Newslink January 2022

msagb.com

Newslink

The Voice of MSA GB

Issue 348 • January 2022

New kings of

the road?

ADIs urged to lead in

educating public after

biggest update to the

Highway Code in years

We work for all Driver Trainers. Want to join? See pg 35 for a special introductory offer

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

Prepare for a decade of

momentous changes

Colin Lilly

Editor, MSA GB Newslink

To start, MSA GB would like to wish you

all a very Happy and Healthy New Year.

This year has the potential to be a

prosperous one, with the continuing

driving test backlog and waiting list of

frustrated learner drivers. We hope we

can reach the end of 2022 with no

further restrictions due to Covid variants.

So here we are, another year into what

could well be a defining decade for

motoring and driver training. After 2030,

sales of petrol and diesel engine cars will

be banned so there will be a wind-down

in their sales towards that date. Some

hybrids may remain available until 2035,

but certainly the trend will be towards

automatic gearboxes.

A number of driving schools are already

opting to offer training in hybrid or

electric vehicles which will restrict

successful learners to a manual licence

once they pass their test. In fact, there

has been some promotion of the idea of

learning in an electric car as being an

easy option. Some drivers select learning

in an automatic for a number of reasons

but to make the choice as the ‘easy

option’ does not seem a good route to a

safe driving career.

Selecting the easy option on any topic

in life does not always produce the best

result. Learning to drive competently

requires quite an effort.

The driving test pass rate in 2020/21

for automatic cars was 41.5 per cent

compared with an overall pass rate of

50.5 per cent. This suggests it may not

be the most efficient route to take.

The majority of new drivers opt for an

older second-hand car which in the main

will have a manual gearbox. Many would

find the price of a new electric vehicle

costing at least £20,000 beyond their

reach, while second-hand prices,

beginning at around £10,000, will be too

steep for many.

We operate at the entry level of car

ownership. To suggest that young drivers

will opt for the electric route is a bit

futuristic, but they realise that at some

point in their driving career they will have

to make the change to an electric car.

Some of my learners already have a

much-loved family car that’s less than

five years old waiting for them for when

they pass their driving test. In most cases

these are manual vehicles.

We must continue to offer manual

lessons for those that need the freedom

to choose. It is reasonable to suggest that

manual driver training will still be needed

after 2030 until an equilibrium is

reached.

CONTACT

To comment on this article or any other

issue surrounding driver training and

testing, contact Colin via editor@msagb.com

If you want to contribute to the February issue of Newslink, send

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

MSA GB Annual Conference 2022

MARCH 18-19

at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Coventry

• DVSA officials

• Trade stands

• Networking events

• Road safety speakers

• Business advice

• MSA GB AGM

Prices start from just

£50 for the

Conference day.

See pg 18-19 for

more details

Welcome to your

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COVER STORY

Major overhaul of the

Highway Code gives the

most vulnerable road

users priority – but will

the public embrace the

changes?

See pg 8

NEWSLINK n JANUARY 2022

03

08

Priority:

protecting

the

vulnerable

News

New year, new worries

Here’s hoping that 2022 will pass by

without lockdowns or more restrictions...

– Pg 6

Highway Code hierarchy

A major overhaul of the rules of the road

have made pedestrians and cyclists the

priority – but will drivers agree? – Pg 8

E-scooter dangers

‘Terrifying’ rise in casualties caused by

e-scooter riders – Pg 11

11

DTCs in temporary closures

A major refurbishment programme for

test centres will see a raft of DTCs switch

to ad hoc premises in the first few

months of 2022 – Pg 14

20

Dear Sir Humphrey

Getting blood out a stone... a penalty if

you’re the away team at Anfield or Old

Trafford... a gazelle off a hungry lion... or

a straight answer out of the civil service:

Which is tougher...? – Pg 16

Last reminder

Self-employed ADIs have been warned

not leave it until the last minute to have

their tax forms in with the HMRC, as

they’ll be complicated this time around

... – Pg 20

Newslink

The Voice of MSA GB

The Motor Schools Association

of Great Britain Ltd

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Newslink is published monthly on behalf of the MSA

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04 NEWSLINK n JANUARY 2022


Area News/Views

Do roof top boxes drive

customers your way?

Rod Came isn’t so sure – Pg 25

Theory woes for the ill-prepared

“I try not to say ‘I told you so’” – Pg 30

Ping x three

East Midlands editor is getting hassled – Pg 31

Features

Theory X and Y instructional styles

Phil Burman looks at the two types of teaching

techniques and asks which fits best with the ADI’s

duties – Pg 22

Customers love their electrics...

After a slow start it looks like the UK motoring

public is finally learning to love e-vehicles – Pg 24

... but it may put some off driving

Rod Came is concerned the high cost of e-vehicles

could be the deathknell of some people’s driving

aspirations – Pg 26

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.

18

MSA Conference 2022

First details and prices

Q&A with...Bryan Phillips

It’s time for the public to dial

down the animosity towards

learner drivers – pg 32

24

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:

Peter Harvey MBE

natchair@msagb.com

n Deputy National

Chairman: Geoff Little

info@msagb.com

n Scotland:

Steven Porter

chair.os@msagb.com

n North East:

Mike Yeomans

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chair.nw@msagb.com

n East Midlands:

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n West Midlands:

Geoff Little

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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:

Terry Cummins

chair.se@msagb.com

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All enquiries to

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Keep in touch:

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2

Follow MSA GB on social media

n Newslink:

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services.co.uk


05

News

Wales brings back some restrictions

amid continued concern over Covid-19

A reminder to all members in Wales that

the Welsh Government has introduced

2m social distancing measures in public

spaces to stop the spread of COVID-19.

All practical driving and riding tests

and lessons with a professional instructor

will continue. Learner drivers can

continue practising driving, but should be

mindful of limiting their social contact

with people outside of their household.

Theory tests in Wales can continue to

take place with 1m-plus distancing

accompanied by robust COVID-safe

measures to protect customers and

theory test centre colleagues.

However, some theory tests at Bala,

Carmarthen, Cardigan and Dolgellau

mobile theory test centres will need to be

cancelled as DVSA is unable to test

customers safely within the mobile test

vehicle due to ventilation constraints.

Candidates will need to maintain a 2m

distance within the test centre before

taking their test.

Other safety measures that will be in

place include:

• protective transparent screens at

reception desks

• barriers between each of the work

station which means all candidates are

social distanced by 1m-plus during their

test

• providing hand sanitiser to use on

arrival, during the tests and when

candidates leave the test centre

• cleaning workstations (including

computers and headphones) before every

test

• colleagues will wear a face covering

(unless there’s a medical reason that it’s

not recommended for them) and gloves

• candidates will have to wear a face

covering too, unless they have notified us

in advance that they cannot

• candidates must come into the test

centre alone to help with social

distancing

Driving test centre waiting rooms

The new social distancing measures

mean the number of people who can use

driving test waiting rooms in Wales is

now limited, with the maximum number

of people who can use the waiting room

will be displayed inside and outside of

the test centre waiting room.

People using these rooms will need to

keep a 2m distance from others and use

the hand sanitiser as provided.

Examiners will meet candidates at

their vehicle before their test.

Scotland & England

The rules around driving tests and

centres remain unchanged from before

Christmas. Just a reminder that face

coverings need to be worn in all

circumstances – during lessons, while in

test centres, on tests and while taking

the theory test. ADIs are still not allowed

to accompany pupils on tests.

The Omicron variant has clearly

caused a huge amount of disruption but

for the time being, that disruption does

not appear enough to demand tighter

restrictions. As ever, we will keep

members informed as to when rules

change.

New rules: Keep an eye on:

https://n-a-s-p.co.uk/coronavirus-advice/

https://www.gov.scot/coronaviruscovid-19/

https://gov.wales/coronavirus

Welcome to 2022; let’s hope it’s smoother sailing

Peter Harvey mbe

National Chairman

MSA GB

I would like to open this issue of

Newslink by wishing you all a very

happy and healthy New Year.

I am hoping that this year is going to

be a bit more stable than the last two

have been. I’m sure most of your

thoughts, as we get back to work after

the festive break, will be around

remaining safe from Covid, whichever

variant may be with us. We will do our

best at MSA GB to keep you updated as

and when new changes come in or

rules are relaxed. Rest assured, our

main goal this year will be to keep up

the pressure on the DVSA over the

L-test waiting list.

In other news, when you have a few

minutes to spare, please check out our

new-look website. It can still be found

at www.msagb.com. I hope you like the

new design and find it easier to navigate

your way around. It contains all the

latest information on Covid as well as

other driver training, testing and road

safety news. There is also details of our

first national face-to-face event in two

years, our Annual Conference and AGM,

which will be held in Coventry on

March 18-19, and how to book your

place.

Finally, I would like to advise you of

the relocation of the MSA GB head

office, as part of a reorganisation to

allow more staff working from home.

The new address is:

4 Victoria Square, St Albans

Hertfordshire AL1 3TF.

Phone numbers and email addresses

are unchanged, at:

T: 01625 664501

E: info@msagb.com

06


News

ADIs have to take a lead in teaching all

the public the new rules of the road

Colin Lilly

Editor, MSA GB Newslink

After a consultation last year, the

Department for Transport has brought

forward major changes to the Highway

Code. These will be effective from 29th

January, subject to Parliamentary approval.

At the core of these changes is the

establishment of a hierarchy of road

users and the need for everyone using

the road to behave responsibly.

The hierarchy places pedestrians at the

top, followed by cyclists, horse riders and

horse-drawn vehicles. Following them

are motor vehicles, in the order larger

vehicles from vans and mini-buses to

lorries and buses/coaches. The

underlying principle is that the least

vulnerable protect the most vulnerable.

I am sure that the vast majority of

driver trainers set this principle at the

root of their training. The success of

these changes relies on the existing

driver’s acceptance. Many will have to

change their attitude to other road users.

During the consultation, 18 per cent

disagreed on the need for a hierarchy of

road users to be created, and on giving

stronger priorities to pedestrians, 21 per

cent disagreed. When dealing with

priority to pedestrians waiting at

junctions, 26.1 per cent disagreed.

With opposition like that, the DfT may

need to win over hearts and minds to

make a success of these changes.

Hierarchy of Road Users

The ‘Hierarchy of Road Users’ is a

concept that places those road users

most at risk in the event of a collision at

the top of the hierarchy. The hierarchy

does not remove the need for everyone to

behave responsibly. The road users most

likely to be injured are pedestrians,

cyclists, horse riders and motorcyclists,

with children, older adults and disabled

people being more at risk. The following

‘H rules’ clarify this concept.

Rule H1

It is important that ALL road users are

aware of The Highway Code, are

considerate to other road users and

understand their responsibility for the

safety of others.

Everyone suffers when road collisions

occur, whether they are physically injured

or not. But those in charge of vehicles

that can cause the greatest harm in the

event of a collision bear the greatest

responsibility to take care and reduce the

danger they pose to others. This principle

applies most strongly to drivers of large

goods and passenger vehicles, vans/

minibuses, cars/taxis and motorcycles.

Cyclists, horse riders and drivers of

horse-drawn vehicles likewise have a

responsibility to reduce danger to

pedestrians. None of this detracts from

the responsibility of ALL road users,

including pedestrians, cyclists and horse

riders, to have regard for their own and

other road users’ safety.

Always remember that the people you

encounter may have impaired sight,

hearing or mobility and that this may not

be obvious.

Rule H2

Rule for drivers, motorcyclists, horse

drawn vehicles, horse riders and cyclists

At a junction you should give way to

pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross a

road into which or from which you are

turning. You MUST give way to

pedestrians on a zebra crossing, and to

pedestrians and cyclists on a parallel

crossing (Rule 195).

Pedestrians have priority when on a

zebra crossing, on a parallel crossing or

at light-controlled crossings when they

have a green signal.

You should give way to pedestrians

waiting to cross a zebra crossing, and to

pedestrians and cyclists waiting to cross

a parallel crossing.

Horse riders should also give way to

pedestrians on a zebra crossing, and to

pedestrians and cyclists on a parallel

crossing.

Cyclists should give way to pedestrians

on shared use cycle tracks and to horse

riders on bridleways.

Only pedestrians may use the pavement.

Pedestrians include wheelchair and

mobility scooter users. Pedestrians may

use any part of the road and use cycle

tracks as well as the pavement, unless

there are signs prohibiting pedestrians.

Rule H3

Rule for drivers and motorcyclists

You should not cut across cyclists,

horse riders or horse-drawn vehicles

going ahead when you are turning into or

out of a junction or changing direction or

lane, just as you would not turn across

the path of another motor vehicle. This

applies whether they are using a cycle

lane, a cycle track, or riding ahead on

the road and you should give way to

them.

08



Do not turn at a junction if to do so

would cause the cyclist, horse rider or

horse-drawn vehicle going straight ahead

to stop or swerve.

You should stop and wait for a safe

gap in the flow of cyclists if necessary.

This includes when cyclists are:

• approaching, passing or moving off

from a junction

• moving past or waiting alongside

stationary or slow-moving traffic

• travelling around a roundabout

The section aimed at cyclists has been

extensively updated with some new rules

[New] Rule 63

Sharing space with pedestrians, horse

riders and horse-drawn vehicles.

When riding [cycling] in places where

sharing with pedestrians, horse riders or

horse-drawn vehicles is permitted, take

care when passing pedestrians and horse

riders, especially children, older adults or

disabled people. Slow down when

necessary and let them know you are

there; for example, by ringing your bell (it

is recommended that a bell is fitted to

your bike), or by calling out politely.

Remember that pedestrians may be

deaf, blind or partially sighted and that

this may not be obvious.

‘‘

The underlying principle

is that the least vulnerable

protect the most vulnerable...

I am sure that the vast

majority of driver trainers set

this principle at the root of

their training.

‘‘

Do not pass pedestrians, horse riders

or horse-drawn vehicles closely or at high

speed, particularly from behind. You

should not pass a horse on their left.

Horses can be startled if passed without

warning. Always be prepared to slow

down and stop when necessary.

Rule 63 does highlight that cyclists

have responsibilities to others they are

sharing space with.

[New] Rule 72

Road positioning. When riding on the

roads, there are two basic road positions

you should adopt, depending on the

situation. Ride in the centre of your lane,

to make yourself as clearly visible as

possible, in the following situations:

• on quiet roads or streets – if a faster

vehicle comes up behind you, move to

the left to enable them to overtake, if you

can do so safely

• in slower-moving traffic - when the

traffic around you starts to flow more

freely move over to the left if you can do

so safely so that faster vehicles behind

you can overtake

• at the approach to junctions or road

narrowings where it would be unsafe for

drivers to overtake you

When riding on busy roads, with

vehicles moving faster than you, allow

them to overtake where it is safe to do so

whilst keeping at least 0.5 metres away,

and further where it is safer, from the

kerb edge. Remember that traffic on

most dual carriageways moves quickly.

Take extra care crossing slip roads.

[New] Rule 73

Junctions. Some junctions, particularly

those with traffic lights, have special

cycle facilities, including small cycle

traffic lights at eye-level height, which

may allow you to move or cross

separately from or ahead of other traffic.

Use these facilities where they make

your journey safer and easier.

Continued on page 10


09

News

Highway Code changes

Continued from page 9

[New] Rule 73 (continued)

At junctions with no separate cyclist

facilities, it is recommended that you

proceed as if you were driving a motor

vehicle (see Rules 170 to 190). Position

yourself in the centre of your chosen lane,

where you feel able to do this safely, to

make yourself as visible as possible and to

avoid being overtaken where this would

be dangerous. If you do not feel safe to

proceed in this way, you may prefer to

dismount and wheel your bike across the

junction.

Colin Lilly writes: During the consultation

some proposed that these new rules be

made clear to other road users who may

think that the cyclists are merely hogging

the road. The advice given to drivers

relating to cycle lanes and tracks has

also been updated to, among other

things, give advice on prioritising cyclists

when crossing these lanes.

Rule 140

Cycle lanes and cycle tracks. Cycle

lanes are shown by road markings and

signs. You MUST NOT drive or park in a

cycle lane marked by a solid white line

during its times of operation. Do not drive

or park in a cycle lane marked by a

broken white line unless it is unavoidable.

You MUST NOT park in any cycle lane

while waiting restrictions apply.

You should give way to any cyclists in

a cycle lane, including when they are

approaching from behind you – do not

cut across them when you are turning or

when you are changing lane (see Rule

H3). Be prepared to stop and wait for a

safe gap in the flow of cyclists before

crossing the cycle lane.

Cycle tracks are routes for cyclists that

are physically protected or located away

from motor traffic, other than where they

cross side roads.

Cycle tracks may be shared with

pedestrians.

You should give way to cyclists

approaching or using the cycle track

when you are turning into or out of a

junction (see Rule H3). Be prepared to

stop and wait for a safe gap in the flow

of cyclists before crossing the cycle track,

which may be used by cyclists travelling

in both directions.

Bear in mind that cyclists are not

obliged to use cycle lanes or cycle tracks.

MSA GB Conclusion:

This is the most extensive rewrite of

the Highway Code for some time and an

idealist may say it is essential reading for

all road users, but realistically I know

this is unlikely to happen.

An AA survey of its members at the

end of last year found that two out of

three were unaware that changes to the

Highway Code were imminent – and

one-in-five thought it was ‘fake news’.

Our learners will no doubt face

opposition from other drivers who are

unaware of the changes, or not accepting

of them.

Those working with qualified drivers

may need to not only update knowledge

but adjust some attitudes.

The underlying message is that the car

is no longer king and that a republic has

been declared.

Concern as public unaware of major changes

The major changes to the Highway Code

risk failing to boost safety because they

have not been promoted widely enough,

campaigners have warned.

Charity Cycling UK called for a “longterm

and well-funded communications

campaign” to make people aware of the

update.

The Department for Transport insisted

it will ensure “all road users are aware”

of what is happening.

There will also be a recommendation

for car users to reduce the risk of opening

a door into the path of a cyclist by using

the hand on the opposite side to the

door, as this will often lead to them

looking over their shoulder – known as

the ‘Dutch Reach’ technique.

But Cycling UK’s Duncan Dollimore

said the revisions to the Highway Code

“are not being communicated”, and “will

be of limited benefit if the public aren’t

aware of them”.

He said: “Many people won’t have

read the Highway Code for years so it’s

essential that the key changes are clearly

explained, with simple, accurate and

memorable messages.

“Just as we saw with the introduction of

other road safety measures like mandatory

seat belts and stricter drink driving laws,

the public needs to be accurately

informed about the new rules.

“The hierarchy of responsibility and

changes to junction priority need to be

explained and communicated properly.”

Steve Gooding, director of motoring

research charity the RAC Foundation,

agreed that a “major communications

exercise” was needed “to draw attention

to, and explain, the new system”.

He warned: “Millions of people who

have been driving for a long time won’t

have looked at the existing Highway

Code for years, if not decades.

“What are the chances they’ll read an

updated version?

“The changed guidance relating to the

priority to be given at junctions has the

potential to be confusing.

“Knowing that you had the right of way

according to the new code is going to be

little comfort if you’re the one who ends

up getting hurt.”

10


Opponents against the use of e-scooters

have been given more ammunition after

a leading charity launched a campaign

against their introduction, while figures

for a major city hospital highlighted the

extent of their involvement in injuries.

As revealed in December’s Newslink,

for the first time in September 2021, the

DfT published statistics showing the

number of casualties in collisions

involving e-scooters. The figures, which

cover rental and privately-owned

e-scooters, show that during 2020 there

were 460 collisions involving e-scooters,

resulting in 484 casualties.

But figures are also now available for

the 12-months to June 2021, and these

show 931 casualties – a near doubling.

The DfT acknowledges that it is “not

yet able to fully assess the quality of the

e-scooter data captured, in terms of

consistency of recording practice for

e-scooters across different police forces,

so data should be treated with caution.”

The figures are ‘drastically’ underreported,

the National Federation of the

Blind UK (NFBUK) has said. The

advocacy group has launched a

vociferous campaign against e-scooters.

In a new campaign podcast, titled

‘E-scooters: the dangers they pose for

visually impaired people’, the NFBUK

points to statistics published by the

Parliamentary Advisory Council for

Transport Safety (PACTS) as part of an

ongoing research project to assess their

safety. The project is gathering data of

casualties involving private e-scooters

(riders and other road users) collected

from the media, police forces and at

least one major trauma centre.

The figures show that at three A&E

departments in Bristol there were

90 e-scooter-related injuries

in four weeks in May-June

2021 – equating to 3.2

patients a day. However,

DfT data shows that Avon

and Somerset Police only

reported 21 e-scooter

casualties for the sixmonth

period January-June

2021.

Moreover, nearly 20 per cent


‘Terrifying’ rise in e-scooter crashes

of those who attended one the Bristol

A&E departments suffered head injuries

– with three patients sustaining severe

traumatic brain injury, intracranial

haemorrhage or a skull fracture.

Sarah Gayton, street access campaign

coordinator at the NFBUK, said: “These

figures are terrifying.

“It appears the price for the e-scooter

trial in Bristol – and allowing the ongoing

use of illegal e-scooters on the streets

– is being paid by those who are now

living with life changing injuries.

“This has to stop; the accident rate is

horrific and Bristol Council should take

immediate action to halt the trial.

The DfT says in future,

e-scooter casualties will be

better captured as part of a

new ‘powered personal

transporter’ category –

being introduced as part

of a recent STATS19

review.

The DfT is also liaising

with PACTS as part of their

project.


11

News

Assessments offer new way forward as

driving population becomes older

Colin Lilly

Editor, MSA Newslink

A report by the Road Safety Foundation

has recommended that more use be

made of driving assessments as an

alternative to prosecution of older drivers

who commit offences on the road such

as driving through a red light, unnecessarily

slow driving or poor lane discipline.

Loveday pens a

New Year update

Shortly before Christmas the Chief

Executive of the DVSA, Loveday Ryder,

penned an open letter to ADIs in which

she discussed several key points as we

look forward to a new year that will

hopefully be less disrupted

by Covid-19

She stressed the

importance of learners

taking a lateral flow

test before their test,

in a bid to reduce the

chances of examiners

being infected. All examiners who test

positive are forced to self-isolate and

this can mean as many as 60 tests are

cancelled, she pointed out.

In a bid to reduce waiting times

driving test managers are carrying out

L-tests for two days a week. In

addition, 126 of the new cohort of

examiners have begun testing, with a

further 23 people going through their

training and 60 more ready to start

training this month. DVSA is also

recruiting more trainers to bring the

new examiners up to speed.

Finally, there was a request that

candidates inform the DVSA if they are

not going to attend their L-test

appointment. Over 40,000 learners

have not turned up for their driving test

since they restarted in April 2021, with

more than 6,600 L-test slots wasted in

November alone.

These tests could have been used by

other people, she stressed.

Click here to read

the letter in full

Currently there are 5.7 million holders

of a full driving licence over the age of

70 in the UK, and this number will

increase over the next few years.

It is also estimated that fatalities on

the road for 70–79-year-olds over the

next 20 years will increase by as much

as 40 per cent.

The Foundation believes that following

this advice for more assessments, along

with compulsory eye tests, will reduce

Shock as ratio of public charging

points to electric cars rises sharply

New analysis by the Society of Motor

Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has

revealed that the number of battery

electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles

potentially sharing a standard public

chargepoint rose from 11 vehicles per

charger to 16 between 2019 and 2020.

And the situation is going to get a lot

worse as research revealed that only

one new public charger is currently

being installed for every 52 new electric

vehicles registered, with cars that can

be plugged-in now accounting for one in

every six new car registrations.

these potential fatalities.

Experience has shown that some

intervention training can update the

knowledge and understanding of current

traffic procedures or identify that a driver

has reached the end of their driving

days.

Assessments alone may check the

current position but combining some

training and advice can have a more

positive outcome.

The drop in ratio amounts to a fall of

public charging points of 31 per cent.

While most people currently

purchasing an electric vehicle are likely

to be able to plug in at home, on a

driveway or designated parking bay

using their own charger, achieving

zero emission motoring will require all

drivers to make the switch to electric,

including those who depend on onstreet

parking.

SMMT said the government needs to

put in place commensurate targets for a

charging infrastructure roll-out,

12


News

Test centre refurbishment programme

sees DTCs shift to temporary premises

The DVSA has opened 2022 with a

flurry of changes to its testing estate as

it embarks on a period of

refurbishments. In all cases the pupil or

person who has booked the test should

have been informed, DVSA says.

Barking driving test centre

The Barking driving test centre (on

Tanner Street) will be temporarily closed

for refurbishment from Monday, 17th

January – Thursday, 10th February.

During this period all testing will

continue from Goodmayes Baptist

Church, Kinfauns Road, Goodmayes,

Essex IG3 9QL.

Testing will recommence from the

Barking test centre on 14th February.

Barnstaple driving test centre

The Barnstaple driving test centre will

be temporarily closed for refurbishment

from Monday, 21st March until Thursday,

14th April.


continue from The Barnstaple Hotel,

Braunton Road, Barnstaple EX31 1LE.


Barnstaple test centre on 18 April.

Birmingham Shirley driving test centre

The Birmingham Shirley driving test

centre will be temporarily closed for

refurbishment from Monday, 7th

February until Friday, 4th March.


continue from Cocks Moor Leisure

Centre, Alcester Road South,

Birmingham B14 6ER.


continue from Birmingham Shirley test

centre on 7th March.

Boston driving test centre

The Boston driving test centre will be

temporarily closed for refurbishment from

Monday, 17th January until Friday, 11th

February.


continue from Boston Enterprise Centre

Venture House, Endeavour Park, Boston,

Lincolnshire, PE21 7TW.


Boston test centre on 14th February.

Dorchester driving test centre

The Dorchester driving test centre will


from Monday, 21st March until Friday,

15th April.


continue from Redlands Community

Sports Hub, Cranefield Avenue,

Weymouth DT3 5AW.


Dorchester test centre on Tuesday, 19th

April.

Knaresborough driving test centre

The Knaresborough driving test centre

will be temporarily closed for

refurbishment from Monday, 7th

February until Friday, 4th March.


continue from Walton LGV test centre,

Wighill Lane, Walton LS23 7DU.


Knaresborough test centre on 7th March.

DVLA in push to move more customers online

Letchworth driving test centre

The Letchworth driving test centre will


from Monday, 28th February until Friday,

25th March.


continue from Mercure Letchworth Hall

Hotel, Letchworth Lane, Letchworth

Garden City SG6 3NP.


Letchworth test centre on 28th March.

Sidcup driving test centre

The Sidcup driving test centre will be


Monday, 7th February until Friday, 4th

March.

All testing will continue from North

Cray Neighbourhood Centre, 1 Davis

Way, Sidcup, Foots Cray, Kent DA14 5JR.

Sidcup test centre will reopen from

7th March.

Tilbury driving test centre

The Tilbury driving test centre will be


Monday, 7th February until Friday, 4th

March.

All practical car driving tests, ADI tests

and standards checks will still go ahead

as planned, but instead these will take

place at the following address:

Orsett Hall Hotel, Prince Charles

Avenue, Orsett, Essex RM16 6HS


Tilbury test centre on 7th March.

Worcester driving test centre

The Worcester driving test centre will


from Monday, 7th February until Friday,

4th March. During this period all testing

will continue from The Masonic Hall,

Rainbow Hill, Worcester WR3 8LX.


Worcester test centre on 7th March.

The DVLA has launched a new

campaign to help move more customers

online, highlighting the ease, speed and

security of its online services.

Millions of customers already use its

online services every single month, with

98 per cent of all taxed vehicles in the

UK taxed via digital services. However,

many customers continue to post their

applications when they could be using

digital services, so DVLA wants to

encourage those customers to go online

rather than use the post to ensure it

operates as efficiently as possible.

In particular the campaign will focus

on those renewing their licences at 70,

those renewing photocard licences and

those who have bought/sold a vehicle.

DVLA says using its online services

instead of applying by paper is quicker,

more environmentally friendly, secure

and will save money – indeed, it

estimates savings could be in excess of

a million pounds.

14



Get your pupils ‘cycle savvy’

Are your learner drivers ‘cycle savvy’?

Whatever mode of transport we

choose, we all share the road with

others, including vulnerable road users,

so the Department for Transport wants

ADIs to build cycle awareness skills into

learners as part of their lessons.

A new ‘Cycle Savvy Driving’ course

has been launched by the DfT to help

you and your pupils develop

understanding and co-operation

between drivers and cyclists.

It’s free, takes just two hours and you

can access it either online or opt for a

practical training session.

£100 Amazon vouchers can be won

by participants.

Read more about Cycle Savvy Driving

and register today at

https://www.cyclesavvydriving.co.uk

Congestion not caused by cycle lanes

Cyclists have criticised claims that bike

lanes are responsible for increased levels

of congestion in London.

The average driver in London spent

148 hours in traffic jams in 2021

– twice the national average – and

anti-cycle lane groups claimed that this

had been caused by an increase in cycle

lanes. However, cyclists pointed out that

congestion during 2021 was the same

as in 2019, before the pandemic.

They said: “Cycle lanes do – obviously

– reduce the amount of space available

for cars but evidence from other cities

highlights that offering alternative ways

to move around cities cuts traffic levels

eventually. The goal of cycle lanes is to

reduce the share of trips by car. This is

what has happened in London after a

major investment in public transport,

which rose from 27 per cent of all

journeys in 2000 to 36 per cent in

2019, while private transport use fell

from 48 per cent to 37 per cent.

Investing in cycle lanes is crucial if we

are reduce our reliance on private cars.”

Coventry scrappage

scheme takes diesels

off the city’s roads

A revolutionary scrappage scheme in

Coventry has recruited 71

participants who, in exchange for

mobility credits worth £3,000, have

agreed to let their old polluting cars

be crushed. More than half of

participants are scrapping diesel cars.

The money can only be spent on

alternative travel arrangements such

as public transport, taxis, hire cars or

car club services.

The trial is part of the West

Midlands Future Transport Zone, a

£22m programme that aims to

investigate how new technologies can

be used to support people moving

around the region in a more

sustainable way – reducing

congestion, improving air quality and

tackling climate change.

Government officials are said to be

monitoring the success of the

Coventry scheme closely with a view

to rolling-out a similar programme

nationwide.


15

News

Holding Sir Humphrey to account through

the maze that is an FOI request

Regular readers of Newslink may recall

that, during a review of the DVSA Annual

Report for 2020-21 in our August issue,

a short reference to an out-of-theordinary

payment by the agency to a

third party caught our eye.

Lurking on page 40 of the report it

read: ‘During the year one special

payment over £300,000 (2019-20: nil)

was made. The payment of £1,892,500

was for an agreed out of court

settlement of legal costs following a

failed prosecution led by DVSA.

‘A provision was made for this in the

2019-20 accounts but not reported

within losses and special payments as it

was uncertain how much would be

payable at that time.’

Now this is a serious amount of

money, which the DVSA appeared to

have paid out without any real concern.

Just how many driving examiners could

you add to the books on a two-year

contract for that amount of cash (about

30 – or just under 100,000 extra L-tests,

just in case you were wondering).

We wanted to know more, so we put

in a Freedom of Information request (an

FOI) to ascertain why the money had

been paid out, and to whom.

The official reply to our FOI wasn’t too

enlightening. It read: ‘This payment

relates to a settlement for a failed

prosecution involving multiple

government departments. The payment

was across a number of defendants,

relating to a single case.

‘The case was brought, by DVSA,

because we had evidence of criminal

wrongdoing and it passed the Public

Interest Test.

‘We settled out of court as we were able

to negotiate a lower settlement than

going to court to pay the costs of the

five defendants.’

Classic Sir Humphrey. A complete

answer... just not necessarily to the

question posed. You see, the original

question in full was clear: “What charges

were brought, and against whom? [no

reply] Which other government

departments were involved in bringing

the case? [no reply] How much was the

total bill for the defendants’ legal

charges? [no reply] If the total bill was

£1,892,500, why did the DVSA pick up

the full amount?” [no reply]

Anyone reading the official response

would realise that the question has not

been answered in full at all. Indeed,

there is more than hint of smoke and

mirrors going on.

Not to be undaunted, we decided to

launch an appeal against the FOI reply,

as it clearly hadn’t provided the

information we requested.

In our appeal we said: ‘I do not believe

your response answers my question. I

clearly asked for details of the case.

Please supply details of the full list of

charges brought, against whom, and

explain why DVSA picked up the full

‘‘

Good news... ‘I can confirm

that the DVSA holds the other

information that you have

requested...’ Hurray, the truth

will out... we will find out why

DVSA spent nearly two million

of your quids...

‘‘

legal bill after the case was dismissed.’

Our appeal took a while but finally it

landed at the end of November, shortly

after we published the December issue.

Again, eliciting the facts was rather akin

to the old ‘blood out of a stone’ maxim.

The FOI appeal reply read: ‘The

government department involved in

bringing the case is the Driving and

Vehicles Standards Agency (DVSA).

Prior to this both the Vehicle

Certification Agency (VCA) and the

DVSA investigated evidence around

alleged criminal misconduct.’

Ah, the VCA. That’s one question

answered. Makes you wonder why they

couldn’t say that the first time, but there

we are. But it’s curious: the VCA handles

UK type approval for auto products and

is responsible for certification under UK

type approval schemes. It also covers

dangerous goods, Conformity of

Production (CoP) (evidencing the ability

to produce a series of products that

exactly match the specification,

performance and marking requirements

outlined in the type approval

documentation) and vehicle imports, as

well as Fuel Consumption and CO 2

...

No reason for the bold type, there.

Nothing to see, move along...

So the chase is on and the pace

quickens. What else can be gleaned?

Good news; back to the appeal reply: “I

can confirm that the DVSA holds the

other information that you have

requested...”

Hurray, the truth will out. We will now

find out why the DVSA spent nearly two

million of your quids pursuing a pointless

court case against people whose

activities brought them into conflict with

the VCA... but hang on...

“This information is exempt from

disclosure section 32 of the FOIA

because it is held only by virtue of being

contained in a court record.

‘Under section 32(1)(a) information is

exempt from disclosure if it is held in

the custody of the court for the purpose

of proceedings in a particular cause or

matter.

‘The information requested was

originally obtained for the purposes of

proceedings meaning it is held ‘only by

virtue’ of being contained in a

document. An authority may still claim

16



section 32 after the relevant court

proceedings have concluded.

‘Section 32 serves to preserve the

courts control over court records. There

are separate and specific information

access regimes for disclosing court and

tribunal records, the section 32

exemption ensure that those regimes

are not superseded by the FOIA.

‘Even if a document may have been

made public it ceases to be a public

record after the hearing and then

becomes protected by section 32.

Section 32 can apply even if that same

information is later used for another

purpose (eg DVSA internal correspondence).

‘Section 32 is an absolute exemption

and there is no duty to consider the

public interest test. Further information

on section 32 of the FoIA can be

accessed via the following link:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/

ukpga/2000/36/section/32

So basically, a court case has been

heard and the details of it are now buried

under a Section 32 exemption which

denies the public from knowing what’s

been going on. It means that we have

reached a dead-end – ish. There is a way

round this particular wall but it is

complex, time consuming and likely to

result in more than one headache as we

crash into another obstacle built by civil

service bureaucracy and obstinence.

It has to be said that this is scandalous

and flies in the face of the basic principal

of the FOI, which is that the public

deserves to know what governments

spend their money on. When it is spent

incorrectly, we deserve to know why. It

could well be that the case brought by

DVSA and VCA looked, on paper, to have

considerable merit; that it deserved its

day in court. That it failed is one of those

things... However, it would be nice to

know why it failed, what the case

covered and who was responsible.

Reading between the lines it’s easy to

assume that it has nothing to do with the

ADI world; if you like, it’s not the ‘DSA’

part of the DVSA. The linkage with VCA

seems to rule this out.

That would lead to it possibly being

linked to something involving vehicle

imports, parts type approval, illegal parts

or vehicle emissions. I’ll leave it up to

you, dear reader, to fill in your own

blanks.

As for us, we have one or two more

routes to follow through the maze that is

the civil service archives, and we’ll have

a wander down those on your behalf.

Whether we’ll find the answers we’re

looking for is another matter. We’ll make

sure to let you know, though.


17

BOOK NOW – at our special Early Bird rates!

MSA GB Annual

Conference 2022

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

Join us at our Annual

Conference 2022 at the

DoubleTree 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

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 for our annual

event at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Coventry 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, we are delighted to announce that we are

returning to an in-person event for 2022 on March 18th &

19th at the Double Tree by Hilton in Coventry.

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 and CPD sessions

• Trade stands

• Networking opportunities with your fellow ADIs.

• MSA GB AGM

PLUS: TWO SOCIAL EVENTS

FRIDAY EVENING BUFFET – chance to relax and mix with

friends before the Conference begins on the Saturday.

SATURDAY EVENING DINNER AND QUIZ NIGHT – for

some light entertainment before you head home on the

Sunday.

Prices kept low - make a date to join us this year!

Book your place now at www.msagb.com or / 01625 664501


LOCATED IN THE HEART OF ENGLAND, just off

the M6, is where you’ll find our venue, the

DoubleTree by Hilton Coventry Hotel.

Newly refurbished and welcoming, it’s just 10

minutes from Coventry city centre, just off the M6,

and has modern guestrooms with a 49-inch LCD

TVs, work desk and upgraded complimentary WiFi

should you wish to make a weekend of it. There’s plenty of on-site parking, a

Starbucks and a Living Well-pool, sauna, steam room and gym on site.

Why not make a weekend of it with your partner? Special MSA GB room rates

available (see below and panel right)

Ticket packages

Day Delegate Early Bird Price

Accommodation prices

Please book your accommodation

direct with the hotel by calling

02476 603000 and quote the

MSA GB’s discount code, AMOTB

to secure our special rate for the

weekend.

Single occupancy B&B, per night

£82

£50 (£55 After 31 Jan)

www.msagb.com

Double occupancy B&B, per night

Day ticket to conference including morning coffee, lunch,

afternoon tea and all paperwork

Delegate Weekend Early Bird Price

£110 (£115 After 31 Jan)

Weekend package to include Friday night buffet, Day ticket to

conference including morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea and

Saturday evening food & entertainment

Once you

have chosen the

package that suits

you, book on

01625 664501 or

Non-Delegate Weekend Early Bird Price

£85 (£90 After 31 Jan)

Non-Delegate Weekend package to include Friday night buffet and

Saturday evening food & entertainment

£92

Friday Night Buffet Social

£30 price remains same after 31 Jan

Saturday Night Dinner & Quiz

£30 price remains same after 31 Jan

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

NEWSLINK n JANUARY 2022 19

News

Last reminder: January 31

deadline is approaching

The HMRC self-assessment ritual is on

us again, and self-employed ADI are

reminded that they have to get their tax

affairs sorted by January 31.

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

times before, but it’s more challenging

this year because of the various income

support schemes and bounceback loans

ADIs may have received during pandemic

lockdowns and other disruptions, from

April 2020-March 2021.

Most ADIs will have received help from

the Self-Employed Income Support

Scheme (SEISS). This grant is classed as

income and is therefore taxable. It must

be declared on your self-assessment. All

SEISS grants you received on or before 5‌‌

‌April 2021 need to be included in this

Self Assessment tax return. For most

people, this will be the first, second and

third SEISS grants.

Grants you received on or after 6‌‌ ‌April

2021 will be included in the 2021-22

Self Assessment tax return, to be

submitted by 31‌‌ ‌January 2023. For

most people, this will be the fourth and

fifth SEISS grants only.

It will also be more difficult adjusting

expense claims to match activity during

this period, though remember that if you

run your driving school from your home

Illustration by Amy Beswick

you can claim a percentage of household

expenses to off-set against tax.

Self-assessment can often be a

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).

For advice from the GOV.UK

website, click here.

Confusion over SEISS is taxing the self-employed

COVID-19 support schemes

You must 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 if you’re self-employed, in a

partnership or a business.

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.

Remember too that other coronavirus

support payments are taxable, as are

most payments from local authorities

and Scottish and Welsh Governments.

Don’t believe the rumours: HMRC is ready to help

While the taxman doesn’t have the

best reputation when it comes to being

sympathetic towards people who don’t

follow its rules, in reality HMRC

officials are ready to help wherever

possible.

A spokesperson for the HMRC said:

“We know that the past two years

have been incredibly challenging for

many ADIs. Income levels and tax

rules have changed dramatically and

this could cause a lot of confusion

when it comes to filling in selfassessment

returns this time.

“In addition, we know people’s

incomes have been hit hard, which

has placed pressure on finances.

“If you are struggling to pay your tax

bill, speak to us in the first instance.

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.”

For advice from the GOV.UK

website, click here.

20



Owning a car is ‘outdated

thinking’, says minister

A junior transport minister has suggested

the British public should prepare for a

future where owning their own car will be

a thing of the past.

Junior transport minister Trudy Harrison

told a sustainability conference in

December that private ownership of cars

was outdated ‘20th-century thinking’ and

the country should move to ‘shared

mobility schemes’ to cut carbon emissions.

Ms Harrison, who is also a former

parliamentary private secretary to Boris

Johnson, said the UK was “reaching a

tipping point where shared mobility in the

form of car clubs, scooters and bike shares

will soon be a realistic option for many of

us to get around.”

The conference, which was hosted by

shared transport charity CoMoUK, heard

the minister also say the UK needed to

embrace a transport model based on

“greater flexibility, with personal choice

and low carbon shared transport.”

A car sharing

scheme based at

Heathrow Airport

She admitted that this switch in opinion

would take time, but added that: “Many

things seem far fetched until they aren’t

and I believe the same is true for shared

mobility.”

Cars are responsible for approximately

13 per cent of Britain’s greenhouse gas

emissions and current government policy is

based around scrapping sales of new petrol

and diesel cars within eight years while

promoting electric car use and ‘greener’

transport such as walking, cycling and the

use of E-scooters.

Portsmouth trial for

Luminous road signs

Portsmouth City Council is trialling

luminous road markings designed to

enhance visibility for pedestrians and

cyclists crossing the road. The

Flowell crosswalks and cycle

crossings tech has been installed by

civil engineering and transport

infrastructure specialists, Colas.

The new crossing lights up when

triggered by sensors, in an effort to

enhance visibility for users. Colas say

it also ensures better compliance

with traffic regulations and

encourages drivers to behave more

calmly at busy intersections.

Flowell can also be adapted to give

priority to certain vehicles during

specific time times of day or allocate

space for a dedicated use such as

temporary outdoor dining spaces.

The site in Portsmouth will be

monitored to determine its impact on

behaviour, to see if its use could

improve road infrastructure in the

rest of the UK.


21

Towards Your CPD / News

Theory X and Theory Y

Instructional Styles

Phil Burman

In this article I quote

from the work of

Douglas Murray

McGregor, who

formulated the Theory X

and Theory Y

Instructional Styles

hypothesis. He analysed two areas of

behaviour in respect of:

• The instructor’s style of tuition.

• The way instructors treat pupils.

Based on hundreds of hours of

studying instructors in different fields,

McGregor concluded that instructors tend

to make one of two assumptions. In my

view, his conclusions reflect the way

many ADIs treat their pupils.

According to McGregor, Theory X

Instructors believe most pupils lack

ability, are unintelligent, somewhat lazy,

and avoid putting effort into learning

whenever possible.

He found Theory Y Instructors believe

it is normal for pupils to work hard at

their lessons.

Each assumption leads the instructor

to approach the task differently.

Theory X instructors fall into two

distinct camps. They either adopt a strict

approach or a much too soft style of

tuition. The strict approach results in:

n Instructor-centred teaching.

n The instructor controlling the lesson

at all times.

n Coercing the pupil with threats, for

example: ‘If you do that, you’ll fail your

test!’

n A poor instructor-pupil relationship.

n Pupils becoming resistant to

instruction.

n Pupils applying the minimum

amount of effort.

If the Theory X instructor utilises a soft

style, his opinion remains the same, but

he thinks pupils need continuous praise

to learn. The praise might be insincere,

but he says it anyway. This instructor is

likely to be over tolerant of mistakes. But

it doesn’t matter which approach the

Theory X instructor takes because: either

way, their tuition is inadequate

The Theory Y instructor thinks the

effort put into learning is natural, and he

expects it. He uses a variety of tuition

styles and is prepared to use whichever

of the following methods bring the best

results:

n Consultation and participation.

n Coaching.

n Client-centred learning.

n Instructor-centred teaching.

n A hard-line approach.

n A softly-softly approach.

Theory Y instructor characteristics

include:

n Excellent listening skills.

n A good understanding of body

language.

n Applying effort to fulfil a pupil’s

potential, pushing them when necessary.

n Believing there is no ‘one best way’

that must be adhered to. The

instructional method depends on the

pupil and circumstances.

n A supportive approach to learning.

Theory Y instructors use different

techniques and teaching aids and show

commitment and skill. It seems there is a

world of difference between the two

instructor types.

Yet McGregor states a common factor

links Theory X and Theory Y instructors.

He says both approaches have one

overall effect, which he calls the selffulfilling

prophecy.

This common link means pupils

invariably respond according to how they

are treated. Think back to your school

days. The subjects you liked and were

good at – can you recall those teachers?

If so, I’m sure they provided

encouragement and treated you well.

What about the others who couldn’t

teach for toffee and blamed you for your

lack of understanding? And those who

handed out insults left, right and centre

when they failed to get their points

across. Need I say more?

If we give the impression we think

pupils are stupid, won’t work hard, have

a couldn’t-care-less attitude and lack the

expected level of skill, that’s the way

they will respond.

If we treat pupils with respect, show

we think they are responsible, able and

committed to working hard to achieve

the required standard, that’s also the

way they’ll behave.

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22



UK roads getting

worse, says RAC

Some 38 per cent of drivers surveyed for

the RAC’s annual Report on Motoring

said the condition and maintenance of

local roads was a concern, up from 33

per cent in 2019. This puts it ahead of

other issues such as drivers using

handheld phones (32 per cent), the poor

standard of other motorists’ driving (27

per cent) and the aggressive behaviour of

other drivers (26 per cent).

52 per cent of drivers believe the

condition of local roads have deteriorated

over the past 12 months – compared to

just 6 per cent who believe they have

improved. The RAC says the findings

correlate with its own data, which shows

there were 1,871 call outs during the

third quarter of 2020 for damaged shock

absorbers, broken suspension springs or

distorted wheels – breakdowns that are

‘most likely to have been caused by poor

road surfaces’.

This is the highest third-quarter

percentage of all RAC breakdowns seen

since 2015.

Take the 20m test, says DVLA

DVLA has launched a new campaign to

encourage all drivers to have their

eyesight checked.

The campaign stresses the difficulties

driving in winter can cause which are

exacerbated by poor vision, such as bad

weather, ice on windscreens, low winter

sun and more likelihood of driving in

poor light or darkness.

The campaign calls on all drivers to

ensure they have their eyesight tested

every two years as a minimum. If you

don’t meet the minimum eyesight

standard, you must stop driving and tell

the DVLA.

Before then, why not ask your family

and friends to take the 20-metre number

plate test? That’s the distance at which

you need to be able to read a car number

plate. But how far away is 20 metres? It

is around the length of five parked cars,

or the length of 2 double decker buses.

Worryingly, a survey by DVLA found

that fewer than 50 per cent of motorists

are aware that they must read a number

plate from 20 metres.

Going like the wind

An Irish driver was caught

speeding at 201km/h (124mph)

on the M9 near Kilkenny in

the middle of torrential rain

and high-speed winds as a

result of December’s Storm

Barra. The irony... he was

stopped just as local police

were urging all drivers to

“exercise extreme caution” as a

result of the appalling weather

conditions...


23

News / Comment

Customers love their electrics!

New survey finds motorists

who have switched to electric

cars are overwhelmingly

happy with their choice

and will never go back to

petrol and diesel

Zap-Map, one of the UK’s most popular

electric vehicle (EV) charging apps, has

released the results of a new survey of

EV drivers across the country – and they

show strong evidence of a continuing

shift in consumer attitudes towards

electric vehicles.

Not only do they show that those who

plump for electric in the New Year won’t

regret it, but they also suggest that EV

drivers are increasingly confident about

driving long distances.

Indeed, the Zap-Map poll has revealed

that more than 90 per cent of drivers are

extremely happy with their EV and

would not want to replace it with a petrol

or diesel car.

The data highlights the positive impact

of EVs on drivers who have benefited

from a great driving experience, low

running costs and low emissions.

Fewer than one per cent wanted a

return to a petrol or diesel vehicle.

Tellingly, the results are remarkably

similar to those of last year’s Zap-Map

survey, indicating that this year’s influx of

new EV drivers are as pleased with their

decision to make the switch to electric as

their 2020 counterparts. Many of the

respondents to the survey were first-time

EV drivers. More than 48 per cent of

respondents said that their current

vehicle was their first EV, with 28 per

cent making the purchase in 2020.

In parallel, driver satisfaction was

notably higher for both battery-electric

and plug-in hybrid vehicles, with EV

drivers reporting a satisfaction score of

91 out of 100 (battery-electric 92,

plug-in hybrid 84), compared with only

74 for petrol or diesel vehicle ownership.

This year, for the first time, drivers

were also asked about the furthest

distance they have travelled in an EV in a

single journey.

The majority of the respondents (53

per cent) said they have driven more

than 200 miles in their EV in a single

trip. The figure shows that drivers are

habitually using their EVs on longer trips,

and should put to bed concerns over the

range of EVs, at least for the average

driver, given that the average car journey

in the UK was just 8.4 miles in 2019.

Furthermore, almost a quarter of

respondents (24 per cent) said they have

driven more than 300 miles in one trip

– with over seven per cent doing the long

haul and driving more than 500 miles in

a single journey. For around 31 per cent,

between 101 and 200 miles was their

longest trip in an EV, while for 15 per

cent it was fewer than 100 miles.

The results of Zap-Map’s poll come at

a time of record-breaking sales for the EV

industry. The latest figures show that

sales of battery-electric vehicles

accounted for almost 19 per cent of all

new car sales in November, a growth of

110 per cent compared with November

2020 when the figure was 9 per cent.

The poll – which was carried out in

November 2021 and gained more than

3,000 responses from Zap-Map’s

engaged community of EV drivers – is

part of the company’s annual EV

charging survey, the most established

and comprehensive survey of EV drivers

in the UK.

‘‘

Driver satisfaction was high - at

91 per cent for battery electric

and plug-in hybrid models,

compared with 74 per cent for

those still running petrol or

diesel vehicles...

‘‘

The survey provides strong evidence of

a high level of satisfaction for EVs, with

those making the switch to electric

clearly not regretting their decision. The

only question remaining is whether you’ll

be one of those EV drivers next year.

Transport Minister Trudy Harrison said:

“These survey results show that drivers

are becoming increasingly confident in

making the switch to electric vehicles

and I hope this data encourages others

to consider going electric as we work

towards the UK’s net-zero targets.

“We’ve committed £2.5bn to

accelerate the rollout of zero emission

vehicles and charging infrastructure

across the country, ensuring the

transition is as simple as possible for

motorists, as we take steps towards a

greener transport future.”

Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder &

COO at Zap-Map, said: “As we move

from the early adopters into mass EV

adoption, the evidence in favour of

electric vehicles grows more compelling

every year. This poll certainly give

prospective EV buyers something to think

about in 2022. For the second year

running we’ve seen that those who make

the switch to electric simply don’t look

back. It’s also clear from the distances

EV drivers have travelled that concerns

over range and other historical challenges

of owning and running an EV are

increasingly a thing of the past.

“As the EV market continues to grow,

alongside the charging infrastructure that

supports it, Zap-Map’s focus is on

making the EV charging experience

simple, by providing the ability to search,

plan and pay all in one app.”

24



Two signs of the times

Rod Came

MSA GB South East

I have always used a roof box on my

tuition car. It’s a standard size across the

roof, a non-aerodynamic white plastic

one with an L-plate on it of the prescribed

size. It also has our company name and

a landline telephone number on it.

I know that it costs a little by way of

the car using extra fuel – in fact I was

surprised when I had use of a Nissan

Micra quite how much drag there was

from the box, and taking it off was like

properly releasing the handbrake – but I

have always thought that it was worth

having one for the advertising benefit as

well as from the road safety point of view.

Currently it’s common knowledge that

there are not enough ADIs to satisfy the

demand for driving lessons. All those I

have spoken to have plenty of work,

many with a waiting list, but is this

supported by evidence?

I have no doubt that those ADIs have

genuinely reflected their personal situations,

but to see what demand there is for

lessons I have conducted a little test.

Do top boxes

attract custom?

For 15 months I have been teaching

my granddaughters to drive, driving

around in a Toyota Yaris with my box

either on the roof or the rear parcel shelf,

with the company name and telephone

number prominently displayed. The

phone has been manned 24/7 in

anticipation of a flood of calls from

frustrated learner drivers who are unable

to have lessons because local ADIs are

fully booked. Has anybody called? Is my

diary filled? Have I a waiting list?

No, not one single call.

Does this mean that roof boxes are of

no use? Probably not; they still have the

additional benefit of showing other

drivers that it is a tuition car ahead of

them and it does keep the name of the

ADI in the public domain, but whether

the box in itself attracts new business is

open to question.

Signs

There you are, driving down the road,

with or without a pupil. The digital

speedometer read-out is spot on 30,

which is the limit for the road, the

read-out on your portable satnav reads

27mph and all is right in your world.

But the local council is just about to

shatter the illusion that you are a

responsible, law abiding, professional

driving instructor. It is about to announce

to the world, well to the other people in

the vicinity, that you are a criminal, not

just any old criminal but a law breaker

unworthy of your professional status.

They will do this by illuminating a

Should these

signs be correctly

calibrated to only

show Slow Down

when a vehicle

does exceed the

speed limit?

large red, black and white electronic sign

showing 30 Slow Down. It has clocked

your speed and decided you are in need

of a very visible reprimand from the

camera in the form of a reminder of what

the speed limit is. The highway authority

has acted as judge and jury without even

reviewing the evidence, you have had no

opportunity to put forward your defence

let alone plead mitigating circumstances.

You have been convicted in the eyes of

the general public. Justice has not been

served. You must be speeding as the sign

has said so

Not only is this set of circumstances

embarrassing, but there is the possibility

that it could affect your business, your

livelihood, your income, with no recourse

to your accuser.

My question is – should all such signs

be correctly calibrated to only show Slow

Down when a vehicle actually does

exceed the posted speed limit?

The 30 could show as a reminder with

the admonishment to slow shown only to

transgressors.

Could you sue the council for a

perceived loss?

Mobile phone rules tightened ‘to keep up with tech’

2022 will see the rules on mobile phone

use while driving finally tightened up to

penalise persistent offenders.

Previously it was a criminal offence to

use a hand-held mobile phone to call or

text while driving – but a legal loophole

has ensured drivers escaped punishment

for other actions such as taking photos

or scrolling through song playlists. This

is because such actions aren’t seen as

‘interactive communication’, and did not

fit the original definition of the offence.

However, the Government confirmed

the law will be ‘brought into the 21st

century’ – banning drivers from using

their phones to take photos or videos,

scroll through playlists or play games.

The new laws will come into effect in

2022. Anyone caught using their

hand-held device while driving will face

a £200 fixed penalty notice and six

points on their licence.

The only exceptions will be for drivers

making a contactless payment with their

mobile phone while stationary in areas

such as a drive-through restaurant or on

a road toll.

Drivers will still also be able to

continue using a device ‘hands-free’

while driving, such as a sat-nav, if it’s

secured in a cradle.

Grant Shapps, transport secretary,

said: “We still have too many deaths

and injuries resulting while drivers use

mobile phones. By making it easier to

prosecute people illegally using their

phone at the wheel, we are ensuring the

law is brought into the 21st century

while further protecting all road users.

“While our roads remain among the

safest in the world, we will continue

working tirelessly to make them safer.”

A public consultation found that 81

per cent of respondents supported

proposals to strengthen the law.

The new law will also be more precise

about the fact that being stationary in

traffic counts as driving, making it clear

that hand-held mobile phone use at

traffic lights or in motorway jams is illegal

except in very limited circumstances.


25

Comment

Flicking the switch to electric may be a

move that puts some off driving for life

Rod Came

MSA GB South East

I am writing this just before Christmas,

and as I have not been blessed with the

foresight that the DVSA imagines all

ADIs have when deciding when their

clients should apply for a practical L-test,

I have absolutely no idea what the driver

training industry will be struggling

against by the time you read this at the

start of January.

As a forlorn hope I will wish you all a

prosperous New Year. Don’t despair, it

may yet turn out to be so; if it is it will be

a triumph of hope over expectation.

Now that it is the new year and any

resolutions made have been dispatched

to the rubbish bin it is time to plan

ahead. For example you could initiate an

advertising campaign to attract more

clients. Oh, I forgot, all ADIs are up to

their neck in work – but perhaps now is

the time to spend a bit of money on

promotion, rather than leave it until

business starts to falter.

You might start looking ahead to try

and guess when you will be having to

invest in an electric tuition vehicle, or

you could just ignore that approaching

tsunami and bury your head in the sand.

At some point in the near future the

demand for manual tuition will reduce as

that for electric automatic increases. For

each ADI the crossover point will be

different, but almost certainly such a

change for your clients cannot be

introduced overnight.

I speak from experience in that having

provided manual tuition for many years I

noticed that there was an increasing

number of enquiries for automatic

tuition. There had been an ADI in town

with an automatic car but he was no

longer teaching, so I thought I would give

it a go. I bought an older auto and

gradually increased the number of clients

learning in it and eventually phased out

the manual tuition.

That worked out OK because my

investment in the auto was not great.

The problem is the opposite is now true,

in that electric cars are very expensive

and used ones are generally not suitable

as they have a limited range because of

reducing battery life.

The usual change to a new car is

seamless, be it the end of the lease or

part-exchanging the old car for a new

one, but it won’t work like that when

electric become more popular. It will be

necessary to have two tuition cars, a

manual to finish off the training of the

current clients and a very expensive

electric car to take on the new ones.

Some ADIs will continue teaching in a

manual car as there will still be a

diminishing demand; manual tuition will

always be required by some but almost

certainly it will eventually become a

niche market, with the majority turning

to electric automatic tuition.

There will always be a demand for

driver training (self-driving cars are a long

way off) but there will be a lesser

demand for several reasons. The main

one is that the price of lessons in an

electric car will have to be much higher

than at present because of the cost of

the vehicle. In addition, the higher cost

of an electric car will dissuade some

from ever learning to drive as they will

think they’ll never be able to afford a car

themselves due to the same high initial

cost.

Those two factors alone will reduce the

client base before you take into

consideration such things as pay-permile

charges, congestion charges,

parking charges, public electricity

charges for those with no off-street

parking, a ban on any form of fossil fuel

car/van entering city/town centres ... the

list goes on.

If you are getting a new car this year

and intend to keep it for three years, now

is the time to start planning ahead.

The Vauxhall Mokka-e: The petrol

and diesel versions are popular

with ADIs looking for a practical

car for family life away from

driving lessons, but will the

£31,000+ price tag for the

electric model – some £10k

higher than the base petrol model

– make it a non-starter?

26



Several car manufacturers have

announced that from 2025 they

intend to stop building petrol/diesel

cars. If that happens there will be a

reduced pool of vehicles suitable for

tuition to choose from. ADIs will be

left with little choice but to start

going electric well before 2030, the

proposed cut-off date at the moment.

Enterprising ADIs will weather the

storm, in fact they will probably

prosper as the switch to electric

could provide new opportunities to

create income streams.

Not everybody who buys an

automatic (which they all are) electric

car will just jump in it and drive away

if they haven’t driven one before.

I have mentioned in the past that

the latest of the three VW Tourans

which we have run seems to require

the driver to have a degree in

electronics, while the car we have

had on order for several months from

a different manufacturer gave the

impression on a test drive that a

degree in cybertronics would be a

minimum qualification.

Of course, the salesman said that

being electric all the various

functions are very straightforward...

well, we’ll discover whether this is

true, or not, if one day it is delivered.

I drive different types of vehicle

over the course of a year and this

gives me an advantage when new

trends come on stream, but for lots

of people, especially those of a

certain age who only drive their own

car with which they are familiar,

those first few drives in a new car

could be an unsettling experience.

Perhaps they would rather share

the experience with an ADI by their

side? You could leave some business

cards with your local franchised

dealers.

Just a thought. That’s free

advertising and could get you one up

on your competitors.

A final thought...

On New Year’s Eve, Marilyn stood

up in the local pub and said that

it was time to get ready. At the

stroke of midnight, she wanted

every husband to be standing next

to the one person who made his

life worth living.

Well, it was kind of embarrassing.

As the clock struck, the bartender

was almost crushed to death.

HPT offers way to cut van

and truck crashes

Janet Stewart

MSA GB Greater London

I attended the ADINJC’s National

Conference and Expo in Coventry in October

and had a number of interesting

conversations – not least with Dr Victoria

Kroll, chief executive officer of ESITU

Solutions.

Three comments made me think: First,

one-in-three fatal collisions occur while

driving for work. Second, vans, LGVs and

HGVs have the highest rate of road user

deaths per mile travelled. Finally, hazard

awareness assessment and training has

been shown to reduce risk.

Many of us will remember the level of

disgruntlement expressed by driving

instructors when they were required to take

the Hazard Perception Test when it was

introduced in 2002. ADIs claimed that it

was a computer game and/or that they

failed it because they were too good at

spotting hazards and clicked too soon. I

saw it as an opportunity to see for myself

what my learners would be facing (and I

liked the game element).

But here’s the point. ADIs had to take

this test despite being fully qualified

already. No such requirement was set for

commercial drivers who had passed their

test before 2002.

Estimates suggest that the HPT saves the

country about £90m per annum through

collision reduction. It is a difficult figure to

prove but I don’t think many would doubt

that the test has been beneficial.

Apparently, companies are more likely to

use question-based assessment of their

drivers’ risk awareness. I don’t teach fleet

and I am sure a lot of readers know more

about this than I do, but could companies

be persuaded to do something rather better

for their drivers and thus for themselves?

ESITU is a spin-out from research carried

out at Nottingham Trent University. They

use HD video and computer-generated

imagery to identify which drivers have a

greater crash risk. The drivers see 15

hazard clips and then 15 feedback training

clips with the safety-relevant areas

highlighted and a voice-over to explain

where the driver should have been looking

and why. There are additional benefits from

the training as well as the safety ones;

better forward planning and awareness also

reduce harsh braking and acceleration, thus

improving fuel consumption and reducing

vehicle wear and tear.

As ESITU says “The best way to assess

and train driver safety is in-situ. When this

is impractical, try Esitu instead”.

On an entirely unrelated matter – I have

not mentioned Christmas. 18 months ago

my sister rented a house for the whole

family to celebrate her husband’s 70th

birthday and their 40th wedding

anniversary. Because of Covid, this family

break was delayed repeatedly until we

finally got there in October. My sister

decided that since we had, in the

meantime, also missed Christmas we

should include that in the mix. Therefore,

two months before the official big day, we

had turkey with all the trimmings and

stuffing, Christmas pudding aflame with

brandy, Christmas quizzes, holly and party

hats.

It was a great success but the

consequence was that, once we got to

December, I didn’t feel quite ready to do it

all again. Anyway, to those who did

celebrate properly, I hope you had a lovely

time, and I also hope you have a good and

optimistic start to the New Year.

If you would like to comment on this

article please contact Janet Stewart at

janetstlittlecar@btinternet.com.


27

Area focus

Scotland chair steps down on a high note

as the STS makes a welcome return

Ever wondered how much work goes

into organising an MSA GB event? Alex Buist,

Vice Chair, MSA GB Scotland, outlines the

planning for the recent Scotland Training

Seminar, followed by a full report on the

event itself

The decision to hold a Scottish Training

Seminar (STS) in 2021 was taken at a

Zoom meeting earlier that year, with the

provision that we would plan for a

face-to-face conference but could revert

to Zoom if we were not allowed.

Peter Harvey MBE was tasked to find

us a suitable location and to invite

members of the DVSA along, with

Loveday Ryder and John Sheridan our

first choices.

I was tasked to see if we could get a

police speaker to talk about electric

vehicles, with other suggestions for

speakers made.

After price rises ruled out our usual

venue, the Westerwood Hotel, Peter

spoke to the Castlecary Hotel, not far

from the Westerwood. They could

accommodate us, and Loveday Ryder

and John Sheridan had also agreed in

principle to attend.

I had contacted Chief Superintendent

Louise Blakelock, Road Policing, Police

Scotland to see if we could get a speaker

for the STS, and Peter had managed to

get some sponsors organised. Things

28

were moving nicely towards our first

face-to-face conference for two years,

with the only stumbling block whether

the First Minister would allow it to go

ahead in light of the situation with the

pandemic.

With no official news forthcoming and

the event still some time off, the

committee continued to plan the event,

with raffle prizes purchased, table names

produced and name badges created for

those who would be attending.

Steven Porter and Bryan Phillips made

great in-roads on our Facebook page to

advertise the STS, reminding all about

the event and to book quickly to get the

early bird discount, and we had our first

delegates book on – though slowly at

first. Indeed, such was the pace of

bookings that committee were concerned

that many ADIs were still wary about

Covid and were possibly reluctant to

come to a large meeting of individuals.

However, we had a boost to our

confidence in the summer when the First

Minister relaxed the rules, and we knew

that we could go ahead.

Loveday Ryder, John Sheridan

and Willie Hamilton

By this point I had confirmation that

Chief Inspector Mark Patterson would

attend on behalf of Police Scotland to

talk about electric vehicles, Loveday

Ryder and John Sheridan had also

confirmed, the venue was now firmly in

the schedule and rooms booked for those

who needed an overnight stay. What

could possibly go wrong?

On the week leading up to the

conference I received news that Chief

Inspector Patterson would be unable to

attend due to a family bereavement. At

that point I was a little concerned as to

how we could fill the space with so little

time left. I contacted Chief Superintendent

Blakelock, to first of all pass on the

Scottish Committee’s condolences to her

colleague but wondering if she could

suggest a replacement. She certainly did

not disappoint us because within a day

she said that Constable Keith Sutherland

would be available to deliver the talk. We

were extremely grateful to her for acting

so quickly.

We also managed to obtain another

speaker who has graced our conferences

before, Bob Morton, who also agreed last

minute to attend.

So, it looked as if everything was now

heading in the right direction and we

could looked forward to 20th November

to arrive. Castlecary Hotel prepared the

hall by setting up tables and chairs, and

the committee descended to sort out the

various handouts and other bits and

pieces into bags to be handed to

delegates on arrival. Table names were

put out and the MSA GB Scotland

Secretary Brian Thompson placed the

winning raffle receipts under three

randomly selected chairs.

Jean and Peter had prepared all the

delegate badges and they were placed

ready to be handed out the following day.

The raffle prizes that I had purchased

were also readied for Sunday. Gerry, the

hotel manager, was excellent in assisting

us and getting any equipment that we

required.

Steven Porter’s friend attended to set

up the microphones and speaker system.

He has done this before for us and as

usual did a splendid job.

We now stepped back to look at the

room; everything was in place, and we



were ready to go, only thing left to do

now was go for dinner and then ensure

that nothing had been missed

Sunday arrived, breakfast was taken,

then me and the committee proceeded to

the conference room, delegates had

started to arrive well before the official

opening time. It appeared that they were

as eager as we were to get back into the

groove.

Doors were opened, delegates signed

in, badges given and tables started to fill.

Tea and coffee were available to all on

arrival, and we were well looked after by

Nicole from the hotel who was an

absolute star throughout the proceedings.

She looked after our every need, and we

all felt that she went above and beyond

to ensure that we had everything we

needed.

The Conference starts ...

At 9.30am I opened the conference by

welcoming everyone in attendance stating

that it was terrific to see a lot of well-kent

faces and a lot of new ones, with a

special mention to Mike Yeomans, the

MSA GB North East chair, who had

travelled up from East Yorkshire to join

us. There was also a request that went

with the times, for all to remember to

wear their facemasks!

The first speaker was our stand-in from

Police Scotland, Constable Keith

Sutherland. He gave an excellent talk on

electric vehicles, outlining what he saw

as the advantage that electric vehicles

will bring as well as some of the

disadvantages. He told us that during the

recent COP 26 summit in Glasgow he

had been seconded to provide security

cover, as had many officers from around

the UK.

A lot of delegates attending COP 26

MSA GB Chairman

Peter Harvey presents

DVSA’s John Sheridan

with a gift to mark his

impending retirement

stayed at Gleneagles and electric vehicles

were used to transport them to the site in

Glasgow. However, there weren’t enough

charging points in Gleneagles so diesel

generators were brought in to recharge

them. This did provoke a big laugh in the

room.

Harley Davidson had supplied 12

electric police bikes for escort duty, which

looked absolutely terrific, but only had a

range of around 12 miles... ooops!

On finishing Keith answered a good few

questions before he had to head back to

Blairgowrie.

Our sponsors then got the opportunity

to talk about their products. First up was

Michael Carr of Go-Roadie, who was

known to a lot of the delegates. He

informed us of the products they had to

offer which was designed to help and

assist ADIs in the day-to-day running of

their business and offered a discount to

members.

Bob Morton from Client Centred

Learning was next. Bob is an old friend of

the STS, and we were pleased to

welcome him back. He gave an excellent

talk relating to the Standards Check and

Part 3 Training. It was all extremely

informative and had a good question and

answer session at the end.

The Scottish AGM was held next and

as I gave my report, including informing

everyone that I would be standing down

as Chairman. Having been a member of

the Scottish Committee since 1994 I

have been extremely lucky to have met

some terrific people through MSA GB; Ian

Scoular, John Myers and Don McTaggart

to name a few. I had also been very

fortunate to have met and got to know

Peter Harvey MBE and his wife, Jean, as

well as all the rest of the current

committee. They have been wonderful to

have worked with over the past years and

I am sure that Steven Porter, Bryan

Phillips and the rest of the team will do a

wonderful job going forward.

I was presented with an extremely nice,

engraved pewter mug and a bottle of gin

from the National Chairman on behalf of

the committee and I was very grateful for

this presentation.

At the end of the AGM everyone retired

for lunch, which I have to say was very

nice.

On resuming in the afternoon, it was

the turn of the DVSA to regale us with

news from the Citadel in Nottingham.

Loveday Ryder was first to speak, and

she came across very well. She put her

own spin on everything and was not

afraid to answer questions that were

thrown at her from the delegates.

Everyone felt that maybe this CEO has

listened to ADIs and would respect their

input.

Willie Hamilton, senior DVSA official in

Scotland gave us all an insight into how

he expects the DVSA to be working in

Scotland as, hopefully, the pandemic

subsides. Willie took a good few

questions from the audience.

John Sheridan was next. He’s always

gone down well at our events and did so

again as he outlined the hopes and

aspirations of the DVSA, reiterating what

Loveday had said earlier. He hopes that

the DVSA could move forward quickly

from all of the problems it had

encountered in 2020 and ‘21. He also

informed the delegates that he would be

retiring this year.

Loveday, John and Willie then fielded

questions from the floor, and I don’t think

that they deflected any.

Peter then surprised John with a gift,

which he had already cleared with his

boss, on his upcoming retirement. I think

that in all the times that I have seen John

this was the first time he was totally

speechless. He did, however, quickly

regain his ability to talk and thanked

Peter, the Scottish committee and

everyone present for the gift.

Next, we had the star of the show,

Peter Harvey MBE, who went on to tell

everyone what will, what might and what

should be happening to our industry.

He went through a complete question

and answer selection with the delegates

which as usual was very informative and

gave everyone food for thought.

The conference was closed by the new

chairman for MSA GB Scotland, Steven

Porter, who wished everyone a safe

journey home, a very Merry Christmas and

a happy and prosperous New Year.


29

Area Focus

Too many still relying on guesswork

when it comes to the theory test

Terry Pearce

MSA GB West Midlands

I would like to wish you all a very happy

new year.

For myself this is my last year as a

driving instructor before I retire. My

concern is that with the extremely long

waiting lists I may be unable to get all

my students through before I finish.

I know the DVSA is against the apps

that find you an early test, and I do

understand the reasoning for their

disapproval, but for all that, my students

have made use of them, with one

pre-requisite from me: they must be at

test standard first

This recently proved useful for one

learner who managed to change her test

from April to December, giving her just

five days’ notice of the new date. Happily

she was a very competent driver and

passed.

The theory is...

When I tell my students that the theory

test is not easy, they all believe me in the

end. Unfortunately, a lot of them only

believe me after they have failed. I try

my hardest to get them to read every

question, but they get side-tracked by the

practice tests they can take beforehand

which they tend to get good results on.

When they fail they often say “but I did

well on the practice papers”, at which

point I politely ask them if they

remembered my advice to read all the

questions and not to rely on tests? (But

all the while secretly wishing I could say

“I told you so”!)

I try to explain that they will not see all

the questions by just doing practice

papers. I know there are more than 800

questions the theory test could throw at

a candidate, but assuming it is 800, they

would have to do 16 50-question tests

to have any chance of seeing every

question, and with some questions being

repeated from test to test the chances

are the final figure would be nearer

double that. The average learner gets

bored after passing a few trial tests and

considers themselves invincible.

At £23 a time it is an expense a lot of

them cannot afford.

The other common comment is that

they only failed by one mark so they will

pass it next time. Filled with confidence

they still do not study enough and have

to pay out yet another £23!

What I try to instill into them is that

the actual theory test is well put together

with a portion of factual questions which

Tyre questions

always trip up

the ill-prepared

theory test

candidate

means that if you do not know the

answer, you would be unable to guess it.

One question I have used as an example

for many years is the thickness of tread

depth. I ask then to choose from 1mm,

1.6mm, 2.4mm and 4mm; very few

guess the answer correctly.

CONTACT

To comment on this article, or provide

updates from your area, contact

Terry at terry@terrypearce.co.uk

Saved by an AAngel in the rain

John Lomas

Editor, MSA GB North West

Shortly after penning last month’s item

for Newslink, I was being chauffeured

from Darwen to a family friend’s house in

Shropshire.

A wet night and we had only just

passed Leyland on the M6 when the

driver’s windscreen wipers stopped

working.

We managed to get to Charnock

Richard services safely where the driver

tried a fix which had previously been

used. Back on the motorway we nearly

made it to Haydock Park, the East Lancs

Rd junction. I know the junction, so was

30

able to direct the driver to a garage just

of the NW corner of the roundabout.

Having had another go at fixing the

wipers we noticed that an AA van had

come onto the forecourt to refuel.

When the driver returned to his van my

driver had a word with him and he very

kindly came over and gave the wiper arm

a good squeeze onto what appears to be

a tapered spindle.

He did this even though he knew my

driver is an RAC member, and his fix

lasted us for the whole of the remaining

journey down into Shropshire.

We avoided the motorway for the rest

of the trip on the grounds that we didn’t

fancy the possibility of getting stuck on a

‘smart motorway’ if the likely additional

spray should cause the fix to fail again.

Smart work by the AA man. Who

knows, it may well be that his company

might have gained a new member when

the RAC renewal is due.

CONTACT


updates, contact John at

johnstardriving@hotmail.com



A month of ping, ping and ping again

Russell Jones

MSA GB East Midlands

In early December, while proceeding

through a local market town, my learner

driver turned left at a crossroads where

we found ourselves being stopped by a

police car which was ‘blue lighting’ us.

One of the police officers informed me

that my car had ‘pinged’ on their

computer as showing it was not insured.

Of course, I knew there was an error in

the police / MIB records, as just a few

months previously I had paid an annual

premium and had the insurance

certificate in the car to prove it.

The officer suggested that my monthly

payments may not be up to date. I

reminded him that I had already told him

that I had made full payment for the year

and in the next two minutes my online

bank record would be downloading proof

of payment into my mobile phone, which

is what happened. We then continued

our journey.

Just two days later in another county

we were ‘pinged’ again. As the police

officer approached my car, I spoke first,

saying, “I bet it’s the insurance issue’’,

and had the insurance documents ready

to hand.

He replied: ‘’Yes, and your car ‘pinged’

my computer twice last week. I thought

it was a driving school car by the several

L-plates on it, but I was too busy to

chase you’’.

Before we parted company the officer

informed me that the MIB records were

frequently out of date. Coincidently I had

the same issue twice in the autumn of

2020. On each occasion I had to contact

my insurance broker to seek reassurance

that MIB records were regularly updated.

Days later a social media site in Derby

featured an ADIs car being placed on a

transporter under police supervision. It

had been seized for having no insurance,

plus no valid MOT. It should be

interesting when the miscreant tries

explaining the problems to a court and

the ADI Registrar.

It raises the question, ‘How much

education about administrative

proceedings regarding insurance

protocols is taught to PDIs by their

trainers?’

Having all necessary documentation


Editor’s note:

In case Russell’s experience had

got you worried, remember you can

check your own vehicle insurance

status on the Motor Insurance

Database.

Visit www.ownvehicle.askmid.com

Your Car Tax and MOT status can

be checked by visiting

www.gov.uk/check-vehicle-tax

immediately ready to produce to police

can save a lot of hassle, especially with a

less-than-efficient MIB being used by

authorities to establish facts.

Highway Code and hierarchy on the

roads

I find it very disappointing that many

ADIs are unhappy about the forthcoming

new rules regarding pedestrians and

cyclists. With our country having one of

the worst records in Europe regarding the

safety of vulnerable road users, anything

‘‘

‘Your car pinged my computer

twice last week and I thought it

was a driving school car by the

several L-plates on it’ said the

officer, ‘but I was too busy to

chase you...’

‘‘

which can improve their safety should be

embraced by all, particularly those

involved in driver training.

If the detractors can’t hack it, surely

they should leave the scene and find

something less onerous to do in life?

Fitness to supervise

During the recent festivities I was

‘pinged’ for a third tie, this time by my

phone’s Covid-19 ‘track & trace’ app.

Although I did have some of

the symptoms, a CPR test proved

negative, but to be cautious, I have not

been working since. To be fair, I had an

utterly shocking winter cold and would

not have been fit to supervise any learner

driver doing anything more than a visual

inspection of a car’s tyres from a

distance. I’m sure frequent bouts of

sneezing every 10 minutes would not be

appreciated by my loyal customers as we

were motoring through the Vale of Belvoir.

And trying to do so while being

‘drugged up’ to the eyeballs with aspirin

would never do!

So that ended my year on a sneezing,

if peaceful, note. My New Year’s

resolution? Having had a very productive

latter half of 2021, my goal is to match

it during the first half of 2022, and

beyond if I’m lucky.

Happy days ahead, and a happy New

Year to you all.

CONTACT


updates from your area, contact

Russell at rjadi@hotmail.com

31

Q&A with...

It’s time to dial down the

hatred towards learners

Many ADIs stumble into their

career as a driving instructor

but for Bryan Phillips, seeing

his mum learn to drive fired

a desire to become an ADI

from an early age.

When did you become an ADI, and

what made you enter the profession?

I qualified in April 2009. Being a

driving instructor was always the career

path I wanted to go down since at

primary school.

It began when my mum was learning

to drive; that kick-started my interest in

cars and driving, and that’s when I knew

this is what I wanted to do.

I’ve always had a motoring

background. When I left school back in

1997 I got a job in the car parts

department with Citroen Glasgow, then

later I moved into car insurance with

Direct Line in 2005 and now here I am,

living the childhood dream as an ADI!

What’s the best bit about the job?

The obvious best bit is your pupil

passing their test. However, for me it’s

also about helping people develop their

confidence not only as a driver but as a

person. Anxiety is so high these days that

many don’t believe they can do it, it’s the

look on their face when they see that

they can.

... And the worst?

It’s got to be the peer pressure the

learners have. They are all in competition

with one another to see who can pass

first and with the fewest lessons, and

some parents get in on the act. We live

in a world where many value ‘likes’ on

Facebook rather than learning to be safe.

Everyone learns at different rates, some

fast, some slow, but the slow ones feel

rubbish that they are not as far on as

their peers and it holds them back.

What’s the best piece of training advice

you were ever given?

Never assume your pupil understands

what you mean. This proved brilliant

advice when working with a pupil with

autism. It amazes me how the brain

works for different people.

I’m currently teaching a few pupils

with Asperger syndrome and it’s

amazing.

What one piece of kit, other than your

car and phone, could you not do

without?

Dash cams are an amazing teaching

tool – and they also come in handy on

the rare occasion that one of the lovely

members of the public try to get lippy for

no apparent reason!

What needs fixing most urgently in

driving generally?

The hate for learner drivers. It’s

unbelievable the lengths some drivers go

to get in front of the learner driver, only

to get caught at the next set of traffic

lights!

What should the DVSA focus on?

The DVSA should focus more on their

staff. There are many highly professional

people working in the DVSA, however,

like all workplaces, they have their share

of ‘bad eggs’ who seem to get away with

treating others like pieces of dirt.

No one is above anyone, and these

individuals need reminding of this.

It’s stressful enough on a candidate

going for an L-test but it goes to another

level when they are presented with an

examiner with zero people skills.

What’s the next big thing that’s going to

transform driver training/testing?

The talk of digital driving licences

seems to be one that could be

interesting. I’m not sure if it’s a

transformation for the best though, with

all the technology scamming that goes

on these days.

32



Electric cars – yes, or no? And why?

I can see the benefits of going electric

however, it’s a no from me. I’m not

ready to go automatic and just now the

cost of electric cars is crazy.

I was struck at the MSA GB Scottish

Training Seminar in November by the

police guest speaker who highlighted

many issues that no one had considered

before. These include an electric car

cannot be towed. In the event of an

accident emergency services cannot

approach the car in the event of the car

being electrified thus taking longer to get

to any casualty.

I’m happy to stick with my diesel Audi

A3 for now!

How can we improve driver testing/

training in one move?

Compulsory hours with an ADI, ADI

only allowed to book driving test and no

private runners

Who/what inspires you, drives you on?

My niece Abbie. She has a rare brain

condition and has undergone nine major

brain operations and now has brain

damage as a result of the operations

going wrong. She inspires me with her

get-up-and-go attitude. She never fails

to make me smile and drives me on

with her never-give-up approach to life.

Thinking about her got me through my

own low point two-and-a-half years ago

when I had a heart attack and here I am

now, fully recovered and fighting fit!

What keeps you awake at night?

The slightest noise wakes me up. It

can be anything from a can being blown

down the street by the wind but its

usually the boy next door playing his

music at full blast.

I wouldn’t mind if it was decent

music!

No one is the finished article. What do

you do to keep on top of the game?

I’ve recently just sat and passed the

‘‘

Paper’s praise

for Aberdeen

ADI group

It’s stressful enough on a candidate

going for an L-test but it goes

to another level when they are

presented with an examiner with

zero people skills...

‘‘

IAM Road Smart advanced driving

course and achieved a F1rst grade. I

also do a lot of training courses on

teaching ADI Part 3 and Standards

Check training.

It’s always great learning new tricks

which can then be applied to lessons.

I’m all for personal development and

trying to be the best I can possibly be.

What’s the daftest /most dangerous

thing that’s ever happened to you while

teaching?

A few years back I was on my way to

collect a pupil and I was driving in a

timed bus lane, at a time that was fine

for me to do so. I stopped at a set of red

traffic lights and a senior citizen in the

car next to me tooted his horn to get my

attention.

I put the window down and asked

how could I help. He shouted over that I

was breaking the law by driving in a bus

lane, so I politely pointed out that the

bus lane wasn’t in operation as per the

bus lane sign that was next to us. I

offered him some lessons on reading

road signs and best practice for road

positioning.

Needless to say he wasn’t happy

about this and when the traffic lights

changed to green he went to move off

and stalled. As the windows were still

down I called across to offer my services

in helping him to move off while having

control of his car, too!

Needless to say, I’ve never heard from

the guy!

When or where are you happiest?

On a sun lounger in the Costa del Sol

with a cold drink in hand!

If you had to pick one book/film/album

that inspires, entertains or moves you,

what would it be?

Got to be The Killers – Direct Hits

album.

It takes me straight back to the T in

the Park festival in 2009.

The Aberdeen Press and Journal has

paid tribute to its local ADI association

with a feature-length article on its

history just before Christmas.

Aberdeen and District Driving

Schools Association began life in 1971

when petrol cost 34p a gallon and a

typical driving lesson was £1.50*. 18

ADIs attended the first meeting,

though it now has around 90 members

and is believed to be the largest

association of its kind in the UK.

Current chairman Graham Bowen

was given the chance to discuss life as

a modern ADI and explained how

much has changed in the motoring

world since 1971.

“Modern technology would have

seemed like magic in 1971 and with

the introduction of electric cars, will

continue to revolutionise how we do

our jobs,” he told the paper.

“Communication in the past was

done by post and landlines, while

payment was by cash, cheques and

postal orders but now it’s been

through the internet.”

The ADDSA meets quarterly at the

Aberdeenshire Cricket Club, although

this year’s 50th anniversary

celebrations were postponed because

of the global pandemic.

“The pandemic has had a huge

impact on every one of us,” said

Graham, “but we kept in touch via

Zoom.”

Secretary Derek Young highlighted

some of the challenges for today’s

learners – including Aberdeen’s

Haudagain roundabout!

“Many changes have taken place

with the driving test, such as what

manoeuvres are required, sat navs or

following sign directions. Learning to

drive is a huge challenge.

When asked what still challenges

learners Derek said “roundabouts can

be challenging to start with;

approaching the Haudagain

roundabout for the first time is always

a bit daunting!”

* Interestingly, comparing those

figures with today’s prices would see a

driving lesson costing at least £30.


33

Membership

Members’ discounts and benefits

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

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Please note these discounts are only available to MSA GB

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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.

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In addition our network of

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NEWSLINK n JANUARY 2022 35

Newslink January 2022

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