MSA GB Newslink July

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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 <strong>July</strong> 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
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Page 10 and 11: News Clean air for Brum - but check
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MSA GB Newslink July

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