Newslink December 2021

msagb.com 

Newslink 

The Voice of MSA GB 

Issue 347 • December 2021 

Here we go again: 

Masks are back for 

ADIs and pupils 

E-scooters: 

Fit for 

the road? 

A vital contribution 

to greening 

urban mobility... 

or a dangerous 

plaything? 

We work for all Driver Trainers. Want to join? See pg 45 for a special introductory offer

02 NEWSLINK n MAY 2021

For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com 

A year of changes: let’s hope 

2022 runs more smoothly! 

Colin Lilly 

Editor, Newslink 

Well, here we are at the end of the first 

full calendar year of the Covid pandemic. 

There have certainly been some changes. 

Early in the pandemic during the early 

lockdowns I wrote that the grey skies 

would turn to blue. As far as the 

unprecedented levels of business are 

concerned, this is true. Many instructors 

are working at full capacity and unable to 

satisfy the demand. Finally, lesson prices 

are approaching the level they should 

have been at for many years. 

Unfortunately, there have been some 

dark clouds to mask some of the blue. 

There is the black cloud with DVLA 

written on it. The situation through the 

year has led to many new drivers waiting 

three months or more for a provisional 

licence. Those with health concerns have 

been left waiting even longer. 

As the industry emerged from 

lockdown it was not a smooth run, with 

the lack of waiting rooms until 

arrangements could be made. 

Adjustments have been made to driver 

training and the test to take account of 

the Covid restrictions. These have been 

understandable but none the less not as 

comfortable as before Covid. 

Brexit and the pandemic have taken 

their toll on the transport industry, 

leading to changes in LGV training and 

testing. Once again, the DVLA has had a 

hand in this. As part of the response the 

DVSA called an end to the B+E test. 

But just to show its officials had not 

been idle during lockdown, it also 

introduced changes to the Standards 

Check process. 

Let us hope that during 2022 the 

clouds will disperse completely and leave 

us with the blue sky. 

Over the festive period we can blow 

some of these clouds away for a while. 

Take a good break, you deserve it. 

Everyone involved with the association 

and the production of Newslink wishes 

you a very happy Christmas and New 

Year. Hopefully, next year will see the 

clouds thin and give us the opportunity to 

meet up at the national training day and 

AGM in March. 

Continue to take care. 

CONTACT 

To comment on this article or any other 

issue surrounding driver training and 

testing, contact Colin via editor@msagb.com 

Welcome to your 

digital, interactive 


See a pale blue box in any article 

or on an advert? It it contains a 

web address or email, it’s 

interactive. Just click and it will 

take you to the appropriate web 

page or email so you can find 

more details easier. 

You’ll also find these panels across 

the magazine: just click for more 

information on any given subject. 

To get the 

full story, 

click here 

How to access this 

magazine 

You can read Newslink in three 

ways: 

Go online and read the interactive 

magazine on the Yumpu website; 

or, if you would like to read it 

when you don’t have a mobile 

signal or WiFi, you can download 

the magazine to your tablet, PC or 

phone to read at your leisure. 

Alternatively, a pdf can be found 

on the MSA GB website, 

at www.msagb.com 

Season’s greetings, and thank you 

Peter Harvey MBE 

National Chairman 

MSA GB 

Here we are, another year almost over 

and we are all looking forward to a better 

festive period than last year. Let’s hope 

that’s so. 

I would like to wish all our members, 

colleagues and supporters a very happy 

Christmas in whatever way you celebrate 

the festive season. 

I would also like to thank you all for 

your continued support over this difficult 

year for everyone, and hope we can all 

get back to whatever the new normal will 

be very soon. 

A special word of thanks to all our 

team at head office for all their work 

throughout the year. 

On that note I need to advise you that 

the MSA GB office will close for 

Christmas on Friday, 24th December at 

lunchtime and reopen on Tuesday, 4th 

January at 9am. 

Again, Merry Christmas, and as our 

next issue of Newslink will in the first 

days of 2022, a Happy New Year. 

Follow the 

link MSA 

GB sends 

you to 

access 

Newslink, 

and then 

just click 

Download 

to save a 

copy on 

your device 

COVER STORY 

Scourge or saviour: what’s 

your view on e-scooters? 

Colin Lilly looks at the rules 

of the road... pg 16 

If you want to contribute to the January issue of Newslink, send your 

article to Colin Lilly at editor@msagb.com by 21st December. 

Plus: they’re back! 

Guidance on mask-wearing 

changes as Covid virus 

cases rise – see pg 6 

NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2021 

03

16 

12 

Transport 

of the 

future... 

or road 

menace? 

News 

Masks back in England 

Concern over Omicron variant of 

Covid-19 lead to U-turn on mask 

wearing during driving lessons – Pg 6 

Delay, but B+E axe will still fall 

A parliamentary cock-up gives B+E tests 

a technical reprieve, but they will still be 

history by Christmas – Pg 8 

Charity vehicle theft shock 

Sick thieves have targeted a dedicated 

charity helping disabled drivers – Pg 12 

14 

More chaos at the DVLA 

A growing backlog of licence applications 

has led to renewed criticism of the 

public’s least favourite public sector 

body, the DVLA – Pg 14 

20 

E-scooters: road rules needed 

The soaring popularity of e-scooters has 

left the government scrambling around 

for a way of controlling their use on the 

roads – but there’s little sign of success 

so far – Pg 16 

AI tech to help ADIs 

Are you using outdated tech in your job? 

WeDrive Instructor is the next-generation 

all-in-one toolkit helping today’s busy 

instructor work smarter, not harder... 

– Pg 20 


The Voice of MSA GB 

The Motor Schools Association 

of Great Britain Ltd 

Head Office: 

Chester House, 

68 Chestergate, 

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 

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e: colinregan001@yahoo.co.uk 

t: 01942 537959 / 07871 444922 

Views expressed in Newslink are not necessarily 

those of the MSA GB or the publishers. 

Although every effort is 

made to ensure the 

accuracy of material 

contained within this 

publication, neither MSA 

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 DECEMBER 2021


Area News/Views 

Sharing my space 

by Janet Stewart, MSA GB Greater London – pg 33 

Western report 

by Arthur Mynott, MSA GB Western – pg 35 

Poor standards of other ADIs 

Russell Jones, MSA GB East Midlands – pg 36 

Shedding some light on DRLs 

by Brian Thomson, MSA GB Scotland – pg 38 

Plus news and views from the 

South East, North West, North 

East and the West Midlands 

Features 

18 years of hard graft... 

... destroyed by a political whim. One ADI’s 

devastating story of the impact scrapping B+E 

testing has had on his business – Pg 22 

The fabled driving licence ... 

A look back at that most quaint of historic 

artefacts, the driving licence, circa 2021 – Pg 25 

The story of safety rails 

Concrete or steel? Wire or solid? The barriers that 

stop cars leaving the roads are surprising 

controversial – Pg 30 

Keep in 

touch 1 

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. 

Keep in touch: 

Just click on the icon 

to go through to the 

relevant site 

2 

Follow MSA GB on social media 

28 

MSA Conference 2022 

First details of next year’s event 

22 

Q&A with...Steven Porter 

MSA GB Scotland’s new 

Chairman on his love of Rangers, 

rock band Queen – and practice 

– pg 42 

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: 


natchair@msagb.com 

n Deputy National 

Chairman: Geoff Little 

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 

info@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 


05

News 

The mask... is back! 

Face coverings mandatory on driving lessons In England 

from 30th November; situation as before in Scotland, Wales 


National Chairman 

MSA GB 

As members will be only too aware, 

increasing government concern over the 

Omicron Covid-19 variant, and rising 

virus infection rates in general, has 

prompted a change in the official rules on 

the wearing of facemasks in England. 

Among those areas affected by this are 

professional driving lessons of all kinds, 

for both pupil and ADI. 

The rule change came in at 4am on 

Tuesday, November 30; from that point 

onwards face coverings must be worn 

in “any car, van or HGV, during a 

professional driving lesson, a formal 

driving test, or during one of the practical 

tests for giving driving instruction.” 

It should be noted that this guidance 

affects England only, as the rule in 

Scotland and Wales has been to continue 

wearing facemasks during lessons since 

general restrictions were eased in the 

summer. 

The legal requirement to wear a face 

covering in certain places will be reviewed 

in three weeks’ time. 

NASP considers personal responsibility 

will mean refreshed risk assessments for 

ourselves on an individual basis and 

similarly for each individual client, bearing 

in mind the official rules. 

NASP recommends that: 

• You wear a face covering to protect 

you and others on all lessons unless a 

valid exemption is provided. 

• You continue to sanitise the car as we 

have been doing during Covid and to 

continue to use hand sanitiser. 

• NASP recommends that you take 

regular lateral flow tests and ask your 

clients to do the same before coming out 

for a driving lesson. 

Official government advice states: 

It is also important to wear face 

coverings: 

• indoors, in any situation which is 

crowded, or where people are close 

together 

• if asked to by any “competent 

authority” 

• if someone else was uncomfortable, 

as a “common courtesy” 

Why is continuing to wear a face 

covering been made compulsory in our 

industry: 

• Evidence suggests transmission is 

mostly happening in indoor spaces where 

people are in close proximity. 

• Face coverings worn over the nose 

and mouth reduce the spread of 

coronavirus droplets from coughs, sneezes 

and speaking. 

• The main purpose is to protect others 

from Covid, rather than yourself. If 

everyone wears one, the risks drop for all. 

• Masks can also help reduce virus 

spread from people who may be 

contagious but have no symptoms. 

• Cutting virus transmission is 

important because many people are still 

not yet fully vaccinated. 

The latest advice and guidance on Covid-19 

regulations can be found at 

https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus 

For ADI specific guidance, see the 

DVSA website, at 

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ 

driver-and-vehicle-standards-agency 

06 

NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2021

News 

Delay, but B+E test axe still going to fall 

The DVSA has confirmed that the 

proposed date for formally ending B+E 

testing has been delayed slightly. 

As reported in last month’s Newslink, 

the legislation required to end the tests 

was due to go before the House of 

Commons on November 15. However, it 

was pulled for administrative reasons. 

New legislation was re-laid in 

Parliament on November 23 to restart 

the process for this change. Once these 

changes have been approved by both 

Houses of Parliament, the DfT will 

confirm the date the licensing law will be 

introduced. Until the law has been 

changed you and your pupils must 

continue to follow the current rules. 

What this means for car drivers towing 

a trailer 

DVSA stopped doing car and trailer 

tests on September 20. 

Until the law changes, car drivers who 

gained their licence after January 1 

1997 and don’t hold a full car and trailer 

licence will only be able to tow a trailer 

weighing up to 3,500kg if they: 

• display L plates 

• are supervised by a driver aged over 

21 who has had a car and trailer licence 

entitlement for three years or more 

Drivers can be fined up to £1,000, be 

banned from driving and get up to six 

penalty points on their driving licence if 

they drive a vehicle that’s not on their 

driving licence. 

When the law changes come into force 

DVLA will update driving licence records 

to reflect the changes. 

The BE category will be added when a 

new photocard driving licence is issued. 

Drivers do not need to contact DVLA for 

this to happen. It will be done automatically. 

Tow safely 

The DVSA is encouraging those drivers 

looking to tow a trailer or caravan for the 

first time to undertake a voluntary 

accreditation scheme which is being 

developed with help from the trailer 

industry and training providers. 

It is hoped that this scheme will be 

launched early next year and will focus 

on a core module for all drivers, with 

sector specific modules for different 

towing activities. 

Find out more about how the scheme 

in the DVSA’s latest blog post from Mark 

Winn – Chief Driving Examiner (below) 

B+E tests: the impact - see pg 22 

We’re backing a trailer safety scheme 

by Mark Winn 

Chief Driving 

Examiner 

Over the last few 

months, we’ve been 

preparing for changes 

to car and trailer 

testing and we’re 

planning to launch a 

voluntary trailer safety 

accreditation scheme which will 

encourage drivers to get training to help 

them tow safely and enjoy their towing 

activity. 

We’re working with towing and training 

groups to look at how to set the scheme 

up and what it should focus on. 

In November, alongside colleagues, I 

led workshops with representatives the 

towing and trailer industry. 

I’m pleased to say the conversations 

were positive and engaging – including on 

what the accreditation scheme could 

achieve and how it should be delivered. I 

wanted to share with you how this 

proposed scheme was developing. 

I know the car and trailer test changes 

have been the subject of much debate 

recently, which is why we feel it’s really 

important to engage with towing and 

training groups on the accreditation 

scheme. We want motorists to see the 

accreditation scheme as the right way to 

find out how to tow a trailer safely, and 

with confidence. 

At the workshops we asked for 

feedback on three areas: 

• Setting the standard of the training 

• The government appointed 

accrediting body or bodies 

• The accredited training providers 

For the first topic, on setting the 

standards of the training, there was a 

consensus for a modular approach. This 

would mean providing a basic towing 

module with additional modules for specific 

sectors, for example livestock or plant. 

A number of the groups felt that the 

driver testing syllabus would be a good 

starting point for the standard. In other 

areas, such as the duration of the training, 

there was a broader range of views. 

Discussions about the accrediting body 

or bodies focused on having more than 

one organisation and including a standard 

for assessors. 

Some organisations were also interested 

in getting more of an understanding about 

the procurement process DVSA would 

need to go through to appoint an 

accrediting body or bodies. 

On training providers, some of the 

groups said existing trainers should be 

able to join and build up their skills, 

rather than having a new structure for all. 

They felt that once the scheme had been 

established, an assessment of new 

providers could be introduced. 

There was also a discussion about 

having a level playing field and whether 

trainers with good standards/skills could 

be promoted. 

Taking this forward 

What happens next? We will run a 

follow-up webinar for vocational trainers, 

on the latest developments and get their 

thoughts on the accreditation scheme too. 

We’ll send invitations out for these 

webinars once they have been arranged. 

We’re also going to: 

• Develop the car and trailer towing 

standard 

• Develop a working version of the 

syllabus 

• Carry on the work needed to appoint 

an accrediting body or bodies 

We’ll continue to work with the trailer 

and training industry to share our progress 

and get feedback. 

If you have any comments on 

this, you can post them on 

the original blog by clicking here. 

08 



Two parts to new Driver CPC test 

The DVSA has announced a reform of 

the Driver CPC regime, with the Part 3 

test split into two. 

Up to November 28 drivers took a 

single Driver CPC part 3 test (driving 

ability) test (unless they’ve already 

passed the off-road exercises test with 

their training school) 

However, from November 29, two 

separate tests – Driver CPC part 3a 

(off-road exercises) and part 3b (on-road 

driving) will be conducted. 

Prices for the Driver CPC part 3a test: 

off-road exercises will be up to £40 for 

tests taken with an approved training 

organisation (this does not include the 

cost of any training or vehicle hire), or 

£40 for tests taken with DVSA 

The Driver CPC part 3b test (on-road 

driving) will cost £115 for tests taken on 

weekdays, or £141 for tests at the 

weekend or on a bank holiday. 

The DVSA has been challenged over 

the fees charged. It replied: “We have to 

recover the costs of the services we 

provide through the fees we charge. 

“The current test fee does not cover all 

of our costs. So we’re keeping the part 

3b test fee the same as the current part 

3 test fee. This will help cover the extra 

costs of approving and auditing trainers 

who provide part 3a tests. 

“Because people taking the part 3b 

test will have already passed the part 3a 

test, they will be in a better position to 

pass first time and avoid the potential 

cost of a retake. 

“Also, people who now take a test 

towing a trailer with a large vehicle no 

longer need to have passed a test in a 

rigid vehicle first. This saves them £115 

by not having to take 2 tests. 

“However, we will keep the current 

fees under review.’ 

Splitting HGV and bus driving tests 

into two parts to create 500 more tests a 

week is part of the government’s 32 

actions to tackle the current HGV driver 

shortage. 

• Find out more about this HERE: 

Find Your Nearest 

to include CPC 

The DVSA has launched an extension of 

its learner driver Find Your Nearest ADI 

service, to cover Driver CPC trainers. 

It allows members of the public to 

locate their nearest approved Driver CPC 

part 3a test provider for the off-road 

exercise part of the vocational driving 

test. 

The new GOV.UK service lists all 

current approved assessors across Great 

Britain who can carry out the off-road 

exercises and have agreed to be on the 

directory. It also includes their premise 

address and contact details, and any 

accessibility information relating to their 

premises. 

All the public needs to do is provide 

their postcode to find their nearest 

provider. 

As reported on above, all Driver CPC 3 

tests have been split into two parts from 

Monday, November 29 - part 3a tests 

(off-road exercises), and part 3b tests 

(on-road). Drivers must have passed a 

part 3a test before they can take their 3b 

test. 


09

News 

More changes to test centres 

The DVSA has announced changes to the 

following test centres for both theory and 

practical testing. 

THEORY TEST CENTRES 

Region C (East Midlands and South East) 

King’s Lynn 

The new centre will be based at 

Ground Floor, 26 High Street, King’s 

Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 1BP. 

Corby 

The new centre will be based at Unit 

2, Oakley Vale District Centre, Butland 

Road, Corby, NN18 8QT 

PRACTICAL 

Goodmayes DTC 

Goodmayes driving test centre will be 

closed for refurbishment from Monday, 

January 17, 2022 until Friday, February 

11, 2022. 

All practical car driving tests, ADI tests 

and standards checks will still go ahead 

as planned, but instead these will take 

place at: 

Parkside Community Association, 176 

Goodmayes Lane, Ilford, Essex IG3 9PP 

Testing will recommence from the 

Goodmayes test centre on Monday, 

February 14, 2022. 

Baillieston DTC 

Baillieston driving test centre will be 

Germans get tough 

on law breakers 

Enforcement fines for speeding and 

other traffic offences have been 

substantially increased in Germany 

following legal changes agreed in early 

October. 

Anyone caught driving 16 to 20 

kilometres per hour (km/h) too fast in 

an urban area will see the fine doubled 

from 35 to 70 euros. For those that 

are caught at 91 km/h instead of the 

permitted 50 km/h, the fine will be 

400 instead of 200 euros. 

Drivers who do not form an 

emergency corridor or use one to get 

ahead of traffic will face a fine of 

between 200 and 320 euros and a 

month’s driving ban. 

Lorry drivers who violate the 

recently introduced obligation to drive 

at walking pace when turning right in 

urban areas will face a 70 euro 

penalty. 

10 

closed for refurbishment from Monday, 

March 21 until Friday, April 15, 2022. 

All practical car driving tests, ADI tests 

and standards checks will still go ahead 

as planned, but will take place at the 

following address: 

The Barrbridge, 2 Barrbidge Road, 

Bargeddie, Glasgow G69 7TZ 

Testing will recommence from the 

Baillieston test centre on Monday, April 18, 

2022. 

What you have to do 

• Where driving tests centres are 

temporarily out of action, all affected 

candidates have been informed, and 

reminders will be sent out to them a 

week before the test. 

ADIs who book tests on behalf of their 

pupils will need to tell them of the 

change of address. 

• ADIs up in arms over plans to close 

centre: See Area News, pg 39 

Waving goodbye ... to your UK licence 

The DfT has issued a reminder to all UK 

driving licence holders that if you move 

to an EU country or Iceland, 

Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, 

you will not be able to renew your driving 

licence in the UK. 

It is advised that you exchange your 

UK driving licence for a local licence as 

soon as possible in line with specific 

advice for your country of residence. 

Be aware that if your UK licence is 

lost, stolen or expired, you will not be 

able to exchange it for a local licence in 

the country where you are living. 

You will have to apply for a local 

licence and may have to retake your 

driving test. Check with the licensing 

authority in your country of residence if 

your licence is lost, stolen or expired. 

Click here for the full rules in 

each nation if you are 

planning to move abroad 

Spain ahead of the game on alcohol interlocks 

Spain is considering making it 

compulsory for all lorries and buses to 

have alcohol interlocks fitted from 2022. 

The European Union agreed in 2019 that 

all new cars, vans, lorries and buses 

should have a standardised interface for 

connectng an alcohol interlock from next 

year – but not the interlock itself, which 

would be retro-fitted from 2024. 

The Spanish proposal goes substantially 

further by requiring lorries and buses to 

be fitted with the devices now. 

Alcohol interlocks require the driver to 

blow into a device that prevents a vehicle 

being started if he or she is over a pre-set 

limit. 

France already requires alcohol 

interlocks on all coaches and buses. 



EU looks to mandate zero alcohol 

and drug limits for young drivers 

The European Transport Safety Council 

has called on the EU to improve the 

safety of young drivers, as new data 

shows those aged 15 to 30 represent a 

quarter of all road deaths. 

An ETSC report found that, in 2019, 

5,182 young people were killed in road 

collisions in the 25 EU countries for which 

figures are available. That’s a fifth of 

deaths from all causes in that age group. 

Around 40 per cent of all road deaths 

in the EU involve one or more young 

drivers or powered two-wheeler riders. 

Those overall numbers mask a huge 

gender disparity. The report says that 

men represent 81 per cent of all road 

deaths among young people aged 15-30. 

Large differences between male and 

female road mortality remain even after 

taking into consideration the fact that 

men drive more than women. 

The authors say that, while young 

people are a high-risk group in 

themselves, most young people do not 

deliberately drive unsafely. The risks 

associated with young drivers and riders 

stem from inexperience, immaturity and 

lifestyle linked to their age and gender. 

Data shows that the younger a person 

starts unrestricted solo driving, the more 

likely it is that he or she will have a fatal 

collision, particularly if under 18. 

Graduated driving licence systems 

have been assessed by a number of 

studies that show a reduction in 

collisions. Such systems put additional 

restrictions on younger drivers during the 

first years of driving, allowing them to 

gain experience while reducing certain 

high risk situations. 

Young people, especially men, are also 

over-represented when it comes to road 

deaths linked to drink-driving and drugs. 

Enforcing and tightening legal Blood 

Alcohol Concentration limits and 

improved help for those living with 

identified alcohol and other drug issues 

can therefore help prevent these deaths. 

ETSC is calling for a drink-driving limit 

set effectively at zero and a Europeanwide 

zero-tolerance limit for illicit 

psychoactive drugs. 

See https://www.etsc.eu/PinFlash41 


11

News 

Staff left shattered as fleet of disabled driver 

assessment cars stolen by thieves 

A charity-funded assessment centre that 

helps disabled drivers get back behind 

the wheel has been hit by a particularly 

cruel car theft. 

Staff from Wessex DriveAbility in 

Southampton were shocked to arrive at 

work last month to find that their entire 

fleet of specialist modified vehicles had 

been stolen. 

Wessex Driveability Centre is part of 

the Driving Mobility network of 

assessment centres, and the theft left 

them unable to help disabled drivers 

regain their independence. 

The Southampton location in Kent 

Road is Wessex DriveAbility’s main 

assessment centre. The organisation 

has outreach locations in Basingstoke, 

Salisbury, Ferndown, and the Isle of 

Wright. Its team of ADIs, occupational 

therapists and administrators provide 

fitness-to-drive driving assessments for 

elderly and disabled people who selfrefer 

or are signposted from the DVLA, 

Motability, NHS and police. 

This charity-funded team ensure 

drivers are safe to continue driving and 

provide clinical recommendations 

regarding adapted driving controls and 

wheelchair accessible vehicles. 

All that was shattered, however, on 

Monday, November 8 when thieves 

broke into the centre by smashing-in the 

fire doors, by-passing alarms and 

opening safes to access the keys to five 

assessment vehicles. The stolen cars are 

the entire fleet of specialist vehicles used 

for assessment drives and all feature a 

number of conspicuous adaptions such 

as rooftop wheelchair boxes. 

The organisation already has a long 

backlog of assessments because of the 

pandemic, and this latest setback will 

mean even more drivers will not be able 

to regain their motoring independence for 

some time. 

Members of the 

Wessex DriveAbility 

team outside their 

Southampton 

headquarters before 

the theft of their 

adapted car fleet 

Rachel Odell, Wessex DriveAbility 

Centre manager, said: “Discovering 

our fleet of cars had been taken was an 

awful shock to all of us. We are so 

confused with how and why these 

modified cars would be stolen as they 

are specially designed and modified for 

drivers with restricted mobility. 

“We are a non-profit charity which is 

part of a larger national charity 

called Driving Mobility and are really 

worried we might not be able to replace 

certain custom-made controls we had 

fitted in vehicles. 

“Now we have no specialist vehicles 

for assessing, drivers desperate to regain 

their freedom will potentially have to wait 

a considerate length of time before we 

can see them. This couldn’t have come 

at a worse possible time with the huge 

demand on our service right now. 

“My team and I are absolutely appalled 

by the selfish nature of this act which 

will impact so many disabled people and 

their families” 

Laura Holley, driving assessor and ADI, 

concludes: “We might be wrong but 

it appears that the criminals were 

scoping our property for some time as 

they knew exactly where to access keys 

and at the right time. Plus, they must 

have had some knowledge of adapted 

driving as our cars were fitted with 

modified steering controls, such as 

push-pull hand levers for acceleration 

and braking – these did not seem to 

hinder them when they drove them 

away,” she added. 

“Our cars were unique and specialist 

so not easy to sell on. We hope the 

offenders are apprehended 

quickly for this awful crime. In the 

meantime, we are now 100 per cent 

focused on limiting the impact on our 

services as much as possible and 

replacing our fleet as best we can. When 

you are so passionate about helping 

disabled people, it is heart-breaking for 

something like this to happen. As we are 

a charity, funds and time are always 

limited so this is a massive blow. If 

anybody can help us in anyway, we’d be 

so grateful.” 

The centre staff have been left 

questioning why criminals would take 

such specialist, niche vehicles. No staff 

were on site or injured during the breakin. 

Oddly, the centre’s standard vehicles 

were left untouched, which adds further 

confusion to the motive of this crime. 

Smart phone zombies are menace to motorists 

Nearly a third of Brits have confessed to 

being glued to their phone when crossing 

the road, rising to 80 per cent of 18- to 

24-year-olds, a study has revealed. 

The survey by Fiat of 2,000 UK drivers 

and smartphone users found drivers had 

to take evasive action such as sounding 

their horn (24 per cent), braking heavily 

(23 per cent) and even swerving around 

(16 per cent) pedestrians who had 

walked blindly across the road while on 

their phones. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, distracted 

phone user incidents were higher in the 

capital than the rest of the nation. More 

than a third of Londoners had to beep at 

a pedestrian (36 per cent) and brake 

heavily (37 per cent) to avoid hitting 

someone on their phone. 

In addition, 28 per cent had to swerve 

a distracted pedestrian and alarmingly 

24% of drivers had hit a pedestrian on 

their phone, although these pedestrians 

avoided any serious injury. 

12 


News 

DVLA problems swept under the carpet 

as government denies there’s a problem 

Colin Lilly 

Editor, MSA GB Newslink 

In the August and October issues of 

Newslink I wrote about the DVLA’s role in 

delays resulting from the Covid-19 

pandemic. The agency has been hit by a 

string of complaints this year, with 

criticism over huge backlogs in licence 

applications and enquiries, while the staff 

took industrial action over the way the 

agency’s management had handled their 

concerns during the Covid pandemic. 

As a result of the complaints, the 

Transport Select Committee summoned 

representatives from the PCS union, 

Baroness Vere, Minister for Roads, Buses 

and Places, Department for Transport, 

and Julie Lennard, Chief Executive DVLA, 

to appear before MPs to answer a number 

of questions. 

During this session the PCS 

representative commented that “I have 

never encountered, in 21 years, the level 

of incompetence and mismanagement 

that is on display at DVLA in Swansea.” 

That wasn’t the only criticism either. A 

petition to the Government was raised 

about the DVLA’s performance. 

The Government has now responded to 

the petition “Inquiry into the DVLA’s 

performance during the Covid-19 

pandemic” 

This is a revised response. The Petitions 

Committee requested a response which 

more directly addressed the request of the 

petition. The original response was 

published in the October issue of 

Newslink. 

The Government response is as follows: 

“There are no plans to hold an inquiry 

into DVLA’s performance which has been 

fully scrutinised this year in two 

Transport Select Committee sessions. 

Ministers are also provided with regular 

updates. 

“The DVLA has an incredibly strong 

track record of outstanding public 

service (our emphasis!) and has quickly 

adapted to continue to provide essential 

public services during the pandemic. 

Last year, the DVLA issued 8.8m driving 

licences, 16.3m vehicle registration 

certificates and made more than 

500,000 medical licensing decisions. 

The DVLA’s contact centre answered 

more than seven million queries 

including 4.8 million calls, 1.5 million 

webchats and more than 950,000 

emails. 

“More than 90 per cent of customer 

interactions with the DVLA are carried 

out online and these online services have 

continued to work as normal throughout 

the pandemic. Motorists who transact 

online usually receive their documents 

within a few days. Motorists are strongly 

encouraged to use the DVLA’s online 

services whenever possible as this 

remains the easiest and quickest way to 

access most of the DVLA’s services. 

However, not everyone wants or is able to 

use online services and the DVLA 

receives around 60,000 items of mail 

every day which must be opened 

manually by DVLA staff working on site. 

Unfortunately, delays have been caused 

in processing paper applications due to 

the DVLA having had fewer staff on site 

to ensure social distancing in line with 

Welsh Government requirements, 

industrial action by the Public and 

Commercial Services (PCS) union and a 

significantly increased demand for its 

services. 

“The DVLA has helped to keep drivers 

on the road throughout the pandemic by 

issuing one-year licences to lorry and bus 

drivers aged 45 and over without them 

having to submit the usual medical 

report if the driver has been unable to 

get an appointment with their doctor to 

conduct a medical examination. 

“Also, all driving licences expiring 

between 1 February and 31 December 

were automatically renewed for 11 

months. The DVLA has also launched ten 

new online services to make things 

easier for customers, including online 

tachograph applications and change of 

address and duplicate V5C (logbook) 

services. 

“From 6 April to 31 August the PCS 

union held a series of strikes at the 

DVLA. The cumulative impact of 

industrial action and having had fewer 

staff on site to ensure social distancing 

in line with Welsh Government 

requirements has meant that the time 

taken to process paper applications has 

increased. PCS specifically targeted the 

driver’s medical section for a month-long 

strike in August. 

14 



“The driver’s medical area has also 

been affected by the massive pressure 

the pandemic has placed on the NHS. It 

is a legal requirement for drivers to notify 

the DVLA of the onset or worsening of 

any health condition that may affect 

their fitness to drive. Following a 

notification, the DVLA must assess a 

driver’s fitness to drive which can often 

involve seeking further information from 

a GP or other health professional 

involved in the driver’s care. Guidance 

from the British Medical Association at 

the start of the pandemic advised GP 

practices to deprioritise non-essential 

work. This has only very recently been 

updated to say previously deprioritised 

work may need to be reviewed, including 

DVLA medical checks which help 

maintain people’s wellbeing and 

livelihoods. 

“The DVLA has put in place a range of 

mitigating measures to reduce the 

backlog of paper transactions, including 

the introduction of additional online 

services at pace in response to the 

pandemic, which has helped to reduce 

the number of postal applications 

received and processed manually by 

DVLA staff. DVLA staff are working 

‘‘ 

During June there were 

1,423,026 unanswered calls 

from 224,364 customers. I 

imagine these people will not 

be happy with the decision 

not to hold an enquiry. 

‘‘ 

evenings and at weekends and additional 

staff have been recruited to tackle the 

backlogs. The DVLA is also securing 

additional office space to provide surge 

capacity for medical applications, as well 

as to provide resilience and business 

continuity going forward.” 

I am not sure that this response will 

satisfy those members of the public 

waiting for their licences. Many have had 

to put aspects of their life on hold; 

delaying starts to new jobs and missing 

the start of their driving lessons. Delays of 

up to six months are being reported. 

The delays themselves are generating 

further delay. The DVLA advises 

applicants to contact them if they have 

not received their licence within TEN 

weeks of making their application. When 

you do call, they frequently go 

unanswered. 

During July and August, the average 

wait for a response to a telephone call 

was 9.9 minutes. A message at the start 

of the call said there could be a 

30-minute wait for a response. Naturally, 

many people end their call without a 

response and try later. Customers were 

making an average of six calls before 

receiving a response. 

During June there were 1,423,026 

unanswered calls from 224,364 

customers. I would imagine these people 

will not be happy with the decision not to 

hold an enquiry. 

Much of the blame has been placed on 

the PCS strikes. While this has not been a 

good PR exercise by the union, during the 

first week of the industrial action only 

750 out of a staff of over 6,000 actually 

walked out. The strike was taken for 

better conditions during the Covid 

environment. Perhaps attention should be 

placed on the reasons for the action. 

There would appear to be no solution in 

the short-term. 


15

News Feature: E-scooters 

The worrying rise and 

rise of the e-scooter 

Colin Lilly 

Editor, MSA GB Newslink 

With much of the future transport policy 

focused on reducing the effect of vehicles 

on the climate, so the role of ‘micromobility’ 

in transport is coming under 

greater scrutiny. Micro-mobility comes in 

various forms, and is best summed up as 

the use of e-bikes, e-scooters and 

e-skateboards etc, 

Public opinion seems to be moving 

against the use of these vehicles, largely 

because of concerns around the lack of 

firm regulation on their use. The 

Department for Transport has 

commissioned studies on their use but it 

is unlikely to introduce legislation until 

the spring of 2022. So between now and 

then, what are the rules covering their 

use? 

E-scooters are classified as 

Mechanically Propelled Vehicles (MPVs) 

or Personal Low Emission Vehicles 

(PLEVs) and as such, current legislation 

says they cannot be used in a public 

place. However, a Government Trial 

Scheme is being conducted on the use of 

rental e-scooters in some local authority 

areas, and any vehicles taking part in the 

trials have been granted some 

exemptions under the law. 

E-bikes or Electrically Assisted Bikes 

are allowed in public places and are 

legal, subject to also having pedals to 

propel it. Motor power is within specified 

limits, any power assistance cuts out at 

15.5 mph and the rider must be at least 

14. 

Despite being illegal to use on the 

roads or in public, there is no legislation 

on the purchase of e-scooters and they 

are currently available in a range of 

shops, from cycle dealers to discount 

stores and, of course, on-line. They can 

be used on private land, hence their sale, 

though how many buyers have access to 

the amount of private land you would 

need to make a purchase value for 

money is a moot point. 

What is certain, however, is that their 

popularity has increased quite sharply 

this year and has led to many e-scooters 

being ridden illegally and randomly. 

16 

Current position on e-scooters 

To be used legally, e-scooter riders 

must comply with certain regulations, 

including motor vehicle regulations, but 

dispensations have been granted to the 

scooters used in official trials. As stated, 

privately owned scooters cannot be used 

on the public highway as it cannot meet 

the regulations of a motor vehicle. 

Because of the dispensations, trial 

e-scooters can be used on the public 

roads and cycle lanes but not on the 

pavement. Private scooters cannot be 

used in any public place such as roads, 

cycle lanes, pavements, pedestrianised 

areas, parks and bridle ways. 

Trial scooters are exempt from vehicle 

registration as they cannot gain type 

approval; similarly, they do not have to 

pay vehicle excise duty. Vehicle 

registration is necessary for legal use. 

The vehicle must be insured. Currently, 

insurers will cover scooters used in the 

trial schemes but not others as they are 

PACTS’ view 

The Parliamentary 

Advisory Council for 

Transport Safety has 

published an 

interesting report on 

the safety of private 

e-scooters, which can 

be read by clicking 

HERE 

not registered. 

The trial scooters are owned by the 

operator and they must check that the 

riders meet the necessary requirements. 

Scooters involved in the trial are 

limited to 15.5mph and are geofenced to 

prevent them being used outside the trial 

area or in no-go areas or lower speed 

limit areas. They must have a dual 

braking system, lighting front and rear, 

and an audible warning device. 

Rider requirements 

The rider must hold a driving licence 

for Category Q. This comes automatically 

with the A, AM and B categories. A 

requirement of category Q vehicles is 

that they do not exceed 15.5 mph. 

Rider training and helmet wearing is 

recommended. Currently there is very 

little training available. 

Responsible riding is encouraged; trial 

riders are reminded of meeting the 

requirements of the Road Traffic Act. 



Among the possible offences for private 

users is use of the vehicle without 

insurance which can carry a fixed 

penalty fine of £300, six penalty points 

and seizure of the scooter. 

Police action 

Private scooter riders are not routinely 

monitored for compliance. We see many 

examples of underage riders, riding that 

can be considered dangerous or 

inconsiderate, and two persons on the 

vehicle designed for single person use. 

The police say scooter use is not high 

on their priorities but they will act in 

cases of dangerous or inconsiderate use. 

Crime records published by Avon and 

Somerset Police showed that of 237 

incidents involving e-scooters in Bristol; 

only nine were related to the Government 

approved trial in the area. In September, 

a rider renting an e-scooter through the 

trial scheme in Bristol was banned from 

driving for 17 months for drink-riding. He 

had been pulled over after overtaking 

traffic on approach to a pedestrian 

crossing and passing a red light. They 

were also carrying a pillion passenger. 

Crash statistics 

The crash statistics involving 

e-scooters has only recently been 

collected by DfT. The latest figures 

available are for 2020; during that year 

one rider was killed, 105 seriously 

injured and 278 slightly injured. 

Among the others involved in crashes 

with e-scooters were pedestrians;13 

were seriously injured. In addition seven 

cyclists were seriously injured and two 

motorcyclists, after incidents involving 

e-scooters. However, it should be noted 

that the crash statistics were rising 

steadily towards the end of the year and 

bearing in mind that e-scooter use has 

grown this year, the statistics are likely to 

grow further. 

Trial operators 

A number of trials are being conducted 

around the country by approved 

operators. One of the largest is Voi which 

currently operates across 11 countries. 

Within the UK it has 17 locations and 

has 60 per cent of the market share. 

Bristol is one of most popular cities in 

Europe for those taking part in the trial. 

Voi reports that over two million rides 

have been taken in Bristol since the trial 

was launched in October 2020, covering 

over 3.7 million miles. It’s claimed that 

this replaces an estimated 790,000 

short car journeys and has reduced 

carbon emissions by 400 tonnes. 

The charges involved are typically £1 

to unlock the scooter and 20p per 

minute thereafter. 

The future 

You can judge the popularity of 

e-scooters and the benefits to the 

environment through the reduction they 

bring in carbon emissions. Along with 

this, there is a chance they will reduce 

the number of journeys taken by cars, 

thus reducing congestion in already 

over-crowded cities. 

However, road safety is an essential 

consideration. Continuing in an almost 

unregulated way with this important 

development of personal transport will 

only lead to a culture of almost feral 

behaviour. 

With Christmas approaching we can 

imagine an e-scooter will be on many 

children’s ‘Santa List.’ Whether they will 

be on next year’s naughty or nice list 

remains to be seen. 

CONTACT 

What should we do with e-scooters? 

Contact Colin via editor@msagb.com 

with your views 


17

News 

Sorry, but the taxman cometh... 

Most ADIs will have received a friendlysounding 

email from HMRC in recent 

weeks, reminding them of the need to 

fill in their self-assessment and pay any 

tax by January 31, 2022. 

It’s a familiar task we’ve all done many 

times before, but it’s been made more 

challenging this year because of the 

pandemic and the various income 

support schemes and bounceback loans 

that have helped keep ADIs’ heads afloat 

during what was a very difficult period 

when they were forced to stop working. 

It can be difficult to remember the 

timeline of the past 18 months, such has 

been the disruption to our lives, but the 

vast majority of tuition ceased in March 

2020, recommencing in August only to 

stop again in the autumn, and then again 

through winter 2020-21. 

We returned to the road in April of this 

year and since then, touchwood, most 

ADIs have been teaching full-time. 

The period this self-assessment covers 

is from April 2020-March 31 2021 – in 

other words, almost a perfect fit for the 

pandemic. It opens in the first weeks of 

lockdown and runs to almost the date at 

which we came out of it. Most ADIs who 

are self-employed will have been able to 

access the Self-Employed Income 

Support Scheme (SEISS) during this 

time. It goes without saying that while 

this was a grant and is not repayable, it 

is income and is therefore taxable. It 

must be declared on your self-assessment. 

Remember too that HMRC is not a 

daft beast. Its inspectors are well aware 

that driving instruction did not take place 

for much of 2020 and parts of 2021, 

therefore don’t claim your ‘usual’ mileage 

and assume no one will notice. 

Self-assessment can often be a 

A WORD ABOUT SCAMS 

challenging time for instructors and 

particularly at the moment as many of 

you are so busy teaching, and settling 

down to some admin might not sound 

too appealing. That’s why we’d 

recommend using an expert in tax affairs, 

such as FBTC or Capital Accounting (see 

advertisement right). 

If you need any help, there is advice 

on the GOV.UK website. CLICK HERE to 

access it. 

HMRC ADVICE 

If you can’t pay in full 

The HMRC says: We know that many 

of our customers are facing financial 

HMRC has issued a warning over phishing scams. 

“We’re aware of an increase over the past year in scam emails, calls and texts. If 

someone gets in touch claiming to be from HMRC, saying that you can claim 

financial help or asking you to urgently transfer money or give personal information, 

be on your guard. 

“Take your time and check HMRC’s scams advice on GOV. UK. 

“You can also contact HMRC directly but use phone numbers from our contacts 

details on GOV. UK. 

“You can forward suspicious emails claiming to be from HMRC to phishing@ 

hmrc.gov.uk and texts to 605 99 and can report scam phone calls on GOV. UK by 

searching for ‘HMRC scams’.” 

difficulties due to the coronavirus 

(COVID-19) pandemic. If you can’t pay 

in full by 31 January 2022, we may be 

able to help by arranging an affordable 

payment plan. If you owe less than 

£30,000, you may be able to do this 

online without speaking to us. 

Go to GOV.UK and search ‘HMRC 

payment plan’. 

(or CLICK HERE) 

COVID-19 support schemes 

This year, you’ll also have to declare if 

you received any grants or payments 

from COVID-19 support schemes up to 

April 5 2021, as these are taxable. This 

includes: 

• Self-Employment Income Support 

Scheme (SEISS) 

• Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme 

(CJRS) 

• other COVID-19 grants and support 

payments such as self-isolation 

payments and local authority grants. 

Go to GOV.UK and search ‘reporting 

coronavirus grants’ to find out which 

COVID-19 grant or support payments to 

include on your tax return if you’re 

self-employed, in a partnership or a 

business. 

or CLICK HERE 

18 


You must include SEISS grants on your 

tax return. SEISS grants are subject to 

Income Tax and National Insurance 

contributions (NICs), so you need to 

include them on your tax return. Report 

your SEISS grants in the following way: 

• Grants you received on or before 5 

April 2021 need to be included in your 

2020-21 Self Assessment tax return, due 

by 31 January 2022. For most people, 

this will be the first, second and third 

SEISS grants. 

• Grants you received on or after 6 

April 2021 need to be included in your 

2021-22 Self Assessment tax return, due 

to be submitted by 31 October 2022 if a 

paper return, or 31 January 2023 if an 

online return. For most people, this will 

be the fourth and fifth SEISS grants only. 

To find out which SEISS grants you 

claimed, how much you received, and 

when, search ‘return to your claim’ on 

GOV.UK and press the green ‘Start now’ 

button. You will be able to see details of 

all your SEISS grants once you have 

signed in. 

In addition to SEISS, UK Government 

coronavirus grants and support payments 

are taxable, as are most payments from 

local authorities, the Scottish and Welsh 

Government and Northern Ireland 

Assembly. Taxable payments you 

received must be included on your tax 

return. To find out which grants or 

support payments you need to report, 

see gov .uk/report-covid -payments. 


Did you receive money from the SEISS scheme? 

How to report SEISS on your tax return 

If you complete your Self Assessment 

tax return yourself, there is a specific box 

on the self-employment page for SEISS 

grants. You must not report your SEISS 

grants anywhere else on your tax return, 

for example in the ‘any other income’ box 

or as part of your turnover figure, as this 

may result in you being taxed twice. 

Guidance on how to complete your 

return can be found in the ‘notes’ pages 

for each return type. Please ensure you 

read these notes before completing your 

return. To find the notes, go to 

gov .uk/report-covid-payments. 

The deadline for submitting your 

2020-21 Self Assessment tax return is 31 

January 2022 if you submit online. 

The deadline for submitting your 

2021-22 Self Assessment tax return is: 

• 31 October 2022 on paper 

• 31 January 2023 online. 

If you do not submit your tax return by 

the applicable deadline date, you may be 

charged a penalty. 

If you have already submitted your 

2020-21 tax return 

If you have already completed your 

2020-21 return and you did not report 

your SEISS grants in the way we 

expected, we will contact you. 

If we amend your return, it’s important 

that you check the amendment and the 

SA302 tax calculation we send you, to 

see what we have changed. 

For more information, go to 

gov .uk/check-your -return-for-seiss. 

If you think you need to repay SEISS 

grants which are claimed incorrectly, go 

to gov .uk/hmrc/repay-seiss. 

• This is a short form of the full 

advice. See https://www.gov.uk/ 

self-assessment-tax-returns 


19

Company News 

WeDrive’s AI technology puts the ADI in 

control of their workload and schedule 

Are you using outdated 

tech in your job? 

WeDrive Instructor is the 

next-generation all-in-one 

toolkit helping today’s busy 

instructor work smarter, not 

harder 

Continual changes 

within consumer 

audiences and 

advancements in 

hardware and 

software present both 

a need for evolution within driver training 

solutions and an opportunity for 

revolutionary technology-driven tools to 

emerge in response. 

Modern apps and software should 

maximise flexibility and efficiency for 

instructors at minimal cost, and facilitate 

better learning experiences. 

This rationale underpins WeDrive’s 

suite of innovative ‘smart’ apps, designed 

with advanced IT and algorithms to bring 

today’s instructors and learners new 

functionalities. 

WeDrive’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) 

-enabled Theory App saw rapid take-up 

across a young UK-wide audience and is 

certainly a revolution among theory 

software. Its smart AI means study takes 

less time. 

Features including a national mock test 

leaderboard and built-in learner and 

instructor community help all learners 

pass faster. 

Meanwhile, it is the new WeDrive 

Instructor app which adds the most 

value and utility for ADIs. Its mission is 

to help them maximise revenues while 

achieving significant savings on both 

business costs and, even more 

importantly, their time. 

This is much more than simply a diary 

management tool. Independent ADIs can 

publicise their services for free by 

maintaining an instructor profile on the 

app. The ever-growing WeDrive Learner 

userbase – including an untapped market 

of international students who have 

arrived in the UK with no knowledge of 

the driver trainer network – can browse 

instructors’ operations within their 

chosen radius, view live lesson 

availability and pricing, make enquiries 

and bookings directly, and make secure 

payments upfront: all in-app. 

“We believe instructors deserve to earn 

more – and need not rely on franchising 

or ‘traditional’ expensive marketing to 

secure sufficient customers,” says 

WeDrive CMO Paul Doherty. 

“Instead, WeDrive’s tech allows them to 

efficiently market their services directly. 

Instructors can even choose selected 

learners to send notifications about vacant 

slots, in order to fill timetable gaps after 

last minute cancellations. 

“As a complete toolkit, WeDrive 

Instructor offers total control independently, 

avoiding either fees and commissions or 

the costs (and effort) of traditional 

marketing methods. It’s unrivalled reach – 

with complete flexibility.” 

With developments in mobile tech, 

consumers are increasingly comfortable 

using apps, whenever possible, to 

accomplish tasks conveniently: versus, 

say, browsing websites; using desktop 

software; phoning a stranger; or making 

notes manually. 

WeDrive Instructor is designed so 

instructors can take full advantage of this 

rather than battle against it. The smart 

timetabling system allows full flexibility 

around the slots they make publicly 

available, instant bookings and payments 

to be received, and push notifications (of 

new bookings, enquiries etc). The app 

can even automatically send outstanding 

payment and lesson reminders, with 

confirmation requests, to pupils. 

Other USPs incorporated are: 

comprehensive pupil records including 

theory learning progress, GPS-tracked 

lesson history, skill progression, and 

shareable upcoming lesson notes; full 

exportable financial record-keeping and 

planning; and, uniquely, access to a 

Quora-style community of learners and 

instructors centred around improving 

driving ability and confidence. 

“All this serves to free instructors to 

focus on what they do best: training 

drivers,” says Paul. 

“User feedback, especially from ADIs 

consulted throughout our development 

stages, has been heartening,” he adds. 

“It’s something we’ll always welcome 

and incorporate into our innovations. We 

look forward to making valued 

contributions to the industry”. 

Click the WeDrive Instructor ad 

to find it in your app store. 

Further information: www.wedrive.fun 

20 



Warning over scams targeting over 70s 

DVLA received notifications 

from 803 drivers who 

unnecessarily parted with 

money to renew their driving 

licence at 70 years old through 

a bogus third party website. 

The DVLA is urging drivers aged 70 and 

over to keep their money in their pocket 

this Christmas, after the agency revealed 

that more than 800 drivers had notified 

them about third-party websites charging 

hefty premiums for their services. 

Many of these sites appear high up in 

the results on a Google search, resulting 

in scores of drivers inadvertently using a 

third-party website, when they believe 

they are dealing with DVLA. 

The agency is reminding drivers to 

always use GOV.UK, the official 

government website, to prevent being 

charged additional fees. 

New figures released at the end of 

November show that in the last 12 

months, DVLA received notifications 

from 803 drivers who unnecessarily 

parted with money to renew their driving 

licence at 70 years old through a third 

party website. 

Some of these sites charge up to £81 

handling fee, which is £20 more than 

the cost of a typical weekly family shop. 

Third party websites charge a fee to 

pass a driver’s application to DVLA, but 

these sites are not affiliated with DVLA, 

and applications made through third 

party websites will not be processed any 

quicker than those made through GOV. 

UK. 

GOV. UK is the only place to access 

DVLA’s online services where you can be 

guaranteed not to be charged additional 

fees on top of any statutory fees that 

may apply. 

Julie Lennard, DVLA Chief Executive 

said: “Drivers looking to renew their 

licence at 70 and over should use our 

online service which is secure, free of 

charge, and also the quickest and easiest 

way to transact with DVLA. Customers 

usually receive their driving licence in 

just five days. 

“Always remember to always use GOV. 

UK when using any of DVLA’s many 

online services.” 

When a driver reaches their 70th 

birthday, they must renew their 

entitlement to drive every three years. 

DVLA reminds drivers 90 days before 

their licence is due to expire, and the 

quickest and easiest way to renew a 

licence is to go to GOV.UK where the 

service is quick, easy to use, available 

24 hours a day, 365 days a year and is 

free of charge. 

See https://www.gov.uk/renew-drivinglicence-at-70 


21

B+E Testing: the impact on ADIs 

The news that B+E testing was to be scrapped this autumn came as huge shock to the entire road 

safety and driver training community – but the impact was felt most keenly by those ADIs who had 

focused their businesses solely on this form of training. One such ADI was Steve Thomas, an instructor 

who runs Raglan Driver Training in Bellbowrie, near Monmouth, South Wales. Steve, who has offered 

comments on the government’s controversial decision in previous issues of Newslink, was left 

devastated by the announcement, which at a stroke ripped apart a business built up over 18 years. He 

talked to Newslink’s Rob Beswick about the decision, how he had been affected and his thoughts three 

months on as he rebuilds his career 

18 years of hard graft... 

scrapped overnight 

on a political whim 

Three months on from the 

announcement that B+E testing 

was going to be scrapped, it’s fair 

to say that Steve Thomas still 

feels pretty raw. “I’ll be honest, I’m still 

shell-shocked,” he told me. “I’ve tried, 

but I still can’t get my head round it. It 

came as such a shock, so out of the 

blue, that it still doesn’t feel real, even 

three months on.” 

He took me back to the point when he 

knew that his business, Raglan Driver 

Training, was in trouble. “There was 

nothing to suggest a change was coming. 

Why should it change? The system 

worked well. 

“I was out on a lesson on September 

10 with a client when I was aware my 

phone was going mental with messages. 

I thought something must be up so when 

we got a chance, we pulled over and I 

checked my phone. I had dozens of 

messages from friends, colleagues, 

clients, all asking me what was going on. 

They’d heard this announcement that 

B+E tests were to be scrapped almost 

immediately, with examiners shifted to 

LGV testing. I couldn’t believe it.” 

He got home and checked his emails 

and sure enough, there was the news he 

had never expected to read. “B+E 

testing is cancelled from September 21 

onwards. That’s it. I had a full cohort of 

customers booked in for training the next 

week, and for weeks after, with tests 

booked, everything. The lot was now in 

jeopardy.” 

It was the speed and suddenness that 

took him most by surprise. “Plenty of 

people have had their jobs ripped from 

underneath them over the years. Think 

about the coal industry, the steel works... 

but they always knew it was coming. 

There was an announcement, 

discussions on redundancy, months of 

talks before the gates were closed. 

“This wasn’t like that. One day I was 

training, the next day, my business 

model was destroyed.” 

It would be nice to say that his clients 

still saw the value of training without a 

test at the end of – after all, that’s what 

the DVSA has said people should do 

– but in the real world of 2021, that isn’t 

what happened. “People ran for the hills; 

just about every customer who had 

training booked cancelled with immediate 

effect. I went from a full book of 

customers to none overnight. The only 

thing I could do was claw the test fees 

back.” 

To Steve, it effectively destroyed 18 

years of hard graft building up a 

flourishing business. “I’ve been an ADI 

for 22 years, and to start with I was 

teaching learners, just like the majority of 

ADIs do. But where I’m based, it’s a very 

rural area, a lot of farms, lots of 

farmworkers towing trailers and horse 

boxes, that sort of thing, and there has 

always been a greater need for a B+E 

licence around here than in most 

places.” 

His switch to teaching the B+E 

classification came after a chance 

conversation with an examiner. “I’d taken 

a young farmer on for lessons, and he 

had his driving test and passed. After the 

test I was chatting to the examiner who 

said ‘he’s a good driver - you should have 

him back with you next week so he can 

get his B+E licence’, as he was 

obviously going to be using his new 

driving skills for work, which would 

inevitably involve towing at some point, 

even if it’s only a trailer full of animal 

feed around the farm.” 

He chatted to the new driver, arranged 

to carry on teaching him, but this time 

giving him the skills he’d need for the 

B+E test – and the switch in emphasis 

for Raglan Training was underway. 

“It started slowly but increasingly, I 

found more and more people who 

needed a B+E licence coming to me for 

training. I’d do one a week, then 6-7 a 

month, and before long it was 2-3 tests 

every week.” 

His business model was simple. “I’d 

give a new customer a two-hour 

assessment lesson, and then we’d have a 

chat and get a test booked for 6-8 weeks 

22 



Steve Thomas 

time. I’d then take them out for two days 

of intensive training. Sometimes, if 

people didn’t pick it up straight away I’d 

need to do a few more hours on top, but 

in the main two days was enough to 

make them safe towers of trailers or 

caravans and get them up to the 

standard to pass the test.” 

Most of his work was with 

‘experienced’ drivers so “you don’t have 

to go through the basics, they can all 

drive, you just needed to knock the rough 

edges and bad habits off them. ” In 

addition Steve taught them how to load 

the towed vehicle correctly; that’s 

particularly important in farming 

communities. If they are towing a trailer 

the loads can shift easily as they are 

usually loose, so they needed to 

understand what that does to the 

dynamics and handling. In addition I’d 

work with people towing horse boxes: 

you get different problems with them, 

such as how to carry one horse in a 

two-horse box (thus making the box 

lop-sided, weight-wise).” 

Steve loved this new sector. “It just 

took over. I wasn’t stuck in the car all 

day, we’d be out in lovely countryside, 

we’d spend some time in the open air 

looking at the trailer, learning how to 

attach it safely. It gave me a really varied 

working day and I enjoyed it. 

“Most of my customers were decent 

drivers who understood the principles 

involved – farming lads with good 

common sense and practical skills who 

just needed someone to point them in 

the right direction.” 

He kept his hand in with the occasional 

learner and brought a couple of ADIs 

under this wing to look after L-drivers, 

but for Steve, B+E was his future. 

‘‘ 

I wasn’t stuck in the car all 

day, we’d be out in lovely 

countryside, we’d spend 

some time in the open air 

looking at the trailer, learning 

how to attach it safely. 

‘‘ 

“I had developed good relationships 

with caravan dealerships in the region, 

who would point new customers in my 

direction when they bought a caravan. I 

also used to attend farmers and 

agricultural shows, and got a lot of 

business that way – 5-10 new clients 

each time. So many people didn’t realise 

that their driving licence didn’t let them 

tow a trailer or caravan, and were 

shocked when they found out.” 

Business was booming and somewhat 

ironically, in recent months Covid-19 was 

a major driver. “Loads of people got into 

caravanning this year for the first time. 

They were nervous about booking a hotel 

abroad because of travel rules or booking 

a static caravan because of possible 

infection, and so thought, ‘let’s give 

caravanning a go, we’ll be safe in our 

own little home, it’ll be fun’. I had a glut 

of new bookings for lessons.” 

In addition, changes to the law around 

corporate manslaughter has sharpened 

many businesses’ thinking around the 

driving their staff do. “I reckon 30 per 

cent of my customers are caravans, 50 

per cent are farmers and builders who 

need to tow trailers, and the rest are 

businesses; one-man bands such as 

catering companies or people towing 

trailers to exhibitions. 

“Demand was so high I had a decent 

waiting list and I was genuinely thinking, 

I’ve got everything cracked now, I can 

look forward to a good, steady income 

from now to retirement in about a 

decade.” 

Indeed, “I checked my books and I’d 

had the best quarter ever from April-June 

this. I was working seven days a week.” 

Another irony; around this time “my wife 

said I was doing too much and needed to 

slow down and take it a bit easier…” 

Then came September. “I’ve looked 

back through my diary and I had 94 

people on my list when the bombshell 

landed. If each one needed two days 

training, plus a day for the test, that’s 

many months of work. I was certainly 

fully committed until next Spring. But it’s 

all gone.” 

Of the 94 on the list, “six said they’d 

go on and have some training.” Here’s a 

sobering assessment of one: “One lady 

had just bought a caravan. She found out 

she didn’t need to take a B+E test and 

was going to cancel but I convinced her 

to have half-a-day’s training. By the time 

she’d finished that she was nowhere near 

the old test standard but she was, at 

least, safe – which she wouldn’t have 

been before.” 

Which begs the question, what about 

the other 88… because that tale is, in a 

nutshell, what we all have to look 

forward to on our roads next summer: 

thousands of untrained novices towing 

caravans and trailer tents for the first 

time. 

Continued on page 24 


23

B+E Testing: the impact on ADIs 

Continued from page 23 

“The way a car handles when it’s 

towing is very different to when it’s not. 

It’s a totally different dynamic, and that’s 

before you start taking into account 

manoeuvres, roundabouts, tight turns, 

etc – and loading. All that knowledge will 

now need to be learned on the road by 

drivers teaching themselves – because, 

trust me, the public won’t come forward 

for lessons now there is no need to be 

tested.” 

Steve has retained a handful of 

commercial clients for towing. For 

instance, at the time we spoke he had a 

few days work booked in with regular 

client National Resources Wales. 

“Companies will still consider it 

important to have some training as it 

protects them from corporate 

manslaughter charges and health and 

safety investigations, which can result 

from at-work incidents involving trailers,” 

he says. But apart from that, that’s it. 

He remains philosophical about the 

loss of the business, and tries to find 

some shafts of light, but “I can’t get 

away from it, as every time I come 

home, there on the drive is my towing 

car and the trailer I used on lessons. 

Both of them costing thousands and just 

sitting there idle.” 

Cruel timing hasn’t helped on that 

front. “I’d leased my last towing car since 

2016 but it came off lease as we came 

out of lockdown. I decided to take out 

one of the government’s bounceback 

loans and invested in a new towing car… 

payments start in January.” 

There is some good news for Steve, 

which comes off the current shortage of 

ADIs available to teach learners. “I have 

three ADIs who work for me and they 

always got the lion’s share of the pupils, 

but I’d have 6-10 on my books at any 

one time. It was good to keep my hand 

in with learners and it was better for the 

Standards Check. With the increase in 

demand since lockdowns ended I’ve 

taken more learners on and I’m pretty 

much at full capacity already. 

“It’s need a big adjustment on my part 

but things are going okay. 

“I’d still be happier doing the B+E 

work, mind.” 

Does he think that training will come 

back? “I don’t think so. With no test 

required, we’re asking people to train to 

do something they reckon they all do 

well anyway. How many new 

caravanners will take up training? Ask 

yourself this: how many companies put 

their drivers through fleet training? Some, 

but not many. How many drivers take on 

‘‘ 

The knowledge they need to 

keep them safe will have to be 

learned on the go – because 

trust me, the public won’t 

come for lessons now they 

won’t be tested... 

‘‘ 

advanced courses or do any further 

training once they pass their L-test? Once 

they pass their L-test, most think they 

can do it all.” 

Steve thinks the future of B+E training 

will become clearer in March. “Over the 

past 18 years I’ve learned that there is a 

cycle to caravan sales. Lots of people 

have one last summer holiday and then 

say, ‘that’s it, we’ll pack it in’ once the 

autumn comes. They are looking to sell 

– but no-one will buy at that point as 

they know they’ll have to store it 

somewhere over the winter, and you 

can’t use your new purchase straight 

away. As a side point, if you’re ever 

thinking of buying a caravan, now’s the 

time! 

“The change comes in March. That’s 

when people start thinking about their 

summer holidays and they go looking for 

a caravan. I think, with all the virus 

stories still flying around, loads will be 

looking at getting one next year for the 

first time. 

“Normally my phone is ringing 

non-stop in early spring with people 

who’ve just bought themselves a 

caravan, whether new or second hand, 

and they suddenly realise they need to 

take a test. The demographics tell us that 

most people buy caravans when they’ve 

got young families – so around 28-40 

years of age – and this group were born 

in 1981 to the mid-90s, so in the past 

they won’t have had the B+E exemption. 

I’d be flat out training that group.” 

Not now, of course, as there is no B+E 

test required. That will suppress demand 

but Steve hopes that some people will 

“get behind the wheel for the first time 

while towing and realise it isn’t as easy 

as they thought.” 

“They’ll get to a roundabout, the 

caravan will be swaying from side to side 

and they’ll think ‘woah, what’s going on’, 

or they’ll try to park it and it’ll be a 

nightmare. Hopefully, they’ll see sense 

and come for lessons.” 

It would help, he says, if the DVSA / 

DfT would launch an advertising 

campaign, informing the public of the 

dangers and telling them to take training. 

If not… “we’ll see standards fall – and 

that will mean crashes. I’d be interested 

to see the stats on trailer-related crashes 

in the future. I liked the cover of 

Newslink, with the crashed caravan and 

the stat: What was it… ‘In 1997, 46 

people were killed in crashes that 

involved towing, with 238 other ‘serious’ 

incidents... by 2019 these figures had 

fallen to 96 serious incidents and just 

two fatalities...’ 

“That’s a pretty stark difference and 

shows the benefits the testing had. It’s 

not a coincidence. It shows what the 

roads were like before 1997… and what 

they’re like now. 

“It will take some time but every year, 

new people will buy a caravan or start 

towing a trailer, and each one is a 

liability, in their own way. 

“This will hit standards hard; I’m just 

hoping people don’t pay for this 

government’s decision with their lives.” 

24 



The ‘history’ of 

the driving 

licence – Part III 

Rod Came goes all 

HG Wells as he looks back 

at 2021 from the near 

future and tries to make 

sense of the demise of 

the driving licence... 

Don’t worry if you haven’t read The 

History of the Driving Licence Parts 1 & 

2... they haven’t been written yet. The 

reason is I wanted to reduce the use of 

paper and printing ink, this will help 

combat global warming. 

Cast your mind back to the 1960s. 

The railways were losing money, lots of 

it, so it was decided to do away with 

many, many loss-making rural lines. A lot 

of folk were not happy with this but it 

went ahead anyway. The lines were 

closed and the tracks ripped up resulting 

in very few goods being transported by 

rail. 

Several decades passed and it became 

more apparent that perhaps this was not 

a good idea after all. People still needed 

to travel and goods needed to be 

transported to customers, either directly 

or via retailers. 

The population grew, the range of 

goods expanded, more people moved out 

of towns and cities to the countryside, 

distribution and travel became a 

nightmare. 

Following the demise of the railways 

an increasing number of heavy goods 

vehicles appeared on the roads. The 

drivers were skilled and known as ‘The 

Knights of the Road’. As time passed it 

became apparent that there was not 

enough of them, in fact there was a 

national panic, more in Government than 

among the populace, and urgent 

unplanned rapid steps were introduced 

to give the impression of appearing to 

deal with the problem. 

Media reports in September/October 

2021 of a shortage of petrol and diesel 

sent people into a flat spin which 

resulted in many fuel suppliers running 

out of stock, this being caused by queues 

of vehicles filling their tanks to the brim. 

It was very similar to the mediagenerated 

frenzy about the likely lack of 

toilet rolls roughly 18 months before. 

However, this highlighted the fact that 

the dwindling number of truck drivers 

who delivered such vital supplies was 

unable to cope with the demand. The 

loss of drivers had been going on for 

years, not only in the UK but also in 

Europe and America, but it had been 

ignored. 

The time had arrived for the UK 

Government to take action. 

It was decided to allow an increase of 

the number of working hours an HGV 

driver could undertake, as though that 

would make much difference, especially 

when the drivers pointed out that they 

work long enough as it is, thank you. 

It was also decided that it was no 

longer necessary for a driver who had 

passed their car driving test in a small 

car to have to take another test to drive a 

‘‘ 

There were always some 

people who didn’t want to take 

a driving test of any kind, and 

the official declaration that 

some tests were not necessary 

only reinforced that view... 

‘‘ 

towing vehicle and trailer weighing up to 

seven tonnes, contrary to the advice from 

all the road safety experts. Figures that 

had indicated a consistent drop in 

trailer-related crashes began to take an 

upward climb. 

Another change introduced was that 

HGV drivers would no longer have to 

progress test-wise from cars to rigid 

vehicles and then on to articulated 

trucks. They could go straight from their 

car test to driving an artic with just one 

more driving test, in an artic, which also 

allowed them to drive smaller rigid trucks. 

The number of new truck drivers barely 

exceeded the number leaving the 

industry, consequently little improvement 

in the distribution of goods was achieved. 

Another downside was that these 

moves started the demise of the driving 

licence. 

There had always been a minority of 

people driving cars and vans who did not 

think it necessary to take any sort of test 

or obtain a driving licence through the 

official avenues, and the government’s 

declaration that some driving tests were 

no longer necessary only reinforced their 

view. 

Back in 2030, in the UK, it was no 

longer possible to buy new fossil-fuelled 

vehicles, electric power was introduced 

in a big way. As time passed cars, vans, 

buses and trucks all became propelled 

either by plug-in electric power or 

hydrogen-generated electric power from 

fuel cells. 

Electronics had been used more and 

more in vehicles and when full electric 

power became the norm most of the 

activities which previously were the 

province of the driver were taken over. 

Ultimately, this moved to the point where 

vehicles of all types were able to travel 

from one location to another with no 

driver input. 

This resulted in the manufacturers 

being able to build vehicles with no 

controls for the driver to use and interfere 

with the progress of the vehicle in any 

circumstances. Vehicles became 

autonomous in their own right by not 

needing a driver. 

As vehicles now no longer need a 

driver, permissions such as a driving 

licence are no longer required, in fact, 

some antique licences are becoming 

collectors’ items, changing hands for 

considerable sums of money. 

In a little under 150 years a driving 

licence, once considered to be a right of 

passage, has now disappeared. 

Few will mourn its passing. 


25

Company Profile 

AA Driving School gives me 

everything I need to succeed 

Jenna Williams, an ADI based in 

Cardiff who operates with an 

AA Driving School Full Franchise, 

talks to Newslink about her 

experiences as a driving instructor 

with the company 

When did you become an ADI? 

I have been an ADI for exactly four 

years this month, having started my 

training around a year earlier. I’m so 

pleased I completed the training as I 

thoroughly enjoy my life as a driving 

instructor! 

What first attracted you to train to 

become a driving instructor? 

When I left school I didn’t really know 

what I wanted to do or which career path 

to choose. My partner encouraged me to 

become a driving instructor as he had 

worked in the industry and felt I had the 

right qualities to be successful. 

I’m so pleased I went for it, as I feel 

like I’ve found a role that I’m good at it 

and it’s the right job for me. 

I love meeting lots of different people, 

teaching them a life skill and seeing 

them succeed. 

Do you feel being a driving instructor 

offers you a good work-life balance? 

I really appreciate the flexibility my role 

as a driving instructor offers me. I have a 

young family and can juggle my childcare 

and nursery needs with having a 

rewarding job. Having control over the 

hours I work is key and being able to dial 

up or down the hours I work, provides 

the perfect balance. 

What type of franchise do you have? 

I joined the AA on a Full Franchise and 

it offers everything I need. When I first 

qualified, I was a little nervous about 

being self-employed but knowing I have 

the full backing and support of the AA is 

really reassuring. 

What made you choose the AA Full 

Franchise? 

I chose to join the AA Full Franchise as 

it provides me with everything I need to 

run my business successfully – from a 

high spec car and pupil allocation to the 

customer service team who are always 

on hand. 

At quieter periods, having the 

knowledge that you can turn to the AA 

for support in gaining new pupils is 

hugely comforting. Also having a high 

spec car might not have been an option 

if I had gone out on my own, but with 

the Full Franchise I get a new car every 

two years and know that if I am involved 

in an accident the AA is on hand to 

provide me with a courtesy car, with no 

damage to my business. 

There is also the extra support from 

the customer service team who offer that 

extra reassurance and are on hand if 

anything does go wrong, or if you have 

any queries. 

Does the AA Full Franchise give you the 

freedom to run your business your way? 

Yes, it absolutely does. I am fully in 

control of my business and making it a 

success. I get to choose my working 

hours, the locations I cover and set my 

own rates. However, I still have the 

support of the AA – I definitely feel that 

the Full Franchise offers me an easy life! 

What is it you enjoy most about being a 

driving instructor? 

I enjoy the flexibility that my job 

provides me and my family, but I feel 

most fortunate to be in a job that I really 

enjoy. It can be stressful at times, but it’s 

typically quite a relaxed and fun 

environment. 

When you’re teaching and coaching 

someone to drive, you know that they are 

there because they want to learn, so they 

are engaged and ready to listen. Seeing 

the excitement and joy when people 

succeed is amazing. 

Building a strong rapport throughout 

their lessons has meant that I have made 

many new friends in the process. 

What would you say to anyone 

considering taking an AA Full Franchise? 

I would simply say go for it! 

Left, one of the AA’s new Ford Pumas 

26 


‘It’s amazing where that little 

green badge can take you’ 

Look to diversify your 

driver training workload 

with Green Penny 

After many ADIs found themselves in 

the extremely difficult position of not 

being able to work at all during the 

recent lockdowns caused by COVID-19, 

many forward-thinking ADIs are now 

looking at diversifying the services they 

can offer. 

While the current demand for driving 

lessons is fantastic for the industry, past 

experience tells us this won’t last forever. 

Having a number of income streams into 

your business helps to keep you prepared 

for whatever the future may throw at us 

all. Being able to offer your services as a 

trainer within the fleet market, or to other 

types of clients in a classroom 

environment, not only provides the 

security of varying income streams, but 

also helps to provide a great deal of 

variety to the working week. 

Green Penny’s Business & Training 

Manager, Andy Clement, made the 

decision seven years ago to take up the 

relevant training to be able to do exactly 

that: “Since qualifying as an ADI back in 

2012, it was always my intention to 

diversify as much as I could and having 

spent 20 years in the corporate world, 

going back to business-to-business 

training was a natural progression. 

“I qualified as a fleet trainer in 2014 

and initially broke up my working week 

with learners with one or two days of 

fleet training. 

“This progressed on to driver 

assessment work, followed by classroom 

training, both of which I thoroughly 

enjoyed. 

“I joined Green Penny full-time in 

2019 and now have the training 

manager role, heading up the on-road 

and classroom training sides of the 

business, training ADIs to become fleet 


Andy 

Clement: 

‘There are so 

many work 

opportunities 

out there for 

ADIs’ 

qualified, as well as course development 

and implementation. 

“Its amazing where that little green 

badge can take you in life and there are 

so many work and development 

opportunities, whether you choose to just 

carry out learner driver training or progress 

on like I did with other avenues.” 

Green Penny offers a range of courses 

to help ADIs diversify into many other 

areas of the industry. 

To take a look at what’s on offer, visit 

greenpenny.co.uk or to take the next 

step and discuss enrolling onto a course 

via info@greenpenny.co.uk or call us on 

0330 111 7230. 


27

MSA GB Events 

SAVE THE DATE 

MSA GB Annual 

Conference 2022 

WE’RE BACK with an in-person Conference for 2022 

Join us at our Annual 

Conference 2022 at the 

Double Tree by Hilton 

Hotel, Coventry 

Weekend of 

Friday & Saturday, 

18th & 19th March * 

• DVSA officials 

• Trade stands 

• Networking events 

• Road safety speakers 

• Business advice 

• MSA GB AGM 

* see facing page for more details 

We are delighted to announce that our Annual 

Conference is returning for 2022 after two years in 

abeyance. 

In March 2020 we were all set to convene in 

Coventry at the DoubleTree by Hilton when the 

Covid-19 pandemic started to get its grip on the UK, 

and we were sadly forced to cancel. 

Earlier this year, in light of continuing restrictions, we 

ran the Annual Conference and AGM as a digital event, 

where we saw many members join us online to hear 

presentations from, among others, Loveday Ryder, 

Chief Executive of the DVSA. 

However, as things stand we are returning to an 

in-person event for 2022 – so make a date in your 

diary now for the weekend of March 18th & 19th. 

Why the weekend? Because we want you to help us 

plan this event. On the facing page you will see some 

information as to what we are considering; we want to 

hear your views before we decide the format for the 

event. 

As with our previous conferences, the event will 

include: 

• Keynote presentations from industry experts, 

including officials from the DVSA 

• Time for Q&A with leaders of our profession 

• Presentations from road safety and business 

professionals on topic of interest to ADIs 

• Industry update 

• Trade stands 

• Networking opportunities with your fellow ADIs. 

• MSA GB AGM 

BOOKING and PRICING will be revealed in our 

JANUARY issue – but make a note now in your diary. 

28 



The DoubleTree by Hilton is a superb hotel with 

top-quality leisure facilities, premium rooms 

and great levels of service. It’s the ideal venue 

for our event. 

Weekend itinerary: 

What do you want? 

We have a number of options available for the weekend 

– but we want you to tell us which format works best 

for you. 

OPTION 1 

DAY CONFERENCE ONLY 

Full day’s conference from 9am-4.30pm, including MSA GB 

AGM. Day to include morning coffee, sit-down lunch and 

afternoon tea. MSA GB Awards presentation and AGM to be 

held during the day. Cost to include all paperwork. 

PRICE TO BE CONFIRMED 

OPTION 2 

FRIDAY NIGHT SOCIAL & DAY CONFERENCE 

Meet at hotel from 4pm. Friday night buffet with fellow 

delegates, a great chance to relax, network and catch up with 

old friends. Full day’s conference next day from 9am-4.30pm, 

including MSA GB AGM and awards. Cost to include morning 

coffee, sit-down lunch and afternoon tea, and all paperwork. 

Note: If we host the Conference from Friday night, a special 

B&B room rate has been organised with the hotel for 

delegates and guests. 


Bringing a non-delegate guest? Our host hotel 

has superb leisure facilities for them to use, and 

Coventry is a fascinating city with some great 

attractions, including the world-famous 

cathedral and peace museum 

OPTION 3 

DAY CONFERENCE & SATURDAY NIGHT SOCIAL 

Full day’s conference from 9am-4.30pm, including 

MSA GB AGM. Day to include morning coffee, 

sit-down lunch and afternoon tea. MSA GB Awards 

presentation and AGM to be held during the day. 

Cost to include all paperwork. Followed by Saturday 

night dinner, a great chance to relax with fellow 

delegates/catch up with old friends. 

Note: If Conference includes the Saturday night 

social event, a special B&B room rate has been 

organised with the hotel for delegates and guests. 


Which option works best for you? Let us know: Email Peter Harvey at info@msagb.com 

with your preferred choice. You can just say Option 1, Option 2 or Option 3 – or if you have other 

ideas, let us know them! 


29

Technical briefing 

Moving up 

the gears 

Steel or 

concrete? 

Better initial 

protection 

v more 

deformability 

and control of 

the crashed 

vehicle 

for road 

safety barriers 

by Tom Harrington 

Traffic barriers are an effective countermeasure 

for reducing the severity of 

Run-off-Road (ROR) crashes. Their main 

task is to redirect the vehicles running 

off the road to keep them safe in the 

clear zone. The design is critical: it must 

be strong enough to control the vehicles 

and transfer forces away from the 

vehicle’s occupants to avoid serious 

injuries. However, traffic barriers were 

initially designed to avoid vehicles from 

running off the road with less emphasis 

on reducing the severity of impact. 

Unfortunately, many of the old traffic 

barrier segments have not been 

upgraded in accordance with recent 

design policies due to the substantial 

cost needed to replace them. In 

addition, the speed limit, as a parameter 

related to crash severity, has been 

changed considerably over the last four 

decades. 

Here I will look at the various types of 

crash barriers and their effectiveness, 

and also dispels the motorcyclists’ 

‘Cheese Cutter’ myth. 

There are two types of safety 

barriers. They can either redirect 

vehicles back onto the 

carriageway, or stop a vehicle 

immediately so that it cannot pass 

through the barrier. Traffic barriers 

keep vehicles within their roadway and 

prevent them from colliding with 

dangerous obstacles such as trees, 

bridge abutments and walls. They are 

also installed within medians of divided 

highways to prevent errant vehicles from 

entering the opposing carriageway of 

traffic and help to reduce head-on 

collisions. Some are designed to be 

struck from either side and are called 

median barriers. Traffic barriers can also 

be used to protect vulnerable areas like 

school yards, pedestrian zones, and fuel 

tanks from errant vehicles. 

While barriers are normally designed to 

minimise injury, they do occur in 

collisions with traffic barriers and as a 

result should only be installed when a 

collision with the barrier is likely to be 

less severe than a collision with the 

hazard behind it. Indeed, such is the 

potential for harm that it is better to 

remove, relocate or modify a hazard, 

rather than shield it with a barrier. 

To make sure they are safe and effective, 

traffic barriers undergo extensive simulated 

and full crash testing before they are 

approved for general use. While crash 

testing cannot replicate every potential 

manner of impact, testing programmes 

are designed to determine the 

performance limits of traffic barriers and 

provide an adequate level of protection to 

road users. 

There are three main types of safety 

barrier (but within these types there are 

different systems which have their own 

specific performance characteristics). 

• Flexible barriers are made from wire 

rope supported between frangible posts. 

Flexible barriers may be the best option 

for minimising injuries to vehicle 

occupants; however they may pose a risk 

to motorcyclists. 

These barriers deflect more than other 

barrier types and need to be repaired 

following impact to maintain their 

re-directive capability. 

• Semi-rigid barriers are usually made 

from steel beams or rails. These deflect 

less than flexible barriers and so they can 

be located closer to the hazard when 

space is limited. Depending on the 

impact these barriers may be able to 

redirect secondary impacts. 

• Rigid barriers are usually made of 

concrete and do not deflect. Rigid 

barriers should be used only where there 

is no room for deflection of a semi-rigid 

or flexible barrier. 

Rigid barriers are often utilised at high 

volume roadwork sites to protect road 

workers or others, particularly where 

another barrier type is awaiting repair. 

Currently these provide the highest level 

of containment of heavy vehicles. In 

most cases following impact these 

barriers require little or no maintenance. 

Much of the benefit from the use of 

barriers comes from a reduction in crash 

severity. Although a crash may still occur, 

it is likely to have a safer consequence 

than colliding with the object that the 

barrier is protecting. 

If properly designed, installed and 

maintained, barriers should reduce the 

severity of crashes involving ‘out of 

control’ vehicles, and greatly reduce the 

likelihood of head-on crashes. 

Rolling Barrier System 

Worldwide, every year, around 1.25 

30 



million people die and millions more are 

injured as a result of road traffic crashes. 

The latest emerging technology for road 

safety is focusing on finding ways to 

avoid or minimise road accidents and 

KSIs. Urethane Roller Barriers help to 

re-direct vehicles crashing into the 

barriers back onto the road. Rolling 

Barriers (RB) provide a cushioning effect 

during a crash, reducing the high-speed 

effect and helping reduce injury to the 

vehicle’s occupants. 

These are extremely effective and their 

implementation has shown significant 

results in reducing injuries on flat roads, 

curved road sections, ramps, medians, 

entrances, exit ramps and in steep 

mountainous roads with bends. 

The Rolling Barriers absorb impact 

energy and convert it into rotational 

energy and direct the vehicle forward 

rather than breaking through an 

immovable steel barrier. 

Rolling Barrier - How Does it Work? 

Rolling barriers has a rotating barrel 

made of EVA with excellent shock 

absorption power, three-dimensional 

buffering frames and dense props 

supporting the frames. Rotating Barrels 

comes with attached reflective sheeting 

for good visibility. 

EVA has better flexibility and elasticity 

compared to other polyethylene 

resins and has almost similar features to 

rubber. In fact, it’s lighter than rubber 

and more elastic than urethane. In short, 

it’s not easily damaged. 

When a car hits the guardrail, the 

rotating barrel converts shock from the 

vehicle to rotational energy. Upper and 

lower frames adjust tires of large and 

small vehicles to prevent the steering 

system from a functional loss. 

Crash Barriers – Wired Up 

Wire Rope Barrier Vehicle Restraint 

Systems (WRBVRS) are controversial as 

they are heavily disliked by the 

motorcycling community, who have 

nicknamed them ‘cheese cutters’ for the 

effect they can have on riders involved in 

a crash. In September 2014 the newly 

formed A11 Riders Action Group 

demonstrated against the fitting of wire 

rope systems on the A11 project 

between Thetford and Barton Mills in 

Norfolk. 

The ultimate aim of this group is to 

ban the use of Wire Rope Barrier Vehicle 

Restraint Systems. The protest saw more 

than 200 riders take part with the group 

petitioning the Government and in 

dialogue with the Highways Agency as 

Concrete barriers are 

sturdy and absorb a lot 

of impact, and so are 

often used to protect 

road workers 

well as MP, MEPS and Ministers. 

Various reports from riders’ 

organisations conclude that there is a 

possible fatal interaction with riders in 

collision with these “killer” wire ropes. 

One of the key criticisms is that they 

used multiple exposed rigid posts which 

cause considerable injury if a falling 

motorbike rider hits them. 

Some countries have banned them, 

including Norway, Denmark and the 

Netherlands, but they are still used in 

many other places, including the UK, as 

they confirm with European standards. 

‘‘ 

Wire-rope barriers are known 

as ‘cheese cutters’ in the 

motorbike community... but 

it isn’t the wires that are the 

threat but the inflexible solid 

posts that support them... 

‘‘ 

Unfortunately, these standards were 

produced to handle cars and lorries, with 

little nor no thought given to motorcycles 

and riders. 

Dispelling the ‘Cheese Cutter’ Myth 

The term ‘cheese cutter’ originated in 

New Zealand after 21-year-old Daniel 

Evans was fatally injured in 2007 after 

colliding with a roadside wire-rope 

barrier. News reports suggested the 

wire-rope barrier was the reason for his 

death. However, the subsequent 

investigation found that speed was the 

major factor; Daniel was travelling 

between 148 – 190km/h when he left 

the road, resulting in an impact speed 

the equivalent of jumping off a 13-storey 

building, the coroner concluded. 

It wasn’t the wires that caused the 

problem; it was the inflexible nature of 

the steel posts used to support the wire. 

The posts are designed to bend for 

vehicles, but not people. Generally, 

motorcyclists will come off their bike and 

slide underneath the wire, or into a post. 

Professor Raphael Grzebieta of the New 

South Wales Transport and Road Safety 

(TARS) Research Unit said there was “no 

evidence to date... of motorcycle riders 

travelling at or below the posted speed 

limit, and who has crashed into a 

wire-rope barrier, being cut by the 

wire-rope in a manner similar to how 

cheese is cut with wire…” 

So it wasn’t the wires that were the 

problem; it was the supporting post. In 

Sweden, a survey of more than 600km 

of flexible barriers had no record of 

motorcycles being ‘sliced’ by the barriers. 

However, when the country introduced 

flexible support systems for the wires 

they saw a 40-50 per cent reduction in 

fatalities involving motorcyclists. 

Concrete v Steel barriers? 

Concrete barriers were first used in the 

US, and arrived in Europe in the 1980s 

and ‘90s. The steel industry also looked 

at creating high performing devices that 

were able to offer the same containment 

levels of concrete barriers. Since then, 

however, roadside safety systems have 

not significantly changed, and the debate 

of concrete v steel continues. 

Steel’s inherent ductility makes it an 

excellent material for impact protection 

and its ability to absorb energy ensures 

that a vehicle does not come to an 

abrupt halt. Rather, the steel barrier 

system deforms, significantly lowering 

the rate of vehicular deceleration. 

Continued on page 32 


31

Technical briefing 

Moving up the gears for 

road safety barriers 

Continued from page 31 

In addition, steel barrier systems are 

designed to maintain vehicle direction, 

greatly reducing the risk of overturning, 

loss of control and potential collision with 

other vehicles. 

Interestingly, steel crash barriers have 

also been found to have a positive 

psychological effect on drivers as they 

provide a sense of openness. Drivers 

subconsciously feel ‘walled in’ by solid 

concrete barriers and have a tendency to 

steer away from them, encroaching on 

other lanes. 

They have other advantages over 

concrete: they are easy to install, 

relatively cheap and the cost of 

maintenance is low. Once the steel 

barrier has come to the end of its useful 

operating life, the material can be 

recycled. 

Concrete offers greater protection, but 

at a price of a lack of deforming. While 

concrete generally dissipates the energy 

by means of friction effects on the 

barriers’ base, steel can rely on internal 

deformations that absorb a wider part of 

the crash energy. 

How drivers respond to barriers is 

interesting. A survey by Van der Horst 

and de Ridder found that the type of 

guardrail had no effect on the speed and 

lateral position on motorways, but on 

rural roads drivers reduced their speed 

and moved away from the guardrail; 

however, when they had passed the 

guardrail their speed increased to 

normal. 

Surveys suggest that barriers induce a 

speed reduction on rural roads but cause 

drivers to move away on motorways, 

thus creating new problems. 

Overall, the protection of road users 

still represent important challenges. But 

there are big opportunities available for 

improving ‘road edges’, both for passive 

‘‘ 

Concrete generally dissipates 

the energy by means of friction 

effects on the barriers’ base; 

steel can rely on internal 

deformations that absorb a 

wider part of the crash energy 

‘‘ 

and active safety issues. We need to 

consider a new concept of road edges 

and roadside devices and systems. These 

parts of road infrastructure, in fact, can 

be developed in order to assist vehicles 

guidance, to avoid some crashes and to 

mitigate their consequences. 

In particular, it is important to control 

the dynamic interaction of restraint 

systems with low mass vehicle, in order 

to obtain lower injury risk for passengers, 

by means of vehicle post-crash 

redirection. 

One final point. Studies of road traffic 

crashes often talk about the ‘Golden 

Hour’, the period immediately after a 

crash in which it is imperative those 

injured received hospital treatment. 

Manufacturers of Smart Road Restraint 

Systems (SRRS) have developed a 

system that integrates primary and 

tertiary sensor systems, alerting 

emergency services of accidents as they 

happen to minimise response time to the 

exact location of the incident. 

Ironically, then, in the future, the crash 

barriers’ major contribution to reducing 

fatalities may not be their role in 

lessening impacts, but on calling for an 

ambulance as soon as the crash 

occurs. 

32 

Extended deadline for examiner roles 

The DVSA has extended the job 

application deadline for car driving 

examiner posts across Great Britain to 

give people more time to apply. 

This is the third phase of its 

recruitment campaign, which aims to 

bring in over 300 more car driving test 

examiners to reduce test waiting times. 

These roles can offer part-time 

flexible working hours, including 

evening and weekend working 

opportunities. 

The closing date for applications is 

now 11.55pm on Tuesday, December 7. 

If you are interested in the roles 

available, you can find out more about 

the role and how to apply on the Civil 

Service jobs website, at 

https://careers.dft.gov.uk/dvsa-drivingexaminer-roles/ 

But be quick: 

applications close on December 7. 



Do you want to share my space? 

Janet Stewart 

MSA GB Greater London 

I am sure that many of the people 

reading this will remember Hans 

Monderman. He was a famed Dutch 

road engineer who died in 2008 and he 

was regarded as a ‘traffic philosopher’. 

To quote Wikipedia (and one should 

always acknowledge one’s sources): ‘He 

was recognised for radically challenging 

the criteria used to evaluate engineering 

solutions for street design. His work 

compelled transportation planners and 

highway engineers to look afresh at the 

way people and technology relate to each 

other.’ 

I note the word ‘compelled’. I 

remember when there was quite a lot 

being said about “shared space” road 

schemes a few years ago and the general 

consensus seemed to be that it would 

not work over here because we are not 

Dutch. I spoke to a Dutch friend of mine 

about this last week and she inferred that 

we Brits were “not a sufficiently 

communal society” and that rather than 

thinking about how to solve a problem 

together, we are too focused on our 

personal interests. For balance, I should 

point out that she also threw in a few 

negative comments about the Dutch. 

So, how far have we got with the idea 

of shared space and is it the right way to 

Inset, Hans 

Monderman, and 

(main photo) a 

shared space 

road project in 

his native 

Netherlands 

David Engwicht pictured in the 

middle of one of Europe’s busiest 

roads, the Champs-Élysées. 

Engwicht, a contemporary of 

Hans Monderman, worked less 

on road engineering and more on 

smoothing out the “mental speed 

bumps” which stop us sharing 

road space safely 

go? The basic concept is a very simple one: 

remove as much street furniture, road signs 

and lines as possible and let vehicular, 

bicycular (a word that ought to exist) and 

pedestrian traffic find its own way. 

We have all seen pictures of complex 

roundabouts where the only guidance 

seems to come in differing colours of 

tarmac (see the photo below). So 

perhaps the fact that we get confused is 

intended to slow us all down to a speed 

at which we can concentrate, analyse 

what’s around us and make altruistic 

decisions about how to negotiate the 

particular section of road or junction we 

are on. (I dare to suggest that that is 

exactly what ADIs do every day.) 

Actually, we nearly all do this fairly 

regularly. How, often are there trolley 

crashes in a supermarket? How often to 

loaded baggage trolleys run into one 

another at airports? So we are used to 

manoeuvring around open spaces 

without directional guidance by the 

simple method of give and take. 

I conclude that the limiting factor is 

our attitude. We want to be told where 

the edges are, which bit of road is ours 

and when we can go in front of everyone 

else. More and more of us are cycling but 

not in the numbers that there are in 

Holland. Also, we are far more crowded 

together and I think we need to have 

enough space for ourselves before we 

will feel comfortable about sharing. 

However, I would suggest that the 

outstanding point overall is that we don’t 

like change, don’t want to have to learn 

anything new and feel put-upon rather 

than wanting to engage with the issue. 

COP26 has just finished as I write this. 

We should all be moving towards electric 

cars and then to autonomous vehicles. 

Should we be giving shared road space a 

proper chance? 

Or would it never work here because 

we are not Dutch? 


33

Area News 

Motorcyclists: they don’t make it easy 

for themselves, do they... 

Rod Came 

MSA GB South East 

Motorcyclists are risk-taking thrill 

seekers. Why else would anybody want 

to sit on something that that will propel 

them to the motorway speed limit in less 

time than it has taken to read my first 

sentence, but takes longer to come to a 

halt than the time you have spent 

reading up to now? A motorcycle is a 

vehicle that can’t stand up by itself, but 

can defy the laws of gravity when 

mobile. 

I have partaken on police courses 

which qualified me initially to ride a 

Velocette (max. speed 50 mph), then 

rising to the heights of death-defying 

Norton Commandos (115 mph) and 

Moto Guzzis (110 mph). On one 

memorable course it rained every day at 

some point. Now I am all for communing 

with nature but having it splashed all 

over my face as though standing on a 

beach in a force 10 gale, then being 

unable to prevent it gently trickling down 

my neck, dropping my body temperature 

by 10 degrees, is not my idea of fun. 

I have noticed that in order to enhance 

the motorcycling experience riders have 

introduced a new element of excitement. 

In times past some of the more 

enlightened highway howlers decided 

that to give the only really vulnerable 

road users, namely pedestrians, a chance 

of survival, they would switch their 

headlights on during daylight hours, so 

that if they couldn’t be heard they might 

be seen before wipe-out. 

I recollect that when it was decided 

that daytime running lights on four 

wheeled vehicles would be a good idea 

because on occasion it was difficult to 

see them approaching, there was a howl 

from some bikers that it would make 

them less conspicuous and increase their 

already high risk. 

It now appears that in some perverse 

manner, to increase the excitement of 

their otherwise hum-drum lives and to 

heighten the motorcycling experience, it 

is best to wear black trainers, jeans and 

jacket, complimented by a black helmet 

and a black bike – and no lights, except 

in the dark when it is best to set the 

headlight on blinding beam. 

When the immediately aforementioned 

come to grief having made themselves 

invisible and have not been seen among 

a plethora of DRLs, who is to blame for 

the ensuing collision? The driver, of 

course. 

DVLA and DVSA: Are we just unlucky to 

have both? 

Why is that the two government 

agencies that ADIs have to deal with in 

the course of their business are such a 

shambles? 

I refer, of course, to the DVLA and the 

DVSA. 

Both appear to be conspiring together 

in unison or separately to make life as 

difficult for their customers as they 

possibly can, and much of this 

inefficiency is affecting the businesses of 

A death-defying Norton 

Commando... not for the fainthearted 

hard-working ADIs. You. 

Not only is the DVLA failing to provide 

new learner drivers with their first 

provisional licence in a timely manner, 

they are also causing problems for people 

who need to hire a car, especially 

abroad, by not renewing driving licences 

so that they run for consecutive dates. 

This has a serious effect on the 

travelling abilities of vocational drivers 

who need to drive in the EU and beyond. 

That pre-supposes that provisional 

licence holders have managed to obtain 

a test date in the first place. I have heard 

that for category B drivers dates well into 

the second half of next year are being 

talked about; that is quite ridiculous. 

How on earth do DVSA expect ADIs to 

be able train their clients to be in a state 

of readiness for a test that far ahead, but 

they still plead with ADIs to only bring 

people for a driving test when they are 

ready. It’s impossible! 

I have written at length about the 

failings of DSA/DVSA over the years 

hoping that one day I would be able to 

report a vast improvement. Alas, that 

time is not to be soon. 

Season’s Greetings 

In the spirit of goodwill to all men and 

women I thank you for reading my 

outpourings over the last 12 months and 

would like to wish each and every one of 

you a Merry Christmas and a Happy and 

Prosperous New Year. 

Want one? Even if 

your pupils can get 

an L-test, there no 

guarantee the half 

of the motoring 

Chuckle Brothers, 

the DVLA, will 

actually get round 

to providing them 

with a licence... 

34 



Des Payne from the 

British Horse Society 

Mike Newman and 

John Galloway from 

Speed of Sight 

Inspiring talks and great information 

at MSA GB’s Western meeting 

Arthur Mynott 

MSA GB Western 

The MSA GB Western conference was 

held on Monday, 8th November at Oake 

Manor Golf Club, Taunton, Somerset. It 

was the first time some delegates had 

attended such an event in person for the 

past two years and while some were too 

busy (as a lot of us are now), and some 

are still wary of meeting others in close 

proximity, it proved to be a successful 

event with 18 members attending. 

Our first speaker was Darren Russell, 

DVSA enforcement manager, who 

explained more about the TIP (Test 

Information Programme) and how the 

DVSA was using the information 

provided by it as a tool for when to call 

forward an ADI for a Standards Check. 

A video from the DVSA was also 

played, explaining it in detail. 

This was then followed by a 

presentation from Mike Newman and 

John Galloway from Speed of Sight. If 

you haven’t heard of them before, then 

look them up on the internet. Mike 

Newman holds the World Record for the 

fastest blind man driving a car, at just 

under 201 miles per hour! They now run 

the charity, Speed of Sight to give a 

driving experience to people, young and 

old who will never have or never will 

have a driving licence. It was a very 

moving presentation which bought a 

lump in the throat to many in the 

audience, me included. 

To find out more, check them out at 

www.speedofsight.org; it really is 

inspiring stuff 

After this was a company called Rated 

Driving who travelled down from Essex 

to explain what they can offer to 

instructors looking to expand their 

horizons and take on new work. 

This was followed by the MSA GB 

Western AGM in which the Committee 

were again voted in with the exception of 

Guy Annan, the area editor, and Mike 

Milburn, who is retiring. 

Guy was named Editor of the Year at 

the National Conference earlier this year 

and has been putting articles in 

Newslink every month for the last two 

years. I would like to thank him 

personally for all the work he has done in 

this role and completely understand why 

he is stepping down. 

I would also like to thank all the 

Western Committee for their help and 

backing over the past year. It makes my 

job so much easier to know I can always 

rely on them. 

After a mouth-watering two course 

lunch we reconvened and were treated to 

a presentation by Des Payne from the 

British Horse Society, entitled Safer 

Drivers, Safer Riders, Safer Horses. It 

was interesting watching the videos of 

the horse riders and the close shaves in 

which they are sometimes involved. It’s 

surprising how ignorant and foolish some 

drivers are. 

More at www.bhs.org.uk 

To finish off the day we were treated to 

more current information from our 

National Chairman, Peter Harvey, MBE 

who had travelled down from Scotland to 

grace us with his presence. He filled us 

in how the MSA GB are looking to the 

future, answered any questions that 

Darren was unable to respond to earlier 

in the day and generally filled in the 

blanks delegates had. 

Overall, the day was a great success 

and we hope to repeat it again next year. 

You can contact Arthur Mynott, 

Chairman, MSA GB Western, at 

chair.ow@msagb.com 

‘‘ 

They now run the charity, Speed of Sight to give a driving 

experience to people, young and old who will never have 

or never will have a driving licence. It was a very moving 

presentation which bought a lump in the throat to many 

in the audience, me included. 

‘‘ 


35

Area News 

Someone is going to pay ... 

Russell Jones 

MSA GB East Midlands 

During the last few days of November I 

was with an excellent learner driver, 

called Sophie, who was making her way 

out of Nottingham, following the A60 

towards Trent Bridge, when she started 

to slow the car. I felt I knew why she was 

doing so but I said nothing because I 

wanted her to deal with a developing 

hazard to our front. 

A lone cyclist was peddling along a 

double length bus stop which was 

located to the left of the nearside lane, 

and there was a distinct possibility that 

she could have swerved out into our 

pathway without looking to see if it was 

safe to do so. 

Sophie was alert to all the other traffic 

around us and obviously noted there was 

no possibility of safely moving out into 

another lane to avoid a potential 

collision. As the cyclist reached the end 

of the bus stop, she stopped moving 

forwards and was very close to our lane. 

At the same time our car came to a 

standstill as Sophie applied the footbrake 

firmly. The ‘developing hazard’ required 

that course of action by Sophie. My foot 

had been very close to my dual brake, 

but I had not needed to intervene, as 

Sophie had the matter under full control. 

What happened next astounded me! 

There was an annoying blast of a car 

horn emanating from the vehicle behind 

us. Sophie asked, ‘’Was she doing that to 

me?’’ I replied, ‘’Yes’’. She exclaimed, 

‘’But she’s a driving instructor’’. I said, 

‘’It does seem so’’. Sophie replied, ‘’Why 

has she done that, I did the right thing in 

stopping because the cyclist almost 

came out into my lane and could have 

crashed into me?’’. I replied, ‘’Might as 

well ask why the moron was born!’’ 

‘‘ 

Too many drivers become 

36 

impatient and don’t see 

the developing hazards 

ahead of them 

‘‘ 

At that moment, the cyclist moved out 

of the bus stop and immediately turned 

left via a Toucan Crossing onto the 

footpath to continue her journey. 

Sophie began to move forward again, 

and the moron behind began overtaking 

us and, as Sophie said, ‘’She’s giving me 

a filthy look’’. I complimented Sophie on 

her excellent course of action, patience, 

attention to the risk posed and a very 

successful outcome to it, with an 

appreciative cyclist that she was free to 

continue cycling without being harmed. 

What else are we contemplating? With 

supporting in-car video I am arranging to 

visit the local police and submit a written 

statement of complaint, with a ‘demand’ 

that the idiotic ADI be interviewed by a 

uniformed police officer, who could issue 

a formal caution, for ‘driving without due 

care and consideration for other road 

users’. That should serve as an 

unpleasant early Christmas present! 

Am I surprised by the incident? I 

shouldn’t be, as I’ve discovered the ADI 

concerned learned their trade with a 

well-known ‘el cheapo’ training outfit, 

which could easily fool someone from the 

DVSA to issuing a Green Badge to 

somebody totally unsuited for the role. 

Some ADIs never learn 

Two teenage learners, having ‘endured’ 

the stench of tobacco smoke on the 

clothes of the recent ADI with whom 

they were learning, stopped taking 

driving lessons. They are now prepared 

to wait some considerable time before 

resuming their training and have joined 

the end of my waiting list. I sympathise 

with them, both for having had to 

contend with a very selfish individual 

who thinks it is ok to mistreat customers, 

because ‘mistreatment’ is what it is/was, 

and others who are still being exposed to 

the same pollution. But their wait for a 

full driving licence is also being delayed. 

DVSA/DfT should make it mandatory that 

smokers are prohibited by law from the 

profession. 

Boom time 

Like all four corners of the country, the 

East Midlands driver training business for 

initial licence acquisition is booming 

beyond most ADIs wildest dreams. 

Which begs the question, why are so 

many of them incapable of charging 

realistic rates for the job? 

One reason is as plain as a pikestaff, 

which was highlighted in these pages by 

Mike Yeomans only last month. First 

impressions, guys! First impressions! It 

cannot be emphasised enough. 

The end is not nigh 

‘Elise’, aged 33, started to learn to 

drive when she was 17 but gave up 

within a few weeks. Now having passed 

her test very recently, she has ‘ordered’ 

me not to retire as her son will need 

driving lessons in six years’ time. Having 

taught both her parents a long time ago, 

I guess I’ll not be going anywhere else 

soon, as it would be a dereliction of duty. 

So, it has got me thinking. What hourly 

rate will I be able to charge in six years’ 

time? £75? Or more? Well, we must 

have ambition, must we not? If we don’t 

grab the golden opportunity which the 

pandemic has presented, the ADI 

profession will have only itself to blame. 

Of course, that has been the history for 

decades, but I do see a glimmer of hope 

that the tide is changing, and good 

instructors will prosper, with no room for 

deadwood and no-hopers. Life could 

even become rather grand for many. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 

to you all 

CONTACT 

To comment on this article, or provide 

updates from your area, contact 

Russell at rjadi@hotmail.com 



DVSA looks to soften 

its image by dropping 

the ‘enforcement’ tag 

Thanks for the 

good wishes 

John Lomas 

Editor, MSA GB North West 

Terry Pearce 

MSA GB West Midlands 

MSA GB West Midlands held our 

training event and AGM by Zoom on 

Wednesday, 10th November. 

Our speaker from the DVSA was John 

Sheridan. One item John mentioned was 

the renaming of the agency’s 

‘enforcement’ examiners; thankfully they 

want to change it. I must admit I had 

never understood why examiners who 

conduct Standards Check had that title. 

The DVSA has been trying to tell us how 

approachable they were, as I found out 

on my last Standards Check, but then 

they changed the name to enforcement 

which makes them sound like the enemy! 

John also mentioned cancellation 

apps and the fact that the DVSA was 

trying its best to stop them from working 

using an automated BOTS system. I 

agree that the system has a lot of 

problems including numerous no-shows 

for test, but it is clearly a system that 

candidates want so why doesn’t the 

DVSA run its own cancellation service? 

This would enable candidates to be 

fairly issued cancellations and the DVSA 

could also make money from this extra 

service. 

As always John was an excellent 

speaker. It may be the last West 

Midlands event he addresses as he 

announced that he will be retiring next 

year, and I wish him well for the future. 

The West Midlands AGM was held 

after John’s presentation. This was led 

by our National Chairman, Peter Harvey 

MBE. I have previously mentioned that 

our area Chairman Geoff Little had 

‘‘ 

The DVSA has been telling 

us how approachable they 

are, then they change the 

name to enforcement! 

‘‘ 


intimated to the committee that, after 

holding the position for about 30 years, 

he would be standing down this year. 

Unfortunately, Geoff has been unwell 

recently, but after talking to Peter 

Harvey he has agreed to continue as 

Chairman for the time being. Ralph 

Walton has also agreed to continue. 

Carole Hodgkinson and Steve Walker 

have stepped down from the committee. 

On behalf of the committee, I would like 

to thank them for their commitment and 

support. 

The committee is: 

Chairman: Geoff Little 

Deputy Chairman and Secretary: 

Ralph Walton 

Treasurer and Editor: Terry Pearce. 

I have recently visited Geoff, and it 

was wonderful to see him getting better. 

He was very upbeat and was looking 

forward to getting back to work. 

Peter Harvey then gave us an update 

on what is happening in our industry. 

Items discussed included the possible 

restructuring of the MSA GB, perhaps 

into four areas. He also mentioned the 

MSA GB website which should be 

relaunched soon. 

Other items he touched on were 

digital pass certificates, digital driving 

licence with access to picture, extending 

licence expiry from 70 to 75 or 80 years 

in the future, and trialling reverse 

parking in car parks during L-tests for 

those driving test centres which do not 

have their own car park. 

As always it was riveting listening to 

him. 

Finally, as this is the last issue of 

Newslink before Christmas, I’d like to 

wish you all an enjoyable Christmas 

break and hope you have some muchneeded 

rest. 

CONTACT 

If you have any items of interest, please 

let me know. I can be contacted on 

07866614573, terry@terrypearce. 

co.uk or 20 Brownshill Green Road, 

Coventry, CV6 2DT. 

First, I would like to thank everyone 

for their best wishes, expressed 

through various social media 

channels, while I was in hospital 

recently. 

Unfortunately, my illness was driven 

by what turned out to be a growth/ 

tumour affecting my lower digestive 

tract. As of now there is no news from 

any biopsy, but fingers crossed all will 

be fine. The situation hasn’t been 

helped by the right eye issues, 

however! Thankfully I am currently 

recuperating with friends of the family. 

I was able to attend the North West’s 

Seminar and AGM and as expected 

the committee and officers remain the 

same with the exception of Ian Morris 

who has stepped down due to work 

commitments. 

We thank Ian for the work he has 

done for us in the past. 

Future Contributions to Newslink 

If you wish to have your say on any 

issue affecting road safety or driver 

training and testing, then Newslink is 

your forum. There is a submission 

deadline for time sensitive 

announcements, such as meetings/ 

upcoming events, etc, and it is 

normally around 24th/25th of the 

preceding month – so November 24 

for this December issue, for example. 

The publication is usually released on 

the 1st/2nd of the month. 

All articles may be submitted 

through the team of area editors, or 

the National Editor Colin Lilly 

(editor@msagb.com) at any time. 

They will be used in the next issue 

unless space is restricted because of, 

say, breaking news. 

If you want guidance on submitting 

articles, I can be reached via the 

email address below. 

CONTACT 


updates, contact John at 

johnstardriving@hotmail.com 

37

‘‘‘‘ 

Area Focus 

It’s time to enlighten drivers 

Brian Thomson 

MSA GB Scotland 

Now, I know that the people who read 

Newslink will already know all this, and 

trust me, I’m not teaching your auntie to 

pluck hens (or whatever the saying is), 

but through this article and through our 

students we can perhaps reach out to 

the less well-informed about why 

vehicles have lights front and back, and 

when to, and when not to, use them. 

First, can we talk about ‘day running 

lights’. They are the bright LED ones that 

come on when you start the car. They 

are nice and bright and in most cases are 

brighter than normal side lights, but in 

lots of cases and car models there are 

none to the rear, so when you are driving 

around town it’s easy to be seen from the 

front but nothing to see approaching 

from the rear. I actually met a car in the 

evening fog recently with day running 

lights only. Because of the thick fog they 

would not have been getting a huge 

reflection back but when they passed me 

they then disappeared into the grey 

murky depths, virtually invisible to other 

road users. 

Speaking of fog, we all know that rear 

fog lights are great for letting others know 

they are approaching us in poor visibility 

but only if it’s required (100m or less 

visibility), not because it was foggy in the 

morning when you left the house and 

you just leave them on even when you’re 

now in town or the fog has lifted until 

you can see further than a golden eagle 

with varifocals. 

Now the front lights; we need them so 

we can see to drive in the dark and the 

function of ‘dip’ and ‘full’ beam gives us 

better visibility when no other vehicles 

are coming toward us. However, when 

‘dip’ is activated the lights are dipped 

and turned slightly towards the left (on 

right-hand drive cars) which does two 

things. First, it lights up the left of the 

carriageway or verge and second, it 

means the oncoming driver isn’t suffering 

from welder’s flash. So why, when 

parked on the right side of a road, do 

some drivers decide to sit and wait to 

move off with dipped lights on, so when 

you approach you can’t see if anyone is 

either passing the back of their car or a 

DRLs are nice and bright and 

in most cases are brighter than 

side lights, but in most cases 

there are none to the rear 

passenger is getting into the passenger’s 

side? It’s something to be aware of and 

inform your students as we teach them 

the driving test manoeuvre of right side 

stopping during the impending winter 

months. Even parking or stopping on the 

left, some people seem to be in such a 

rush to get into the shop they don’t have 

time to switch the main lights off so the 

car is reflecting light beams along the 

road, giving the impression to oncoming 

traffic that something is coming towards 

them. If people are in as much of a rush 

as that should they have left the house a 

little earlier? 

Last week a car was parked in a lay-by 

(parking place to younger readers) with 

dipped lights on, thankfully on their own 

side. It can make reading the road ahead 

for oncoming drivers that slightly more 

confusing than it needs to be (is it a car 

overtaking another, some might think?),. 

Final point: if this year is the same as 

the past few thousand we will no doubt 

be getting into our cars when a bit of 

overnight frost has had time to obscure 

the lights and often the indicators front 

and back. A quick skoosh of de-icer or a 

scrape makes it easier to let other drivers 

know where you are and where you’re 

going. Very few cars have a heater fitted 

to the lights; always remember, just 

because you can see us, we might not 

see you. 

Stay safe, stay bright and hope some 

folks will see the light. 

38 


South Shields ADIs up in arms 

over DVSA closure plans 


A row has broken out in the North East 

after the DVSA admitted it was 

evaluating whether to close the South 

Tyneside driving test centre. 

The decision would cause huge 

upheaval for the area’s ADIs, with some 

claiming that closing the DTC would ‘cost 

£2million’ and cause ‘huge disruption’ 

for both instructors and pupils. 

The future of the centre, at the Bede 

Industrial Estate in Jarrow, is being 

“evaluated”, the DVSA says, though any 

effect on learner drivers and instructors 

will be minimal, it claims. 

However, local ADIs say closing it 

would mean the nearest test centres 

would be either Gateshead or 

Sunderland, some miles away. A 

pressure group has launched a social 

media campaign against closing Jarrow 

DTC, and an online petition has already 

attracted over 1,600 signatures. 

Local politicians have also stepped in 

to the row, with Jarrow MP Kate Osborne 

and Fellgate and Hedworth councillor 

Geraldine Kilgour saying they oppose any 

closure plans. 

At the heart of campaigners’ concerns 

is that South Tyneside learners will be 

forced to travel further for lessons if they 

are to get experience on the test centre 

routes. As a result they will need to hold 

longer lessons to allow for the extra time 

spent getting to and from the new 

centres, which will lead to higher costs 

for pupils, longer waiting lists as fewer 

pupils will be able to be taken on by 

ADIs and there will be impacts on local 

congestion and the environment. 

Such is the anger at proposals that the 

ADIs have even gone as far as costing 

the closure: doing so would take 

“£2million out of South Tyneside’s 

economy”, they claim. 

Local MP Ms Kate Osborne told local 

newspaper the South Shields Gazette: “I 

strongly oppose any moves to remove 

any services from the DVSA Test Centre 

on the Bede Industrial Estate in Jarrow. 

“This would have a devastating impact 

on learners, instructors and examiners. 

“I have written to the DVSA and the 

Transport Minister about this issue as a 

matter of urgency.” 

Vikki Holt, speaking for the ADI 

pressure group, said: “It’s not going to be 

ideal to learn to drive in South Tyneside. 

Pupils are going to want to drive where 

they’ll be having their test.” 

She added: “The Bede Industrial 

Estate site is a hugely important part of 

the local community and has been for 

decades. Generations of families have 

passed their driving test there and it 

would be a devastating loss to the South 

Tyneside and our close-knit local 

community if this unnecessary and 

wholly unacceptable closure was allowed 

to happen. 

“The price of lessons is going to go 

through the roof, while extra commuting 

time will need to be added for each 

lesson. None of it makes any sense at 

all. We’ve just had COP26, but this is 

going to add to CO 2 

emissions.” 

A DVSA spokesperson said: “We can 

confirm that the driving test centre is 

being evaluated, as part of a review of 

DVSA properties. 

“However, we will communicate with 

local driving instructors when we have 

further information. We have carried out 

a review to ensure that service provided 

locally continues to be of a high 

standard, and the impact of any 

proposed closure is minimalised.” 

In a letter to campaigners DVSA chief 

executive, Loveday Ryder rejected claims 

that closing the Jarrow DTC would 

impact severely on local ADIs and pupils, 

pointing out that “a larger DTC site in 

Sunderland is approximately 5/6 miles 

away and the examiners will be working 

at Sunderland to ensure our local service 

delivery continues to maintain a high 

standard.” 

Stephen Fry and the Queen are our top driving pals 

Stephen Fry and The Queen have been 

named as the top dream car passengers 

in a poll by the AA Driving School, but 

half of drivers said they would choose a 

friend or family member over a celebrity. 

The survey of 14,400 AA members 

found 51 per cent dreamt to take a 

road-trip with a friend or family rather 

than a famous face. The results were 

split into two top-ten categories for 

famous men or women, as well as 

rankings for friends and family car 

passengers. 

Drivers were given the option to invite 

any two passengers for a road trip, 

including celebrities from the past or 

present as well as friends or relatives. 

One in five voted to have their wives 

next to them on a drive, but only seven 

per cent wanted their husbands. 

National treasures Stephen Fry and 

Sir David Attenborough appeared top in 

the poll for famous men for the second 

year; comedian Billy Connolly and 

presenter Jeremy Clarkson placed third 

and fourth. A new entrant was Freddie 

Mercury, who soared into fifth place on 

the 30th anniversary of his death. 

Comedian Peter Kay was in fourth 

place for the second year, one place 

above Elvis Presley. 

Other popular companions were Bob 

Mortimer, Jimi Hendrix and Einstein. 

The Queen topped the rankings for 

famous women; actress Marilyn Monroe 

took second place and Joanna Lumley 

was ranked third, above Victoria Wood 

and Diana, Princess of Wales. 

Tennis star Emma Raducanu, in tenth 

place, is the youngest woman in the 

dream passenger rankings this year. 

Other top-voted contenders included 

Dolly Parton, Florence Nightingale, Jane 

Austen, Kylie Minogue and Marie Curie. 

Robert Cowell, AA Driving School 

Interim Managing Director said: “With 

COP26 earlier this month it’s no 

surprise that the nation’s favourite 

environmentalist Sir David Attenborough 

has held a place in the top 10 for the 

second year running.” 


39

Area news 

MSA GB is here to help you as we face 

a time of changes and challenges 

Mike Yeomans 

MSA GB North East 

Thank you to all the MSA North East 

area members who contacted the area 

about the B+E issues and the TIP 

triggers for the Standards Check. I’m glad 

we were able to help many of you and 

put some good advice out there, and its 

great when we get that feedback from 

members. 

As most of you will be aware at our 

area AGM I was re-elected to serve you 

for the coming year. I will be joined on 

the committee by: 

Vice Chairman Karl Satloka 

Chairman Mike Yeomans 

Deputy Chairman Andrew Burgess 

Secretary Yasmin Ajib 

We are all ready to help you with any 

issues as we move into interesting times 

for the DVSA and the redevelopment and 

strengthening of the MSA GB. 

It may well be the next time we meet 

face-to-face will be in March at the MSA 

GB Conference in the Coventry area. 

There is more information about this 

elsewhere in this issue, and I really hope 

that you can find the time to attend. 

In the meantime, MSA GB North East 

is hoping to hold an online meeting after 

Christmas; look out for the email about 

that. 

If you have any issues you would like 

us to highlight in future issues of 

Newslink, let me know. As an area we 

are lucky to have some good test centre 

staff who are happy to help and work 

with ADIs, and our problems are often 

less than in other areas, but do let me 

know if you are having any issues with 

which we can help. 

In particular, members have raised the 

issue of the Standards Check. Guidance 

is available and we hope to hold at least 

a couple of sessions run as morning or 

afternoon groups in our area. The MSA 

GB team is happy to travel to you to set 

up a session (small groups of 6 to 12 

seem to work best). 

I’m writing this as the first cold spell of 

the winter causes problems. It is a 

reminder that telling students about 

preparation for winter driving should be a 

priority. 

Some tips and guidance suggested for 

you students and their families. You can 

just give them the information below as a 

cue card for easy memorising. 

Car checks - get your car ready for the 

severe weather 

Here are a few checks that you can do, 

to make sure your car is ready for severe 

weather: 

• Keep the lights, windows and 

mirrors clean and free from ice and snow 

• Make sure wipers and lights are in 

good working order 

• Add anti-freeze to the radiator and 

winter additive to the windscreen washer 

bottles 

• Check that tyres have plenty of tread 

depth and are maintained at the correct 

pressure 

• Pack a snow/ice scraper, de-icer, 

snow shovel, hat, gloves, boots, a torch, 

bottle of water and a first aid kit. For 

longer journeys, always take blankets, a 

snack and a flask of warm drink. 

• Wash the car frequently to get rid of 

the salt and dirt that builds up over the 

winter. 

• Always keep a full tank of fuel - you 

never know when you might get delayed. 

• Don’t use water to defrost the 

windows. 

In addition, for severe weather 

• Check the local and national weather 

forecasts and listen to local and national 

radio for travel information 

• Tell someone at your destination 

what time you expect to arrive 

• If the outlook is very poor and you 

have to travel, take warm clothes, food, 

boots, a torch and a spade if snow is 

likely 

• Please take extra care and refer to 

the Highways Agency for advice on traffic 

disruption. 

SALTING AND SNOW PLOUGHING 

Take care when travelling behind winter service vehicles. Drivers of 

vehicles such as salt spreaders and snowploughs take all reasonable 

precautions to protect the safety of other road users. 

Salting vehicles travel at speeds of up to 40mph spreading salt 

across all lanes of the carriageway. Drivers are advised to maintain a 

safe distance behind them. Do not attempt to overtake. 

Snow ploughing can throw up irregular amounts of snow that may 

be a hazard to vehicles. Drivers are advised to maintain a safe 

distance behind vehicles and not to attempt to overtake. 

40 



Driving tips 

Keep yourself and others safe, by: 

• Slowing down 

• Keeping a greater distance between 

yourself and the vehicle in front, (increase 

the two second rule to 4 seconds or even 

more) 

• Setting aside extra time to complete 

your journey 

• Keep your mobile fully charged. 

• On colder days be particularly careful 

on tree lined roads – the trees prevent the 

sun’s warmth from reaching the road, 

which may still be icy when all around 

has thawed. 

Driving in the snow 

• Use the highest gear possible to avoid 

wheel spin 

• Drive slowly, allowing extra room to 

slow down and stop 

• Manoeuvre gently, avoiding harsh 

braking and acceleration 

• To brake on ice or snow without 

locking your wheels, get into a low gear 

earlier than normal, allow your speed to 

fall and use the brake pedal gently 

• If you start to skid, ease off the 

accelerator but do not brake suddenly 

• From the DVSA: ‘Different vehicles 

will react differently when there’s a risk of 

skidding, depending on whether they’re 

front- or rear-wheel drive, and on the 

systems fitted to the car, such as anti-lock 

brakes (ABS) or electronic stability control/ 

programme (ESC or ESP). Check the 

vehicle handbook to find out how these 

will affect the risk of skidding.’ 

Pupils should also be encouraged to 

re-read the Highway Code, which has 

some great advice on driving in icy or 

otherwise poor weather. From its pages, 

Rule 230 and 231 are particularly useful. 

Should horse riders take test 

before going out on the road? 

Rod Came 

MSA GB South East 

At the recent MSA GB South East CPD 

training event I enjoyed, for the third 

time, a presentation by Alan Hiscox on 

behalf of the British Horse Society. 

Needless to say he is there to 

promote the views of horse riders 

when they venture out on to the roads 

we all use, so he shows a series of 

situations where drivers of vehicles 

large and small have endangered horse 

riders, along with some startling 

statistics. 

Most of what he portrayed is 

available to be seen on the BHS 

website, if you want to take a look. 

To be fair, he does point out what 

riders should do to reduce the risk to 

themselves and their mounts without 

being critical of them, as does the 

website. 

Nevertheless, there is nothing to 

stop a small child from sitting on top 

of a horse weighing three-quarters of a 

ton and riding along a busy road. If an 

under-16 wants to ride a motorcycle 

they have to transport the machine to 

the private land where they are to ride, 

yet horse riders face no such 

restriction. 

As Alan pointed out in a horse/rider/ 

driver situation there are three brains 

working, not necessarily in conjunction 

with each other. The horse will do 

what it wants to do, the rider is often 

not able to control the horse in such 

circumstances, and the driver has no 

idea what the horse/rider combination 

is likely to do next, but the 

responsibility for the safety of all three 

rests solely on the shoulders of the 

driver. 

If you were to design a road system 

from scratch, let’s call it a motorway, 

vulnerable road users such as 

pedestrians, horses and slow vehicles 

would not be able to use it. 

It has been long established that 

horse riders can use the public 

highway in most of its forms and there 

is no going back on that. 

All other road users, other than 

pedestrians, cyclists and the new 

hazard, electric scooter riders, have to 

undergo some form of assessment and 

licensing. Therefore, is it too much to 

ask for horse riders, for their own 

benefit, to be subject to a similar 

regime? 

The Queen, the Patron of the BHS, 

would, of course, be exempt. 

CONTACT 


updates from your area, contact 

Rod at camedt@onetel.com 

Finally, if you get into trouble 

Do not use a mobile phone while 

driving. Stop somewhere safe or ask a 

passenger to make the call. On a 

motorway use a roadside emergency 

telephone because the breakdown/ 

emergency services will be able to locate 

you easily. 

If you have to use a mobile phone, 

make sure you know your location from 

the numbers on the marker posts on the 

side of the hard shoulder. 

Abandoned vehicles can hold up rescue 

vehicles and snowploughs. 

To ensure that the road is cleared as 

quickly as possible, stay with your vehicle 

until help arrives. 

If you have to leave your vehicle to get 

help, make sure other drivers can see you. 


41

Q&A with.... Steven Porter 

Practice gets results on your 

golf – and for being an ADI 

New MSA GB Scotland 

Chairman Steven Porter lifts 

the lid on his life as an ADI... 

and his love for Glasgow 

Rangers FC 

When did you become an ADI, and 

what made you enter the profession? 

2008. I entered the ADI ranks as I 

wanted to help improve driving 

standards. Over the years I’ve been in a 

number of crashes, some as a passenger, 

including on a bus and in a car, and 

some driving. I must have had a target 

on me! I was once hit while stationary 

with no engine on, then again with 

engine on waiting to turn at lights and 

also hit from the side when someone ran 

a red light when I was coming off the 

motorway. 

Among the strangest was on the 

Kingston Bridge in Glasgow on a lovely 

Sunday afternoon. A woman was driving 

alongside my car when she just drifted 

towards me. I caught sight of her out of 

the corner of my eye so I hit the horn 

and she responded by casually drifting 

back to her proper position, but within 

five seconds she’d done it again, but this 

time her door mirror hit my door mirror 

with a crunch. 

She just casually drifted back to her 

land and off she went. I’d had enough; 

let’s make a difference. 

What’s the best bit about the job? 

When you get someone through their 

test who has put in the hard graft and 

needs the licence for a very good reason, 

like their son is disabled or they need it 

Steven Porter: 

His favourite 

things are 

Rangers, rock 

band Queen, 

his low golf 

handicap and 

iZettle... 

for a career. The look on their face the 

day they pass is well worth everything 

else that comes with the job. 

And the worst? 

It used to be those who come out, do 

their lesson and at the end say “oh, I 

forgot to go to the bank”. Thankfully, all 

sorted now though with my little iZettle 

card reader. 

42 



What’s the best piece of training advice 

you were ever given? 

Everybody out there are nutters; you 

have to look out for them and stay clear. 

What one piece of kit, other than your 

car and phone, could you not do 

without? 

My MacBook or maybe my iZettle 

card reader for all those that don’t quite 

tell the truth. 

What needs fixing most urgently in 

driving generally? 

The roads, you’ve seen the pot holes 

up here? Other than that, I’d say other 

drivers’ OAP (Observations, Anticipation 

& Planning); it’s something I find myself 

constantly going over when out with 

fleet clients. That or the extended 

version, COAST (Concentration, 

observation, anticipation, space and 

time) but I’m sure you all know what 

they mean. 

What should the DVSA focus on? 

Getting the L-test waiting list down to 

six weeks. It’s up to April in Scotland at 

the moment; I’m sure it’s similar where 

you are. I’d also like to see more 

emphasis on stopping the school of 

mum and dad taking pupils up without 

any professional training. 

What’s the next big thing that’s going 

to transform driver training/testing? 

Graduated licences with a minimum 

of 40hrs tuition ... we can dream, can’t 

we? 

Electric cars – yes or no? And why? 

Yes. It’s the way it’s going to go 

whether we like it or not so we need to 

diversify our teaching and move with the 

times. 

How can we improve driver testing/ 

training in one move? 

Make 40-45hrs of lessons 

compulsory. The DVSA say it takes that 

amount of time to get through your test, 

so why not make it compulsory if we all 

‘‘ 

I grew up scared of the 

Bohemian Rhapsody video... 

the image of the four band 

members’ heads was creepy to 

me when I was young... 

‘‘ 


‘‘ 

Make 40-45hrs of lessons 

compulsory. The DVSA say it 

takes that amount of time to 

get through your test, so why 

not make it compulsory? 

‘‘ 

know that’s what’s needed? 

Who/what inspires you, drives you on? 

My wife and children as they are why 

I do what I do. I want my children to 

recognise you don’t have to accept what 

you’ve got; aspire to be better, no matter 

how good you think you are. 

What keeps you awake at night? 

My kids are now at that age where 

they have discovered something called a 

pub where you can purchase alcohol 

and meet girls :0( 

I’m now definitely Taxi dad! 

No one is the finished article. What do 

you do to keep on top of the game? 

My golf is the best it’s been since that 

thing called lockdown happened; lowest 

handicap ever and all down to practice 

and having time to work on your game. 

It’s the same with our industry: 

practice and work at being better; don’t 

settle for what you have. 

What’s the daftest /most dangerous 

thing that’s ever happened to you while 

teaching? 

Two things. I once had a pupil tell me 

she couldn’t understand the purpose of the 

van in front of us. On the back of the van 

was written “This van is used for recording 

for the purpose of crime prevention”. I 

couldn’t get it either :0) 

I had another pupil who, after giving her 

what I thought was a very good briefing on 

roundabouts, covering everything, or so I 

thought, came to her second roundabout 

and, when asked to turn right (3rd exit), 

she decided it would be right 1st exit. 

It was not like she came from a different 

country and after being alive for 19 years 

and being driven around, you would have 

thought that she had seen which way 

everyone went on a roundabout. Apparently 

not, silly me. 

When or where are you happiest? 

Ibrox Park watching the famous Glasgow 

Rangers FC. 

If you had to pick one book/film/album 

that inspires, entertains or moves you, 

what would it be? 

One of the best films I’ve seen recently 

was Bohemian Rhapsody, all about the 

greatest showman on earth Freddy 

Mercury. I grew up as a young kid scared of 

Queen because of that song’ video, the 

image of the four band members’ heads 

was creepy to me when I was young – as 

was the song! 

As I’ve got older I’ve grown to love Queen 

and think Freddy Mercury was an 

inspiration and the kind of personality I 

think we have seen the last of, sadly. 

43

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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 

quality ingredients to ensure 

superior scent throw from all 

its candles and diffusers. 

Check our our website for 

further details. 

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 GB 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 

44 NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2021


Membership offer 

Welcome new ADIs 

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 

website created especially for 

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. 

To get the full story of 

the discounts available, 

see www.msagb.com 

We’ve a special introductory offer for you! 

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. 

SPECIAL OFFER 

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 – all for just £70! 

Join MSA GB today! 

No joining fee, saving £15 

includes Professional Indemnity and 

Professional Liability insurance 

Call 0800 0265986 quoting 

discount code Newslink, or join 

online at www.msagb.com 

£70 

Just for 12 months membership 

NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2021 45

Newslink December 2021

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