MSA GB Newslink July

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
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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