newslink nov 13

A MAJOR twO-yeAR evaluation study conducted by the Transport Research Laboratory into the DSA’s new Learning to Drive syllabus has concluded that it has no discernible positive impacts on road safety.

The report investigated the learning patterns, attitudes and test statistics of two groups of learners, one taught by ADIs who had been given access to training materials based around the new syllabus, the other with no access.

While the ADIs were generally supportive of the new syllabus, and there were some improvements in driver attitude – including an increased understanding of the need to learn under the ‘safe driving for life’ philosophy – the research did not provide the ringing endorsement for the syllabus that the DSA was hoping for.

In their conclusions the researchers highlighted the continuing challenge of “the expectations of learners to pass their practical test as quickly as possible and as cheaply as possible... this is at odds with the philosophy of the syllabus and process.

“ADIs believe that learners do not want to spend time on things they perceived as not being directly related to passing the practical test.”

Most damning is the report’s overall conclusion: “Although the new learning to drive syllabus and process seems generally acceptable both in principle and in practice

to ADIs and to learner drivers, the findings reported here do not provide a justification in terms of a likely road safety benefit for rolling out the new syllabus and process further in its current form.

“Any further research or development work with the new syllabus and process should proceed within an a priori* evaluation framework appropriate for the assessment of its goals. On the basis of the wider evidence base relating to interventions to increase novice driver safety, we also make the following more strategic recommendation, that alternative approaches (ie, other than training and education) to improving young novice driver safety should be considered.

“This would be in keeping with the DSA’s commitment to evidence-based practice, and to continue monitoring evidence from other countries on approaches that seek to increase regulation and use post-test restrictions. Some such approaches are widely supported by evidence as being effective in improving the safety of young novice drivers.”

John Lepine, MSA general manager, was not surprised by the report’s findings. “The MSA has been a long-standing critic of this evaluation process – indeed, it is hard to resist the temptation to say ‘we told you so’ on reading its findings.Continued on page 12 » » »

NewslinkThe ADI’s Voice www.msagb.com

November 2013 Issue 257

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Researchers find no road safety benefits and question wisdom of rolling out new learning to drive syllabus in current form

TRL report holes DSA flagship syllabus

New man, new plan: MSA chairman Peter Harvey and the DSA chief executive, Alistair Peoples. Peter joined other ADI representatives to discuss Alistair’s plans for the agency. For a full report, see page 4-5

* A priori: [adjective] relating to or denoting reasoning or knowledge which proceeds from theoretical deduction rather than from observation or experience: [adverb] in a way based on theoretical deduction rather than empirical observation:

www.msagb.comContents

02 n NOVEMBER 2013 n MSA NEWSLINK

This issue:Editor: John Lepine MBet: 0161 429 9669e: [email protected] [email protected]: 0161 429 9779

Motor Schools Association of Great Britain Ltd (MSA), 101 Wellington Road North, Stockport, Cheshire SK4 2LP

Production editor:Rob Beswickt: 0161 426 7957e: [email protected] [email protected]

Advertising contacts:Joanne Cantwellt: 0161 432 9717e: [email protected]

Colin Regant: 01925 468403e: [email protected]

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

Views expressed in Newslink are not necessarily those of the MSA.Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of material contained within this publication, neither the MSA nor the publishers can accept any responsibility for the veracity of claims made by contributors in either advertising or editorial content.©2013 The Motor Schools Association of Great Britain Ltd. Reprinting in whole or part is forbidden without express permission of the editor.

The paper for this magazine has been sourced from sustainably managed forests and controlled sources. See www.pefc.org

Mixed response to cost cuttingGovernment plans to reduce the cost of running a car have been welcomed by motoring groups – though a trade association that represents smaller garages has criticised the freeze on Mots.

News, page 8

Changes to tests and licencesDSA has announced changes to the power requirement for category A motorcycles used on tests and to the licensing of larger vehicles, after a consultation exercise.

News, page 16

Time to graduate? As the Government continues to dither over whether to introduce a Green Paper on young drivers, a new report by tRL offers a powerful case for the introduction of graduated driving licences.

News, page 20

towards your CPD:How do you learn...?Tailoring your teaching style to each individual pupil is crucial says regular columnist Susan McCormack.

page 24

Fail to plan...?It’s a cliché because it is so true: poor lesson planning holds back pupil advancement, says Steve Garrod

page 26

Marketing strategies in the sunny south of France

page 30

Road safety newsBacking for ACP0’s new guidance on speed limit enforcement

“Where speed limits are not clear (that is, they don’t feel/look like the limit or are on inappropriate roads), they will not be routinely enforced.”

News, page 6

ADIs get their wish as axe falls on test translators and interpreters

News, page 9

Regional news:Full details of this autumn’s remain-ing regional conferences, seminars and AGMs ... plus details on the national conference, in March 2014

page 26-27

Insurance: a cautionary taleThinking of hanging up your ADI badge and retiring soon? Check out your broker’s position on NCDs now, don’t wait until it’s too late, says John Lomas

page 31

www.msagb.comAbout the MSA

MSA NEWSLINK n NOVEMBER 2013 n 03

The MSA: here to you You’re priority is your pupils, training them to be the safest drivers they can possibly be......but at the same time you’ve got to keep an eye on the business, making sure the new pupils are rolling in and you’re prepared to grasp new opportunities when they come along...And for many ADIs, even franchisees, you’re doing this mostly on your own, without anyone to support you.

That‘s where the MSA comes in.Our team is committed to being your support service, providing you with all the information, practical advice and training opportunities you need to stay at the top of the ADI profession.

We’re the MSA and we’re committed to supporting youWhether you need help with CPD, support in a problem with the DSA, the peace of mind that the MSA’s professional indemnity insurance gives you, or you just want to take advantage of our great money-saving offers through our many partners, then the MSA is there for you. Think of us as your own support service...

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Professional indemnity insurance...£5m cover for your business... and £10m third party liability cover give you peace of mind should a pupil or member of the public take legal action against you as an ADI through your job.

www.msagb.comNews


I’m determined to take the DSA from ‘good’ to ‘great’

DSA ChIef exeCutIVe Alistair Peoples told ADI representatives at a special meeting that he was drawing up an ambitious five-year plan that would drive the new agency from being a ‘good’ provider of public services into a ‘great’ one.

The MSA’s national chairman, Peter Harvey, and general manager John Lepine, were joined by other ADI consultative groups at the meeting, along with other members of the agency’s senior management team.

In a wide-ranging discussion, topics covered included the future shape, form and direction of the DSA, Alistair’s own previous links with the driver training and testing industry, and current industry reform proposals, not least of which is the Modernising Driver Training (MDT) consultation paper and the proposed Green Paper on new drivers.

Before the meeting the ADI consultative bodies met separately from the DSA officials to agree an agenda to take forward to the formal afternoon meeting.

At that meeting it was agreed to form a new committee from the consultative groups – called the National Associations Steering Group – in order to speak with a more coherent, collective voice on key issues.

John Lepine commented: “We will retain our individuality and own positions but will try to build on the things we agree on and take forward a more unified position on important matters.

“There will be times when we don’t see eye-to-eye on all issues and in which case, we may have to go to the DSA with a consensus position or after agreeing to support a majority view. However, we believe this a positive step and we hope it will help the DSA better understand the views of rank-and-file driver trainers as we enter what could be an era of great change for the industry.”

At the official meeting with the DSA, Alistair was joined by Lesley Young, chief driving examiner, Mark Magee, ADI registrar, and Gill Green and Ellen Turner, of VOSA and DSA respectively.

With these two agencies merging, it was important to receive an update on progress made. The new agency was still on course for launch on April 1, though no name had been agreed upon as yet. The challenge was to find a name that was both appropriate, did not clash with an existing organisation, and had a unique acronym. This was a particular problem: as Alistair pointed out, when staff Googled the acronym of one of the suggested names, it was discovered that the acronym was better known as a highly contagious disease.

Sadly, he refused to divulge which one!Alistair was keen to stress his own strong links

with driver training and testing. A former driving examiner in his native Northern Ireland, he reminisced fondly of his time training in Cardington.

Before outlinging his vision for the DSA, he offered a swift look at his career at VOSA. it was an agency that had not had the best reputation when he had become its chief executive, but he had worked hard for five years to turn this round, improving service standards and raising both staff and customer morale.

The upturn in its fortunes was played out against a reduction in headcount of 20 per cent – achieved after fair negotiations with the unions, and without needing to use compulsory redundancies, something he was particularly pleased about.

It was impossible to compare the DSA with VOSA as he had inherited it as the DSA was, he said, in a far better position than VOSA had been. It was a good organisation but his intention was for it be acknowledged as a great one. “It needs tweaking,” but he declined to offer any pointers as to which areas required the greatest reform.

He had constituted a new board for the joint enterprise, which would be made up of six people. He had originally wanted just a five-person board but he had decided to appoint an as yet unknown extra official to act as liaison for all DSA/VOSA stakeholders – to be their voice in the boardroom, he said.

This was a key role and highlighted how much importance he attached to the thoughts of ADIs and other interested parties.

In the run-up to the new agency’s launch he would be working hard on a number of fronts. He was particularly keen to make sure it offered its testing services at times that suited the public. He acknowledged difficulties in making test slots available around the clock – citing darkness as an obvious problem – but he believed its current hours were not flexible enough to match modern needs.

An increased use of IT was definitely something he was keen on. More trials were currently underway on the use of tablets by examiners, which could help streamline the system and bring the marking and administrative processes up to date.

The DSA’s recent policy of taking L-tests to the customer in ad hoc centres such as superstores or civic buildings was something he was looking closely at. He suggested that the practice was an interesting one and that in future it could be extended, but perhaps be delivered in a different manner. “We need to make this work for the benefit of the host as well,” he said.

He was concerned about the pass rate, and wondered, without pointing the finger of blame, why it had stubbornly refused to move above the high 45% mark over the past 40-50 years. “We seem to have the same people coming for re-test after re-test,” he said. It was important to find out why they failed, locate the cause and act to end the failures so that, in his words, “they come once, and that’s it.”

Without threatening to reduce the number of examiners, he suggested that one way to make the DSA more efficient was to ensure the pass rate was far higher, which would inevitably mean fewer examiners were needed.

The ADI consultative groups were then invited to lead the meeting and put over the main points as they saw them at the current time. The MDT consultation process had been rushed, they said, a suggestion Alistair had sympathy with.

The financial sanctions suggested in this document were possibly necessary, the ADI groups agreed, but any sanctions needed to be looked into closely, and proper safeguards put in place to protect ADIs against administrative errors.

The introduction of external verifiers to oversee a future ADI qualifying system, as outlined in the MDT, was another issue that required close consideration. The meeting saw a full exchange of

Meeting hears new chief executive sketch out his five-year plan – with a determination to raise L-test pass rates and improve public access to testing at its heart

www.msagb.comDSA news


New contract for driving theory tests awarded

A new framework for the supply of computer-based testing for government departments has been completed, with learndirect confirmed as the sole supplier.

The first contract awarded will be the operation of the driving theory test on behalf of the DSA.

The competition has been run by the agency on behalf of Government Procurement Service. Sarah Jones, chief executive at learndirect said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the framework contract. We have proved over the years we can deliver government e-testing services, with the Life in the UK test being available 100 per cent of the time and, more importantly, with high levels of candidate satisfaction.

“We also supported Home Office immigration to become the first government agency to offer 100 per cent online bookings and payments for customers, a service which went live in June 2011. We hope to be able to offer this high standard of service to our new government clients, as well as exciting new innovations.”

A Government spokesperson said: “We are pleased to announce the award of the framework to learndirect. The first contract to be awarded under the framework will be the driving theory test on behalf of the DSA and it will provide candidates with an expanded test centre network and value for money.”

views on its merits – and drawbacks – and there was clearly a need for more talks on this.

Concern was voiced over the pace with which the DSA was embracing the Government’s digital-by-default agenda. It was accepted that the future of Government communications was heavily IT-biased, but the DSA had to remember that one of the key safeguards to this policy was that it must not leave non-IT savvy members of the public disadvantaged.

The MSA representatives pointed out that sometimes a reluctance to access digital services was forced upon ADIs, particularly those who live in rural areas with no access to broadband.

The case of renewing the ADI licence was a clear example of the challenges facing instructors who weren’t connected to the digital world. It was now very difficult to find a paper copy of the application form.

The DSA had been surprised by the slow take-up of the new Code of Practice by instructors, and the ADI representatives agreed to encourage their members to sign up to this in greater numbers. It was hoped that greater recognition of agreeing to abide by the Code could be acknowledged by the DSA, perhaps by indicating the instructor’s acceptance of it on the ADI certificate.

April will not just see a new agency to oversee ADIs; it will also see the launch of the Standards Check, to replace the Chest Test. The grading for it was still being discussed, with a number of ideas put forward to highlight an ADI’s standard. Among options considered were a simple Pass/Fail, with potential for an agreed level to be classed as a higher level pass; a Pass/Merit/Distinction grade; or a Gold standard.

It was planned to release guidance notes on the Standards Check, and what examiners would be looking for, by the end of November through the DSA’s usual social media channels. As a safety net for those without IT access, when dates for the new test begin to be sent out to instructors in the new year, a reduced set of guidance notes would accompany the appointment letter.

Two final items: first, the long-awaited Green Paper on new drivers would be released soon. Its delay had been unfortunate but its contents had generated much cross-departmental debate, and the recent change in ministers at the Department for Transport meant that new officials had needed to become acquainted with its contents.

Finally, it was announced that the DSA would shortly begin tweeting bad weather reports where there is an impact on driving tests.

“We seem to have the same people coming for re-test after re-test... it was important to find out why they failed, locate the cause and act to end the failures so that they come once, and that’s it.”

www.msagb.comNews


ACPO, the Association of Chief Police Officers, has issued new speed limit enforcement guidelines for its members.

In its clarification statement ACPO said: “Where speed limits are not clear (that is, they don’t feel/look like the limit or are on inappropriate roads), they will not be routinely enforced.”

The reason for the change in heart is, the officers say, “unclear or even confusing limits (all limits, not just 20s) will undoubtably lead to mistaken offending and any aggressive enforcement risks a loss of public support for the action and, more importantly, for the police service.

“The desired outcome has to be speeds at the limit chosen so as to achieve safe roads for other and vulnerable users, not high speeds and high enforcement”

“Speeding problems identified in an area must have the engineering, site clarity and need re-assessed, not simply a call for more enforcement.

“Enforcing against drivers who simply misread the road may not be appropriate”.

The guidelines also reiterate the current recommendation of enforcement levels at a 10%+2mph threshold above the limit.

The Association of British Drivers (ABD) welcomed the move. Its

spokesman Nigel Humphries commented: “In general the attitude of ACPO is commendable. The gist of these guidelines is that limits should suit the road and that police should use their discretion to enforce only where the limit is obvious to drivers and would be what they would

expect from what they can see through the windscreen. Limits should not be set well below what drivers would expect to see and then be enforced to achieve high rates of offender punishment.

“Unfortunately many local authorities and police chiefs appear not to understand this simple concept, believing that just sticking up a sign and prosecuting thousands of safe drivers somehow improves safety.

“It does not, but it does of course make a lot of money for those selling enforcement equipment and training courses.”

However, Humphries pointed out that the new guidelines did miss one key item that the ABD had been calling for: “While the enforcement guidelines are generally sensible, we are disappointed to see ACPO adopting the contradictory approach to their own advice by supporting setting of speed limits at the average speed of traffic. If they want appropriate speed limits without excessive prosecution of safe drivers then the answer is clearly to reintroduce setting of limits at the 85th percentile.

“We strongly believe that this is a fundamentally wrong approach,” he added.

fiesta takes honours in mpg fuel testA marathon test of 23 cars’ fuel efficiency has revealed the Ford Fiesta ECOnetic, Renault Clio Dynamique and Honda Civic 1.6 i-DTEC as the UK’s most frugal motors.

The test, conducted by independent journalists and company car drivers on UK roads, was organised by Fleet World magazine, the ALD Automotive/Shell FuelSave MPG Marathon.

The Fiesta recorded 88.69mpg over the 339.3 mile course, just beating the Clio.

The Civic – a much larger car – came third, with 84.87mpg, just 4mpg behind the winner. It exceeded its official combined figure by some 8.12 per cent, placing it third place overall in percentage improvement on quoted mpg figures.

An event organiser commented: “This was a real test of fuel endurance, over a very challenging course that had eveything - steep hill climbs, twisting roads and faster roads.”

ACPO announces new interpretation for speed limits

NEARLy one in five (19%) employees say that their employer is not actively encouraging the safe and legal use of mobile phones while driving for work.

Figures from an AA/Populus survey also reveal that more than one in 20 (7%) feel under pressure to answer their hand-held work mobile when driving for work or commuting.

Two per cent said they have been explicitly told they are expected to return emails, texts and calls when they are driving for work or commuting.

Simon Stammers, AA DriveTech fleet director, said: “We understand that people are often under considerable pressure to be available to their work at all times.

“But driving is the most dangerous task the majority of employees undertake while at work, so feeling that you have to respond to calls, texts

and emails when you are driving is an unnecessary risk.

“It is especially worrying that some people say they have been explicitly told they should respond to calls, texts and emails when they are driving.”

The survey of nearly 7,000 people also suggested that around one in six (15%) feel under pressure to answer their hands-free work mobile when driving for work or commuting, while 4% said they have been criticised by their manager or colleagues for not responding to emails, texts or calls when driving for work or commuting.

However, the vast majority (88%) of respondents disagreed that it is a fundamentally safe activity to make or take calls while driving. Men (87%) were less likely than women (90%) to think this.

Regionally, drivers in Northern Ireland were the most likely (8%) to

disagree that using a hand-held mobile reduces their ability to react to hazards. Drivers in the South West, East, East Midlands and North East were the least likely (5%) to disagree with this.

Besides the dangers posed to the individual taking and receiving calls, texts or emails while driving, companies have a duty of care to employees they also run the risk of facing charges of corporate manslaughter in the worst case scenario.

Stammers concluded: “Employers have a statutory duty of care and, besides the risk to their employees, they are putting themselves at risk of liability and criminal charges under the Corporate Manslaughter Act in the event of a crash if the company’s actions, or lack of them, is deemed to have contributed to the incident.”

Employers not pushing mobile phone message, says poll

Brake ‘pleased’ by guidance on 20mph zonesBRAKE has also welcomed guidance from ACPO, stating that it was pleased that there was now clarification over the enforcement of 20mph speed limits, as well as details of plans for tailored speed awareness courses for drivers who break 20mph limits. The guidance states:

• There should be routine enforcement in all clearly posted 20mph limits, including targeted enforcement where there is a pattern of deliberate offending;

• Drivers caught at up to 34mph in a 20mph limit face a £100 fine and three points, or if speeding at 35mph or more would be reported to the courts;

• Drivers who speed at 24-31mph in 20mph limits will be offered a specially designed speed awareness course (in lieu of penalty points), aimed at educating them on 20mph limits.

Brake is part of a GO 20 coalition of charities calling for 20mph limits to become the norm across built-up areas.

Increasing numbers of authorities are recognising the benefits by implementing 20mph limits across towns and cities. In recent months Birmingham and the City of London have announced they will be joining the many towns, countries, boroughs and cities ‘GOing 20’.

Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive, Brake, the road safety charity, said: “This guidance is timely and important. As more and more local authorities introduce widespread 20mph limits, it is critical to get the message across to the driving public that breaking these limits is an offence and will be prosecuted.

“We particularly welcome tailored 20mph speed awareness courses.”

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DAvID CAMERON’S October Cabinet reshuffle saw a change in Minister overseeing roads and road safety.

Stephen Hammond MP has relinguished his responsibilities for road safety and standards, while maintaining his position within the Department where he will now look after a broad portfolio including rail – (including operational issues, major projects, fares and ticketing, Rail Delivery Group reform, franchising), London (including Crossrail), maritime affairs and better regulation.

He has been replaced by Robert Goodwill.Mr Goodwill entered the House as Conservative MP

for Scarborough and Whitby in the May 2005 General Election, and was given his first ministerial role when he was appointed as a Government Whip in 2012.

He has a track record within the political world’s transport sphere. He spent 18 months as a member of the transport select committee, and was appointed a whip by David Cameron in 2006 and promoted to the post of shadow roads minister in the transport team in 2007. He was re-elected as an MP at the 2010 general election and appointed to the Government as a Whip with responsibility for Treasury and DEFRA business.

Prior to entering the House Robert was elected as a Member of the European Parliament in 1999, serving

until the 2004 European election. He was Deputy Leader of the Conservative MEPs during his term.

Outside politics Robert has been a farmer since 1979, running 250 acres of land near Malton which has been in his family since 1850. He has been the managing director of Mowthorpe Ltd since 1995, which offers environmentally friendly burials in the North yorkshire countryside.

He was educated at the Quaker Bootham School in york, and the University of Newcastle upon Tyne where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture in 1979. He is married with three children.

His official title is Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, with responsibility for: aviation,

strategic roads and Highways Agency, motoring agencies, road safety and standards, freight and logistics – including lorry road user charging, local roads, cycling, HS2 Phase One and Europe.

MSA general manager John Lepine commented: “Let’s hope we have more luck in organising a meeting with this Minister! We were very disappointed that we never got chance to meet his predecessor but given the fact that he made absolutely no progress on road safety during his tenure, perhaps it would have been a wasted trip to London.

“We wish Mr Goodwill all the best in his new role. It is encouraging to note that he has experience on the Transport Select Committee, which is highly regarded under Louise Ellman’s chairmanship, so we would expect him to be on top of the brief quickly.

“The only discouraging note is his duties include HS2 Phase One.

“As anyone who has made a cursory glance at the papers in the last few weeks, this is a massive topic and a real political hot potato. It could well be that Mr Goodwill’s in-tray is dominated by that issue and he prioritises HS2 every morning, which could force plans for road safety reforms to take something of a back seat.”

Reshuffle makes it Goodwill for all drivers

GOVeRNMeNt PLANS to reduce the cost of running a car by freezing the price of MoTs, cracking down on whiplash claims and giving motorists more information to find the cheapest fuel prices have been welcomed by motoring groups – though a trade association that represents smaller garages has criticised the freeze on MoTs, saying it will stifle investment and could lead to reduced choice and higher prices in the future.

As part of a package of reforms it is also planning to hold a review into the cost of the driving and theory tests, and the provisional licence.

MSA general manager John Lepine commented: “Any measure that reduces the cost of learning to drive – particularly for young people – is to be welcomed but the concern with this announcement is how a reduction in these fees could impact on the DSA’s services.

“As a non-executive agency it is self-financing and every penny in goes out through its services. It is only logical that if its income was to be reduced, even if it is only down-valued by inflation every year, its service standards could slip.

“Perhaps the Government believes further cuts in spending could be made at the DSA without impacting on service standards. Certainly there seems to be a feeling within the agency that staffing levels cannot fall any further, but the agency’s estate of DTCs looks likely to be run down further as more ad hoc test

centres come on-line.“Our concern is always how Government

reforms impact on ADIs and their customers. This is a reform we would like to discuss with the Government at the earliest possible opportunity.”

The statutory maximum price of the MOT test for a car will be frozen at £54.85 until 2015 – potentially saving up to £50m for drivers every year, says the Government. However, the Retail Motor Industry Federation’s (RMI) Stuart James commented: “While we acknowledge the Government’s efforts to support the motorist it is outraged that it has failed to recognise the spiralling costs incurred by garages. The last official review of the MOT test price was in 2010. However, in the last three years the cost of running a garage has snowballed.

“The industry is committed to raising standards to the benefit of the consumer. Through training, up-to-date equipment and improved customer relations, garages across the UK are providing a better service than ever before.

“The motor industry is one of the biggest recruiters of apprentices in the UK. Thousands of garages a year invest in training the future of the sector.

“However, all this comes at a huge cost to the garage.

“As the majority of MOT test stations are SMEs this price freeze could result in these already struggling businesses being forced out of the market. This will

profoundly damage the industry and stifle the economy just as it begins to recover.”

Elsewhere in the package of measures, Government plans to reduce whiplash injury claims have been more generally welcomed, though it has been pointed out by several commentators that the number of claims has already reduced considerably in the past 12 months, and insurance premiums are also at their lowest level for several years after a 12 per cent average fall in the year to October.

But Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said: “We are turning the tide on the compensation culture. Whiplash cheats, whose bogus compensation claims have helped to force up average motor insurance premiums, will be targeted by new independent medical panels which will ensure only evidence from accredited professionals can be considered. This will mean people can no longer profit from exaggerated or fraudulent compensation claims but victims with genuine cases can still get the help they deserve – and these will be introduced from next year.”

Despite these successes whiplash claims remain an issue which government will continue to fight, he said. Claims have fallen since 2011 but there were still almost half a million whiplash claims in 2012. Insurers say they cost them more than £2bn in payouts and add £90 to an average premium. Each whiplash compensation payout costs an average of £2,400 insurers say, with an additional £2,000 in legal costs.

The Government will now work quickly with experts to implement the medical panels. This will include developing a scheme for accrediting medical experts who can assess whiplash injuries.

Louise Ellman, chair of the

Parliamentary Select Committee on Transport, welcomed the announcement:

“The Select Committee has looked at this and recommended that insurers shouldn’t pay out for whiplash claims without a medical report, and that they should come from independent medical practitioners,” she said. “I’m pleased that the Government have accepted our recommendation.”

However, GP Dr Rosemary Leonard told the BBC that while she agreed that the UK has a rate of whiplash that is “way higher” than the rest of Europe and “it is thought an awful lot of them are bogus”, the new crackdown could lead to a new wave of compensation claims against GPs.

“If you had a genuinely nasty shunt in your car and you went to your doctor and you said ‘Well my neck’s aching a bit,’ and the doctor just said ‘Well, actually I don’t believe you,’ you would be very annoyed.

The ‘action’ on motorway fuel is more cosmetic. Price comparison road signs will be trialled, showing prices at different service stations along a route, making it easier for drivers to get the cheapest deal and encouraging competition.

Plans to cut motoring costs meet with mixed responseMotoring groups support plans, but RMI angry at MoT freeze: MSA concern over DSA income



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THE Government has pulled the plug on foreign language voiceovers and interpreters on driving tests, as has been widely anticipated within the driving instructor community since the issue was consulted on earlier this year.

The change will take place from 7 April 2014, the new Minister for Road Safety, Robert Goodwill announced.

The decision came after a widespread public consultation that generated over 2,000 responses from both the ADI community and the general public.

Currently people can:• take their car and motorcycle theory

tests with a voiceover in 1 of 19 foreign languages

• use interpreters on theory tests and practical tests.

These accommodations will stop from 7 April 2014.

Patrick McLoughlin, Secretary of State for Transport, said: “We want to make sure that all drivers have the right skills to use our roads safely and responsibly. One area where we can help ensure this is by requiring all test candidates to take the test in English or Welsh, the national languages.

“This will help to ensure that all new drivers will be able to understand traffic

updates or emergency information when they pass their test. It will also help us to reduce the risk of fraud by stopping interpreters from indicating the correct answers to theory test questions.”

The DSA consulted widely earlier this year on a series of proposals reviewing the level of foreign language support available to candidates.

This was in response to concerns about potential road safety implications of non-English speakers not understanding road signs, and the perceived increased risk of fraud. The Government was also concerned about the cost of providing translations

Of those who responded to the consultation, over 70 per cent supported the withdrawal of foreign language voiceovers and interpreters on tests, with many agreeing that a lack of understanding of the national language meant that some drivers may not be able to understand traffic signs, speak with traffic enforcement officers or read details of the rules of the

road. There was also support for encouraging candidates to learn the national language to improve social cohesion.

However, the ban on translators will not effect those candidates with special needs. Those with dyslexia or other reading difficulties will still be able to take their theory test with an English or Welsh language voiceover, while candidates who are deaf or have hearing difficulties will still be able to take their theory test in British sign language (BSL) and have a BSL interpreter with them on their practical test.

MSA’s John Lepine commented: “This is no surprise. The vast majority of MSA members who responded to this consultation, in excess of ninety percent, were in favour of stopping translations.”

“The main reasons put forward by ADIs in favour of stopping translations were the amount of fraud associated with translators and worries about non-English speakers not understanding traffic signs.”

Government axe falls on L-test translations

Road safety and social cohesion at heart of ban on interpreters

Voiceovers in different languagesCurrently you can ask for a voiceover in one of 21 languages for theory tests taken before 7 April 2014 if:

• your first language is not English• you can’t read or understand

written English wellYou won’t be able to take a theory

test with a foreign language voiceover or translator from 7 April 2014. You’ll have to take the test in English, Welsh or British Sign Language.

A voiceover lets you to hear the theory test instructions and questions through headphones. The questions will be read out to you automatically.

You can hear the possible answers and can also hear the questions as many times as you like.

Voiceovers are currently available in: Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, Canton- ese, Dari, English, Farsi, Gujarati, Hindi, Kashmiri, Kurdish, Mirpuri, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Pushto, Tamil, Turkish, Urdu and Welsh.

Translator assisted theory tests

For theory tests taken before 7 April 2014 you can ask to have a translator-assisted theory test if there is no voiceover for the language you need.

www.msagb.comComment


JOHNLEPINE MBEGeneral Manager, MSA

Well done!

DO we give positive messages in all we do? In the mid-eighties one of the most popular catchphrases at the time was “catch them

doing something right.” In other words, encourage people when they do something correctly. These days we might use the more academic phrase ‘positive reinforcement’.

The reasons for giving learners encouragement are complex but perhaps paramount among the various theories is that by recognising good behaviour we encourage the learner to repeat that behaviour.

Equally important is the flip side of the encouragement mantra which is, of course, not to spend too much time discouraging certain behaviour. The theory here is by drawing too much attention to something done incorrectly, the trainer will reinforce that wrong behaviour. Obviously errors should be identified, analysed and remedial action explained but simply and directly and in a sympathetic way.

Of course, most readers of this column, most trainers and teachers, will be very familiar with these ideas when it comes to dealing directly with students. But I was surprised recently when talking with a group of instructors to find a lot of negativity surrounding some of the messages some of them were passing on to pupils – particularly about other driver trainers and other drivers.

One ADI talked about the very poor standard displayed by some pupils who had come for lessons having originally trained with someone else. They intimated that they loved telling these pupils how rubbish their previous trainer was and pointing out all the things that the pupil had, in their opinion, been taught badly in the past. Another added that when he got a pupil who had received training elsewhere he went back to basics and retaught as much as possible his way.

When another member of the group suggested this was a bit unprofessional the atmosphere became a bit tense. This trainer said that they always praised the pupil’s previous instructor and if the learner said negative things about them they always said it was probably just a difference of style.

Another instructor pointed out that talking negatively about any ADI was very unprofessional and did nothing but bring the profession into disrepute. The pupil will remember and perhaps repeat negative things about ADIs generally. Not only is this not sensible it also means that the pupil may think, ‘if this instructor thinks my previous instructor was a bad trainer, what will another instructor think of my current trainer?’

Discussion then moved on to talking about other drivers and one rather sheepish member of the group said she had suddenly realised that all the “slagging off ” she did of other motorists and the things they did incorrectly was drawing the pupil’s attention to bad driving but never to good. She, with a number of others nodding in agreement, resolved to try and stop pointing out the errors of others and to draw attention to positive images of good driving.

So let’s remember: Be positive and tell everyone when they do well.

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 [email protected]

Advice sought over women-only advertTHE MSA recently received the following query from a female member:

“I am an ADI with three other male instructors working for me on a self-employed basis, paying fees for each lesson taken.

“I am planning to step back from tuition but wish to continue running the business. I wish to take on a female instructor to replace me.

“With only males I feel my school is at a disadvantage for some sectors of the market. Can I advertise for a female-only instructor please?”

We wrote to the Government Equalities Office and received this reply.

RE: Female only instructor Thank you for your email of 10th October about a query

raised by a female member of your association in relation to the possibility of recruiting a female instructor to meet market demands.

I am sure that you will appreciate that I cannot give you legal advice in respect of your member’s particular situation. However, it might assist you if I highlight some provisions in the Equality Act 2010 (the 2010 Act) - http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/ contents on which your member may wish to seek her own advice.

Provisions prohibiting employers from discriminating (including on grounds of sex) against a person in the arrangements they make when recruiting (discriminatory advertisements and discriminatory practices) have been in existence for many years - in previous anti-discrimination legislation and now in the 2010 Act.

However, sections 158 and 159 of the 2010 Act also allow employers to use the ‘positive action’ provisions in the Act to take proportionate action to:

address a disadvantage linked to a protected characteristic; (sex is one of the 9 characteristics protected by the 2010 Act )

meet particular needs of a protected group; or encourage or enable involvement in activities where the

participation of those with a specific protected characteristic is disproportionately low.

These positive action provisions allow targeted advertising at particular protected groups – for example, people of a particular gender that may be disadvantaged in certain sectors of employment, thereby providing such groups with opportunities to compete fairly for jobs. Such targeted advertisements could include a statement inviting or encouraging applications from members of the particular group that is under-represented. Recruitment advertisements should however not deter other groups that are genuinely interested in the advertised post.

The provisions also allow employers to take proportionate action during the actual process of recruitment and promotion when faced with making a choice between candidates who are as qualified as each other for a particular post, to take into consideration whether either has a protected characteristic which is disadvantaged or under-represented within the workforce.

However, an employer can only take such action where they reasonably think that people with a protected characteristic within the workforce, for example people of a particular gender, or within a particular age group, suffer some disadvantage linked to that characteristic or are disproportionately under-represented in particular activities or at particular grades in the workforce.

An employer should ensure that all candidates are considered on their individual merits for the post in

question and any subsequent appointment must be based solely on merit.

I attach links to some guidance documents which your member may find helpful in the recruitment process:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/85014/positive-action-recruitment.pdf

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/85015/positive-action-practical-guide.pdf

Paragraph 1 of Schedule 9 to the 2010 Act also provides a general exception to what would otherwise be unlawful direct discrimination in relation to work. The exception applies where being of a particular sex is a requirement for the work, and the person whom it is applied to does not meet it. The requirement must be crucial to the post, and not merely one of several important factors. It also must not be a sham or pretext. In addition, applying the requirement must be proportionate so as to achieve a legitimate aim.

As I said above, I cannot advise you as to whether the action your member proposes to take is permitted by the law. Therefore, I would advise them to seek their own legal advice on this matter.

I hope your member finds this helpful. Spokesperson for the

Government Equalities Office

DSA is making a political statementDear Sir,

I was very surprised recently when I read the DSA email, sent out on 27.10.13 and entitled ‘Help with the cost of living’. [Editor’s note: the email detailed changes that may result in lower costs for motorists].

It was headed up with the slogan ‘Help for hard working families’. This was repeated twice more throughout the passage. Members will remember that this was the slogan displayed on the stage of the recent Conservative Party annual conference.

It is true to say that it contained a lot of important information relevant to driving matter, and it is right the Government advise us of this, however, there is no requirement to be advised about Income tax and free child tax reductions, as the email also informed us.

The DSA email should be relevent to driving matters, and not contain party political proparganda, for any party, even though it is an arm of Government.

Alan Lee,Fife

Newslink writes: We asked the DSA for their comments. A DSA spokesperson said:

“We fully recognise the importance of impartiality for all government communications. By nature government communications will not be free of political content, but they should be objective and explanatory, without political bias.

“In this case we sent an email to subscribers making them aware of a government announcement on measures to help cut the cost of running a car. This was headed ‘help with the cost of driving’, and didn’t mention any other government policies.

“The email linked to a press release issued jointly by the Department for Transport and the Ministry of Justice which focussed on measures to reduce motoring costs.

“The reference to income tax and tax-free childcare appeared as part of a quote from the Justice Secretary Chris Grayling, which put the announcement into the context of wider government policy.”

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www.msagb.comNews: Learning to drive syllabus


John added: “Two years ago the MSA was critical of how this research project was being governed. We said then it would not work and would not deliver the outcomes the DSA was looking for.

“The agency was hoping that the report would provide an overwhelming endorsement of its new learning to drive syllabus, and the concept of client-centred learning that is at its heart.

“Yet when we asked to be involved in the research project we were refused access. The ADI community was not given a role in overseeing either the materials provided to the control group, nor to witness the trials themselves. We were not invited to comment on the evidence, nor the methodology with which the trial was conducted.

“The very people who lie at the heart of the learning to drive syllabus, the ADIs, were given no input into a project that they will be at the heart of their profession in the future.

“Two years ago I asked if the MSA and other ADI groups could have an involvement in designing the trial. Our request was refused. We wanted to make sure the project covered the right ground and dealt with driver training in the correct way. Again we were refused our request.

“To us, it is no surprise that the trial’s final recommendations are so damning and cause such a problem for what is possibly the DSA’s flagship policy over the past few years.”

The evaluation was carried out over a two-year period, with 60 ADIs, 31 learner drivers, and 22 supervising drivers. The evaluation involved two groups of learner drivers, one taught by ADIs who had been trained specifically in the delivery of the DSA’s new learning to drive syllabus, the other taught in the conventional way by ADIs who had not received any specific training in the content and techniques used in the new syllabus.

More details of the methodology used in compiling the evaluation report can be found in the panel on the facing page.

In its full report, the TRL authors (McWhirter, J., Brough, L., Vernon, D., Fuller, R., Helman, S.) highlight positive outcomes created by the new learning to drive syllabus but do not shy away from pointing out that their research finds no hard evidence of major and long-lasting road benefits, the kind the DSA was hoping for.

All along the DSA hoped that ADIs would accept the new syllabus and process, and that they

would see it as an improvement on current practice. The DSA also hoped that learners would look at wider road safety topics and experience greater self-discovery in their learning.

Principal findingsThe report goes on to say: “The DSA were not expecting the new learning

to drive syllabus and process to take any longer or cost any more than learning with the current approach.

What the researchers found was that ADIs in the treatment group welcomed the new syllabus and process and regarded it as a formalisation of client-centred learning methods they perceived they were already using. They saw the new syllabus and process as confirmation of their current practice and as encouragement to develop the techniques further. The new techniques were understood as ‘another tool in their box’, meaning that not all the new techniques were used with all learners. In practice the ADIs in the treatment group used a mix of traditional teaching and client centred learning. ADIs reported identifiable improvements and distinct benefits from using the new syllabus and process. The main improvements this group identified were:n learners taking more responsibility for their

learning processn learners and ADIs operating on a more mutual

basis, with ADIs ‘telling less and asking more’; and finally,

n ADIs perceived that both they and learners were discussing road safety issues and focusing more on ‘safe driving for life’ than on mere ‘test pass’.The ADIs in the treatment group reported

delivering different content and techniques to their learner drivers than did the ADIs in the control group. They also had different attitudes towards what learner drivers should expect when learning

to drive, in line with what the new syllabus and process is seeking to achieve (for example, greater ‘ownership’ by learners, and greater reliance on coaching techniques). All of this concurs with the findings from McWhirter et al. (2012), who concluded that the treatment group learner drivers experienced a qualitatively different learning to drive process than control group learners.

If the new syllabus and process is to be an effective safety intervention, we would expect to see ‘safer’ changes in the treatment group learners over the course of learning to drive, when compared with the control group learners. Things we would expect to see include more on-road practice while learning to drive (on-road supervised practice is known to be protective of later crash risk), a longer time to pass their practical driving test (so that they are older when licensed), and safer attitudes and behavioural intentions relating to the collision-relevant behaviours tested.

Analysis showed that none of the effects of the outcome variables that could be attributed to the new syllabus and process were able to be established at the adopted level of statistical significance.

There were some differences in some measures that could be attributed to either time effects in both groups (for example, learners in both groups chose higher speeds on the video speed test at the later time point) or to apparently pre-existing differences between the groups (for example, treatment group learners were higher than control group learners in thrill-seeking while driving).

When considered as a whole, the findings did suggest the presence of a pattern in the data consistent with there being an overall (although not statistically significant) treatment effect. However, this pattern was not consistent with a clear safety improvement since some comparisons showed indications of safety benefits, and others indications of safety benefits.

In short, the various indications that are reported here of possible impacts (positive or negative) on safety-related measures in the learner drivers tested are not yet clearly enough established for it to be evident what the prospects are for the new syllabus and process to make newly-qualified drivers safer.

The learning to drive workbook that formed the key materials for the new syllabus was perceived as in need of condensing to reduce repetition, and

“There was a marked absence of discussion on wider issues. Learners in one focus group felt that ADIs should raise issues such as drink-driving during lessons, whereas others were strongly against the idea as they felt that they were buying ‘driving time’ not ‘theory time’...”

tRL report casts doubt on effectiveness of learning to drive syllabus

Continued from page 1



also to reduce the time required to complete it in driving lessons. ADIs fully accepted the principle of the new syllabus and process but highlighted a conflict when trying to deliver it in a very competitive business climate. ADIs suggested that the expectations of learners to pass their practical test as quickly and as cheaply as possible appeared to be at odds with the philosophy of the new syllabus and process; ADIs perceived that learners did not want to spend time on things they perceived as not being directly related to passing their practical test.

ADIs in the control group, by definition, did not have access to the syllabus materials. They did, however, use their own materials, some of which required active input and written work from the learners, similar to the approaches used in the new syllabus and process. A minority of control ADIs were familiar with coaching techniques and the literature on these, and used some such techniques in their lessons. The majority of control ADIs, though, used passive teaching methods with minimal learner input.

Wider road safety topics were scarcely covered beyond practical knowledge such as checking lights, the Highway Code, and knowledge of road signs. When road safety topics were covered, this was done by chance in conversation, rather than in any deliberate or structured manner.

Control ADIs reported the same business conflict as treatment ADIs with learners wanting to pass their test as

quickly and as cheaply as possible. This conflicted with their professional desire to teach ‘safe driving for life’ rather than just ‘test pass’.

Treatment group learners reported taking onboard responsibility for their learning and for the safety of themselves and others when driving. There was great variation, however, in the degree to which learners actually had responsibility for their own learning. It appeared that, in most cases, learners (passively) took the lead from their instructor when deciding what they should cover.

Likewise learner self-assessment was primarily passive, with ADIs still relying on telling rather than asking. The mutuality of the relationship thus appeared less strong than indicated in responses from treatment ADIs. When asked about coverage of road safety topics treatment learners all referred to the workbook scenarios – most commonly seatbelts, crash types, peer pressure and vulnerable road users.

Learners revealed that the road safety topics they covered related well to their practical lessons and that it was unusual for them to cover a scenario that they had not previously discussed or experienced during the lesson.

The experiences of learners in the extent to which they covered the scenarios and used the workbook was, however, variable; some learners reported been given a sheet to take home but reported having good discussions about the scenarios in-car.

Continued on page 14

how the tRL report was compiledA twO-yeAR formative and summative evaluation study was conducted to evaluate the new learning to drive syllabus and process. This study addressed four objectives:

n To research how learner drivers engage with the new learning to drive syllabus and to assess its initial impact on learner drivers’ attitudes and reported behavioural tendencies

n To identify whether ADIs can deliver the full syllabus, in a way that empowers learner drivers to take ownership of the learning process

n To research how supervising drivers engage with the new learning to drive syllabus

n To inform DSA’s understanding of any changes required to the training of ADIs and/or supporting tools included in the syllabus to ensure its successful implementation when rolled out in a subsequent, evaluation stage

The evaluation comprised a quasi-experimental approach in which a treatment group of learner drivers were taught to drive by ADIs who had been trained specifically in the delivery of the new learning to drive syllabus. A control group were taught to drive in the conventional way by ADIs who had not received any specific training in the content and techniques used in the new syllabus. Participants were either randomly (ADIs) or pseudo-randomly (learner drivers, supervising drivers) assigned to either the treatment group or control group.

This report describes the qualitative, formative evaluation work in the project. Sixty ADIs, 31 learner drivers, and 22 supervising drivers took part in focus groups for this report. Results showed that treatment ADIs accepted and engaged with the new syllabus and process but that impact on learners depended upon how thoroughly individual ADIs were able to implement the new techniques in which they had been trained. The new syllabus and process was accepted in principle but modifications and further ADI training support are needed to enhance its usability.

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Research team offers recommendations on future of DSA learning driving syllabus

A NuMBeR Of recommendations are offered based by TRL on its findings during the survey. These recommendations are aimed at

improving the new syllabus and process in terms of its delivery and uptake with ADIs, learners, and supervising drivers.

1. Although the new learning-to-drive syllabus and process seems generally acceptable both in principle and in practice to

ADIs and to learner drivers, the findings reported here do not provide a justification in terms of a likely road safety benefit for

rolling out the new syllabus and process further in its current form.

2. Any further research or development work with the new syllabus and process should proceed within an a

priori* evaluation framework appropriate for the assessment of its goals.

On the basis of the wider evidence base relating to interventions to increase novice driver safety, we also make the following more strategic recommendation:

3. Alternative approaches (i.e. other than training and education) to improving young novice driver safety should be considered. This would be in keeping with the DSA’s commitment to evidence-based practice, and to continue monitoring

evidence from other countries on approaches that seek to increase regulation and use post-test

restrictions (DSA, 2008). Some such approaches are widely supported by evidence as being effective in

improving the safety of young novice drivers.A final recommendation relates to the wider approach

that DSA should continue to take in assessing further attempts to improve road safety for novice drivers. In short, an evidence-based approach (represented by the current study) to any planned changes to driver training and testing in Great Britain should be continued.

By assessing effectiveness of incremental changes in appropriately designed trials

on modest scales as in the current study, the likely effects (positive or negative) of interventions can be ascertained before wide exposure in the population, and informed decisions on the most effective use of resources available can be made. When proven interventions are rolled out on a wide scale, further evaluation can then help interventions to be delivered effectively, and to achieve good return on investment.

Key changes recommended

ADI training n ADI training could have clearer aims and more attention could be

given to communicating the processn More extensive training in client-centred learning could be made

available to ADIsn More support could be given for the use of workbooksn Copies of the learning to drive workbook and/or other materials

could be handed to ADIs at the start of any future trainingn Consistent use of terminology when referring to client-centred

learning and coaching could be ensured, to avoid confusion of terms n The time advised for ADIs to use the syllabus and process could

be revised, based on real-life examples of practising ADIs and learners (rather than DSA staff)

Learner drivers and their supervisors n Separate learner driver discussion groups could be used to deliver

some of the content in the new syllabus and process to ease the time burden on ADIs

n Publicity could be made to learners and parents, aimed at realigning expectations of the learning process towards more ‘safe driving for life’

n Revisions to the workbook could include guidance and instructions on involving supervising drivers with scenario discussions.

The learning to drive workbook n The content of the learning to drive workbook could be reduced,

eliminating repetition of scenarios. n The language within the learning to drive workbook could be

simplifiedn The learning styles questionnaire could be revised to take account

of young learners’ knowledge of their own learning styles, while still being applicable to older learners

n The GROW plan/Goals sections could be simplified and removed from its early position in the workbook, to a later stage

n The three-phase and triplicate system could be revised in light of time pressures upon ADIs and resistance to written work from

Continued from page 1For all but one or two treatment learners, verbal in-car discussions about the scenarios were preferred to take-home written exercises.

The control group learners gave no examples, nor mention, of taking onboard responsibility for their learning and/or safety.

Only one learner reported being asked by their instructor what they wanted to cover within the lesson. Learners trusted their instructors to make decisions on their behalf about what they needed to work on, and saw no need to have any ownership of the process. A very small minority of learners gave examples of being asked to self-assess their learning progress. The techniques they described their instructors using were akin to those used in the treatment group.

This supports the finding from the control ADI focus groups that some ADIs in the control group were using coaching techniques. Control learner responses also concurred with the control ADI accounts of any road safety topics being covered by chance and in conversation.

When asked about road safety topics, learners generally thought about the theory test or the

Highway Code and there was a marked absence of discussion on wider issues. Learners in one focus group felt that ADIs should raise issues such as drink-driving during lessons, whereas other learners were strongly against the idea as they felt that they were buying ‘driving time’ not ‘theory time’.

Interviews conducted with supervising drivers found little difference between treatment and control groups. Supervising drivers predominantly saw their role as helping their learner to get driving practice, rather than teaching them anything new or introducing them to topics that they had not covered in formal lessons. Supervising drivers would sometimes discuss technical aspects of driving with their learner – for example the vehicle’s controls or what road signs mean – but when they were not certain of the answer or the question was more complex, they would refer the learner to the ADI.

This limit to a supervising driver’s involvement was also prompted by worries of giving the wrong answer or passing on ‘bad habits’. Several supervising drivers saw their involvement as helping to keep down costs and the two main ways of doing this were to find a location where the

learner could get used to the controls of the car before starting lessons, and allowing the learner to drive when they were both going to the same place.

There was typically very little direct communication between the supervising drivers and the ADIs; however, they made sure that the private practice was relevant by finding out from the learner what they should be practising or in some cases by referring to resources supplied by the ADI. A minority of the supervising drivers from both treatment and control groups were more involved in their learners’ progression.

An analysis of the learning to drive workbooks found variations in the way that they were completed and suggested that some topics were used more frequently than others.

Typically the exercises which were earlier in the book were completed by a greater proportion of learners. The typical trend for individual worksheets was that the starting section was completed by the highest proportion of learners, with fewer going on to fill out each subsequent section. Learners did not typically name a supervising driver in the workbook and there was only one example where the supervising driver had signed it.

tRL report casts doubt on effectiveness of DSA learning to drive syllabus

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www.msagb.comDSA changes


DSA HAS ANNOUNCED changes to the power requirement for category A motorcycles used on riding tests and to the licensing of larger vehicles, after a consultation exercise.

From January 2014 the following change will be introduced for motorcycles that can be used for tests, to allow more flexibility.

DSA will reduce the minimum engine power requirement for medium motorcycles (category A2) from 25kW to 20kW.

There will be more changes from 2019. DSA will:• raise the minimum engine power requirement

for large motorcycles (category A) from 40kW to 50kW

• introduce a minimum mass weight requirement for large motorcycles (category A) of 180kg

The changes are being made to the 3rd EU Directive on driving licences (Directive 2006/126/EC) which was implemented on 19 January 2013 and affects driving licences, driving tests and the vehicles that can be used to take the driving tests.

Other changes are in an Amending Directive (Directive 2012/36/EU) and include:

• changes to driver licensing to take account of new vehicle categories introduced in the 3rd Directive on the 19 January and the codes that are put onto driving licences to show any restrictions on driving that a driver has due to medical reasons, or because of when they passed their driving test

• the standards that must be met for different types of vehicles that can be used to take a motorcycle, lorry or bus test

The majority of the changes must be implemented by 31 December 2013, apart from the changes that relate to large motorcycles, which do not have to be implemented until 31 December 2018.

Not all of the changes within the amending Directive were consulted on as the UK has no choice but to introduce them, such as the restriction codes on driving licences and the changes to large motorcycles (increase in engine power and a new minimum weight requirement for category A); or, they offered benefits that the UK wanted to introduce, such as the 5cc tolerance in cylinder capacity for all motorcycles. The changes that were consulted on were:

• changes to the category C1 test (medium sized lorries), with an option to introduce a new test for non-professional C1 drivers as shown on the licence by a new restriction code

• removing the need for 8-forward gear ratios for large lorries used for the driving test (category C)

• allowing persons who hold a manual entitlement in either category B, BE, C, CE, C1, C1E, D, D1E, to be allowed to take their large vehicle test (categories C and D) on an automatic vehicle but gain a manual driving licence entitlement – by virtue of already holding a manual entitlement in another category

The consultation also asked a question on behalf of the DVLA about allowing persons to drive three-wheeled vehicles with an unlimited power rating, as long as they held a category B (car) driving licence and were at least 21 years of age. This option was offered in the Third Directive and was taken up in some of the other Member States, but was not taken up by the UK. Before the 3rd Directive was implemented three-wheelers were in category B1. The EU removed three-wheelers from category B1 and put them into the motorcycle

categories in the 3rd Directive, which means that a motorcycle test must be taken in order to ride a tricycle. The UK did not agree this, but we were not supported by other EU colleagues when we argued against this move.

Recently, many tricycle enthusiasts have lobbied for a return for three-wheelers to category B1.

The UK is unable to do this without the agreement of the EU and other Member States. In the meantime, we are able to make the small legislative change as stated above, subject to the change being wanted. A question was therefore asked about this in the Consultation Paper.

Longer term, the UK continues to push the EU for a return for Three-wheelers to category B1.

The questions asked in the consultation paper were: Question 1The introduction of a new type of test for non-professional medium sized lorry drivers (Category C1) as shown on the licence by a new restriction code. DSA does not intend to make this change, but wants to know if you agree?n Agree 159n Disagree 34n Neither agree or disagree 132n Didn’t answer 14

Of the number of people who disagreed and thought that a further test for non-professional drivers should be introduced, comments made were generally that a non-professional test would benefit those drivers who own motorhomes. The benefit being that motorhome owners would be able to take their driving test in their own vehicles without having to have a tachograph fitted.

DSA accepts that this is true. However, the EU legislation requires that apart from the content about the tachograph, all of the other content of the current category C1 test must remain and be tested. DSA is unable to just remove the tachograph content from the current test, for non-professional drivers turning up for test.

Question 2The Amending Directive allows that drivers who have passed their lorry or bus test in an automatic vehicle, to be given a manual licence

instead of an automatic one, if they already hold a manual entitlement in any of the following categories: B, BE, C, CE, C1, C1E, D, DE, D1EDSA intends to make this change. Do you agree or disagree that DSA should make this change?n Agree 179n Disagree 63n Neither agree or disagree 79n Didn’t answer 18

Question 3We would also like to extend this relaxation to current holders of automatic large vehicle licences, as long as they also hold a manual entitlement in another category, except motorcycles. Do you agree or disagree that existing automatic licence holders should also be given a manual entitlement when they exchange their licence for any reason?n Agree 169n Disagree 68n Neither agree or disagree 82n Didn’t answer 20

Question 4Additional question from the 3rd Directive on three-wheeled vehicles. The European 3rd Directive on driving licences allows for drivers, of at least 21 years of age, to be able to drive three-wheeled vehicles on a full car licence.Do you agree or disagree that DSA allow this change?n Agree 248n Disagree 34n Neither agree or disagree 36n Didn’t answer 21

More responders were in favour of this proposal than any of the others.

The question was asked on behalf of DVLA about allowing persons to drive three-wheeled vehicles with an unlimited power rating, as long as they hold a category B (car) driving licence and are at least 21 years of age.

Many responders could not understand the reasoning behind the Commission removing 3- wheelers from category B1 (sub-category of cars) and putting them into the motorcycle categories.

DSA announces key changes to testing and licence regulations

Do you have the right power? Motorbikes will see subtle changes in the power output allowed on tests

www.msagb.comRoad safety news


‘Innocent’ drivers fear being caught out by legal drugsThe vast majority of motorists want to see a major crackdown on drivers who get behind the wheel under the influence of drugs – but at the same time, they are concerned that they could fall foul of tough drug-driving laws by inadvertently taking prescription drugs which contains substances that impair the driver’s ability.

A survey by the Institute of Advanced Motorists found that 73 per cent of people believe that those who drive under the influence of drugs are as dangerous as drink-drivers, with 59 per cent believing tougher penalties are required for drug-drivers. Currently, they face a one-year ban and up to a £1,000 fine.

However, there is real concern that ‘innocent’ motorists may be caught out by unclear labelling on prescription medicines. Only half of drivers feel prescription drug labelling is clear enough on medicines, and a third want a simple traffic-light system to indicate the impact the drugs they take can have on driving.

IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “Motorists clearly feel that labelling is not clear or consistent. A traffic-light system such as red for no driving, amber for care required and green for limited effects appears to be the most popular option.

“We need a wide-ranging campaign to support the new drug-driving laws and ensure motorists don’t find themselves on the wrong side of the law.”

the LAteSt Set of road traffic casualty statistics has highlighted a growing menace on our roads: sun dazzle.

Comparing crash statistics for 2011 and 2012, there has been a 12 per cent increase in which drivers blamed being dazzled by the sun for a crash.

In 2011, sun dazzle was a contributing factor in 2,592 traffic incidents; in 2012, this figure had grown to 2,905.

The increase is in line with Met Office statistics which showed that last autumn had almost 293 hours of sunshine, compared with 277 in 2011.

The rise was noticed by Prestone, a manufacturer of quality screen wash, which pointed out that problems caused by low setting sun were exacerbated by having a dirty windscreen, a particular problem in autumn when leaves and other materials on the roads, combined with wet road surfaces, make maintaining a clear windscreen while driving a difficult proposition.

Juliette Mullineux, Prestone brand manager, explains: “During autumn motorists are likely to find their vision affected by a range of external factors such as low dazzling sun, rain, road spray and traffic grime.

“It’s often not apparent just how dirty a windscreen is until the rising or setting sun hits it at a low angle, so it’s vital that motorists prepare their car by using a good quality screen wash to maintain a clear view of the road.

“Motorists often forget that driving without screen wash is illegal and carries a penalty of three points and a hefty fine.”

Weather-related conditions, such as rain, sleet, snow and fog were the second highest contributory factor, according to the new figures, accounting for 2,448 accidents in 2012.

Headlight glare, spray from other vehicles and dirty, scratched or frosted windscreens were a factor in a further 814 crashes.

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www.msagb.comTowards your CPD


Linking progress from one lesson to another via the recap is a crucial part of your teaching, says Steve Garrod

ONe Of the most important parts of a lesson is the recap, but all too often it is overlooked and the latest lesson does not properly link to the previous one. We have discussed, in recent articles, how to plan your questions to ensure you stretch your learners and to identify what is known and what still needs to be learnt. This month we will look at how to plan a lesson.

The planning stage is important, insomuch as you need to identify what needs to be learnt, what has been learnt and what problems may be encountered along the way. For example, if we take the turn in the road as our lesson subject, we need to write down what skills are needed to successfully execute this manoeuvre, for example moving the car slowly forwards and backwards and knowing which way to steer and where to look. The learner will also need to have reached a certain level of competence to be taught the manoeuvre.

The simplest way to do this is to draw a spider diagram like the one below.

This is something that you could produce with your learner or make up blank pre-set diagrams for any subject for them to take home to help them think about their next lesson. Even if they don’t complete it you can have another copy ready to begin your lesson and use it as a guide for your recap and to set the scene for what is about to be learnt.

The areas coloured in red are the subjects we can reasonably assume they have covered. (Yes, I know

what assume means, which is why I used the term ‘reasonably assume’!) They are also the minimum skills required to be taught during this lesson.

The areas in blue may be new subjects which could pose potential difficulties, therefore we need to think of the solutions to prevent things going wrong. It is true that they might have reversed before but this isn’t a problem because we could just ask “have you ever reversed before?” If they have then find out a little bit more about how they did it.

When dealing with the subject in the red circles we can confirm that following information is understood:

Moving offpreparation for moving off on a level road, uphill

and downhill How to stop the car - co-ordination of footbrake and clutch Observation/other traffic - where to look before moving away - how to deal with other traffic (eg recognising

when safe to move off)Safe, legal, convenient position (SLC) - this would link to the SLC position for the

turn in the road; you could then add a few road signs, eg, no U-turn, One-way streets, busy areas etc

Brisk steering - moving away from behind a parked car - this

would naturally cover the brisk steering and slow speed manoeuvring.

Why - what skills will be learnt?

You will see from the above that much of the manoeuvre has been covered by prior learning. We, as instructors, just need to guide the conversation towards the turn-in-the-road making clear links from what is known to the unknown. In reality most of it is known, after all it’s a moving off and stopping exercise using an extra gear.

It is important to ask learners why they need to learn the manoeuvre; most will answer, “because

it’s in the test” or “in case I get lost”. Both are reasonable answers, but what I prefer to emphasise is the skills that will be learnt.

For example, close clutch control and brisk steering together are useful skills for dealing with tight junctions or slow moving traffic in busy urban areas. It also helps to judge the full length of the vehicle.

If we look at the blue areas you will see there’s not much to teach. The key points will be when to start steering to the right or left, where to look and when to stop. Something to remember here is just give a brief overview of how you will conduct the exercise and the terminology you are going to use. It is far easier to say “steer to me” or “steer to you” than “steer left or right”. This is because while the learner is reversing and looking over his/her left shoulder and out of the back window their perception of left and right becomes distorted.

Rather than go into too much detail in the briefing just explain that when you reach the other side of the road you will help them identify a reference point of where to stop. It is pointless telling them what to look for because we all see things differently depending on our height and build. Far better to say, “This is the first point of turn, how can you remember it?”

When planning your lesson it is important to identify any potential areas, therefore regardless of if your learner has reversed before it is a good idea to conduct a short reversing exercise before starting the turn in the road, this way any potential faults can be ironed out.

Another way to reduce any misunderstandings is to clarify that your learner knows where they are going to look while turning and which way they are going to steer before they move off. Just deal with each leg of the manoeuvre at a time. Giving too much detail is wasting time as it will only have to be repeated later on.

If you take time to look at all the subjects in this way you will begin to see how much your learner actually knows, it will mean that the lesson is interactive and, of course, client-centred.

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A learning to drive ‘spider’, outlining the skills needed for the turn in the road exercise

www.msagb.comSpecial feature: Graduated driving licences


Members will be aware that for some months, the Government has been promising a Green Paper on changes to the regulations governing learner and new drivers.Sadly, we are still waiting. The mystery surrounding the non-appearance of this document still baffles the MSA; remember, that a Green Paper is not a commitment to legislate on behalf of the state, rather an initial discussion document on possible changes to laws and regulations.Perhaps the Government is ultra-sensitive to criticism, and is loathe to flag up any potential legislation that attracts negative publicity. At the MSA we’d like to think the Government has a thicker skin than that, however, and can deflect criticism with well-argued reason, particularly

if the result is better trained young drivers, better equipped to handle the challenge of driving on modern roads.In the vacuum created by Government inaction, a host of other road safety groups have added their own thoughts and published a series of unofficial ‘Green Papers’, if you like.The latest and most interesting is this one from the Transport Research Laboratory, which has produced a well-structured case for introducing graduated licences. It would result in a practical minimum driving age of 18 or possibly 19. Let us know your thoughts - write to the Editor, MSA Newslink, at the address on page 2.

Keeping young drivers safe

the OVeR-RePReSeNtAtION of young novice drivers in road collisions is a public health risk in Great Britain, and worldwide. The key contributory factors to this problem are known and are cross-cultural; they are youth and inexperience.

This report [by TRL] reviewed and synthesised evidence of effectiveness for three approaches to tackling young and novice driver safety, for consideration in GB:

1. Pre-driver education and training for those under 17 years old;

2. Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL); 3. The Road Traffic (New Drivers) Act (1995).

While provision of pre-driver education and training is widespread, evidence of effectiveness is absent. Conversely, evidence of the effectiveness of GDL from countries where it has been implemented is strong and consistent.

The New Drivers’ Act appears to have had a beneficial effect on offending patterns in Great Britain and may have had a safety benefit through deterrence from driving. Based on the evidence, it is recommended that licensing in GB be based on a full GDL system. Analysis of STATS19 data and evidence of effectiveness in other countries suggests that a GDL system in GB could save 4,471 casualties and £224 million annually based on 17-19 year old drivers only.

Pre-driver education There is extensive provision of pre-driver

education and training in GB via numerous public, private and charitable organisations. These interventions can be categorised as seeking to improve safety by aiming to satisfy one or more of the following: influencing attitudes, imparting knowledge, and improving skills.

Very few interventions have been evaluated and most evaluations that have been undertaken are of such low scientific quality that their results cannot be taken as reliable. The evidence base for pre-driver education and training is weak at best, and effectively non-existent when collisions and injuries are used as the outcome of interest. No properly-evaluated intervention has demonstrated a reliable reduction in novice driver collisions.

Graduated Driver Licensing GDL is effective at reducing collisions in

countries where it has been implemented and the quality of the evidence is high. The evidence is consistent and the potential public health benefits of a GDL system for new drivers are indisputable.

Overall effectiveness of a GDL system is dependent on the number of components implemented, the strength (strictness) of those components, and the conviction with which the

system is implemented by authorities. It is estimated that a GDL system in GB would

result in annual savings of 4,471 casualties and £224 million, although may range from savings of 2,236 casualties and £112 million to 8,942 casualties and £447 million depending on the effectiveness of the system. This analysis only considered drivers between 17-19 years old; a system that applied to all new drivers would be expected to achieve even greater casualty and cost savings.

New Drivers’ Act Around 10 per cent of novice drivers are caught

committing an offence within their probationary period. Around two per cent of drivers have their licence revoked under the New Drivers’ Act.

Analyses show a reduction in the proportion of drivers with two or more offences, a reduction in the number of offences overall and a substantial reduction in the proportion of new drivers with six or more points since the introduction of the New Drivers’ Act. Therefore, the data overall suggest that the Act may be having a beneficial effect on new drivers’ offending patterns.

Background to the problemTwenty-two percent of fatalities on Great

Britain’s roads in 2011 occurred in collisions involving a driver aged 17 to 24 years old (DfT, 2012). In 65% of these collisions the fatal injuries were sustained by passengers or road users other than the young driver.

The key contributory factors to this problem are known and are cross-cultural; they are youth and inexperience. The younger a driver is when they become licensed, the more likely they are to be collision-involved. Meanwhile, the early post-licence driving period, when on-road experience is lacking, is the riskiest time.

Research findings

Pre-driver education Provision of pre-driver education and training

interventions is widespread in GB. Interventions (typically delivered by public, private and charitable organisations) can be categorised as attempting to impart knowledge, change attitudes, or improve skills (or combinations of the three).

Interventions are well-intentioned but tend not to be based on formal theory and knowledge from academic areas (such as psychology) that can inform their content. In addition, almost no interventions are evaluated using study designs sufficiently robust to permit the drawing of formal conclusions regarding effectiveness. This is true of interventions that target ‘softer’ and easier-to-measure outcome variables such as changes in attitudes and behaviour, as well as those that seek

“A GDL system in GB could save 4,471 casualties and £224 million annually based on 17-19-year-old drivers only...”

www.msagb.comSpecial feature: Graduated driving licences


to measure direct effects on collision risk. In those interventions that have been evaluated,

some short-term positive effects have been shown on attitudes towards road safety, but these tend not to last beyond a few months, are not consistent, and do not guarantee safety benefits.

There are plausible and demonstrable mechanisms by which such interventions can cause harm, typically through early licensure (and thus exposure to risk at a younger, more risky age).

Graduated driving licences (GDL)The international evidence shows that GDL has

been effective at reducing collisions involving novice drivers wherever it has been implemented. The quality and consistency of the evidence base is high and reductions in collisions are seen for novice drivers of all ages. Studies published since the latest systematic review (Russell, Vandermeer & Hartling, 2011) further support the effectiveness of GDL for reducing novice driver collisions and include jurisdictions with a licensing age of 17 and 18 years old.

It is common for states in the USA to only apply GDL to those under 18 years old but this has been criticised as all new drivers, whatever their age, have been shown to benefit from a GDL system. This is demonstrated by evaluations in Canada and New Zealand where GDL components apply to all new drivers.

Overall effectiveness of GDL systems is linked to the number of components implemented, the strictness of these components, and the conviction with which the system is implemented by authorities. The strongest systems comprise a number of individual components aligned to a learner stage and an intermediate stage of driving.

The key components in the learner stage that add to effectiveness are a minimum learning period, minimum required amounts of on-road supervised practice, and a minimum age at which novice drivers can graduate to the intermediate stage. The higher the licensing age, the lower the initial collision risk hence there is no evidence to support reducing the licensing age as part of the introduction of a GDL system.

The key components in the intermediate stage that add to effectiveness are restrictions on solo night-time driving for all novice drivers, and restrictions on the carrying of passengers aged under 30 years old for novice drivers under 30 years old.

A lower alcohol limit, and a ban on hands-free mobile phone use while driving (in the absence of such restrictions for all drivers), are both likely to reduce novice driver collisions and encourage positive habits.

There are a number of outstanding research questions with regard to the specificity of GDL components. Such knowledge gaps have not prevented components being implemented or effective but they do suggest that the details of specific components must be carefully considered. For example, minimum values of practice are sometimes seen by new drivers as a ‘target’ rather than a minimum and levels of practice achieved must be greater than those currently being achieved to be effective.

Measures are sometimes introduced to aid implementation. These include exemptions of the nighttime and passenger restrictions for work or education. While these might be considered, there is evidence that such exemptions can lower the effectiveness of the restrictions.

There are a number of commonly-cited barriers to GDL implementation which were considered in light of the evidence base. The literature suggests that there is limited, and in some instances, no formal evidence for commonly-cited barriers. However, while evidence exists to contradict many

commonly-cited barriers, in some cases the evidence base is not substantial. The most significant evidence that appears to contradict commonly-cited concerns, such as the impact on youth mobility and employment, is that other countries have been able to introduce and maintain GDL systems and achieve significant casualty savings, without any reporting major impacts on travel or youth employment. Approval ratings for GDL are often found to increase after implementation and many states in the USA and Australia have subsequently reviewed and strengthened their GDL systems since they were first introduced.

Using realistic but conservative estimates of effectiveness from countries in which GDL has been implemented, and applying these to STATS19 data from GB, we estimate that a GDL system in GB would result in annual savings of 4,471 casualties and £224 million. This may range from savings of 2,236 casualties and £112 million to 8,942 casualties and £447 million depending on the effectiveness of the system implemented. The analysis only considered drivers between 17-19 years old; a system that applied to all new drivers would be expected to achieve even greater casualty and cost savings.

New Drivers’ Act The implementation of the Act was associated

with a reduction in the proportion of drivers with two or more offences, a reduction in the number of offences overall and a substantial reduction in the proportion of new drivers with six or more points since the introduction of the Act. This suggests that the Act has therefore had a beneficial effect on offending patterns.

The survey of new drivers provided no evidence that the Act had an effect on driving style in the first two years after licensure, in either revoked or non-revoked respondents.

If the probationary period of the Act were extended from two to three years, it is anticipated that this would result in another 3,200 drivers per year having their licence revoked; however it is anticipated that there would be another 4,200 drivers per year who would have committed further offences, but who would be deterred from doing so by the extension of the Act.

There was a decrease in the number of collisions in the age group of interest after the introduction of the Act; however the number of collisions per licensed driver in that age group went up, with fewer drivers aged 17 and 18 becoming licensed over the period during which the Act was implemented. This suggests that any safety benefit of the Act was mainly evident through its deterrent effect on driving, rather than offending.

Recommendations Based on the evidence reviewed and the analyses

conducted in this study, TRL believe that there is a compelling case for significant improvement of

driver licensing in GB. Our suggested system (outlined below) is

structured around the framework of the typical driving career for a driver in GB (including pre-driver, learner driver, and post-licence phases).

It is only illustrative; the detailed recommendations are a considered compromise between achieving significant casualty savings and maintaining a practical and workable licensing system. Such systems have been implemented successfully in other jurisdictions, often with stricter constraints. TRL believes that implementation of such a system would be achievable in GB. All elements would need to be subject to on-going evaluation meaning that the system could be adjusted based on the results of findings.

At the heart of our proposal is a GDL system that has all the key components identified in the review. We recommend:

n A 12-month learner stage beginning at age 17, with a requirement for least 100 hours of daytime and 20 hours of night time supervised practice, with a mandatory log-book.

n On completion of these minimum requirements and the current DSA testing regime (theory and practical tests) a driver would then be permitted to progress to a ‘probationary’ licence (the restricted stage) from age 18.

n During the 12-month (minimum) probationary licence the driver would be required to display a green P-plate to identify their licence status and aid enforcement of restrictions.

These restrictions would include a night-time driving curfew running from 10pm to 5am (unless accompanied by a passenger aged over 30) and a ban on carrying passengers under 30 years old for all novice drivers aged under 30 years old.

n In addition a ban on any mobile phone use (including hands-free) and a lower alcohol limit should be considered.

n After the 12-month probationary licence drivers would automatically graduate to a Full licence and unrestricted driving.

In addition, we recommend that the New Drivers’ Act continues into the initial period of this stage, for all drivers, including those who are regaining their licences after previously having them revoked.

Further testing and remedial courses for some offences should be considered.

This system would be supported at the pre-driver stage and throughout the driving career by driver education interventions that seek to ensure continued acceptance and perceived legitimacy of the GDL process and its enforcement. At the pre-driver stage the focus would be on preparing (mainly) young people for their entry into the learner stage, and on promoting a consistent road safety culture that is further supported through lifelong learning.

Conclusion The mechanisms by which young and novice

drivers come to be overrepresented in road collisions are well understood from decades of research on the topic; they are youth and inexperience, and they lead to well-understood risky driving scenarios for those concerned. The evidence reviewed in this report suggests that the comprehensive licensing system we are recommending would bring considerable casualty savings for young and novice drivers, their passengers, and all other road users in Great Britain.

Evidence contradicts commonly-cited concerns (about GDL), such as the impact on youth mobility and employment... other countries have been able to introduce and maintain GDL systems and achieve significant casualty savings, without any reporting major impacts on travel or youth employment”

What do other groups think? Turn over for reaction to the TRL’s plan

www.msagb.comSpecial feature: Graduated Driving Licences


BRAKE’S RESPONSEBrake, the road safety charity, has welcomed the Department for Transport-commissioned report produced by TRL, and backed its call for graduated driver licensing to help tackle crashes and casualties involving young drivers.

Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive at Brake, says: “Through our support services for bereaved and injured crash victims, we witness the suffering and devastation that results from crashes involving young, inexperienced drivers. We wholeheartedly welcome this report, which is further recognition of the compelling case for graduated driver licensing. We urge the government to act swiftly and decisively by committing to a full system of graduated driver licensing, to help reduce the danger young drivers pose to themselves and others.”

ABI’S RESPONSEThe Association of British Insurers (ABI) has backed the introduction of graduated driving licences, stating that they would result in major savings in insurance as a result of fewer claims and crashes.

In particular, the ABI wants to see limits on night-time driving, and restrictions on the number of passengers they are able to carry.

It said: “We must do more to help young drivers better deal with the dangers of driving. Improving the safety of young drivers will also mean that they will face lower motor insurance costs. We have all side-stepped this issue for too long.”

The ABI argued that an 18-year-old driver is three times more likely to be involved in a crash than a 48-year-old driver, and 27 per cent of motor personal injury insurance claims over £500,000 resulted from crashes involving drivers aged between 17-24.

tRANSPORt SeCRetARy Patrick McLoughlin is said to be ‘open-minded’ about plans to introduce graduated driving licences, a source within the Department for Transport has revealed.

He said: “The TRL’s report makes good sense, particularly when it highlights that ‘the younger a driver is when they become licensed, the more likely they are to become involved in a collision. Meanwhile, the post-licence driving period, when on-road experience is lacking, is the riskiest time.’ ”

TRL’s proposals are now being considered by Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin, and the hope is that a formal consultation will be published before Christmas.

The DfT spokesman commented: “The clear road safety benefits had to be balanced against issues of liberty and practical considerations about the difficulties faced by young people trying to get to work or college, particularly in rural areas.”

Dr Shaun Helman, one of the report’s authors, said: “Evidence shows that both youth and inexperience are factors in determining crash risk.’

Other countries have introduced similar schemes. France has a minimum driving age of 18, and new drivers are banned from travelling at more than 90 kilometres per hour (62mph) for two years after passing their test.

In addition, a night driving curfew cut serious accidents involving young drivers by 59 per cent when it was introduced in Washington state in the United States of America.

The TRL report says moving to a ‘graduated’ system of driving licences “would bring considerable casualty savings for young and novice drivers, their passengers and all other road users.”

Learner drivers in the UK should face a graduated system of licences to help reduce road deaths, says the RAC Foundation.

Its own study suggests that hundreds of lives a year could be saved if such a system were adopted.

The RAC believes new drivers would face a four-year learning period during which they would be subject to restrictions.

The United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand already have graduated learning for drivers, and the RAC Foundation said such countries had seen a significant reduction in the number of young people being killed in accidents.

However, the RAC Foundation admitted that putting a firm number on casualty reduction is hard, “because of the pick-and-mix approach to graduated licensing,” said Prof Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation.

“However, the evidence suggests that a full package of measures could reduce fatalities by anything up to 60%,” he said.

The RAC Foundation believes the first 1,000 miles of driving are the most important for cutting the risk of a crash.

It is calling for a three-stage, graduated, system, with new drivers facing restrictions for four years:

n Stage oneA one-year minimum driving period,

before the test is taken. Drivers would need to experience a wide range of conditions, including winter driving and night driving.

n Stage twoAfter the test is taken, drivers would face

restrictions for a further year. The number of passengers they could carry might be limited, and night driving might also be restricted.

n Stage threeA further two-year probationary period. If

during the period a driver receives six penalty points, they would have to take a re-test.

The Foundation would also like to see a stricter drink-drive limit. At the moment the legal maximum is 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, but the RAC has called for this level to be reduced to 50mg.

“The first 1,000 miles of driving are the most important for cutting the risk of a crash...”

P-plates edge nearer as Government admits to being ‘open-minded’The Government’s view

The RAC Foundation’s view

www.msagb.comNews extra


MANY MORE UK roads will be plunged into darkness over the coming weeks as councils switch off street lights to save money on energy bills and cut carbon emissions.

An investigation by Halfords at the end of October as British Summer Time ended has identified that, following a big switch-off in 2012, at least eight county councils have further plans to switch off or dim roadside lighting despite concerns from motorists.

Halfords found that two thirds of drivers (68 per cent) opposed the switch-off and almost half (47 per cent) expressed safety concerns about being able to see clearly.

A further 41 per cent worried about being seen by other drivers or had already experienced difficulty reading road signs

and almost a quarter (25 per cent) said they tired more quickly as a result.

Auto category director Dave Poulter said: “As the nights draw in, drivers will begin to notice hundreds more miles of unlit road between the hours of midnight and 5am.

“In order to see and be seen, it is vitally important that every motorist ensures the lights on their vehicle are working properly and we are here to help them.”

Councils claim their actions haven’t led to an increase in accidents or crime and lights have been switched-off only after consultations with safety authorities and local communities.

However, insurance industry figures show that while only a quarter of drivers are on the road between 7pm and 8am, 40 per cent of crashes occur between these hours – with

the highest number of accidents occurring in the weeks following the clocks changing.

Dave Poulter added: “It’s estimated that there over 800,000 vehicles on UK roads with lights that are not up to a safe MOT standard, which means there are many motorists who could be doing far more to reduce their chances of becoming an accident statistic.”

A study by Halfords 12 months ago found that 73 per cent of councils in England and Wales had switched-off and dimmed lights, or were planning to. Three years ago the figure was 43per cent.

However, some local authorities have seen the light – with Nottinghamshire and the Wirral on Merseyside switching lights back on following concerns raised by the police.

Councils reaching for the dimmer switch for street lights

Councils are increasingly reducing costs by reducing the number of street lights

Authorities urged to use parking zones to cut yellow linesThe Department for Transport has urged local authorities to think about using restricted parking zones, instead of automatically opting to use yellow lines to control parking, particularly in single streets and environmentally-sensitive areas in towns and cities.

Restricted parking zones require a limited number of signs which tell motorists if they can or can not park and during which times, and are considered less intrusive than conventional yellow lines. Many local authorities in England have already adopted restricted parking zones including Cheshire East Council, Cornwall, Slough, Warwickshire, Suffolk and Nottingham.

In a letter to councils, the Transport department said: “No one wants to see unnecessary yellow lines blotting our towns and villages when there is an alternative. They are a clear eyesore that can be intrusive and can have a huge impact on the look and feel of our streets, particularly in historic town centres or conservation areas. We encourage local authorities to think about the use of restricted parking zones.”

TRI-COACHING Partner-ship Limited, in conjunction with the University of East London, is pleased to host ‘Raising Awareness’, the International Conference for Coaching in Driver Education 2014.

The Conference takes place on Monday, 23 June 2014 at the University of East London Docklands Campus.

For more information and to reserve a place please contact us on 0800 058 8009 or email info@tri-coaching partnership.co.uk or call or text us on 07740 174 893.

This event is aimed at driving instructors and all other driver training and road safety professionals.

The ‘Raising Awareness’ Conference is designed to bring together academics and road safety practitioners. Each can benefit from the other’s experience and take away ideas and information, as well as tips and techniques about how to deliver driver

training on all levels to ensure individuals become safer road users.

Among the speakers already confirmed are Dr Gregor Bartl, who spear-headed the European projects, MERIT and HERMES; Dr Lisa Dorn, reader at Cranfield University, whose work on psychological approaches to driver training and the development of in-car telematics to manage risky driving behaviours makes her a leading academic in this field; and Professor David Crundall, who has spent years researching the causes of crashes and the way the brain works in terms of filtering information.

Other speakers are still to be announced for this must-not-be-missed event of 2014.Contact Tri-Coaching Partnership on 07740 174893 or email info@tri-coaching partnership.co.uk

tri-Coaching to host major conference

fOCuS MuLtIMeDIA has updated its product lines in time for Christmas, with a number of excellent driver training-related products which may tempt either you or one of your pupils.

The company has been a stalwart of the driver training handbook and DVD market since 1997 when it launched Driving Test Success. Since then over four million learners have been helped to prepare for their tests by using its products, earning the company countless awards and best-seller achievements in the process.

The latest product range is without a doubt the strongest yet. Not only has it received a fresh new look (both on the outside and the inside!), but you’ll also find loads of new features that are guaranteed to help learners pass their Theory Test first time or their money back†!

Driving test Success All tests (PC DVD-ROM)The company’s flagship product, Driving Test

Success All Tests contains all the latest official Theory Test revision questions, licensed directly from the DSA, the complete Official Highway Code, hundreds of hazard perception clips, a brand new braking distance simulator, a money-back guarantee plus much more.

Other PC products in the range include:

n Driving Test Success All Tests (RRP £10.20)n Driving Test Success Premium (RRP £15.31)

n Driving Test Success The Complete Learner Driver Suite (RRP £35.73)

n The Complete Theory Test (RRP £10.20)n The Complete Hazard Perception Test (RRP

£10.20)n The Complete Theory Motorcycle Theory and

Hazard Perception Test (RRP £15.31)n The Complete LGV & PCV Theory and Hazard

Perception Tests (RRP £35.73)

DVD products in the range include:n Driving Test Success All Tests DVD (RRP

£15.31)n Driving Test Success Premium DVD (RRP

£20.42) Driving Test Success is published by Focus

Multimedia Ltd. It is the UK’s best-selling range of interactive learner driver products (source: GfK ChartTrack PC Budget Software Chart, units sold 1999-2013) having sold over four million units since launch.

The range is also available on DVD, PC digital downloads, Online training and Apps (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Android, Mac, Kindle and BlackBerry).

Visit the official Driving Test Success page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/drivingtestsuccess.

† Terms and conditions apply. See products for more details

Focus Multimedia looks to build on its 4m satisfied customers



yOu’LL ReMeMBeR from my earlier articles that there are three broad competencies against which ADIs will be assessed in the new Standards Check

from April 2014. These competencies are a means of assessing

how well the ADI meets the National Driver and Rider Training Standard.

See the www.gov.uk/government website for more information, or try this Tiny URL link: http://tinyurl.com/pjlr2qc

In previous articles I have already looked at the first two competencies, Lesson Planning and Risk Management, and described how many of the indicators that assess the competence of the driving instructor are interlinked. This article looks at the third competency: Teaching and Learning Strategies.

Under this heading there are seven competency indicators:

n Was the teaching and learning style suited for the pupil’s level of ability?

n Was the pupil encouraged to analyse problems and take responsibility for their learning?

n Were opportunities and examples used to clarify learning outcomes?

n Was the technical information given comprehensive, appropriate and accurate?

n Was the pupil given appropriate and timely feedback during the session?

n Were the pupil’s queries followed up and answered?

n Did the trainer maintain an appropriate non-discriminatory manner throughout the session?

At the end of the session was the pupil encouraged to reflect on their own performance?

n Was the teaching style suited to the pupil’s learning style and level of ability?

This is about adapting the way you teach to suit the way someone learns. If you are in the habit of giving briefings to every one of your customers then you may be slowing down the learning of some of them, particularly if they have a more kinaesthetic learning preference. It is simply not true that the most effective way to learn is following the ‘Explain – Demonstrate – Practice’ (EDP) route.

Unfortunately, for many of us, training to become a driving instructor was all about passing the Part 3 test with very little emphasis – if any – on how people learn; and now we have become conditioned to believe that this is therefore the way things should be.

Consider how you got on at school. Did you have teachers you preferred over others, or favourite subjects? Did everyone in your class share your preferences? ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ respectively is probably how you answered those two questions because everyone is different and each of us is unique in how we absorb and process information and therefore how we learn new things.

Our interpretation of the world and our individual set of experiences, existing knowledge and understanding influence how we learn new knowledge and experiences.

When you are teaching someone to drive you need to adapt the way you teach to suit the way someone learns most effectively. This is not a hard and fast science and most people process information through a number of different channels.

However, the most important thing to take on board is that when your customer is yawning while

you are giving them a briefing, it is not necessarily because they were out partying the night before; it is far more likely to be because you are boring the pants off them and you need to change your method of communication.

My advice is to experiment with the way you do things in the car. Be creative and consider whether your customer is engaged in the lesson or bored and has switched off.

n Was the pupil encouraged to analyse problems and take responsibility for their learning?

There is no need to jump in with the answer every time a fault occurs. If your customer stalls the car, for example, ask them if they know what just happened. This develops their ability to analyse problems, which is a crucial skill when they are driving independently.

It might be obvious to you that they have just tried to pull away in third gear; or that they brought the clutch up too quickly; or they forgot to release the handbrake; or they didn’t have enough gas... but is it obvious to them?

No one gets things right all the time and, particularly, in driving, it is easy to make mistakes. However, the ability to analyse why something is not working and put it right is very important and could easily mean the difference between a crash occurring or not.

n Were opportunities and examples used to clarify learning outcomes?

Learning outcomes are the same as goals and these were established at the beginning of the session. This links back to the Lesson Planning competency and is about taking advantage of the environment and recognising that there are plenty of opportunities that can be drawn on during the session that will help ensure the goals are achieved.

For example, the skills involved in planning and anticipation can be developed on a number of different occasions so a goal that has been set around deciding whether to give way or continue in meeting situations could be developed when judging a safe gap on the approach to a roundabout

How do you

Tailoring your teaching style to the pupil’s learning ability is a key part of the new Standards Check, says Sue McCormack

?



or anticipating whether to give way at a pedestrian crossing.

n Was the technical information given comprehensive, appropriate and accurate?

Taking a client-centred approach to learning does not mean that you cannot give information where relevant. Your expertise as an ADI is of vital importance when teaching people to drive safely for life.

Some people seem to think that coaching is all about asking questions and nothing to do with giving information. This is an inaccurate interpretation of coaching or client-centred learning.

Your role as a driving instructor is to teach someone safe driving skills that they will be able to apply and develop throughout their lives.

Using a client-centred learning approach ensures that you engage with them in the way that is most conducive to their learning because research shows that this kind of learning sticks.

Telling people how to behave /drive does not necessarily stay with them beyond the driving test. You have to determine when it is necessary to give technical information and when it would be more effective for the pupil to go away and research it. Nevertheless, when you give technical information you do need to be certain that it is comprehensive, appropriate and accurate. If you are not sure, then tell the customer and go away and find out.

n Was the pupil given appropriate and timely feedback during the session?

Giving appropriate and timely feedback is about ensuring the goals agreed for the session will be met within the timescales and lesson plan already discussed. This particular competency indicator is not necessarily about dealing with faults because the overall competency is aimed at assessing your teaching and learning strategies. The use of

feedback is a strategy that will enhance the pupil’s learning and therefore will be solution-focused, taking strengths (as well as weaknesses) into consideration.

In this respect, this indicator is linked to the others under this competency heading and, perhaps especially, the one about drawing on opportunities and examples to clarify learning outcomes.

Were the pupil’s queries followed up and answered?

With good rapport any driving lesson becomes a two-way exchange of information, ideas and opinions. If the pupil is fully engaged in their learning then they may need to ask questions to check their understanding and assess their progress towards achieving their goal.

It is important that you attend to their queries and ensure you are listening and remaining focused on their learning more so than your teaching. This does not mean that pupils’ queries should be answered immediately because sometimes this would simply not be safe or appropriate.

Deflecting a question until a more appropriate time – pulled up at the side of the road – is all about you applying appropriate teaching strategies to maximise their learning. You might, for example, say, ‘Good question – let’s deal with this situation first and then we can discuss it in more detail when we are parked.’

n Did the trainer maintain an appropriate non-discriminatory manner throughout the session?

There are two aspects to being non-discriminatory. One is ensuring that your attitude and approach to your customer is consistently non-judgemental. The other is not expressing what might be construed as judgemental views about other road users.

You might find yourself feeling frustrated or

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.

impatient with your customer because they don’t seem able to grasp the skills you are teaching. Remaining non-discriminatory or non-judgemental encourages you to consider different methods of engaging with them. It might be that the teaching strategy you are using does not suit their learning preferences and therefore they are really struggling to meet your expectations.

Pupils are neither thick nor stupid – they simply need a different approach.

Commenting on other road users – whether the appearance of pedestrians or the way someone is driving – does little to accelerate the pupil’s learning or achievement of the goal set for the lesson. However, using the way someone is driving, or the potential outcomes of distraction caused by focusing on a particular type of pedestrian, as discussion points can be valid and constructive.

n At the end of the session was the pupil encouraged to reflect on their own performance?

Reflection is a necessary part of learning. Reflecting on one’s own performance helps embed the learning that has taken place and determine whether or not the goal has been achieved. Reflection also develops self-evaluation skills and the ability to recognise strengths, limitations and development needs.

This is crucial in ensuring your customer has the best chance of reducing their risk when driving on their own. At the end of the session you could ask your pupil to name three things they were particularly pleased with in their driving and discuss these with them, so that they are able to articulate what it is that pleased them about each one, and whether there is anything they would want to improve on and develop further.

This is an ideal opportunity for your pupil to consider what goals they would like to set for next lesson.

The new Standards Check has a focus on client-centred learning and will offer for many of us the opportunity to realistically demonstrate what we do in our day-to-day driving lessons.

Some of you will want to spend time developing your client-centred learning approaches and one of the most effective ways of doing this is to start the lesson by asking one or two of the following questions:

Do you know how you learn best?What would you like to achieve out of

today’s lesson?, and How can I help you?

?

www.msagb.comMSA Regional AGMs and Conferences


MSA training seminarand AGM diaryI AM DELIGHTED to once again invite all MSA members to attend their regional AGM and training event.

The MSA is rightly proud of its democratic structure, which sees its Board of Management made up of elected representatives from each of the association’s 10 regions and nations. All members are entitled to stand for election to their local committee, and each member has a vote in the electoral process.

The meetings listed on these pages are not purely administrative. Each region has gone to considerable lengths to put together an event that will be informative and educational, delivering real CPD to attendees. With so many changes in the pipeline for our industry it has never been more important that you attend your local

meeting. Each of these meetings will include an update on the new Standards Check: this will be in place at the start of April next year, and it is vital that you are kept informed about its impact and what it means to you. Please take a moment to see when and where your nearest event will be held, and make a note to attend. The investment you make in that time away from the car will pay for itself many times over in the information you receive, I assure you.

Peter Harvey MBE, Chairman, MSA

To book... on any of these events:or call 0800 0265986 with your credit/ debit card details

Please note that in most cases pre booking is essential. In some cases no confirmation will be sent prior to the event, receipts will be handed out at the event

Go online to www.msagb.com/services/sv-sales02.asp and don’t forget, to get member prices you must log in

Speakers already confirmed n Peter Harvey MBE - MSA National Chairmann ADI Standards Checkn DSA officialsn South Wales Police Road Safety Unit

A morning’s CPD for just

£5including refreshmentsNon-members, £8

South Wales

Saturday, 9th November9.30am for 10am start - finish 3pm

Western Leisure Centre, Caerau Lane, Ely Cardiff

CF5 5HJ

Speakers already confirmed n John Lepine MBE - MSA General Managern ADI Standards Checkn Use of technology in driver trainingn Other speakers to be confirmed

Price £30including lunch, refreshments etc.

Western

Monday, 11th November9.30am for 10am start - finish 4.30pm

Devon Travel Academy, (formerly Devon Driver Centre)

Westpoint, Clyst St. Mary, Exeter. EX5 1DJ

Speakers already confirmedn John Lepine MBE - MSA General Managern Faisal Iqbal, DSAn Euan MacGuiness, High Performance Course UK Ltdn Geraldine Turner, Chartered Physiotherapistn Tariq Musajin Marion D’Moirah, QEF Mobility Services

Price: £39 for the fifth year runningThis will include refreshments throughout the day a two-course lunch and all conference papers

Greater London

Saturday, 16th November9.30am for 10am start

Master Roberts Hotel, 366 Great West Road, Hounslow,

Middlesex. TW5 0BD

Speakers already confirmed n John Lepine MBE - MSA General Managern Mark Magee, ADI Registrarn Tim Clark, Network Railn Russ Middleton, Delmont ID

Price £40 MSA Members: £50 Non Members

West Midlands

Sunday, 17th November9am for 10am start - finish 5pm

Stone House Hotel, Stafford Road, Stone,

Staffordshire ST15 0BQ

Speakers already confirmed n John Lepine MBE - MSA General Managern North West Air Ambulancen Greater Manchester Fire Service, Road Safetyn Jackie Broughton, Aszukin Mac McDade, Ideas 4 ADIsn Russ Middleton, on identity fraud

Price £25 MSA Members. £30 Non Members

North West

Monday, 18th November9am for 9.30am start - finish 4.30pm

Blackley Golf Club, Victoria Ave East,

Manchester M9 7HW

Speakers already confirmed n Peter Harvey MBE - MSA National Chairmann Kirti Patel-Sidat - Leicester City Council n Imogen Cox - Cartwright King Solicitorsn Graham Feest - AIRSO n Martin Brown - Network Rail

Price £37.50 Early Bird Price £35 if you book before 11th November

East Midlands

Sunday, 24th November10am start - finish 4pm

King Power Stadium, Lineker Suite, Filbert Way,

Leicester LE2 7EL

Formal notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meetings for each region of the MSA will be held during these event.

www.msagb.comMSA National Conference 2014


your local MSA AGMThe 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 and keep an eye on the regional pages of our website (www.msagb.com) for information as it becomes available

NOVEMBER9 South Wales 11 Western 16 Greater London 17 West Midlands18 North West24 East Midlands

NOV.03

Oct.27

NOV.09

Oct.20

NOV.24

NOV.17

More details on regional AGMs: see facing page

NOV.18

NOV.16

MSA Annual Conference 2014 heading to the Western regionGot a diary for 2014 yet? Well, if you have we’ve got some early dates you must reserve: Friday, March 21 to Sunday, March 23.

That’s when the MSA Annual Conference and Training Day And Awards 2014 takes place.

Our hosts will be the MSA Western region, as we’ll be holding the event at the Holiday Inn, Bristol. It’s a great venue, well used to hosting high-profile conferences and with superb service standards from its team of dedicated staff.

As in previous years we will open up proceedings on the Friday evening with a social ‘ice-breaker’ event, giving delegates the chance to catch up with old friends and meet new ones.

Saturday, 22 March will be the main day of conference, with a full training day packed with interactive sessions and workshops that will educate and inform.

Among our guest speakers already confirmed is the Chief Driving Examiner, Lesley Young, who will be delivering the keynote address.

There‘s never been a more important time to be at conference. It will take place just days before the introduction of the new Standards Check and the DSA merging with VOSA to create a new agency to regulate driver training and motor vehicle standards.

So will you be there? We will be announcing more speakers and pricing soon but for the time being, save the date!

SAVE THE DATE!MSA coNfErENcE, MArcH 21-23, 2014

Oct.21NOV.

11

n Events in Eastern, South East, North East and Scotland took place in October/ start of November

www.msagb.comMembership benefits


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 repairsPlus 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.

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

MoT prices slashed and 15% discount on servicing at Halfords

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.

Home page: The special MSA page on the Halfords Autocentres website. More offers are available online

Members have the advantage as Halfords offers major discounts on MoTs and servicing

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.

Save cash the Eezi way with the MSARegister now at www.MSA.eezibuy.co.uk and start saving money on key business products and services

In the current economic climate, it is vital all businesses make sure they are getting the best value for money possible on the products and services they buy.

To help ADIs maximise their spending power, the MSA has teamed up with EeziBuy to deliver real cash savings on your business expenses through its exclusive group discount scheme.

The MSA EeziBuy service is your shortcut to saving you time, money and aggravation, leaving you to get on with running your business, satisfying your customers and generating income.

Benefits: your business convenience store - MSA EeziBuy provides you with a one-stop-shop for a wide range of common business expenses saving you time and aggravation.You can save money on everything from printing, software, energy, hotels, legal services, mail, office supplies and telecommunications.Plus many more!

easy to use - designed for simplicity, MSA EeziBuy allows you to get on with managing your business.

free of charge - as an MSA member it doesn’t cost you a penny to use MSA EeziBuy, so give it a try. You’ve nothing to lose and much to gain.

Special Offers - check out our Special Offers page where you can pick up some great deals and discounts.

how to use MSA eeziBuyRegister at www.MSA.eezibuy.

co.uk/register/php. Your MSA membership will then be verified and you will receive access to the portal within 48 hours. Once you have received confirmation of your registration, go to www.eezibuy.co.uk/MSA/log_in.php then simply click the ‘Offers’ button and choose the category(s) of interest from the black navigation bar – click on the categories and start saving money! We hope you find it beneficial. Any questions please email PartnerSave at [email protected] or call 01524 782830.

FREE WinterWorkshopsfrom November toDecember 2013nationwide

Our FREE winter workshopswill make sure it’s just your diary

that’s stuffed this Christmas

Advice on how to be successful during the winter period fromthe UK’s biggest driving school. All instructors welcome.

To book your FREE workshop place

Call us now on 0800 688 8054or email [email protected] Driving you Forward

4800 MSA FP Advert Winter 220x318 Turkey 21/10/13 16:25 Page 1

www.msagb.comTowards your CPD: Marketing your business


It’S 5.00AM, and I am meeting up with two fellow ADIs from Yorkshire and Cheshire for breakfast at East Midlands Airport. It’s not an early social meeting, however, as we are all preparing to attending a marketing course in southern France.

A few hours later and we are met at the airport in Carcassonne by David Poole, someone who is well-known within our industry after helping many ADIs to market their businesses better, whether they be big or small. On arrival at our accommodation we met up with another ADI and his partner from Norwich who had travelled down a few days before. The group complete, we settled into our accommodation, stocked up with supplies from the local supermarket and relaxed on the patio in the hot September sunshine, where we got down to work.

“Where do you see your business in two years time?” That was a question I was asked by David Poole a couple of weeks before going to France. In recent months I have invested in training to gain additional qualifications and, as chairman of the East Midlands region, work with colleagues to arrange meetings to keep ADIs updated and informed. In addition to these meetings I attend many others. David’s question, however, hit straight between the eyes. One thing is certain in this business is that it is so unpredictable when it comes to maintaining a good level of income. There does not seem to be the same amount of pupils available for the ADI to tap into. In addition, we all lose that ‘star pupil’ who books regular lessons and is a regular income, one whom we label as ‘the one who is definitely going to pass first time’. Only something goes awry, they suddenly disappear off our books – sometimes for very genuine reasons beyond our control, though sometimes for reasons that are a complete mystery to us. So that question, “where do you see your business in two years time” was a real shot in the eye, a wake-up call! I definitely need to give more focus to making my business grow.

So the first afternoon session asked what are your plans to make your business grow and how do you think you’re going to achieve it? It was clear after day one that having a business plan was vital to give direction.

East Midlands regional chairman Derek Brutnell hit upon a novel way to boost his business - he signed up for a two-day marketing course in the sunny south of France. He compiled this short report for Newslink

Away day helps light up new ways to grow ADI business

On day two a lot of time was spent on various modern ways to promote the business using Facebook, Twitter and other forms of social media and also how to obtain high Google rankings if you have a website.

It was not all work as, at the end of day one, there was a trip to a local wine maker and the night before the flight home on day two we had a lovely group meal at a local restaurant.

Returning home did I learn anything? You bet! I am

personally trying some of the marketing ideas discussed, which have already generated some positive results, with new contacts and friends made in different parts of the country.

In addition, I enjoyed two days in the hot sun in southern France, all tax deductible.

Maybe a future for this type of course? I certainly could get used to it. How about the MSA national conference in Majorca in 2015?

Here to learn: Above, from right, Mike Knowles ADI from Selby, Derek Brutnell, Karen Diesner from Sandbach,David Poole, Deana Harmes and Paul Harmes from Norwich

ŠKODA has been announced as the official car partner of young Driver, the UK’s only nationwide provider of driving lessons for children aged 11 to 17.

As part of its new partnership agreement, young Driver has taken delivery of 55 ŠKODA Citigo cars, with an identical number arriving during December. They will be used at young Driver’s 30 training sites around the UK

for the next two years.“young Driver chose the ŠKODA

Citigo because the car is stylish, economical and easy to operate, making it perfect for teaching young people to drive,” said Kim Stanton, director for young Driver.

Alasdair Stewart, brand director for ŠKODA UK, commented: “ŠKODA is delighted to be the official car supplier

for young Driver. The Citigo is the perfect car for people to get their first taste of motoring, and I’m thrilled we’re involved in an excellent initiative with a proven road safety record.”

young Driver is sponsored by Admiral and has delivered more than 100,000 lessons to date, all on traffic-free areas such as shopping centre car parks, schools and Academies. Realistic road

systems are created including junctions and roundabouts, road signs, traffic lights and parking areas, giving youngsters a head-start in learning car control skills and safe motoring.

This year alone, the young Driver programme will deliver 60,000 lessons and has just started ‘young Driver At School’, an initiative which takes driving lessons to the playground.

Skoda Citigo unveiled as the new Young Driver car

www.msagb.comCompany news


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

www.msagb.com

theRe IS StILL time to book for MSA West Midlands annual training day and AGM on Sunday, 17 November at the Stonehouse Hotel, Stone, in Staffordshire.

Our Regional Chairman had extended the early bird price to try and entice as many of you as we can to attend. I am not sure when you will get this copy of Newslink but if you ring me ASAP on 02476335270 you may still be able to get it. I hope to see you there.

ON A fIRSt LeSSON I always drive the pupil away from their home, and ask as we drive what driving experience they have, if any. This allows me to tailor the lesson to them.

The need for this approach was highlighted just after I started instructing. While collecting a new pupil his father told me his son had never driven. When we were on our own I asked him if he had tried driving in a car park with friends and his answer was yes. When I asked him if he had just steered the car or was changing gear, his next reply was, “I’m quite good really”, which he was. His experience was obviously not confined to car parks!

It’s a story I always tell when asking if a new driver has any experience. Mind you, I didn’t tell it to one pupil a couple of years ago – it was the original pupil’s son and he might have guessed it was his dad I was talking about!

Apart from driving with friends it’s interesting how many pupils are taken to a car park or industrial estate to be given an idea of driving by their parents before taking lessons, and sometimes while they are learning as well. When I enquire if the car was insured, most times the answer is ‘I don’t know’. One recent pupil said that he had been told that as long as his father was insured he was as well. Thankfully they have now stopped the private tuition. The question is, can parents legally take 16 or 17-year-olds into a car park and let them drive? A report in my local paper leads me to say no!

It reported a case where a man drove through a group of people in a car park, scattering them and

knocking one down. The defendant pleaded guilty after the judge at the Crown Court rejected his barrister’s argument that the car park was not “a road or public place”.

His defence had argued that the car park was solely for the use of people having business at the site, shops and other businesses, and so should not be classed as a ‘road or other public place’ in law. She continued, “I would say it is not a road. The majority of the area which the driving took place is either a car park or a pedestrianised area”.

In response the prosecutor disagreed and played a CCTV recording showing the defendant driving through a group of people.

The judge ruled: “I am absolutely satisfied having seen the video and seen the photographs and statements in the case, that this is a road to which members of the public have access and use. It would be ridiculous in my judgement to say otherwise”.

Therefore if it is a road or public place it is illegal for anyone under age or without a licence or insurance to drive in a car park.

One final thought: if ADIs are using a car park to teach bay parking, the pupils are licensed and we are insured. However, is it legal, because we are not there for the businesses or shops and are there without permission!

THERE IS some recent news of an operation by South Wales Police which has brought to justice an organised ‘crash for cash’ group of 86 members. The group has appeared in court.

News like this and the development of ‘flash for cash’ fraud should help to convince learner drivers that the meaning of a headlamp flash does not necessarily mean a driver is giving way to them.

A MILeStONe has been reached in the UK with the number of full licence holders over the age of 70 reaching the four million mark.

I know it’s only a number, but it does bring home the fact that although a lot of attention is given by the media to young drivers – which is necessary and worthwhile because they need better protection by whatever means is available – older drivers have their own issues. I think more research is needed into the issues facing older drivers and what can be done to make them safer.

we ARe approaching that time of year when adults fret about the cost of the coming Christmas holiday, children start asking for the latest technology items and we are all wondering what the future is going to bring to our particular industry.

There are opinions being given by

experts regarding how the economy will develop, and I can’t do any more than you can and listen to them and hope for some improvement.

Or are we able to do a bit more without a great amount of effort?

Change of venue and times for the AGM !

The South Wales AGM and training event will take place at the Western Leisure Centre, Caerau Lane, Ely, Cardiff CF5 5HJ on Saturday 9th November 09.00 to 12.00. For the price of a couple of coffees (which will be available free that morning), and a few hours of your time, you can come along and join National Chairman Peter Harvey MBE, several guest speakers from the DSA and the road safety unit of South Wales Police.

Topics for the day will include the new Standards Check, road safety issues and, of course, the MSA’s views on various factors affecting our industry.

You must agree that the opportunity to attend such an event and hear a valued group of speakers for such a small amount of money and time is well worth it. Members will pay £5 and non-members £8 (becomes £5 if they join on the day). Tell your friends/colleagues and bring them down. A bonus for you will be meeting up with others in driver training.

TERRYPEARCEEditor, West Midlands

Contacte: terrysom@ aol.com t: 02476 335270a: 20 Brownshill Green Road, Coventry CV6 2Dt

DAVIDJAMESEditor, South Wales

ContactDavid James can be contacted via e: [email protected] t: 07733 070888

Judge confirms that rules of the road apply in car parks

Time to turn spotlight on older drivers

AS MeNtIONeD last month, I have changed my car insurance status over to private car with social, domestic, pleasure and commuting covered.

When my renewal notice arrived I had already made the decision to do this so set about the task of consulting comparison sites as well as checking with my previous broker.

I found a broker which quoted on-line around £320, which was about £100 less than the school insurance last year and about £250 less than the quote for next year as a school car. So I telephoned this broker in order to clarify certain things which were not in my opinion covered clearly by the online form; ie; it did ask if I was an IAM advanced driver but it didn’t ask about RoADA.

While on the phone I made certain that the salesperson knew that I was a retiring driving instructor and that it was the same car that I wanted insuring but it would be de-modified (duals removed).

The deal was done on the phone and relevant paperwork received by me electronically with, of course, the proviso that I forward to them the proof of NCD, (nine years but actually a lot more than that really), once received from my previous insurer. This can’t be done until after the previous insurance year has been completed.

I received the paperwork about four-five days into the cover term and, as it turned out, fortunately scanned it before sending it off. Subsequently I received a letter warning me that I had to send proof of the NCD to the broker so I rang them and explained that I had already sent it but I could send them a scan of it as well, which

they accepted and acknowledged later along with acknowledgement of the paper copy.

Then, on a Thursday or Friday, around 14 days into the cover, I received a letter stating that the underwriter would not accept the NCD as it was earned as a driving instructor even though it was earned in my own name, not as an employed instructor on someone else’s car, and that therefore my premium would be increased by over £500 or the policy would be suspended from a date four days hence.

I was, of course, unwilling to accept this and in fact I regard the broker as being in breach of contract.

This meant that I had to find other cover in four days, including a weekend.

After speaking with MSA General Manager John Lepine I contacted Barry Grainger. I confess I had failed to do this earlier but in my defence, the company’s advert mentions transfer of private NCB to ADI insurance and

also 2nd car cover, but it doesn’t mention private car cover, and other ADI insurance brokers I have used do not cover private cars.

Anyway, BG had a look through their own lists and also put me through to a couple of other comparison companies.

One of these found they were able to get me cover with the NCD accepted even though I could only now send an electronic copy for the previous full year and, of course, I would have to get acknowledgement from the company which had insured me for 18 days (but weren’t accepting the previous NCD).

The paperwork (email attachment) arrived and I was covered in time to tell the original broker to cease the cover from the date and time they had threatened.

Unfortunately this new cover, which I had to have at short notice, has cost me as much as last year’s ADI cover, so it seems that either I am a high risk driver because I am a retired instructor, or perhaps because I am a part-time minibus driver.

Or maybe ‘instruction’ is not as high risk as they have previously told us.

The biggest irony of all this is that the underwriter which would not accept my NCD from the first broker is actually the same company that has accepted it through the second broker.

SO HERE’S A WARNING: If you are considering retirement in the next 2-3 years find a brokerage that WILL cover you for private motoring afterwards and WILL find you an underwriter who WILL accept driving school NCD transferred to their private car.


www.msagb.com

Standards shock for somep34

two unfair snapshots harm ADIsp38

Recapping on recapsp36

JOHN LOMASEditor, North West

MSA NORTH WEST CONFERENCE

Schematic map of route to Blackley Golf Club

North west AGM and ConferenceONLY A FEW more days to go before we gather at Blackley Golf Club for this year’s MSA North West Conference and AGM, on November 18.

If you haven’t pre-booked we would still like to see you though we may not be able to provide you with lunch.

Any member is, of course, eligible to attend the AGM which is programmed to be at 12:05pm.

The venue is the same as last year. The staff looked after us well, served a good meal at lunchtime and the room we’ve booked is the right size for our needs.

It also helps that the venue is well-served by the local road network, with easy access from the Manchester conurbation, down from Lancashire,

up from Cheshire and across from Merseyside. Please note there have, of necessity, been a

couple of changes to the speakers. You can see the revised line-up in the advert (right); I hope you’ll agree it offers something for everyone.

I am looking forward to seeing many of our regional members and, hopefully, some non-members to whom we can show the benefits of belonging to this association.

The price for the day is just £25, or £30 for non-members.

It should be a great day and the ideal opportunity to find out what’s happening in the industry, put your point of view across and network with your peers.

Insurance: A cautionary tale

Contacte: johnstar driving@ hotmail.comt: 01254 705999m: 07796 091767a: 7 Devon St, Darwen, Lancashire BB3 2JZ

www.msagb.comRegional News: South East


A VeRy SuCCeSSfuL training session and AGM was held at Motorline Nissan Crawley on 21

October. We had a commendably large

number of ADIs join us, and they will have benefitted greatly from the information provided, especially in relation to the new Standards Check which DSA is introducing next year.

If it is implemented as proposed it could come as a serious shock to many ADIs who have been complacent about their Check Test grades in the past.

Peter Harvey, MSA National Chairman, delivered that presentation and also an industry update relating to proposed changes, both in the UK and the EU. These may, in the fullness of time, have an effect on driver training and road safety. Keep an eye on MSA Newslink, where progress will be reported as it occurs.

The MSA South East Chairman, Jo Chapman, was to have given the main presentation but it fell to Peter Harvey to do so as Jo is currently suffering agonising back pain. It must be serious for a self-employed workaholic to be off work for more than four weeks. We wish her well.

At the AGM part of the evening elections were held for the region, with the following people taking office:Chairman: Jo ChapmanDeputy Chairman: Terry CumminsVice Chairman/Editor: Rod CameSecretary: Zoe MitchellTreasurer: Derek GoodwinCommittee members: Bob Page & John Griffin

Our thanks go to Tony Jones, Alan Cooper, Russell Horscroft and the staff at Motorline Nissan Crawley for accommodating us for the evening and laying on an excellent buffet.

ROD CAMEEditor, South East

Standards check shocks lie in wait for those in the dark

Being a rather sad person I actually read things such as BBC Teletext, which frequently has words missing or spelling mistakes. My newspaper is not immune to similar errors but by far the worst, or best, depending on your point of view, are websites.

So many firms, from one-man-bands to large companies, have spent a lot of time and money (time is money) putting together a website to promote their business, but apparently have never read it, or if they did have not bothered to correct or update it.

I am seriously amazed by the apparently slap-happy way that a lot of website owners, not just driving

schools, treat the English language when promoting their businesses. It is as though they are trying to deter people from using their services, because a poorly constructed website can indicate a less-than-reliable business.

And it is not just small businesses either. For example, BSM cannot make up its mind whether to use ‘licence’ or ‘license’ when describing the permit one has to have to be able to drive. Just to help out it is ‘a licence’ or ‘to license’. RED states ‘an automatic car may be a more convenient to drive’. Really?

An error that comes up time and time again, when

someone wishes to indicate a number of instructors, is to call them ADI’s. The plural is ADIs. Some years ago the Department of Transport became the Department for Transport. Please get it right.

As for forums, well I really wonder if the writers even bother to read through what they have opined before they hit the ‘Send’ button. If they do, why don’t they correct it?

Wihtuot a duobt the stnadrad of Egnilsh used by mnay poelpe in tihs cuotnry laeves a lot to be dseried. Hwoveer, it is aamznig waht you can raed and udnretsnad if you aplpy your mind to it.

Standards of speeling are slipping

It PROBABLy DID NOt escape your notice that a Spanish judge risked the ire of women worldwide recently by stating that it was proven that “men were better drivers”. This related to a court case alleging that a Zaragoza driving school was being discriminatory by offering a deal where 18-to-22-year-old males could have lessons for €665, but women required five extra lessons and therefore the charge to them would be €850.

Ignore the comments, focus on the figures. It therefore follows that five driving lessons in Spain costs €185 or about £166, which is more than £33 a lesson.

I had written the above piece when through the letterbox dropped the October edition of Newslink, with a leader article relating to CIECA proposals for Europe-wide requirements of driving schools. One of these proposals relates to the minimum requirement for driving schools, and the article goes on to say “ADIs would have to set up proper establishments, with facilities designed to provide theoretical training, off-road training and to be a centre for the provision of on-road training”. It’s exactly the idea that I have promoted for years; I even mentioned it in the September 2013 Newslink (be careful what you wish for).

Would this benefit the ADI? YES, of course it would.

Many instructors are good at teaching people the correct way to drive a car/van/truck/bus/motorcycle, but how many of those would claim to have a similar expertise in marketing/ administration/ health and safety/traffic law/ purchasing and the myriad other requirements of running a successful business? Very few, I would venture to suggest.

There will be carefully orchestrated arguments against any change to ADIs’ ways of working – running your own business gives one a sense of freedom to work how you want and when you want. But is it the best way?

I suggest that the average ADI’s day goes something like this:

First lesson 8am, second lesson 12 noon, third at 1pm, the fourth at 3.30pm, the fifth at 4.45pm and the sixth at 6pm, and then go home and do the paperwork.

This represents a total of six hours paid work spread over 10.5 hours, for a gross take of probably £120 less expenses, a personal income of about £60. A worker on the statutory minimum wage would earn more over the same length of time.

A fully facilitated driving school would employ salaried instructors and allow them to do what they do best, teach, and endeavour to keep them working for the hours they are employed. Paid holidays, sick pay, protected employment conditions and perhaps even a pension scheme would be part of their contract. What is there to object to?

Derek Goodwin recently ventured across the blue lagoon into the depths of deepest France and

Belgium to surreptitiously snap the driving school menus and prices you see on this page. These will give you an idea what driving schools in those countries charge for lessons. A little research on Google suggests that lessons in the Netherlands cost about €60 euros an hour, in Germany 12 mandatory lessons will set you back about €500 (£37.50 an hour), in France 20 compulsory lessons cost €35 (£32) an hour plus supplementary lessons at up to €60 (£54) an hour and in Spain, €40 (£36) an hour.

Although initially these rates look very attractive it must be appreciated that much higher overheads will be incurred by these driving schools in order to provide the facilities required. It is apparent that continental driving schools do, as a matter of course, provide the full package, theory training, booking the theory and practical test – and charge for that service – it is all part of their business model.

The latest offer I’ve seen through Groupon in the UK is for four one-hour driving lessons for £19. This is a reduction from the normal price of £96, which in itself is not exactly a money earner.

This just shows what a lamentable state driver training provision in the UK has fallen to. How on earth do ADIs make a living?

THE TWO graphics (right) show pupil contracts for two driving schools, one in Brussels, the other in France.

The near one is for the Brussels school. The top panel states: ‘Your licence at the lowest price of the market’ – so special offers exist across the rest of Europe as well as the UK!

They are running a special offer ‘gift voucher’ scheme, obviously intended as a birthday present from mum and dad, whereby for €890 the pupil receives 20 hours practical tuition and 12 hours theory tuition.

Interestingly, a single hour’s tuition is €48; that’s around £41! Theory test tuition is quite cheap but we assume it is conducted in a classroom, with a number of other pupils present. 12 hours tuition for €45, makes it about £3.50 a session. Have 10 pupils in the same

classroom and it is good business.Note the final item: a registration fee, of €25. We

assume that helps tie the pupil to the school; if you leave, you lose your registration fee and have to pay a rival school the same fee. It would certainly help stop pupils flitting about from ADI to ADI, taking advantage of special offers from each.

The second graphic is from a driving school in France. The first column sets out ‘extras’, for €195. They include a registration fee, one theory exam, a Highway

Code-equivalent, one exam guide practice and one ‘apprenticeship’ booklet.

The second column sets out a tuition programme. For €1,090 the pupil gets 25 hours tuition (including a single hour assessment), a theory and practical exam and the guides and handbooks set out above.

Assuming the French L-tests are priced similarly to those in the UK, we calculate that this special offer works out at about £30-£32 an hour. How does that compare with your rates?

www.msagb.comRegional News: South East


Looks like at least Europe’s ADIs are getting their sums right

How the cost of lessons adds up in France and Belgium

www.msagb.comRegional News: Greater London


yOu MAy ReCALL that in last month’s column I mentioned the (in my opinion) inordinate amount of importance given to the RECAP as part of a driving lesson that was being assessed under the current Check Test assessment criteria.

I made the point that whereas a recap is an integral part of a lesson, my words were that as far as I knew, it isn’t a ‘deal breaker’ when it comes to the overall assessment as, currently, the core competences remain as the major elements that produce the final result of a Check Test.

It’s obviously very important that all the aspects of the instructor’s technique are of a good level as they all contribute to the overall performance, and especially to the quality of the core competences, however if there are one or two weaknesses in that field it doesn’t necessarily follow that the overall assessment will result in a sub-standard level of core competence and accordingly, a sub-standard Check Test result.

Continuing with this, I received the following email from fellow MSA member Graham Campbell who has kindly allowed me to copy some of the email for Newslink readers. The only reason why some of it has been omitted is purely for client anonymity.

“Hi Tony, thanks again for a great contribution to the latest Newslink. As I mentioned on ‘Linked in’, they’re always full of interesting comment and ideas. (Note: Flattery goes a very long way with me!!!).There’s nothing in my comments which you’ll be unaware of, I know, but I thought I’d send you my thoughts on Recap in relation to Satisfactory/Good/Very Good lessons, for what they’re worth.The subject of recaps is dear to my heart at present. I had my Check Test in mid-June and so was able to do a Role Play (DL25 Remedial lesson) with yet another excellent SE/DTAM.I’ve had a different one for each of my CTs over the years……….I therefore composed the note on the importance of recaps at the start of driving lessons and the importance of recaps at the start of driving lessons after the session.I’ve now jotted down a quick note on recaps at the start of driving lessons after the session plus a quick note on Recaps at the END (same Weblink) so as to send both to another ADI who’s asked for pre-Check Test training next week, so that she can read them and absorb them before her training this time. They’re in the ‘Mainly for ADIs’ section under ‘Thoughts for lesson structure’.I found that ADIs who get going too quickly

have miss out on an amount of retrospective teaching of the faults committed the previous week, which – for the sake of a few minutes’ discussion in car – could largely have been averted, perhaps.Since this discussion involves the Core Competences, I can see how it can easily be a grade dropper.A ‘6’ may well become a ‘5’ but where can a ‘4’ go?Incidentally, do you also hear many ADIs say:“(S)he gave me a ‘5’ but said it was very nearly a ‘6’…..”Nobody seems, fairly and squarely, to get a Grade 5 (Silver) which is certainly nothing to be apologetic about!!”

Well, there’s some information on the subject from Graham so if you would like to contact him, his email address is [email protected] .

Thanks for the input Graham, just the fact that someone is reading my articles gives me hope!!

Bicycle BluesFor those of you working in the Inner London

area, ‘Boris Bikes’ (named after Greater London Mayor Boris Johnson) have become a regular item on our roads. For those of you that may be unaware, it’s an idea copied from Paris. There are regular bike racks around Inner London with the ‘Boris Bikes’ parked for the use of anyone that

wishes to pay by the hour to ride them around and return them to another bike rack anywhere within the city. Along with these have come ‘Cycle Super Highways’; blue bicycle lanes following major arterial routes from the London suburbs into Central London, giving cyclists easy routes to follow into town.

The big problem is that many of the people using the Boris Bikes are not the serious cyclists that we see commuting every day and who, for the most part, wear high viz jackets, suitable protective head gear and effective lighting. Furthermore, they (the regular biking commuters) tend in general to ride with a great deal of understanding, awareness and anticipation and blend in with traffic rather than put themselves in risky positions.

The Boris Bikers, on the hand, are quite often tourists or others that aren’t used to London traffic and besides that aren’t kitted in out in good cycling safety attire; because of this they are getting into serious collisions with motorists.

However, the biggest issue are the ‘cycle super highways’. Cyclists are led to believe that they are for cyclists only and motorists are in trouble if they enter them. It leads the cyclists into a false sense of security when, in a practical sense, and recently confirmed by a Metropolitan Police Crash Investigation Officer, they really are just ‘blue paint on the road’.

They have no basis in road traffic law and motorists are certainly allowed to use them although of course, not if a cyclist is already occupying the same space.

In my opinion, Boris, along with the Green Party Leader Natalie Bennett, have a lot to answer for when it comes to many of the increasing number of cyclists killed and seriously injured on London’s roads as they are encouraging people to use these highways and lulling them into a false sense of security which certainly doesn’t exist.

Naturally, all drivers and certainly those who we are teaching to drive (two of my clients are cycling commuters and are very dismayed by the antics of many fellow cyclists they see on London’s roads) must drive in a fashion that puts safety of all road users near them first.

However, it doesn’t help when, in my opinion, ignorant, arrogant and irresponsible politicians put their political agenda in front of road safety.

MSA Greater London Annual Conference (One more time, folks!)

It’s at The Master Robert Hotel 366 Great West Road Hounslow Middlesex TW50BD on 16th November 2013.

Among others, MSA General Manager John Lepine MBE will be in attendance along with possibly two DSA representatives (2 for the price of 1, brilliant!) plus of course some very interesting, useful and possibly lucrative presentations from various other bodies.

To get a 23%, yes folks, 23% early bird discount on the booking price, which incidentally includes a very nice lunch, call 020 7690 0298 Monday to Friday between 9.30 am and 6 pm or better still email [email protected] to guarantee your seat at the table and steal a march on those ‘also-rans’ that I mentioned in my previous article.

Safety concerns: London’s ‘Boris Bikes’ are often hired by people who ignore advice to wear helmets or hi-vis gear, and don’t have the skills or awareness to cycle safely in London’s traffic.Like this chap, pictured....

TONY PHILLIPSEditor, Greater London

Contacte: tony@tonys trainees.co.uk Please ensure all emails contain MSA Greater London in the subject

Recapping the recap: how important is it?

www.msagb.comSpecial feature: Motoring history


“Thanks mainly to the car; we all know our beautiful little island a great deal better than did our ancestors, and for that we should be truly grateful.”

CONeS, congestion, chaos, potholes and petrol costs may spring to mind when we think about our roads - but

where would we be without them?We depend on our road network for

86% of passenger journeys and more than 90% of freight, including almost everything we buy in the shops or on-line.

In the past, the building of roads was seen as a glorious and heroic enterprise. From the old ways to the motorways, Mike Parker’s lavish new book Mapping the Roads charts the ambitions and hopes of the nation through maps.

The story of Britain’s road development is also the story of its political, economic and social history, and the car, more than any other single factor, has shaped our

landscape and changed our maps. Many people have a love-hate relationship with our busy, bustling, often congested, roads. Roads might be seen as a necessary evil to get us through the ‘rush hour’ to work but they also give us the freedom to live in different places, to visit friends and relatives, to travel and explore the many wonders that our country has to offer.

Mapping the Roads, with its colourful cartography and dozens of illustrations, charts the importance of road building and mapping from the earliest times to the present day.

The book maps the roads and explores how some things have almost gone full circle, from the early turnpikes to the current tolls (M6 (Toll) and proposed A14 toll). It also logs the AA’s century of involvement with roads, from the AA erecting the first road signs, setting up the first petrol pumps, developing road plans, to speed camera maps and the AA route planner.

Mike Parker, author of Mapping the Roads, said: “Roads are like the arteries of the human body. The human body needs arteries to live and the country needs roads

to get the bulk of our people and goods around.

“The post-war years heralded a revolution both in terms of development of the road and new motorway network and in terms of the rapid growth in car ownership. Some fundamentals, such as the road signage system evolved from the 1963 Worboys Committee, have proved successful and long-lasting. By mapping the roads, we are, in essence, mapping the evolution of Britain.”

The book gives us an insight into the importance of roads and maps through history.

As the book itself concludes: “Thanks mainly to the car, we all know our beautiful little island a great deal better than did our ancestors, and for that we should be truly grateful.”

• Mapping the Roads by Mike Parker is

published by AA Publishing, price £25.00.

About the author, Mike ParkerMike Parker is author of the bestselling

travel narrative, Map Addict, and the follow up Wild Rover, both published by Collins. Mike has had a varied career, which saw him working as a stand-up comedian.

He has been widely published and presents various travel programmes for radio and television, including Radio 4’s 10-part series On the Map.

He writes freelance travel pieces for numerous UK papers, including The Independent, The Independent on Sunday, The Guardian, The Sunday Times and The Mirror.

More regional news overleaf

Mapping the roads: how roads and maps have shaped Britain

New book harks back to when the roads were glamorous

n The book tracks the first maps to 1500bc. The oldest surviving road in Britain is thought to be the Sweet Track - an elevated wooden walkway near Glastonbury from 3807/8bc. n It plots the Pilgrim routes including Walsingham in Norfolk through to The Canterbury Tales in 1387 and a mention of Watling Street in St Albans n In many ways the big Roman highways were the forerunners of the motorways nearly 2,000 years later. The 200-mile Fosse Way from Devon to Lincoln was, in effect, the motorway marking the edge of the Roman empire. n The Great North Road was the only road shown in John Speed’s Tudor County Atlas of 1611. It would take four days to go from London-York and cost 25 shillings on the outside of the coach. n The A1 is the longest numbered road in Britain, tracking 410 miles from London to Edinburgh . Sir Walter Scott described it as the “dullest road in the world” but is it our Route 66? n The Turnpike Act came in 1695 and by 1770 there were 15,000 miles of turnpike roads. n At the end of the 19th Century there were half a million cycles on the roads, ten times the number of just 15 years

earlier. There was an explosion of cheap road maps aimed at cyclists. Offices of the Cyclists’ Touring Club were marked on the maps along with steep hills. n The first AA petrol pump was introduced in November 1919 on the Bath Road, with fuel equivalent to more than £2 per litre. n In 1934 7,343 people were killed on roads - today we have 15 times the number of cars and one quarter of the deaths. n The AA published a National Roads Plan in The Times in 1937.

n The book chronicles some infamous ‘Ghost Roads’: for example, the M23 from Crawley was designed to shoot into London on stilts but just one mile from the M25 it comes to a stop. At the bottom of the M11 at Woodford there are abandoned slip roads for a motorway that never happened. n The M25 was opened in 1986 – and immediately Yuppies took to racing around it. Its completion heralded the era of road protests, and Twyford Down, Swampy and Newbury bypass became household names. n In 2006 the AA put speed cameras on maps and drivers were using Sat Navs. The AA route planner was used by millions of drivers each week.

Mapping the Roads Fact File:

ReADING LASt MONth’S Newslink, I found John Lomas’s article in which he criticised some of the comments made in the First Car magazine interesting as it shows a lack of consistency within the DSA.

This consistency is crucial, particularly when you consider how important the old Check Test and the new Standards Check are to ADIs. These ‘checks’ are always going to be the person’s opinion at the time. To take a snapshot of your teaching ability over a period of less than one hour every two or four years seems somehow unfair. I don’t know what the answer is but there is surely something wrong somewhere.

Changing the subject slightly but still in disgruntled mode, the modern way with most things seems to be completely devoid of COMMON SENSE. You see it in TV programmes, you see it in bus services, you see it in the building trade, you see it in road building. Everything must be done yesterday or there will be penalties. Now, the experts will say this is due to healthy competition but I have always found that when things are rushed, corners get cut (pardon the pun). I remember a bus company that always had well maintained coaches, always clean and spotless and they remained that way but the pressure to get there on time and cut prices to the minimum because there was a cheaper tender going in made life much less tolerable for everyone concerned. It is the same on TV: I was

watching Masterchef – yes, I know it makes for a more entertaining programme – but they are asked to produce a brilliant dish in too little time. They end up rushing the last bit and sometimes it spoils it completely.

Why does white van man get such a bad press? Because the bosses say ‘more productivity, less time to do it in’, and drivers rush. The bosses don’t seem bothered about the quality of the drive from one delivery to the next; it is all profit fuelled. Oh yes, the words are all there in their ‘mission statement’ but that’s all they are, words.

You see it every day. Something goes wrong and a complaint is made, or a driver is in a collision, and the first thing the company says is ‘we take our responsibilities to our staff very seriously’.

That’s RUBBISH. The truth is they push their staff to the limits then blame them for not coping. Retail is the same: cut down on staff, make the few that are left do two or maybe three workers’ jobs for the same money and then wonder why productivity is going down rather than up.

When I worked for a car delivery business the drivers, who were the only customer-facing people on the firm, were the least thought of, the worst paid and worked the longest hours. In the end justice was done and the firm went under but if they had given the drivers better working conditions and treated us like humans instead of profit-making numbers it might have turned out better.

My final point on the subject, and I believe this is most important, is that this culture of ‘cheap n cheerful, let’s have it done yesterday’ has crept on to the roads and that is why very few people use common sense or have any respect or patience for their fellow motorists.

RANT ENDS.

www.msagb.comRegional News: East Midlands


DAVE PEPPERDINEEditor, East Midlands

DSA’s brief snapshot on tuition standards is unfair assessment of the ADI’s ability

Speakers already confirmed n Peter Harvey MBE - MSA National Chairmann Kirti Patel-Sidat - Leicester City Council n Imogen Cox - Cartwright King Solicitorsn Graham Feest - AIRSO n Martin Brown - Network Rail

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Speakers already confirmed n John Lepine MBE - MSA General Managern Mark Magee, ADI Registrarn Tim Clark, Network Railn Russ Middleton, Delmont ID

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ContactDave Pepperdine can be contacted via e: pepsphx7@ hotmail.co.uk

New survey finds uK drivers reject the road safety benefits of ISAsThree-quarters of drivers are concerned that the use of Intelligent Speed Adaptations (ISAs) will compromise safety, according to research by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM).

Last month, the EU announced that they were considering rules for new cars to be installed with Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) technology. This would be capable of detecting limits through cameras or satellites and automatically applying the brakes. Existing vehicles could be forced to be retrofitted with the devices.

However, while acknowledging the potential road safety benefits, UK motorists have overwhelmingly rejected their introduction.

Seventy-eight per cent of drivers don’t want to see the retrofitting of ISA technology onto older vehicles, while 57 per cent of drivers feel that ISAs won’t have a positive impact on road safety – avoiding crashes, deaths and injuries.

There is overwhelming support for ISAs when vehicle control remains with the driver. Sixty-seven per cent of respondents would prefer ISAs to operate with warning messages but with no control of the vehicle.

Respondents do feel that there are some benefits to ISAs. Fifty-two per cent see a reduced likelihood of speeding convictions and less money spent on traffic calming measures such as road humps.

Thirty-one per cent of respondents feel that, if enforced, ISAs should be restricted to younger drivers, newly qualified drivers and drivers with previous road-related convictions.

IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “ISAs could help to save lives but it’s clear that drivers remain dubious about the benefits of the technology.

“Clearly, more research into the benefits would help to reassure the public that this will improve road safety.”

“Unfortunately, over a third of respondents see this as a way of controlling drivers, I believe if drivers are trained properly and have access to on-going learning, the government would not need to enforce ISAs.”

Road safety news extra

www.msagb.comRegional News: East Midlands


I hAVe hAD some correspondence from MSA member Russell Jones regarding an incident reported in our local rag, The Grantham Journal.

To put you all in the picture, we have had some lengthy and frustrating road works in town over the summer and delays have been even worse than normal. So, at a temporary traffic lights, a learner got into a bit of a fix , nobody seems to know why but logic says that they approached the lights and something happened to make the learner stop in a rather vulnerable position. The lights then changed to red, leaving them stranded. To aggravate matters a motorcyclist pulled up close behind them, preventing an easy reverse out of the way.

Along came a member of the public with a camera to take a picture of the car and send it the newspaper. Of course, the paper found it very entertaining copy, and claims were made that the member of the public had reported the driving instructor for TEACHING the learner to go through a red light.

Obviously the local instructors were a little annoyed at this. Russell wrote to the Journal about it but they found it not worth printing. I for one think it certainly was. I know Russell and myself very rarely agree on anything but this time I think we do. This is what he wrote: What do you think?

Dear SirWhy do some people jump to the wrong conclusions about matters they are not qualified to judge on? They are often those to whom the old adage, ‘a little knowledge can be dangerous’ applies.Last week’s assertion, that “The (Driving) instructor gets the pupil to go through red temporary lights” is utterly, utterly preposterous! (Grantham Journal, September 27).It is inconceivable that any qualified driving instructor would do such a thing in the circumstances alleged.

A number of scenarios could account for what she witnessed, and which she is not competent to pass judgement on. First and foremost, the driver could easily have been a driving test candidate and if, due to being a ‘nervous wreck’, they did try to pass the red light, the driving examiner would have intervened and the car would have been stopped between the marker board and the red light, thus preventing further progress. The candidate would, obviously, have failed their L-test.Another scenario, which is very common, is when a very inexperienced learner driver correctly passes the marker board (or a white line at standard traffic lights) showing where to stop in the event of a red light showing, just as the lights change colour from green to amber. The inexperienced can be startled by this event and are prone to either immediately or belatedly, and incorrectly, stamp hard on the footbrake, which brings the car to a shuddering halt in an inappropriate position on the road, sometimes stalling the car, too. Apprehension then interrupts their thought process and several seconds can elapse before they compose themselves, and they find they are stranded in ‘no man’s land’, in this case the red light itself.In the above circumstances the safest option can often be to reverse a short distance to avoid obstructing the approach of on-coming traffic when it proceeds on a green light. It would appear from the photograph that the motorcyclist’s presence interfered with the reversing manoeuvre on this occasion.As an aside to ‘jumping to the wrong conclusion’, it begs the question as to how the photograph was taken. It is not clear if the member of the public was driving the car (even if stationary in a queue) while she captured the photograph. If a handheld camera was used she committed the offence of not exercising proper

control of the vehicle, for which she could be liable to a hefty fine and penalty points onher licence. If she is guilty, she was obviously lucky that all Lincolnshire’s traffic police were elsewhere at the time. However, in the interests of road safety, she might consider making amends by purchasing a few remedial driving lessons, which should also incorporate some driver education as it can correct the deficiency in her knowledge of how to be a safe and responsible driver.Finally, learner drivers will make genuine mistakes, after all nobody was born with a driving licence. Those who seem to think they were should not be so quick to judge those who were not.

Yours sincerely, R Jones, (ADI)

Report offers little in the way of expert opinion

‘A very inexperienced learner driver correctly passes the marker board just as the lights change colour from green to amber... the inexperienced can be startled by this event and is prone stamp hard on the footbrake, which brings the car to a shuddering halt...’

www.msagb.comNewsextra


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

A yeAR AfteR most wheel clampers were banned from operating in private car parks, motorists are still not getting a break from rogue parking enforcement firms as they continue to be issued with ‘penalty’ tickets.

While Communities Minister Eric Pickles is reining in local authorities who over zealously use CCTV, private parking operators are now relying increasingly on hi-tech CCTV and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) systems to watch drivers and issue tickets through the post when they put a foot wrong in parking areas.

The AA says there has been a surge in parking charge notices issued by private firms through the post, with complaints coming in from Edinburgh to the south coast. With clamps no longer an option now in England and Wales it was inevitable that the number of parking charge notices (private parking tickets) would increase, the association said.

Complaints to the AA have increased and they have exposed a new and hard-line attitude by private enforcement firms. Recent cases have shown harsh treatment of a diabetic, who slept slightly beyond the two-hour limit at a deserted motorway service area in the early hours after having concerns about his blood sugar level. Despite obtaining a doctor’s certificate the parking firm rejected his appeal; after he said the fine would create financial hardship the firm said he could pay the £60 by monthly instalments.

Another AA member in London was threatened with a £160 parking ticket which breached the £100 maximum recommended by the British Parking Association’s code which the enforcement firm was

signed up to. She was so scared she paid up rather than taking the case to the new independent appeal service Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA).

POPLA appears to be struggling to cope with appeal demand, with its website warning of high a back log. Latest statistics show that 13,611 appeals were registered up to late August, with only 6,913 decided. Of those parking firms won more than drivers, 3,361 and 2,856 respectively.

Although clamping has largely gone, its legacy remains. One AA member who was wrongly clamped and towed in 2012 secured a victory against the clamper in court but despite employing his own bailiff to recover the sum he has yet to see a penny of the £500 he was awarded because the clamper has gone to ground.

Edmund King, AA President, said: “We are pleased that after decades of clamper extortion their practices have largely been consigned to history. However, private parking enforcement remains unregulated and is a free-for-all when even firms signed up to a code of practice breach their own rules. It seems many of the notorious clampers have moved their sharp practices to private parking

enforcement.“Others seem to have adopted strong arm tactics

to threaten drivers into paying tickets that are often unjust and set at an unreasonable level compared to those issued by regulated local authorities.

“With the new independent appeal system apparently bursting at the seams it is clear many drivers feel unfairly done by but are finding it hard to get a result.

“We are very concerned about POPLA’s difficulties, which they assured us they could overcome with additional staff some months ago and we hope meltdown can be avoided”.

• For AA advice on parking disputes, see http://www.theaa.com/public_affairs/reports/parking-tickets-private-land.html

• Have you had experience of a rogue private parking enforcement agency?

Let the MSA know, by writing to the Editor, address on page 2.

Hi-tech takes over from the wheel clamp as motorists’ scourge

www.msagb.comMSA Application Form


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THE MSA has recently 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 eachThese 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 at a discounted price of £24.00.

Call us now on 0800 0265986 and join immediately with a credit/debit card

Or go online to www.msagb.com and click on the ‘Join’ drop down menu along the top of the opening page

Complete the simple application form – and you’re a member and can start benefitting from membership right away

* Initial application £90, includes one-off joining fee of £25

www.msagb.comMotoring


VAUxHALL’S support for driving instructors is long-running and its current discounts and offers make purchasing a new Vauxhall better value than ever.

Through its Partners Programme, there are a number of 0% finance deals available, as well as £500 deposit gifts on some models, insurance deals and Vauxhall’s Lifetime warranty which covers you for 100,000 miles.

But there’s plenty more. Take a tour through the Vauxhall Partners Programme website and you’ll find a host of superb discount deals off every cars from the Vauxhall range, from the Adam to the Zafira.

For instance, pick a Corsa Limited Edition, 3 Door Hatch, 1.2i 16v VVT (85PS), Petrol, manual, and you can expect to save £1,038. Try the Astra, Exclusiv, 5 Door Hatch, 1.4i 16v VVT (87PS), Petrol, manual, and the saving is even bigger - £1,329. While the estate version might not be the most obvious ADI tuition car, it is immensely practical and versatile and you can get a mega saving oft Astra, SE, Sports Tourer, 1.6i 16v VVT (115PS), Petrol, of £1,634.

Super deals for ADIs from Vauxhall

Star savings: Astra hatchbacks have a range of discounts available, from £1,000 upwards

the Vauxhall Corsa remains a firm fixture in the UK’s bestselling cars list. Despite challenges from every corner, since its launch

back in 1993 it has consistently stayed in the top 10 sales, and top 3 for superminis, and while others may challenge it, particularly the Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo, it sill remains a benchmark in terms of practicality, value and driver enjoyment.

Principally this is down to Vauxhall’s keen eye for detail. Despite a diminutive presence, it offers more cabin room than most of its rivals, with a strong emphasis on comfort. Of particular interest to ADIs, there is lots of interior storage, including a large glove compartment and an optional two-tier boot floor for tuition aids, notebooks and handbooks.

The latest derivative stems from 2011. Now, in modern car terms, that’s a long time ago. Then it got new mechanical parts, a completely new exterior and a series of interior refreshes.

The considered view is that it lacks a little of the feel of the Ford Fiesta and so loses out in terms of drivability, but in the same breath you must acknowledge that it is more comfortable and handles urban environments better.

Suspension is a bit rigid and stiff but that is a price worth paying for what can be a pretty thrilling driving experience in the 1.4 and the 1.2.

There are a number of engines to choose from, but to our eyes the 1.0-litre is a tad underpowered

and we don’t think helps pupils get to grips with faster speeds.

Better to plump for either the 1.2 or the 1.4. There’s little to choose from here: interestingly, the 1.4 is actually more efficient at urban speeds, returning 39.8mpg compared to the 1.2’s 39.2. At higher speeds the 1.2 nips in front, delivering 62.8 to 61.4 over the combined cycle.

The 1.4 delivers a faster pick-up response and a higher top speed. It is certainly punchier – but it could be argued, delivers a punch that’s unnecessary in a car of this size and weight. For me, I’d go 1.2. Both are 129 CO2, interestingly enough.

On the road the Corsa feels a bit too light and unresponsive. However if – as with most ADIs – your driving is all urban, then that lightness translates into a feeling of manoeuvrability. In addition, the Corsa’s light controls and generally good visibility make it an ideal city car.

Best of all, slip behind the wheel for a short time and you could forgive yourself for thinking it had metamorphosised into one of its bigger cousins,

such as the Astra. It feels a million miles away from the tissue-thin and vulnerable superminis of yesteryear. Instead it feels well built and solid.

The interior feels solid and all the controls, buttons and switches are of a high quality.

Finally, remember that the Corsa is a safe car, gaining the full five-star rating in Euro NCAP crash safety tests when it was launched in 2006. It comes fitted with an advanced ABS anti-lock braking system, electronic stability control and dual-stage airbags, which can deploy at different rates depending on impact, as standard equipment.

There’s plenty of boot space, considering this is a supermini. The 285 litres of boot space of offer in the five-door is more than you’ll get in the Ford Fiesta. Fold down the rear seats and the boot expands to a massive 1,100 litres, which is more than enough to carry the occasional bulky item. One interesting addition: you can get a false boot floor as an optional extra on higher-spec models, which gives you somewhere to store odds and ends, and may be useful if you take a lot of training kit out on lessons.

UK still loves a Corsa, over 20 years on!

Offi cial Government Test Environmental Data. Fuel consumption fi gures mpg (litres/100km) and CO2 emissions (g/km). Vauxhall range (excl. Ampera): Urban: 14.4 (19.6) - 76.3 (3.7), Extra-urban: 27.4 (10.3) - 91.1 (3.1), Combined: 18.0 (15.7) - 85.6 (3.3). CO2 emissions: 373 - 88g/km.# Available on selected models, at participating Retailers. Refer to www.vauxhall.co.uk/offers. Finance subject to status. Terms and Conditions apply. Applicants must be 18 or over. Finance supplied by Vauxhall Finance, PO Box 6666, Cardiff CF15 7YT. **Vauxhall Deposit Contribution excludes ADAM, Mokka, Cascada and New Insignia models. Offers apply to Vauxhall Partners only. Offer available on orders or registrations before 16 December 2013. For Partners Terms and Conditions go to partnersprogramme.co.uk/legal-notice-and-privacy-policy. #Offi cial EU-regulated test data are provided for comparison purposes and actual performance will depend on driving style, road conditions and other non-technical factors. Vauxhall Lifetime Warranty covers lifetime ownership of fi rst registered keeper, 100,000 mile limit. Terms and Conditions apply. Correct at time of going to print 23/09/2013.

Offers end 16th December 2013, to fi nd out more visit: www.partnersprogramme.co.uk, call 0844 875 2448 or visit your Vauxhall Retailer.

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L_GMR_C1058_Q4_MSA_Newslink_FP_318x220.indd 1 25/09/2013 12:53

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newslink nov 13

Documents

new syllabus

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evaluation process

n c e s c h e

young novice driver

e sfed

safety of young novice

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