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Regional News No change to committee but all change as far as the Covid-19 rules John Lomas Editor, MSA North West The North West region held its AGM and Zoom meeting on November 16. We were grateful for the attendance of Peter Harvey MBE, MSA GB National Chairman, and Geoff Little, the Deputy Chairman. Attending were the regional committee (with one apology) and numerous members from the region including a name from the past which you may recall, John Lepine MBE. There were more requests for access codes received and answered, but perhaps something cropped up on the night which prevented others attending. We were brought up to date, as far as possible, on the current situation in the various lockdowns and other regional status differences, and DVSA’s likely responses in the coming months. One thing that did come up is that if the waiting rooms are opened up as shelter for instructors while the pupil is on test, then this could result in fewer tests because currently, some examiners are using the waiting rooms as overspill office space in order to maintain safe distancing between employees. Perhaps overcoats/mackintoshes, gloves and umbrellas would be better than over-extended waiting lists? The AGM resulted in no change in respect of the Officers and Committee members for the next year. The pandemic The briefing on the latest status on the pandemic got me thinking about my own personal take on the situation. Back in February I was thinking that we were in for at least 18 months of disruption. I also thought that we would be looking at 50,000 fatalities by the end of August (it appears I was about two months out with that). The reason for such thinking was reading about the progression of the 1918-20 Spanish (actually American) flu epidemic and watching the BBC documentary about the same event. I would recommend both these programmes to you, particularly the Covid sceptics among us – but with the usual caveat of a warning to those of a nervous disposition. They can both be picked up from the BBC’s iPlayer service (see buttons below) The following are quotes from George Santayana, Confucius and Aldous Huxley, all of which got me thinking too: “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” “Study the past if you would define the future.” “That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons of history.” Christmas Greetings The MSA GB North West committee wish you a Merry Christmas and Happier New Year. We know it has been a difficult time for everybody and while in the last few days there has been some encouraging news in respect of vaccinations, there is still some distance to go yet. But I’m sure we will get there... Surviving the virus Flu that killed 50 million Eye, eye: Cyclops takes Brake’s new safety award Transport for Greater Manchester and Manchester City Council have been named winners of a new award presented by Brake, in collaboration with Road Safety GB. Brake’s inaugural Vision Zero Leaders Awards recognise achievement in three categories – Local Roads Innovation, Community Campaign Achievement, and Youth Leadership – and says the awards ‘celebrate the hidden champions leading the way to safe and healthy roads and zero road deaths and serious injuries’. Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and Manchester City Council won the Local Roads Innovation Award for a CYCLOPS (cycle optimised protected signals) junction in Hulme. This category was presented in partnership with Road Safety GB who helped judge the entries and select the winner. The innovative junction forms part of Greater Manchester’s Bee Network and places the cycle route on the outside of the pedestrian crossings, fully segregating cyclists and improving safety for all users. TfGM engineers Richard Butler and Jonathan Salter, who designed the junction, said: “Safety is paramount to every design we develop, so to be recognised by a road safety charity for the part the CYCLOPS plays in keeping people safe while enabling them to travel more actively, truly is the pinnacle for us.” The Community Campaign Achievement Award went to Amanda Russell who started campaigning for 20mph speed limits in Faversham in 2015. Her 20’s Plenty campaign group held public community events to explain the benefits of 20mph and gradually built support, finally achieving a town-wide 20mph trial scheme, the first in Kent. Three students from Murray Park Community School, in Mickleover near Derby, won the Youth Leadership Award for their ‘outstanding work’ in raising road safety awareness in their school and local community. Arjun Binning, Archie Couchman and George Ogan delivered presentations to fellow students at Murray Park and to 250 students at the local junior school, St Peters CE. 34 NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2020
For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com Join us, Minister Vere, in learning something new Rod Came MSA South East Whatever we do, anywhere, at any time, there is always a driver involved. An indisputable truth. Think it over, try and catch me out. If you can’t you will come to the inescapable conclusion that drivers are indispensable. Even people who profess to walk everywhere are dependent on drivers, not necessarily directly, but how do they think their stout walking boots, clothes, food, get to where they purchase them from? So let us agree that drivers are the lifeblood of this country of ours. Roads Minister Baroness Vere, when dismissing Graduated Driving Licences for new drivers, used as part of her reasoning that the introduction of GDL would have a potential restrictive impact on young peoples’ employment prospects. As of early November 2020 youth unemployment stood at 14.6 per cent. That’s an atrociously high figure, not as bad as Spain at 31.13 per cent, but still unacceptably high. Working on from Baroness Vere’s reasoning against GDL, as a Roads Minister who wants to give young people the best opportunities to gain employment, she should have a word with the hierarchy of DVSA, who appear to be doing the least possible to assist those same people to obtain a driving licence, a qualification which is not only desirable to them as individuals but is also important to the prosperity of this country. In many cases people need a car driving licence to travel to work. A category B licence is usually the first step to working up the driving licence ‘‘ “The Baroness should have a word with the DVSA, who appear to be doing the least possible to assist those same people to obtain a driving licence...” www.msagb.com ‘‘ Baroness Vere with managers of the Chiltern Cycle Fleet e-Bike scheme, Mike Shaw and Andrew Jackson ladder. The public now rely on many items they buy, from food to other necessities, being delivered by van. Vans are getting heavier and many require a category C1 licence. Large trucks deliver commodities to central warehouses; those drivers need heavy goods licences, they are the plasma in the blood that keeps this country alive. Buses (where available) transport people to work, appointments and leisure activities; their drivers too need licences. The first lockdown meant that DVSA has failed to deliver something like 800,000 category B driving tests. Statistically they would have resulted in about 370,000 passes, thereby restricting the employment prospects of many of those people. In addition, we are reducing the number of drivers. Some of these will, in the future, now be delayed in achieving their qualification to drive larger vans, coaches, buses and heavy goods vehicles, all to the detriment of the new, emerging, independent UK. So I have message for the Minister: “Baroness Vere, please push to get the driver testing system to be more efficient and fit for the purpose for which it has responsibility. This country, new drivers and ADIs, deserve nothing less.” Dyfed-Powys leads charge of dash cam evidence Motorists and other road users have sent 52,174 dash cam recordings of potential traffic offences to UK police forces since 2017, with more than a third resulting in a court summons, Fixed Penalty Notice, driver awareness course or warning. A Freedom of Information request sent to every UK police force by What Car? found police forces across the UK receive more than 35 pieces of dash-cam footage every day. Just over 10 per cent of the incidents captured on film were severe enough to warrant a court prosecution and 9.6 per cent resulted in a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN). A further 10.5 per cent resulted in the driver being asked to attend a driver awareness course. Thirty-five of the UK’s 42 police forces have a system in place to process and fine drivers and motorcyclists based on dash-cam evidence from other road users. The use of dash cams by drivers and other road users has shot up by around 850 per cent since 2017. Dyfed-Powys Police in South Wales is the most active in using dash cam footage. It has taken action over 81.3 per cent of the videos it received, with 40.2 per cent of offenders receiving a warning, 18.6 per cent being prosecuted in court and 18.4 per cent asked to attend a driver awareness course. Just 4.0 per cent were handed an FPN. London’s Metropolitan Police received the largest volume of submissions – nearly 25,000 videos over four years – and acted in 45.4 per cent of cases, issuing court proceedings to 18.9 per cent of offenders. 35
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