MSA GB Newslink July

msagb.com
Newslink
The Voice of MSA GB
Issue 342 • July 2021
Hiding from
the truth
Why the UK’s lead
in road safety may
be slipping away
We work for all Driver Trainers. Want to join? See pg 39 for a special introductory offer

02 NEWSLINK n MAY 2021

Busy? Could be you ain’t
seen nothing yet!
Colin Lilly
Editor, Newslink
Sometimes it can be useful to see our
business through the eyes of others,
particularly the learners themselves
During May 2021, the online insurers
InsureLearnerDriver,co.uk conducted a
survey of 5,000 learner drivers. They
were asked how Covid restrictions had
influenced their views on learning to drive.
When asked if they had considered
giving up on learning to drive, 43.9 per
cent said they had not but 40.1 per cent
said they had – no doubt there was a
loss of motivation caused by the stop/
start nature of learning and unpredictable
driving test dates. Some expressed
concern about being able to book a test
before their Theory Test pass expired.
An unsurprising 86.7 per cent felt that
‘‘
Lockdowns have delayed
pupils passing their test, with
50 per cent saying they felt they
had been set back six months...
and 12.5 per cent felt their
delay exceeded a year...
‘‘
the lockdowns had delayed them passing
their driving test. 50 per cent felt they
had been set back by up to six months,
but 12.5 per cent felt their delay
exceeded a year.
When asked if, from a Covid aspect,
they felt safe returning to in-car lessons
with an instructor, a reassuring 88 per
cent said they were, against 9.5 per cent
who were not.
The survey was taken at a time when
young people and many younger
instructors were not vaccinated.
When asked if they planned to resume
learning after lockdown was lifted, 65
per cent said they were.
It’s good news that learners feel safe to
return to lessons with an instructor, but
the figures suggest that many others may
not have returned yet or have not booked
lessons. Therefore, despite the upturn in
business levels, we may not have
reached the peak. It would appear that
the uncertainty of continuity in the
process may be leading to some potential
learners starting lessons.
Licence issues
Members have contacted me to
express concern that some prospective
learners had contacted them but were
unable to start lessons as they had not
received their provisional licence from
DVLA. Across the driving community
there are reports of people waiting for
licences and the return of documents.
The problem would appear to be that
the DVLA is operating with reduced staff
numbers due to social distancing.
Currently the number of staff allowed to
work in the office has meant fewer are
dealing with postal applications.
An estimated 790,000 drivers over 70
who have applied to renew their licences
since March may have been affected.
The DVLA recommend using their
online services to speed the process.
This is not always possible. In March I
applied to renew my driving licence. The
online application did not work as it said
their records did not match. This could
have been due to the obscure question
asking how long I had lived at my
current address, which is not included in
the postal application.
My licence was returned three weeks
later on the postal application. I must
have got ahead of the delays.
Whatever the type of licence, this is
causing inconvenience, expense and
worry for many people.
However, having seen the inquiry into
the Covid outbreak at DVLA by the
Parliamentary Transport Committee I
must say I have a lot of sympathy with
the staff, some of whom have taken
industrial action to secure social
distancing.
There is little doubt that following the
pandemic, DVLA is one government
body that needs overhaul.
CONTACT
To comment on this article or any other
issue surrounding driver training and
testing, contact Colin via
editor@msagb.com
For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com
Welcome to your
digital, interactive
Newslink
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COVER STORY
Council funding cuts are
being blamed for reducing
highways maintenance,
leading to traffic lights and
signs being obscured by
overgrown vegetation.
See pg 14
NEWSLINK n JULY 2021
03

19
16
28
News
Latest on Covid-19 response
Key information on Covid – the important
links are on this page – pg 6
More tests, more examiners,
things are looking up!
DVSA Chief Executive Loveday Ryder
looks at recent developments within the
testing sector – pg 8
Clean Air for Brum
City’s Clean Air Zone comes into force,
but ADIs should be unaffected – pg 10
Revised website hits the mark
Updated Safe Driving for Life praised by
NASP – pg 11
Road deaths fall – but is the
trend actually up?
Colin Lilly looks at the road casualty data
for the pandemic and finds bad news
wrapped in among the good – pg 12
Council budget cuts blamed
Blight of road signs and lights covered by
overgrown trees needs tackling – pg 14
10
Autumn training days/AGMs
First details of area events for this
autumn’s CPD and training sessions,
including AGMs – pg 21
Newslink
The Voice of MSA GB
The Motor Schools Association
of Great Britain Ltd
Head Office:
Chester House,
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Macclesfield
Cheshire SK11 6DY
T: 01625 664501
E: info@msagb.com
Newslink is published monthly on behalf of the MSA
GB and distributed to members and selected
recently qualified ADIs throughout Great Britain by:
Chamber Media Services,
4 Hilton Road, Bramhall, Stockport,
Cheshire SK7 3AG
Editorial/Production: Rob Beswick
e: rob@chambermediaservices.co.uk
t: 0161 426 7957
Advertising sales: Colin Regan
e: colinregan001@yahoo.co.uk
t: 01942 537959 / 07871 444922
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made to ensure the
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contained within this
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GB nor the publishers can
accept any responsibility
for the veracity of claims
made by contributors in
either advertising or
editorial content.
©2021 The Motor Schools
Association of Great
Britain Ltd. Reprinting in
whole or part is forbidden
without express
permission of the editor.
04 NEWSLINK n JULY 2021

For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com
Features
Keep in
touch 1
Keep in touch:
Just click on the icon
to go through to the
relevant site
30
UK is accused of resting on its
laurels as Europe plays catch-up ...
The latest ETSC PIN Report shows the UK’s
lead in low road deaths is ebbing away – and
there’s little apparent appetite at the heart of
Government to change the direction of travel
– pg 16
A spot of pensions advice
Self-employed ADIs should be thinking
seriously about their pension future, otherwise
a poor retirement beckons, says Rod Came
– pg 20
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.
2
Regional News/Views
North East
Dying to work? Is the long hours culture sounding a death
knell for ADIs, asks Mike Yeomans – page 26
London / West Midlands
Low speed neighbourhoods causing friction, and are trailers
kept in good condition? – pg 28
Life as
an ADI
I’d rather be
driving than
teaching...
no, not
THAT driving...
– page 36
Follow MSA GB on social media
Western
Guy Annan thinks
it is time the UK
adopted the
‘emergency
corridor’ concept
– pg 30
Road Safety
Latest news –
from pg 32
20
Humility, not hubris
One ADI is concerned some people in the
profession are getting carried away with our
current popularity amid a surge in pupil
numbers – pg 22
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
info@msagb.com
n Newslink:
All enquiries to
editor@msagb.com or
rob@chambermedia
services.co.uk
NEWSLINK n JULY 2021
05

News
E10 hits forecourts in bid to
cut vehicle CO 2
emissions
It will be all change at the petrol pump
this summer as forecourts start to switch
the standard petrol grade switch from E5
to E10.
The current blend of fuel – E5 –
contains up to five per cent bioethanol,
while E10 petrol will see the amount of
bioethanol increase to 10 per cent. You
will start to notice the E10 petrol label
across station forecourts in the coming
months.
The introduction of this greener type of
petrol will help reduce transport CO 2
emissions by 750,000 tonnes per year
– the equivalent of taking 350,000 cars
off the road, experts claim.
All petrol vehicles manufactured after
2011, as well as most modern
motorcycles, are already E10 compatible.
However, some petrol vehicles made
before 2011 will need to continue to use
E5 fuel. This will remain available as the
super grade petrol option at the pumps.
It is believed this will affect around five
per cent of all petrol vehicles on the road.
Refuelling an incompatible vehicle with
E10 will not cause immediate harm but
continued use could damage engine
parts. If in doubt about compatibility of a
vehicle, you and your pupils can use the
GOV.UK online E10 vehicle compatibility
checker or seek further advice from a
vehicle manufacturer or garage.
It’s important that all drivers and
riders, including those who are learning,
are aware of the change and where to go
for more information.
Make your pupils aware of the change
and share the GOV.UK online E10
vehicle compatibility checker with them.
See https://www.gov.uk/check-vehiclee10-petrol
Older drivers embrace online service
DVLA has released new figures showing
that over 60 per cent of its customers
over 70 are choosing to renew their
licence online. This is a big jump from
2016, when just 43 per cent renewed
via DVLA’s online service.
Driving licence holders aged 70 and
over made almost five million licence
renewals in the past five years. There has
been a 27 per cent rise in the overall
number of licence holders in their 80s
completing their renewal online between
2016 to 2020, while the number in their
90s jumped by 41 per cent. Applicants
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)
have praised the system as “easy to
follow & execute”, with “no complications
and much more convenient rather than
completing on paper where mistakes are
difficult to rectify.”
Driving licence holders are legally
required to renew their licence at 70 and
then at most every three years after this.
It is free to renew a driving licence at 70
or over, and these figures show they are
increasingly turning to DVLA’s online
service on GOV.UK.
More at https://www.gov.uk/
renew-driving-licence-at-70
L- tests
(click button right)
Instructor guidance
(click button right)
DVSA updates private
practice guidelines
The official guidance on private
practice in England, Scotland and
Wales has changed, with the
appropriate pages on the Gov.UK
website updated.
During the pandemic, restrictions
were in place as to who pupils could
have private practice with, and the
types of journeys where this could
happen.
With most restrictions now relaxed,
pupils should look to add to their ADI
learning with private practice. It has
been found to be particularly useful
in allowing pupils to embed information
learned towards their theory test.
DVSA research found that learners
who had private practice with friends
and family in addition to their
professional instruction are 1.4 times
more likely to pass their test
compared to those who have no
private practice.
There is guidance on getting the
most from private practice in the
official learning to drive guide
available from the TSO Shop. More
details about TSO’s new Safe Driving
for Life website can be found on pg
17 of this issue of Newslink, or at
www.safedrivingforlife.info.
Your pupils can record their private
practice using this useful free record
which can be downloaded from GOV.
UK.
Brecon Driving Test
Centre reopens
Brecon Driving Test Centre reopened
on Wednesday, June 23, ending the
DVSA’s temporary use of Brecon
Rugby Club as its base in the town.
The new site address is Brecon
Driving Test Centre, Camden Road,
Brecon, Powys LD6 7RT.
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 JULY 2021

News
More tests, more examiners as we
edge back along the right road
Loveday Ryder, chief executive
of the DVSA, wrote to all ADIs in
June with an update on the
current position regarding
L-tests and the agency’s plans
for the future.
Dear Colleague,
I’m really pleased that driving lessons
and tests have now restarted in England,
Scotland and Wales.
On Friday, 28 May, we sent you a joint
message with the driving instructors’
National Associations Strategic
Partnership (NASP) to remind you of the
importance of both you and your pupils
wearing face coverings during your
lessons. We also encouraged you and
your pupils to take regular rapid lateral
flow tests.
This is really important. It helps to
protect the NHS, your friends and
families, the driver training industry and
our driving test service.
I know many of you are now busy
teaching and preparing your pupils for
their upcoming tests and to drive safely
on their own once they pass their test.
I hope the recently published guidance
about the top 10 reasons for failing
driving tests and understanding driving
test results are useful and are helping
you support and prepare your pupils.
Now that driver testing has restarted,
the hard work of reducing the backlog as
quickly and safely as possible begins. I
want to update you on how we plan to
do this and explain how we will keep you
updated.
Understanding future demand for
driving tests
We know how many theory tests and
driving tests are booked. And we’re
seeing a large increase in people buying
our learning materials.
We regularly talk with the driving
instructors’ National Associations
Strategic Partnership (NASP). They’ve
told us that many of you are seeing an
increase in calls from prospective
pupils asking for lessons. The
Department for Transport
(DfT) has recently
published their travel
behaviour, attitudes and
social impact of Covid-19
research. It shows in
addition to those who were
already wanting to drive,
many other people now feel
uncomfortable about travelling on
public transport.
We have conducted extensive
modelling of future demand. But we
want to get a fuller picture of the future
demand for driving tests.
To help you and us to plan and
forecast demand for the future, we want
to understand more about the demand
you’re facing for lessons. That’s why we
ran a survey on our website in June.
The survey asked about:
n how you currently keep up to date
with driver training news
n which communication methods will
work best for you in the future
n how useful you and your pupils
found our recently published guidance.
We’ll share the results of the survey
with you soon. It will help us forecast
and improve our communication.
Keeping our safety measures
under review
We keep our safety measures under
constant review, taking expert advice
from the relevant Public Health bodies
and the Health and Safety Executive and
the latest government guidance.
While Covid-19 remains and to align
with the guidance and expert advice we
have received, we need to ask for your
continued support with:
n not accompanying your pupils
during their driving tests
n restricting access to waiting rooms
at test centres where we are unable to
safely open them
n you and your pupils continuing to
wear face coverings during lessons,
theory tests and driving tests.
We’ll let you know when we can safely
consider changing these measures. We’ll
also let you and your pupils know if
there are any changes to our services as
a result of any changes to restrictions
in response to new Covid-19
variants. And we’ll reassure
you if our services are
unaffected.
Increasing the number of
driving test
appointments
From 14th June, our
driving examiners have
been carrying out seven tests
each day in England, Scotland
and Wales. This change will allow us to
increase capacity across the national
network by an average of 15,000 to
20,000 tests per month.
We have also reintroduced the short
notice cancellation fee from Thursday,
17 June. This will help reduce the
number of learner drivers who do not
turn up for their driving test and free up
the test slot to another candidate.
In the coming weeks, we’ll publish our
full plan for reducing driving test waiting
times and share it with you and your
pupils. I’ll update you on this again as
soon as I can.
Keeping you updated
The road ahead is challenging for us
all. But by working together, we can help
to reduce the backlog, help your industry
recover and help people stay safe on
Britain’s roads.
I’ll write to you again when we can
share our strategy for reducing driving
test waiting times and explain how you
can get involved and give us feedback.
I also urge you to keep up to date with
the NASP website and seek advice from
a NASP member national association if
you have any queries, questions or
concerns.
Thank you for your patience and
understanding. I hope that you, your
family and your friends remain safe and
well.
Yours faithfully,
Loveday Ryder
Chief Executive
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency
08
NEWSLINK n JULY 2021

For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com
Pass rate up – but test numbers plummet
The final figures for L-test and theory
tests conducted during the pandemic
have been released by the Department
for Transport – and as expected they
show a large rise in pass rates, set
against a huge fall in the number of tests
conducted.
The data covers the period from April
2020 to March 2021, when much of the
country was in lockdown. The L-test pass
rate was 49.8 per cent – four per cent
higher than the 2019-20 figures. The
theory test pass rate was even better: at
55.7 per cent it was the highest since
2013-14 and 8.6 per cent higher than
the previous year.
However, as has previously been
reported in Newslink, this isn’t quite the
good news it appears to be. Testing was
72.7 per cent down on 2019-20.
Robert Cowell, interim managing
director of AA Driving School, said: “The
latest government figures on driving tests
are unsurprising given the lockdown
restrictions over the last year.”
Less traffic on the roads is believed to
have been a factor in helping more
candidates pass, though there is an
interesting suggestion that the pupil roll
may have been of higher quality than in
an average year. As one ADI pointed out
to MSA GB, “the only people allowed to
take their tests at times over the past
year were mostly health workers taking
priority tests. Does the higher pass rate
tell us that nurses are more intelligent
than the average learner... or could it be
that because they are used to regular
testing as part of their training, they are
less likely to fold under the pressure of a
driving test?
AA’s Robert Cowell added: “Demand
for tests remains sky-high but the DVSA
announcement that it is releasing
15-20,000 more L-tests each month is a
good start in tackling the backlog.”
The scale of the pandemic’s impact on
driver testing is highlighted by the official
figures for the past 12 months. Quarter 1
(April to June 2020) saw just 6,264
tests conducted, though the sector was
revived slightly in Quarters 2 and 3 when
188,250 and 241,260 tests respectively
were conducted.
However, the second full lockdown had
a crushing impact, with just 1,308 tests
conducted.
To highlight the significance of these
figures, the number of tests conducted in
the corresponding quarters for 2019-20
were 393,428, 407,671, 425,002 and
373,465 tests respectively.
To read the test stats in
full, click here
NEWSLINK n JULY 2021
09

News
Clean air for Brum - but check your car’s okay
Birmingham has become the latest urban
area in the UK to launch its Clean Air
Zone, following Bath and with plenty
more cities to come.
The CAZ is within the area of the A4540
Middleway (but not the Middleway itself)
and will be used to encourage the drivers
of the most polluting vehicles to upgrade
or replace their vehicle. People are also
being encouraged to think about walking,
cycling or using public transport more –
especially for shorter journeys.
A daily fee will be charged on vehicles
that do not meet the emission standards
for the zone. If owners do not pay the
daily fee after this date the registered
keeper of the vehicle will be issued with
a penalty charge notice.
Cars, taxis and LGVs which do not
meet the Clean Air Zone emission
standard will be charged £8 a day and
non-compliant coaches, buses and HGVs
will be charged £50 per day.
The Clean Air Zone charge runs
midnight to midnight. Drivers can pay six
days in advance of their visit, the day of
their visit and six days after the day of
their visit, giving a total payment window
of 13 days. Payments can be paid
online using the Government’s payment
system or over the phone by calling
0300 029 8888 (Monday to Friday,
8am to 4:30pm).
To avoid being charged in a Clean Air
Zone, your vehicle must meet the
following minimum standard:
Buses, coaches, heavy goods vehicles:
Euro VI
Vans, minibuses, taxis, private hire
vehicles, cars: Euro 6 (diesel) and Euro
4 (petrol)
Motorcycles: Euro 3.
A range of support measures have
been brought in to support those
immediately impacted by the changes.
This includes temporary exemption
permits and financial incentives as well
as the Heavy Duty Vehicle (HDV Fund)
– but there’s no support for ADIs.
However, the majority of modern tuition
cars – certainly those built in the past
6-7 years – should be okay. A test of the
system found that a relatively modern
Ford Kuga with a 1.5 Zetec engine is fine
but an older diesel (circa 2008) S-Max
would be hit by the £8 a day charge.
Cabinet Member for Transport and
Environment at Birmingham City Council,
Councillor Waseem Zaffar MBE has said:
“After more than two years of planning,
I’m delighted to launch Birmingham’s
Clean Air Zone. This is a bold move that
will help to address some significant
health inequalities in our city. This is also
an important step in encouraging people
to re-think how we all move around the
city.
“I’m confident that this initiative will
save lives, and provide a cleaner, greener,
safer space for our communities in a part
of our city that has a problem with poor
air quality.
“I would encourage everyone to check
their vehicles, familiarise themselves
with the charging process and check out
the support that is still available through
the Brum Breathes website.”
To find out the rules over whether your
car meets the critieria, click the panel.
Click here for
the full story
The Clean Air Zone.
For those less
knowledgeable about
Birmingham’s road
network, the CAZ is a
central area which
has the A4540 inner
ring road as its
boundary
AA reports surge in interest as people look for new career
New research by the AA Driving School
has shown that one quarter of people
have considered changing careers during
the pandemic.
In the survey, 24 per cent of adults said
they had looked into changing their career
or had actually moved jobs in the last six
months due to the pandemic, as many
workers reflect on their future goals and
work interests.
Of those, nearly two in five (18 per
cent) said they had considered
changing careers but had not
made the move yet.
Unfortunately, three per cent
said they had been forced to
change careers due to the
pandemic.
Official government statistics
estimate the most recent unemployment
rate, 4.9 per cent between December
2020 to February 2021, has risen by 0.9
per cent since the start of the pandemic.
At the same time, visits to the AA
Driving School’s driving instructor training
course website have risen by 300 per
cent since last year, suggesting many of
those looking for a switch in career are
considering becoming an ADI.
Robert Cowell, AA Driving School
Interim Managing Director said: “Since
the start of the pandemic many
people have looked into changing
careers and we’ve seen this
reflected in the numbers looking
at our driving instructor training
courses.
“People interested in training with
us have re-assessed what’s important to
them during the pandemic. Their attitude
to work has shifted and many are now
placing greater emphasis on a better
work-life balance in a job that gives them
personal satisfaction.
“Driving instructors work flexibly, control
the hours they work and how much they
charge per lesson, and make a real
difference to people’s lives at a pivotal
moment. Added to that, during lockdowns
driving lessons were suspended creating
pent-up demand for lessons and the
perfect market conditions to join the
industry,” he added.
More on AA Driving School’s training
courses and varied franchise options at
www.theaa.com/driving-school
10
NEWSLINK n JULY 2021

For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com
NASP thumbs-up as updated Safe Driving
for Life website scores two million hits
The new Safe Driving for Life website
went live on April 28 – but has already
been viewed an impressive two million
times, and more than 10,000 eLearning
subscriptions have been purchased via
the site.
The new site has received widespread
praise from within the driver training and
testing sector, with valuable feedback
from ADIs and the National Associations
Strategic Partnership (NASP) helping
design content and lead improvements.
Following these improvements Peter
Harvey, in his role as current chair of
NASP, said: “NASP has been pleased to
be involved in the recent updating of the
Safe Driving for Life site.
“It is much improved in content, for the
general public, learner drivers and
instructors alike.
“We feel it should help to improve
knowledge both pre- and post-test and we
are happy to be involved in its continual
development and updating.”
A spokesperson for Safe Driving for Life
said: “We want to update you on what we
have done to improve the quality of the
content on the site and our plans to
promote the site more widely.
“It’s extremely important to us that
information on the site is clear, accessible,
accurate and that it is a trusted source for
instructors, learners and their friends and
families. We are therefore grateful to all of
you who have taken the time to review
the site and give us feedback on the
content and functionality.
“We’ve worked hard with TSO – DVSA’s
official publishing partner – who manage
the site on our behalf, and to NASP to
update and improve the content based on
your feedback.
“We will keep the site under constant
review and will continually develop it by
adding exciting new content, learning
modules and functionality.
“Of course, we will keep you updated
on this progress.”
Instructors were involved in a trial of
new features. So, if you are using the new
feature that allows learners to link to their
instructor via the site, DVSA wants to
hear from you. Tell us your stories, and
share the experiences of you and your
pupils at:
feedback@safedrivingforlife.info.
This will help us with the continued
development and improvement of the site.
This feature is free for you to use if your
pupil has an eLearning subscription. It
will help you to monitor your pupils’
theory knowledge and understanding and
use the information to tailor future lessons.
What’s next
In the coming weeks we are planning to
promote it more widely and encourage all
pre-learners, learner drivers and their
friends and family to use it.
See the site at www.safedrivingforlife.info
• More on the new site on pg 15
NEWSLINK n JULY 2021
11

News
Road user deaths fall but with lower
mileage, the trend is moving upwards
Colin Lilly
Editor, MSA GB Newslink
The Department for Transport has
published its provisional figures for
reported road casualties 2020. This
period includes four months of national
lockdown.
Due to a reduction in traffic during the
lockdown periods a reduction in
casualties could be expected and in fact,
the rates follow similar trends to those in
Europe
The year ended with the total number
of deaths at 1,472, a reduction of 16 per
cent compared with 2019. The headline
figure of Killed and Seriously Injured was
23,486, a reduction of 22 per cent. The
total number of casualties, of all
severities was 115,333, a reduction of
25 per cent.
However, the unprecedented
circumstances of 2020 means we have
to put these figures in context. During the
year road traffic, based on vehicle
mileage, fell by 21 per cent.
So, we have to ask, ‘Have we made
much progress on road safety?’ In real
terms based on mileage, the death rate
actually rose, by six per cent.
The fatalities by road user type fell,
apart from pedal cyclists which increased
by 40 per cent. This, in part, is
attributed to the increase in cycle use
during 2020.
There is little doubt that 2020 was a
The evidence suggests the quieter
roads led to higher speeds, which in
turn led to greater fatalities
very different year. Roads carried less
traffic, particularly during the first
lockdown, but the evidence suggests the
quieter roads led to higher speeds.
Last year did lead to lower numbers of
casualties and history will reflect this as
a good thing but there is clearly more
work to be done.
Road casualty rates suggest worrying
trend: See pg 16
New warning as ADIs stung by DVLA scam sites
The DVLA has renewed its warning to the
public to watch out for websites charging a
premium price for services that are free on
GOV.UK.
DVLA says it has been contacted more
than 1,200 times since January 2020 by
customers who have paid more for its
services than they need to after using
websites that are not affiliated with DVLA
but which purport to offer DVLA-related
services.
Using any website other than GOV.UK
can mean motorists are charged more for
services that are either cheaper or free on
GOV.UK, such as changing the address on
your driving licence or V5C vehicle
registration certificate, and renewing a
driving licence from age 70.
It’s important the public uses the
official site, said Julie Lennard, DVLA
Chief Executive: “GOV.UK is the only site
where customers will find our official
services, many of which are free. You may
be charged a premium when using other
websites offering services that are not
connected to DVLA.
“Always double check you’re using GOV.
UK when accessing our online services.”
Guy Anker, deputy editor at Money
SavingExpert.com, added: “These
Always
check you
are on the
official
DVLA site
copycat sites aren’t illegal, but they dress
up like legitimate webpages, and use
clever tricks to appear higher on search
engines. They get you to fill in forms,
which requires no more work on your part
than if you’d done it yourself via the
official sites, and then they overcharge
you for ‘administration’ or ‘services’ –
which is really just passing it to the
relevant body, with no extra work
involved. This can leave a very sour taste.
“The obvious red flag for a copycat site
is if you’re being charged for something
that’s usually free – such as updating your
vehicle log book (V5C) when you change
your address. Another tell-tale sign is the
web address; make sure it says GOV.UK.
It’s also worth knowing the true price of a
service; firms offer ‘checking services’ for
driving licence renewals at a cost of £60,
more than four times the £14 it costs to
do it through GOV.UK.”
MSA GB’s Peter Harvey said the
problem was even affecting ADIs, so
convincing are the unofficial sites. “I have
had two members contact me in recent
days saying they had been charged £80
for a driving licence upgrade to a
photocard from paper, when the DVLA
price is £20. You have been warned!”
12
NEWSLINK n JULY 2021

News
Budget cuts and pandemic blamed as
councils cut back on street maintenance
ADIs are being reminded to report road
signs which are obscured by overgrown
bushes and trees to their local authority
after reports of councils not cutting back
on foliage.
Road safety organisations have voiced
concern over what is a growing problem,
with important signs and traffic lights
hidden by trees or bushes.
Hidden road signs are at best a
nuisance for drivers, and at worst can be
misleading and dangerous, according to
road safety charity GEM.
This year has been a brilliant growing
season for a lot of the UK’s vegetation,
with a mild and largely frost-free spring
followed by warm days and then a period
of wet weather. Now that days are
warmer and with more sunlight hours,
many trees and bushes are flourishing.
But this growth spurt comes as local
authorities are reportedly struggling to
keep up with Mother Nature’s demands.
A spokesperson for the Local Government
Association told Newslink that the
problem was a two-handed one.
“Since March 2020 many councils
have cut back on highways maintenance,
either through the demands of lockdowns
or for the practical reason that members
of their teams were ill or self-isolating,”
he said. “Self-isolation is the biggest
problem. A lot of the street crews work
very closely together, sharing council
vans to get to jobs and office space, so if
one of the team tests positive for
Covid-19, the whole crew is forced to
self-isolate.
“It goes without saying that these are
staff who can’t work from home!”
Losing key manhours over the past 15
months has meant that many routine
seasonal jobs such as verge cutting,
lopping of trees that overhang pavements
and trimming back of bushes around
signs haven’t been kept up to date –
“and as any keen gardener knows, once
you let Mother Nature have her way,
tidying up the vegetation takes twice as
long!”
But there is another, more long-term
reason why the roads around your house
may look a little less well-kept than in
the past, the LGA said. “Since 2010 the
amount paid to local authorities from
central government has fallen
dramatically: from £60 billion to just
over £50 billion today. Bear in mind,
over that 11-year period inflation has
been running at around two per cent per
annum, so if the central government
funding for councils had remained static
the central grant should have been worth
around £75 billion today. In effect, your
local council has seen an effective cut in
central funding of around 50 per cent.
“At the same time, the cap on council
tax has meant that councils could not
make up this shortfall by increasing local
levies, leaving them short of cash.”
In such a scenario it is inevitable that
some areas of council spending have
suffered, with highways maintenance an
easy target.
‘‘
Councils are short of cash...
it is inevitable that some areas
of spending have suffered,
with highways maintenance
an easy target
‘‘
A pedestrian crossing light obscured by
foliage. The gap between the leaves
and the light is a matter of feet, and
drivers approaching the lights will not
see that they are on red until they are
very close to the crossing
“What we are finding is that rather
than axeing maintenance, councils are
simply increasing the gaps between
treatments/cutting. So, if a council
worked on a road’s verges and trees
three times a year in 2010, they are now
doing the same work in two or even just
one visit. The result is road signs near
bushes and trees are increasingly being
covered up by foliage.”
This leads to some very dangerous and
confusing situations for motorists. The
photo on this page shows a traffic light
which is masked by an overhanging tree.
The crossing is opposite a library and
health centre and close to a large
secondary school. A local resident
commented: “This is a very heavily used
pedestrian crossing but it is in a
dangerous spot anyway, as it is in a dip
and often sees cars driving faster than
the speed limit on approach.
“As you can see on the photograph,
the crossing lights are obscured; the
green light is barely visible, but the red
and amber lights are completely hidden
behind the overhanging tree.
“If this light was on red an
approaching motorist would not know.”
GEM chief executive Neil Worth
comments: “Road signs provide vital
information for drivers, who will plan
their speeds and actions based either
wholly or in part on what the signs tell
them. If you can’t see a sign, then your
ability to make safe decisions is
compromised, especially if you’re on
unfamiliar roads.
“Nourished by recent rain, vegetation
at this time of year tends to be at its
most prolific, meaning more and more
signs risk being partially or completely
covered. It’s a growing menace that puts
road users at risk.”
His advice was for ADIs “to help
highways authorities and local councils
to know where the problems are by using
the reporting facilities they provide. It is
vital for road safety that trees, bushes
and branches are not allowed to obscure
important information.”
14
NEWSLINK n JULY 2021

For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com
Introducing the new
Safe Driving for Life website
The Stationery Office (TSO) and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) are
proud and delighted to announce the launch of the new Safe Driving for Life (SDFL) website.
To visit, go to www.safedrivingforlife.info.
Be prepared
The new SDFL website will support
learners through their theory and driving
tests and in becoming a life-long safe
driver. With a completely fresh and clean
look, the easy-to-navigate site provides
everything learners will need to know
during their driving life.
SDFL offers all this information for free:
n Practice theory tests for all the
driving/riding categories
n Hazard Perception tests
n Road signs tests
n Visual media clip tests
It will also give learner drivers or riders
a free taster of the theory test revision
material available through a paid-for
subscription.
All the advice
The popular blogs and advice content
from the old site are included in the new
SDFL site. They provide guidance for all
road users, wherever they are in their
driving life. And this content will be
easier to find and navigate.
New Features
One of the most significant changes to
the site is in the development of updated
eLearning modules (formerly on the
Official DVSA Learning Zone).
As with the Learning Zone, the
eLearning modules will be available
through a paid-for subscription. They
cover all driving categories, including
new modules for anyone wanting to train
as an ADI. The eLearning includes all the
information an ADI needs to help prepare
learners for their theory test.
And the eLearning modules include
some exciting new benefits, based on the
most up-to-date learning science. For
example:
n Active learning – exercises and
activities designed to engage learners
and promote learning
n The Forgetting Curve – this shows
how the brain does not retain
information over time if we do not
actively try to keep it. Typically, humans
tend to halve their memory of newly
learned knowledge in a matter of days or
weeks, unless they consciously review
the learned material. SDFL takes this
into account and actively encourages
learners to keep practising as their test
date approaches, to give them the best
chance of passing
n Test Readiness Gauge – the learner
will see a gauge on SDFL’s main
eLearning dashboard, giving them an
indication of when they’re ready to take
their test. The gauge is based on
different factors, including the amount of
practice questions the learner has
answered correctly and how long they’ve
spent studying.
ADI benefits
Another added benefit for the new
website is a huge increase in
functionality for ADIs:
n Learners will be able to share their
progress through the eLearning modules
with their ADI and parents. This allows
them to work through the theory element
together.
It also helps the learner through any
elements of the theory test they may be
struggling with.
n Any ADI can use the platform free
of charge. And, the more of their learners
they get to sign up to a subscription, the
more reward points they can earn.
The ADI can then redeem these
reward points in the form of Amazon
vouchers.
Use it, enjoy it, tell us
what you think!
We hope you’re as excited as we are
about SDFL and all its new features.
There’ll be an ongoing programme of
development and enhancement and we’ll
introduce more modules and
functionality over time.
During SDFL’s development, we
welcome your feedback. So please visit
www.safedrivingforlife.info: use it, enjoy
it and let us know what you think.
NEWSLINK n JULY 2021
15

Road safety feature
UK fiddles while its road
safety empire crumbles
A decade-long absence of a national strategy to reduce road deaths
is starting to have an impact on the UK’s standing in road safety
performance tables. Rob Beswick looks at the latest data
The extent to which the UK Government
appears to be ignoring road safety and is
allowing the country’s global lead in this
area to be eroded has been exposed in
the European Transport Safety Council’s
latest PIN Report, which compares the
performance of European nations in
terms of road deaths and casualty rates.
While the UK continues to boast some
of Europe’s safest roads, it is noticeable
how its lead has fallen in recent years,
and with no over-arching road safety
strategy from the Department for
Transport, this lead is likely to evaporate
even quicker in the future.
One of the noticeable factors in the
PIN Report for the period 2010-2020 is
a table headed National Road Safety
Strategies to 2030. Of the 32 PIN
countries listed (27 EU nations plus the
UK, Norway, Switzerland, Serbia and
Israel), only two do not have a national
road safety strategy to reduce casualties
either in place or under development: the
UK and Serbia. The Netherlands does
not have a national strategy but has
published activity plans with the aim of
reducing road casualties.
The rest of Europe has set ambitious
targets to reduce road deaths, with the
aim of halving deaths by 2030. The
national strategies look to improve
driving standards and infrastructure and
introduce new policies to tackle areas of
particular concern, such as drink-driving,
distractions and speeding. The result is a
matrix against which politicians’
performances on road safety can be
measured by the public.
In the UK, no such goals or policies
are in place, leaving the country’s road
safety performance to private bodies,
charities and individuals.
It is true that the UK still leads the way
in this field among the major nations; our
road deaths are lower than those in
countries with comparable populations
and demographic spread. But it is also
noticeable by just how this lead has been
eroded in recent years. Comparing road
deaths in 2010 and 2020 per million
inhabitants, Spain and Portugal have
seen falls in percentage terms in the
mid-40s, while in Italy, France and
Germany, they have fallen by 42, 37 and
25 per cent respectively.
In the UK it fell by just 14 per cent,
the second worst performance of the 32
nations studied, after the Netherlands
(five per cent).
In 2020 the UK’s road deaths rate per
million residents was 23, down from 31
in 2010. In Germany it was around 34,
in Italy 35 and in France, 39. But the
rate of falls experienced by these nations
puts them on course to rival the UK’s
status as a road safety leader by 2030,
and overtake it in the decade after.
While this may sound like studying
figures without considering the
underlying reasons for changes, the fact
remains that those countries with road
safety strategies are performing best, and
the UK does not have one. A country
that used to boast of the best road safety
record in Europe will be reduced to a
mid-table position if this trend continues.
The ETSC PIN Report celebrates
progress, not nations that rest on their
laurels, and this is the accusation
levelled at the UK government now. In
2010, the period that this report covers,
the incoming Conservative administration
led by David Cameron inherited a road
safety record that put the UK second
overall, marginally behind Sweden. We
now lie fourth and our previously healthy
lead over a number of nations, including
Germany, Ireland, Spain and Switzerland,
will be gone in a handful of years.
From any ADI’s perspective, it must be
frustrating to see the sphere in which you
operate apparently relegated to the
margins. On average, 1,700 people die
on our roads every year, and thousands
more will be left badly injured. In any
other sphere of life such a record would
be a cause for considerable concern, yet
the UK appears to have little interest in
addressing the problem.
There is a case for saying that the UK
is, perhaps, a victim of its own success.
As one road safety professional
commented some years ago, “our
problem is, we’ve plucked the low
hanging fruit. We have a decent driver
training and testing system that gives
new drivers a good start, we have a fairly
law-abiding public who can be policed
by consent rather than overt control,
we’ve brought in rules on drink-driving
that are largely followed and we have
good road infrastructure and new cars
that have the latest safety kit.
“Compare that to other nations: many
have had to play catch-up in areas such
as drink-driving, which we know is a
major cause of road deaths (around a
quarter to a fifth). Some have brought in
structured testing only in the past decade
– particularly in central/Eastern Europe
– and many have had cultures where
aggressive driving is not only not frowned
upon, it is almost celebrated.
“It’s taken a long time to rectify these
faults, but they’ve done it and are now
reaping the benefits.”
“It used to be an uncontested fact that
the UK had the safest roads in Europe;
16
NEWSLINK n JULY 2021

For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com
today, it is still doing well but you can
see that lead inexorably slipping away,
and the fact that no-one appears to care
in Westminster is heartbreaking to
someone operating in this profession.”
It’s situation that is driving road safety
professionals in the UK to distraction.
David Davies, Executive Director of the
Parliaments Advisory Council on
Transport Safety, was heavily critical of
the UK’s lamentable display in the PIN
Report. When asked to contribute his
thoughts in the ETSC report, he wrote:
“Over the past decade (2010-2020) the
number of road deaths in the UK has
declined only slightly. The government
describes this as a ‘plateau’. As the
2020 figure is provisional and was
significantly affected by the pandemic, it
is better to consider 2010-2019.
“Although it is worth noting that UK
deaths fell sharply in 2008 and 2009
during the recession, it is disappointing
that previous more modest but sustained
progress was not resumed over the
following years as the economy and
traffic picked up.
“As its population grew, the UK
maintained its position as one of the
leading road safety performers in Europe,
on the basis of deaths per million
population, but Norway and Switzerland
improved more quickly.
“Responsibilities for road safety were
increasingly handed over to the separate
nations of the United Kingdom. This
brought benefits and disadvantages.
Scotland cut the drink-drive limit and
introduced a comprehensive road safety
framework with ambitious targets.
Northern Ireland progressed on graduated
driver licensing and lower drink-drive
limits. Wales is introducing national
mandatory 20mph (30km/h) speed
limits. Transport for London and
Highways England have adopted Vision
Zero and a range of ambitious measures
to deliver it.
“However, local authorities in England,
where most of the road deaths occur,
were left to set their own agendas in a
context of budget cuts and competing
priorities. Throughout this period levels of
road policing declined which significantly
undermined road safety enforcement.
“Central government supported
individual schemes, including investment
in cycling safety, a new casualty reporting
system (CRASH) and government car
buying safety standards.”
Continued on page 18
NEWSLINK n JULY 2021
17

‘‘‘‘
Road safety feature
Mortality road deaths per
million inhabitants, 2010 in
white, 2020 in colour. It is
interesting to see how quickly
a country can slip down this
road safety table if it takes its
eye off the ball. The figure for
the Netherlands is a case in
point. In 2010 it was the
fourth best performer, behind
only Sweden, Malta and the
UK. Today it sits 11th. It is
one of only three nations not
to have a national road safety
target, along with the UK and
Serbia. The Dutch, so long a
leader in road safety, are an
example of how things slip
when the focus moves off
controlling road casualties.
UK road safety
lead crumbles
Continued from page 17
Mr Davies continued: “It also
commissioned research, including
road collision investigation, young
driver safety and roads policing.
These should bear fruit in the future.
“Overall, however, it was a decade
of missed opportunities. The UK
government did not make road safety
a priority, refused to set national
casualty reduction targets and failed
to provide the comprehensive
framework to deliver real change.
“There are indications of a new
approach from the UK government,
recognising the importance of safety
to wider agendas such as improving
public health, environmental
sustainability and relieving pressure
on emergency services. Incorporating
the equivalent of the revised EU
General Safety Regulation into UK
law will be an important test.”
With no road deaths reduction
strategy in place, the absence of an
over-arching strategy for improving
road safety and infrastructure,
fragmented approaches to tackling
problem areas such as drink or
distraction and further falls in
policing, it seems unlikely that this
position will change any time soon.
The UK, as in many areas, used to
rule the world in road safety. Unless
the Government changes tack, it
won’t do soon.
18
Covid drives deaths fall – but praise
as road safety moves up EU agenda
Greece and Norway provided the best
good news stories in the latest European
Transport Safety Council (ETSC) PIN
report.
There were around 3,900 fewer road
deaths in the EU in 2020 compared to
the previous year. But this 17% per cent
was no triumph of good road safety; it
was almost certainly caused by Covid-19
restrictions on travel.
In total 18,844 people lost their lives
in road traffic in 2020, 10,847 fewer
than in 2010, representing a 37 per cent
decrease. That means 56,305 people
are alive today compared with the picture
if casualty rates had stayed the same as
in 2010. The saving was valued at some
Euro 156 billion.
However, over that period only one EU
Member State exceeded the EU target to
cut road deaths by 50 per cent over the
decade to 2020: Greece, with a 54 per
cent reduction. Norway, a non-EU
country, reduced its road deaths by 55
per cent. Portugal, Spain, Croatia,
Belgium, Slovenia, Italy, Lithuania,
Bulgaria, Denmark, Austria and Hungary
achieved a decrease above the EU
average of 37 per cent, while other
countries progressed to a lesser extent.
The progress was slowest in the
Netherlands with a 5 per cent decrease
and the UK with 14 per cent in 10 years.
Antonio Avenoso, Executive Director of
ETSC said: “Road safety is, in the end, a
public health issue. Covid has killed 3.5
Road users have the right and
responsibility to move around
without risking their own life or
the lives of others
million people worldwide. Over the last
decade, at least 13 million have died on
the world’s roads. The extraordinary
response to Covid-19 has shown how
policymakers and society can act when
most people are working towards a
common goal. Can we apply the same
focus to the challenges of road safety? “
“Success is not guaranteed. After
months of lockdowns are we set for a
decade of rule-breaking and excess,
another ‘Roaring Twenties’? Or will we
learn from this moment that life on earth
is fragile, and needs to be protected?
Europe needs political leadership more
than ever. Every road user has the right
and responsibility to move around
without risking their own life or the lives
of others. Policymakers have a
responsibility to build a safe system that
helps protect everyone.
“Will they approach it with the energy
and dedication that many have
approached the challenges of Covid?”
NEWSLINK n JULY 2021

For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com
Lockdowns raise doubts
in drivers’ abilities
Colin Lilly
Editor, MSA GB Newslink
There has been a lot of anecdotal
evidence recently about the low standard
of drivers’ behaviour post-lockdown. The
vehicle insurance specialists Compare the
Market has conducted a survey of 2,000
drivers to seek their opinion.
Unsurprisingly, 52 per cent of drivers
reported they had used their cars less
between January and April 2021.
Following the lifting of lockdown, 42 per
cent said they planned to drive more.
However, 15 per cent thought they
would be driving less than before
lockdown, citing an awareness of fuel
prices and the benefits of exercise. They
are also less likely to use their cars to
commute to work as some are
continuing to work from home.
Three-quarters of drivers expressed
concern about other drivers’ behaviour
but only one-third (36 per cent) were
concerned about their own driving ability
following lockdown.
Of the younger drivers under 25, who
are less experienced, 55 per cent
expressed doubts about their own
abilities, while 84 per cent of them were
concerned about other road users. It is
reassuring that this group has more
doubts of their own ability than their
older counterparts.
On return to the road 31 per cent had
doubts about the safety of their vehicles
but 16 per cent had not conducted any
of the regular checks during lockdown.
During that time 62 per cent had
checked their tyres but only a worrying
39 per cent had checked the brakes and
36 per cent the battery.
Much of this survey tends to support
the long-held belief that drivers are
much more inclined to criticise others
rather than reflect on their own driving.
Clubs warn of drug and
drink driving spike
Motorists in the north east were urged
to give drink and drug driving the red
card during Euro 2020 by the region’s
three biggest football clubs.
Drink and drug driving typically
increases during major sporting
tournaments as people gather to
watch the games over drinks.
During Euro 2016 there was a big
increase in drink and drug driving
injuries in the north east, with sizeable
spikes on the day of and after England
matches. Death or serious injury
crashes were up 19 per cent.
Road Safety GB North East teamed
up with Middlesbrough, Newcastle
and Sunderland to remind drivers of
the lasting effects of drinking and drug
use. Peter Slater, from Road Safety GB
NE, said: “We asked people to be
sensible. If you know you’re going to
be drinking, plan your transport home
beforehand, or if you’re driving, stick
to soft drinks. And look out for each
other. If you know someone has been
drinking, don’t let them drive. Speak
up – it could save a life.”
NEWSLINK n JULY 2021
19

Comment
Filthy rich pensioners?
Don’t make me laugh
Rod Came
MSA GB South East
A lot of attention is currently being drawn
to possible increases in the State Pension
payable from 2022. As with a lot of
news items reporting the activities of the
Government, what you read is often not
entirely the whole picture; the slant on
the truth depends on the source of the
report.
Finding your total State Pension
entitlement is almost as difficult as
deciding on the winner of the Grand
National. Many factors have to be
considered so I will stick to using the
basics.
Workers pay National Insurance out of
the money they earn, which in part
entitles them to a State Pension. The
State Pension, formally known as the Old
Age Pension, was introduced in the
United Kingdom in January 1909 with
the objective of providing a basic income
for elderly people who were no longer
working. The life expectation then was
typically ‘three score years and ten’
rather than four score years and five
which is about average for many today.
Over the ensuing years the cost of the
pension has grown due to continual
financial increments and an increasing
ageing population. Currently there are
calls for the formula that is now used to
calculate the pension to be abandoned,
because it is seen to be too generous to
pensioners compared with the working
population.
The formula is that the pension will
rise by what is known as the triple lock,
which means an increase relative to the
Consumer Prices Index, average earnings
or 2.5% – whichever is the highest.
Because average earnings fell slightly
in the last financial year and are forecast
to rise in the next, perhaps by 10 per
cent or more, the State pension must rise
by a similar amount.
This is where the problem starts
because the perception of cruising,
fun-loving, big-spending pensioners
enjoying a massive pension increase
when many others are struggling to
survive, is not the image the Government
wants to portray.
That is where the misrepresentation
comes in. The average wage is about
£550 a week, a 10 per cent increase
https://www.gov.uk/check-statepension
would obviously be £55. Currently older
pensioners receive about £130 a week,
10 per cent being £13.
In 2016 there were changes to the
pension rate for new retirees which
means that they, but not the older
pensioners, now receive £175.20pw
which is anticipated to rise to £194.68
(11.1 per cent) in 2022.
Quoting rises in percentage terms
glosses over the actual pounds and
pence increases for the average worker,
older pensioners and newer pensioners.
There is no fairness between £55 pw
for one group, nearly £20 for another
and a measly £13 for the poorest. So let
us not hear of increases in percentage
terms but by pounds per week; only that
way do we get a fairer picture.
Have you checked your pension?
Self-employed people are advised to regularly check the current level of
state pension they can expect, as sometimes breaks in payments can
affect your entitlements.
You can check yours at https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension
20
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Key dates for your diary
Make a note of our autumn events schedule now!
MSA GB is delighted to announce dates
for our autumn series of training events
and AGMs.
As we’re sure you will appreciate, at
this stage we cannot say for definite
whether these will be face-to-face
events or held via Zoom. However, we
are planning for in-person events again,
as along as Covid restrictions allow.
The events are a mixture of all-day,
half-day and evening sessions, and all
will have a strong CPD element to them.
We are hoping to have DVSA speakers
at them all, there will be an MSA GB
update and lots more.
Put a note in your diary now and keep
the date clear. If you want further details
now, please contact the appropriate
person for your area; email addresses
are given in the panel below.
CPD Training events and AGMs
Date Area Contact for more information
28th October North East Mike: chair.ne@msagb.com
3rd November East Midlands Kate: chair.em@msagb.com
8th November Western Arthur: chair.ow@msagb.com
10th November West Midlands Geoff: deptnatchair@msagb.com
15th November Greater London Tom: chair.gl@msagb.com
15th November South East Fenella: chair.se@msagb.com
21st November Scotland Alex: chair.os@msagb.com
22nd November North West Graham: chair.nw@msagb.com
To be arranged Eastern Paul: chair.oe@msagb.com
Concern as Covid hits
eye test take-up
GEM Motoring Assist is encouraging
drivers and riders of all ages to take an
eyesight test after it was revealed that
poor sight is linked to more than 3,000
fatal and serious injury crashes a year.
GEM chief executive Neil Worth said
he was “concerned that there are too
many people driving whose eyesight is at
a dangerous level.
“Covid restrictions have put many
people off booking an eye test, but as
things open up, we urge everyone to
prioritise safety and book a proper
examination. This will identify and
correct any problems, meaning the risks
of driving are reduced and the road
environment is safer.
“More and more people are staying
behind the wheel for longer. Under the
present rules, it’s our individual
responsibility to declare ourselves fit to
drive. But we will be unable to notice
many of the changes to our vision – that
takes a professional examination.”
NEWSLINK n JULY 2021
21

Comment
A little more humility,
a little less hubris
Work is plentiful for ADIs at
the moment – but as one
member points out, let’s not
let that fact go to our heads.
I was forced to contact a plumber the
other week.
The first chap I spoke to was very clear
about what he wanted paying: his call
out fee was £70, and it was £45 an
hour after that, plus parts if needed.
£115 for the job, plus VAT.
As the job involved sorting out some
leaking pipework I knew it wasn’t going
to take long; a seal or two under the bath
had gone, and there was possibly a
build-up of gunge in the pipes that
needed clearing. It’s the type of job I’d fix
myself but one thing was stopping me:
an adhesive capsulitis.
Now, there is a chance that there are
one or two of you who are thinking, ‘is
adhesive capsulitis a posh way of saying
‘I’m a lazy git’ or ‘the football’s on’. No,
it’s actually easier to translate than you
think: it means ‘frozen shoulder’. The
adhesive part gives you the clue.
If you’ve ever encountered a frozen
shoulder, on you or on a loved one, you’ll
know that it is a whole world of hurt.
Basically, simple movements of the
affected arm become impossible without
considerable pain. And I mean pain;
when you catch it wrong, it’s like a
heavyweight boxer has thumped you
with all his force on the arm. It’s the type
of pain that makes you gasp and stop to
catch your breath. It’s made worse by
the fact that it doesn’t hurt all the time;
it’s just that if you suddenly move your
arm in certain directions, it’s
astonishingly painful. In short, it’s nasty.
Back to the plumbing. I took the bath
panel off, lay down and contemplated
the leaking area. I knew pretty instantly
that the contortion I’d have to get myself
into to fix it was one that was going to
force my shoulder to rotate into positions
that would have the frozen joint
screaming. After giving it a moment or
two’s thought I realised this time I’d need
to call in a professional. I rang the
plumber.
22
When I heard his pricing I was taken
aback, and suggested that £115 an hour
was on the steep side. “Yes, but I’ve
been able to put my prices up, as
there’s so much demand,” he replied.
“So you’re taking advantage of people,” I
suggested. “Yes,” he replied, without a
modicum of guilt in his voice.
I put the phone down. I don’t mind
being ripped off but I’d prefer it if the
chap doing the ripping didn’t make it too
obvious. The secret of a good business
deal is when both parties think they’ve
come away with a bargain; this
particular deal didn’t feel like that.
To cut a long story short, while there’s
only so much pain any man can take,
that threshold is raised considerably
‘‘
Our pupils are not ‘fish in a barrel’.
They are, in the main, young people
who’ve had a rubbish 18 months,
who have seen huge chunks of what
makes life fun when you’re that age
ripped away from them...
‘‘
when he’s comforted by the knowledge
that he won’t be extracting £115 from
his wallet. I took several pain killers,
waited half an hour then did the work
myself, amid much cursing. Afterwards
my shoulder hurt like hell but I was
content I’d got the right side of the
bargain.
Why am I telling you this? Because I
got the distinct whiff of that plumber’s
attitude in the last issue of Newslink
when regular contributor Russell Jones
was talking about ‘shooting fish in a
barrel’ in regard to the current imbalance
between ADIs and pupils.
At present, it’s clear that ADIs have the
upper hand in the Athenian confrontation
that is pupils v instructors. There are
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more of them than we can ever service.
That is not our fault, but while it may be
nice to contemplate a full diary,
Russell’s view seemed a little too
crowing for my liking.
Using phrases like ‘shooting fish in a
barrel’ doesn’t project the image of a
group of men and women who are keen
to provide a professional service to
learners; it sounds just a little too Del
Boy for me, too much like the geezer
down the pub boasting about making a
few extra quid. Perhaps it’s a touch too
gleeful. It might sit well in a Facebook
chatroom for ADIs but I feel the MSA
GB doesn’t look too great when one of
its more prominent members appears to
be saying ‘let’s take advantage of the
current situation’.
The phrase ‘shooting fish in a barrel’
conjures up a vision of a helpless, weak
prey being dominated by a bullying
overlord. Is that the image we want to
convey? It’s certainly not how I like to
view my relationship with my pupils.
We’ve just come through a pandemic;
do we really want the public knowing
we refer to them in such insulting terms
as simple trapped fish?
Make hay, if you wish. Put your prices
up, fine. A pound or two on a lesson
since the restart seems fair,
compensating for recent petrol price
rises and off-setting some of the losses
in 2020. Such a stance would be
reasonable – but let’s not be seen to be
taking advantage of the situation as an
industry.
During the pandemic it’s been clear
that some people have seen the chaos
as a chance to feather their own nests
– think PPE suppliers or mates of
government ministers, as a starter – and
‘‘
My pupils are not ‘fish in
a barrel’... do we really
want the public knowing
we refer to them in such
insulting terms...?
‘‘
I’ve seen plenty of people on news
reports who sound like one of those
spivvy characters from World War 2
films; you know, the ones who made a
killing while others got killed. Let’s not
be a sector that does that. Let’s think
about the position this country now
finds itself in and realise that there is a
moral duty to be reasonable, fair and
compassionate.
Our pupils are not ‘fish in a barrel’.
They are, in the main, young people
who’ve had a rubbish 18 months, who
have seen huge chunks of what makes
life fun when you’re that age ripped
away from them. Let’s not take
advantage of a group that is genuinely
struggling.
Remember, which group has been hit
hardest economically by the pandemic?
It it late middle-aged men? No, it’s
young people, our core business
demographic. Which business sectors
have been hit hardest? Tourism, leisure,
hospitality… the areas where employees
tend to be young. Does this group need
an extra kicking?
Charge a reasonable price by all
means, but let’s not take advantage –
and let’s moderate our language so it
doesn’t sound like we’re screwing people
over.
One last thing. Just consider this.
Imagine the minutes of a DVSA meeting
were leaked to Newslink, and in them
it’s recorded that chief executive
Loveday Ryder said: “L-test candidates?
There’s loads of them... it’s like
shooting fish in a barrel, providing a
service for them...”
What image would that convey of the
DVSA – and how long do you think
she’d last in the job?
Helping hand
for ADIs
and PDIs
The panel at Helping ADI & PDIs
recognise that there has been a
significant rise in the Delta variant of
Covid-19, and that many driving
instructors are being required to isolate
by Track and Trace.
We have therefore decided to open
applications for a one-off payment to
any ADI or PDI who has been
contacted by Track and Trace and told
to isolate after our return to work on
12th April in England and Wales and
26th April in Scotland.
Payment of a nominal amount will be
paid on receipt of an application form
and proof of an email from Track and
Trace requiring you to isolate.
Go to https://instructorfund.org for
details. There is no need to complete
the full financial questions on the
application, simply state ‘Track and
Trace’ in the area marked ‘Purpose’,
complete the bank and personal details
and send in the application.
Emails from Track and Trace must
show the name of the applicant and the
dates of isolation.
We cannot accept multiple
applications from the same person.
PLEASE NOTE – we are all working
ADIs too and have our own businesses
to run so we don’t have the time to
chase up incomplete applications.
Therefore, unfortunately, any
incomplete applications will be
rejected.
You can still donate to the GoFundMe
Page by following either the link to our
website https://instructorfund.org/
or via the GoFundMe page at
https://gofund.me/67c82730
Susan & Bobbie
NEWSLINK n JULY 2021
23

Towards your CPD
ADIs... lend
us your ears
Steve Garrod looks at the
power of communication
– and how it’s a vital
component of every lesson
The way we communicate is a
key part of any lesson,
regardless of the subject being
taught. Instructors are
expected to engage their
pupils in conversation about key learning
points of the lesson.
Instructors who are good at talking are
not necessarily good communicators. You
may have experienced someone at the
local test centre who is a great talker but
has limited listening skills ... and I bet
someone has just sprung to mind!
Communication is not a one-way street
(pardon the pun) of information. Similar
to traffic flowing on a busy road,
communication is about the interaction
of those involved in the conversation. For
example, reading body language for clues
to continue with what we are saying;
anticipating what others might say;
instinctively knowing when to allow
others to speak and, more importantly,
knowing when to stop talking so that we
can listen; or at least that’s the theory!
Think of the last conversation you had
with a pupil or another instructor. What
percentage of the time did you spend:
– listening? – speaking?
What were you thinking about while
the other person was speaking? Was it
what they were saying or, perhaps, what
you were going to say next?
24
You are more likely to be a good
communicator if you are a good listener.
Listening skills are an essential part of
communication and are particularly
relevant in one to one communication.
Listening is often confused with
hearing; hearing is a passive act, while
listening requires active participation on
behalf of the listener. It is important,
therefore, that you demonstrate active
listening when you are in conversation
with your pupil.
Active listening requires more than
appearing to pay attention to what is being
said; you need to consider your posture,
your facial expressions and, if appropriate,
how you encourage your pupil to continue
with what they want to say.
The next time you watch the news, try
to look at the interviewer. You will see
‘‘
Actively listening to what your
pupils are saying will give you a
better chance of understanding
what your pupil is trying to
say and what they want / need
to learn...
‘‘
them nodding, smiling and generally
acknowledging the comments from the
interviewee to encourage them to
continue their conversation.
It is very difficult to create a positive
atmosphere for natural communication
when someone is on ‘permanent send’.
Active listening requires you to digest
what your pupil is saying and consider it
before responding. A friendly tone, a
personal question or simply a smile will
encourage your pupil to continue
speaking. You can paraphrase what they
are saying; for example, “So you feel you
need to work on…” or “From what I
gather you are having problems with…”
Actively listening to what is being said
will give you a better chance of understanding
what your pupil is trying to say
and what they want / need to learn.
It is fair to say that many of us are
guilty of not fully concentrating on what
is being said. The trick is to be aware of
it and to ensure we listen before we
speak, or at least listen long enough
before we interrupt.
For a variety of reasons it wouldn’t be
practical to allow our pupils to continue
talking continuously.
A nice saying I heard some years ago
to stop someone going ‘off track’ is to say
“Can we park that idea for now please?”
It is far more effective than speaking over
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someone or telling them to stop talking.
The same can be said of your pupil.
They too need to be actively listening to
what you are saying; therefore you need
to be aware of lapses in concentration.
Once someone stops concentrating they
stop listening, when they stop listening
they stop learning. Breaking your
instructions down in to small chunks will
help keep the lesson lively. This should
be instinctive; for example, how would
you tell someone your new mobile phone
number? Do you give them all the
numbers at once or break the number
down into small chunks of 3 or 4
numbers at a time?
The chances are you use ‘chunking’,
therefore if you apply the same logic to
your teaching, you will help your pupil
retain their concentration.
Non-verbal communication
Much has been written about the
importance of body language; however, it
isn’t an exact science. You need to
appreciate cultural differences before
jumping to conclusions. In some
cultures, making eye contact with older
people is disrespectful and certain
innocent hand gestures have completely
different meanings. Some people feel
that crossing your arms means you are
‘closed’ and being unresponsive, whereas
Consider the image you are
portraying if you sit next to
your pupil with a clipboard...
does that look too official?
‘‘‘‘
it could mean that your pupil is cold or
just don’t know what to do with their
hands while listening! Likewise, you
must also consider the image you are
portraying if you are sitting beside your
learner holding a clipboard on your lap
during the lesson; it may appear too
official.
It could also be seen as a barrier to
communication.
Gestures
Most people naturally use their hands
and face to express or clarify meaning.
People who speak in public do this more
than most (some better than others)
because they realise how much meaning
their body language can add to the
words they are saying, or those they are
hearing. Driving instructors should take
time to reflect on their own gestures used
when teaching complex actions such as
the ‘pull – push’ steering method or
imitating clutch control. Simple hand
gestures can help when teaching on the
move and a friendly smile and nod could
be used to signal a correct answer.
Empathy
Even when you disagree with a point
of view, for example while conducting a
fleet training session when a client says
“But I have to break the speed limit to
get my work done”, it is important for
you to understand their point of view.
Using phrases as simple as “I understand
it may feel like that at times” or “What
makes you say that, can you give me an
example?” demonstrates that you have
been listening and respect their opinions.
Although deep down we know they are
about to come out with a common
excuse and give an unjustifiable answer,
we have to show restraint and try to
promote a change in their behaviour.
Sometimes CPD doesn’t need to cost
anything, it can be as simple as reading
something and putting it into practice, so
take some time to listen to what is being
said, and give some thoughts to your
responses.
As someone once told me, we have
two ears but only one mouth, so we need
to listen twice as much as we speak.
NEWSLINK n JULY 2021
25

Special report
Dying to work?
How working long hours is leading
to thousands of early deaths
Mike Yeomans
MSA GB North East
AS we rise out of the
pandemic, many people are
questioning their work-life
balance, particularly,
perhaps, after spending
more time than usual at home. Key is
this question: are we still happy
maintaining the number of hours we are
putting in at work?
Perhaps more pointedly, as ADIs
should we be maintaining the level of
hours we were putting in before the
pandemic? What are the consequences
of finishing work after 10pm each night,
having finished off that ‘vital’ admin and
paperwork, having worked or been
available for work since 7.30 in the
morning?
If these are the hours you are working,
are you giving your best to your students
after such a long day? The result of such
a long day is, inevitably, questionable
levels of concentration and increased
stress.
There’s little advice from the
government on working hours. If you
read the official leaflet on tiredness and
driving it is aimed at those taking long
journeys, but it does give you some
pointers that will help you appraise how
long you are working and whether it’s
time to cut back.
You can read the official leaflet at:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/
government/uploads/system/uploads/
attachment_data/file/677964/inf159-
tiredness.pdf
I thought it was useful to look at the
issues around long working hours but
remember, this is looking at the
consequences to your general health. It
doesn’t take into account the risks on the
roads created by a driver or supervising
driver who is so tired they are functioning
properly.
What is clear is that long working
hours are killing hundreds of thousands
of people a year, according to the World
Health Organization (WHO).
The first global study of its kind
showed that 745,000 people died in
2016 from stroke and heart disease
which were blamed on the long hours
they worked. The report found that
people living in South East Asia and the
Western Pacific region were the worst
affected.
But now we in the UK are in catch-up
mode as we try to make up for all the
hours lost during the pandemic, putting
us at risk. WHO also said the trend may
worsen due to the coronavirus pandemic.
To start with, ask yourself if you are
working 60 hours a week. Has it become
addictive? Do you try to ‘go that extra
mile’ despite already working a 50 or
60-hour week?
The research found that working 55
26
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Long hours don’t just create traffic
risks for those behind the wheel, it
can harm general health, too
hours or more a week was associated
with a 35 per cent higher risk of stroke
and a 17 per cent higher risk of dying
from heart disease, compared to those
people with a working week of 35 to 40
hours.
The study, conducted with the
International Labour Organization (ILO),
also showed almost three-quarters of
those who died as a result of working
long hours were middle-aged or older
men. Just in case that demographic
sounds familiar, it is the median age
range of driving instructors.
Often, the deaths occurred much later
in life, sometimes decades later, than the
long hours were worked, which often
makes it hard to directly link it back to
the stresses caused by work. But it was
still those long hours that proved the
killer.
A recent report from the BBC looked at
a bank employee whose post on LinkedIn
had created a huge stir. He was a
45-year-old worker who described how
he’d had a wake-up call over his long
working hours.
He had a heart attack at home and
described how he made it to the
bedroom so he could lie down while his
wife phoned 999. While recovering from
his heart attack, he decided to totally
restructure his approach to work. “I’m
not spending all day on Zoom anymore,”
he said.
His post struck a chord with hundreds
of readers, who shared their experiences
of overwork and the impact on their
health. As one comment put it, “we
continue to push ourselves to the limits
without concern for our personal
well-being.”
Perhaps ADIs working long hours to
accommodate all their pupils should take
note.
While the WHO study did not cover
the period of the pandemic, officials said
the recent jump in remote working and
the economic slowdown may have
increased the risks associated with long
working hours.
“We have some evidence that shows
that when countries go into national
lockdown, the number of hours worked
increase by about 10 per cent,” WHO
technical officer Frank Pega said.
The report said working long hours
was estimated to be responsible for
about a third of all work-related disease,
making it the largest occupational
disease burden.
The researchers said that there were
two ways longer working hours led to
poor health outcomes. First, through
direct physiological responses to stress,
and second, because longer hours meant
workers were more likely to adopt
health-harming behaviours such as
tobacco and alcohol use, less sleep and
exercise and follow an unhealthy diet.
“Stress, depression, anxiety, it’s a
cauldron of bad feedback loops,” the
report said, adding that long working
hours can lead to people being in a
‘‘
Working 55 hours a week or
more was associated with a 35
per cent higher risk of stroke
and a 17 per cent higher risk of
dying from heart disease...
‘‘
constant state of feeling run down.
The number of people working long
hours was increasing before the
pandemic struck, according to the WHO,
and was around nine per cent of the total
global population.
People who did not work from home
put in an average of 3.6 hours a week
extra to a normal working week, the UK’s
Office for National Statistics said.
This lead me to thinking, how many
hours extra does an average ADI do now?
CONTACT
To comment on this article, or provide
updates from your area, contact
Mike at chair.ne@msagb.com
Consider that paperwork and the
additional stresses we are experiencing
at the moment in arranging tests for
students.
So, according to numerous scientific
studies, long hours can and will literally
kill you. Here are some other top
takeaways from recent studies:
• Skipping holidays increases your
chances of having a heart attack by 30
to 50 per cent.
• Working long hours increases
mortality rates (ie, the likelihood you’ll
die today) by almost 20 per cent.
• Skipping even one year of holiday
increases depression, which in turn
increases the likelihood you’ll die from
cancer.
• The longer hours you work, the
higher your risk of having a stroke. Even
working more than 40 hours a week
increases your death risk by 10 per cent.
• Sitting for prolonged periods of time
(such as in a driving school car/vehicle)
increases risk of diabetes, cancer and
early death.
In short, when you’re self-employed
and work more than 40 hours a week,
you are not just destroying your work/life
balance. You are literally putting your life
at risk.
So, here’s my advice:
If your working life currently demands
long hours as a condition for getting your
students ready for tests, set a limit on
how many hours you’ll continue to put in
every week – and stick to it. Your life is
at risk if you continue working at that
pace.
If you are driving yourself to work long
hours, then you need the self-discipline
to track the time you work and cut the
hours down to between 40 and 50 or
less, regardless of whether there’s “so
much to get done.”
NEWSLINK n JULY 2021
27

Regional News
London’s low traffic neighbourhoods
aren’t the answer for everyone
Alex Brownlee
MSA GB Greater London
London has 32 boroughs, and the City.
Throughout Greater London the Low
Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTN) schemes
have been expanded over the last few
years. A great many have been
introduced using experimental traffic
orders by the boroughs and are
supposedly open to change via local
consultation.
Essentially, these schemes restrict
motor traffic in certain areas – usually
residential ‘side roads’ – and they are
blocked off with planters and in some
cases, bollards, only permitting walking
and cycling; enforcement is invariably
carried out by CCTV camera. Offending
motorists are likely to get a penalty
charge notice through the post, and the
penalty, in London, is £120 with a
discount for swift payment of 50%.
The expansion of LTNs over the last
year or so has proved controversial in
some areas, as the closure of roads has
displaced motor traffic to surrounding
‘main roads’ to keep the residential roads
in the LTN traffic free.
The major objection is that these
schemes funnel traffic into limited road
space, increasing congestion, journey
times and pollution. Problems have been
experienced by emergency services
needing to access roads within an LTN,
28
and also by delivery drivers, some
disabled motorists and carers. While
emergency services are supposed to have
keys (where necessary) to access an
LTN, anecdotal evidence suggests this is
not always the case. Signage of these
areas is not always prominent and a
great many motorists have been caught
out and fined as a result. There is no
recognition of this type of scheme on
GPS systems, although they are never
100 per cent accurate in any case, and
therefore people can be led astray by
them. The result is that many local
motorists are inclined to believe that
such areas are little more than a
money-making scheme for local councils,
to boost their finances.
As far as I can see, any consultation
about such a scheme has been
conducted only with those living in the
area concerned. It has not included
others living locally who would also be
‘‘
These schemes funnel traffic
into limited road space,
increasing congestion, journey
times and pollution... with
a lack of accurate signage,
motorists are inclined to see
them as a money-making
scheme for local councils
‘‘
impacted by the closure of certain roads
that they often use. Residents living
within the schemes’ boundaries are keen
to have less traffic on their doorsteps, but
the motorists have to put up with being
diverted to other areas and can be fined
if they use their usual routes and have
had no say in the matter.
From my point of view, such schemes
mean I have to use the main routes now
available, increasing journey times and
pollution, and it also limits the number of
side roads, which usually have low traffic
anyway, to be available for teaching.
These schemes mean only pedestrians,
motorcyclists or cyclists can use the
roads, but it does not stop the pollution
that motor traffic creates elsewhere. and
is not eco-friendly.
While we all understand the need to
reduce traffic pollution, I believe this is
the wrong approach.
In my area there has been a
considerable resistance to the schemes
and the local council’s website has
received a great many adverse comments
in its current consultation about making
the schemes permanent.
If you have had any experience of
these schemes, and would like to
contribute to the discussion, don’t
hesitate to contact me.
CONTACT
To comment on this article, or provide
updates, contact Alex at
msaeditorgreaterlondon@gmail.com
NEWSLINK n JULY 2021

For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com
Trailer trashed got me thinking
about their safety rules
Terry Pearce
MSA GB West Midlands
Recently I was a passenger in a car
driving up the M1 to Sheffield to watch
the snooker at the Crucible when the
traffic ahead of us suddenly slowed.
We were in the middle lane when I
saw the remains of a trailer partly
obstructing the outside lane. Luckily,
there was a police car a few cars behind
us who pulled into the outside lane to
sort it.
Cars have an MOT but it got me
wondering, what about their trailers?
How many people who tow trailers have
them inspected regularly for faults, etc?
The car towing it had managed to pull
up on the hard shoulder and no one else
was involved, but can you imagine the
potential carnage a loose trailer could
cause? The pictures were downloaded
from the dashcam, if you wondered how
I managed to take them so quickly!
CONTACT
To comment on this article, or provide
updates from your area, contact
Terry at terry@terrypearce.co.uk
Who’d have thought it; young men
like to be driven about safely!
by an MSA GB member
I came across this story on the internet
the other day, and thought I would share
it with my fellow ADIs.
In a way, commenting on this makes
me sound a bit churlish, as the
organisation behind it is clearly doing its
best to improve road safety, but I couldn’t
but wonder how much money had been
spent stating, as Basil Fawlty would put
it, ‘the bleedin’ obvious.’
Anyway, here goes... New research by
Government road safety campaigners at
THINK! has found that “many young
men who have been driving for a while
are overconfident in their driving ability
and believe they can safely take risks
when at the wheel.”
Get away! Who’d have thought it!
It goes on: “This includes driving too
fast, especially when in a hurry or on
roads they think they know well, and
being more likely to use a handheld
mobile at the wheel.” Thanks, THINK!
However, while that spot of research is
never going to raise any eyebrows among
ADIs, there was one interesting new fact
to emerge.
It appears that contrary to what has
always been assumed, young men don’t
like being driven about by friends who
drive recklessly.
The THINK! report added: “For this
group of young men, the mates they
silently prefer to be driven by are those
who drive safely.”
THINK! revealed the research as it
Western AGM and
training day
MSA GB Western: Members
please note that we hope to
run our traditional area
conference and AGM this
year as an in-person event,
rather than by Zoom.
The committee hopes we
can all get together on
Monday, 8th November
2021, at Oake Manor Golf
Club, near Taunton.
Obviously, any plans will
be dependent on Covid-19
rules at the time, but the
hope at this stage is for an
all-day event, with keynote
speakers, Q&A and chances
for networking and
discussing the key issues
with your fellow instructors.
More details on speakers
and how to book will be
available shortly.
We will contact all local
members direct, or keep an
eye on the MSAGB Western
area Facebook page.
launched the Good Driver campaign to
help normalise this silent respect and
spark a conversation about good driving
by encouraging young men to see that
“mates respect mates who don’t take
risks on the road.”
The campaign has been created in
collaboration with the County FA and
media partners Acast, COPA90, Twitch
and Jungle Creations.
Content will run throughout July across
video on demand, social media, online
video, podcast and in-game streaming.
If you want to get involved and
publicise the campaign, go to
https://www.think.gov.uk/wp-content/
uploads/2021/06/THINK-Good-Driverstakeholder-toolkit.pdf
where you’ll find some pretty good
information that could be passed on to
pupils for their post-test lives.
You can also follow the campaign at
@THINKgovuk on Twitter.
NEWSLINK n JULY 2021
29

Regional News
Let’s take a leaf out of Europe’s
book and push emergency corridors
Guy Annan
MSA GB Western
The concept of the ‘emergency corridor’
is something I’ve only recently become
aware of. Possibly many of you already
know about it but I thought I’d share this
article to raise awareness and to ask,
why hasn’t this sensible system been
formally adopted in this country?
The emergency corridor
So what is the emergency corridor? It’s
a way the authorities can ensure that
emergency vehicles can cut through built
up traffic on motorways and dual
carriageways and get to the scene of a
crash without too much of a hold-up. If
you take the German version of the
corridor as an example, as soon as
vehicles on motorways and roads outside
a built-up area with at least two lanes for
one direction start to move at walking
pace only or come to a standstill, these
vehicles must, in accordance with
Section 11(2) of the German Road
Traffic Regulations, leave a gap between
the lane on the far left and the lane
immediately adjacent to it on the right to
allow police and emergency vehicles to
pass (the emergency corridor).
The three-metre requirement is the
absolute minimum; a fire brigade vehicle
can easily be three metres wide.
It’s not a widespread measure; the
three metre corridor is part of the traffic
regulations in only a handful of countries:
Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany,
Hungary, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovenia
and Switzerland. But it has real value;
according to a study conducted in
Austria, an emergency corridor may
speed up the arrival of EMS/FRS to the
scene by up to four minutes and increase
the chances of crash survival by 40 per
cent.
With the current debate surrounding
the use of hard shoulders on motorways
as live running lanes, some people have
suggested that emergency corridors could
be a solution to one of the problems their
absence causes, ie, nowhere for
emergency vehicles to go. However, it is
a common misconception that a hard
shoulder exists in order to allow
emergency vehicles to pass. Although in
some countries hard shoulders may be
used by emergency vehicles, especially
when bypassing a congested road, in
normal usage, the hard shoulder is
designed to serve as an emergency
stopping lane that can be used by
motorists in case of a technical problem
Vehicles swing apart to create a lane between the
outside (fast) lane and the one immediately on its
inside. In this diagram, cars in lanes 1 and 2 also
edge to their right to create a safe space
30
NEWSLINK n JULY 2021

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A perfectly executed ‘emergency
corridor’ in Germany.
That country has made the
creation of such corridors
mandatory, with fines and point
penalties for transgressing
on their vehicle or in other emergency
situation. Even when a hard shoulder is
available, it is beneficial for all road users
to have drivers form an emergency
corridor instead of leaving the hard
shoulder as the only option for EMS/FRS
vehicles when they need to reach a
collision site. The width of the hard
shoulder might not always be sufficient
for a fire engine to pass. Since hard
shoulders may serve as an area where
drivers can pull out if their vehicle has
broken down, use of the same hard
shoulder by emergency vehicles may not
be the best idea as it may get blocked
easily.
In addition to that, in some European
regions the infrastructure may be
different from what drivers expect – and
it is possible that there may not be any
hard shoulder at all in some cases.
Therefore, it is important to have an
alternative way of giving the emergency/
rescue workers enough space for their
passage, and the emergency corridor
may be the solution, especially on narrow
roads.
Awareness raising
Before, during, and after the
introduction of a law obliging drivers to
form an emergency corridor, education
and awareness-raising campaigns with
leaflets and/or demonstrative video
campaigns are recommended. The public
should be made aware of what an
emergency corridor is, what purpose it
serves and how it should/should not be
used.
For spreading all the necessary
information about emergency corridors,
how to form them and on which side of
roads, information signs or billboards
alongside motorways could be used.
Once the level of consciousness among
the general population increases, some
drivers may give a lead to others thus
multiplying the number of those who act
correctly in congested traffic. Continuous
monitoring and evaluation of the share of
people who are aware of emergency
corridors is recommended. An evaluation
survey should be conducted among EMS/
FRS drivers and based on results this
measure can be further promoted and
campaigns designed accordingly.
Enforcement
Responsible and reasonable behaviour
upstream of road collision sites as well
as on congested roads is crucial and may
save lives. In the EU countries where
forming of emergency corridors is
required by law, disobedience in crisis
situations is enforced by police and
drivers may receive both fines and
penalty points on their driving licence;
penalties may vary significantly in
different EU Member States. Considering
people’s lives can be put at risk,
penalties in some EU countries are set at
a high level.
Similarly, deliberate obstruction as well
as misuse or abuse of the emergency
corridor is punishable. In some cases, it
may be tempting for drivers to follow an
ambulance passing to the incident in an
attempt to easily overtake a large number
of other vehicles in a traffic jam.
Nevertheless, the ambulance might not
be the only emergency vehicle trying to
reach the spot as more than one
ambulance may be working its way to
the incident, or a fire engine may follow,
requiring an even wider corridor to get
where it needs to intervene. Hence it is
strictly forbidden to use the emergency
corridor for private vehicles.
It is important that all drivers comply
with the law as this particular measure is
functional only if all drivers abide. Even
one single vehicle can block the whole
corridor, be it due to deliberate
obstruction by the driver, lack of
knowledge or panic behaviour in a crisis
situation. It is advised that drivers remain
calm and try to do their best to create a
corridor in a systematic and organised
way.
This seems to be at to be a very good
idea but as we can’t even educate people
to use the red X on a motorway, how
could we educate this?
More on responding to emergency
vehicles on page 32
CONTACT
To comment on this article, or provide
updates, contact Guy at g.annan@
alphadrivingtaunton.com
NEWSLINK n JULY 2021
31

Road Safety News
Emergency! Five simple tips to help an
ambulance on a blue light journey
Road safety campaign group and
breakdown organisation GEM has come
up with five simple tips to help drivers
handle blue light vehicles approaching
them – and they could be ideal to pass
on to your pupils during a lesson.
The tips relate to locations and
situations where confusion can occur,
such as traffic lights, roundabouts,
motorways without hard shoulders and
stretches of road with solid white lines
where overtaking is not allowed.
The tips come in 10 animations which
provide simple-to-follow advice,
approved by the emergency services, on
what to do and what not to do when
helping an emergency vehicle.
GEM chief executive Neil Worth said:
“Every driver wants to help and do the
right thing, but the approach of a blue
light vehicle can take them by surprise.
“We hope that our tips will minimise
confusion and reduce risk.”
At traffic lights
An ambulance won’t want you to go
through a red traffic light. So don’t break
the law or take any risks by moving past
the light. If you’re first in the queue at a
red light, stay where you are, and leave
the ambulance to find its way around
you.
Roundabouts and junctions
If you’re approaching a roundabout or
a junction and you see an ambulance,
look at its position, as this will let you
know where it wants you to go.
If you’re already at the junction, be
patient and wait for it to come past.
There may be more than one emergency
vehicle approaching the junction, so
check before moving off.
A scene from the GEM Blue LIght Aware
animation series
Solid white lines
On a road with a solid white line
system, an ambulance will probably
switch off its siren as it follows you. This
is because overtaking is not allowed. So
keep going – at the speed limit if it’s safe
– until you’re clear of the solid white
lines. When the siren goes on again,
that’s your cue to let the ambulance go
past.
Motorways and dual carriageways
On motorways and dual carriageways,
move to the left to allow an ambulance
to pass in the outside lane if it’s clear. In
slow and stationary traffic, emergency
vehicles often use the motorway hard
shoulder, so you should only go onto the
hard shoulder if you have an emergency
of your own. If there’s no hard shoulder,
make way for emergency vehicles by
creating an ‘emergency corridor’ (as
shown in the picture). When you’ve let
an emergency vehicle through, stay
where you are, as other vehicles are
likely to be coming through.
Smart motorways
On a smart motorway, one or more
lanes may be closed because of an
incident ahead – you’ll know because of
red X signs above the carriageway.
Emergency vehicles will use these lanes
if they can. Keep out of the red X lanes.
If no lanes appear to be closed, get ready
to help create the emergency corridor.
Watch the animations
You can see the animations at
https://www.bluelightaware.org.uk/
Driver fatigue highlighted as summer season starts
GEM has also launched a new road
safety campaign highlighting the
dangers of driving while tired, as
people in the UK gear up for their
summer holidays.
The campaign warns drivers to be
watchful for the symptoms of fatigue
and the risks of being behind the
wheel when tired.
This summer holiday season, with
staycations more popular than ever, is
likely to see more families heading off
to destinations many hours’ drive
away.
GEM chief executive Neil Worth
commented: “At its most basic, fatigue
reduces drivers’ ability to concentrate
and focus on what is going around
them. Safety and hazard information
that’s usually interpreted immediately
by a driver who is fully alert can take
the fatigued driver a lot longer to get
to grips with.”
He warns passengers to watch out
for “drivers drifting out of the lane,
changing speed more frequently or
fidgeting in their seat. If you spot any
or all of these symptoms, you must get
the driver to stop and rest.”
Researchers believe fatigue is
involved in 10-25 per cent of all
crashes and a fifth of all serious
collisions on motorways.
32
NEWSLINK n JULY 2021

For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com
Smartphone-connected
security system added to
Ford’s anti-theft devices
Ford has added a new connected security
system to its car range, providing added
peace of mind to owners.
Despite many people across Europe
staying at home amid the pandemic,
vehicle crime remains a huge problem,
and is even on the increase in some
countries. Car alarms can help to deter
thieves. However, in cities where
vehicles may be parked on the street
overnight, owners may ignore the alarm,
not realising it is from their car, or fail to
hear it altogether.
But to counter this, Ford has made its
smartphone-connected heightened
security system, SecuriAlert (formerly
known as Guard Mode), available to car
owners for the first time.
Once activated, SecuriAlert sends a
notification to the vehicle owner’s
smartphone if it identifies any vehicle
activity, including attempts to open
doors or gain access with a key,
providing peace of mind to customers
when their cars are out of sight – or out
of earshot.
How SecuriAlert works
Owners activate SecuriAlert when they
are away from their vehicle. The feature
is quickly and easily switched on or off
– “armed” or “disarmed” – using the
FordPass smartphone app.
Once active, it makes use of the
vehicle’s existing sensors to identify if an
attempt is being made to enter the
vehicle. Using the onboard modem,
FordPass Connect, the car will
immediately send a push notification to
the owner’s smartphone if it detects any
activity involving their vehicle.
The FordPass app reveals the time
and reason for any SecuriAlert alarms
– via the smartphone – as well as the
vehicle’s last known location.
If an attempt is made to open a door
using a key – an action that would not
trigger a conventional vehicle alarm
– SecuriAlert will still send an alert. This
can be particularly useful in identifying
attempts to access to a car using a
cloned or stolen key.
When the owner returns to their
vehicle – to drive to work in the
morning, for example – they simply
NEWSLINK n JULY 2021
disarm SecuriAlert via the FordPass app
and continue on their journey.
First introduced for commercial
vehicles earlier this year, SecuriAlert is
one of a suite of connected features now
available to Ford customers.
In 2020, Ford made its connected
vehicle services complimentary to
customers across Europe, and recently
announced a cross-manufacturer
connected-vehicle partnership to warn
drivers of hazards on the road ahead.
Over 100,000 Ford vehicles in the UK
‘‘
If the vehicle’s onboard
sensors detect an attempt to
enter the car, it sends a push
message to your smartphone
alerting you to the threat
‘‘
already have access to the SecuriAlert
feature.
Richard Bunn, director of retail
connectivity solutions, Ford Mobility,
Ford of Europe, said the new security
system could be a game changer in the
fight against car theft. “Whether left on
the street overnight or in a car park on a
shopping trip, we know our customers
care about the security of their car and
its contents.
“SecuriAlert builds on Ford’s growing
connectivity ecosystem to empower
owners with the knowledge that if
something happens with their vehicle
when they aren’t driving it, they will be
the first to know.”
See https://youtu.be/oc4XV5P5SZ8
Lessons to teach
youths safer
driving habits
Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue
Service is partnering with sustainable
mobility specialist Arval UK to deliver
lessons for secondary school students.
The Key Stage 4 lesson is aimed at
14-year-old Year 10 students and acts
as a prelude to the service’s flagship
‘Safe Drive Stay Alive’ show.
Named ‘Passenger Power’, the lesson
aims to empower young people to
challenge risks to their personal safety
as a passenger in a vehicle.
It includes animations and stories
based around the most common causes
of death and serious injury in road
traffic collisions – speed, mobile phones/
distractions, drink and drugs and
non-use of seatbelts – the ‘Fatal Four’.
Christine Sharma of Dorset and
Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said:
“Young people remain one of the most
vulnerable road user groups in the UK.
“Students have told us they feel
uncomfortable challenging dangerous
driving as a passenger. This lesson
explores brain development in
adolescents, the part that peer pressure
plays, and invites students to consider
assertive ways to help keep themselves
and their friends safe.
“Our hope is that schools across the
UK will be able to deliver this lesson.
Moving forward, this intervention will
become part of our wider suite of road
safety education across Dorset and
Wiltshire.”
A second lesson for Key Stage 3
students in Year 7 and 8 will be
launched later this academic year and
will focus on travelling independently
– ready for teachers to plan delivery to
students as they enter secondary school
this autumn.
Ailsa Firth, Arval UK HR director and
community executive sponsor, said:
“Developing an understanding of road
safety starts from an early age. We’re
proud to support Dorset and Wiltshire
Fire and Rescue Service to help keep
the next generation safe.”
“These lessons will establish core
principles which could help make them
safer drivers in the future too.”
Click here for
the TES lesson
33

Company profile
For they’re jolly good Fellows!
Tri-Coaching Partnership
founders Susan McCormack
and Graham Hooper
accredited as Fellows in
coaching by international body
These are exciting times for Tri-Coaching
Partnership, which has been established
as the number one authority for
coaching in driver development within
the driver training industry for over a
decade.
The BTEC Level 4 Professional Award
in Coaching for Driver Development is a
fundamental piece of CPD (Continuing
Professional Development) for any ADI
who wants to develop both themselves
and their business.
Founding directors Susan McCormack
& Graham Hooper have been investing in
their own Continual Professional
Development again and have now been
accredited as Fellows in coaching and
mentoring by ‘The International Authority
for Professional Coaches and Mentors’
(IAPC&M).
This was a stringent qualifying process
where they had to meet tough criteria,
including being able to evidence over
240 hours of specific coaching training
and over 2,500 hours of coaching
experience. CPD is fundamental to the
accreditation, with at least 30 hours
having to be accrued every year and
evidence of this presented to cover the
previous 10 years – plus a 1,500-word
essay describing their personal
contribution to coaching and mentoring.
The next stage was a capability
interview, where they were each
interviewed by the accreditation officer of
the IAPC&M for 90 minutes and
assessed against three main areas:
Underpinning Knowledge and
Understanding; Reflective Practice; and
Developing Capability.
The questions they faced were
challenging – here are some examples:
n Why is it important to practice CPD
and what should it cover?
n Describe, with examples, your
approach to CPD?
n What are your learning and
development objectives for the next 12
months?
n How do you evaluate your success?
n Describe a situation you have come
across which you would like to explore
with a supervisor, coach, or mentor.
What would you gain from this?
n What actions do you take to
promote coaching within the wider
community? This could include coaching,
writing, social media etc.
There were many more questions that
challenged them both and they had to
think on their feet, as they had no idea in
advance what questions they would face.
They then each had to deliver a
60-minute live coaching session and a
60-minute live mentoring session, where
they were assessed on their abilities in
the moment, with the following areas
being marked to establish their expertise:
n Establishing a coaching agreement
n Establishing trust and the relationship
with the client.
n Use of self in coaching
n Active listening
n Powerful questioning.
n Direct communication
n Creating awareness through feedback
and challenge
n Considering options
n Action planning
n Managing progress and accountability
n Assessing success strategies.
The pass mark requirement was a
minimum of 85 per cent in each area –
to score lower in any area would result in
‘‘
We are proud of this
accreditation... and hope it
represents our commitment
to keeping coaching at the
forefront of driver
development for ADIs
‘‘
a failure. They will need to go through a
similar process every three years to
maintain their status as Accredited
Fellow in Coaching and Mentoring.
This is what the IPAC&M says about
the Fellow accredited status:
“Fellow is the most prestigious level
and it’s a true mark of distinction and an
aspiration for all, and the designation of
fellowship is now more than ever a
demonstration of your impact on the
profession of coaching.
“To become a fellow, you are required
to have extensive experience and can
clearly demonstrate a sustained or
significant contribution to the profession
or wider industry, entry is granted based
on the outcome of an external
assessment undertaken after successful
completion of an extensive application
process covering key competence areas.”
Graham and Susan said: “We are
proud to have achieved this accreditation
and hope it represents our commitment
to keeping coaching at the forefront of
driver development for Approved Driving
Instructors.
It will give us the opportunity to
develop more courses for a wider
audience, who, themselves can be
accredited by the IAPC&M as coaches,
adding even more value to anyone
seeking to broaden their horizons.
“We will be offering everyone the
opportunity to become accredited with
the IAPC&M via our own certificated
course which will be launched in
September this year.
“We have a webinar that you are
invited to attend on July 15th at 7pm,
going out live on zoom - you can register
for the event via www.coachex.co.uk
“As an extra incentive, all MSA GB
members receive 20 per cent discount
on our full range of courses, which can
be found at
www.tri-coachingpartnership.com
“We are proud of our record of bringing
CPD opportunities to the ADI community
and are grateful that our experiences
within the industry have allowed us to
achieve this prestigious award of
Fellowship of the IAPC&M.”
If anyone requires information about
coaching/training and courses, please
get in touch on 0800 058 8009 or
email info@tri-coachingpartnership.
co.uk
34
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For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com
Aitchoo! Sounds
like we’re at max
hay fever level!
Do you have pupils who suffer badly from
hay fever – or do you suffer yourself?
This time of year can be the worst for
sufferers, and with a fifth of the UK’s
population believed to be upset by
pollen to some degree, it’s a widespread
menace.
Symptoms of the seasonal allergy can
include sneezing, itchy or watery eyes
and a runny nose – all of which are
potentially distracting for anyone behind
the wheel of a car as they compromise
our ability to concentrate and focus on
the driving task.
The problem for sufferers is that the
main over the counter medicines for
treating it can be dangerous for drivers,
because their sedative effect can leave a
sufferer feeling fatigued, dizzy or groggy.
GEM chief executive Neil Worth said
the arrival of hay fever can herald weeks
of misery for millions. “Every sneeze
brings a couple of seconds where you
won’t be able to concentrate on your
driving, while inflamed or itchy eyes
reduce the quality of your vision,” he
said. “Sufferers will often find they are
distracted by their symptoms.
“Some antihistamines can have a
sedative effect. This means they can
make you feel tired, lethargic and
unable to concentrate, putting you at far
higher risk if you attempt to drive.
“That’s why it’s so important to heed
any warnings on treatments you use
– whether over the counter or prescribed
by your doctor. If the drug can make you
drowsy, then you must not drive.”
GEM has created a six-point
‘POLLEN’ safety checklist for any driver
likely to need a hay fever medicine:
• Prescription: if your medicine may
cause drowsiness, don’t drive.
• Over the counter: it’s not just
prescription medicines that can cause
drowsiness.
• Label: check for drowsiness
warnings on any medicines you’re taking
• Look for alternatives: if you need to
drive and a medicine is making you
drowsy, ask about other options
• Enquire: check with your doctor or
pharmacist if a medicine could affect
your ability to drive.
• New drug: be particularly careful if
you are using a medicine for the first
time.
NEWSLINK n JULY 2021
Lockdowns have left quarter
of drivers feeling nervous
Nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of drivers
say they now feel more nervous about
driving than they did before the
Covid-19 pandemic started, research by
Spanish car manufacturer SEAT has
found.
If that figure was representative across
the country it would mean that almost
10 million drivers are feeling
apprehensive while driving, now that the
lifting of many Covid-19 restrictions
allows travel anywhere within the UK.
Almost half of the drivers surveyed
(44 per cent) who said they now feel
more nervous pointed to a lack of
driving practice over the last year, while
42 per cent stated the return of highvolume
traffic following a year of
lockdowns was also to blame.
More than a quarter (26 per cent) feel
less assured about their own parking
skills.
With the global pandemic causing the
UK to go into multiple lockdowns since
March 2020, drivers have found
themselves covering significantly fewer
miles behind the wheel. Of those
surveyed, 40 per cent estimated they
had covered fewer than 2,500 miles
since the first lockdown started,
compared to just 11 per cent in the year
before Covid-19.
Drivers in London have been the most
impacted by the lockdowns, with 44 per
cent claiming they are now more
nervous about driving. Driving in big
cities was ranked the second biggest
cause for motorists feeling apprehensive
about driving again, with driving at night
taking the top spot.
Young drivers aged 18-24 were the
most impacted age group, with a third
stating they now feel less confident. In
particular, 38 per cent feel less confident
about parking compared to an average
of 26 per cent for all age groups.
John French, head of product at SEAT
UK, commented: “For much of the past
14 months, millions of motorists across
the UK have been confined to their local
area, driving on roads they’re acquainted
with.
“Now, following the lifting of most
social distancing restrictions, drivers are
once again navigating unfamiliar places
and faced with high volumes of traffic,
tight parking spaces and certain road
types they’ve perhaps become
unaccustomed to.
“SEAT offers a huge number of
technologies which help to alleviate
these concerns, encompassing parking,
as well as city and motorway driving.”
These include Park Assist, Adaptive
Predictive Cruise Control, Dynamic Road
Sign Display and SEAT’s Front Assist.
This latter system alerts the driver if
they get too close to the vehicle in front
and automatically applies the brakes in
an emergency to prevent a collision.
Cars also feature Lane Keeping System,
which helps keep the car in lane.
35

Q & A with... Jennifer Owen
A little more conversation with
the DVSA would help us all
Scottish ADI Jennifer Owen
might need the Highway
Code re-writing... to include
an entire chapter on cows...
When did you become an ADI, and
what made you enter the profession?
I qualified in 2009 having trained full
time while still working. I was looking for
a new career and always fancied an
office with a view…so here I am!
What’s the best bit about the job?
That every hour brings new challenges.
The elation of pupils when they pass
always makes me smile.
...And the worst?
The worst part of my job would
probably be the lack of patience and
understanding of other road users shown
to learners.
The number of drivers out there who
woke up one morning with a licence is
baffling!!
What’s the best piece of training advice
you were ever given?
Always smile and remember, someone,
somewhere is always having a worse day
than you are.
What one piece of kit, other than your
car and phone, could you not do without?
My diary; I would be lost without it!
Jen Owen with her tuition car
What needs fixing most urgently in
driving generally?
The attitude of drivers in general.
Everyone is always in a hurry,
undertaking/overtaking, doing whatever it
takes to get wherever they are going five
minutes early.
Patience really is a virtue!
Teaching? I’d rather be driving...
Jen at her favourite spot, the golf course
What should the DVSA focus on?
For me it has to be the Standards
Check procedures. There aren’t many
jobs where members have to sit exams
every couple of years to ensure they are
doing their job properly. Surely examiners
can verify the quality of instructors’
teaching based off the pupils taken to
test?
What’s the next big thing that’s going to
transform driver training/testing?
I would imagine the introduction of
electric cars and also the increase of
automatic cars on the road. In time
manual cars will become a thing of the
past.
Electric cars – yes or no? And why?
As above, it’s clear that electric cars
are the future, whether we like it or not.
There are many pros and cons, for
example they are certainly better for the
planet, however, the charging of them for
ADIs could prove tricky!
36
NEWSLINK n JULY 2021

For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com
‘‘
Government urged to
‘rethink’ e-scooter rules
More attention has to be
given to the overall drive of
the pupil on test... we need
more communication between
examiners and ADIs about the
ability of the pupil
‘‘
How can we improve driver testing/
training in one move?
I feel that perhaps more attention has
to be given to the overall drive of a pupil
on a test. I think it is currently rather
harsh; you can have a pupil with no
minors or just a very few, return to the
test centre with one major fault and
therefore a fail, yet you can have a pupil
return with up to 15 minors and still
pass!
I think there has to be more
communication between examiners and
instructors regarding the ability of pupil
presented for test.
What keeps you awake at night?
Usually my partner Jim snoring!
No one is the finished article. What do
you do to keep on top of the game?
I take the attitude that I must always
strive to be better and always give. Every
day is a learning day.
What’s the daftest /most dangerous
thing that’s ever happened to you while
teaching?
Daftest moment would have to be a
pupil who came out for his lesson on
Halloween dressed in a HotDog outfit!
Most dangerous would be when I was on
a lesson and we were met by two
rampaging cows on a country road.
It gets worse: somewhat ironically, my
biggest fear in life are cows! It wasn’t a
good day at the office!
When are you at your happiest?
I’m at my happiest probably on the
golf course with my partner Jim
somewhere in Argyll.
#Carradale/Machrihanish
What film, music or show gives you
most pleasure?
I am a great lover of Scottish music.
Bands such as Tide Lines, Skippinish
and Skerryvore always make me smile.
Following the extension of its rental
e-scooter trials, the Government has
been urged to introduce ‘more robust
rule enforcement and safety
measures’.
The trials, which got underway in
July 2020, are designed to help the
Government assess the benefits of
e-scooters – in particular their impact
on public space, motor traffic, the
environment and safety.
To date, approximately 50 towns
and cities across the UK have
launched e-scooter rental schemes,
which were initially due to end in
August this year.
However, the decision was recently
made to extend them until spring
2022.
The National Accident Helpline says
without putting adequate safety and
rule enforcement measures in place,
the trials ‘put the public at risk’.
It is calling for the speed limit of the
devices to be reduced from 15.5mph
to 12.5mph and for other measures
such as the legal requirement of
helmets.
The National Accident Helpline is
also raising the issue of the illegal use
of privately-owned e-scooters.
It points to statistics from cycling
retailer Halfords, which show sales of
privately-owned e-scooters have risen
by 184 per cent.
Jonathan White, legal and
compliance director of National
Accident Helpline, said: “E-scooters
are seen as an attractive option in
helping the nation to embrace more
environmentally friendly transport
options.
“However, introducing these
schemes without putting adequate
safety and rule enforcement measures
in place puts the public at risk.
“With e-scooter trials being
extended and private sales growing,
we would ask that the Government
rethinks its recommendation and
ensures there is a legal requirement in
place to wear appropriate safety
protection, such as cycle helmets,
when operating e-scooters.
“We believe the speed limit should
also be reduced to 12.5mph, as is the
case in Germany.
“Other new safety initiatives in the
trial areas could include specific
e-scooter routes or roads, usage
curfews, and even artificial noise
devices that issue audible alerts to
pedestrians.”
‘‘
The Government needs to
rethink its strategy and include
a legal requirement to wear
appropriate safety protection,
such as cycle helmets
‘‘
NEWSLINK n JULY 2021
37

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 and click on the Member Discounts logo. 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 GB’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 GB 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 GB OFFER:: Enjoy a 20% saving on our
Advanced Driver Course for 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 GB OFFER:: We’re proud to offer all MSA
GB members 25% discount.
CAR AIR FRESHENERS / CANDLES
Mandles’ handmade scented collections use
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superior scent throw from all
its candles and diffusers.
Check our our website for
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MSA GB OFFER:: Special discount
of 20% on all car air fresheners and refills.
CARD PAYMENTS
MSA GB 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 GB 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 GB Members.
MSA GB 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 GB 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 GB 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
38 NEWSLINK n JULY 2021

For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com
Membership offer
Welcome new ADIs
We’ve a special introductory offer for you!
PUPIL INSURANCE
Help your pupils private practice
by signing them up to
Collingwood’s instructor
affiliate programme.
MSA GB OFFER:: £50 for your
first referral and a chance to
win £100 of High Street vouchers!
PSYCHOLOGY TRAINING
Confident Drivers has the only
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drivers offering eight different
psychological techniques
commonly used to reduce
stress and nerves.
MSA GB 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 GB 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 GB OFFER: 10% discount on
purchases across our tyre ranges.
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.
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 GB 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: No joining fee,
saving you £15, plus two free gifts
and 13 months membership for
the price of 12 – all for just £70!
SPECIAL OFFER
Join MSA GB today!
and get 13 months membership
for the price of 12 – plus
no joining fee, saving £15
To get the full story of
the discounts available,
see www.msagb.com
Call 0800 0265986 quoting discount code
Newslink, or join online at www.msagb.com
Just
£70
for 13 months membership PLUS TWO FREE GIFTS: An
MSA GB canvas A4 case and a RFID credit card wallet
NEWSLINK n JULY 2021 39