Newslink December 2021

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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 NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2021
For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com 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 To comment on this article, or provide 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. NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2021 41
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