in and say something to keep the car safe even though you have agreed that the customer is going to practise something on their own in silence. You would ideally explain this before the car starts moving but if you haven’t it is still crucial that you recognise the time to intervene with instruction. If you can do this in the form of a question, all well and good, however, it really doesn’t matter when there is a risk of danger. Whether you ask a question or not you will still be instructing in this situation and will have taken the responsibility back from the customer for the driving task. Examples of the type of safety critical questions you might use are:
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• Do you need to brake for this car emerging? • Are you going to steer round this cyclist? • Will you be stopping at this pedestrian crossing? All these questions have an instruction in them and the response expected is in the form of an action rather than anything verbal. It would also be appropriate in these situations to have the dual brake covered or to be ready to go for the steering wheel. The good thing about asking a question in these types of situations rather than giving an instruction is that you are endeavouring to keep the responsibility sitting with the customer. They still have to make a decision to respond to your question. Afterwards, it is important to discuss the situation at the side of the road. Remember, though, that timing is critical and if you have no time to ask a question then don’t!
Training: Towards your CPD Example questions might be: What do you think about the speed limit on this road? What are your views on alcohol and driving?
Task specific questions
These questions are part of an exercise that has been agreed with the customer. They could be to do with reading the road ahead where you agree that you are going to ask questions about the signs and road markings. For example, What is the next warning sign? What is the speed limit on this road? Another type of exercise is about distractions where you might say to the customer that you are deliberately going to ask them questions that are unrelated to driving and that you will discuss with them afterwards how easily (or not) they were able to maintain their focus on the driving task. For
example: Have you got a holiday booked this year? What are you going to do this weekend? How did you get on at college this week? The most important thing about the use of questions is to recognise the outcome that each type of question is likely to produce. It is very easy to ask questions and struggle with this and therefore make the assumption that coaching doesn’t work. Some people do not like being asked questions and often this is because the questioner has bombarded them with questions rather than considering the rapport and using their listening skills. Client-centred questions need to be asked for a reason and the reason is to accelerate the learning of the customer by raising their self-awareness, building their responsibility and developing their self-evaluation skills.
Open questions
Open questions have more than one correct answer. A question that can be answered with Yes or No is an open question. It could also be answered with Maybe, Sometimes, That depends, for example, so there are any number of responses. Usually, the instructor does not know what answer the customer is going to give. These types of questions are asked to start a conversation where the customer is given the opportunity to explore their thoughts, values, opinions about something related to driving. The more open the question can be the better, however, sometimes, a question that just gets a yes or no response is good because it then helps move the conversation forwards.
About the author:
Susan McCormack has been in the driver training industry for over 25 years as an ADI, instructor trainer and producer of training materials, and has an MSc in Driver Behaviour and Education from Cranfield University. She is a director of Tri-Coaching Partnership Limited, which delivers driver training and coaching courses to all driver trainers. In particular, the company offers a BTEC Level 4 and Level 3 in Coaching for Driver Development, as well as a two-day course called ‘aCCeLerate’. Visit the website for further information: www.tri-coachingpartnership.co.uk. Susan can be contacted on 07817 646970.
MSA NEWSLINK : MAY 2013 : 23
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MSA AGM
AGM acclamation as Peter Harvey remains our national chairman The MSA Annual General Meeting was held on March 16, as part of the association’s Annual Conference. Here we reproduce the minutes ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING, 16 March, 2013 Minutes of the 78th Annual General Meeting of the Motor Schools Association of Great Britain Limited (MSA), held at the Hellidon Lakes Golf & Spa Hotel, Hellidon Lakes, Hellidon, Daventry, Northamptonshire NN11 6GG on Saturday, 16 March 2013. Present: In addition to the Chairman and the Board of Management, there were 142 members present and a small number of non-members. Chairman’s welcome. The national chairman, Peter Harvey, opened the meeting at 1.05pm and welcomed all those present to the 78th Annual General Meeting of the Motor Schools Association of Great Britain Ltd. He reminded any nonmembers that they were very welcome to stay for the AGM, but that they could not vote. Convening Notice the Company Secretary John Lepine read the formal notice. Apologies. There were four written apologies from Ian Scott, South East; David Oldmeadow, Western; Ron Ingall, West Midlands and Terry Charnock, North West. Adoption of the Minutes as a true record of the 77th Annual General Meeting of the Motor Schools Association of Great Britain Limited held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Wollaton Street, Nottingham NG1 5RH on Saturday, 24 March 2012. Proposed by Ian Scoular, Scotland and seconded by Arthur Mynott, Western. Carried with one abstention. Matters Arising. There were no matters arising. Financial Statements and Accountants Report. John Lepine referred those present to the accounts for the year ended November 2012 that had previously been circulated to all members. He stated that levels of prosperity among driver trainers had continued to be affected, during the year under review, by the difficult economic circumstances. This had meant a drop in income for the MSA and the association had needed to rely on its reserves to sustain operations as the effect of the financial crisis filtered down through the economy across Great Britain. He added that the board was planning to use further resources in the year ahead to bolster recruitment. He concluded his remarks by recommending for adoption the financial statements and the accountants report for the year ended 30 November 2012. It was proposed by Haydn Jenkins, West Midlands and seconded by Mike Yeomans, North East. Carried without dissent. Annual Report. The company secretary referred those present to the Annual Report and Handbook previously sent to all members. He then highlighted some matters from the report. Regarding the MSA website – www.msagb.com – he stated that it had continued to be popular, again achieving around a million hits during the year under review. He said that the association
24 : MAY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK
worked hard to ensure the site is regularly updated and the function allowing members to keep their own records up-to-date continues to be popular. On social media, he reported that the association continued to be active across a variety of different social media and that the MSA now has over 3,000 Friends, Likes, Followers and Links. He also said that texts and emails continue to be a popular way in which information is passed on to members. Concluding his comments on digital matters he reported that few members seem to change their mobile phone numbers but that email address changes are far more frequent. He asked members to help themselves to stay informed by sending an email to MSA if they change their email address. On the political front he drew attention to the beginning of the year under review (December 2011) when the then Parliamentary UnderSecretary of State for Transport Mike Penning MP 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. Mr Penning had 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 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.” At the end of the year under review no consultation had taken place, said John, and he added at this time has still not. The Minister has changed and the current Parliamentary UnderSecretary of State for Transport, Stephen Hammond MP, responding to a question from the MSA about these subjects stated. “I understand the safety concerns regarding the current trainee licence arrangements, which allow partly-qualified instructors to provide unsupervised on-road instruction to learner drivers. As you know, the DSA has been looking at
the future of the scheme as part of their overall plans to modernise the driver training industry. I very much welcome the driver training industry’s support for those plans. I am currently considering a range of options which include proposals to modernise the driver training industry and allow learners to gain experience of motorway driving before the driving test. I hope to be in a position to announce further steps in the near future.” Also at the start of the year under review DSA Chief Executive Rosemary Thew, speaking about the modernising driver training agenda, told the Parliamentary Select Committee for Transport about the potential these plans held for ADIs. She told MPs: “The big thing that is very exciting at the moment is the work around the driver training industry. The training industry is really enthusiastic about this. If we have a training industry which is staffed up with professional driving instructors with qualifications, supported by CPD, I believe that will set people off on the right course.” Later in the year under review it emerged that Government had decided not go ahead with compulsory CPD for driver trainers. In her MSA Newslink column in October, Rosemary wrote: “A mandatory scheme would generate enforcement costs for DSA, which would ultimately have to be recovered through ADI registration fees, therefore further adding to the burden on instructors. Also, we already have the check-test process to ensure ADIs are maintaining their standards of instruction. “Any attempt to remove an ADI from the register because they had failed to undertake mandatory CPD would, therefore, be hard to justify – and it is on that basis that we are proposing to keep the scheme voluntary at this time. “I understand that many of you will be disappointed but the regulatory environment has changed significantly since the mandatory scheme was first raised.” John Lepine stated that the association continues to provide CPD seminars around Great Britain during the year under review. CPD was also delivered to members around the country at events organised by the regional and national committees. We expect to provide further CPD events in the year ahead. He spoke about the board’s regret at having to record the deaths of a number of members and friends of the association during the year under review. In particular he mentioned Phillip Jones, who died suddenly in May. Phill had been an MSA regional editor for many years, and was an active and enthusiastic member of the North East committee. His editorial pieces were always highly thought provoking and well-informed, befitting a man with a deep interest, knowledge and passion for driver training and road safety. He was a deserving winner of the MSA Editor of the Year award in 2011 and the award reflected the interest his column generated each issue. Phill will be sorely missed by the MSA and the wider road safety community. He concluded his remarks by recommending adoption of the Annual Report for the year ended November 2012. Adoption was proposed by John Lomas, North West and seconded by Alex Brownlee, Greater London. Carried without dissent.
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Installation of Chairman. The Company Secretary took the Chair. He told those present that he was pleased to announce that the Board of Management had once again elected Peter Harvey to be their chairman. This was greeted with acclamation. Mr Lepine then handed the chairmanship back to Mr Harvey who thanked the board of management for their continued support during these difficult financially worrying times. The chairman also thanked those present for their support and gave an extra thank you to Carol and John Lepine for all their excellent work in running the association on a daily basis. Installation of Deputy Chairman. The Chairman informed those present that the Board of Management had elected Geoff Little, West Midlands for a further year as Deputy
MSA AGM
Chairman of the Board of Management. This was greeted with acclamation. Board of Management. The company Secretary called the roll of the Board of Management for the ensuing year and introduced Tom Kwok as the new chairman for MSA Greater London. (See Annual Report and Handbook for full details). Motion – from the Board of Management. That – Baker Tilly Tax and Accounting Limited, be elected accountants and independent inspectors for the ensuing year. The motion was proposed by the chairman. Carried without dissent. Closure. The chairman thanked those present for attending and formally closed the 78th Annual General Meeting of the Motor Schools Association of Great Britain at 1.17pm.
Conference round-up The April issue of Newslink carrried a comprehensive report on the MSA’s Annual Conference 2013, but lack of space meant we had to omit a couple of notices. Friday night’s golf and bowling ‘ice breaker’ competition proved very popular. Ably run by MSA deputy chairman Geoff Little, it saw conference delegates Tim Butler (above left) and David Lane (above centre) take first and second prize in the 10-pin bowling competition, while James Williams (above right) won the competition for the longest drive on the golf simulator. Earlier on in the day, the inaugural MSA Golf Tournament had been held. Philip Morton, a member from Leicester, won a free day delegate ticket to next year’s annual conference for being the highest finishing member. During the Conference Dinner on Saturday night, a raffle held on behalf of local charity Time2Talk raised over £300, and the charity has written to the MSA asking us to pass on its sincere appreciation of our members’ generosity. Finally, all new members joining the MSA in recent months were entered into a draw for a free £50 voucher from Driving School Supplies, the MSA’s new approved supplier for ADI stationery and driving instruction products. The draw took place during the Conference and Mark Goddard of Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, was the lucky winner.
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www.collingwoodinstructors.co.uk or telephone 0845 470 0014
* Referral fees are paid on the inception of new policies only, not on renewals or existing customers. Referral fees are paid monthly by BACS. ** Vehicle as specified on the policy. Prices are correct as of 18th April 2013. Collingwood Insurance Services UK Ltd are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, Register no. 310870. Registered in England No 4174235. Collingwood Insurance Services UK Ltd, Collingwood House, Redburn Court, Early Grey Way, North Shilelds, Tyne & Wear, NE29 6AR. For security and training purposes calls may be monitored or recorded.
MSA NEWSLINK : MAY 2013 : 25
Regional view:
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You have to get up early to catch out the DSA... ROD CAME Editor, South East
DSA will reduce the opening times of its public telephone lines for booking practical driving tests from 2 April 2013. From Tuesday, 2 April 2013 the lines will be open from 8am to 12pm to reflect the declining volume of calls. They’re currently open from 8am to 4pm. Original DSA notice on proposals
Contact e: camedt@one tel.com t: 01424 883333 or 07930 842833 a: Crown Cottage, Cackle Street, Brede, Rye, East Sussex TN31 6EA
The DSA ARE at it again. You may have been forgiven for thinking this was an April fool’s joke, unfortunately it was not. In the name of progress and improved customer care DSA have reduced their commitment to those who have to use what little service they do provide. In their infinite wisdom they have decided to reduce their customer telephone contact time by 50 per cent to “reflect the declining volume of calls”. I cannot believe in my wildest imagination that DSA are not receiving any telephone calls between the hours of noon and 4pm from customers wishing to book practical driving tests. If there is a reduced demand any commercial provider of a service would reduce the number of personnel available to answer the calls that do come in, but to abandon the service altogether smacks of restriction of freedom of choice. What is a person without internet access to do if they start work before 8am with their lunch break after 12 noon? Part of the latest incarnation of a code of conduct for ADIs states “clients will be treated with respect and consideration” – this obviously does not apply to the DSA’s treatment of their customers. I wonder how many ADIs have decided to restrict the times their prospective customers can call them. Oh, I forgot, ADIs are not a monopoly. The demise of the DSA cannot come too soon.
DSA cancellations
Still on the subject of the DSA, it has always seemed strange to me that DSA offers to rebook a driving test that is cancelled due to bad weather
26 : MAY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK
Morning call: The DSA test booking line closes at noon, a reflection of “the declining volume of calls”
within three days, but if a test is cancelled because their own staff withdraw their labour it can take up to 10 days for a new date to be booked. Being something of a cynic I thought it might be that DSA were secretly supporting their striking colleagues, but Rosemary Thew has offered the following explanation; “While we advise customers on Gov.uk that we will notify them of a rebooking three days after a bad weather cancellation (but up to seven days if the bad weather persists) and between 5-10 days after a strike, the reality is that deployment try to rebook all agency cancelled tests as quickly as possible. I accept that our messaging is slightly misleading but its aim was to avoid customers deluging the contact centre with enquiries about the state of their booking after what is likely to be a mass of cancellations. I hope this clarifies the position.” I have no comment other than, make sure you
ring between 8am and noon.
Driving licences
The dictionary definition of a licence is: “a permit from the Government or other authority to own or do something or to carry on a certain trade”. Another definition under the same heading is; “a disregard of rules or customs etc, lack of due restraint in behaviour”. So now we have a problem, a driving licence is issued by a Government and allows us to disregard rules and behave with a lack of restraint. Why do we have driving licences? What is the purpose of such a permit if it permits us to do whatever we like? We might just as well not have one. So what does a driving licence actually do? Well, in itself the answer has to be absolutely nothing other than to permit, or allow, the holder of the licence to drive a vehicle. It does not necessarily indicate that the holder has at some
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Look – but don’t see
Sara Bradley p28
Time to get a grip on road safety Dave Pepperdine p30
Hazard ahead for the unwary John Lomas p34
Take a Seat for another great MSA meeting
point in the past achieved an acceptable level of competence in that skill. The unfortunate fact is that even in the countries which test drivers to a reasonable standard of competence, that level of ability is soon dispensed with and replaced by a “devil may care” sense of responsibility. The level of road sense and ability of drivers from many countries in the world, given the standard of driving in those countries, must raise cause for concern. This may account for a number of crashes that occur in the vicinity of ports and airports. A licence does not physically prevent a person driving while uninsured, intoxicated, drugged, or driving a category of vehicle for which their licence does not cover them. In this age of fantastic electronic wizardry a driving licence could be so much more. We regularly hear of electronic boxes being installed in vehicles for new drivers to display their ability, and for them to benefit, or not, from lower insurance premiums. We also hear of alco-lock devices that can be fitted to prevent intoxicated drivers from starting a vehicle, so it is only a small step to incorporate a driving licence into this scenario. Imagine a card reader fitted to a vehicle at the point of manufacture, which would only allow it to be started up and driven by certain people. Those people would be in possession of a driving licence similar in appearance to our current plastic part, which would contain a chip with all their details on it. The reader would be programmed by the owner of the vehicle to permit only those insured to drive to be able to do so. This in itself would immediately reduce the number of uninsured drivers on the road. The insurance details relating to the vehicle, policy information and named drivers would be entered into the reader by inputting a code from the insurance company. By inserting the correct driving licence confirmed by a fingerprint scanner into the
“In this age of fantastic electronic wizardry a driving licence could be so much more. We regularly hear of electronic boxes being installed in vehicles for new drivers to display their ability, and for them to benefit, or not, from lower insurance premiums... reader the vehicle would become ‘live’ and able to be driven. A non-authorised driver or non-insured vehicle would go nowhere. It is not beyond the bounds of technical possibility that an alco-lock and drug detector could also be incorporated. Additionally the licence reader would not allow an unqualified driver to drive a vehicle of a different category, so that those who passed their driving test after January 1997 and are limited to 3,500kgs gross could not accidentally or otherwise, drive a 4,100kg van. As with the insurance black boxes currently in use, it would be within the remit of the insurer to download the driving record and adjust the insurance premium according to the manner in which the vehicle had previously been driven, and by whom. The humble driving licence would then become elevated from being an ID card to get into clubs and pubs to something of greater value to the owner, and which would actually do what it says on the front.
MSA SOUTH EAST organised another interesting ADI meeting on Thursday, 11 April. Our hosts were Bartletts Seat, in St Leonards-on-Sea, where our regional chairman, Jo Chapman, welcomed members and guests. The very knowledgeable team from Bartletts Seat gave us an insight into the latest in the Seat range, including their electronic driver aids and the benefits drivers derive from them. Next up was Sarah Critchlow, Sussex Police’s casualty reduction officer, who spoke about the efforts the force, in collaboration with the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership, is making to help reduce casualties among young road users. Pre-driver training is playing a major part. Several new courses are coming on stream and there may be both practical and classroom work available for ADIs. Contact either Jo Chapman through the MSA website or go to Sussex Safer Roads Partnership for more details. What theory test resources are there available and where from? Zoe Mitchell and Derek Goodwin gave us a bewildering list of what you can get, where from and at what cost. Amazingly, a lot of stuff is free! Jo rounded off the evening with an introduction to the (very new) proposed ADI Standards Check Form, which will be used for all ADI evaluations starting very soon. This new DSA system appears to be similar to the old check test system but written in different words. There will no longer be a Fleet Trainer Check Test. It was a very informative evening enjoyed by all who attended. We extend our thanks to Bartletts Seat for allowing us the use of their premises, providing a mailing service and a very good buffet. There will be further meetings arranged throughout the year, in Brighton, Ashford and Crawley. Details on each one will be announced nearer the time.
The derivation of words: How man developed his language - and love of blood Humans are a race of killers. Early man started it all by deciding that fresh meat was preferable to the rancid stuff that was left lying around after a dinosaur had died. So with admirable skill, given that he only had a bit of flint and a stick lying around, he constructed a weapon capable of maiming the abundant livestock that was passing his cave door. Because of the goodness contained in fresh meat man was able to procreate at an alarming rate, thereby re-producing many images of his self. On occasion these chaps banded together and went out hunting to provide good food for their ladies and multiple offspring. Centuries passed and man became more adept at producing weapons, but found that running after the occasional brontosaurus called Rex was quite exhausting, so one day when a horse came into view he decided that instead of eating it he would use it for its design purpose and ride upon its back. This caused great merriment among his contemporaries but he persevered. When they finally saw the advantage of riding rather than running, they became enthusiastic about this new form of transport. As a consequence men went out in groups chasing and killing wildlife for sport, and enjoyed it. For many generations the horse served man well, however, progress being progress and man being man, he decided to do away with this natural form of propulsion and invented the horseless carriage. Initially this creation was a wonder, but as man had procreated so did the horseless carriage until they were as common as muck – of which there was now less. As these machines became faster so they killed more people but man really enjoyed the experience of speed – and that my friends, is why the accidental slaying of a fellow human being by a car is called mans laughter.
MSA NEWSLINK : MAY 2013 : 27
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Regional News: Eastern and North East
A haunting reminder of what happens when you ‘look but don’t see’ SARA BRADLEY Editor, Eastern
At last we seem to be enjoying some better weather. Spring is here and it seems to have lifted everyone’s spirits. Our examiners in Norwich are a really friendly bunch but they seem to be even happier this last week. An examiner in a good mood can only be a good thing! As the temperature rises so does the number of people who decide to go out on their bikes and motorbikes. That’s probably why, here in the Eastern region at the moment, an awareness campaign is running on the radio. The advert tells us that 30 cyclists/motorcyclists are seriously injured or killed a day at junctions, where people haven’t seen them. That really is a frightening thought. It’s the old cliché of looking but not seeing. The advert is very powerful and making sure our pupils use “effective observation” at junctions should always be uppermost in our minds. I have always believed that it should be law for cyclists to wear helmets, they are so vulnerable whizzing in and out of the queues of traffic. I remember watching the TV programme War on Britain’s roads a few months ago, telling how cyclists are easily killed at left turns. A lapse of concentration and a missed door mirror check before you turn left and another cyclist could be gone. One story was particularly poignant. It told of a mother who lost her only daughter this way in London. She was killed under the wheels of a huge lorry turning left at traffic lights, she had nowhere to go, trapped against some railings and killed instantly. The mother decided to try to do something about it and actually worked with the company directors of that lorry and together they invented “Proximity sensors” which they placed in all their
cabs. If a cyclist came up the side of the vehicle or was sitting at the rear an alarm sounded in the cab which forced the drivers to double check and has helped save lives. What an amazing idea. They are hoping to roll it out to other companies. I will look forward to the day when proximity sensors are in all vehicles. Anything that saves a life is worth developing. ‘Ghost bikes’ was another topic in that programme which made me think. I’m sure you have all seen displays of flowers and tributes at the road side where, tragically, people have lost their lives. In London when a cyclist is killed, sometimes their loved ones spray a bicycle white, place it at the accident spot and tributes are then placed on that. Some of these ‘ghost bikes’ apparently stay there for years. They must be a really sad sight, and I make it a point to tell my pupils about them in the hope that it will somehow make them realise how crucial it is to look AND see.
Sad reminder: ‘Ghost bikes’ mark the spot where a cyclist is killed
To finish, a meeting to report on. On March 5 we held an Eastern region meeting at Heartsease Methodist Church in Norwich. We had really good support again, particularly considering the fact that there was an important footie match on that night, too! Rod Tipple gave us an MSA update followed by our first networking session. Instructors had the chance to ask questions about various items concerning them and also discuss the latest issues and ideas. We also heard Andrew Barlow, community partnership manager, for his very interesting presentation on the work of the ‘first responders’ here in the East. Anyone interested in joining this worthwhile cause can apply at @eastambe.nhs.uk. Many thanks to Andrew for giving up his time. The regional committee is planning more meetings in the coming months; I’ll update you on the dates in the next issue of Newslink. Stay safe out there.
The sun is lighting up the night sky PAULA MORRIS Editor, North East
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THE latest innovations in the motoring world always fascinate me, and leave me wondering what the cars and roads we’ll be travelling in and on will look like in the future. A recent innovation in the Netherlands made interesting reading. New and improved road markings are being tested by the Dutch, with the lines painted with a photoluminescent powder. The powder gathers energy from the sun during the day, and apparently, even with a limited amount of sunshine, this can then be channelled to provide lighting for as much as 10 hours a night. It is an advancement that could eventually lead to the reduction or even removal of street lights. Clever stuff. Traditional markings are difficult to see at night time, as
we all know, and there is even talk of having a temperature controlled marking that warns drivers when the temperature dips to freezing conditions. Drivers will see ‘snowflake’ images on the road surface when freezing conditions bite. The designers of this have also turned their attention to electric cars, and are looking at designing a specific lane for them with special coils under the tarmac that will charge the vehicle as it passes over the coils! Ingenious, in my humble opinion – though my main cause of concern is... will the UK have enough sunshine to charge the paint? Who knows? I for one will be watching the progress of these tests with interest. • You can contact Paula at Paula@learner driver.co.uk
Regional News: East Midlands
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CPD’s not only great thing on menu at MSA’s Loughborough meeting On Wednesday, 17 April the East Midland region held another of its excellent series of ADI garage meetings, this time at Luffield Citroen in Loughborough. Our deputy chair, Steve Sentence, welcomed everyone and giving a short introduction to the night’s proceedings. He introduced the first speaker, Luffield’s business centre manager Rob Park. Rob gave all present details on his dealership’s latest deals on the Citroen range, and very tempting they are, too, with discounts off new vehicles plus some very competitive deals on contract hire. Well worth giving them a look, especially if you like the DS3 HDi Style+. Rob was followed by the East Midlands chairman, Derek Brutnell. Derek updated the audience on where the industry, and the MSA, is today, stressing how much the association can do for the ADI, highlighting such things as the public liability and professional indemnity insurance, and a run down of what events we have coming up during the year. He then asked for a show of hands for questions on what people wanted from the MSA locally, which I think gave the committee some real food for thought. Derek was followed by a speaker of a slightly different ilk from the usual from a driving instructor’s point of view – though no less relevant to our job. Martin Brown is operations risk advisor at East Midlands Control Centre Network Rail, and he gave a very interesting and informative presentation on railway level crossings. Interlinked with videos and slides he explained the different types and how they have become more sophisticated in the computer age. Of course, he had to add some very sobering facts and figures about what happens if people don’t obey the rules around crossings, and gave examples of how not to use them. You would not believe how mindless humans can be and the antics they perform at such places. If you can get your local Network Rail ORA to give a presentation at a local meeting it is well worth it. After a break to enjoy a wonderful buffet – indeed, a Gourmet Buffet – prepared by Xclusive Kitchen (Bistro Food art) with not a sausage roll in sight, nor curly cheese sandwiches. No, instead we we had such things as salmon nicose, ratatouille en croute, croissant filled with cheese and ham or cheese and spinach, mini Yorkshires with beef and a horseradish hollandaise, new potatoes with a stuffed olive dust, followed by a strawberry trifle shot and coffee, tea or soft drink. I think everyone was satisfied with that! All refreshed and ready for the next item, we quickly resumed our seats to listen to Colin Martin explain the advantages Instructor Apps brings to your business, helping to sell your lessons on line. It’s a new way to get business, with an online diary so that potential clients can book into the spaces that you have available without any fuss and they can pay up front by card. Sounds good to me; you can contact Colin on 0843 3309554. Our final speaker was James Gibson from Leicestershire County Council Road Safety, who told us about various road safety initiatives that were available in the county, including the Stats 19 form that is filled in by police at the scene of an RTC, which highlights such things as position of involved vehicles, type of vehicle, injury
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East Midlands meetings
Two members’ events are coming up in the next two months: CPD and Curry! in Lincoln May 21 Royal Tandoori Restaurant 118 High Street Lincoln LN5 7PR SKEGNESS Sunday, June 30 at the RNLI, starting 1.30pm. Contact Derek Brutnell to book your places on 01509 216102 or derekbrutnell@ yahoo.co.uk
Try this for size: A member checks out the new Citroen DS3 HDi Style +
Tasty treat: the buffet provided by our hosts, Luffield Citroen, was excellent (below)
severity and type, etc. He also highlighted Bikeability and how it is covered in the county, as well as the work of the emergency services, and the young driver days at Mallory Park racing circuit. A slightly disturbing revelation was when James was talking about ‘lollipop’ school crossings; he stated that the council is getting reports of at least two ‘drive throughs’ every two weeks; that is when the patrol person is stood in position in the road with the lollipop stick in the correct position and vehicles actually drive past and do not stop. There have been some cases where the car has hit the crossing patrol. Clearly this is an appalling situation and something must be done. Also mentioned in the presentation was the work of the fire service, distraction driving, drink / drugs driving, community speed watch, driver CPC, and green defensive driver training for fleets At this point the proceedings came to an end with Derek thanking the garage for generously hosting the event and the speakers for their time and effort, one of whom had travelled all the way from Portsmouth, and, of course, to all the people that attended. This event was an RSVP event and was very well
attended. There were spaces for anyone turning up on the night but doing it the way we did it gave everyone involved an idea of what would be needed and as it turned out it was a very successful evening. To those who felt they could not be bothered to reply and missed it, I’ll tell you you missed a very
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Regional News: East Midlands
Ignore the moaners: it’s time to get a grip on road safety DAVE pepperdine
Editor, East Midlands
good CPD event. Make sure you don’t miss the next one. It will be in Lincoln at the Royal Tandoori Restaurant 118 High Street Lincoln LN5 7PR on May 21. This is always a very popular event so book early to avoid disappointment. Please note that the restaurant needs at least one-week’s notice of total numbers attending so don’t miss out! Last but not least, we have another date for your diary. This time we are going as far east of the region as we can get without getting our wet feet! Yes, on Sunday, June 30 we have a summer meeting at the RNLI in bracing Skegness, with a provisional start time of 1.30pm. Our speakers are to be confirmed so WATCH THIS SPACE for more details.
Networking... and learning: Members mingle (above) and one of our guest speakers, Colin Martin
I have recently been looking at some reports that I collected years ago. One was entitled Tomorrow’s Roads, Safer for Everyone: The government’s road safety strategy and casualty reduction targets for 2010. Now I know we have made progress in lots of ways but this document was produced in 2000 and yet here we are, 13 years later, and things don’t seem to have moved on at a great pace. Okay, we have reduced the KSI but somehow we British seem to be a little on the back foot! Sort of too little to late. Far to much effort is spent on vote catching and not upsetting the apple cart. Is it not time to become more radical in our approach to saving lives? Due respect to the people who sit round tables and ruminate on the figures, then write a report on what has been said, before holding another meeting to discuss what was agreed at the last one, but at the end of the day there are too many people still getting killed on our roads. What I am suggesting is that we actually get tough, and instead of asking people gingerly what they would like and how we should deliver road safety in a way that the politicians will not lose votes, we need to be more vociferous and if people will not listen to reason then they need to be made to listen. Perhaps if young drivers were made to have a black box in the car, and insurance was brought down to a sane level, and driving crime was dealt with more severely, things would start to change. I bet even now there will be an outcry from the human rights lobbyists, saying that is a step too far. But if you abide by the rules then you have nothing to worry about. We may not all agree with the laws that are in force but they are there for a reason, but modern ways of thinking mean that if one does not like a law they will just not adhere to it
knowing the penalty will be a slap on the wrist and told not to do it again. Surely if a driver kills someone through being selfish, reckless and with a total disregard for everyone else, then they should receive a sentence that shows that that sort of behaviour will not be tolerated. Perpetrators should never be allowed to drive again. Yes, it is radical but a few sentences of this nature might get the message across. What do you think?
Not all pupils want to be at the centre! Are we all getting to grips with client-centred learning (CCL)? I suppose I had better be careful what I say after my last little rant, but it seems to be causing some consternation among the ranks, especially with the longer established ADIs like myself, who have been ‘doing it’ for umpteen years. As we all know when we get a client who has been driving for years in a different country or has been riding a motor cycle for a similar length of time, it is very difficult to get rid of old habits and generate new ones. I feel a similar feeling with CCL although for myself I have been unknowingly using CCL for many years but not as a main teaching method and I must admit I am finding it very taxing. I certainly find that it is asking the right question at the right time that is the difficult part. All the books and teachings on the subject are very good and useful but they invariably use a ‘perfect’ client who always gives the answer that’s needed in exactly the way you would see it printed in a book. Which, of course, it is. I would love to read a book that uses those clients who aren’t the brightest. There are many out there who are more difficult to get answers from. Take a question such as “what should you do before moving off?” The answer might go something like “Errrm, switch the engine on?” or “Errrm, I’m not sure... look over my left shoulder for bikes? I know these are a bit OTT but can you see the point? I would like to see reality in these coaching scenarios, not perfection. Whoops, am I getting carried away? Whatever I, or anyone else thinks, change is coming so we had all better get used to it or, as they say, move on!
MSA NEWSLINK : MAY 2013 : 31
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Regional News: West Midlands
Letter jibe is insult to fire service having to defend our professionalism when you know that you have done all you can. Just for the record, in the area I served we only ever rescued a cat on the request of the RSPCA and we certainly would not put anyone at risk while responding. Even then great care was taken as in the past a fireman has lost his life rescuing a cat. As for getting back before the chips cooled, my response to this comment is not fit for print!
TERRY PEARCE
Editor, West Midlands
Contact e: terrysom@ aol.com t: 02476 335270 a: 20 Brownshill Green Road, Coventry CV6 2DT
As a retired fire officer I was incensed by the content of a letter in April’s Newslink from a ‘Concerned non-ADI’. He may have some justification to criticise the fire appliance driver for his use of sirens but to imply that he was forcing his way through traffic to “rescue a cat or get home before the chips get cold” is an insult to all the blue light services that daily put their lives at risk. Today’s fire appliance drivers are highly trained and the crew is well aware of their responsibility to the general public in getting to the emergency as quickly, but safely, as possible. Inevitably, the more urgent the call, the more calculated risk they take. Anyone trapped in a burning house or a vehicle following a road traffic crash, quite rightfully, expects the emergency services to get there as soon as possible. It is a view I experienced at an inquest when I was questioned by a bereaved husband about the time it took to arrive. I was able to prove we arrived five minutes earlier than the crews he saw as we pulled up on the opposite side of the flats from where he was waiting; even so it was not a pleasant experience
I have started using the DSA’s online Business Booking Service. I found that getting started was quite challenging and put it down to my lack of understanding of the system, but talking to other ADIs I have discovered that it was not just me and some have given up trying as they just cannot manage to log on. I persevered and after logging on successfully I tried to book two tests. All went well until I had to pay and I was informed there was a problem and I would have to try again later. After speaking by phone to the booking clerks I tried again and this time it worked. My general opinion is that it’s very good. It gives you ample time to book multiple appointments and you make one single payment for all the tests booked, which is a pleasant change from the old system. The downside is I am not informed of any change of test date that my pupil makes, unlike before when I booked using my business ID and received a schedule informing me of any changes. I asked the DSA about this and I accept their point that it is my pupil’s responsibility to inform me. My next question was what if the DSA changes the test? The reality is that many candidates do not check their email for weeks apart unless they are
West Midlands regional meeting In the April issue of Newslink we advertised an MSA meeting at Renault Birmingham, which took place as this issue went to press on April 23. In the advert the publishers incorrectly stated that the meeting was free to MSA members, £5 to non-members. This was a production error: the correct price quoted should have been Members £5; non-members £8 (£3 refunded if they joined on the night). The publishers would like to apologise for the error and any inconvenience caused to either the regional committee or local members.
expecting something. I also posed the question to the DSA, how do they inform a candidate at short notice about a change of test, because they do not ask for a phone number. They are getting back to me on that point! My final thought on the new system is my user ID. I suppose that as it is a Government ID there will be others apart from ADIs using it, but as my ID starts with 884 and is followed by nine other numbers, my ID number is in the 884 billion range. The world population is about seven billion. Does the Government know something about population explosion that I don’t?
NEWS IN BRIEF
Concern over diesel supply Diesel car owners are increasingly at the mercy of international traders and global events as North Sea oil reserves shrink, the RAC Foundation has said. In 2001, a glut of oil production from the North Sea meant the UK exported 40 per cent of the fuel it produced. However,
today we import 32 per cent of the fuel we use. The country’s ageing oil refineries are also struggling to meet the demand for diesel caused by the growing number of diesel cars on the road, while a reduction in the number of refineries from nine to
Recommend a colleague to join the MSA – and receive a £10 M&S voucher Many new MSA members join on the recommendation of a colleague – and we want to make sure that if that colleague is you, you know that your work in spreading the good news about the MSA is appreciated. So if you do recommend a colleague, we’ll send you a £10 Marks & Spencer’s voucher as a thank you. If you recommend a colleague ask them to put your membership number in the “How did you hear about the MSA?” box if they join online, or if they join over the phone, they can quote it when they submit their details to our membership team. This promotion cannot be used in conjunction with any discount code or offer.
32 : MAY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK
seven has placed further pressure on the industry’s ability to meet demand. While the UK is a net exporter of petrol, it is a net importer of diesel, having to bring in as much as an estimated two weeks’ worth of its annual usage. Further pressure on supply will come as
North Sea oil reserves decline, at which point international treaties will obligate the UK to hold much greater reserves of both oil and refined products and will require significant investment in storage facilities.
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MSA MOTOR SCHOOLS ASSOCIATION
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News
Update for MSA guides A quartet of good advice – just £6.50 each THE MSA has updated its four popular ADI guides to bring them bang up-to-date with the latest changes to the driver training and testing sector. The MSA Part 2 Guide; the MSA Check Test Guide; the MSA Driving Test Guide and the MSA PDI Guide provide help for instructors at different stages of the career ladder. They are all written by experienced ADIs and provide insight and advice for all instructors, no matter what stage of their careers they are at. The MSA Part 2 Guide is designed to assist those studying to take the ADI Part 2 examination by bringing much of the theoretical information together in one place. It is not a substitute for training or for a thorough study of other literature, in particular the DSA manual Driving - The Essential Skills and the Highway Code. It explains the three sections of the ADI Part 2 examination and gives advice on what to do when you arrive at the test centre, including the documentation you need to take with you and the way the safety check questions will be conducted. The MSA Check Test Guide gives you full details of what is required on your check test. It is written for ADIs by ADIs and will demystify the whole business of the check test and help you to prepare properly. The guide gives details of the list of pre-set lesson plans that are used and advises what happens on the day; the type of pupil to take; the questions your examiner will ask you and the sort of answers s/he is looking for. It also explains the core competencies of fault identification, fault analysis and remedial action. The MSA Driving Test Guide is designed to explain how the driving test works, what examiners are looking for and what the markings on the DL25 marking sheet actually mean. It details the duties of a professional driving instructor who presents pupils for test and goes on to explain the driving test assessment guidelines, and gives full details of the differences between driving faults/serious faults and dangerous faults. The guide goes on to give details of how errors are categorised in order to assist ADIs in interpreting the DL25, the Driving Test Report form. The MSA PDI Guide provides help for those who want to become ADIs. It gives details of all three sections of the ADI examinations and explains the qualification system.
Just £6.50 each
These invaluable tools for all ADIs are available to purchase from MSA head office at a cost of just £6.50 each. Telephone 0161 429 9669 now with a credit or debit card, or send a cheque made payable to the MSA to MSA Head Office, 101 Wellington Road North, Stockport, Cheshire SK4 2LP. Order all four for just £24.00 – call the head office.
Complete the simple application form – and you’re a member and can start benefitting from membership right away * Initial application £72, includes one-off joining fee of £15 MSA NEWSLINK : MAY 2013 : 33
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Regional News: North West
Insurance rules for vehicles off the road ready to trip up unwary JOHN LOMAS
Editor, North West
Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose My apologies for using a foreign (heathen) language in an article about Britain and the British. The translation for those of us who don’t read French is: “The more things change, the more they stay the same” Some 26 months ago I published an article warning about the forthcoming regulation regarding continuous insurance for VED paid vehicles. Part of that article is printed below Selling your car on. While most of us will be trading our cars through dealers, there are a few who will be getting a new vehicle, transferring the insurance and then selling their previous car privately. This has now become more complicated and expensive, if not impossible. This is the text of a notice from the DfT regarding continuous insurance rules. ... DOT uninsured drivers face new crackdown New powers to tackle uninsured driving will come into force within months, Road Safety Minister Mike Penning announced today. Under the new powers it will be an offence to keep an uninsured vehicle, rather than just to drive when uninsured. ... the DVLA will work in partnership with the Motor Insurers’ Bureau to identify uninsured vehicles, and motorists will receive a letter telling them that their vehicle appears to be uninsured and warning them that they will be fined unless they take action. If the keeper fails to insure the vehicle they will be given a £100 fine if the vehicle remains uninsured – regardless of whether the fine is paid – it could then be seized and destroyed
Vehicles with a valid Statutory Off Road Notice (SORN) will not be required to be insured. The Department for Transport today made the Commencement Order to make it an offence to be the registered keeper of a vehicle which does not have insurance, as well as regulations to support this. Further regulations will be made shortly, allowing the scheme to come into force in the Spring. This means that unless you declare your old vehicle SORN, you will need to take out new insurance on the old one or continue that insurance and take new insurance on the new vehicle. If you go the SORN route a potential purchaser will not be able to road test the vehicle and it will have to be taxed and insured before leaving your premises, or it can be towed away on a trailer. This could be a good way of clamping down on all those ‘Car for Sale’ signs we regularly see on parked vehicles, which are so often being used by traders to
make them appear to be private sellers and thus not subject to Trading Standards rules; but it may well have unintended consequences such as harming genuine private sales. This change to the regulations came into force around May 2011, though at that time it was said: “The laws come into force now, but will not be rigorously enforced until 20 June. The month-long ‘amnesty’ will give the DVLA and car insurers time to publicise the law, allowing owners to react.” The Government’s website (www.gov.uk) currently shows: Uninsured vehicles: Rules in England, Wales and Scotland The rules for insuring vehicles are called ‘continuous insurance enforcement’. They mean that if you’re the registered keeper of a vehicle it must be insured or declared as off the road (SORN). If not, you could: • get a fixed penalty of £100
Frodsham to host North West meeting MSA North West is holding an open meeting in Frodsham on Friday, 31 May. Our hosts will be Frodsham Fire Station, Ship Street, Frodsham, Cheshire WA6 7NW. This is just off the A56 to the north. Coming from the East (Warrington-WidnesRuncorn, etc M56 jct 12 onto A557 - A56) turn right just before Morrisons on the left. Coming from the West (Wirral, M56 jct 14A5117-A56 Chester, Wales, etc. A55-A56) turn left shortly after passing Morrisons on the right. Among the topics to be discussed: • What about this new Standards Check?
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• Do you have any problems in your area with DSA or the local Highways Authorities? If so, tell us about them and we can make representations on your behalf. We will start to gather from 7.15 pm and would like to see as many of you from around that area as possible. Please also tell other ADIs, who are not MSA members, so that we can extend a welcome to them to come and join us. Remember, there is a ‘recommend a colleague’ form in Newslink (on page 34) so if you bring along a non-member of the evening, and he or she joins the MSA there and then, you will qualify for a £10
voucher. There will be no charge to members and a £5 charge for non-members – though that will be refunded if anyone joins on the night, too. A further regional meeting is being planned for Blackburn in early July. Watch out for details in the next Newslink.
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• have your vehicle wheel-clamped, impounded or destroyed • face a court prosecution, with a possible maximum fine of £1,000 In the past week I have heard of two drivers who have bought new (replacement) vehicles and have merely had the insurance company change the vehicle details on their policy, while they still have ownership of the original vehicle which has not been declared SORN. One of these drivers was an instructor who actually moved the new vehicle to his home under a short-term insurance from the dealer in order that he could then swap the duals over prior to doing the insurance swap, but who still then needed to sell on his previous car. The other driver was the son of an instructor who actually did the insurance swap just prior to collecting the new car and has the old one on his drive waiting for a purchaser. Now I could act all “should have known better” but I will point out that although the V5 document was totally redesigned recently, AND on copies of the new document sent out to replace all previous V5s, there is nothing on that new document to remind keepers about the Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE). Another aspect that worries me is that the insurance companies or brokers do not appear to be reminding their policy holders about CIE, though I would have thought that it would actually be in their interest to do so as they would have two vehicles covered and could even devise a new product which covers non-driven vehicles in the interim between buying and selling or at least have a TPFT policy on the unused vehicle.
Meeting up
Looking back through to the 2011 issue that carried the above story, I spotted the notice below. As then, we are still interested in finding locations for regional meetings. Meetings around the Region This is the regular appeal for invites to local areas. We are hoping to do some round-the-region visits this year, but if we know that an area has a suitable venue and a number of instructors who would like us to come and give a presentation or seminar on issues of interest, then it makes it a lot easier to arrange such events. The offer still stands. If you would like to get in touch, feel free to contact either myself (contact box on this page) or one of my fellow committee members, whose details can be found in the MSA Year Book or on the regional page of http://www.msagb.com/asp/ mem-pse-signin.asp We also listed them on the regional page of the December 2012 Newslink
Dual carriageway
We all know the definition of a road with a continuous physical barrier between opposing carriageways, but the little road pictured on the facing page raised a question in my mind. The road can be found just round the corner from MSA South Wales chairman Paddy Tyler in Barry Town. While in this instance it is actually in a built-up area and subject to a lower limit, what would the ruling be if a rural DC was separated by an island such as this? As can be seen, there is clearly a continuous physical barrier, two rows of kerb stones separated by a tarmac-covered island with trees at intervals and yet the ground level, over the cross-section of the barrier, is the same as that of the adjacent carriageways. Would this qualify as a dual carriageway for national speed limit purposes? Would it be different if there was grass instead of tarmac on the island? Over to those of you who know how to read the small print in the regulations!
Regional News: South Wales
Having ‘experience’ doesn’t mean you have all the answers I expect that many of you are currently trying to absorb the news on proposed changes that are likely to affect both our work and our personal lives in the near future; I know that I am trying to. The effects of any changes, if they ever are made, will vary on each of us in different ways. There are many well-informed individuals and organisations putting forward their views and it is difficult for me to decide whether any of them are ‘right’. I read and listen to a lot and spend a lot of my time trying to make sense of the changes. For this I have to blame my old English teacher, who explained that if we wanted to understand things it was necessary to listen to all sides and weigh things up properly. There is no doubt that work or business life is much tougher now than it has been for a long time, at least it is in Wales. There may be demographic differences around the UK. I am sure we all would like to be able to find the right answer to our business woes. Bearing in mind it is part of a much bigger economic problem (which I do not understand), what is the answer? Put yourself in the learner’s seat for the moment. When they turn to you for an answer; sometimes there is one answer or a small group of answers that may provide the solution they seek. That is fair enough when we are teaching or coaching specific skills and know where we would like it to lead. When it’s a much bigger problem and I have little or no knowledge of the causes or an understanding where it may lead – what then? It would be arrogant for me to act as though I have more knowledge than others just because I have a lot of experience. I have realised long ago that experience is only a description of the time I have spent at a task. I have met many younger and less experienced people who have found better answers than I have at some tasks. I have found that it’s useful to look at all that’s on offer, including any advice, training, business opportunities and any other information offered to me. It’s easy to get bogged down and lose sight of opportunities that may be out there, so we need to look for them. I see that RoSPA has presented a policy document on black box technology for use in vehicles. The safety charity quotes research which shows improvements to driver behaviour when such technology is fitted, especially among young driver groups. There are obvious benefits for road safety which should be encouraged. There could also be benefits to the insurance sector and I am sure we would all welcome improvements there. There can be little doubt that this technology has many advantages. The actual benefits would
DAVID JAMES
Editor, South Wales
be proven by use, but how far could this go, I wonder? In the not-too-distant past many may remember there were attempts to introduce black box technology as standard equipment in all new vehicles. The EU legislators stopped short of making its use mandatory, following strong lobbying from many groups, including civil liberties campaigners. How would we feel if we were asked to use black box technology on driving lessons? Could it be possible for those ADIs whose black box records lots of driving errors on lessons to be charged a higher premium? No matter how good the technology, commercial control may not be the way forward. There have been some cases in the news lately regarding ‘free’ games online where users have been surprised when they receive large bills. It seems that the companies are acting legally within their terms and conditions. One caller on the radio had an interesting viewpoint on this. If a free offer is made which turns out to be very smart, with cleverly drawn up terms and conditions, it can create a feeling with the customer that they were mislead and make them think twice before going back to that company. I suppose this could apply to almost any business and customer relationship. There has been a notification given by the DSA that some models manufactured by Nissan, Honda, Mazda and Toyota may be subjected to a recall to fix a problem with the passenger airbag. The affected models are thought to have been registered between 2000 and 2004. The DSA advises that if any car of these makes and age are used for driving tests, a check will be made to see if it is one of the models listed and what action must be taken. Make sure your tuition vehicle doesn’t fall foul of the problem.
Contact David James can be contacted via e: d.james869@ btinternet.com or via 07733 070888
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Regional News: Greater London
Signs aren’t good for safe driving TONY PHILLIPS
Editor, Greater London
Road signs: Confused, Clapham! I read a report recently concerning a survey conducted by Confused.com, which showed that many drivers in the UK have a poor understanding of road signs and fail to notice them. I can quite believe this and from my experience of driving in other countries, and in defence of UK drivers, I believe this to be true of drivers everywhere, not just those in the UK. It doesn’t help, however, when road signs and markings are incorrect, misleading and sometimes confusing. To emphasise this point, here are a few pictures that give pictorial evidence of the point that I’m making. These are of bad signage located very local to me and are typical of the point that I wish to make. From my point of view, they’re typical of what I’ve come to expect from local councils and the Highways Authorities, and they really don’t help if you’re the type of driver that uses road signs for guidance, especially in unfamiliar territory. If you look at the pictures right, the first (pic 1) is a sign for a mini-roundabout yet there is no mini-roundabout to be seen. What CAN be seen in the background is a major roundabout; big enough to have shrubs and trees planted in the centre and needing a compulsory direction arrow. As far as I’m aware (Newslink readers will, I’m sure, correct me if I’m wrong), a mini-roundabout sign basically means (in my own words): “Here is a miniroundabout. You must give way to traffic crossing from your right and you must go round it in a clockwise direction.” It’s almost certainly the case that the local authority has used this sign (the same type of sign has been used on all roads approaching the roundabout) as an advanced warning sign for a roundabout and it does at least serve this purpose. Quite frankly, most of the drivers that approach it – including local ADIs – have never noticed it, even when I’ve spoken to them about it. Another local confusion issue is picture number 2. The road marking says STOP and has a STOP line but the sign says Give Way. To be fair, until about three years ago, the junction was a full STOP control including the road sign and even now, anyone with an ounce of common sense would approach very slowly and probably stop as the junction does have restricted views in either direction and, as it’s a crossroads junction, there’s the additional problem of road users approaching from ahead as well. However, if the authorities can’t get it right, it isn’t really fair to blame road users I think. The professionals at least should be able to ensure that signage is correct, shouldn’t they? Last on this subject is a bit of a teaser. Picture 3 is of Franconia Road SW4. Nice terraced houses in a well-lit residential street. There are no speed limit signs and no traffic calming. What’s the speed limit? You tell me if you’re reading this article. The answer will be in the next issue.
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Regional News: Greater London
DSA leaves key ‘complaint’ off website ADI makes light of replacing headlight bulbs
I think that others have commented on this problem but it’s really incomprehensible, writes Tony Phillips. My own car, a Renault Clio Series 3, is an absolute nightmare if you want to replace headlight bulbs and, in fact, the recommended method is to take off the front bumper and take the light assembly out! Ridiculous! Especially as the car is French and there are strict rules over there on carrying spare bulbs. Obviously the offence must be to not have the spare bulbs as opposed to having bulbs fitted and working. My partner Lesley is an ADI and she too has the same make and model, as did her son Sean, also an ADI. He has managed to develop a technique for replacing these bulbs and he can whip out an old un’ and replace it with a new un’ in about five minutes. He’s thinking of starting up a side-line in bulb replacement. I think he might have seen the light for a bright new business. n Publisher’s note: As someone who owns and drives a Renault Grand Scenic, could you, ahem, enlighten us, on this trick? As far as I am aware, it is easier to change the gearbox on a Renault than a headlight bulb...
Complaining about complaints
If you go to www.gov.uk you will find a very easy-to-use website for finding Government departments online. All the driving sections are there, including a section for complaining about driving instructors. It’s important I think that we, the general public,
should have facilities such as this. Naturally, it would be good if there was somewhere to complain about other trades besides ours. After all, in our private and domestic lives, we need to be able to deal with problems as well. What I couldn’t find, however, is a section on how to make a complaint about driving test examiners. To err is human and we can all make mistakes, however, when the mistake causes hardship to a driving test candidate, there should be an easy-to-use conduit that takes us through the correct procedure. I wonder if we should contact Rosemary Thew and ask her why there is such a glaring omission?
Green Party is pedalling for pedestrian votes Just a quickie but one of our local radio stations, LBC, had a phone-in recently with the head of the Green Party, Natalie Bennett, in the studio taking calls. This piece isn’t going to reflect any partisan political sway by me but reflect on the logic of politicians generally and Natalie Bennett in particular. During the phone-in, many calls were made concerning the danger to cyclists by LGVs and how to reduce the risk of collision. A new Satnav gadget was discussed and various good ideas were mooted but on more than a few occasion, drivers (and not just LGV drivers) called in to suggest that cyclists should have to take some form of cycling proficiency. Near the end of the programme, the presenter asked Ms Bennett her views on this point and she
was stridently adamant that this shouldn’t be the case as it was considered that it would put people off cycling and it is a great wish to get more people cycling and walking. She asked a rhetorical question “Should pedestrians have to take a proficiency test?” The inference being that cycling and walking is a preferred means of transport to using motorised transport, ie, buses, taxes, motorcycling and, of course, driving. I don’t have a great argument against her sentiments and to a large extent, I agree. The more we use our limbs to get around rather than rely on mechanical, fossil-fuelled power, the better it must be for everyone. It doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t drive, just drive less. However, for me the significant point is that she is against some form of education as it would, in her opinion, reduce the possibility of people taking up cycling. Furthermore, following her logic, she considers cyclists as pedestrians on wheels rather than controllers of a road-going vehicle. This is obvious from her response, as reported above. Her response highlights a personal point of view which is, in my opinion, wrong on so many levels and she should really be challenged. However, my main point is what we in the driver training industry have thought is correct. Politicians are less bothered about safety and more concerned about their own agenda and that’s the reason why we never hear of politicians having any real discussion about driver re-training/ assessment. It simply isn’t something that they believe the public wants and by inference therefore, it isn’t a vote winner.
Contact e: tony@tonys trainees.co.uk Please ensure all emails contain MSA Greater London in the subject
Tell the world if potholes are driving you potty, says AA
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What’s the speed limit? Nice terraced houses, in a well-lit residential street – so what is the speed limit? Answers next issue - but let Tony Phillips know what you think.
Potholes are becoming a growing problem, particularly for cyclists, according to Edmund King, president of the AA. Councils may have been inundated with reports of potholes but, even so, 18 million drivers have spotted potholes but failed to report them, new AA research reveals. Drivers who have reported pot holes in UK roads are outnumbered three to one by those who would if they knew how. That is why the AA is encouraging all drivers and cyclists who spot dangerous potholes to report them to the relevant highway authority. As the law stands, highway authorities must be aware of significant potholes and have taken no action before road users stand any chance of winning a claim for damage. A new AA Populus survey of 21,874 AA members suggests that authorities would be hit much harder by pothole reports and compensation claims if more were reported by road users. The survey, conducted between 15 - 26 March 2013, reveals that 14 per cent of AA members across the UK have notified local authorities of potholes. Four times as many drivers aged over 65 say they have reported potholes (19 per cent) than those aged between 18 and 24 (five per cent). More telling is the 46 per cent of AA members who would report potholes if they had more information about how to do it. That is largely consistent across sex, age and regional responses, even reaching 44 per cent among professionals. Top three regions for not reporting bad potholes are: Yorkshire and Humberside, South East and Scotland/North East. And for failing to report potholes through not knowing the local authority’s procedure: London, Northern Ireland, West Midlands, followed by the North East, North West, East Midlands. “Some local roads are pothole-riddled obstacle courses which could have fatal consequences for those on two wheels and cause expensive damage for those on four,” says Edmund King, the AA’s president. “Personally I have experienced damage to both my car (broken springs) and bicycle (punctures) due to the poor state of the roads.”
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Feature: Newslink review
Newslink hits 250th milestone Driver testing and training has come a long way since the MSA published its first issue of Newslink... but some things have stayed stubbornly familiar. Rob Beswick has a wander through the archives
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HARP-EYED members may have spotted that Newslink reached a major milestone with our April issue, when the MSA’s membership magazine reached its 250th issue. Launched in August 1989 as a bi-monthly tabloid-style newspaper, Newslink replaced the association’s original A4 glossy magazine, News Journal. Both were published on behalf of the association by its then publishers, Integral Publishing, and its birth was not easy, as MSA general manager John Lepine recalls: “It wasn’t a decision I was happy with. I’ve always got on very well with the various publishers who have worked on MSA media over the years and supported many of the changes they have requested, but this decision was one that led to a huge row between myself and the MD of Integral, Harry Ramsden - so much so that he complained about me to the then chair, Betty Blair. “The change was forced upon us for financial reasons but within two issues I had realised the publishers were right and it was the best move we could have made. It instantly opened up a huge amount of space for new articles, to cover issues in more depth and the tabloidstyle was well received by members. The feedback from members were overwhelmingly positive, as it has remained ever since.” To mark the 250th anniversary issue, we spent a fascinating day looking back through the archives, and over the next few issues we’ll bring you some of the big stories from the past.
Scrap the Poll Tax... it’s costing ADIs dear. Our front page from August 1990 reflected ADI concern over falling demand for driving lessons
In many ways our trawl through ADI and MSA history has been a living contradiction: highlighting how far the industry has changed – and how much it has stayed still. The changes to the industry are remarkable. Back at Newslink’s launch, the concept of taking driving tests to the people through ad hoc driving test centres would have had examiners and instructors alike spluttering into their morning cup of tea, as would the length of the test, post-test debriefs, independent driving and check tests. The theory test and Pass Plus were not even a twinkle in the DSA chief executive’s eye; neither had been considered but both were about to become front page news over the next few years. Even the DSA didn’t exist; it was to be introduced as an executive agency in April 1990, by the then Minister for Roads and Traffic Robert Atkins. And Newslink’s pages record a major social change that should be acknowledged. When the DSA was launched, it was no surprise to see that our front page photograph of its senior officials consisted of an exclusively male line-up – perhaps a reflection of the wider industry at the time.
How times change: Rosemary Thew’s hand is now on the tiller at the DSA, and her chief officers are all female with one exception! Proof that times have changed amazingly since 1989. Yet at the same time, it is interesting to see how many stories we’re reported on since 1989 would still resonate today. A regular theme is concern over whether lesson prices were keeping pace with the cost of the driving test, whether the role of the ADI was undervalued by Westminster and concern over falling demand for lessons. Indeed, writing this in the wake of Mrs Thatcher’s death, it was interesting to see that the Poll Tax, the policy that ultimately led to her downfall, made front page news as it was partly blamed for reducing demand for lessons and squeezing ADI incomes. So join us for a wander down the annals of recent history. Here we look at highlights from the first 50 issues; over the coming months we’ll bring our walk through history more up-to-date.
n August 1989: A new publication is launched...
n Dec 1989 - Jan 1990: Europe gets involved
Welcome to a new publication... and a new chairman. The first issue of Newslink had a difficult birth. A clumsily designed masthead caused complaints at Board level and production errors ‘flipped’ the front page photograph, switching new chairman Ron Feltham’s carefully placed side parting to the other side of his head and – worse – the logo on his chain reproduced back to front, as if looking at it in a mirror. We carried a tribute to outgoing chair Betty Blair, introduced Londoner Ron as her replacement and carried a thorough run-through of the goings-on in Westminster as the first rumblings of a Not forgotten: National chairman break-up of powers at the Department of Ron Feltham graced the first Transport were heard. ever Newslink cover
Europeans having a say on Britain’s driver testing and training regime? That will never catch on... Today we are used to the concept that the UK operates in a pan-European environment, and many important changes to the ADI world have been derived from legislation emanating from Brussels and Strasbourg. But back in 1989 the idea was new: so Euro moves on driver testing was our front page headline, stating that a new directive was forcing a significant change to the driving test. The then current ‘theory test’ – six random questions pulled from the Highway Code, usually centring around understanding traffic signs – was not enough, the burghers of Europe had decreed. It was to be replaced by a more tougher test – and the MSA was being asked what form that new test should take. More on that later!
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Feature: Newslink review
April-May 1990: Welcome to the DSA
AugustSeptember ’91: John Lepine MBE
Our April/May 1990 issue brought a new acronym and slogan to the attention of members - and they still play a major role in ADIs’ lives today, too. Robert Atkins, Minister for Roads and Traffic, announced the introduction of the Driving Standards Agency – to be known as the DSA – with “Safe Driving for Life’ as its slogan. The first chief executive was Chris Woodman, and his all-male board included such well-known figures as Paul Butler – who has only just left the agency – Keith Cameron and Brian Austin. If the launch of the agency wasn’t enough, a major change to the driving test was coming. For ADIs new to the industry today, here’s a shocker for you: back then, when an L-test was failed, candidates received an undecipherable scrap of paper to digest while the examiner scurried off to the safe haven of the DTC. Instead instructors were encouraged to attend for a post-test debrief – indeed, “instructors will be encouraged to sit in the back of the car for the whole of the test” in an attempt to reduce the amount of time the examiner would have to spend sitting in the car at the end of the test waiting for the ADI to join them.
n AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 1990: Downturn causing concern as recession, poll tax and demographics combine to cut L-test demand The recession of the late ‘80s-early ‘90s – the time of the Poll Tax riots, the fall of Margaret Thatcher and a general worsening of economic conditions – caused concern for the ADI world. A sharp downturn in lessons had made many wonder whether there was a future in the industry – though the dip in the birth rate in the mid-70s was suggested as a demographic reason for ADIs sitting idle. Perhaps, it was suggested, it was time to close the ADI Register?
L-test take-up was down five per cent, to 1,112,975 tests, and the call was that ‘there were too many ADIs and it’s time the Register was closed to newcomers.’ The plea fell on deaf ears. Also apparently falling on deaf ears were ADIs calls to the DSA: its test booking service could not cope with demand, despite the downturn, and the MSA was leading demands for reform and improvements. No internet then; how did we ever cope?
This issue had a celebratory tone as the MSA’s general manager, John Lepine, was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for Services to Driver Training and Road Safety. We also rejoiced in some positive road safety figures: personal injuries from road traffic incidents were down by 27 per cent and the overall casualty rate from all sectors fell by 11 per cent.
JUNE 1991: Post-test data capture threat
In June 1991 the industry was shaken by news that the DSA intended to introduce post-test data analysis, and give members of the public individual instructors’ pass rates. The MSA fought vigorously against this, pointing out a host of flaws in the scheme, which would discourage ADIs from taking to test ‘challenging’ pupils and could be statistically flawed. Our front cover picture was showing the UK’s most scenic driving test centre: a lay-by in the Highlands of Scotland. And the DSA thinks it is so clever introducing ‘taking testing to the people’.. it’s been around for years! Scotland always had a number of adhoc test centres, based in areas of low population density that did not merit a full-time test centre but did have occasional demand for tests. Tests would be conducted from various unusual locations - lay-bys, civic buildings, even one based around an isolated telephone box. Examiners would often spend two days conducting tests for all the local candidates who had waited patiently for their area’s ‘test slots’ to come round, and then leave, not returning for some weeks or even months.
n OCT-NOV 1990: Should lesson prices match the driving test fee?
Quality • Professional • Value
By October 1990 the economic conditions had forced many ADIs to the breadline. Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait had sent a shudder through the Western world, petrol prices soared and people braced for what was feared could be a catastrophic war. On our front page we asked whether a national price for driving lessons should be introduced. At the very least, should we ADIs consider matching lesson prices to that for an L-test? At the time the fee was £19.50 for a 35-minute test. As evidence as to why this was necessary, we quoted the MacDonald Report in Driver Testing and Training of 1987: “There is a danger of experienced ADIs being forced out of the industry by inexperienced and less competent instructors charging less than they are.” Words from the past which resonate today. If the industry had followed our call, a lesson today would retail for around £50-60 an hour! It says something about the news that hit the MSA that month that the launch of a new national driving school was relegated to page 3. The AA had long coveted a higher profile in addition to its breakdown recovery service, and it was in this year that it’s distinctive branding became a familiar sight in driving test centre car parks. Using a fleet of VW Polos the AA took on the existing national school, BSM, with its proud boast that ‘all our instructors are fully qualified’ - a dig at its national rival’s use of trainees. In many ways the AA was very forward thinking. It gave all its instructors a ‘Code of Conduct’ to follow – the MSA had launched its own in the 1950s but the DSA’s ‘official’ version would not arrive for a while – and offered a ‘Pass Pack’ for new drivers, which included a free motorway lesson and other goodies that in many ways hinted at Pass Plus in the future. An interesting footnote to this issue: as people know only too well, the war to reclaim Kuwait wasn’t quite the Armageddon some had originally feared. Indeed, the Gulf War was over pretty much as soon as it began. But the Allied invasion to liberate Kuwait began on the night of the MSA conference in Hastings, with a handful of gala dinner ‘survivors’ huddled round a TV in the hotel lobby to watch John Simpson’s breathless reports from the frontline. In the days before 24-hour news, this was a first for the UK and a precursor of the round-the-clock blanket news coverage we are so used to today.
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• Full subject brief/recap • Professionally illustrated • Driving school personalisation box for your logo contact details or promotional message • Quick Quiz - 8 questions and space for pupil’s to write answers • ‘Did you know?’ section providing useful road safety information • ‘Top Tips’ giving tips on best practice for safety
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Newslink May 13.indd 1
MSA NEWSLINK : MAY 2013 : 39 24/04/2013 20:37
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Feature: Newslink review
Newslink under review: 250 not out! n OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 1991: Let’s follow the French and have some mandatory professional driving tuition Somethings never change: in this issue we pleaded with the Government to follow the lead of our European friends in requiring learners to have some professional tuition. France’s acceptance of the Apprentisage Anticipe de la Conduite (AAC) left Britain isolated on this issue. “Britain stands firmly – some would say stubbornly and recalcitrantly – against the tidal wave of sensible and potentially life-saving change, as like a latter day Canute the authorities continue to insist that British youngsters have the inalienable right to be taught to drive by mum, dad, uncle Fred or whoever, all well capable of teaching ‘Safe Driving for Life’. ”
In Feb-March 1992, we reported on the long-awaited launch of ADITE, bringing to a close a sometimes tortuous journey to bring all ADI training establishments under one roof. The MSA’s development manager, Jon Gross, offered his in-depth view of the French AAC scheme as Belgium introduced a similar one. Meanwhile... in April 1994, the MSA made a major breakthrough in its membership offer by introducing Public Liability Insurance free of charge to members. There would now be up to £1 million cover for members when holding classroom tuition sessions, as an example. We also announced an increase in the frequency of Newslink, which would now be published monthly instead of bi-monthly, as our members’ thirst for knowledge proved insatiable. We kept the double issue over Christmas.
August-September 1993: Minister says no to motorway tuition Robert Key, the latest to walk through the revolving door on Marsham Street marked ‘entrance reserved for the Minister for Roads and Traffic’, showed his considerable grasp of the driver training brief by saying there was clearly no need for motorway tuition for learners, ruling out that key safety measure for the indefinite future. He did, however, accept our offer to meet up: something the current Minister has yet to do! The main item up for discussion was the new, more comprehensive theory test, which was now definitely going to be held away from the car and in a separate test – introducing a two-part qualification to the UK driving test for the first time.
Theory test is ’94’s big news for ADIs JUNe 1994: Hi-tech reaches driver testing industry
September 1994: Play your cards right
Then, in November 1994 theory test trials began at last, with no hint of the trouble that was to come over whether ADIs had to take the new test. We also published the first ‘speed trap’ map, highlighting the location of those new-fangled ‘road safety’ devices. There was clearly considerable scepticism over their worth then – though today, it is accepted that the infamous speed cameras do help keep drivers below the speed limit.
Cards were on the front page of our September 1994. First, we had a sneak preview of the new photo card driving licences, which would be officially launched, we said then, in 1996. No reference was made about updating the picture on the card! We also launched our own card as the MSA dipped its toes in the sometimes murky waters of credit card finance. Backed by the MBNA, the MSA credit card offered good rates of interest, cash back to members and an income stream for the association. Sadly take-up proved frustratingly low and the cards were eventually scrapped.
After a number of delays, in June 1994 we welcomed out first real sight of the new theory test – and boy, was it state-of-the-art! The new theory test would involve touch-screen technology, said our front page story, and would be run by an outside agency under licence from the DSA. The future was here!
April 1995: The MSA celebrates its diamond anniversary
In this commemorative issue of Newslink we marked the association‘s 60th anniversary. The MSA was launched in March 1935, and it was fitting that 1995 saw the biggest single event organised by the association – it’s Diamond Conference, which attracted over 300 members to Runcorn where we celebrated those 60 remarkable years with gusto. Newslink joined in the celebrations in a souvenir issue. Our front page heading says it all: ‘Quality, service, pride.’
40 : MAY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK
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Feature: Newslink review
Pass Plus: ‘A massive boost for ADIs and road safety’ DECEMBER 1994
Big news in December ’94-Jan ’95: the DSA says Yes to PassPlus. This was, we said, “a massive boost to ADIs.” Enthusiastically backed by the insurance industry, it would open up a whole new income stream for members, improve driving standards and allow new drivers to continue their driving education in the company of the instructor who had guided them through the L-test. The pupils would flock to the new course, “as significant discounts were being guaranteed by insurers”. How wrong we were…
February 1995: Your Pass Plus issue:
“How often have we heard ADIs complain that ‘the Government does nothing for us - we are on our own’. Well, with the launch of Pass Plus, we can hardly say that any more.” Such was our enthusiasm for Pass Plus. A series of 1/2 day workshops were held up and down the country, with MSA board members joining DSA officials and insurance industry experts to talk members through the new course. It was going to transform the industry, we said...
June 1995: It‘s here - at last!
It is amazing how slow the wheels of Westminster turn! After years of speculation, discussion and trialing, the theory test was finally launched, ending what Newslink described as a ‘frustrating wait’ for members. We urged all ADIs to “embrace theory test training… the experience of Pass Plus points the way for ADIs… those instructors who have made the effort to get behind it report a super response not just from the extra and substantial business it generates but also from the excellent learning environment created…”
December 95-January 96: ADIs unite for the fight When a Government minister suggested the deregulation of the industry, allowing anyone to teach driving, the MSA rightly reacted with fury. “In essence,” we said, “a Government minister has said, ‘go on, earn a living, teaching a vital life skill to young people without any qualifications whatsoever, not even a driving licence’. ” Such was the storm we help create, the plan was, thankfully, quietly scrapped.
MSA NEWSLINK : MAY 2013 : 41
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Regional News Facebook has a lot to answer for, says MSA Scotland member as he completes arduous hike through some of the country’s most challenging terrain
Och, my feet! Who’s daft idea was this? by Steven Porter MSA Scotland Facebook, as those who use it know only too well, can be very beneficial to you and your business – but can also lead to disaster if you do not watch what you say and who you say it to. Well, my experience over the last six months or so has been the latter. Via ‘Bookface’ I very stupidly decided to answer a friend (Charlie Caldwell’s) cry for help when he announced he was going to walk the West Highland Way in March (see panel), and was looking for any bewildered brainless idiot to go with him. Yours truly was the very man to fit the bill. At a later stage, serving soldier John Allison joined us and the three amigos were formed. After the Glenfiddich wore off the next morning, I realised not even half the extent of the task I had let myself in for. Weeks of pain were to follow, some due to the training I had to put in, (well being 40something and sat in a car all year, there was lots of blisters in lots of places), and some from the endless trips to the shops for every seasonal type of clothing I could get (well, it’s Scotland after all. It could have been anything from Barbados to Antarctic weather). It all cost quite a few sheckles, breaking my heart in the process. When the first day of our hiking challenge finally arrived, we were optimistic we’d cope well. A trial run of the first leg three weeks earlier had gone well, and we thought we’ll tackle this at a cantor. How wrong we were. What we failed to take into account was that during the trial run we had no baggage, while during the ‘official’ walk we had rucksacks filled to the brim. And what a mistake to have brought the 15-year-old whiskey – more weight. But day one, while difficult because of the added weight, was nothing compared to day 2. Tears were close on a couple of occasions. Who in their right mind would walk miles along these winding paths, uphill then downhill, then back up, back down and on and on and on just to pick a fight with the Scots? My, the Scots must have laughed at those English soldiers when they finally met up with them. They’d of still been trying to get their breath back and passing round endless supplies of Compeed or whatever it was they used in those days for the endless blisters they picked up.
It was torture – and there was 21 miles of it. Day 3, although not as bad as day 2, had it’s moments but nothing compared to day 4 and the Devil’s Staircase. This aptly named climb, winding left and right, through snow and strong winds was extremely challenging, and two lady walkers overtaking us just took the biscuit. If you ever wanted to see two grown men brought to their knees and cry, well Thursday, 21 March 2013 was that day. It felt like four hours just to get up it (probably an hour), the higher we got the more I felt like Robert Falcon Scott. It was freezing; I had icicles hanging from my nose. A polar bear asked me for a loan of my jacket when we reached the top. To top that we had to walk back down the other side through snow and ice to get to Kinlochleven (a land cut off from the normal world) where we were staying. We could see the village but it was like a mirage. Although able to see your finishing line, it took us around six miles to get there. It was another kick in the nether regions from The West Highland Way only to find out the chip shop shut at 8pm. Who shuts a chip shop at 8 pm? Day 5 and the final day just had to be better, didn’t it? Er, no. We woke up to howling winds and snow like I’ve only seen in films about Yetis. It was not for the faint-hearted and not called for on our final leg of the nightmare on Nevis. We were seriously worried about the three guys we passed en route who were camping overnight. Maybe they are still out there somewhere, lost among the many mountains circling Kinlochleven. Anyway, after finally finishing the walk and still recovering from blisters on top of blisters as you are reading this despite it being four weeks later, I would like to thank everyone from the MSA Strathclyde Branch and those of you from Newslink who sponsored us on our Virgin page. Thanks to Peter Harvey MBE for donating and helping me advertise our walk here in Newslink and at our local meeting, and to John Lepine. So far, we have raised our target of £1,500 with more still to be collected. If you wish you can still donate through our Facebook page (West Highland Rovers and click on the Virgin link). If you do, thank you in advance. Final note: Do not, under any circumstances, ask me to help out charities by walking ever again. You got more than you paid for with this one!
About the West Highland Way The West Highland Way is one of Scotland’s most loved – and notorious! – walking trails. It runs for 154km (96miles) and the route starts at Milngavie. It is a very challenging trail, which passes through Mugdock Country Park, following the shores of Loch Lomond, and on to Ben Lomond, Glen Falloch and Strathfillan, crossing Rannoch Moor, past Buachaille Etive Mor to the head of Glencoe. It then climbs the dreaded Devil’s Staircase before descending to sea level to cross the River Leven at the head of Loch Leven before entering Lairigmor and Glen Nevis, finishing at Gordon Square in Fort William. The terrain ranges from lowland moors, dense woodland and rolling hills, to high mountainous regions in the Scottish Highlands. These environments provide habitats for a diverse range of wildlife species, both flora and fauna For more information see the www.west-highland-way.co.uk/
42 : MAY 2013 : MSA NEWSLINK
Challenge: Some pictures taken along the walk give an idea of the weather and landscape that Steven and his walking companions had to tackle while completing the West Highland Way. Steven is left in the bottom picture, at the walk’s final stop in Fort William
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