Newslink October 2021
Membership magazine of the Motor Schools Association; road safety, driver training and testing news.
Membership magazine of the Motor Schools Association; road safety, driver training and testing news.
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For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com<br />
The view from the sector:<br />
Consultation<br />
was a sham<br />
We have received the following letter<br />
from a member affected by the end of<br />
the B+E test. The sentiments are typical<br />
of the many calls we have received at<br />
Head Office.<br />
Dear Editor,<br />
Stunned. Shocked. Dismay. Disbelief.<br />
All of these words sum up my feelings<br />
after Friday’s email from Government<br />
announcing the end of B+E Testing. But<br />
mostly, numb. Numb sums up my state of<br />
mind and feelings most accurately.<br />
I qualified in 2000 as an ADI and since<br />
2002, B+E training has been my<br />
specialty, a niche if you like, and my main<br />
source of income. Building a successful<br />
business takes time, as we all know;<br />
maintaining an excellent reputation<br />
requires consistency, dedication and hard<br />
work. I would like to think I had achieved<br />
all of that over the years and then, with<br />
one email, shattered. Really? Yes, like a<br />
magic trick, it’s all gone in the blink of an<br />
eye.<br />
We all knew change was afoot. Would<br />
instructors be signing off reversing and<br />
uncoupling manoeuvres? Would there be<br />
a CBT-style system introduced if, God<br />
forbid, the Department for Transport did<br />
scrap the test? I can answer that<br />
question. No. None of the above.<br />
The biggest shock however, over and<br />
above losing my income overnight, was<br />
the speed of the decision. When have any<br />
of you known a government decision<br />
made so quickly? Within days of the<br />
consultation finishing. Never??<br />
Which begs the question, was the<br />
consultation a complete waste of our<br />
time, a sham, a smokescreen, a total<br />
joke, because the decision to scrap B+E<br />
had already been made way before we<br />
knew anything about a consultation. The<br />
only bit of genius in this decision was to<br />
release the news at 4pm on a Friday just<br />
before a weekend, where it easily gets lost.<br />
So what next? Pray for a Government<br />
U-turn? It’s been known! I believe that is<br />
called your wildest dream though. To go<br />
from three to four tests per week to none<br />
overnight is like driving into a brick wall;<br />
you stop instantly and hope there are no<br />
injuries. There will be many casualties in<br />
our industry after this decision.<br />
I doubt there will be enough people<br />
clambering for training now there is no<br />
legal obligation to do so. There will be<br />
some, sure, but probably not enough to<br />
justify keeping 25k-worth of car and<br />
trailer sitting on the yard, ready and<br />
waiting.<br />
I think what’s next will need a little<br />
more time to work out. I just need the<br />
numbness to wear off a bit first.<br />
Steve Thomas ADI,<br />
Raglan Driver Training<br />
NEWSLINK n OCTOBER <strong>2021</strong><br />
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