Newslink March 2021

msagb.com
Newslink
The Voice of MSA GB
Issue 338 • March 2021
At last – is the
end in sight?
MSA Conference 2021
See pg 5 for details
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Release from lockdown may
bring a new set of problems
Colin Lilly
Editor, Newslink
So, the roadmap out of lockdown has
been published but it’s unlikely to end
there. A big unanswered question
remains ‘what about holidays?’
It would appear that many people
believe, or hope, that after June 21st
everything will be normal. However, the
prospect of holidays outside UK remains
unclear. It is not a unilateral decision for
the UK to make either, but dependent on
the situation in the country being visited:
we are, after all, much further ahead in
the vaccination programme than other
European countries.
I expect the end result will be an
unprecedented ‘Staycation’. That
prospect fills me with dread.
I live in Weston-super-Mare, a
recognised holiday resort, albeit one
that’s perhaps a touch faded, but still a
popular tourist area. I anticipate the
south-west of England, along with other
tourist areas throughout Britain, will not
be a pleasant place to be on the roads
during the coming summer.
In the early days of my time as a driver
trainer, the 1980s, the holiday season
certainly affected a driver trainer’s
routine. One rule I used was no driving
tests in August, because there were too
many drivers in holiday mode and their
actions would stretch the most
experienced drivers, let alone those of a
novice under pressure. Lesson spacing
had to be increased while training routes
were altered, unless the theme of the
lesson was ‘what to do in traffic jams’.
Fortunately, now the driving test routes
have moved away from town centres, the
issue of urban traffic is less important
during peak times.
Book your place at the
MSA GB Conference...
Latest updates from the DVSA, news
on easing of Covid restrictions, industry
presentations and much more
See pg 5 for more details
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Over the years the allure of Westonsuper-Mare
has dimmed, so the holiday
season is less disruptive apart from
major events. However, the M5
motorway is a different issue as it carries
very large volumes of traffic towards the
south-west. Instead of the traditional
Saturday summer disruption it now
starts at noon on a Friday and lasts until
Saturday afternoon.
With the prospect of more holiday
makers heading to the region there will
not only be more traffic but more
frustration, more bad driving and more
incidents. Hopefully, plans are in place
to support the infrastructure.
During the winter numerous TV
programmes have highlighted the beauty
and benefits of parts of the UK. Quite
rightly this makes a staycation a very
attractive option. Unfortunately, these
are not filmed at peak season
I wish every business in tourist regions
success, but it will come at a price.
How long we will remain in a regime
of social distancing is even less clear.
Even when rules are relaxed, I suspect
some aspects, such as mask wearing
and sanitising, will still remain for many
on a voluntary basis. For those involved
in driver training this may not be a bad
thing. Given what we have lived through
in the past 12 months, a little more
hygiene in the future should not cause
offence.
Whatever the future holds, we wish
you every success in bringing your
business back on an even keel, including
booking driving tests and assisting your
pupils back to normal life.
CONTACT
To comment on this article or any other
issue surrounding driver training and
testing, contact Colin via
editor@msagb.com
Speakers to incude Registrar Jacqui
Turland and DVSA Driver Training and
Policy Manager John Sheridan
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COVER STORY
Light at the end of a very
dark tunnel for ADIs as
L-tests could make a
welcome return in April
See pg 6
03

28
‘Over the
rainbow’
20
16
24
News
L-tests and driving lessons
Latest as the training and testing sector
continues to wrestle with the challenges
of lockdowns – pg 6
No extension to test certificates
DVSA stays firm in refusing to extend
expiry date of theory test passes – pg 8
Who are you calling ‘smart’?
Government looks to change narrative
on smart motorways – pg 10
Newslink
The Voice of MSA GB
Dashcams to the rescue as
traffic officer numbers fall
Members of public act to bring traffic
law-breakers to book –– pg 14
Features
Brexit by-passes road safety
ETSC warns UK could see fall in road
safety standard – pg 20
Coping with Blues and Twos
Steve Garrod offers a lesson plan on
handling emergency vehicles – pg 24
DVSA must face facts over
L-test waiting times
We need to look again at the structure of
driving tests, says Rod Came–– pg 26
Regional news –– from 28
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04 NEWSLINK n MARCH 2021

For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com
CONFERENCE 2021
We’re going Zoom to bring you all the latest
information and guidance you need
MSA GB National Conference
& Annual General Meeting
Sunday, March 21
Time: 2pm - 4.30pm
Cost: Free of charge
Industry updates | DVSA Speakers |
MSA GB Awards | AGM |
Workshops and Spotlight presentations
Due to current lockdown restrictions MSA GB
has decided to move its 2021 Conference &
AGM on to the Zoom platform.
While it is disappointing we will not be able
to meet up face-to-face for our annual gettogether,
we have organised what we hope
will be an inspiring and informative afternoon
for you, with guest speakers from the DVSA,
workshops, short presentations from industry
experts, our ever-popular Member of the Year
Awards and the MSA GB AGM.
Speakers confirmed so far include, from DVSA,
Mike Warner, Senior External Affairs
Manager; Jacqui Turland, Registrar; and John
Sheridan, Driver Training & Policy Manager. Dan
Campsall from Road Safety GB will give us an
update on older driver research.
After each presentation there will be time for
questions from delegates.
To book, go to https://msagb.com/product/
annual-conference-2021/
Keep in
touch 1
If you have updated your
address, telephone
numbers or changed your email
address recently, please let us
know at head office by emailing
us with your new details and
membership number to
info@msagb.com.
If you can’t find your
membership number, give us a
ring on 01625 664501.
Keep in touch:
Just click on the icon
to go through to the
relevant site
2
If you don’t have an internet connection,
you can join by phone and still take part, just
call head office on 01625 664501 and we
will arrange that for you.
So make a note in your diary and plan to
join us on the day. We will make sure it is an
afternoon well spent, and that you’ll pick up
some great advice and information that will
serve you well in your role as an ADI.
This is formal notice that the 86th Annual
General Meeting of MSA GB will be held via
the digital platform on 21st March 2021 at
4.15pm; please email info@msagb.com to
request attendance.
Follow MSA GB on social media
Jacqui Turland and
John Sheridan will be
joining us at the online
Conference
Keep in
contact with
the MSA
MSA GB area contacts are
here to answer your
queries and offer any
assistance you need.
Get in touch if you have
any opinions on how MSA
GB is run, or wish to
comment on any issue
affecting the driver
training and testing
regime.
n National Chairman:
Peter Harvey MBE
natchair@msagb.com
n Deputy National
Chairman: Geoff Little
deptnatchair@msagb.com
n Scotland:
Alex Buist
chair.os@msagb.com
n North East:
Mike Yeomans
chair.ne@msagb.com
n North West:
Graham Clayton
chair.nw@msagb.com
n East Midlands:
Kate Fennelly
chair.em@msagb.com
n West Midlands:
Geoff Little
chair.wm@msagb.com
n Western:
Arthur Mynott
chair.ow@msagb.com
n Eastern:
Paul Harmes
chair.oe@msagb.com
n Greater London:
Tom Kwok
chair.gl@msagb.com
n South East:
Fenella Wheeler
chair.se@msagb.com
n South Wales:
All enquiries to
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n Newslink:
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NEWSLINK n MARCH 2021
05

News
Light at end of tunnel as DVSA edges
closer to outlining roadmap for testing
ADIs eager to get back on the road and
teaching have been told to hang in there
a little bit longer after L-tests and driver
training were placed in the second phase
of lockdown easing in England.
Boris Johnson announced on February
22 that L-tests could start from April 12
as long as things continue to progress
smoothly in the fight against Covid-19,
with confirmation of this date likely
towards the end of March.
But ADIs could receive clearer
guidance within days after MSA GB
National Chairman Peter Harvey joined
with NASP representatives in an online
meeting with DVSA chief executive
Loveday Ryder, who revealed that the
agency was finalising its own ‘roadmap’
to recovery.
“Our meeting with Ms Ryder on
Monday (March 1) was constructive,”
said Peter. “The DVSA hopes to make a
full announcement very soon on the way
forward for driver testing and training.
“We are hopeful driver training may be
allowed to start back ahead of testing, to
ensure those candidates taking the first
driving tests have a chance of
professional supervision of their final
practice, but there are no guarantees.”
That could mean ADIs back at work
around Easter in England, though Peter
stressed that this was purely speculation
at this stage and any decisions taken
now could be changed if new Covid-19
cases increased or new variants proved
more contagious or deadly.
On the issue of the testing backlog,
Peter said that DVSA is determined
to make an immediate impact
on it as soon as it was given
the green light by Government.
Peter commented: “The
DVSA plans to bring in every
available member of staff
trained to deliver tests,
and is hopeful that ways
can be found to increase
the number of test slots,
while bearing in mind
Covid requirements.
“At MSA GB we have
voiced our concerns that
the test waiting times will
be substantial once we’re
back in work, and it
threatens to create a
bottleneck that will
strangle the sector as soon
as it gets going again.
“The good news is that the DVSA is
equally determined to see waiting times
reduced to manageable levels quickly,
hopefully within 12 months.”
What are the current rules?
(These will not change before April).
At present in England:
All driving tests are suspended
because of the national lockdown. A
limited emergency driving test service is
available for some people who need to
drive as part of their job and respond to
‘threats to life’ as part of their job. Only
eligible employers can apply for these.
The only driving lessons allowed are
for people who can prove they have an
emergency driving test booked.
Learners can conduct private practice
as long as it is supervised by a family
member and is part of an essential
journey, ie, to work or college if
remote working/education is not
available.
It is hoped that driving
lessons will recommence on or
before April 12. Details of
when ADI Parts 2 & 3 will
Key information
Follow the links for the latest up-to-date news on
NASP updated
guidance here
(click button right)
On theory tests
(click button right)
Loveday Ryder
L- tests
(click button right)
Instructor guidance
(click button right)
When will we see you
again...? Could ADIs be
looking forward to taking
pupils on tests within seven
weeks?
recommence will be released
soon – hopefully this month.
Scotland
All driving tests are
suspended in Scotland because
of the temporary lockdown.
The Scottish Government has
set out its own roadmap, and
this says that lessons will not return until
April 26 at the earliest. There has been
no news so far on when driving tests can
recommence.
Please note that before lockdown, it
was mandatory to wear a face mask
when conducting driving lessons in
Scotland for both the instructor and
pupil.
This applies to practice sessions too.
This is likely to be the same once driver
training returns.
Wales
All types of driving tests are suspended
in Wales. A limited emergency driving
test service is available for some people
who need to drive as part of their job
and respond to ‘threats to life’ as part of
their job. Only eligible employers can
apply for these. Driving lessons for such
candidates are allowed.
The Welsh Government has not set out
a date for driving tests to return.
Whichever country you are in, you
cannot travel to another one for driving
lessons, training or testing.
Check out the
latest rules here
The latest Standard Operating Procedures
can be found on the NASP website for:
Driving Test; Vocational Test; Motorcycle
Test; ADI Part 2 Test; ADI Part 3 Test and
Standards Checks
They are changing all the time.
Make sure you know the
latest rules by clicking
the panel right
Check the
rules
06
NEWSLINK n MARCH 2021

News
Disappointment as Government refuses
to budge over theory test extensions
The Government has rejected pleas from
the driver training sector to extend the
validity dates of theory test passes as a
way of taking into account the disruption
to learning created by the coronavirus
pandemic.
In a statement the DVSA said: ‘After
careful consideration and in response to
a recent petition, the Government has
decided not to extend theory test
certificates for road safety reasons.
‘We understand this will be
disappointing but it’s essential learners
have the most up-to-date road safety
knowledge and hazard perception skills
at the critical point that they drive on
their own for the first time.’
It added that if your pupil’s practical
driving test has been postponed, the
DVSA will reschedule it for the next
available test appointment at their
chosen test centre once testing resumes.
But if no test appointments are
available before their theory test
certificate expires, their practical test
booking will be put on hold.
If your pupil’s driving test is postponed
due to restrictions and their theory test
certificate has expired or expires, the
DVSA will cancel the test and refund the
cost of their practical test.
The pupil will then need to rebook and
pass their theory test again before they
can sit a practical test.
Learners can request a refund for the
cost of their practical test through the
online cancellation service at https://
www.gov.uk/cancel-driving-test
Pupils can book a new theory test up
to six months before their current
theory test certificate expires,
or at any time
after it has
expired.
To get the
full story,
click here
What the petition
to extend theory
test certificates said
‘‘
Due to the Covid 19 lockdowns, four months of driving tests have been
cancelled through no fault of learner drivers. Many learners’ theory certificates
will expire due to the difficulties in booking driving tests this year and, inevitably,
the next year. As a result, the Government should extend the theory test
certificate’s validity so these learners are punished no further. If this is not
possible, any subsequent theory tests required due to Covid 19 lockdowns
should be costed to the government.
‘‘
DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT CONSULTATIONS
Highway Code to look at updating
information on high-speed roads
Give your views on changes to the Highway Code
Highways England has launched a review of the Highway
Code to improve road safety on motorways and high-speed
roads. The consultation will run for four weeks on March
29.
Highways England is asking in particular for your views
on updated safety information for high-speed dual
carriageways and motorways. Proposed changes include
updating information on the use of variable speed limits to
manage congestion, the use of red X signs to close
lanes, and what to do in the event of a breakdown. Have your
say here
Reminder on driving licence
and motorcycle tests
Time is running out if you want to give your views
on the DfT’s proposed changes to the laws on
driving licence acquisition and the motorcycle
riding test, as the consultation ends on March 23.
The consultation covers issues such as allowing
candidates who pass their test in an automatic
vehicle to drive a manual vehicle if they
already hold a manual entitlement in another
licence category, and reducing the engine
size of bikes that can be
brought to an A2
motorcycle test.
Have your
say here
08
NEWSLINK n MARCH 2021

For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com
The Uber case could affect us all
Colin Lilly
Editor, MSA Newslink
As you will have read in the newspapers
last month, England’s Supreme Court has
ruled that Uber drivers are employees.
While the media attention was focused
on how this would affect the ride-hailing
service, it left me wondering whether the
decision would impact on our sector, and
whether the case had parallels with the
situations facing franchised driving
instructors?
The Uber case was brought by a small
number of drivers, but as an international
company it has been facing similar
claims around the world.
A court found in favour of the drivers in
2017 but the company decided to take it
through the various levels of appeal court
until this final stage.
The final judgement was based on a
number of points, the judges said, that
made it clear drivers are employees:
• Uber sets the fares which directly
affected the driver’s earnings
• Uber sets the contract terms and the
drivers were not consulted
• Requests for rides are controlled by
Uber, which can penalise drivers if they
rejected too many rides
• The company monitored a driver’s
service and had the ability to terminate
the contract if there was no improvement.
After considering the various factors
the judges determined that the drivers
were subordinate to Uber so that the only
way they could increase their earnings
was to work longer hours.
The outcome could mean that
thousands of Uber drivers are entitled to
a minimum wage and holiday pay. This
could also have consequences throughout
the so-called gig economy of
freelance workers.
In addition, Uber would be responsible
for collecting and paying VAT.
Uber states that it has made significant
changes to its business model, including
consulting with drivers about changes to
be made.
Many companies, including driver
training franchisors, may now be looking
at their agreements and contracts and
possibly making some changes.
CONTACT
To comment on this article or any other
issue surrounding driver training and
testing, contact Colin via
editor@msagb.com
NEWSLINK n MARCH 2021 09

News
Examiner recruitment drive and flexibility
enforced as DVSA targets waiting times
The DVSA has made its first move in a
bid to cut the number of people waiting
for an L-test by announcing a new
recruitment programme for driving
examiners.
In a statement released at the start of
February the agency said the suspension
of L-testing as a result of the Covid-19
pandemic had led to “exceptionally high
demand for driving tests.”
Furthermore, “the measures put in
place to protect candidates and staff from
Covid-19 have limited the number of
available tests outside of lockdowns,
including reducing the number of tests our
examiners carry out per day.”
To help increase the number of
available tests, the DVSA said it was:
• offering more tests outside of normal
working hours, including weekend and
bank holidays.
• ensuring DVSA staff who are qualified
to perform driving tests are doing so, such
as senior managers and policy staff.
But these alone will not reduce the
backlog as quickly as is required.
Therefore, on February 10 the DVSA
launched a national recruitment campaign
for new driving examiners, with posts in
England, Scotland and Wales.
No numbers were released as to how
many examiners were to be recruited.
A spokesman for the DVSA added: “The
recruitment of new examiners is one of
the actions we are taking to reduce the
backlog caused by the pandemic.
“We will also work with the driver and
rider training associations on our plan to
reduce waiting times. We will then share
our plan as soon as we can, as we’d like
your feedback on our proposals. This will
also be an opportunity for you to share
any of your ideas with us.”
The agency asked instructors to play
their part in reducing driving test waiting
times. It acknowledged that demand
would remain high and “it will take time
to get our services back to normal.” But in
the meantime, “it is vital that your pupils
are test-ready when rearranging their
tests, as tests could be at short notice.
“On average, fewer than 50 per cent of
learners pass their driving test and there
could be long waiting times for a retest –
your pupils should take their test only
when they are confident they can pass.”
Tests for all candidates who have been
affected by the current restrictions have
now been rearranged. If the new time and
date is not suitable, you can change the
test time and date at: https://www.gov.uk/
change-driving-test
MSA GB national chairman Peter
Harvey said the recruitment drive was
welcomed but the number of new
examiners rumoured to be added to the
roster would not see waiting times
reduced quickly. “It also seems difficult to
see how ADIs can ensure candidates are
‘test-ready’ when they haven’t had chance
to practise or fine-tune their skills.
“That’s why it is imperative that ADIs
are allowed back to work some time
before testing resumes, as has been
suggested will happen.”
Who are you calling smart?
Colin Lilly
Editor, MSA Newslink
There has been a resurgence recently in
calls to scrap so-called smart motorways.
The Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps,
described the name as a misnomer.
However, it was not a term generated by
Government but by the public and media.
Mr Shapps said that reversing work on
smart motorways was not an option as it
would mean acquiring land the equal of
700 Wembley football pitches, destroying
areas of Green Belt and people’s homes.
He did, however, announce that the
deadline for installation of Stopped
Vehicle Technology (SVD) throughout the
network would be brought forward to the
end of 2022. The SVD systems are
designed to detect a stopped vehicle in a
live lane within 20 seconds, employing
radar units monitoring motorway traffic in
both directions.
He also gave instructions for the work
to establish emergency areas to be no
more than three-quarters of a mile apart
to be speeded up, and tasked Highways
England to achieve this.
During the last five years 44 people
have died on smart motorways. This is at
a lower rate than the remainder of the
network, but incidents tend to attract
more attention and relatives calling for
changes or reversal of the projects. A
Coroner has called for the prosecution of
Highways England.
It would appear the Secretary of State
is determined to carry on with the project
but with a tighter rein on safety.
In the meantime, MPs have launched
their own inquiry, with the Transport
Committee looking at public confidence
into their use and the impact on
congestion.
A Department for Transport evidence
review concluded that “in most ways,
smart motorways are as safe as, or safer
than, conventional motorways”, but made
pledges to improve their safety.
10
NEWSLINK n MARCH 2021

For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com
DVSA test strategy leaves questions galore
Rod Came
It must have been last month’s
Newslink cover that did it...
but we have some good news,
in that DVSA has announced
a ‘Plan B’ to get us out of the
unprecedented L-test waiting
lists. The bad news is that
the plan comes with a few
caveats...:
1. Driving tests will be available
outside of normal working hours
including weekends and Bank Holidays.
Does this mean that examiners will be
working six or seven days a week? If they
will be taking days off during the week
as they should if working weekends, it
will make no difference.
Are ADIs going to be working Saturdays
and Sundays? Some do anyway; will they
have enough pupils up to test standard
to fill the quotas for the DEs, after so
many lessons have been lost? What does
‘outside of normal hours’ actually mean?
Perhaps 7am to 9pm during the summer?
Will ADIs want to work 16-hour days?
There is no mention of a DE’s day
being extended or that they will be
providing seven or more tests a day.
2. All qualified staff are
going to be conducting tests.
This is a laudable idea, but if
all qualified staff are going to be
seconded to driver testing, what
other services are going to suffer
from a lack of personnel?
3. A campaign has been
launched to recruit new
examiners.
From the latest figures I could find
DVSA manages to train about 20 new
DEs a month. I would expect about 10 a
month to leave so the net increase would
be only ten, 120 a year across the whole
of the UK. Is that going to be enough?
It takes a minimum of five weeks to
train a new DE; are the new entrants
going to be trained by the same people
who are being seconded to help out with
driver testing? If so, a glut of new
entrants needing training will reduce the
number of DEs for driver testing.
I would be reasonably confident that
the DVSA does not have a large number
of vocational driving test examiners
waiting in the wings. There is likely to be
an increased demand for category C1, C,
C1E and CE tests and an insufficient
number of DEs. This would hold people
back from being able to get a job –
unacceptable.
If the majority of new DEs are in the
Midlands and the overwhelming demand
for tests is in the South East, how will
that work?
4. DVSA will consult on these proposals
with the driver/rider associations.
What if the associations’ views are that
the above changes will make little
difference in reducing the backlog of
tests; then what?
Part of the training programme for new
DEs is that they should observe an
experienced DE at work, also that they
should be supervised on tests they
conduct. Does that mean that it will now
be satisfactory for there to be three
people in a car on test, when previously
ADIs were banned because of the
increased risk of covid infection?
What is the position of the examiner’s
union in relation to these proposals?
As always, more questions than
answers.
Pass rate conundrum: See pg 26

Budget
Chancellor offers more protection
to the economy until September
Chancellor Rishi Sunak used his 2021
Budget to offer one final tranche of
support for businesses and those
members of the self-employed struggling
to cope with Covid restrictions, by
extending furlough and self-employment
support packages until September.
Throughout his Budget statement
Sunak offered support to many people
who have been forced to stop work by
Covid restrictions, but the sub-text made
it clear that the unprecedented
Government support of the economy
would have to end, and with the vaccine
programme driving down Covid cases
and deaths, it was clear that he saw his
latest measures as one last push to get
the economy through summer.
By autumn, come hell or high water,
we’re on our own by October, seemed to
be the over-riding message.
ADIs will benefit from the extension of
the Self-Employment Income Support
measures; and there was good news,
too, for those ADIs and, in particular,
PDIs who have missed out on previous
support packages: by widening the
remits of the SEISS programme it was
reported that an extra 600,000 more
self-employed people will be eligible for
help. Hopefully, if you missed out
previously, you can apply this time.
Under furlough, 80 per cent of
employees’ wages will be paid until the
end of September, with employers asked
to contribute 10 per cent in July and 20
per cent in August and September.
Other key points:
• Universal Credit top-up of £20-perweek
will continue for a further six
months
• Alcohol and fuel duties to be frozen
• 5% reduced rate of VAT for tourism
and hospitality will be extended for six
months to the end of September
• On income tax, the threshold for
paying the basic rate will rise to
£12,570 next year. For higher-rate
payers, the threshold will be £50,270.
Both rates will stay the same until
2026.
• The VAT registration threshold will
remain at £85,000 until 2024.
• The 100% business rates holiday in
England will continue from April until
June
• Stamp duty cut will continue until
the end of June, with the nil rate band
set at £250,000.
Self-Employment Income
Support
See if you can apply –
click here for details
Support for
self-employed
instructors
The Chancellor’s support for the
self-employed comes in the form of
grants through the Coronavirus Self-
Employed Income Support Scheme
(SEISS).
From next month, claims can be made
for a fourth grant worth 80 per cent of
three months’ average trading profits, up
to £7,500 in total.
This will then be followed by a fifth
grant later in the year, from May.
However, the amount paid will depend
on the amount of turnover lost. People
whose turnover has fallen by less than
30 per cent will receive a grant that is
equivalent to 30 per cent of average
trading profits.
While many self-employed people
were ineligible for the first three waves of
support – the source of considerable
despair for those affected – many ADIs/
PDIs who can show they were trading in
2019-20 from their tax returns will now
be eligible for the first time. They can
receive the fourth and fifth grants.
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News
Good driving
video calms
the risk takers
A new study has shown that films
demonstrating responsible behaviour
could lead to young drivers taking
fewer risks on the road than if they
only watch videos aimed at
provoking a fear of accidents.
Dr Yaniv Hanoch, Associate
Professor of Risk Management at
the University of Southampton, said:
“Governments often use fear-based
content, such as graphic depictions
of sudden car crashes, to persude
young drivers to take fewer risks, but
such messages can be counterproductive,
possibly because the
emotive content can trigger
defensive reactions and rejection.”
However, new research from the
University of Antwerp in partnership
with the Universities of Warwick and
Southampton, saw young drivers
watch either a six-minute video
aimed at instilling fear while peers
watched one showing a positive
scene with a careful driver asking
the passengers not to distract him.
Post-film analysis revealed that
the positive ilm significantly
decreased the attraction of risky
driving; the ‘fear’ film actually
increased young drivers’ risk taking.
Drink-driving deaths
on the rise again
Provisional estimates suggest the
number of drink-drive related deaths
in Great Britain rose to a 10-year
high in 2019.
The figures show between 240
and 320 people were killed in
collisions where at least one driver
was over the drink-drive limit –
leading the DfT to produce a central
estimate of 280 deaths.
The same figure for 2018 was
240. It is also the highest figure
since 2009.
The DfT has also released figures
for seriously injured casualties in
drink-driving incidents. The central
estimate was 2,110 – an increase of
11 per cent from 2018. However,
the total number of people killed or
injured in drink-drive collisions fell
to a record low – from 8,680 in
2018 to 7,860 in 2019.
14
As many as 89 dashcam video recordings
of alleged motoring offences were
submitted to police forces every day in
2019, the RAC has discovered.
A total of 32,370 pieces of footage were
received by the 24 police forces that
accept video evidence of driving offences
from members of the public, double the
number in 2018 (15,159).
The RAC’s freedom of information
request also shows that a quarter of these
(8,148) went on to result in prosecutions.
The greatest number of potentially
prosecutable offences were submitted to
the Met Police (8,082). Surrey had the
second highest tally with 3,542, followed
by West Midlands (3,242).
The footage submitted related to a
variety of offences, including dangerous
driving, careless driving/driving without due
care and attention, illegal use of a
handheld mobile phone, driving too close
to cyclists and contravening red traffic lights.
All of Britain’s 44 forces now accept
Photo taken from dashcam
footage uploaded to YouTube
by Northamptonshire Police.
Dashcam to the rescue
as police numbers fall
Children across Europe who missed out on
road safety lessons and tests for cycling
proficiency amid Covid-19 lockdowns and
school closures have been left at greater
risk of injury on the roads, a new report by
the European Transport Safety Council
(ETSC) has claimed.
As schools switched to distance learning,
fewer children received traffic safety and
mobility education in 2020 compared with
previous years.
Some authorities tried to plug the gap
Watch
this film
here
dashcam video – with the vast majority
doing so online via their websites.
The RAC says dashcams are a ‘game
changer’ in enforcement and is calling on
drivers to “always drive as if you are being
watched by the police”. Its road safety
spokesman, Simon Williams, said: “Even
before the decline in traffic police enforcing
offences, law-abiding drivers were often
frustrated that there was never an officer
there to deal with infringements they
witnessed.
“The advent of dashcams, phones with
cameras and helmet cameras have been a
game changer as drivers can now easily
submit footage to almost every police
force.
“With more and more people getting
dashcams the message for 2021 has to
be: always drive as if you’re being watched
by the police. If more drivers who are
inclined to break the laws of the road were
to think this way, the safer the roads would
be for all of us.”
Children at risk after missing road safety lessons
with digitalised lessons, but road safety
bodies have said these are unlikely to be
as successful as live presentations and
practical sessions.
A lack of cycle training was a particular
concern as no amount of online tuition can
compensate for practical lessons
The gap in knowledge comes as transport
experts predict an increase post-pandemic
in young people walking and cycling to
school, making having good road safety
habits even more vital, ETSC said.
NEWSLINK n MARCH 2021

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New licences, plates reflect exit from EU
To mark the first anniversary of Brexit,
the Government has unveiled new
designs for driving licences and number
plates without the EU flag, with the first
batches issued from 1 January 2021.
While existing licences and number
plates will still be valid, the new versions
will be issued to everyone renewing a
licence or getting one for the first time.
The new designs coincide with the
beginning of a number of agreements
recently made between the UK and
member states for British drivers, making
it easier for Britons to drive in the EU
when existing restrictions end.
Thanks to these agreements, UK
drivers who hold photocard licences will
not need an international driving permit
to drive in any of the 27 EU member
states, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland or
Liechtenstein. UK drivers won’t need to
display a GB sticker in most EU countries
if their number plate has GB or GB with
a Union Flag on it.
Although national restrictions are still
in place, and people should not be
travelling internationally unless for work
or other legally permitted reasons, these
new arrangements mean that Britons can
easily drive in the EU for years to come
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps
said:“ Changing the designs of our
driving licences and number plates is a
The new licences
have dropped the EU
flag for the Union
flag, though driving
rights within the EU
remain
historic moment for British motorists,
and a reassertion of our independence
from the EU one year on from our
departure.
“Looking to the future, whether it’s for
work or for holidays abroad, these
changes mean that those who want to
drive in the EU can continue to do so
with ease.”
Driving licences and number plates
can be renewed online.
NEWSLINK n MARCH 2021
15

News
Rebuilding the UK economy,
one brick at a time
Rod Came
MSA South East
Each ADI is a Very Important Person.
Why? We are the people who hugely
contribute to holding the fabric of society
together. We help to build a very
important pyramid.
ADIs produce about 850,000 building
blocks a year. These blocks, known as
bricks, sorry, new drivers, are our
economy’s foundations and the first few
levels of the pyramid.
As time passes these new drivers rise
up the pyramid to become experienced
drivers, using their cars for commuting
and social interaction. Some drive vans
and deliver letters and parcels to our
homes. Because of the increase of such
deliveries they often find they need a
larger van, which to be able to drive they
require a category C1 driving licence.
As the pyramid gets taller the drivers
need to obtain licences for large goods
vehicles, until at the top there are
category C licence holders driving 44
tonne artics, delivering goods UK-wide.
Unfortunately, the pyramid is beginning
to crumble. Like all buildings it needs
constant maintenance and for the last
year that process has been stopped. The
new bricks for the base are not being
supplied and the whole edifice is starting
to topple.
The mortar between the various layers
is failing; the bricks from many courses
are falling off due to age, each layer is
contracting. The whole construction is
becoming unstable.
ADIs would do their bit if they could,
but their pupils cannot become new
drivers if the examiners are not available.
Examiners are the mortar between the
various categories of drivers, and that
part of the pyramid has been missing for
a very long time. Hence there is a serious
problem.
A vast amount of imports to the UK
are transported by unaccompanied
containers which are unloaded off ships
and collected from ports by trucks. The
containers are not being collected in the
usual timeframe, meaning that ports are
becoming clogged up by them. One of
the reasons this is happening is because
there are not enough truck drivers
available to remove them.
A 2020 report by Logistics UK
(formerly the Freight Transport
Association FTA) provides some facts and
figures about this problem: 2.5 million
people are involved in the movement of
goods in the UK, 33 per cent are set to
retire and the country is short of 59,000
drivers, a figure that is increasing daily.
It doesn’t take Einstein to see that this
problem is only going to get worse. Van
delivery companies are struggling to
recruit staff, the heavy haulage industry
is woefully short of drivers and no new
drivers are coming through the pipeline.
Something has got to give. Either the
industry and the country goes into
serious decline, or a supply system of
new drivers has to be kicked into action.
The current situation cannot continue as
it is. The pyramid is in danger of
collapse.
ADIs and DVSA examiners need to get
back to work as soon as possible to
shore up the pyramid.
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Comment
As electric vehicles become more commonplace, so ADIs will have to learn more about them
and the different rules that cover their use. One area that is already causing confusion focuses
on the licences needed to drive electric vans, particularly when heavier batteries increase the
vehicles’ GVW. Mike Yeomans explains more
Plugging in the
humble Transit
could push
drivers over
the limit
I have had a significant number of
enquires for training involving electric
vans. Very few of the enquiries were
aware of the Government guidance
issued in 2019 regarding driver licence
changes for ‘alt fuel’ vans.
An ‘alternatively fuelled vehicle’ (AFV)
means a motor vehicle powered by
a. electricity, natural gas, biogas or
hydrogen; or
b. hydrogen and electricity.
The companies I deal with mainly have
low weight vans powered by alternative
fuel but within the 3500kg gross weight,
which means they can be driven legally
on a Category B licence. However, many
of these vans are for short-haul use, and
the owners are happy with shorter ranges
and have small batteries as a result.
But once companies start using
vehicles with longer ranges, so battery
sizes increase, as does the weight, and
this is where problems arise. Their
weight goes above the 3,500kg limit for
a Cat B licence – a weight that would
normally require a driving licence with a
‘C1’ category.
However, to accommodate this, in
2018 UK law was changed so that the
weight limit for Category B driving
licence holders driving AFVs only could
be increased from 3.5 tonnes to 4.25
tonnes, provided the vehicle was not
driven outside of Great Britain, was used
for the transportation of goods, was not
towing a trailer and the driver had
completed a minimum of five hours
training.
The 2018 Regulations rely on a
temporary derogation from the European
Union third Driving Licence Directive
(2006/126/EC). This derogation was
issued by the European Commission in
May 2018 for a period of five years.
To be able to take advantage of the
new legislation, drivers must carry out a
minimum of five hours’ training on
driving alternatively fuelled vehicles.
Training may only be provided by
members of the only two Government
recognised LGV training registers, which
hold details of qualified LGV and HGV
instructors and training centres.
These UK training registers are on:
• National Register of LGV instructors
• National Vocational Driving
Instructors Register.
As a starting point, drivers on this
course must already hold a current full
category B (car) driving licence.
The training structure:
Drivers must do a minimum of five
hours specific training on how to drive an
AFV over 3.5 tonnes. DVSA recommends
that drivers practice on the road
following the five hours’ training.
The training is a mixture of theory and
practical (such as demonstrations with
equipment), with a maximum driver and
instructor ratio of 20:1. This syllabus
should ideally complement the induction
training that an employee receives from
their employer.
The full details some listed here can be
found on the Gov link HERE.
The syllabus is divided into three units,
which are based on the DVSA National
Driving Standards for cars and light vans
and for driving lorries.
• Unit 1 – Preparing the alternatively
fuelled vehicle and its contents for daily
use
• Unit 2 – Drive the alternatively
fuelled vehicle in accordance with the
Highway Code and legislation
• Unit 3 – Drive safely and efficiently.
To drive safely and responsibly, it is
important for drivers and instructors to
see these three units as inter-connected
and all equally important. A driver can
only become competent by understanding
how the content from all the
units fits together.
The route taken through the material
by each driver may differ, and DVSA
believes that the training should be
client-centred. Client-centred learning
means two things.
• It takes into account a learner’s
preferred style of learning
• People are more likely to keep
learning if they are encouraged to take
responsibility for their learning at an early
stage.
Drivers and employers should use this
training to:
• develop a greater awareness of the
risks associated with driving
• learn to reflect on their own driving
performance and take steps to improve
in areas that need further development.
To amplify the importance of the
syllabus being followed, the following
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statement is quoted from the
Government web site. ‘Anyone found
driving an alternatively fuelled vehicle
between 3.5 tonnes and 4.25 tonnes on
a Category B licence without having
done the 5 hours training would be
guilty of an offence under the Road
Traffic Act (1988) – driving other- wise
than in accordance with a licence.’
Drivers who hold a Category C licence
including sub-categories are permitted to
drive alternatively fuelled vehicles
weighing more than 3.5 tonnes without
the need for additional training. However,
the driver would, in this case, then come
into the scope of Driver CPC. Whereas a
driver who holds a Category C licence
including sub-categories (and therefore,
also a category B licence) who
undertakes the additional training is
permitted to drive alternatively fuelled
vehicles weighing up to 4.25 tonnes
without coming into scope for Driver
CPC.
Third parties who are likely to want to
evidence that a driver has completed
training include
• Insurance companies
• Employers
• The police
The scope of the licence change does
not include trailers as mentioned earlier,
and for a while yet trailers and alternative
What’s the problem?
The Ford Transit is atypical of the
problem created by the increase in
weight in electric vehicles. Many
members of the public will drive
Transits on short-term hire on a Cat
B licence, as the standard 2.0-litre
Transit sits below the weight limit,
at 2,900kg, rising to 3,500kg. But
the new E-Transit which will arrive
next year, with a 67kW battery
pack, weights in at 4,250kg.
Until the Government amended the
Cat B licence weight rule for alt
fuelled vehicles this would have
been too heavy for a standard
licence holder but now it is fine... as
long as users take five hours’
training with an approved instructor...
fuel vehicles, especially all electric
vehicles, will struggle to pull trailers.
Electric vehicles are currently most
limited when it comes to towing,
particularly if you’re after a supermini or
hatchback. When every car is designed
and engineered, the manufacturer works
out exactly how much it can tow and
establishes a legal towing limit in a
process known as homologation. If you
want to tow, the two figures that matter
most are the maximum weight limits for
towing an unbraked trailer and a braked
trailer. If a car doesn’t have these figures
published, it usually means the
manufacturer deems it unsuited to
towing – as with most electric cars.
For a while the Tesla Model X was the
only electric car homologated for towing,
but now it’s been joined by a handful of
others – the Audi e-tron and Mercedes
EQC can tow up to 1,800kg, and the
Jaguar I-Pace manages 750kg.
The Model X’s maximum towing limit
is a substantial 2,270kg – easily high
enough to haul a large caravan or trailer.
Just be aware you’ll need to have passed
your driving test before 1997 or have
taken an extra car-and-trailer driving test
if the combined weight of the car and
trailer comes in at more than 3,500kg.
As vehicles become heavier due to
changes with alternative fuel and a
greater use of heavy-duty batteries for the
traction, a more permanent change to
the licence may need to be agreed, rather
than the five-year derogation currently
issued, unless a way can be found to
reduce the weight of the batteries.
CONTACT
To comment on this article, or provide
updates from your area, contact
Mike at chair.ne@msagb.com

News
Road safety overlooked
in race to seal Brexit deal
The Brexit deal is done ...
but with plenty of gaps still
existing between the UK and
its former EU partners over
how they will co-operate in
motoring and driving matters
in the future, could road
safety be one of the sectors
to suffer, asks Rob Beswick
Two months on from the end
of frenetic negotiations over
Brexit, a number of road
safety groups have voiced
concern that the deal seems
to have overlooked road safety issues.
Among them was the European
Transport Safety Council (ETSC), which
has warned that the UK risks seeing its
world lead in road safety lost as it leaves
behind a host of regulations and
commissions that drive standards.
This concern is in part driven by an
apparent reluctance of the UK Government
to set its own targets for traffic collision
and fatality reductions. Since Conservative
-led administrations came to power in
2010, baseline targets for road safety
improvements in the UK have been
shelved, and often the only benchmarks
against which road safety improvements
in the UK could be judged have come
from Brussels.
But while these standards have
consistently highlighted how well the UK
does overall in terms of road safety,
driver standards and adherence to traffic
rules, if there is little appetitite for the
Department for Transport to put in place
new goals for reducing KSI statistics, the
fear is the issue will be allowed to drift
into the sidelines and the UK’s historic
pre-eminence in this sector will be lost
amid rising road traffic casulaties.
Brexit will mean a host of changes to
the way motoring and driving standards
are governed, with the biggest changes
in areas where no Brexit agreement was
reached and/or EU rules no longer apply
to the UK. For instance, the ETSC has
expressed fears that traffic offences on
both sides of the Channel by visitors will
increase as cross-border enforcement of
traffic offences no longer applies. This
means that, in practice, the UK will find
it very hard to prosecute EU drivers,
including LGV drivers, for offences
committed on our roads. Camera-led
enforcement such as speeding and traffic
light offences will be particularly
challenging, and even drink-driving
offences could become logistically
impossible to prosecute.
The same is true for EU Member
States vis-à-vis UK drivers but – and
here is a crucial difference – EU police
forces appear ready to implement ‘fine as
you go’ policies towards road offenders.
A recent report on French Property.com
highlighted that French police are
increasingly giving UK motorists on-thespot
fines for minor motoring offences
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such as speeding. If the driver has no
money on them, they are being escorted
to the nearest bank or ATM to withdraw
the cash. More worryingly for UK drivers,
there have also been calls in France for
rule-breakers to have their vehicles
temporarily impounded if they are caught
speeding, by way of punishment.
With the Covid pandemic making
holidays abroad less likely at the
moment, it could be that this problem
will not manifest itself until the summer
of 2022, but observers have warned that
it is likely to become more widespread if
police on the continent believe there is
little chances of offenders being punished
via other means.
Bilateral agreements between the UK
and EU Member States could change
this in the future, however, as could a
future UK-EU transport agreement at
some point, but it still stands that at
present, the UK has no mechanism to
punish driving offences by EU citizens,
while EU nations appear to be creating
the means to do so to UK drivers.
Another significant and immediate loss
of data exchange is in the field of vehicle
defects and recalls. It is hoped that this
will become a temporary glitch, but no
discussions are timetabled at present to
close this worrying divide.
Throughout the UK’s membership of
the EU, it has been a member of the EU
/ EEA Rapex rapid alert system for
product defects. This has enabled the UK
to alert EU Member States to information
about serious vehicle defects as they
come to light, and vice-versa. But as the
UK is no longer a part of this body it is
feared issues arising from EU-built
vehicles will not be brought to the
Department for Transport’s attention, and
that UK law will have to change to allow
for swift action in cases where defects
are detected.
There is a commitment in the text of
the main Brexit deal to set up a method
of exchanging data between the EU
system and the future UK one, but this
has not yet been worked out.
In addition, the UK is no longer subject
to newly-updated EU rules on road
infrastructure safety management. While
it is possible the UK will create its own
standards, the DfT has not made any
mention thus far of doing so, and road
safety campaigners fear a ‘light touch’
regulation party such as the
Conservatives will not wish to see more
rules added to the current system.
Could this leave UK road infrastructure
lagging behind the EU as new safety
measures are trialled and tested?
The UK is also no longer party to the
EU target to reduce road deaths and
‘‘
The UK is no longer subject
to newly-updated EU rules
on road safety infrastructure
management... while it is
possible the UK will create its
own standards, the DfT has
not made any mention thus
far of doing so
‘‘
injuries by 50 per cent by 2030. For
many working in the road safety field this
is a particular concern: there is currently
no national target for reducing fatalities
in the UK. The UK will also no-longer
provide detailed data on road deaths and
serious injuries to the EU CARE
database, an important source for
benchmarking road safety performance
in Europe.
However, the UK will still be working
with other international organisations
such as the International Transport
Forum and ETSC’s own Road Safety
Performance Index programme, and has
committed to a similar global goal set out
in the recent Stockholm Declaration over
road deaths reductions.
In the field of vehicle regulation, the
UK is setting up its own vehicle typeapproval
system. Vehicles will now have
to meet both the UK and EU standards if
they are to be sold in both markets. The
exception is Northern Ireland where it
will still be possible to sell a vehicle with
only EU-type approval.
For the time being EU-type approvals
are being converted to UK ones in a
relatively straightforward process – but
that may change when the UK moves on
from the temporary system currently in
place. UK-based manufacturers will need
to get EU approval from an EU-based
type approval authority for all new types
of vehicle in the future, as well as UK
approval to sell at home. Likewise
EU-based manufacturers will need a UK
type approval from the British authorities
in order to sell vehicles in England,
Scotland and Wales.
The fact that UK-based manufacturers
still need to apply rigidly to EU rules if
they want to sell cars on the continent
has not been lost on many within the
automative sector. As one motoring
commentator pointed out, “Nissan –
before the pandemic – was looking at
producing 600,000 cars in Sunderland,
with 75 per cent exported, the vast
majority to the EU. That means that
whatever rules the EU comes up with,
Nissan will have to comply, or risk losing
those sales.”
Continued on page 22
NEWSLINK n MARCH 2021
21

Comment
‘‘
There is a lack of clarity from the UK Government on
new EU directives.... it had previously said it would
apply rules that mandate new technologies such as
automated emergency braking and intelligent speed
assistance, but the position is now unclear...
‘‘
Continued from page 21
“The difference now is that, when the
UK was part of the EU, Nissan could
lobby its local MEPs and the UK
Government to make sure it was not
placed at a disadvantage when
competing with the French, German and
Italian manufacturers; today that is no
longer the case and it has to handle
whatever rules and regulations the EU
throws at it.”
The situation is not helped either by a
lack of clarity from the UK Government
on a number of new EU directives. For
instance, it had previously stated that it
would apply new EU vehicle safety rules
coming into force from 2022 that
mandate new technologies such as
automated emergency braking and
intelligent speed assistance. But its
position on this is now unclear – much to
the frustration of major manufacturers
looking to sell product to Europe, who
will probably end up adding the tech to
their models anyway, whether or not the
UK decrees it is necessary.
The ETSC has also expressed other
concerns which could fall under the
heading ‘hypothetical’. For instance,
average new car prices have risen by
around 2-5 per cent in the UK since
Brexit, with manufacturers blaming
greater bureaucracy, red tape and
logistical hold-ups. Will this extra cost,
which will be passed straight on to the
consumer, lead to companies slowing
down fleet renewal of modern, safer
vehicles? Will private motorists put off
buying a new car as prices rise?
There are positives, however. Thanks
to the deal, some transport regulations
that affect safety will remain largely
unchanged for the time being. UK lorries
operating in the EU, and vice-versa, will
now have to follow the rules set out in
the deal – which mirror existing EU
legislation on things like driving hours,
rest times, certificates of professional
competence, use of tachographs and
weights and dimensions of vehicles. If
either side wants updated or different
rules in the future, that will be subject to
negotiation.
For bus traffic, both sides have agreed
to base future operations largely on the
existing Interbus agreement governing
passenger road transport between EU
and non-EU countries.
It has also been agreed that the UK
will continue to participate in the EU’s
flagship E80bn Horizon Europe research
funding programme as a paying associate
member for seven years. However, the
UK will not get a say over the
programme’s overall strategy; we will be
left to do others’ bidding.
Another benefit is that for a long time
there has been a feeling within the road
safety community that the ‘one size fits
all’ approach of the EU leaves little room
for local initiatives that make more
sense. Dr Richard Wellings of the
Institute of Economic Affairs told a
conference organised by PACTS, the
Parliamentary Advisory Committee on
Transport Safety, that under Brexit there
could be scope for road planning and
safety rules better tailored to local
conditions, with more freedom from
bureaucracy and special interest groups.
Certainly, while PACTS itself was long
a campaigner for the UK to remain in the
EU as it feared the consequences for
road safety, its membership did not
endorse that view. Surveys of members
found that while 24 per cent thought
that Brexit would have a negative impact
on standards, 19 per cent thought it
would have a positive impact; not that
big a gap in opinion, in reality.
The biggest group surveyed thought
that Brexit would make ‘no difference’
(43 per cent), with the balance saying it
was too early to say.
Overall, however, it is true that Brexit
has left an unhappy and messy picture
that some fear could see road safety
standards in the UK fall. The biggest
issue appears to be – and here’s the
irony – a lack of desire on behalf of the
Westminster Government to ‘take back
control’ of the road safety agenda. As
many within the sector have pointed out,
for decades, different Governments set
targets for reducing road traffic
casualties, but they are absent now and
have been since 2010. Why? Without
goals and targets to aim for, are we not
risking a drift in road safety policy
towards irrelevance?
Returning more directly to the absence
of a direct EU influence over road safety,
Ellen Townsend, policy director of ETSC,
fears that standards will slip on both
sides of the Channel. “The UK and EU
will not have safer roads as a result of
the Brexit agreement. There are several
gaps such as cross-border enforcement
and unknowns, including when data
sharing on vehicle recalls will restart.”
The UK won’t be the only party to lose
out, Ellen says: “The UK’s expertise and
leadership on transport safety will be
missed in all manner of EU debates.”
“Looking forward, we hope that the EU
and the UK build good co-operation and
that the various new working groups are
open and transparent, with NGOs given a
seat at the table.
“The world now has another vehicle
safety regulatory regime. We hope the
UK uses that opportunity to put in place
safety standards that go further and
faster than the EU’s new 2022/4
standards, and avoids a race to the
bottom.”
Her biggest fears were left until last,
and echo those made by commentators
in a number of sectors miles away from
motoring. She said: “The possibility of
lowered road and vehicle safety
standards in order to reach a trade deal
with the United States remains a real
danger.”
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Another road map - but
to safer roads this time
Road safety
The Scottish Road Safety Framework,
with input from IAM RoadSmart, the
UK’s largest independent road safety
charity, has set the goal of having the
best road safety performance in the
world by 2030.
Central to the road safety vision for
Scotland, fully endorsed by IAM
RoadSmart, is the ‘Safe System’
approach with its five core pillars
which include: Safe Road Use, Safe
Vehicles, Safe Speeds, Safe Roads
and Roadsides and Post-Crash
Response.
IAM RoadSmart, a strong advocate
of road safety targets, is also using
the Scottish announcement to urge
the Department for Transport to
reinstate targets in England.
Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart
Director of Policy & Research, said:
“For every nation, the setting of road
safety targets has been a catalyst for
improvement in road deaths and
injury numbers.
“Road safety organisations across
the UK agree that targets work but
the Department for Transport in
London no longer use them. So today
we have to ask the question, if
Scotland can set road safety targets,
why can’t England?”
Indeed, the unveiled Scottish Road
Safety Framework sets a clear
strategy for improvements while
working alongside other government
policies in environment, health and
transport.
Meanwhile, IAM RoadSmart is also
welcoming the inclusion of targeting
the improvement in the number of
motorists involved in accidents while
driving for work, an area in which it
is well placed to help Scottish
companies adopt best practice in
fleet safety.
The adoption of specific measures
to promote safer motorcycling is also
strongly welcomed by IAM RoadSmart.
However, while welcoming the
announcement, IAM RoadSmart has
urged a word of caution.
Neil added: “It is vital that
investment in road safety does not
become a victim of any post
pandemic spending cuts.
“Given the broad nature of the
impact road safety has this should
include protected funding for Police
Scotland to deliver enforcement, Road
Safety Scotland to deliver education
campaigns, and for Transport Scotland
and local councils to deliver
engineering solutions and maintain our
existing roads properly.”
To download Scotland’s Road Safety
Framework to 2030, click HERE.
NEWSLINK n MARCH 2021 23

Towards your CPD
Dealing with the
‘blues and twos’
Steve Garrod suggests a
lesson plan to prepare your
pupil for a meeting with
emergency vehicles while
out on the road
A
subject that often comes up
when attending at ADI
events (remember those
days?) is how to deal with
emergency vehicles.
Whether you are a trainer working in the
qualified driver market or an instructor
teaching learners, knowing how to deal
with blue lights and sirens should be part
of your toolbox.
The Highway Code offers general
advice on what to look for and what to
do upon hearing and seeing sirens and
blue lights, but it can’t be specific, as we
never know where we are going to be at
the time of such an incident.
It does give information about how a
police officer will signal a driver to stop;
this is also covered in the theory test.
The National Standards for Driving also
includes a heading, in Unit 4 (Drive
safely and efficiently), ‘Know how to
respond correctly to emergency vehicles’
when they are on call and how to assist
their safe progress, whether they are
approaching from behind, ahead or from
side roads.
Some years ago I was fortunate
enough to work as a police driving
instructor. I was responsible for training
probationary officers in the use on blue
lights and sirens while driving. The
course was based on how to make safe
progress while using ‘blues ‘n twos’.
Response drivers were taught how to
manage the potential risk posed by other
drivers, and how to make themselves as
visible as possible at all times.
One of the biggest surprises I found,
while in a fully livered police car with
flashing lights and various noises, was
how unaware so many drivers were of
emergency vehicles and, when they did
see them, the questionable places they
chose to stop.
Although there are no recognised
courses (at least, I haven’t found one) for
teaching the public how to deal with
emergency vehicles, there is material
available from some various websites.
Under normal circumstances, local police
forces occasionally invite groups of ADIs
to specific events to show them how they
would like learner drivers to be taught
what to do when an emergency vehicle is
approaching. Likewise, MSA GB events
often include these seminars to help
prepare instructors – and I recall at least
one experienced emergency vehicle
trainer speaking at an MSA GB Annual
Conference.
Many ADIs are former response
drivers, so why not ask them to give a
talk? Most emergency services will be
pleased to spread the word, but their
time may be restricted, so you will need
to ensure your association can provide a
good turn out to make the visit
worthwhile.
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‘‘
Response drivers are taught
not to encourage drivers
to mount pavements to let
them pass. I am sure it is not
something an ADI would
teach learners, but it is worth
explaining the dangers
involved in doing so...
‘‘
Part of the learning to drive syllabus
should include dealing with emergencies.
Learners should know where to stop,
how to give way and how to signal their
intentions to help these vehicles to make
safe progress.
In the absence of such courses I’d
thought I’d explain a bit about how
response drivers are trained to deal with
drivers while responding to a call. It will
hopefully help you to pass on some
helpful information to your trainees.
Response drivers are taught that the
blue lights and sirens are there to aid
progress, and not to give them right of
way. This is the first important point to
make. If the response driver causes a
crash they will have to stay at the scene
until another emergency vehicle arrives,
therefore, it’s not in anyone’s interest to
cause panic.
You should be able to explain to your
pupils where to stop to let the vehicle
past and what you can do to help the
driver. For example; if you are in a solid
white line system you should look for a
passing space to pull over and stop.
Once you have identified it you should
signal your intention to pull over. Do not
assume the driver behind you has seen
this space. If the driver of the emergency
vehicle sees you have nowhere to stop
they should turn off their sirens to avoid
causing panic. They are trained not to
put themselves or the public at risk, so
you can help by explaining this to your
learners.
The same can be said when dealing
with traffic lights. You may have noticed
that the sirens will be switched off if the
traffic lights they are approaching are
showing red. You should not teach
learners to jump red lights, or enter bus
lanes, in attempt to be helpful; both are
unlawful and will lead to tickets.
Response drivers are trained to do this,
so let them manage the situation.
Likewise, if you become aware of an
NEWSLINK n MARCH 2021
emergency vehicle while driving across a
junction with traffic lights you should not
brake sharply. Learners should be taught
that if they cannot brake gradually they
should keep travelling across the
junction.
It is easy to assume that we only have
to deal with one vehicle at a time, but
response drivers are always warned of
the extra danger associated with being
the second vehicle; in fact, there is a
specific training exercise for this. When
you hear a siren, always check to see if it
is just one vehicle approaching or if there
is a second one, too. You will often hear
a different tone being used by the second
vehicle; this is to help warn drivers of the
additional danger. Sometimes the second
vehicle could be a motorcycle or a larger
vehicle. For example, the police are often
called to the same incidents as fire and
ambulance. The second vehicle could
also be approaching the junction from a
different direction.
Response drivers are taught not to
encourage drivers to mount pavements to
let them pass. I am sure it is not
‘‘
It’s easy to assume we only
have to deal with one vehicle
at a time... response drivers
are always warned of the extra
danger associated with being
the second vehicle...
‘‘
something an ADI would teach learners,
but it is worth explaining the dangers
involved with such a manoeuvre once
they have passed their test.
Using MSM is essential at all times.
Regardless of if we are changing lanes on
a dual carriageway or pulling up, we
must signal our intentions. All drivers
should keep up to date with their mirrors
at all times and be able to judge the
speed of approaching vehicles to be able
to change lanes or stop in a convenient
place. Often emergency vehicles could be
approaching at speeds far higher than
expected so this will need to be taken
into consideration before changing speed
or direction. If you are on a dual carriageway
you should move to the nearside
lane wherever possible, giving a left
signal first. We need to take into account
the size of the vehicle passing, eg, if it is
a fire engine it will need more room to
manoeuvre, so, stay clear of keep left
bollards. If it is an ambulance, learners
need to be taught that a patient might be
on board, so the driver will be doing her/
his best to maintain a smooth ride,
which in some cases means they may be
travelling slower than expected.
When driving in heavy traffic, learners
should be warned that emergency
vehicles could be driving along the
middle of the road, again this will
emphasise the need for good mirror use.
It is worth including this subject in
your training and use examples you may
see while out on the road to emphasise
what you have been saying, because it is
up to us as trainers to ensure the drivers
and riders we teach are able to deal with
emergency vehicles safely.
So, perhaps this is something you
could give some thought to while we
wait to get out on the road once again!
25

L-test issues
DVSA needs to face facts if it
get to the bottom of the pass
Rod Came
MSA South East
I
have written before that, to avoid
waiting times for driving tests
becoming stratospheric, ADIs should
be able to certify that their pupils
have reached an acceptable standard of
driving to be allowed to drive on their
own, and be given a driving test pass.
NASP has been pushing for an
extension of the Theory Test pass
certificate, or that ADIs should be able to
certify that their pupils have retained the
knowledge needed to pass such a test.
Part of the Department for Transport’s
reply is as follows - ‘Although ADIs are
well-qualified and proficient in driving
and instruction, they are not
experienced assessors. This is evidenced
by the current practical test pass rate of
47%.’
This is likely to be the core of the argument
to avoid making any meaningful
progress to help the tens of thousands of
learner drivers to obtain a full licence.
It cannot be denied that the practical
test pass rate is abysmally low but it
must be questioned as to why this is. I
quote from above: ‘ADIs are wellqualified
and proficient in driving and
instruction’... DfT words, not mine.
Without doubt, the standard of driver
training has improved considerably in the
time I have been an ADI – that’s 40
years, seeing as you ask – to the point
where ADIs are well-qualified and
proficient in what they do.
Given that, the pass rate should be 75
per cent or above, so what holds it back?
There are only four variables involved
in a practical driving test: the candidate,
the instructor, the examiner and the
traffic conditions. It was a bit odd that
during the first lockdown, when ‘key
workers’ were being tested by DVSA
examiners for their driving ability, the
pass rate crept up to over 50 per cent.
What changed?
Were the candidates especially
selected because they were more
proficient? Probably not, as they would
have come from a cross-section of
society. Were they more keen to pass?
Unlikely, surely all candidates want
success. Did they have better training?
Again, they were a cross-section of pupils
and instructors, so no different to usual.
Were the instructors more capable?
Why should they have been? The pupils
were having training from ADIs who were
prepared to work regardless of Covid.
Were the examiners more lenient
because they thought that key workers
would be of more benefit to society than
regular candidates? According to the
DVSA, examiners do not work with either
fear or favour and do not judge
candidates for who they are, just on their
ability to drive.
The traffic conditions were lighter than
is the norm, especially in urban
environments, but normally the amount
of traffic varies considerably from test
centre location to location, time of day
and month of the year.
Having rule out the candidate, the
instructor, the examiner and traffic
conditions, as Sherlock Holmes said,
‘How often have I said to you that when
you have eliminated the impossible,
whatever remains, however improbable,
must be the truth?‘
So where does the truth lie? A quick
search on Google showed that in the
state of Ontario, Canada, driving test
pass percentages were in three bands.
The lowest test centre pass rate was 47
per cent (sound familiar?) and this
centre, along with the other ones with
low pass rates, were all in the Toronto
area. Most of the state was about 10 per
cent higher, with the best being between
65-70 per cent.
For comparison, in the UK, London
was the lowest at 40.8 per cent, Wales
the highest at 52.4 per cent, the South
East and Scotland were nearly equal at
48.7 per cent and 48.4 per cent
respectively.
From these bare figures it follows that
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wants to
rate issue
areas with a greater traffic volume have
lower pass rates, but the reverse is not
necessarily true. Wales is probably as
unpopulated as Scotland, so why the
difference?
The South East is heavily populated in
comparison with Scotland but has a
similar pass rate at 48.7 per cent. Does
that mean that traffic density is not a
factor?
Excluding Toronto, Ontario has a pass
rate of between 57-62 per cent, whereas
the equivalent figure in the UK,
excluding London, is 49 per cent. A full
10 per cent lower.
Sydney, Australia has in recent years
had a pass rate around 75 per cent. The
traffic in Sydney can be horrendous,
which seems to knock a hole in the
argument that traffic causes test failures.
DVSA has always suggested that pass
rates reflect the social/financial
circumstances of the candidates, which
while having some bearing cannot be
entirely blamed. There are rich and poor
in the UK, Ontario and Sydney, probably
in similar ratios. Are the financial and
social standings of Scotland and the
South East very similar? I imagine not.
We come back to the Sherlock quote
‘when you have eliminated the
impossible, whatever remains, however
improbable, must be the truth‘. The only
aspect I have not mentioned is historic
driving test centre pass rates. I know
that DVSA will say that these do not
exist.
It is strange that over the years there
has been little variation of pass rates at
almost all test centres. This alone
suggests that there is some expectation
at a test centre that examiners have to
comply with a norm. Either that, or new
examiners have such strict training they
will always test to the exact same level
as their colleagues, both at their test
centre and throughout the UK.
I think that, however much ADIs
improve their qualifications, proficiency
and training methods, there is unlikely to
be any noticeable improvement in pass
rates until there is a change of mind-set
at DVSA.
DVSA’s only
strategy
appears to
knock ADIs
Rod Came
An oxymoron, often referred to as a
contradiction in terms, is a figure of
speech using words that seem to
contradict each other. Often these can
be quite amusing, but DVSA has taken
to regularly trotting one out that is far
from amusing, in fact it is insulting to
ADIs.
I became more than irritated when I
read an article in the Daily Telegraph
(Saturday, 6th February) headlined
‘Testing times for learner drivers eager to
hit the road.’ Oh good, I thought, a
broadsheet newspaper highlighting the
impossible hoops that prospective new
drivers are having to jump through to
acquire a driving licence during these
troubled times.
The article started off well,
highlighting the petition signed by
50,000 people which called on the
Government to allow ADIs to pass
learners they consider safe enough to
drive on their own.
But it was followed by the irritating
bit: a DVSA spokesman is quoted as
saying ‘Although ADIs are well qualified
and proficient in driving and instruction,
they are not experienced assessors. This
is evidenced by the current practical
pass rate of 47 per cent.’
On the facing page I give some
thoughts on why the pass rate is 47 per
cent, and I don’t intend to go over that
again, but I must take issue with the
DVSA continually repeating the above
quote, which denigrates ADIs.
The contradiction in terms being that
the DVSA, in order to maintain the
integrity of its three in-depth tests to
become an ADI, their constant
supervision of those on the ADI Register
and their high quality Standards Check
for ADIs to remain on the Register, these
being inviolate, they ensure that ADIs
are ‘well qualified and proficient’, BUT
even so the best they can do is to
achieve ‘the current practical pass rate
of (only) 47 per cent’.
The position DVSA is adopting is that
although we have done our best to raise
the standard of instruction provided by
ADIs, they can still only manage to get
fewer than half their clients through our
learner driver test, because ‘they are not
experienced assessors’.
ADIs are assessors; they assess their
clients’ future readiness for a driving test
and advise when they should apply for
one. The waiting list at any test centre
can vary between one month and one
year, and can change like the seasons
and is not predictable. This is out of the
hands of any ADI.
DVSA cannot have it both ways:
either ADIs are ‘well qualified and
proficient’ or they are not. The 47 per
cent quote indicates DVSA believes they
are not. This is insulting because the
quality of ADIs and the pass rate for
driving tests are both within the remit of
DVSA. DVSA is the common factor, if
either are seen to be underperforming, it
is their responsibility to ensure that both
are fit for purpose.
Is the DVSA proposing to raise the
standard of instruction by ADIs to a
point where more than 75 per cent of
their clients will pass the learner driver
test? Of course it isn’t, because ADIs are
‘well qualified and proficient’, evidenced
by their having passed the three
qualifying tests, Standards Checks and
constant supervision by DVSA.
Almost certainly what will happen is
that, in a year or two’s time, when the
driving test waiting list stretches into the
distant future, DVSA will be saying ‘if
more people took the test when they are
up to test standard, then there would
not be so many failures and we would
have realistic waiting times to offer to
candidates’. Thereby blaming the ‘well
qualified and proficient’ ADIs.
So an oxymoron will be redefined as
‘passing the buck’.
Should this not happen, I will publicly
and unreservedly apologise to DVSA,
provided that time-wise, the booking
system for driving tests is fully open to
anybody who wishes to book a test for
any date, not for it to be restricted to
two months, six months, as happened
last year, or any other limitation.
NEWSLINK n MARCH 2021
27

Regional News
Eye, eye, all looks like trouble to me
John Lomas
Editor, MSA North West
This month, not so much as a look at
driving and motoring as Dr Findlay’s
casebook!
As I mentioned last time, a little spot
of eye trouble left me struggling with my
sight in my left eye. It’s been diagnosed
as a RVO (Retinal Vein Occlusion) and I
have had the first in a course of
treatments. Someone asked me what the
treatment was like. My reply, stoic as
ever, was “it was like someone had stuck
a needle in my eye.”
It was actually a relatively pain-free
process though there was some
discomfort.
(Some squeamish readers may prefer
to skip the next para!)
Basically, following application of four
anaesthetic drops delivered over a 30-
minute period, the area around the eye is
sterilised, then a small retractor is used
to hold the eyelids apart and a plastic
cup placed over the iris. This cup has a
tube to the side of it which acts as a
guide for the needle, which then injects
the treatment into the blocked veins at
the back of the eye. They used
Lucentis® in my case.
I was then able to leave the clinic, call
my trusted taxi driver to take me home.
No significant side effects to report,
save a slight bloodshot look to the eye
which went in a couple of days. I have
noticed a few more ‘floaters’ with the
other eye, but that is probably because
when both eyes are functioning normally
the brain filters out a lot of them when it
combines the signals from two eyes.
I feel that the amount of vision in the
far-left peripheral area of my left eye has
improved over the fortnight since.
I mentioned in Newslink last time that
I had the possibility of a Covid jab. I got
a ‘same day’ invitation for one at my
doctor’s surgery about a week before the
eye clinic appointment and took that as I
had been told there were no adverse
conditions to affect the eye treatment.
Again, I had no after-effects, so I am now
just waiting for a second ‘Fizzer’ jab and
then my second eye jab.
While I know some are squeamish I
offer no apologies for the details I have
used above because I feel that your
eyesight is so important you shouldn’t
put off treatment because of any fears.
A Lighter Moment (see left)
Shortly after I penned last month’s
piece, I saw the following on an on-line
newspaper from my hometown in Surrey.
This is reproduced here by Kind
Permission of The Guildford Dragon and
Planet Frog (the cartoonist)
DVLA
A word of warning to anyone with a
licence due for renewal. It would appear
that DVLA is no longer sending out
reminders and D1s.
Mine expired last week and I have
always relied on that reminder. I
managed to do an on-line renewal today
and I also had an on-line chat with an
employee to ask them to send a D1 for a
friend, who does not do on-line
transactions but whose licence also
expires shortly.
Rainbow Zebra Crossings
With the rainbow being so ubiquitous
you get used to seeing them everywhere
now – but not in place of an oldfashioned
zebra!
Has anybody else seen these cropping
up? (below left)
This one has replaced, in a slightly
different position, a pelican crossing
which has been out of use for about
eight months.
Has there been any publicity about
them, which I have missed during
lockdown?
CONTACT
To comment on this article, or provide
updates, contact John at
johnstardriving@hotmail.com
28
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Keeping the highways clear
I recently had the opportunity to listen to
an interview with Philip Price, a
Highways England Traffic Officer. Their
role in road safety seems to me to be
much maligned and misunderstood, so
hearing the interview gave me an
opportunity to jot down some notes as to
how they help drivers.
Their primary function, Philip said,
was to assist drivers who get into
difficulties and to keep traffic flowing.
There are 246,000 miles of paved
road in Great Britain, 32,000 miles of
which are high speed and carry onethird
of all traffic by mileage. There are
around 1,850 incidents each day, to be
covered by 200 traffic officers, and they
are usually the first to arrive at an
incident on a motorway or A-road.
Surprisingly, in these days of car
technology, warning lights, bleeps and
buzzes, 30 per cent of the incidents they
are called to check out are people
running out of petrol.
Conversely, many people who have
stopped do not need any help at all,
having called their own motoring
organisations for assistance.
Traffic officers carry a lot of equipment.
They can clean up a maximum of 50
litres of spillage – oil or fuel – which is
sufficient for most situations apart from
some HGVs. They use ground up moss
(sphagnum) as sponges and wipes and
carry six bags of it. Also in their armoury
are twenty cones, nine lights, six 6 x 10
arrows (the white ones on the blue
NEWSLINK n MARCH 2021
Alex Brownlee writes: The following was supplied
by Janet Stewart, a member of the MSA GB Greater
London committee and our Member of the Year
background) a “No entry” sign, incident
slow sign, two straps, First Aid kit and a
defibrillator.
Whenever possible, they will
encourage the driver of a broken-down
vehicle to get it to a place of safety.
Apparently, many people panic with the
noise and feel of driving on a flat tyre
and don’t want to move the vehicle.
They are told to go slowly, and the
rubber will stay on. If power has been
lost the vehicle will be towed. However,
traffic officers are equipped with straps,
not a bar, so if the driver is not going to
be able to steer and brake (risking
ramming the towing vehicle) one of the
two-man crew will sit in the vehicle.
Many of the vehicles that break down
needing assistance have been poorly
maintained and the driver is not a
member of a vehicle recovery association.
There are other, more human, reasons
why they need to attend incidents.
Suicides from motorway bridges are not
uncommon and in many areas, barriers
on bridges are being raised to try to
prevent this.
It was also surprising to hear that a
number of people are ‘booted’ out of a
car on a motorway... one hopes the
vehicle had stopped! People also wait for
taxis on motorways if the place they
want to be picked up from is close to the
motorway but difficult to find or get to.
There are, of course, many incidents
caused by lack of understanding and/or
knowledge and what Mr Price called ‘last
minute.com’, ie, leaving it too late for the
exit and doing the ‘four-lane sweep’
across the lanes to get to the desired slip
road. One in eight casualties is the result
of tailgating, he said.
The reasons people give for stopping
on the hard shoulder are many and
varied – and often not legal. The traffic
officers will often find HGV drivers
parked up on the hard shoulder when
they cannot reach somewhere more
suitable for a TACO break. There are
people who stop to programme the
sat-nav, people stopping for a pee, to
take photos of a nice view and even
those who just decide to stop for the
night. The Traffic Officer can strongly
advise these people to move on but has
no legal power.
Smart motorways seem to be the
burning issue of the day in road
transport. Mr Price stressed that there
are not too many problems with all-lane
running but there are problems with
dynamic hard shoulders. It has only
recently become possible to take learners
on motorways and, it seems, many
people do not know how to use smart
motorways safely.
All-lane running is most probably here
to stay with increased technology,
up-grading from MIDAS (motorway
incident detection automatic signalling).
The point was strongly made that we
have been coping very well for years with
high-speed A roads with no hard
shoulder, few lay-bys and potentially
pedestrians and cyclists.
He also stressed how keen his team
was to get its messages across. There
are seven Regional Operations Centres
across the country and group visits can
be arranged from interested parties.
29

Regional
Just junk? This brown envelope
could help you save a life
Karen MacLeod
MSA GB Scotland
Hi there, I hope this issue of Newslink
finds you all well. At the time of writing I
am on tenterhooks for the briefing from
the First Minister over whether we can
return to work or not.
Whatever the outcome it’s great to
know that Newslink is being published
with all the latest details on the rules and
regulations, and because it’s now online,
we can even update the information
within. Don’t panic if you read one thing
one day then the next day it’s different.
Newslink is moving with the times. As
well as being digital, you can download it
as a PDF if you prefer to read offline and
it gives us something new to read every
month.
Organ donation
Okay – quick question. How many of
you received a brown envelope from the
NHS with no name on it and thought
‘junk mail’. Well, I need to inform you it’s
not! A few years ago I wrote an article
about organ donation and advising
everyone how it was done.
When I check my pupils’ or fleet
drivers’ licences, I matter of factly ask if
they know what the codes are on the
back. Most of the time they say “no”! I
also get the same response when I ask if
they are wearing contact lenses, or do
you have your glasses with you? I then
get the response “I don’t wear glasses/
contact lenses”!
I then have to explain about the 01
code on their licence, which they then
tell me they didn’t know they had
pressed that button.
This could effectively get them into all
kinds of trouble if the police stop them
for any reason and they have their
licence, ask the same question (if they
know what the codes mean), because
this could be relevant in an accident case
if someone couldn’t see properly.
So back to the thrust of the story. As of
26th March 2021 instead of opting in to
become an organ donor – in other words,
to tell people you want your organs to be
used in the event of your death – you
now need to OPT OUT in Scotland, ie,
expressly stating that you don’t want
them using.
I’m sure the current pandemic means
lots of things relating to every subject
under the sun will now come under
scrutiny. The percentage of organ
donation opportunities is around one per
cent. So you can understand that it’s
very important for the NHS to utilise
what possibilities are presented to them.
Doctors and nurses will do everything
possible to save lives but if nothing more
can be done, after discussing and
agreeing with your families’ wishes, the
new rule will now mean that if your
organs and tissues are healthy, then
there is a possibility for donation.
At the most difficult time for families
who have just heard that nothing more
can be done for their loved one, making
‘‘
The percentage of organ
donation opportunities is
around one per cent... so you
can understand that it’s very
important for the NHS to
utilise what possibilities are
presented to them
‘‘
this decision is not going to be easy, even
if they know their loved one’s wishes.
My favourite TV programmes to watch
when I get the chance are to do with the
emergency services. I have seen enough
now to see what families go through.
There are certain groups this rule won’t
apply to: children under 16, adults who
lack the capacity to understand the new
law and adults who have lived in
Scotland for less than 12 months before
their death.
Your religion, faith or beliefs will also
be taken into consideration before
donation goes ahead. If a person in one
of these groups dies in a way that means
they could donate, and they haven’t
already recited a donation decision, then
their closest family member will be asked
if they wish to authorise the donation.
Remember, this decision is up to you
and you need to act now and let family
members know what you would like to
happen. We all think ‘that won’t happen
to me’! Please, don’t let others have to
make a decision for you that you can
make yourself.
If you have thrown away the leaflet
that was in the envelope, go to
www.organdonationscotland.org/
resources. If you wish to opt out then
you must visit www.
organdonationscotland.org.
All information above has been taken
from the leaflet.
30
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For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com
Let’s pick a line and stick to it on new rules
Rod Came
MSA South East
Confused or what?
You can, no you can’t, yes you can.
Which is it today? Do you know, officer?
We have a grandaughter living with us
who turned 17 in September last year. I
started to teach her to drive, lockdown
came along, all lessons stopped. Then
the information was that I could teach
her if she were on an essential journey,
her hopes were raised, but not for long.
Then it changed again; I could take her
out on an essential journey, which
included attending education.
Are driving lessons education? Before
you start thinking that I am trying to find
a way around the rules, let me assure
you that I am not. What I am trying to do
is to make some sense of the various
pieces of advice that are being issued by
DVSA/Government and being
disseminated by our trade associations.
Logic says that I can take my
grandaughter for a lesson incorporating
an essential reason, just as I could drive
her somewhere for the same purpose.
Can we just stick to that line of
reasoning, please.
Spot the Pot
It turns out that Friday, January 15
was National Pothole Day. Quite why we
should celebrate potholes I do not
understand.
Once, when I was in Canada about
March/April time, almost everywhere was
covered in dandelions; as they seemed to
have a ‘day’ for almost everything, I
wondered if they had a National
Dandelion Day.
Perhaps that’s why, with good reason,
we now have a day for potholes.
Road imperfections ranging from rough
surfaces to craters are the bane of an
ADI’s life. The incessant banging and
crashing destroys tyres and suspension
components of cars, as well as discs in
the ADI’s fragile backbone.
A hole in the road is described with the
prefix ‘pot’ when it is more than 40 mm
deep, about 1.5 inches in real money,
and about a foot wide. Round here a
hole that size would be classed as a
mere imperfection; we have them twice
that big.
I am not advocating going looking for
potholes, but when they appear in the
line that a pupil is taking they can be
used as a learning tool to improve
observation. Ask them to play ‘Spot the
Pot’. Should they brake, swerve, pray or
will they learn how to change a wheel?
Mirror (awareness of other traffic),
manoeuvre, it’s good for experience.
Maybe one day there will be no
potholes, like maybe time will stand still
– some hope!
The ghost ramps of Glasgow
Many thanks to Leigh Brookes, an ADI in the
West Midlands, who came up with the
answer to my question about the picture in
January’s issue, writes KAREN MACLEOD.
The picture featured was of a pair of ‘ghost
ramps’ rising out towards the East at J20 on
M8 Glasgow. Leigh sent me a link to a
brilliant website m8motorway.tripod.com
Glasgow-J20 Kingston (tripod.com). There
are some more great photos about the
works, which were started way back in the
early 2000s (it was long before that when
originally built) and to date haven’t been
continued. Please visit this site. There is also
a story written by the Scotsman newspaper
on their role as part of Glasgow’s unbuilt
Inner Ring Road. Thank you, Leigh, for
solving the puzzle for me.
NEWSLINK n MARCH 2021
31

Regional News
It’s a tragedy, but some people
just won’t listen
Russell Jones
MSA East Midlands
Driving - The Essential Skills contains
many photographs showing how good
drivers should hold the steering wheel for
‘best practice’. It is obviously a safe
standard for driving a moving vehicle.
I was astounded late last summer
when one of my learners started to drive
their newly acquired car while being
supervised by family members, and was
obviously being allowed to develop an
inferior steering technique to one I had
taught them. I noticed immediately that
their previously steady steering had
become erratic, with the tuition car
weaving a path from side to side in the
lane and occasionally veering too close to
the crown of the road for comfort.
They were often using a ‘4 and 8’ or
‘hooked thumbs’ grip on the steering
wheel. A quick discussion revealed that
their supervising family members were
proving to be very ineffective in the task
and hadn’t pointed out the error, which
had become their set position. I was
annoyed by the change but persevered
with my normal style of correcting them,
emphasising how the ‘10 and 2’ or ‘3
and 9’ positions would best serve them
during their motoring lives.
Shortly afterwards I was informed that
they had booked a driving test at a test
centre some way from me, as it was the
only vacancy they could find on the
DVSA booking site. That was not the
only problem as far as I was concerned,
as I needed to be in another part of the
country for an essential Covid-19
‘exception’ reason on that same day.
Furthermore, I could not see how their
driving would improve enough to pass
the test by the date booked.
The family was very reluctant to
postpone it, however, so the private
practice increased to several sessions a
week, while I could not possibly fit them
in for additional lessons.
Guess what happened? They passed
their test, by a whisker, with far too
many driver errors for my liking, but hey,
the DVSA experts know best. After all
that is what the Road Safety Minister,
Baroness Vere, believes.
Time passed and the former learner,
having been deemed a safe driver by the
DVSA, had an early, but unexpected and
most certainly unwanted, Christmas
surprise. They crashed into a ditch one
night, totally wrecking their car, and
putting themselves in hospital for a short
time. Fortunately they have recovered,
though are no longer driving and I’m
expecting to conduct some remedial
work in the spring.
I don’t know what makes me most
angry about this case: the family who
would not listen, or the people who run
the show at the DfT and DVSA for
‘‘ A quick
discussion
revealed that
their supervising
family members
had allowed ‘8 to
4’ become their
set position. I
was annoyed,
emphasising
how the ‘10 and
2’ or ‘3 and 9’
positions would
best serve them
during their
motoring lives.
‘‘
passing them in the first place. The
driver has admitted to me that they lost
control and had been holding the
steering wheel not as a taught them –
the good position – but in the ‘bad and
ugly’ versions they picked up after the
family’s ineffective supervision allowed it
to become the dominant steering technique.
The photos left show one of my young
drivers demonstrating the ‘good, bad and
ugly’ of steering.
Surprising what you find in research
During recent weeks I have spent a
considerable amount of time on ‘case
analysis’ (CANA) research, using skills I
32
NEWSLINK n MARCH 2021

For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com
utilised in a previous career, and which
have proved very useful.
It turns out there are hundreds of
YouTube clips produced by ADIs which
demonstrate various driving skills. They are
of varying usefulness though most are
pretty dubious. It was interesting to note
that some foreign productions are superior
to many home-grown variants.
One is particularly horrendous, and any
new driver learning the technique of
steering shown is, in my opinion, a car
crash waiting to happen. Loss of control is
the very last element of driving before a
crash. Best practice steering could save
many a life, giving drivers a chance to steer
out of a developing problem.
A lot of work has gone into producing
Driving - The Essential Skills manual. Why
would any ADI want to deviate from the
syllabus contained within its 300 pages?
Can anybody offer a plausible explanation?
There are far more important matters to
promote safe driving than just
‘psychobabble’, which I hear so often being
pontificated by not a few ‘ology’ experts.
Who owes you a living?
Another subject I’ve noticed among the
whingers on Facebook is that some ADIs
appear to think the world owes them a
living.
A long time ago, indeed, at this time of
year in fact, I was at a London military club
among a large gathering of Armed Forces
personnel for an all-day briefing about
leaving of finding a new career among the
self-employed.
The first presenter’s opening remarks
were quite brutal. He said: “If all of you
here today start being self-employed
tomorrow morning, only 10 per cent of you
will be successful in the next 12 months.
The rest you will have be failures queuing
at Job Centres begging for a job. The world
does not owe you a living.’’
That woke up a good dozen or so.
Looking at the present situation, it begs
the question, will all ADI trainers do the
honorable thing and offer an exhausting
assessment about their suitability to
become an ADI to all those people who
come to them as a route out of Covidinduced
unemployment, or will they simply
grab the money?
I know what I think will happen, and I’ve
noticed already that the vultures are
gathering.
NEWSLINK n MARCH 2021
Government urged to act
now on charging options
Local authorities are being urged to
take advantage of a £20 million fund
for the creation of on-street electric
vehicle charge points in towns and
cities.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps
announced that funding for the
On-Street Residential Chargepoint
Scheme (ORCS) will continue into
2021/22. The purpose of the
scheme is to increase the availability
of on-street charging points in
residential streets where off-street
parking is not available.
Since its inception in 2017, more
than 140 projects have benefitted,
supporting the introduction of nearly
4,000 charge points. The DfT hopes
the new funding could double that
figure, helping to ‘tackle poor air
quality and supporting economic
growth’.
It adds that local councils play an
essential role in providing electric
vehicle infrastructure – and that it is
welcoming applications from
councils which are yet to apply for
funding, as well as those that have
already benefited.
Grant Shapps said: “From Cumbria
to Cornwall, drivers across the
country should benefit from the
electric vehicle revolution we’re
seeing right now.
“With a world-leading charging
network, we’re making it easier for
more people to switch to electric
vehicles, creating healthier
neighbourhoods and cleaning up our
air as we build back greener.”
Meanwhile, a UK think-tank has
called on the Government to deliver
a rapid expansion in the number of
electric vehicle charge points, if it
wants to successfully phase-out
petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030.
The report, published by Policy
Exchange, says drivers must have
affordable and convenient options to
charge their EV – regardless of where
they are in the UK or their
circumstances.
This includes drivers with no
access to off-street parking.
Reacting to the Policy Exchange
report, the RAC says that without a
big increase in the number of charge
points across the UK, certain parts of
the country risk getting left behind as
2030 approaches.
Rod Dennis, RAC spokesman,
said: “In time, many drivers will
benefit from a full charge before they
even leave the house thanks to home
charging.
“But this is only part of the
solution as those without off-street
parking may struggle to charge from
home for some considerable time so
it is vital we have a network of
ubiquitous, reliable and easy-to-use
public charge points.
“Having a sufficient number of
charge points will also become
especially important in those rural
areas of the UK that see large annual
influxes of visitors by car in the
summer months.
“Without a big increase in the
number of charge points right across
the UK, certain parts of the country
risk getting left behind as 2030
approaches.”
The Government has also been
asked to look at regulating how
much private companies charge for
electric charging, after a wave of
adverts encouraging companies to
put charging points in their car parks
‘and charge three times the standard
tarif for electricity’ in some cases.
33

Regional News
The future’s here... and it’s keeping
a close eye on your driving
Guy Annan
MSA Western
Autonomous vehicles: we are led to
believe that this technology is some way
off but trust me, they’re here!
A driving instructor friend of mine
recently visited Prague in the Czech
Republic and was picked up at the
airport by a representative in a Tesla
Autopilot car with self-driving capability.
He said it was an amazing experience as
the driver, well, person behind the
steering wheel, turned around and was
chatting to him the whole journey
without attempting to operate the car at
all.
But do we really want them? There’s a
reason why governments want them and
are so keen on driverless cars – and it’s
not just because of the potential
economic benefits. They offer the chance
for even greater tracking and control of
citizens’ every move. Far from setting us
free, driverless cars threaten to help
enable new forms of surveillance and
oppression.
A driverless car is a computer on
wheels, the ultimate internet-connected
mobile device. Bristling with sensors, it
provides a constant two-way flow of
information. The car sends information
about its performance to the
manufacturer and receives software
updates back, control signals about
adjustments to its behaviour. The
manufacturer knows where the car is,
what the road conditions and
temperature are and how the vehicle is
performing at a particular speed.
The insurance company could well
receive minute-by-minute information
about the car’s state, location, speed and
the condition of the road it’s on, and
could vary the insurance accordingly.
Drive it badly and it could even give ten
minutes’ warning of loss of cover and
halt the car.
Meanwhile, Government databases will
also be likely to know where the car is,
whether it is meant to be there and
where it’s going. Smart motorways will
manage flows of traffic, slowing down
driverless cars as part of a stream of
communication between the car and the
road. In city centres traffic lights will
reroute cars into detours according to
calculations and predictions about traffic
jams or road works.
And by the time our children grow up
they might not need to even take a
driving test so that would suggest ADIs
are on a downward spiral, a dying trade.
Or is it?
While the technology to enable a car to
complete a journey by AI (Artificial
Intelligence) input might be advancing
Local groups help ADIs get the right information
Guy Annan
Our local driving instructors
association, the Taunton Association
of Driving Instructors (TADI), held its
AGM via a virtual meeting.
Many grateful thanks to our
speakers, Graham Hooper from TRI
Coaching and Martin Leather from
Driving School Developments, and our
very own Arthur Mynott as the MSA
GB Western Regional MSA Chairman.
All delivered very interesting
presentations that gave us plenty of
food for thought.
All the committee stayed in the
same positions except that yours truly
took up the position of secretary and
some new interest was shown from
two new members who joined our
committee! What lovely people.
We have already held our first
committee meeting (strike while the
iron is hot) and we’re looking to push
the association forward and to build it
back up again as being at the
forefront of all knowledge in the area,
rather than having to listen to Chinese
whisperers.
Support and use your local
association, that’s what it’s there for.
The DVSA prefers to speak through a
recognised association rather than
individuals when it comes to getting
its message across and in these
uncertain times, you can’t rely on
those Chinese whispers so get it from
straight from the horses mouth.
If you interested, contact me at
g.annan@alphadrivingtaunton.com
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rapidly, producing a vehicle that can do
so safely and legally is another matter.
Lousy weather, heavy traffic, roads
signs with graffiti on them can all
negatively impact the accuracy of sensing
capability. Radar, which Tesla uses, is
less susceptible to adverse weather
conditions, but challenges remain in
ensuring that the chosen sensors used in
a fully autonomous car can detect all
objects with the required level of
certainty for them to be safe.
To enable truly autonomous cars, these
sensors have to work in all weather
conditions anywhere on the planet, from
Alaska to Zanzibar, and in congested
cities such as Cairo and Hanoi.
The driverless car world is a great
moonshot; cars are a huge market but
also the hardest to transform, long after
autonomous mining or rail or shuttle
services are in place.
Compare the progress with mobiles
phones. Is a future of driverless cars
coming? Assuredly, as mobile phones
replaced the landline. This is the normal
cycle that technology goes through.
We’re still moving along that graph;
we’ve gone through the flashy stage,
when we’ve said it’s six months away …
now we’ve got engineers saying this is
properly happening.
Machine learning
Most autonomous vehicles will use
artificial intelligence and machine
learning to process the data that comes
from its sensors and to help make the
decisions about its next actions. These
‘‘
While the technology to
enable a car to complete a
journey by AI input might
be advancing rapidly,
producing a vehicle that can
do so safely and legally is
another matter.
‘‘
algorithms will help identify the objects
detected by the sensors and classify
them, according to the system’s training,
as a pedestrian, a street light, and so on.
The car will then use this information to
help decide whether the car needs to
take action, such as braking or swerving,
to avoid a detected object.
In the future, machines will be able to
do this detection and classification more
efficiently than a human driver can. But
at the moment there is no widely
accepted and agreed basis for ensuring
that the machine-learning algorithms
used in the cars are safe. We do not have
agreement across the industry, or across
standardisation bodies, on how machine
learning should be trained, tested or
validated.
End of individuality
For more than 130 years, cars have
represented the ultimate in individuality
and democratic freedom. Our car trips
are private and anonymous. We can go
where we like and when we like. We
don’t have to tell anybody. And we retain
responsibility for whether we obey the
law. Driverless cars will bring that to an
end.
Driverless cars will herald a new age of
citizen control. In the rhetoric of making
us safer and reducing risk, power will be
taken away and delivered to central
authorities – whether they are cities,
governments or commissions. To render
us safe, governments will leave us
powerless.
Once we are driving autonmous
vehicles the controllers can simply
change our route for their own purposes,
whether to prevent traffic jams or to clear
a route for a dignitary. Now they can
send us to particular shops, or directly to
a police station; the controllers can
manage populations of cars to meet the
purposes of the council or government.
That’s my opinion of the pros and cons
because they’re with us and they are
here to stay, albeit it’s probably a while
off before they are commonplace as we
still have our old and new jalopies to
drive!
Whichever way you think about
autonomous cars, let’s be careful out
there.
CONTACT
To comment on this article, or provide
updates, contact Guy at g.annan@
alphadrivingtaunton.com
ADI Go Fund Me Appeal still open for donations
The Go Fund Me Appeal for ADIs left
struggling financially by the pandemic is
still open and taking donations.
You can donate to the fund by
clicking HERE:
The fund was set up by long-standing
ADIs Bobbie Hicks and Susan
McDonald with the support of, among
others, MSA GB, ADI NJC, DIA and
sector insurer Marmalade.
The scheme hopes to provide
monetary assistance to ADIs/PDIs for
any just reason including, but not
limited to, lockdown measures from
Covid-19, hardship, bereavement, or
illness. It was launched with a focus on
instructors who are unable to qualify for
government assistance (eg, SEISS) or
local council grants during the pandemic.
Payments made to qualifying ADIs/
PDIs will depend on the number of
applications received and the amount
available in the fund at the time. They
will be small grants, usually of around
£100 but in some circumstances they
could be as much as £500.
Funding amounts available will be at
the discretion of the funding panel.
An initial application for funding can
be at support@instructorfund.org.
Full details of how the fund works,
can be found at the link above or via
https://instructorfund.org
The final word to fund organisers
Bobbie and Susan: “As ADIs, we want
to help others who are struggling
financially, even if it is only with small
amounts. At the moment everybody
needs a little help and if the Government
can’t help us all, then the least we, as
driving instructors, can do is help each
other.”
NEWSLINK n MARCH 2021
35

NewsExtra
New survey looking for views on growth
of online road safety training
Highways England and Road Safety GB
have teamed up with Agilysis to conduct
a review of online road safety education
provision – and are calling for the help of
road safety practitioners.
With face-to-face interaction with
schools and pupils severely restricted,
the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated
the development and delivery of online
road safety educational resources.
With this in mind, the purpose of this
review is to ascertain the changes that
have occurred to online road safety
education in the past 12 months.
The results will be used to showcase
best practice, share resources across the
sector and support road safety
practitioners moving forward.
As part of the project, road safety
practitioners are being asked to complete
a short survey about all road safety
educational resources that they have
developed and/or delivered in recent
years across the UK. See panel at the
end of the article for the link.
The review is not limited purely to
schools – responses are welcome about
road safety education for all ages and
road user groups.
Lorraine Willis, Highways England’s
regional road safety co-ordinator for
eastern England, said: “Road safety
education in the UK has previously been
predominantly through face-to-face
interaction, be that in schools, through
interactive workshop sessions such as
Bikesafe, or police referrals through
NDORS courses.
“While some education was already
delivered online, the pandemic and
associated lockdown in March 2020
accelerated the development and delivery
of a suite of online resources that may
remain the preferred choice of delivery of
road safety education once restrictions
are eased.
“For some, these resources are the
transfer of existing materials to an online
platform, for others it may be a totally
new resource.”
Matt Staton, Road Safety GB director
of research, said: “For Road Safety GB it
is important to understand how road
safety education practice is developing in
this area, what support professionals
might need, or where there is expertise
that could be shared with others.
“I’m really pleased to be working with
Highways England and Agilysis in
undertaking this work and would
encourage all road safety practitioners of
every kind to complete the survey
regardless of how
much, or little,
online training
they deliver.”
To take
part click
here
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Drug driving research reveals
inconsistent approach
A new report published by the
Parliamentary Advisory Council for
Transport Safety (PACTS) into
drug driving has revealed worrying
variations in enforcement levels
between police forces, as well as
inconsistency in sentencing
offenders.
Road safety and breakdown
organisation GEM Motoring Assist
says there needs to be a more
standardised approach to both
enforcement and punishment, as
well as more rehabilitation
courses along the lines of the
drink-drive courses, in order to
reduce reoffending.
GEM chief excecutive Neil
Worth said: “The new roadside
drug testing kits introduced in
2015 make it simple for police
officers to detect drugs in a
driver’s system. Furthermore, drug
driving limits are set at very low
levels, and there are also limits for
some prescription medicines.
“However, each police force
chooses how much of its budget
Just in case you
ever wondered...
A POEM: MY ALPHA MALE WITHIN
My Alpha Male within, burst forth, it was bizarre,
And he dragged me to a dealership, in luxury German cars.
Then sitting in the showroom, swaddled in leather and electric toys,
My Alpha male within, had my sanity destroyed.
‘We’ll take it!’ said my Alpha male, ‘Insanity’ cried my sanity,
‘Sign here’ said the salesman, having ego-charged my vanity.
So with a deposit, five years’ instalments and a contract to give it
back, I stretched the family fortune, over a financial torture rack.
I signed upon the dotted line and made ready to hit the road,
Then, the salesman smiled his sharky smile and said, ‘One thing,
before you go’
He handed me a small leather book, its title embossed in gold,
That read ‘The Luxury German Car Drivers’ Exemptions to the
Highway Code’.
This is the truth, I swear it, for every driver on the roads, they
know... the luxury German car driver, has exemptions from the
Highway Code
You can see the poem being read at
https://youtu.be/UO2oMoxxeRo
to spend on drug screening kits,
and it is for local police to decide
how to best use the kits they
have. We are concerned that
levels of enforcement vary so
much from force to force.
“Let’s be clear: driving under
the influence of drugs is
dangerous. This is why we fully
support PACTS’ call for greater
consistency in sentencing.
“It is vital to send a strong
safety message to those who
consider it acceptable to drive
after taking drugs.”
New drug-drive regulations
were introduced in 2015, giving
specific limits to 16 drugs while
driving. Convictions for drug
driving now stay on the licence for
11 years. Motorists found guilty
face a minimum one year
disqualification, a fine of up to
£5,000 and a criminal record.
Read the
report
here...
Thinking caps on...
If you’re not going out teaching, a small quiz to
while away the time. It’s connected to your role as
an ADI: each answer is a phrase you’ll use every day
Can you get them all? Answers on pg 37
Example
TTNL T . . . T . . N . . . L . . .
(Answer: Take The Next Left)
ATRTTSE A . T . . R . . . . . . . . . T . . . T . .
S . . . . . E . . .
MOWR M . . . O . . W . . . R . . . .
LSLS L . . . S . . . . L . . . S . . . .
FTRA F . . . . . T . . R . . . A . . . .
WMBRTC W . . . M . . B . R . . . . T . . C . . . . .?
WYS W . . . . Y . . . S . . . .
WHTP W . . H . . T . . P . . . . . . . ?
PUOTL P . . . U . O . T . . L . . .
WTSLH W . . .’. T . . S . . . . L . . . . H . . . ?
WATVRUT . . A . . T . . V . . . . . . . . .
R . . . U . . . . T . . . .?
KTCU K . . . T . . C . . . . . U .
WDTSM W . . . D . . . T . . . S . . . M . . . ?
TTNROTR T . . . T . . N . . . R . . . O . T . . R . . . .
WIOAL W . . . . I . O . . A . . . . . . . L . . .?
WSYBL W . . . . S . . . . . Y . . B . L . . . . . .?
DWNAS D . W . N . . . A S . . . . .?
CYSP C . . Y . . S . . P . . . . . . .?
WDTSO W . . . D . . . T . . . S . . . . . O . . . . . . ?
WCBF W . . . C . . . . . B . . . . F . . .?
WWYURF W . . . W . . . . Y . . U . . R . . .
F . . . . . . . .?
DYFC D . Y . . F . . . C . . . . . . . . . .?
WAMCI W . . A . . M . . . . . C . . . . . I . . . . . . . .?
HMFDWH H . . M . . . F . . . D . W . H . . .?
WATHH W . . . A . . T . . H . . . . . . H . . .?
WGSWBI W . . . G . . . S . . . . . W . B . I .?
RBTL R . . . . . . B . . . . . . T . . L . . . .
WYNST W . . . Y . . N . . . S . . . . . . . . . T . . . .?
WITTSR W . . . I . T . . T . . S . . . . . R . . .?
WAYB W . . . . A . . Y . . . B . . . . . . . . .?
PUAASP P . . . U . A . A S . . . P . . . .
HAYT H . . A . . Y . . T . . . .?
Got them all?
Answers on pg 41 if you’re stuck!
NEWSLINK n MARCH 2021
37

About our members
Photo 1: Attacked by a starfish Photo 2: Into the hood.... Photo 3: Respite... of sorts
So this Covid thing...
As reported in Newslink, MSA
Scotland committee member Brian
Thomson contracted Covid-19 in
the autumn. What followed was a
harrowing month-long fight for life
at Dundee’s Ninewell’s Hospital.
Here he takes us through his
illness, treatment and recovery as
a salutary warning to all ADIs: you
take this virus lightly at your peril!
So, this Covid thing has been about
for a while now and, just like
everyone else, I am wishing things
could get back to normal as soon as
possible.
When we got back to teaching students
after the first lockdown in August it was
great. Yes, we had all the new things to do
but we were expertly guided by the MSA
GB so we could follow the agreed
guidelines from the DVSA. So what if we
had to wear masks all day and wipe down
touchpoints between every lesson and
every journey, which in my case meant
doing a cleaning routine 12 times per day;
I didn’t mind because it allowed me to
work and the students to progress with the
driving.
Now, being of a certain age (!), I received
my invitation to attend our local GP
practice for my annual flu jab and on
Saturday, 17th October I duly turned up. I
was impressed with the slickness of the
set-up due to this thing called Covid; there
we were in a socially distanced line that
moved at a steady pace, keeping the five or
six doctors/nurses supplied with patients
with already rolled-up sleeves. We shuffled
along the corridors like some sort of sect; I
didn’t even sit down for the jab... it was a
case of in the door, confirm you’re you and
the deed was already done. Things were
going well...
Now, normally I do not have any reaction
to the flu jab but this one did give me a
slight pain in the shoulder, and by the
following Wednesday (21st) I was not
feeling the best. On Thursday evening I
was sitting in my armchair shivering like
there is no tomorrow (how close was that
thought) and my grandson, who was
staying with me at the time, suggested I
call up for a Covid test. I did as requested
and got a test on the Friday (22nd) and
received a positive result on Saturday
(23rd) with an accompanying letter
advising me to stay at home, in bed. Again,
I did exactly as recommended.
The problem with the last instruction
when you’re on your own, as I was, is that
sometimes you don’t notice yourself getting
any worse but by Wednesday (October
28th) I did have the feeling that things
were not ‘right’. I called the NHS 24-hour
hotline and at some point after that I was
aware of someone sitting on the edge of
the bed telling me that “my body was
shutting down” and she had arranged for
an ambulance to take me to Ninewells
hospital in Dundee as soon as possible.
I don’t/cannot recall everything that
happened after that; when I closed my
eyes my mind showed me things that I did
not want to see (apparently, I was
hallucinating). But I do know that on the
evening of October 28th I landed in a side
ward in Ninewells where staff fitted me
with a mask that felt like a massive starfish
had clamped itself onto my face (photo 1)
This blasted air into my lungs to
hopefully clear out the Covid. This didn’t
work, however, and within 11 hours things
had deteriorated to the point of having to
be transferred to Intensive Care Unit 3
(ICU3) and put in a ‘hood’ (photo 2). That
is fitted with a special exhaust valve that
when I exhaled it vibrated to try and
dislodge the ‘sticky’ Covid cells from my
lungs. I spent a lot of time in that hood, it
would be removed for meals or for short
periods to give me a break (photo 3), but
to be truthful I preferred the hood to the
breathing tube that delivered warm oxygen
directly to the nose, (notice also that I’m
now sporting a ‘clause’). Even with all this
medical gadgetry, however, it didn’t stop
this thing called Covid collapsing one of my
lungs and letting air escape out under my
skin, causing tenderness and swelling in
the chest and arms. Again the medical
profession stepped up to the plate and
stuck a chest drain in through my left ribs
and give me tablets to combat the swelling.
So, after watching the ICU staff come
and go for over two weeks wearing three
38
NEWSLINK n MARCH 2021

For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com
Photo 4: On regulated oxygen Photo 5: Never overdo it... Photo 6: Happy to be home...
layers of protective clothing, a hair cap,
double rubber gloves, a tight-fitting mask
and a visor and receiving, most of the time,
one-to-one attention 24/7, all the time
listening to how the nurses spend their free
time – no parties, no pubs, avoiding
crowded areas – it was clear that this Covid
thing was very real for them, and by this
time it was very real for me, too.
That did not stop some of the nurses
coming in on overtime, yes, the extra
money is good, but they were covering due
to other staff being hit by illness.
For two weeks I was in and out of the
hood in a ward with no windows (ICU3
was an operating theatre converted to an
intensive care unit for Covid treatment), so
there were no dayshifts and nightshifts for
me, only different nurses for 12 hours. This
promotes sleeplessness as your body loses
the natural pattern of day and night.
Week 3 in ICU saw slight improvements
in the breathing, so I was taken out of the
hood and warm oxygen and on to a
regulated oxygen flow that is adjusted on
my breathing capabilities. (photo 4)
But with that extra freedom comes the
physio part; it turns out that three weeks of
immobility takes an unbelievable toll on
your body. Day 1, with assistance, I was to
get out of the bed, walk using a zimmer
frame round the bottom of the bed and
back in. That was failure number 1; I
managed only three steps before I had to
be assisted back into bed with everyone
saying that I did great; that was a bad day.
However, no physio gives up and next
morning I was woken with a smiling face
about 4” from my nose asking in a
ridiculously cheery voice “what I wanted to
do today?” and so it begins again, small
steps, short distances, always someone
there. By the time I left ICU I was able to
walk round the bottom of the bed to one
side and back again; result!
So 23 days after I was admitted to
Ninewells I was transferred to a ward
where, still unable to breath properly and
still on the adjustable oxygen, I was able to
have my first shower. This required a long
oxygen tube so I could be plugged into the
oxygen system or a cylinder while I
washed. It took time to just do something
that simple: it was a case of doing little bits
at a time. Put in too much effort and you
feel as though you’re never going to catch
up with the breathing. To make the point,
‘too much effort’ could be simply laying out
your towels and clean clothes before having
‘‘
Even with all this medical
gadgetry it didn’t stop this
Covid thing collapsing one
of my lungs... the medical
profession stepped up again
by sticking a chest drain in...
‘‘
to sit for long enough to get the breathing
back to reasonably normal. (photo 5)
But the physios worked their magic
again, this time in the hospital gym, walking
using parallel bars, balancing on a half ball,
throwing a ball and catching. It made me
wonder why any of these skills were
affected when I only had this Covid thing...
It even hit my writing: it was terrible. I
couldn’t get the letters to stop and start
where it made sense. My remedy was a
crossword book. I’m not saying the answers
were correct but my writing improved, but
it made me wonder about other skills. How
would my perception be when driving?
Could I teach again, could I speak for an
hour without sounding like a fat kitten; all
these things taken so much for granted in
my past were now up in the air.
Now, this virus did not just affect me; I
had students with test dates, students
waiting excitedly for the first lesson and it
all just stopped. In steps my daughter and
granddaughter who contacted our local
association and Peter Harvey MBE for any
assistance on what they had to do and
should not do. Everyone stepped up to the
plate; Montrose Driving Instructors’
Association members took as many of my
students as they could, gave Fiona the help
she needed to take some students up for
test, others that needed that last polish
were taken on by other ADIs while Peter
kept her up to speed on financial assistance
available.
So after 37 days of hospitalisation I was
finally allowed home. I was happy but
there were plenty of doubts: what if I can’t
manage without that oxygen back up, will I
be able to stand and prepare food or have a
shower, will I be able to get a sleep pattern
back to something like normal?
I came home on December 3 and as yet
I’m nowhere near back to my health
pre-Covid; I’m walking better but breathing
has taken a beating, driving is fine although
I did do two really short journeys first just
to make sure.
I am not expecting people to enjoy
reading this because some of it sounds
quite harrowing , but there’s a reason for
that.
It’s more to give you an insight into what
this virus can do to people who are going
about their life as normal; please take care
and stay safe. (photo 6)
NEWSLINK n MARCH 2021
39

Meet the ADI
A wanted man, a pursuit driver
and calling in the chopper – when
the cops need me, I’m there!
Continuing our series of
Q&As with MSA GB members,
this month, Roy Gerondaes
from Greater London
considers the dangers he
faces while conducting
lessons – and they usually
involve the police!
When did you become an ADI and what
made you enter the profession?
I became a driving instructor back in
1981. My father was a driving instructor
and owned a driving school from 1971
which was originally established back in
1958; he had around five instructors
working for him.
What’s the best bit about the job?
I love the outcome and seeing the
happiness in my pupils’ faces –
‘watching one go from unable to walk to
get up and run alone’
And the worst?
In the last few years, drivers seem to
have become more impatient and
inconsiderate. Thankfully, pupils remain
respectful to us and our teaching.
What’s the best piece of training advice
you were ever given?
The list is never ending! I was more
self-taught by reading and watching my
father’s instructors in the 1970s, by
sitting in as a passenger or going for a
test as an interpreter. Best advice I was
given was to always be punctual, have a
smart, clean car, and always watch,
listen and assess the pupil.
What one piece of kit other than car and
phone could you not do without?
My whiteboard, pen and e-cloth. They
are great for demonstrating things again
and again without doing any harm to our
forests!
What needs fixing most urgently in
driving generally
General observation and patience.
People should allow more time for their
journeys and think more about other
road users, too – whether cyclists,
pedestrians, delivery drivers, etc. We all
need to respect other road users.
What should the DVSA focus on?
Even though I’m an A-grade instructor
I am not happy with the Standards
Check procedures and the overall system
of ADI assessment, so maybe the DVSA
should re-think this.
What’s the next big thing that’s going to
transform driver training/testing?
With all the new technology on new
cars becoming mainstream, I assume
our industry – both the training side and
the testing – will have to adapt with it.
Electric cars – yes or no? And why?
I am actually teaching in a Toyota Yaris
Hybrid so it’s part-electric with a 1.5
petrol engine. It’s very economical
especially in town with stopping and
when stopping/starting.
However, I do have some concerns
about what impact the disposal of its
batteries will have on the environment in
the long term.
40
NEWSLINK n MARCH 2021

For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com
How can we improve driver testing/
training in one move?
I’m quite happy with the way the tests
are conducted these days, even though
the examiners are having to do more and
more tasks, and I think ADIs are doing
their best to keep up with any changes.
But the main question is how can we
improve our industry in ‘one move’? My
suggestion is to bring the DVSA and ADIs
closer together, perhaps by the agency
conducting regular seminars through the
year across the country, where all ADIs
have to attend as part of their continuous
professional development.
I feel that at present, too many ADIs
meet the DVSA only at their Standards
Check tests, and that is not enough.
Who/what inspires you, drives you on?
The recommendations that keep
coming asking for my help.
What keeps you awake at night?
When my holiday to go abroad is
getting closer and closer.
No one is a finished article. What do
you do to keep on top of your game?
By keeping up with industry updates
and evaluating my everyday experience.
Every day is another experience!
What’s the daftest/most dangerous thing
that’s happened to you while teaching?
Over 40 years of teaching, I could have
written a best-seller about my work, but
unfortunately I haven’t kept any notes!
A lot of funny things have happened
especially when we used to do hand
signals for every test but the daftest
incidents seem to always involve the
police. Many years ago I was stopped by
officers while I was teaching as I fitted
the description of someone who had just
robbed a building society nearby.
Another time I was on a lesson when I
was stopped by the police but this time
they thought my pupil was a convict who
just escaped from a prisoner carrier
vehicle. It struck me at the time, who
absconds from police custody and thinks,
‘must get a driving lesson...’
Another time I was stopped by a
policeman who asked me to move to the
passenger side so he could use my car to
chase a man wielding a knife.
Finally, I once had a police helicopter
following us while giving them
instructions over the phone through the
emergency 999 number after I witnessed
a man mugging an old lady.
Dangerous moments are happening
more often these days – you name it, I’ve
seen it all, apart from a flying car!
When or where are you happiest?
I’m very happy when I see a pupil
leaning forward to sign their pass
certificate at the end of their test, and
even more happy when I step into an
airport on my way to a hot destination,
because let’s face it, we work for rewards
and these are two of mine.
If you had to pick one book/film that
inspires, entertains or moves you, what
would it be?
I don’t read books, I watch many films
but none of them inspire me for work but
listening to good music keeps me going
– the Bee Gees’ Greatest Hits in
particular!
‘‘
I am actually teaching in
a Toyota Yaris Hybrid so
it’s part-electric with a
1.5 petrol engine. It’s very
economical ...
‘‘
ANSWERS ... to the quiz on
pg 37. Did you get them all?
• T T N L Take The Next Left
• A T R T T S E At The Roundabout
Take The Second Exit
• M O W R Move Off When Ready
• L S L S Less Space Less Speed
• F T R A Follow The Road Ahead
• W M B R T C What May Be Round
The Corner?
• W Y S Watch Your Speed
• W H T P Who Has The Priority?
• P U O T L Pull Up On The Left
• W T S L H What’s The Speed Limit
Here?
• W A T V R U T Who Are The
Vulnerable Road Users Today?
• K T C U Keep The Clutch Up
• W D T S M What Does That Sign
Mean?
• T T N R O T R Take The Next Road
On The Right
• W I O A L Which Is Our Approach
Lane?
• W S Y B L Where Should You Be
Looking?
• D W N A S Do We Need A Signal?
• C Y S P Can You See Properly?
• W D T S O What Does That Switch
Operate?
• W C B F What Causes Brake Fade?
• W W Y U R F When Would You
Use Rear Foglights?
• D Y F C Do You Feel Comfortable?
• W A M C I Why Are Mirror Checks
Important?
• H M F D W H How Much Fuel Do
We Have?
• W A T H H What Are The Hazards
Here?
• W G S W B I What Gear Should
We Be In?
• R B T L Reverse Between The
Lines
• W Y N S T Will You Need
Sunglasses Today?
• W I T T S R What Is The Two
Second Rule?
• W A Y B Where Are Your
Blindspots?
• P U A A S P Pull Up At A Safe
Place
• H A Y T How Are You Today?
NEWSLINK n MARCH 2021
41

Membership
Members’ discounts and benefits
MSA GB has organised a number of exclusive discounts and offers for members. More details can be found on our website at
www.msagb.com. To access these benefits, simply log in and click on the Member discount logo, then click the link at the
bottom of the page to allow you to obtain your special discounts. Please note, non-members will be required to join the
association first. Terms and conditions apply
Ford launches special offer
for MSA GB members
Some exciting news for members: Ford has partnered with
MSA GB to offer exclusive discounts on all car and
commercial Ford vehicles.
Take a look at the Ford website www.ford.co.uk for vehicle
and specification information.
For further information, to view frequently asked questions,
to request a quote and to access the member discount
codes, please go to the Members’ Benefits page on the MSA
GB website and follow the Ford link.
Please note these discounts are only available to MSA GB
members and their immediate family if they are members
who pay annually.
ACCOUNTANCY
MSA’s Recommended
Accountancy Service, FBTC
offers a specialist service for
driving instructors. It has been
established over 20 years ago and
covers the whole of the UK. The team takes
pride in providing unlimited advice and
support to ensure the completion of your tax
return is hassle free, giving you peace of mind.
MSA OFFER:: FBTC will prepare you for
Making Tax Digital and will be providing
HMRC compliant software to all clients very
soon. Join now to receive three months free.
ADVANCE DRIVING
AND RIDING
IAM RoadSmart, the UK’s
largest road safety charity, is
proud to partner with the
Motor Schools Association GB in
order to work together to make our roads
safer through driver skills and knowledge
development.
MSA OFFER:: Enjoy a 20% saving on our
Advanced Driver Course for MSA members.
BOOKKEEPING
Easy-to-use bookkeeping & tax spreadsheets
designed specifically for driving instructors. It
will reduce the time you need to spend on
record-keeping. Simply enter details of your fee
income and expenses throughout the year and
your trading profit, tax & national insurance
liability are automatically calculated.
MSA OFFER:: We’re proud to offer all MSA GB
members 25% discount.
CAR AIR FRESHENERS / CANDLES
Mandles’ handmade scented collections use
quality ingredients to ensure
superior scent throw from all
its candles and diffusers.
Check our our website for
further details.
MSA OFFER:: Special discount
of 20% on all car air fresheners and refills.
CARD PAYMENTS
MSA and SumUp believe in
supporting motor vehicle
trainers of all shapes and sizes.
Together we are on a mission to
ease the operational workload of our members
by providing them with the ability to take card
payments on-the-go or in their respective
training centREs. SumUp readers are durable
and user-friendly. Their paperless onboarding is
quick and efficient. Moreover, their offer comes
with no monthly subscription, no contractual
agreement, no support fees, no hidden fees
– just the one-off cost for the reader coupled
with lowest on the market transaction fee.
MSA OFFER:: We are offering MSA GB
members discounted 3G reader.
CPD & TRAINING
COURSES
As part of its new relationship
with MSA GB, Tri-Coaching is
delighted to offer a massive
20% discount across the board on all our
training products and courses, exclusively to
MSA Members.
MSA OFFER: 20% off all Tri-Coaching
courses.
DISABILITY AIDS
Driving shouldn’t just be a
privilege for people without
disabilities; it should be
accessible for all and there’s
never been an easier time to make
this the case! MSA GB members can take
advantage of BAS’s Driving Instructor
Packages which include a range of adaptations
at a discounted price, suitable for teaching
disabled learner drivers.
MSA OFFER: Special Driving Instructor
Packages for MSA members.
HEALTH / FINANCE COVER
The Motor Schools Association of Great Britain
has agreed with HMCA to offer discounted
rates for medical plans, dental plan, hospital
cash plans, personal accident
plan, travel plan, income
protection and vehicle
breakdown products.
MSA OFFER: HMCA only offer
medical plans to membership
groups and can offer up to a 40% discount off
the underwriter’s standard rates.
This is a comprehensive plan which provides
generous cash benefits for surgery and other
charges.
To get the full story of
the discounts available,
see www.msagb.com
42 NEWSLINK n MARCH 2021

For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com
PUPIL INSURANCE
Help your pupils private practice
by signing them up to
Collingwood’s instructor
affiliate programme.
MSA OFFER:: £50 for your
first referral and a chance to
win £100 of High Street vouchers!
PPE
Effective PPE (Personal
Protective Equipment) is
vital to provide the protection
your workforce requires in
order to work safely and
ensure that all employment
laws are complied with.
MSA OFFER:: 15% offer for MSA members.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Driving Instructor Services offers call
handing, web design, reports and pupil
text reminders, to name a few of our
services.
MSA OFFER:: Free trial
of all our services and 10%
discount for the life of your
MSA membership.
PSYCHOLOGY TRAINING
Confident Drivers has the only
website created especially for
drivers offering eight
different psychological
techniques commonly used
to reduce stress and nerves.
MSA OFFER: One month free on
a monthly subscription plan using coupon
code.
PUPIL SOURCING
Go Roadie provides
students when they need
them, with all the details
you need before you accept.
Control your own pricing,
discounts and set your availability to suit
you. Full diary? No cost!
MSA OFFER: Introductory offer of 50% off
the first three students they accept.
TYRES
VRedestein’s impressive range
of tyres includes the awardwinning
Quatrac 5 and the
new Quatrac Pro – offering
year-round safety and
performance.
MSA OFFER: 10% discount on purchases
across our tyre ranges.
To get the full story of
the discounts available,
see www.msagb.com
Membership offer
Welcome new ADIs
We’ve a special introductory offer for you!
Congratulations on passing
your Part 3 and becoming
an ADI.
There’s an exciting career
open to you from today.
It’s one that is alive with
possibilities as you build
your skills, your client
base and your income.
But for all the excitement, it
can also be a challenging
profession. Who can you turn to if
you’re struggling to get over key driver
training issues to a pupil? Where can you
go to soak up advice from more
experienced ADIs? Who will help you if
you are caught up in a dispute with the
DVSA? If the worst happens, who can you
turn to for help, advice and to fight your
corner?
The answer is the Motor Schools
Association of Great Britain – MSA GB
for short.
We are the most senior association
representing driving instructors in Great
Britain. Establised in 1935 when the first
driving test was introduced, MSA GB has
been working tirelessly ever since on
behalf of ordinary rank and file ADIs.
We represent your interests and your
views in the corridors of power, holding
regular meetings with senior officials from
the DVSA and the Department for
Transport to make sure the ADIs’ voice is
heard.
SPECIAL OFFER
We’d like you to join us
We’re there to support you every
step of the way. Our officebased
staff are there, five
days a week, from 9am-
5.30pm, ready to answer
your call and help you in any
way.
In addition our network of
experienced office holders and
regional officers can offer advice
over the phone or by email.
But membership of the MSA doesn’t just
mean we’re there for you if you’re in
trouble. We also offer a nationwide
network of regular meetings, seminars
and training events, an Annual
Conference, and a chance to participate in
MSA GB affairs through our democratic
structure
In addition, you’ll get a free link to our
membership magazine Newslink every
month, with all the latest news, views,
comment and advice you’ll need to
become a successful driving instructor.
You’ll also automatically receive
professional indemnity insurance worth
up to £5m and £10m public liability
insurance free of charge.
This is essential legal protection covering
you against legal claims ariving from your
tuition.
So join us today and save £25
including the first year’s joining fee:
just £60 for 12 months.
Join MSA GB today!
and save yourself £25
Call 0800 0265986 quoting
discount code Newslink, or join
online at www.msagb.com
Just
£60
for 12 months
membership
NEWSLINK n MARCH 2021 43