Newslink April

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Russell Jones
MSA East Midlands
Oh dear, such a tantrum by the young
driver as the parking infringement ticket
was written out, with lots of very un-lady
like language being directed towards the
parking enforcement official.
From a short distance away I could
clearly hear her displeasure at being
penalised for what she described as “such
a trivial offence... surely a few minutes
overdue returning doesn’t deserve a ticket?’’
When it was pointed out that she had
failed to display a ticket in the windscreen
or registered her parked car with the
telephone booking service, she claimed,
(and I found this really amusing!) “I was
not taught that when I passed my test last
year.’’
Oh my God, where do these people
come from? Alice in Wonderland country?
I have always had an arrangement with
selected car parks that I can take my
learner drivers into them to practise
manoeuvres. While there the pupils learn
how to study the signs – some carry
lengthy instructions – and ensure they
understand the likely penalties should
they not comply with the rules.
When entry is controlled with barriers
and ticket machines, I ensure they know
the safety aspects when reaching out
through the window to extract a ticket
from the machine. They practise applying
the parking brake and putting the gear
stick into neutral prior to taking the ticket.
That way, should they drop the ticket, as
can happen, and they try to snatch it as it
falls, they’ll be safe if their feet slip off the
pedals.
They learn to register the car into the
‘Ringo’ booking system using their
mobile, and where the first hour is free
providing that a ticket is displayed, they
know to get one and display it on the
dashboard where it is clearly visible to a
parking enforcement official.
They also set the alarm in their phone
to ring 15 mins before their time to park
expires so they can return in good time.
I anticipate they will never have
problems with their parking procedures
after passing their driving test.
All change
5,000 people applied for the DVSA’s
driving examiner jobs in February. So
many in such a short period of time is
surprising. Where have they come from? I
cannot believe happy, contented, busy
NEWSLINK n APRIL 2021
ADIs would be applying. A hundred or
two successful applicants at most will
leave several thousand disappointed
people (ADIs/PDIs?) feeling rejected.
What will their morale be like afterwards
in the world of driver training? Will it be to
the detriment of learner drivers? Interesting
times ahead could be on the horizon.
Market research
My lease car passed the 85,000 miles
mark this month, and I decided to return
it to the leasing company and replace it
with an identical model. I wanted the
replacement to be white; I have always
had white cars, but why?
Before becoming an ADI I established
that market research had shown that
more potential learner drivers would
prefer to be taught in a white car as
opposed to any other colour. Why? They
claimed it would make them more visible
to other motorists, who would afford them
more space, and thus it would keep them
calm during driving lessons.
Selling ‘safety’ as part of my training
syllabus has proven to be a winner for me
and I cannot see any good reason to
change a winning formula.
How many ORDIT trainers delve into
this aspect after taking the money from
the hopefuls crowding into their
classrooms? Very few, I think, given the
large number of dark coloured cars being
used by countless ADIs and PDIs.
Where do they come from?
With the pandemic lockdown about to
end (hopefully!) where will ADIs recruit
new customers from, even though diaries
are full to bursting at the seams?
During early March I analysed the
backgrounds of my learners, many past,
present and those in the pipeline who are
ready to start during the upcoming
months. Learners always give little clues
about their upbringing, without the ADI
asking intrusive questions.
One example is a pupil who lives in a
council house with two children, one soon
to be 17. They are considered a valuable
employee by their employer, and the
managing director is paying for their
driving lessons, influenced no doubt by
the fact that I taught two of his daughters,
with a third coming my way soon.
When my pupil passes their test a
Teach them the ropes -
or they’ll pay the price
promotion awaits them, as does a company
car to take them around the country.
But, importantly for me, the majority of
my clients live in very expensive homes,
where at least one member, often two, of
the family earn a six-figure salary, and has
a prestigious company car.
Currently, 40 per cent of my teenage
learners attend fee-paying schools,
another is already booked to have their
first lesson on their 17th birthday, three
go to boarding schools, and many take
five-star holidays every year during normal
life. A good few have cars and are doing
private practice; it has been this way for
me for many, many years.
I target the kind of customer who I wish
to teach driving skills to, knowing there
will be no quibbling about the cost.
I have always found it quite easy to do
so, using skills and techniques
experienced in my previous career, where
problems were dispensed with by finding
solutions as quickly as possible.
It allows me not to engage in a driving
lessons price war. I leave that little
enterprise to others, and it suits me fine.
Gosh I’m really looking forward to April
12th. Are you?
CONTACT
To comment on this article, or provide
updates from your area, contact
Russell at rjadi@hotmail.com
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