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Regional News
New research on the threats posed by rural roads prompted two
contributions on the subject this issue. On this page, Janet Stewart from
MSA Greater London offers her thoughts and, facing, Guy Annan from
MSA Western does likewise. By their nature they cover the same facts and
figures but offer different takes on what is an important subject
Rural road risks make it vital you take
your learners out into the country
Alex Brownlee
MSA Greater London
A quick note on the MSA AGM Greater
London meeting, held at the end of
November. It was very well attended –
via Zoom, of course! Many thanks to the
National Chairman Peter Harvey MBE
and Geoff Little Deputy National
Chairman for taking part, and to all those
members who participated.
Do you teach on rural roads?
I have been supplied this article by
Janet Stewart, one of the MSA GB
Greater London committee members.
It’s easy for me to teach on all types of
roads. I live almost on top of the M25
and can easily reach the M1, the M40,
lots of dual carriageways and the city
roads of central London.
However, I actually live on a rural-style
lane with passing places, and some of
the roads around here are such
backwaters that they have grass growing
down the middle.
So, I’m lucky – though despite my
good luck (in a manner of speaking) to
have a broad range of road types on my
doorstep, I’m pretty certain that most
instructors can find some rural roads to
teach on with a bit of effort.
After talking to a few instructors it
seems that there is still a tendency only
to teach what can come up in a test –
and for most candidates, that won’t be
rural roads. I’m happy to stick my neck
out and say that this is not good enough.
In a recent survey 58.61 per cent of
crashes on rural roads involved cars, 9.1
per cent bicycles and 8.7 per cent
pedestrians (the rest miscellaneous).
The drivers at most risk of crashing are
the elderly and new, inexperienced
drivers.
A survey carried out by the DVSA
found that a fifth of new drivers had had
very little preparation for driving on rural
roads, and that 10 per cent had no
experience of them at all.
The four top crash types are:
a) head on collision (at over 45mph
the fatality rate is very high);
b) single vehicle run off the road –
taking bends too fast, trees and ditches;
c) side impact at junctions usually
turning onto a faster road (again, a high
fatality rate); and
d) pedestrians on the road.
That brings me to the three Es.
Enforcement is not our business.
Engineering is something we can lobby
for. Education is very definitely our
business.
The biggest issue remains speed. Neil
Greig of IAM RoadSmart has pointed out
that “people take their speed cues from
the environment”. My lane has a speed
limit of 60mph. I cannot get even close
to that with my very best efforts. What
are we always (I hope) telling pupils? –
“it is a maximum not a target”. We need
to get learners onto these roads and talk
to them about risks and hazards. We
spend so much time telling them to keep
an eye on their speed in a 30mph area,
reducing it for parked cars, visibility, etc,
that perhaps we fail to talk about
appropriate speeds on other types of
road enough.
We are in unfamiliar territory with
Covid-19. More people than ever have
been walking and cycling. More people
than ever have been speeding because
they feel more confident in lower traffic
volumes. Various organisations such as
the Road Safety Foundation and GoSafe
Wales are looking at how to effect
change in road systems and markings/
signage and also in attitudes. Perhaps we
too, as driving instructors, should
“capture the moment” as Teresa Ciano of
GoSafe Wales has said.
I know I am preaching to the
converted, but I am saying it anyway.
Many thanks for supplying that, Janet.
As ever, if other members in Greater
London would like to contribute to
Newslink, just get in contact at the
address in the panel below.
It just remains for me to say that I
hope everyone has had a Merry
Christmas and I hope this year will be
better than the last!
CONTACT
To comment on this article, or provide
updates, contact Alex at
msaeditorgreaterlondon@gmail.com
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NEWSLINK n JANUARY 2021