Newslink November

msagb.com 

Newslink 

The Voice of MSA GB 

Issue 358 • November 2022 

Area events and 

AGMs: Book on 

your local event 

- INSIDE 

Protecting learners 

from the road thugs 

We work for all Driver Trainers. Want to join? See pg 39 for a special introductory offer

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

Media messaging makes it 

challenging to press home 

the road safety agenda 

Colin Lilly 

Editor, MSA GB Newslink 

Last month we reported that 61 per cent 

of drivers had not read the updated 

Highway Code rules. This should not be 

surprising as an increasing number of 

people are turning away from the printed 

word in favour of internet news sites and 

social media. 

The internet sources feel they are 

reporting on the matter but in many 

cases totally distort the truth, with 

headlines such as: ‘Drivers can be fined 

for wearing winter clothes’; ‘Drivers can 

be fined for using air conditioning’; and 

‘You could be fined for giving way to an 

emergency vehicle’, all given an airing in 

recent weeks 

These headlines are negative, alarmist 

and do nothing to inform the public of the 

positives of safe driving. The paragraphs 

that follow these headlines are often 

badly written and repetitive. As they pass 

the endless adverts, which slow the 

download speed, only the most 

determined reader will reach the 

paragraphs that inform of the conditions 

that would provoke the fine. 

These articles are written for a target 

audience that comprises the disgruntled 

drivers who feel that rules are 

unnecessary as they have the skills and 

are too busy to follow accepted systems. 

They feel that the motorist is part of an 

oppressed people. 

One such story reported that thousands 

of motorists had been caught out by a 

‘stealthy’ change of speed limit, which 

the media referred to as a ‘change of the 

law’. (see page 21 for more on this). 

This refers to the fact that some police 

MSA GB Conference 2023 

10-11th March, in Scotland 

Top speakers | Social events 

For full details, see pg 15 

forces, including the Metropolitan Police 

in London, have reduced the threshold 

before prosecution ensues in speeding 

cases by one mile an hour. This was the 

aforementioned ‘change of the law’. 

The threshold was usually set at 

10%+ 2 miles per hour above the speed 

limit before prosecuting was introduced 

– so effectively, in the past, in a 30mph 

limit, a driver would have to exceed 

35mph to be prosecuted. It was 

introduced to accommodate the accuracy 

of speedometers, but the threshold was 

merely advice and never an actual law. 

The thresholds for many forces were 

published following a Freedom of 

Information request – a request I believed 

was aimed at evasion rather than safety. 

Police forces around the country often 

increased this threshold to allow them to 

process the necessary paperwork. 

The change to the threshold now puts 

the limit at 10%+1 mph, which means 

drivers who consider the limit to be 35 

mph will be caught out; 34mph is now 

the ironclad limit at which a fine can be 

expected. In a modern car, however, 

speedometers can read 37 mph when 

travelling at 34mph, so there is clear 

intent on the part of the driver to break 

the law, not a marginal slip. 

Perhaps we need a little less of the 

‘there, there, you were trying your best. It 

was the nasty man with the camera that 

wanted some of your money’ attitude. 

Returning to the subject of the Highway 

Code, the Department for Transport and 

DVSA have an uphill task in promoting 

road safety against this wave of negativity. 

CONTACT 

To comment on this article or any other 

issue surrounding driver training and 

testing, contact Colin via 

editor@msagb.com 

Welcome to your 

digital, interactive 


See a pale blue box in any article 

or on an advert? It it contains a 

web address or email, it’s 

interactive. Just click and it will 

take you to the appropriate web 

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more details easier. 

You’ll also find these panels across 

the magazine: just click for more 

information on any given subject. 

To get the 

full story, 

click here 

How to access this 

magazine 

You can read Newslink in three 

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Go online and read the interactive 

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when you don’t have a mobile 

signal or WiFi, you can download 

the magazine to your tablet, PC or 

phone to read at your leisure. 

Alternatively, a pdf can be found 

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Follow the 

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COVER STORY 

Chance missed to 

make road rage 

against learner 

drivers an 

aggravating factor in 

motoring offences 

See page 6 

NEWSLINK n NOVEMBER 2022 

03

10 

15 

21 

News 

Aggressive drivers: a missed 

opportunity 

Colin Lilly wonders whether MPs and 

the DfT are taking the issue of drivers 

harrassing learners seriously enough 

– Pg 6 

No practising here 

DVSA asks ADIs to stop holding bay 

parking practice sessions at two of its 

test centres – Pg 8 

Reaching out to the young 

How the DVSA is hoping to 

communicate its ‘Ready to Pass?’ 

message – Pg 10 

MSA GB events and AGMs 

All the latest details of these important 

events, plus a special training day 

– Pgs 12-15 

Cameras, lights, action!? 

After a local row over new ‘spy cameras’, 

Colin Lilly looks at the levels of motorist 

monitoring going on – Pg 18 

The tragedy of speed 

Speed deaths are linked to a lack of 

police enforcement, while the ‘10% + 2’ 

tolerance gets an update... and a tragedy 

in Rome sparks a media outcry over road 

safety – Pg 20-21 

18 


The Voice of MSA GB 

The Motor Schools Association 

of Great Britain Ltd 

Head Office: 

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E: info@msagb.com 

Newslink is published monthly on behalf of the MSA 

GB and distributed to members and selected 

recently qualified ADIs throughout Great Britain by: 

Chamber Media Services, 

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Cheshire SK7 3AG 

Editorial/Production: Rob Beswick 

e: rob@chambermediaservices.co.uk 

t: 0161 426 7957 

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e: colinregan001@yahoo.co.uk 

t: 01942 537959 / 07871 444922 

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made to ensure the 

accuracy of material 

contained within this 

publication, neither MSA 

GB nor the publishers can 

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either advertising or 

editorial content. 

©2022 The Motor Schools 

Association of Great 

Britain Ltd. Reprinting in 

whole or part is forbidden 

without express 

permission of the editor. 

04 NEWSLINK n OCTOBER 2022


Area Focus 

ADIs – literally – living life in the 

fast lane... – pg 30 

Away from the day job... Western 

member Nick Tapp’s time as a 

volunteer Coastguard – pg 32 

Mindfulness? I’d rather teach safe 

driving habits – pg 33 

From the artillery to an ADI, with the 

police in between – pg 34 

Features 

Look after the little things... 

... and the big ‘uns will (nearly) take care 

of themselves. Steve Garrod’s training 

report – Pg 22 

You idle so-and-so! 

Why just keeping the engine ticking over 

while you stop for a moment is bad for the 

environment, the engine – and your wallet 

– Pg 24 

Light up at your peril 

Janet Stewart considers the blinding truth 

about modern headlights – Pg 28 

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 01787 221020. 

Keep in touch: 

Just click on the icon 

to go through to the 

relevant site 

2 

NEWSLINK n OCTOBER 2022 

Follow MSA GB on social media 

34 

24 

28 

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 

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Chairman: 

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All enquiries to 

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n Newslink: 


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services.co.uk 

05

News 

Government declines to act to protect 

learners from aggressive drivers 

Colin Lilly 


In recent issues of Newslink we have 

brought to your attention a Government 

petition entitled ‘Make disregard for 

learners’ safety an aggravating factor in 

driving offences’. 

The petition was started by Marmalade 

Insurance and gained the required 

10,000 signatures to receive a 

government written response. 

On September 28th the Government 

responded, unfortunately a little late for 

the last issue of Newslink. The content 

was predictable and added little to the 

status quo. The response refers to a 

consultation that closed the following 

day. It read as follows: 

‘The Government is committed to road 

safety, by identifying and prosecuting the 

few who make our roads less safe. 

Aggravating factors are set out in the 

sentencing guidelines. 

‘The law is clear in the Road Traffic Act 

1988 and set out in Rule 144 of the 

Highway Code that drivers must not drive 

dangerously, without due care and 

attention or without reasonable 

consideration for other road users. 

‘The Government keeps the road traffic 

offences under review, and the 

Department for Transport is planning to 

publish a call for evidence on motoring 

offences. Its scope and timings are still 

being worked on, but it is expected to 

include aspects of drink and drug driving 

and failure to stop and report. There will 

be an opportunity to raise other matters. 

‘In respect of sentencing guidelines for 

the courts to follow, the Sentencing 

Council for England & Wales is an 

independent non-departmental public 

body that has responsibility for developing 

and monitoring the use of these. The 

courts must follow any relevant 

sentencing guidelines unless it would be 

contrary to the interests of justice to do so. 

‘The Council launched a consultation 

on 7 July on draft new and revised 

sentencing guidelines, including those for 

causing serious injury by dangerous 

driving, and by careless driving. This 

consultation closes on 29 September, 

and we would invite individuals to share 

their views with the Council. 

(The consultation can be found here: 

https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/ 

publications/item/motoring-offencesconsultation/) 

Complete DVSA’s ‘chat bot’ survey 

The DVSA has asked MSA GB to help 

promote a couple of surveys to its members 

and their pupils. 

The surveys are to help DVSA understand 

your experiences when using either its ‘chat 

bot’ and/or ‘web chat’ online services. 

DVSA is currently reviewing all its 

customer outreach, in particular 

communication via its websites, in order to 

improve ADIs’ experience when contacting 

its offices. These are the two links required: 

https://forms.gle/4YEE9ARzoCbty7wA6 

https://forms.gle/VECCeBHLjpYZNvbS8 

If you can complete the survey it will help 

DVSA know what works – and what doesn’t 

– among its services, so it can tailor them 

better to ADIs’ needs. 

‘When deciding what sentence to 

impose, courts must consider the full 

circumstances of the case, including the 

culpability of the offender, the harm they 

caused or intended to cause, and any 

aggravating and mitigating factors. Any 

factors which aggravate the offence may 

already be taken into account when 

passing sentence.’ 

Department for Transport 

Wholly predictable fare, I think you’ll 

agree, but while this petition may not 

have produced any change, perhaps the 

publicity around it may have provoked 

some thoughts among those responsible 

for sentencing. 

• The Consultation paper referred to 

is now closed but can be read, at the 

link stated above. 

06 

NEWSLINK n NOVEMBER 2022


It’s Harper’s turn to play with 

government’s transport set 

The revolving door outside the 

Department for Transport continued 

spinning last month after Mark Harper 

was appointed Secretary of State for 

Transport – the third MP to hold the role 

since September. 

He replaces Anne-Marie Trevelyan, 

who had been in post since 6 September. 

Mr Harper said he was “delighted” to 

be appointed – adding that “transport 

affects us all, and I can’t wait to tackle 

the challenges we face so we can deliver 

for communities across our UK”. 

First elected as the MP for the Forest 

of Dean in 2005, the 52-year-old held a 

number of junior ministerial roles in 

David Cameron’s coalition government, 

including Immigration Minister and 

Minister for Disabled People. 

He was promoted to Chief Whip in 

2015 but spent the last few years as a 

backbench MP. 

For those wondering why the UK’s 

transport policy appears to be stuck in 

neutral in recent years, the extensive list 

of politicians who have held the post 

since 2010 may give some clues: Philip 

Hammond (2010-11), Justine Greening 

(2011-12), Sir Patrick McLoughlin 

(2012-16), Chris Grayling (2016-19), 

Grant Shapps (2019-22) and of course, 

Anne-Marie Trevelyan (about a month. 

One of the key tasks facing Mr Harper 

is the long-awaited publication of the 

new Road Safety Strategic Framework. 

The framework was due to be 

launched in July but that was cancelled 

due to the extreme heat preventing the 

event’s speakers from travelling. 

It was then expected in the autumn 

– but the political chaos of the past few 

weeks appears to have stopped that, 

too. 

At the time of publishing this issue of 

Newslink, the DfT has not yet 

announced which Minister will hold the 

roads safety brief and oversight of the 

DVSA’s work. 

Seatbelt refuseniks 

may face points 

The Government is considering issuing 

motorists who refuse to wear a seatbelt 

penalty points, amid concern over rising 

non-compliance. 

Former Roads Minister Katherine 

Fletcher said that the percentage of car 

occupants killed who were not wearing 

a seatbelt was “unacceptably high”. 

Penalty points is an option to improve 

useage, she said, after it emerged that 

in 2021, 30 per cent of all car occupant 

fatalities were not wearing a seat belt. 

“This is unacceptably high. We are 

considering options to tackle this, 

including introducing penalty points.” 

At present, drivers and passengers 

caught failing to wear a seatbelt face an 

on-the-spot fine of £100 or, if 

prosecuted, a maximum fine of £500. 

Visual surveys suggest as many as five 

per cent of drivers do not wear a seat 

belt, rising to eight per cent for rear seat 

passengers. 

The question remains how points will 

be given to non-driving passengers. 

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07

News 

DTCs opens 

their doors 

The DVSA is hosting driving test 

open days in Wakefield, Derby and 

Bredbury this month. The open 

mornings are for driving instructors, 

learner drivers and their families. 

The Wakefield event is on 

Saturday, November 12, 10am to 

2pm, at Wakefield Driving Test 

Centre, Mothers Way, Silkwood 

Park, Ossett WF5 9TG. 

The Derby event is on Saturday, 

19 November, from 9:30am to 

11am, at Derby Driving Test Centre, 

Belmore Way, Alvaston, Derby 

DE21 7AY. 

The Bredbury event is also on the 

19 November from 10am-2pm, at 

Bredbury Driving Test Centre, 

Linguard Lane, Bredbury Stockport 

SK6 2QT. 

You do not need to book, just turn 

up. These events are proving very 

popular with the public, particularly 

with those about to take their L-test 

for the first time. 97% of people 

who came to a test centre open 

event said it helped them feel more 

confident about their upcoming 

driving test. Candidates can chat to 

examiners, learn more about the 

driving test and what examiners 

assess, find out more information 

about the DVSA’s ‘Ready to Pass?’ 

campaign; and learn the top five 

reasons why people do not pass 

their driving test in Derby. 

ADIs ordered to stop 

using test centre parking 

spaces to practice 

The DVSA has reiterated that ADIs and 

their pupils should not use driving test 

centre car parks to practise the bay 

parking manoeuvre, after complaints were 

received from the landlords who own the 

buildings the DTCs operate out of. 

In particular, the amount of practice 

taking place at the Streetly Community 

Centre, Wyndley Leisure Centre and 

Sutton Coldfield driving test centres has 

been raised as a concern. 

A statement from the DVSA said: “The 

use of these centres could lead to a 

possible health and safety issue and, as 

the locations are not solely used by DVSA, 

we must respect members of the public.” 

These car parks are private sites and 

parking practise cannot take place here 

under any circumstances. This is the 

same across all DVSA sites. 

The DVSA added: “You can teach your 

pupils anywhere and do not need to use 

these car parks. 

“Therefore, please only use these car 

parks if you are attending a driving test 

and only come into the test centres 10 

minutes prior to your test. 

“If you are hoping to familiarise yourself 

with the area, you can view the car parks 

and their layouts by using an online street 

view. 

“This will help avoid any disruption to 

tests and other people using the car parks, 

ensuring that we can continue to use the 

sites to conduct driving tests in this area.” 

The news of this restriction comes as a 

number of ADIs have reached out to the 

MSA GB to comment on our article in last 

month’s issue of Newslink, in which we 

revealed the continuing problems ADIs in 

the Hillingdon area of west London were 

facing in finding somewhere to practise 

bay parking after they were banned from 

using council car parks, at the risk of 

receiving a Fixed Penalty Notice. 

Members have commented that on a 

localised scale, “it seems that pockets of 

car parks are being put out of bounds to 

ADIs.” 

Peter Harvey commented: “I hope we 

are not going to get to a situation where 

ADIs struggle to find somewhere to 

practise the bay parking exercise. 

“MSA GB will continue to monitor this 

issue and will not hesitate to take the 

ADIs’ case to the DVSA if it does transpire 

that across the country, this is becoming a 

problem for instructors.” 

Good news on centre 

for Banbury ADIs 

As previously advised, the lease on 

the Banbury driving test centre was 

set to expire on October 31 and 

after that point, the test centre was 

to close. 

However, the DVSA has now 

negotiated an extension to the 

lease while details of a longer-term 

alternative site are finalised. 

DVSA is committed to providing 

driving tests in Banbury and is 

working to secure a new permanent 

site as soon as possible. 

The agency temporarily closed 

driving test bookings for Banbury 

while this issue was being resolved, 

but they have now reopened and 

tests can be booked once more. 

08 



Leeds launches bold 

‘Vision Zero’ strategy 

Leeds Safe Roads Partnership has 

launched a Vision Zero strategy with the 

aim of eliminating road death and 

serious injury by 2040. 

The strategy was launched on October 

20 as part of this year’s Project EDWARD 

week of action. 

It uses a ‘Safe System’ approach that 

considers all factors that could help to 

prevent fatal and serious road crashes. 

Data shows that between 2017 and 

2021, 93 people were killed and 1,562 

seriously injured on Leeds’ roads. 

Cllr Helen Hayden, Leeds City Council 

executive member for infrastructure and 

climate, said: “We have a bold ambition 

– that by 2040 no one will be killed or 

suffer serious injuries on our roads. 

“We want Leeds to be a city where 

you don’t need a car to get around and 

where people feel safe to choose to 

walk, scoot, wheel, and cycle for their 

health and for the environment.” 

The launch event featured 

presentations on advances in catching 

drivers using mobile phones, mobile tyre 

scanning technology, how technology 

can help to prevent suicide on the 

Strategic Road Network, a summary of 

Operation SNAP and a presentation on 

10 years of E-Call, the system used in 

vehicles that automatically makes a free 

112 emergency call if a vehicle is 

involved in a serious road accident. 

Alison Lowe OBE, the deputy mayor 

for policing and crime in West Yorkshire, 

said: “We need to do something 

different and Vision Zero is the answer. 

Ambitious as it may sound, we are going 

to throw everything at this to make it 

work. 

“Road safety is a priority issue for our 

communities, and it has been for a long 

time. People should not face death or 

injury of any kind on our roads and that 

is what we’re working towards.” 

Gateshead driving test 

centre closed for works 

Gateshead driving test centre was closed 

on Monday, October 17 for 

refurbishment, and is set to reopen on 

Monday, November 7, assuming the 

works are completed to schedule. 

While the refurbishment takes place, 

all practical car driving tests will instead 

take place at Gosforth driving test centre. 

The address for the replacement test 

centre is: 

Gosforth DTC, Sandy Lane, Gosforth 

NE3 5HB 

The DVSA has written to affected 

driving test candidates, but please do 

remind them nearer the time if you can. 

ADI and motorcycle tests 

During the work, ADI Part 2, 3 and 

Standards Checks and Mod 1 and 2 

motorcycle test will still take place at 

Gateshead DTC as planned. 

However, during the work no toilet 

facilities will be available at the centre 

but there are public toilets you can use 

at the nearby Metro Centre. 


09

News 

DVSA blog asks ADIs to help in promoting 

‘Ready to Pass?’ social media campaign 

The DVSA has launched a new social 

media campaign to promote its ‘Ready to 

Pass?’ messages to L-test candidates. 

In her most recent blog, Abigail 

Britten, the DVSA’s Head of Recovery 

Communications, talks about the 

campaign, its core messages and how 

the DVSA is positioning it to compete 

with the multitude of other social media 

messages out there grabbing young 

people’s attention. 

The blog also provides information on 

the new content added to the ‘Ready to 

Pass?’ toolkit that ADIs can use to help 

promote the campaign to your pupils. It 

includes videos, images and GIFs to use 

on your website and social media 

channels. Find out more via the links at 

the end of this article. 

In her blog, Abigail asks ADIs to help 

promote Ready to Pass? “as it is a 

no-cost campaign and means we cannot 

spend any money promoting it.” It means 

the DVSA has worked “really hard to 

create social media content that grabs 

learners’ attention.” 

She adds: “Research shows that if you 

want your audience to change their 

behaviour, you need to get your message 

to as many of your target audience as 

possible, as often as possible. 

“This means we need to look for ways 

to get our messages in front of as many 

learner drivers as possible as many times 

as we can. 

“If you tell a person something once, 

they are unlikely to act on it. However, if 

you tell them multiple times and give 

them reminders around the time of a 

decision you improve your chance of 

getting them to take the desired action. 

“This is especially true for those aged 

between 16 and 24 years.” 

Key to the DVSA’s strategy with this 

campaign has been understanding what 

social media channels 16-to 24-yearolds 

use. Research by Ofcom tells us that 

Instagram, YouTube and TikTok are the 

most popular news sources for young 

people, so the DVSA repurposed its 

Instagram channel to help connect with 

learner drivers and to make it a channel 

specifically aimed at them. 

“The relaunch of our Instagram 

account was a massive success,” says 

Abigail. “We increased our followers by 

25,000 and 58% of our audience are 

aged between 16 to 34. Our animated 

motion graphics have been viewed, liked 

and shared the most, which shows this is 

the type of content learner drivers prefer. 

“The challenge now is to maintain this 

engagement, as well as attract more 

followers with regular, new and varied 

content.” One way that the DVSA has 

done this is by hosting Highway Code 

quizzes: “This increased engagement to 

around 80 comments per post from 

around 5 comments per post previously.” 

Making more content for YouTube 

55 per cent of learner drivers visit 

YouTube to find out information about 

the driving test, so the DVSA published a 

campaign launch video on that platform. 

More content for learners and prelearners 

wil be added over the coming 

weeks and months, Abigail said, making 

sure those learners searching for L-test 

content on You Tube can access accurate 

information from a respected source. 

However, DVSA accepts that it does 

not have all the answers so has asked 

ADIs to tell them if they have any ideas 

of their own about creating social media 

The DVSA’s Ready to 

Pass? toolkit contains 

a check list for 

learners to consider 

before they take their 

L-test 

content: “We are always on the lookout 

for new ideas for content that will help 

get our ‘Ready to Pass?’ messages in 

front of learner drivers. 

“We would love to hear from ADIs 

about any ideas you have for new 

content for Instagram and YouTube that 

they would find engaging and helpful. 

“If you have any ideas you want to 

share with us, please do so via the 

comments box on the blog. 

Finally, Abigail reminds ADIs of the 

DVSA’s ‘Ready to Pass?’ communications 

toolkit. It includes: 

• information about the campaign 

• key messages which you can use to 

start a conversation with your pupils and 

their parents 

• a printable version of the ‘Ready to 

Pass?’ checklist to download 

• still and animated graphics for use 

on your website and social media. 

Read Abigail’s blog 

post on Despatch here 

Download the Ready to Pass? 

Tool kit here 

10 



More controversy for smart motorways 

after refuge areas break own rules 

The use of smart motorways has been hit 

by more criticism after an investigation 

found that many of their emergency 

refuge areas have been built to a shorter 

length than the intended safety design 

standard. 

Emergency refuge areas are located on 

smart motorways where the hard 

shoulder has been turned into an extra 

running lane. Painted orange, they are 

designed to offer a ‘safe haven’ for 

stranded vehicles. 

National Highways guidance says they 

should be 100m in length. But an 

investigation by ITV News Meridian of a 

number of smart motorways in its area 

(the south of England) found a number 

were less than the prescribed length. 

• On the M23, only two out of 12 

emergency refuge areas were at 100 

metres or above. One was recorded at 

just 80m 

• On the M20, all five are not 100 

metres. The shortest was 90.97m and 

the longest, 94.58m 

• On the M3, eight out of 12 were 

over 100m but the others were 95m 

• On the M25 (J5 – /7), just two out 

of 14 are at 100 metres.The shortest 

refuge area was 89.74m 

• On the M4, six out of 13 measured 

were below 100 metres, with the 

shortest 94.92m. 

According to the AA’s head of roads 

policy, Jack Cousens, the 100m length 

was specified as it allows the best 

possible chance for drivers to safely stop 

without overhanging the live lane – and 

to have room to build up speed to safely 

exit the refuge later, if they are required 

to do so. 

The 100m design specification also 

gives breakdown patrols more room to 

safely enter, park and work on a vehicle 

– and be able to re-join the carriageway 

later on. 

Responding to the investigation, 

National Highways initially released a 

statement to ITV News Meridian saying 

that it cannot verify the figures but 

acknowledges the designs of some 

emergency bays may vary because of 

geographical features. 

Tony Slater, National Highways smart 

motorways alliance manager, said: 

“Emergency areas provide a safer place 

to stop than the hard shoulder; they are 

set back from the carriageway and are 

also wider than the hard shoulder. 

“They are designed to a standard 100 

metres in length, but in certain instances 

this may vary due to local geography. 

“We carried out extensive work to test 

both the size and design of emergency 

areas in collaboration with the recovery 

industry and can assure they can 

accommodate several vehicles. We 

cannot verify the calculations made by 

ITV Meridian.” 

However, it went on to challenge the 

Meridian claims, disputing the figures on 

the M23 and M20 and stating that they 

were all over 100m. 

David Bray, National Highways smart 

motorways programme director, told ITV 

News Meridian: “We do not recognise 

the calculations made by ITV Meridian 

and the emergency area lengths that we 

have been able to determine in the time 

provided all meet the agreed standard.” 

ITV News Meridan has stood by its 

calculations, however. 

Fire service calls on parents to think before parking 

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service 

(TWFRS) has launched a new campaign 

to convince parents to park more 

carefully when dropping their children off 

at school, after its fire engines were 

hampered on emergency call-outs by 

badly parked cars. 

The campaign includes footage of fire 

engines struggling to get past illegal and 

inappropriately parked vehicles during a 

real-time blue-light run at school drop-off 

time. 

Jonny Ramanayake, a TWFRS station 

manager, said: “Inconsiderate parking on 

any street can slow down our response 

to an incident. 

“If our vehicles can’t get through in an 

emergency, the incident we are going to 

could deteriorate significantly. 

“House fires can spread rapidly – every 

second counts. Ask yourself whether the 

seconds you save by parking 

inconsiderately are worth more than the 

seconds you could cost us responding to 

a serious incident?” 

• You can find out more about the 

campaign at https://bit.ly/3yG7dfN 


11

Area events and AGMs 

MSA GB is hosting a series of training events, seminars and area AGMs this autumn.These are a 

great opportunity to find out what’s going on in the profession, question those at the top, 

including in some cases DVSA chief executive Loveday Ryder, and have your say on the issues 

that matter. The events also offer you the chance to get involved in MSA GB at a local level by 

joining the area committee. 

See the full list of events below. Please note that attendance at any of these events is not only for 

ADIs in that area; if there is an event being held outside your area but closer to your home, feel 

free to come along. Attendance is not exclusively for MSA GB members either: non-members are 

sometimes welcome (see below to check), but will generally pay a little more to attend. However, 

the difference is usually reimbursed if they join MSA GB on the day. 

NORTH EAST 

Area Event & AGM 

Date: 30th October 

Venue: Gomersal Park Hotel, Moor Lane, Gomersal, 

Cleckheaton BD19 4LJ 

Time: 12noon - 4.45pm 

Cost: £8 members, non-members £10 

(difference reimbursed if joining MSA GB 

at the event) 

Details 

This October event marks a welcome return to face-toface 

events. The doors open at 12noon and we hope to 

wrap proceedings up at 4.45pm. 

Confirmed speakers at present include Dr Fiona Fylan, 

with a topic relevant to driver training behaviour 

changes; and Peter Harvey MBE, National Chairman of 

the MSA GB, who will give us up-to-date information. 

There will be plenty of time to get ask 

questions about future plans for the 

driving test, discuss the TIP, 

privatisation and updates from the 

DVSA, and for networking. 

WESTERN 


Date: 7th November 

Venue: Hampton by Hilton Hotel, 

Exeter Airport EX5 2LJ 

Time: 9.30am - 4pm 

Cost: 

After that date, £40 members. Non-members 

£40 

Details 

Speakers to include DVSA Chief Executive Loveday 

Ryder and her colleague, Linda Gisbey, and Ollie Tayler 

from ‘The Honest Truth”. AGM at 12.30 followed by 

two-course lunch. Ruediger M. Preiss from YES! School 

of Motoring Ltd talking about teaching in electric cars 

and MSA GB National Chairman Peter Harvey with an 

industry update and question time. 

Tea/coffee and refreshments throughout 

the day. 

Contact Arthur Mynott for further 

information on chair.ow@msagb.com 

NORTH WEST 



Venue: NOW ONLINE 

Time: 7pm-9pm 

Cost: Free 

Details: We have decided to move our North West event 

online to allow more of you the opportunity to attend. 

Guest speakers: Julie Ford, DVSA Test Centre Manager 

at Bredbury DTC; and Mike Yeomans, MSA GB Deputy 

Chairman. This is a FREE to attend event and has been 

moved online, via Zoom. To reserve your place, 

email info@msagb.com to register and a 

joining link will be sent to you. Anyone 

who has booked for the in-person 

meeting will automatically be sent a link 

SOUTH EAST 



Venue: Brede Village Hall, 

Cackle Street, Brede Rye TN316DX 

Time: Doors open 6pm, meeting starts 7pm 

Cost: tbc 

Details 

Speakers are George Kountouros and Russell Cloke, 

both from the DVSA; Justin Parker, Highways 

England; and MSA GB National Chairman 

Peter Harvey MBE. 

For further information contact 

Terry Cummins via chair.se@msagb.com 

Book for any of the events above via the MSA GB shop 

at https://msagb.com/shop/ or call 01787 221020 

12 NEWSLINK n NOVEMBER 2022


SCOTLAND 

Scottish Annual Conference and AGM 


Venue: The Castlecary House Hotel, Castlecary Road 

(just off M80) G68 0HD 

Time: Doors open 8.45, Conference begins 9.30am 

until 4.30pm 

Cost: £50 members, non-members £55 

(difference reimbursed if joining MSA GB 

at the event) 

Details 

Conference fee includes coffee breaks, 

two-course lunch, all paperwork. 

Speakers line-up to be advised 

SCOTLAND 

EASTERN 

Area Meeting & AGM 


Venue: to be held online via Zoom 

Time: From 6.30pm-9pm 

Cost: tbc 

Details 

This event is still in the planning stage: contact area 

Chairman Paul Harmes for more details, via 

chair.oe@msagb.com 

GREATER LONDON 


Date: Sunday, 6th December 

Venue: via Zoom 

Time: 4-6pm 

Cost: Free 

Details 

To be held via Zoom, hear from Greater London Chair 

Tom Kwok and MSA GB National Chairman Peter 

Harvey. More details and to book, contact Tom at 

chair.gl@msagb.com 

EAST MIDLANDS 


Date: Sunday, 13th November 


Time: from 2pm 

Cost: Free 

Details 

To be held via Zoom. Hear from MSA GB National 

Chairman Peter Harvey and Deputy National Chairman 

Mike Yeomans. To book, email info@msagb.com and 

put East Midlands in the Subject line. We will send you 

a joining link and paperwork nearer the event. We hope 

to see you there. 

NORTH WEST 

SOUTH WALES 

WESTERN 

WEST MIDLANDS 

WEST MIDLANDS 


NORTH EAST 

EAST MIDLANDS 

SOUTH EAST 

EASTERN 

GTR LONDON 

Date: Monday, 21st November 


Time: from 7.30pm 

Cost: Free 

Details 

The West Midlands has organised its AGM be held via 

the Zoom platform. Hear from MSA GB National 

Chairman Peter Harvey and Deputy National Chairman 

Mike Yeomans. To book, email info@msagb.com and 

put West Midlands in the subject line. We will send 

you a joining link and paperwork nearer the event. We 

hope to see you there. 


13

If you’re interested in advertising in The Official Highway Code or on 

www.safedrivingforlife.info please contact dvsaadvertising@media-shed.co.uk for details 

The marketing of products published by TSO is funded by TSO, tso.co.uk 

The Stationery Office Limited is registered in England No. 3049649 at1-5 Poland St, Soho, London W1F 8PR 

News 

New training events help put your 

focus onto the client’s goals 

MSA GB is hosting two training events 

in the coming months. 

Coventry CPD/Training Session 

Theme: Standards Check & Part 3 

Speaker: Bob Morton 

Venue: Holiday Inn, Hinckley Rd, 

Coventry CV2 2HP 

Date: November 20 

Time: 09:30 - 15:30 

Price: 

£99 MSA GB members; 

non-members, £109 

Scotland 

Theme: Standards Check & Part 3 

Speaker: Bob Morton 

Venue: Castlecary Hotel, Castlecary 

Road, Castlecary, Glasgow 

G68 0HD 

Date: January 15, 2023 

Time: 09:30 - 15:30 

Price: 

£99 MSA GB members; 

non-members, £109 

Now that things are settling down and 

people are more comfortable attending 

face to face events, it is time to see the 

return of face-to-face in-person 

workshops. The Standards Check/Part 3 

exam workshops help you deliver up-todate, 

focused, goal-driven, client-centred 

lessons, using simple strategies that have 

a proven track record. 

These strategies will also prepare you 

for your Standards Check or Part Three 

Bob Morton 

exam by making sure you meet the 

competencies you are being assessed on 

and making sure through proper 

preparation and understanding that it is 

the real you who shows up on the day. 

The course will look in detail at: 

n The changes to the exam (45 mins 

with 40 mins wheels rolling) 

n The trigger system and how to do 

your own monitoring 

n Which pupil to take 

n Which lesson to do 

n How to get non-compliant pupils to 

engage 

n How to structure lessons that are 

more client-centred 

n How to work in ways that meet the 

criteria for the assessment 

You will develop ways of working that 

not only enhance lessons for you and the 

Warning over fake Highway Codes 

The DVSA is currently investigating and taking 

action against unscrupulous sellers of a fake 

version of The Highway Code. 

The errors in the fake versions could 

potentially put road users at risk of breaking the 

law or, even worse, having an accident. As well 

as this, it could cause failure in both theory and 

practical tests. 

The selling of counterfeit books containing 

unlicensed intellectual property breaks copyright 

laws. 

The easiest way to decide whether you have 

an official copy of The Highway Code or a fake 

version, is to look for these key differences: 

• Compare the bar code numbers; the official 

copy has an ISBN number above its barcode. 

• On the fake version, the logos on the front 

cover of the book are slightly pixelated. 

• The official version of The Highway Code 

has a matte cover, the fake version has a glossy 

cover. 

If your pupils think they have been sold a 

counterfeit copy, they should contact their local 

trading standards office or contact DVSA at 

crowncopyright@dvsa.gov.uk. 

Please let your pupils know that fake versions 

are being sold online and make them aware of 

how to spot the differences. To make sure your 

pupils get an official copy of The Highway Code 

they can buy one from our official publisher at 

Safe Driving for Life. 

‘‘ 

The workshops will 

help you deliver 

up-to-date, focused, 

goal- driven, 

client- centred lessons, 

using strategies with a 

proven track record. 

‘‘ 

pupil, getting more out of each session, 

but will ensure you work in ways that 

mean you CAN just turn up and do your 

normal lesson on either test. 

Lunch is included in the price. 

Workshops and courses are provided 

proudly in partnership with the Motor 

Schools Association GB. If you are an 

MSA GB member, use this code to obtain 

your discount: MSA-GB 

Book on either event here: 

FOR COVENTRY... 

https://msagb.com/events/ 

msa-gb-training-event-coventry/ 

FOR SCOTLAND 

https://msagb.com/events/ 

msa-gb-training-event-scotland/ 

Don’t forget to claim your member’s 

discount! 

The Official 

Highway Code 

NEW EDITION 

Updated with the new rules and advice 

Essential reading for all road users 

New edition publishes in April 2022 

Bulk discounts available to driving schools 

RRP 

£4.99 

and road safety organisations 

www.safedrivingforlife.info 

Online version available 

Remember, the full version of The Highway Code is available, free of 

charge, on GOV.UK. The new Highway Code also appears in the Official 

DVSA Theory Test Kit app, available from the App Store and Google Play. 

14 



Conference 2023 

Join us for the MSA GB 

Annual Conference 

Fri 10th & Sat 11th March 2023 

Holiday Inn Glasgow Airport, 

Paisley PA3 2TE 

We’re really excited to announce that after three years when we’ve not been able to 

host an MSA GB Conference, we will be returning to a major in-person event on 

10th-11th March 2023. To be held at the Holiday Inn Glasgow Airport, Paisley, our 

speakers will include senior DVSA officials and leading figures from the motoring, 

driver training and road safety sectors, all ready to impart their knowledge, opinions 

and expertise to our delegates. In addition there will be a trade stands exhibition 

and plenty of time to catch up with friends old and new. 

Book 

your place 

now. Click 

HERE! 

ITINERARY 

Friday, 10th March 

For those guests staying for the night/weekend, we will be hosting an informal buffet supper, 

with plenty of time to renew old friendships and catch up with MSA GB colleagues. 

Saturday, 11th March (day) 

Conference opens at 9.30am with a packed programme of speakers, workshops 

and presentations. To include Conference Lunch. 

Saturday, 11th March (evening) 

A great night is planned with a traditional Scottish theme. 

PRICES 

There will be several ticket options available: 

n Day ticket, conference only (plus lunch): £48 

n Full delegate package: Two nights’ 

accommodation on a B&B basis, plus 

conference and social events: £228 

n One night’s accommodation, on either 

Friday or Saturday night, conference ticket plus 

the appropriate evening’s social event: £138 

n Bringing a non-delegate? Just £98, based on 

double occupancy of room, including social 

events on Friday and Saturday. 

n Making a proper break of it? Special rates available for 

extra nights. Contact the hotel for details. 

GETTING THERE: The hotel is situated in Glasgow Airport and is easy to get to: 

By Air: Just 2-3 minutes walk from Glasgow Airport 

By Car: Right next to the M8 

By Bus: From Glasgow Buchanan Bus Station, every 10 minutes, takes about 15 minutes 

By Train: To Paisley Gilmour Street, 3km from the hotel and is approx. £5 by taxi 


15

News 

Survey finds UK near top of charts 

for L-test waiting times in Europe 

With L-test waiting times still high in 

many parts of Great Britain, MSA GB 

conducted a short survey to discover 

whether we are the only country in 

Europe to be struggling to get its driver 

testing system back on its feet in the 

aftermath of Covid-19 and whether there 

are enough examiners available to 

conduct all required testing. 

It’s clear from the responses we 

received that while we are in no way 

alone in struggling, the situation in Great 

Britain does appear worse than in many 

other European nations. 

Below is a country by country look at 

the situation – as well as some of the 

reasons stated for the problems. 

Lithuania 

There is a need for examiners from 

time to time, but the vacancies are 

always filled. The authority responsible 

for exams does not announce a problem 

with waiting times, and there is no 

shortage of examienrs to conduct 

required tests. 

Belgium 

Yes, there is a growing problem with 

examiner shoartages as many people are 

approaching retirement age and the 

situation after covid hasn’t been solved 

yet. There should be a sort of campaign 

to attract driving examiners. 

Austria 

No, we have no problem with waiting 

times. Here driving teachers switch to 

examiners when required. 

Norway 

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there 

has been a large increase in demand for 

driving tests and this has led to long 

waiting lists. The Norwegian Public 

Roads Administration has until now had 

around 260 examiners, but they have 

now hired around 60 new ones. 

We expect that 320 examiners on a 

national basis is a correct number. 

Spain 

Yes, there is a problem. There are not 

enough driving examiners in Spain, and 

waiting lists are growing. The solution 

would be for more public driving 

examinors, or a private company that 

examines, or a mixed system of public/ 

private system. There are some areas of 

Spain that have struggled with a lack of 

examiners for many years. 

Netherlands 

Yes, there is a great lack of 

examiners. It is difficult for the CBR (the 

organisation that runs driver testing) to 

find candidates. For every 100 possible 

candidates they interview, only three 

remain who enter the training, and by 

the end of training there will be only two 

left. 

Italy 

Yes, there is a shortage of examiners 

and as a result, longer waiting times for 

tests. This will get worse: within twothree 

years a large number of examiners 

are expected to retire. Possible solution is 

to create a group of examinors drawn 

from any public or private professional 

group with appropriate expertise who, 

after a short training period and test, can 

examine others. 

Denmark 

No, we don’t need more driving 

examiners in Denmark and have no 

problems with testing waiting times. 

Portugal 

Yes, there is a problem here. The 

government has not recruited enough 

new examiners over the past 10 years. 

We have had a big increase in demand 

for tests after Covid, but we are working 

with the same number (or fewer) of 

examiners,a nd this is causing problems 

with test waiting times. 

Germany 

No. At the moment there are some 

problems in a few regions, but the 

instutions have a lot of real solutions. 

Ireland 

There is often a waiting list for L-tests, 

but it is no worse than previously at the 

moment. 

And finally, GB… 

Yes, more examiners are needed to 

cover the demand. There are around 

500,000 people in the system waiting 

for tests, so in most places the waiting 

time for a test is around six months. This 

makes it very difficult for driving 

instructors to properly teach learners and 

get them to their test in a way that is fair. 

The DVSA needs to employ more 

examiners, however, recruitment is 

proving very difficult because of a 

number of issues, particularly the 

short-term nature of the contracts, the 

relatively small salary and the current 

low unemployment rate in the UK. 

16 



We also asked the same countries 

whether there was a local need for more 

ADIs... 

Lithuania 

There is a need for driving instructors, 

but the shortage was been eased by 

reducing the requirements which are held 

for instructors. The requirement for a 

degree in automotive field was cancelled, 

and now anyone having a college or 

university degree and three years of driving 

experience can become a driving instructor. 

Only requirement now is to take and 

pass a 160-hour instructor course is 

required. A directive for instructors and 

examiners could be a good solution to 

make requirements for the personell 

uniform in the EU. 

Belgium 

There is also a need for instructors in 

addition to examiners. It is estimated that 

around one-in-five instructors will retire in 

the next 10 years. 

Austria 

Yes, there is a shortage of instructors. 

We have made entry to the profession 

easier and financially more attractive 

through the 25-year Mammut Project, 

which comes into force in January 2023 

and June 2023. 

Norway 

Approximately 120 ‘traffic teachers’ are 

trained each year from Nord University. We 

think that this is a correct number of new 

entrants. But there is a great shortage of 

traffic teachers for the heavier classes of 

vehicles, such as C, D and CE. 

Spain 

Yes, we need more driving instructors in 

Spain. We have started new medium 

studies about driving instructors (2,000 

hours training during two years), but we 

need more instructors now. 

Netherlands 

Yes, there is a need for more driving 

instructors. It is difficult to motivate young 

people to enter the profession. The image 

of a driving instructor is not high in the 

Netherlands. 

Due to the pandemic, exam waiting 

times are very high and the industry has 

come to be in a negative daily image. 

Italy 

Yes, we need more instructors. The 

solution being followed at the moment is to 

create a specific instructor figure, for a 

specific driving licence. We are also looking 

to lower the minimum age access, and 

review the professional titles needed to 

access the profession. 

Denmark 

No, we have no shortages for the 

driver B-licence category, but we have 

shortages for the larger vehicles in the 

categories CDE. 

Portugal 

Yes. We had a big increase in the 

number of learner candidates after Covid 

and we are working with the same 

amount of instructors, creating 

shortages. In the last years we have had 

few candidates applying for the job as 

the salary is not atractive). At the same 

time many older instructers are retiring. 

Germany 

No need for more instructors, because 

we have enough students in the training 

colleges and courses to become driving 

instructors in the future. 

And in GB… 

The easy answer is yes, we need more 

ADIs. However, unless something drastic 

happens again, like we go through 

another period of time where teaching is 

not allowed, the waiting lists will 

disappear. That will probably be sooner 

rather than later if the predicted 

recession bites, so the profession can 

cope with the current ratio of ADIs to 

learners. The issue is the lack of tests, 

which makes many pupils postpone 

their driving lessons. 


17

News 

Drivers beware: There are cameras 

everywhere you care to look 

Colin Lilly 


Recently in Weston-super-Mare some 

trffic cameras were installed which 

caused at bit of a stir. 

The cameras were erected at principal 

junctions in the Worle area, which is the 

main development target of the town and 

close to junction 21 of the M5. These 

are shown in photo A. 

Word soon spread around the social 

media rumour mill that these were a new 

style of camera that detected drivers 

using mobile phones while driving, or not 

wearing seat belts. 

Panic among drivers ensued, with the 

usual quotes about Big Brother and 

invasion of privacy brought out. If you are 

concerned about invasion of privacy the 

last place to be is on social media. 

Their true use, it transpired, was to 

assess the flow of traffic to and from the 

motorway through areas of new 

development to help plan transport for 

the future. The cameras had been 

installed by an intelligent data company 

on behalf of a construction consultancy. 

They were low resolution and did not 

recognise number plates. 

They had been installed without the 

local authority’s permission so were 

removed after the council ordered it. The 

point is that as soon as cameras are 

spotted drivers react, so perhaps in an 

attempt to achieve road safety targets 

more could be achieved by raising 

drivers’ paranoia? 

Of course, we know that there are 

some cameras capable of spotting drivers 

who don’t use a seat belt or use a mobile 

phone. The cameras recently trialled to 

detect drivers transgressing these laws 

are shown in photo B. 

These Artificial Intelligence cameras 

are being trialled by Devon and Cornwall 

Police, and over two days when they 

were deployed on the A3052 Sidmouth 

Road in Exeter and the A30 in Sowton in 

the same city, 130 people were found 

not wearing seat belts and 20 using a 

A 

mobile phone while driving. 

The drivers will be offered an 

education course but after the initial trial 

period has finished, Notices of Intended 

Prosecution will be sent to any future 

transgressors. 

A third type of camera is currently 

being trialled by Avon and Somerset 

‘‘ 

These are just three new 

cameras in the South West... 

if we add speed cameras, red 

light cameras and dashcams, 

when asked ‘where are the 

cameras?’, we could truthfully 

answer – ‘everywhere’ 

‘‘ 

C 

B 

Police and other selected forces around 

the country. This type of camera is 

referred to as a ‘noise camera’ and 

shown in photo C. 

The purpose of the camera is to detect 

anti-social driving activated by loud 

exhausts on modified car and 

motorcycles; it then photographs the 

offending vehicle. 

This one has been deployed on the 

A4174 Avon Ring Road in South 

Gloucestershire, an area plagued by loud 

vehicles. 

These are just three new cameras in 

use in the South West, two of which can 

lead to prosecution. 

If we add speed cameras, red light 

cameras and dash-cam which can be 

used for prosecution, when asked the 

question ‘where are the cameras?’, we 

could truthfully answer – ‘everywhere’. 

18 


NEWSLINK n NOVEMBER 2022 19

News 

Fine words won’t cut the death toll: 

more coppers on the roads will 

Rod Came 

MSA GB South East 

A recent report from SussexLive tells us 

that road safety statistics have revealed 

where most RTCs happen in Sussex. 

Sadly, the county tops the crash incident 

tables for the region. 

The details were released as East and 

West Sussex and Brighton recorded the 

most ‘serious’ crashes and second most 

‘fatal’ collisions of anywhere in the south 

east. 

This includes 3,167 road traffic 

collisions during the 12-month period 

recorded in the Department for 

Transport’s dataset, which placed Sussex 

third overall, behind Kent and 

Hampshire. 

The Sussex figure is nearly 700 more 

than fourth-placed Surrey and is triple 

that of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and 

Oxfordshire. 

When the data is broken down further 

by severity, Sussex topped the list with 

the most “serious” accidents at 867 and 

was second in the list of “fatal” crashes 

with 44. Berkshire, Oxfordshire and 

Buckinghamshire were found to be the 

safest counties to drive in, with each 

recording less than a quarter of Sussex’s 

serious accidents. 

You might be wondering what the 

significance of all that is. Well, let me tell 

you. Whenever you find a group of 

people, there is often a union, a club, a 

council or an association to pursue their 

cause. 

The country’s Police and Crime 

Commissioners (PCCs) are no exception. 

They have an association called The 

Association of Police and Crime 

Commissioners (APCC), and a subcommittee 

of that august body is entitled 

‘Road Safety Work on road safety, 

incuding [sic] victims of road traffic 

accidents’. It would be great if they 

could spell it all correctly, but I better not 

mock too much just in case there are 

spelling errors in this peace*. 

Guess what, the lead of that 

committee is Sussex’s own PCC, Katy 

Bourne. 

Of course, we all know that there will 

be more vehicle crashes in Sussex than 

elsewhere, and there is one simple 

reason why. If you have ever driven in 

the US, Canada, Australia or New 

Zealand you cannot fail to notice that a 

police patrol car appears in your mirror 

once every ten minutes. OK, I 

exaggerate, but you get the gist: they are 

more prevalent there than they are here. 

In the UK, especially Sussex, they are 

a rarity, however. As a consequence, it’s 

not that people intentionally take 

advantage of the lack of enforcement, it 

is just that they take liberties because 

there is not the subtle mental restriction 

that the presence of a patrol car 

engenders. The lack of the site of a 

police car allows them to become blasé 

‘‘ 

Road safety has been put on 

the back burner in Sussex 

for far too long... the average 

cost of a fatal collision is over 

£2million... just reducing the 

RTCs to that of neighbouring 

counties would save £90m 

‘‘ 

about their driving/riding, or in the 

case of pedestrians, their own 

safety, so that tragedies occur all 

too frequently. 

It is to be hoped that the PCC, 

in her elevated position as Lead 

for Road Safety in the APCC, will 

persuade the management of 

Sussex Police to take positive 

action in the very near future to 

increase the number of traffic 

patrols in order to make a 

considerable improvement to the 

KSI figures. 

Road safety in Sussex has been 

put on the back burner for far too 

long. The average cost of a fatal 

collision is in excess of £2 million. 

If Sussex reduced its KSI figure by 

half, which would still be more 

than some nearby counties, more 

than £90 million could be saved. 

That figure is about 25 per cent 

of the Sussex Police annual 

budget. Money spent on a 

substantial increase in the number traffic 

patrols would, over time, represent a 

handsome reward on expenditure. 

Mrs Bourne is keen on road safety. She 

recently said: ‘This week is also Project 

EDWARD (Every Day Without A Road 

Death) week of action. 

‘Project EDWARD is the UK’s biggest 

platform showcasing best practice in 

road safety. Working alongside partners 

such as the emergency services, National 

Highways and British businesses, they 

promote what is being done around the 

four nations focusing on: safe vehicles; 

road use; speed; safe roads/roadsides 

and post-crash care. 

‘It was a privilege to help launch the 

Project EDWARD national week of action 

in Brighton earlier this week. Not only 

does it provide a space to come together 

and discuss the good work that’s being 

carried out to make our roads safer but 

it’s also an opportunity to discuss what 

more we can do to really drive forward 

progressive and lasting change on our 

roads.’ 

Fine words and senitment, but Mrs 

Bourne, let’s actually see some action to 

reduce the substantial death and injury 

toll on Sussex roads. 

* You’ll have to excuse our little joke 

there 

20 



Police change tolerance rules for 

speeders as they seek safer roads 

Thousands more drivers could be set to 

receive fines for speeding after the 

Metropolitan Police reduced its speed 

limit tolerance threshold as part of a 

series of stricter rules on speeding that 

are aimed at improving safer roads. 

In practice, the speed tolerance 

threshold meant that drivers received a 

small amount of leeway for driving over 

the speed limit before a camera triggered 

a penalty notice. Previously this tolerance 

limit was set at greater than 10 per cent 

above the speed limit + more than 

2mph, meaning that in a 30mph zone, 

the limit to be reached before 

prosecution kicked in was effectively 

anything above 35mph. 

The new guidance reduces this 

threshold by one mph, so drivers will 

now face prosecution if they break the 

limit by 10% plus 2mph – so in a 

30mph zone, driving above 34mph. 

The Metropolitan Police has not 

directly announced any rule changes to 

speed tolerance, and police forces in 

general tend to be reluctant to admit that 

speed cameras carry any level of 

tolerance for speeders. 

The Met did respond to questions on 

this by stating that no matter the 

threshold, all drivers should stick to the 

speed limits and never exceed them. 

Campaigning website This Is Money 

calculated that the change in the rules 

could result in 347,000 more drivers 

being prosecuted for speeding, based on 

data gathered between January and June 

this year. 

This would be a 259 per cent increase 

compared to the six months before the 

new rules came into force. 

A spokesperson for the Met Police 

said: “Posted speed limits are the 

maximum speed that road users should 

travel, irrespective of the speed threshold 

that police commence enforcement 

action.” 

According to guidelines issued by the 

National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), 

all UK drivers should be given some level 

of leeway on our roads. However, there 

are discussions to review this policy in 

the years ahead, with further changes 

yet to be ruled out. 

With thousands more drivers expecting 

to receive speeding fines, the RAC urges 

drivers to be aware of the tolerance 

changes. 

Data from The Fédération 

Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) has 

revealed that up to 50 per cent of drivers 

break the speed limit. It believes that a 

five per cent reduction in average speeds 

could decrease fatal crashes by as much 

as 30 per cent – further showing the 

importance of respecting the limits. 

Rome tragedy pushes road safety to front page 

In mid-October, the 18-year-old son of 

two journalists of Rome’s leading 

newspaper, the Corriere della Serra, 

was killed by a car while walking along 

the pavement in the Italian capital. In 

an opinion article published days later 

in that newspaper, the European 

Transport Safety Council (ETSC)’s 

Executive Director, Antonio Avenoso, 

made a passionate call to action, citing 

progress in Spain as an example for 

Italy to follow. We re-publish it here, as 

it sends a powerful message. 

First the shock. Then the sadness. 

Pain, grief and emotion were on display 

with the announcement of the death of 

young Francesco Valdiserri. The 

devastation of his parents, two 

journalists of this newspaper, is 

unbearable. Politicians say they will 

walk with the family in their pain. 

Sympathy is kindness. Sympathy is 

human. But only action can stop this 

devastation. 

As an Italian, I feel another emotion: 

anger. In 20 years at the ETSC, I have 

watched my beloved home country go 

from 16th place among European 

countries for road safety in 2001 to… 

16th place today. We are still in the 

bottom half of this table. 

For those that say road deaths are 

part of life, take a look at Spain, which 

was worse than us 20 years ago, and is 

now among the safer countries in Europe. 

How? The answers are not difficult. 

Better infrastructure. Enforcement of 

speed limits, including with cameras. A 

recognition that cars do not own the 

roads in our cities. Since May last year, 

30 km/h has been the default speed 

limit on Spanish roads in urban areas. 

In Bilbao, every single road has that 

limit. When will we hear serious talk 

about 30 km/h in Rome? 

Drinking and driving, or drugs, which 

both seem to have played a role in this 

tragedy, can be prevented. In Belgium, 

where I live, a judge can order repeat 

offenders to have their car fitted with an 

alcohol interlock to stop them from 

endangering others. In Italy we have 

talked about alcohol interlocks, but 

where is the action? Why can France do 

this, and Poland, and Lithuania, but not 

us? 

Earlier this year, the Italian government 

adopted a new road safety plan, 

committing to cutting road deaths and 

serious injuries by 50% by 2030 – in 

line with European and UN targets. The 

country must commit to taking all the 

steps necessary to reach that target. To 

do anything less dishonours the name of 

Francesco Valdiserri, and every other 

son and daughter that dies needlessly 

on Italian roads every year. Yes to 

sympathy. Yes to action. 


21

Towards your CPD 

Look after the small 

things and…. 

How many times can I foul 

up...? asks the pupil. How 

about aiming for never, 

replies Steve Garrod ... 

A recent chat in a local test centre lead 

me to believe that I’m not alone in being 

frustrated when pupils ask how many 

mistakes are they allowed to make on 

their driving test... 

I know there is supposed to be no such 

thing as a silly question, but to me, this 

one suggests a negative mindset. It is 

similar to when I am asked “If I do that 

on test, will I fail?” I reply “What do you 

think?” or “What what could be the 

consequences if you did that while you 

are driving on your own?” 

It is important to discuss how these 

untidy faults can develop into more 

serious faults and I finish off by quoting a 

now retired SE ADI after one of my check 

tests; she told my pupil that is it easier to 

drive well than to drive badly. This is 

something I take with me into all my 

training sessions for learners, experienced 

and potential driving instructors. 

Focusing on doing things properly means 

you concentrate on managing the risks 

involved in everyday driving. 

Attention to detail 

Attention to detail when teaching any 

driver is essential because looking after 

the small things (such as driving faults) 

means reducing the risk of serious faults 

happening. Whether this is pre- or posttest 

training, it is important to include 

activities that encourage all students to 

continue good practice when they drive 

unaccompanied. 

When dealing with qualified drivers, 

you are generally not preparing them for 

a test, so they have to be motivated to 

adapt safer driving practices,which 

means they have to understand why they 

are doing something new, enjoy doing it, 

and know how to continue this new skill 

once their training session is over. 

Linking the Hazard Perception to 

practical training is one way to encourage 

pupils to keep up to date with following 

traffic. Encouraging linking the mirrors to 

potential hazards in front of you helps 

build up a picture of the prevailing traffic 

conditions and can be an effective way to 

manage risks because it acts a prompt to 

check the mirrors. 

One activity I often use, regardless if it 

is a learner or qualified driver, is to ask 

them to comment on something that is 

happening behind once a potential 

hazard has been identified. For example, 

how close is the following vehicle, what 

is the driver doing (are they on their 

phone) or is there anyone about to over 

or undertake? Potential hazards in front 

‘‘ 

The danger is often not always 

what can be seen but what 

can’t be seen... therefore, 

being aware of the speed and 

position of following vehicles 

can reduce the risks they pose 

‘‘ 

One activity I often use, 

regardless if it is a learner or 

qualified driver, is to ask 

them to comment on 

something that is happening 

behind them once a potential 

hazard has been identified. 

could include brake lights, cars waiting 

to emerge, oncoming traffic in a ‘meeting’ 

situation, pedestrians about to cross the 

road or a cyclist. 

If there is a lot happening in front of 

you, the chances are there is a lot 

happening behind you, too. 

The danger is often not always what 

can be seen but what can’t be seen, 

therefore being aware of the position and 

speed of following vehicles can reduce 

the risks that they could pose. If learners 

are encouraged to check their mirrors 

‘every four seconds’ or before every gear 

change they may not fully understand 

why they need to check the mirrors and 

instead look at the mirrors rather than 

look in to them to see what is happening. 

Remember; test candidates are assessed 

on making ‘effective use of mirrors’ and 

not simply looking at them. 

In previous articles we have discussed 

encouraging pupils to make observation 

links, such as dustbins at the edge of the 

road (bin lorry about) or smelling petrol 

or diesel (potential slippery surface). If 

pupils can be encouraged to check their 

mirrors when the make these links they 

will continue to be aware of the potential 

risks from following vehicles and adjust 

22 



their speed and / or position in good 

time and reduce the risk of them 

becoming a hard to other road users. 

A common fault I remember from my 

examining days was failing to make 

effective observation before pulling up at 

the side of the road. There may have 

been a mirror check but the candidate 

often pulled up too quickly when there 

was a closely following vehicle, resulting 

in the following driver having to brake 

heavily or swerve to avoid a collision. I 

know we can argue that the vehicle 

behind should not be following so 

closely, but that is why we teach 

effective use of mirrors. 

As I say to my pupils, “I haven’t 

taught everyone, so who knows what 

they might do? 

Danger areas 

Other areas to consider are when 

pupils are driving at low speeds, often 

below 10mph. For example; while 

emerging (observation) from junctions, 

during normal stops and while meeting 

oncoming traffic. When waiting to 

emerge to the right, it is important for 

pupils to watch any vehicles 

approaching from their left and turning 

right into the same road from which you 

are about to emerge (so turning around 

them). 

It is very easy to keep looking left and 

focus on passing traffic but there comes 

a point where the car turning into the 

side road enters a blind spot and it is 

easy to pull out into the side of the 

turning car. It is therefore essential that, 

as ADIs, we watch where our pupils are 

looking and not just at the passing 

traffic. A vehicle turning around you 

from the main road into the side road 

you are emerging from may have to stop 

for pedestrians, for example, 

subsequently having to stop in your 

path. This is marked on the Standards 

Check form as ‘Was the trainer aware of 

the surroundings and the pupil’s 

actions?’ This is where keeping up to 

date with your The ADI Driving Test 

Data Report is a useful resource to 

identify patterns in faults for your pupils 

while on test. 

Test candidates are sometimes asked 

to pull up on the left and to ‘ignore the 

drive ways’ when doing so. This is 

because the exercise they are about to 

perform is a moving off exercise, eg an 

angle start or hill start, or just that on 

this occasion the examiner needs to pull 

them up for another reason. It is 

important for candidates to know that 

they should always pull up somewhere 

convenient unless told otherwise, and 

when they do they need to identify a 

suitable place well ahead and not 

necessarily the first one they see if there 

is closely following traffic (as I 

highlighted earlier). Stop reasonably 

close to the kerb, which is within a 

drain’s width from the kerb. 

When conducting mock tests make 

sure you pay attention to detail and do 

not give the benefit of the doubt to 

anyone. 

Remember: It is easier to drive well 

than to drive badly! 

French truckers 

keep their eye 

on the phone, 

not the road 

A small-scale observational study in 

France has found that lorry drivers 

spent an average of 9% of driving time 

using their mobile phone. 

The research was carried out by the 

independent research agency Cerema 

on behalf of the Association of French 

Motorway Companies (ASFA), and 

involved installation of internal and 

external cameras on lorry cabs. 

What makes the result more 

unbelievable is that the drivers were 

aware their behaviour was being 

recorded. 

On average, drivers used their 

telephone ten times per hour while 

driving, for an average duration of use 

of 32 seconds, according to the 

research. The duration of the period 

where drivers stopped looking at the 

road was 2.4 seconds on average, 

with a maximum of seven seconds, 

representing distances of 60 and 175 

metres travelled at 90 km /h 

respectively. ASFA warned that 

increased distraction is part of wider 

worsening in road user behaviour since 

the Covid-19 pandemic. 

136 people were killed on French 

motorways between 1 January and the 

end of September 2022, compared to 

126 over the same period in 2019, 

the last comparable year in terms of 

traffic levels. 

Drivers confused by 

‘self-driving’ status 

Drivers who use partial automation in 

their cars on a regular basis often treat 

their vehicles as fully self-driving 

despite widespread warnings and 

numerous high-profile crash reports, a 

new study from the US has found. 

Tesla drivers used to its ‘Autopilot’ 

feature admitted they performed 

non-driving related activities such as 

eating or texting while using the car’s 

partial automation systems – 

effectively treating their vehicles as if 

they were fully self-driving when in 

fact they were just utilising its semiautonomous 

driving features. 


23

The environment: To idle, or not to idle... 

Are you an ‘Vieux Jeu’ 

engine idler? 

Tom Harrington 

“Idling” (or ‘ticking over’) refers to 

running a vehicle’s engine when it’s not 

moving, such as when you’re at red 

traffic lights or stuck in a traffic queue. 

Driving instructors are known to do it 

when they’ve pulled a pupil over to the 

side of the road for a quick de-brief 

before setting off again. Below is a quick 

run through of why idling isn’t to be 

recommended – good advice for your 

pupil as part of your comprehensive 

learning to drive syllabus. 

For the most part, idling is part of the 

process of driving a car and is a common 

occurrence – although increasingly, 

modern cars automatically shut off the 

engine when it stops, restarting only after 

the driver presses the accelerator/clutch 

to reignite. 

This technological development is 

useful for a host of reasons, principally 

because idling can play havoc with fuel 

consumption and it has a hefty impact 

on the environment. Unfortunately, while 

new cars will undoubtedly have this, 

older models won’t – and they are the 

cars new drivers are most likely to drive 

once they pass their L-test. 

In addition to hitting fuel economy, 

letting a vehicle idle damages the engine 

more than starting and stopping. In fact, 

running an engine at low speed causes 

twice the wear on internal parts 

compared to driving at regular speeds. 

What is idling and why is it so bad? 

Idling happens every day, in a number 

of circumstances: while stuck in traffic or 

waiting to pick children up outside 

schools. But in all these cases idling is 

not necessary and should be avoided. 

Looking at the negatives, we’ve already 

touched on the fuel consumption, but the 

pollution caused is equally problematic. 

Exhaust fumes contain a number of 

harmful gases including carbon 

dioxide, which is bad for the environment 

and contributes towards climate change, 

as well as a range of other harmful gases 

including nitrogen dioxide, carbon 

monoxide and hydrocarbons which are 

linked to asthma and other lung 

diseases. Diesel vehicles are thought to 

be one of the biggest contributors to the 

problem. 

Idling – The Law 

To reduce the impact of harmful 

pollutants, there are laws to discourage 

drivers from idling. Stationary idling is an 

offence under Section 42 of the Road 

Traffic Act 1988. The act enforces Rule 

123 of the Highway Code, which states: 

“You must not leave a vehicle’s engine 

running unnecessarily while that vehicle 

is stationary on a public road.” If you’re 

caught idling you could be hit with a 

£20 fixed-penalty fine under the Road 

Traffic (Vehicle Emissions) Regulations 

2002, rising to £40 if unpaid within the 

required timeframe. 

However, it’s important to note that 

fines are imposed only if a motorist 

refuses to switch off their engine when 

asked to do so by an authorised 

person. Fines can be as high as £80 in 

certain areas of London where there are 

24 



additional measures to cut emissions. 

Islington Council mounted what’s 

thought to be the first crackdown of its 

kind on vehicles churning out 

‘unnecessary pollution’ in 2014 and then 

again in 2016. In 2018, Westminster 

Council launched its #DontBeIdle 

campaign in an effort to curb idling in 

the city. Wales has also introduced fines 

for idling, and its rules extend to drivers 

leaving their engines running in 

stationary traffic. 

According to RAC research, 44 per 

cent of drivers support measures against 

idling. 

Why schools are the biggest issue 

RAC research found that 26 per cent 

of those caught idling are spotted doing 

so outside schools – leading to an RAC 

scheme in 2019 inviting schools to buy 

School Clean Air Zone banners. 

The legality of idling on a private 

driveway depends on its classification as 

a road. The rules aren’t entirely clear. 

Annex 4 of The Highway Code states 

that references to ‘road’ “generally 

include footpaths, bridleways and cycle 

tracks, and many roadways and 

driveways on private land (including 

many car parks)”. However, every winter 

the newspapers tell a tale of a driver who 

leaves his car idling on the drive while 

the frost melts on the windscreen, only to 

be confronted by a policeman with a 

ticket, so it is not to be advised. It’s also 

a simple way of seeing your car stolen – 

and you’ll find the insurance won’t cover 

the theft in some cases. 

Solving the air quality problem 

In the UK, the Royal College of 

Physicians estimates 40,000 deaths a 

year in the UK are linked to air pollution, 

with engine idling contributing to this. Air 

pollution charts show huge increases in 

noxious air in spots where traffic is 

known to idle – at bad junctions and 

roundabouts. Cutting out engine idling 

will help: not only will it improve air 

quality in congested areas but as we’ve 

see, you can be fined. 

In May 2017 the Government 

published its draft Air Quality Plan which 

identified numerous ways of tackling 

nitrogen dioxide emissions, which 

was met with a mixed reception. The 

RAC, however, welcomed a number of 

the proposals such as encouraging local 

authorities to improve traffic flow, giving 

consideration to replacing speed humps 

with other means to slow vehicles down 

safely, a very clear focus on the most 

polluting vehicles such as buses and 

‘‘ 

Always think about reducing 

your idling – to nothing is 

the ultimate goal. ‘If it ain’t 

moving, then switch it off’, 

should be the maxim we all 

adhere to all of the time 

‘‘ 

taxis, and encouraging the cutting of 

unnecessary engine idling. 

The National Institute for Health and 

Care Excellence (NICE) has also made 

recommendations about improving road 

traffic-related air pollution in which it 

urges local authorities to consider 

introducing such zones. As part of this 

NICE is encouraging authorities to raise 

awareness and crack down on idling 

which may lead to ‘No Idling Zones’ 

where authorised individuals such as 

traffic enforcement officers monitor 

vehicles around schools or busy shopping 

areas. 

RAC roads policy spokesman Nicholas 

Lyes said: “No idling zones, and the idea 

that local authorities should think about 

replacing speed humps which cause 

motorists to brake and then accelerate 

again with other safety measures to slow 

vehicles down, are eminently sensible 

suggestions. 

“Both have the potential to improve 

the quality of air locally. Empowering 

town and city planners to consider air 

quality when it comes to the location and 

new developments and infrastructure is 

also critical. 

He added: “Whether it is outside 

schools, picking up relatives from 

stations, or in a car park, we can all do 

our bit by switching off our engines and 

reducing our emissions. 

“Research shows 23 per cent of all car 

journeys are two miles or under, so 

consider whether you really need to 

drive, cutting out just a few of these 

types of car journeys will make a real 

difference.” 

It’s also a worldwide problem. The 

World Health Organization estimates that 

air pollution is responsible for 4.2 million 

deaths each year. Research conducted 

by Argonne in France via the Department 

of Energy estimates that 11 million tons 

of carbon dioxide, 55,000 tons of 

nitrogen oxides, and 400 tons of 

particulate matter are emitted into the 

environment from heavy trucks idling 

during rest periods. 

What can I do? 

Always think about reducing idling 

time – to nothing as an ultimate goal. If 

it ain’t moving, switch the engine off! 

The RAC has compiled the following 

advice to encourage motorists to switch 

off their engines when stuck in traffic: 

• Try to consider how long you are 

going to be stationary in traffic. The RAC 

recommends that motorists turn off their 

engines if they don’t think they’ll move 

for around two minutes. 

• Many modern vehicles have ‘stopstart’ 

systems fitted that automatically 

switch off the engine when the vehicle is 

stationary and restart it as soon as the 

accelerator is pressed. Manufacturers 

allow this feature to be manually 

switched off, but motorists are urged not 

to do this. There is no risk to your vehicle 

in allowing this feature to be left on. 

• For vehicles without ‘stop-start’ it’s 

fine to turn off your engine, but you 

should try to avoid doing this repeatedly 

in a short space of time. In addition, 

older vehicles (around eight years old) 

and vehicles with older batteries (around 

five years old) may struggle if started too 

often in a short space of time. 

• With stop-start systems, don’t worry 

about the battery not getting charged 

while the engine is off – the stop-start 

system will automatically restart the 

engine to ensure the battery is kept fully 

charged, even in stationary traffic. 

• Switching off your engine in traffic 

should not adversely affect your fuel 

economy. However, fuel usage from 

starting does vary from model to model. 

Other potential solutions for engine 

idling reduction 

• For drivers of small vehicles, it is 

recommended you turn off your engine if 

you plan to idle for longer than 10 

seconds. It is a common myth that 

restarting your engine uses more gas and 

causes engine wear. 

• Don’t idle to warm up your engine, 

start driving instead. The engine will 

warm up quicker. 

Engine idling may seem harmless, but 

it has tremendous impacts that 

negatively affect everyone. It wastes a 

significant amount of money on fuel and 

puts harmful toxins into the environment. 

Keep idling top of mind when you’re 

driving so that you can do your part to 

reduce it. 

Continued on page 26 


25

The environment: To idle, or not to idle... 

The perils of being idle ... 

Continued from page 25 

What happens if you ignore this advice? 

If you do leave your car running for too 

long, you might experience a few 

unpleasant side effects: 

• Your car’s engine continues to 

consume fuel so long as it’s powered on. 

But it also consumes power from your 

car’s battery because the engine and 

alternator both run slowly whenever your 

car idles. The alternator provides enough 

power to charge the battery by itself. 

Still, if you’re idling and have other 

electronic components powered on – 

such as your radio or lights – you could 

gradually drain your car’s battery and 

potentially leave yourself stranded. 

• Your engine may also overheat if you 

leave your car idling for too long. 

However, this particular error often 

occurs because of mechanical 

malfunctions. If your engine overheats, 

get your cooling system or fan belt 

checked by a certified mechanic 

• Your car may run out of gas. An 

empty gas tank can sneak up on people 

who don’t expect their fuel gauge to go 

down when they’re simply sitting and not 

driving. But it can and has happened to 

people in the past on multiple occasions. 

Leave engine idling 

Even considering the above risks, there 

may be a few instances where it’s 

appropriate to leave your car running 

rather than turning the engine off. 

Examples include: 

• When you’re warming up your 

vehicle during the winter and plan to run 

the engine for a minute or two. 

• When you’re sitting at a stoplight, 

even if the light’s pause period extends 

for a few minutes. In this case, turning 

your engine off and starting it again could 

take too long for the people waiting 

behind you. 

• When you’re low on gas and trying 

to get to a gas station. It takes more gas 

to start your engine than it does to keep 

it running in many cases. So keep your 

car on and idling if you’re running on 

fumes and trying to get to safety. 

Conclusion 

All in all, you can leave your car’s 

engine running for a considerable period 

of time before you start to run into 

RAC research found 

that 26 per cent of those 

caught idling are spotted 

doing so outside schools 

– leading to an RAC 

scheme in 2019 inviting 

schools to buy School 

Clean Air Zone banners. 

problems. But it’s still a good idea to 

avoid making idling a habit. 

Leaving your car running doesn’t do 

anything positive for your vehicle’s 

long-term health, but it does have the 

potential to cause unexpected issues or 

mechanical failures. 

Although idling your engine is not 

‘‘ 

Leaving your car running 

doesn’t do anything positive 

for your vehicle’s long-term 

health, but it does have the 

potential to cause unexpected 

issues or mechanical failures 

‘‘ 

necessarily harmful, it’s also not 

something you should try to do 

excessively. There are limits on how long 

you can leave your car running before 

you experience trouble or introduce the 

possibility of mechanical failures. 

Remember, idling means your engine 

runs continuously at low power. In a 

vacuum (and with infinite fuel), your 

engine would continue to run forever. But 

in reality, several things might occur if 

your car idles for too long. 

To avoid running your car for too long, 

you should only idle your vehicle for a 

few minutes at most before either moving 

your vehicle or turning the engine off. 

Many people opt to let their car idle for 

longer than a few minutes when they 

anticipate needing to stop and start their 

engine multiple times. One good example 

is when driving on a backed-up road in a 

major city. But the idea that starting and 

stopping your engine multiple times is 

harmful is also a myth. In fact, even if 

you’re stuck in traffic and know you’ll 

only move a few metres every few 

minutes, feel free to start and stop your 

engine multiple times. 

Modern engines from the 1990s 

onward have been designed with fuel 

injection components, which deliver fuel 

to your engine efficiently and prevent oil 

dilution. Unless you’re driving a car built 

in the 1980s (or older), you don’t have 

to worry much about wearing your 

engine down just from starting and 

stopping it multiple times. 

Finally, by avoiding idling, you will 

reduce wear on your engine, reduce fuel 

usage and help avoid a serious 

environmental pollution impact and of 

course, a fixed penalty notice of at least 

£20. 

26 



The airbag triumphs in the car safety 

stakes by taking away human element 

Rod Came 


Readers of this journal dedicated to all 

things related to driver training will 

remember that last month I wrote, in my 

article on whether people still enjoyed 

driving, that ‘the greatest life-saver in a 

modern motor car is the airbag’. 

The Editor, for whom I really do have 

the greatest respect, wrote in a note 

alongside my article ‘Airbag – a quite 

wondrous invention, but its contribution 

to road safety is nothing when compared 

to the humble three-point seat belt.’ 

I feel I should take issue with this 

aside, but not to knock the seat belt. I 

absolutely agree that at the time of the 

introduction of seat belts into road 

vehicles it was a vast improvement over 

that which had gone before, ie nothing, 

no restraint whatsoever. When a vehicle 

travelling at a mere 30mph collided with 

a stationary object it stopped suddenly 

but the occupants travelled onward at 30 


mph until they hit the steering wheel, the 

dashboard or the windscreen, often 

resulting in serious or fatal injuries. 

A correctly worn three-point seat belt 

considerably reduced the severity of such 

injuries to crash victims. 

Initially, seat belts comprised a piece of 

webbing attached to the B pillar and 

floor of the car which the seat occupant 

pulled across their body and clicked into 

a length of similar webbing attached to 

the transmission tunnel. It was pulled 

tight across the body by the seat 

occupant yanking on the end of the 

tunnel webbing. 

Over time improvements were made 

and modern seat belts are initially 

tightened by an inertia reel and will 

tighten even more in the event of a 

collision by a small explosive charge in 

the mechanism, to prevent, as far as 

possible, the body moving forward and 

being injured. 

Unfortunately, seat belts as fitted to 

cars have some disadvantages. 

If maximum advantage were to have 

be taken from seat belts a full harness 

“With airbags, no human action is required at all. 

They just slumber gracefully knowing that in the 

event of a crash they will instantly be called to 

duty to prevent injury to the seat occupant – all 

without any human input...” 

would have been required, so that the 

body was firmly attached to the seat, but 

that would not have been accepted by 

the motoring public, it being quite a 

cumbersome operation to put on. 

The three-point seat belt is therefore a 

compromise. It will generally stop the 

wearer from travelling forward to a large 

extent, but what it will not do is to 

prevent sideways travel toward the centre 

of the vehicle, an unfortunate side effect. 

Also, the human element is involved in 

the correct operation of the device, and 

as with everything that involves a human 

interaction with a machine, it can go 

wrong. 

Regardless of legislation to enforce the 

wearing of a seat belt there are those 

who refuse to comply, there are those 

who will appear to comply but don’t and 

those who sort-of comply by tucking the 

cross belt under their armpit where it will 

be of no use at all. 

The human element always finds a 

way of defeating technology. 

On the other hand, with airbags, no 

human action is required at all. They just 

sit there in their little containers, awaiting 

the call, which hopefully will never come. 

They slumber gracefully knowing that in 

the event of a crash they will instantly be 

called to duty to prevent injury to the 

seat occupant. 

At the point of deployment they will 

prevent the body hitting the steering 

wheel, dashboard or windscreen. They 

also stop the body hitting the door of the 

vehicle, the driver’s knee from being 

dislocated by the ignition key and in 

some vehicles provide similar protection 

to rear seat passengers – all without any 

human input. 

While at the time of their introduction 

three-point seat belts were a vast 

improvement in the search for reducing 

the severity of injuries to vehicle crash 

occupants, their initial success has been 

superseded by the air bag which offers 

much greater protection – without the 

need for human interaction. 

But in the way that professional driving 

tuition plus practice is the best way for a 

learner to become an accomplished 

driver, three-point seat belts with the 

addition of airbags provide the maximum 

protection to vehicle occupants. 

The Editor and I are following the 

same path to increased road safety. 

27

Area News 

Blinded by the light 

Janet Stewart 

MSA GB Greater London 

Now that we are into autumn and the 

long winter nights and short daylight 

hours, we are driving with headlamps on 

earlier in the day. 

That seems sensible but are we 

sufficiently mindful that what is helping 

us to see more clearly and further may 

be causing anxiety and even danger to 

on-coming traffic? 

I have a friend who drives an old 

BMW, ie with the old, slightly yellowish 

headlamps. Being a woman not in the 

first flush of youth her eyes (and mine) 

take longer to adjust to changes in light 

intensity. Consequently, she drives with 

her headlamps on full beam at night. 

I have not tried to dissuade her; firstly 

because I don’t want to create conflict 

(call me a coward if you like) but 

secondly, because I completely 

understand her reasoning. 

Until a couple of years ago I had an 

old Jaguar XF (my husband’s actually, 

but he didn’t like driving it) and had 

exactly the same problem. I could have 

changed my own headlamps to LED 

bulbs which would have helped me to 

see better to some extent, but it would 

not solve the problem. Indeed, it might 

28 

up the ante – every time I get brighter 

lights someone else goes one brighter 

still. 

I am neither a dinosaur nor a Philistine 

but it seems to me that people are 

relying on the car to make too many 

decisions for them. I first came across 

this in America more than 20 years ago. 

We hired a really classy car that would 

automatically adjust the seat, turn wipers 

on and off, vary the speed of the wipe 

and turn its own lights on and off when it 

felt like it. I got cross with it. My 

husband laughed and said “The car 

knows best”. 

But does it? Most cars still can’t 

actually “see” the road ahead: junctions, 

speed limit changes, schools, crossings, 

etc. They are responding to a set of 

conditions analysed by computer. Many 

people leave their lights on the auto 

setting without actually thinking what the 

‘‘ 

Many people leave their lights 

on the auto setting without 

thinking what the situation 

requires... I think it falls into 

the same category as driving 

with fog lights on - just in case! 

‘‘ 

situation/circumstances require. I think it 

falls into the same category as driving 

with fog lights on – just in case! 

According to an RAC survey, 65 per 

cent of drivers think it takes about five 

seconds for their eyes to recover from 

glare, with about 25 per cent saying they 

have been temporarily partially blinded 

by oncoming headlights. Young people 

and those over 65 claim to be the worst 

affected. A staggering 89 per cent of 

drivers think that headlamps are too 

bright. 

That rather begs the question, do they 

think their own headlamps are too 

bright? Have they asked their mechanic 

if they can provide less powerful bulbs? 

Or is it more a case of everyone else 

doing it, we will blink like mad and hope 

for the best? 

Then there is the size and, more 

particularly, the height of so many 

vehicles’ headlamps. Their headlamps 

are higher than mine so it looks as if they 

are on full beam even if they are not. 

They could adjust their beam downwards 

to assist those of us driving ordinary 

saloon cars. Of course, that is not going 

to happen: we all want to see as far 

ahead as we can. 

Now I am on the warpath I might as 

well mention the drivers who put blue 

lights into the headlamps so that they 

can try to make people think they are the 

police. What do we do about them other 

than simply telling them to grow up? I 



‘‘ 

Three in five young people 

say that they did not know 

they ought to check the tyres 

and thought that it would be 

covered by the MOT... 

‘‘ 

am sure it is illegal but I dare say it is not 

at the top of the local constabulary’s 

agenda. 

The practical suggestion I give to my 

learners when they face on-coming glare 

is to look slightly down and slightly to 

the left, slowing down to the extent that 

it is safe to do so. What I tell them NOT 

to do is flash their own lights – it is bad 

enough that one driver cannot see 

properly, far more dangerous if both are 

driving partially blinded. 

Another perennial issue is the state of 

our tyres. Are they ready or right for 

winter driving? Indeed are they even legal 

and when were they last checked? I 

have just attended a Zoom presentation 

by Jason Simms, manager at Tyresafe, a 

road safety charity. Some of what he 

had to say I already knew; some of it 

was new to me and quite shocking. 

Research has been carried out into 

KSIs where a vehicle defect was the 

probable cause. Taking the average over 

five years, 38 per cent of these fatalities 

were the result of worn or wrongly 

inflated tyres; 31 per cent were 

attributed to faulty brakes. 

One in five people say that they never 

check their tyres and three in five young 

people (the specific age range was not 

given) say that they did not know they 

ought to check the tyres and thought that 

it would be covered by the MOT. 

Two million cars per year fail the MOT 

for a tyre fault – 27 per cent being 

illegal. 70 per cent have tyres with less 

than 2mm tread depth. 

Even where tyres may not have been 

the immediate cause of the collision, 

research has shown that of 81 

inspected, only 15 did NOT have a tyre 

defect of some sort. The oldest tyres 

were found to be an incredible 41 and 

39 years old. 

Apart from tread depth, people seem 

to be unaware of the degree of perishing 

that can take place if the vehicle is not 

being driven. Compounds within the tyre 

keep it supple through being driven so, 

even where the tread depth is within safe 

limits, there may be splits and cracks 

within the tread. 

It is illegal to have tyres more than ten 

years old on a commercial vehicle. 

Radial tyres should not be mixed with 

cross-ply. There is a difference between 

re-treads, which are safe, and part-worn 

which are not safe. A part-worn tyre has 

not been re-worked and stamped to say 

that it has been inspected. Apparently 

there are a lot of illegal operators selling 

unsafe – not to say illegal and dangerous 

– tyres to the unwary. These outlets are 

often a front for more serious crime. 

It was an excellent presentation and it 

is well worth taking a look at the 

website, watching the videos and 

checking out the free resources available 

at tyresafe.org. If it is repeated at some 

point in the future, make it your priority 

to watch. 

I have always made my pupils aware 

of the regular maintenance and checks 

that we should make of our vehicles. 

However, I am going to try to hammer it 

home a bit more in the future and will 

certainly be making use of some of what 

is available from Tyresafe. 

MSA GB Eastern Workshop 

Overcoming 

test nerves 

With Diane Hall and Chris Allsop 

from L of a Way to Pass. 

Date: 8th December 

Time: 9am-5pm 

Venue: Sprowston Sports and 

Social Club, Blue Boar Lane, 

Norwich NR7 8RY. 

Cost: £100 MSA GB Members 

£110 Non Members. 

Gain an in-depth insight into how 

the mind works and nerves affect 

us: understand why pupils do what 

they do, and more importantly, how 

to deal with it! 

Do you sometimes feel more like a 

counsellor or therapist than a driving 

instructor? It’s not surprising when 

1/3 of your pupils are likely to suffer 

with anxiety… and that figure is on 

the increase! 

Diane & Chris from L of a way 2 

Pass share amazing unique 

techniques to not only help your 

pupils with driving anxiety and test 

nerves, but for your own SC anxiety 

as well! This workshop gives you a 

unique insight into your pupils’ 

minds; why they behave the way 

they do, and strategies to deal with 

even the most challenging 

students… ensuring you become the 

‘go to’ instructor. 

It will cover Anticipatory Anxiety 

– when several of the brain’s 

processes shut down meaning 

learning just can’t take place; 

Auditory Exclusion – when what you 

say ‘goes in one ear and out the 

other’! 

You’ll also learn strategies to 

control negative emotions such as 

fear, stress, nerves, panic, anxiety, 

intimidation, and techniques to 

recognise sabotaging thoughts and 

behaviours. 

All this and a 10-second technique 

to stop your pupils muddling up left 

and right! 

For further information please email 

Paul Harmes at 

chair.oe@msagb.com or book at 

https://msagb.com/shop/ 


29

Area News 

ADIs are taught a thing or two by 

the youngsters on go-karting track 

Brian Thomson 

MSA GB Scotland 

This started with a simple message from 

Ailsa Vickrage on the 4th October on our 

ADIA association ‘WhatsApp’ page. 

“Anyone fancy taking a cheeky morning/ 

afternoon off to go karting?” 

One of the group suggested a 

convienent date (26th October) and 

places started being booked up quicker 

than Harry Styles concert tickets on 

Tickmaster. We ended up with six 

instructors and ‘Stuart’ filling in for a 

cancellation. 

As you’ll be aware if you’ve ever done 

one of these karting days, it starts with 

you waiving any rights over broken bones 

or mental trauma for compensation from 

the karting firm (actually, it was all above 

board). One of the team come out 

bearing a variety of different sized 

boilersuits that make us all look roughly 

the same, making homing in on a 

colleague really difficult, then you get 

shown to a room where you receive a 

safety briefing on ‘controlled stop’, 

‘adhering to lights’ and advice on 

handling, so really this should not be a 

massive difference to what we do every 

day! 

Next you get handed a balaclava, a 

pair of gloves and a crash helmet, not so 

Bob, Ailsa and Lynn ready 

for the second half 

Our intrepid go-karters: Mark Rose, 

Bob Martin, Brian Thomson, Lynn 

Newton, Ailsa Vickrage, Sophie 

Buggins (and half of Stuart) 

that you can crash, more if you do. The 

staff could not have been more helpful in 

all aspects of the afternoon even to the 

point of ensuring your crash helmet was 

firmly fixed, and for us non-motorbikers, 

that was a bonus. 

In to your pre-selected kart you go and 

that’s when the first twinge of realisation 

hits, that this is not like a car we all drive 

on a daily basis. I’ve been further off the 

road surface going down a slide in a 

tattie bag. So we all get to move off one 

at a time and the marshal checks your 

stopping ability and after passing that 

test allows you to enter the track under 

the amber lights – that means you are 

restricted to driving at “walking pace.” 

After the whole group are on the track 

– 10 cars in total – the lights go green 

and that’s when this thing you’re sitting 

in develops a mind of its own and starts 

hurtling you round that track of tyres at a 

speed akin to what I was doing in my 

own car on the dual carriageway. The 

karts are capable of reaching speeds of 

about 40mph – and that feels really fast 

when you’re sat so close to the tarmac. 

You’re on for 15 minutes and that 

should give you about 30+ laps. But 

after about seven laps of trying to guide 

this thing round a track without any 

power steering I’m in the pits trying to 

get some lactose back into my forearms 

so they could function as body parts to 

steer with, then it’s back on to being 

overtaken by youngsters (everyone was 

younger than me there) who were on the 

same track with much the same vehicle 

but obviously lacking in basic Highway 

Code rules. 

Half time, thank goodness, my arms 

are no longer functioning, my vision is 

blurred (more due to the helmet tilting 

my varifocal glasses at an angle) and my 

ribs are just in one pile held in only by 

the boilersuit. 

30 



Code changes 

need explaining 

to the public 

Bob Page 


It has been a few months now since 

the Highway Code changes 

regarding priorities on the road, and 

I’m still seeing some confusion as 

many road users remain unaware of 

the new guidelines. 

It’s probably expensive to do so 

but an advertising campaign from 

the government on the changes 

would be a huge help. I’m sure we 

were promised one – but I’m not 

holding my breath! 

So now we’ve had a turn, let’s work 

out how we can perhaps achieve this 

30+ laps in 15 minutes. Could it be, as 

someone goes past, to follow their 

position and sit in their slipstream... no, 

that didn’t work, they were out of sight 

before I could see what position they 

took into a corner! Perhaps I should use 

the ‘DRS’ I’d heard about from David 

Coultard when covering the Formula 1? 

Problem was I didn’t have time to google 

what it meant as I was battling round 

this track, and I wouldn’t use my mobile 

when driving anyway. 

Another 15 minutes go by and I’m glad 

we didn’t sign up for 16. 

As the helmets come off and we exit 

from the boilersuits you realise just how 

much effort keeping those karts on the 

track takes out of you. We were all 

roasting, no-one is expecting to be able 

to reach for anything from the back seat 

at work tomorrow but of course, it was 

brilliant! 

At speed: The 

go-karts are capable 

of 40mph in the 

right hands... 

Worrying question: 

The helmet front of 

pic... it’s not got 

someone’s head isn’t 

inside it, has it? 

‘‘ 

How could I keep up? Should 

I stay in someone’s slipstream 

and watch them take a corner, 

or use that DRS thing 

I’ve heard David Coulthard 

talking about? 

‘‘ 

For those keeping score Bob Martin 

was our ‘Vestappen’ with a fastest lap 

time of 29.6 seconds, the rest of us were 

much the same, 32+ seconds for a 

fastest lap, with other laps measured 

better by lunar cycles, but a great 

afternoon and another reason for being a 

member of a local ADI association, to 

take the loneliness out of our daily job. 

AGM reminder 

On the subject of reminders, may 

I take this opportunity to remind 

South East members that our AGM 

will be taking place on 14th 

November at Brede Village Hall, 

Cackle Street, Brede TN316DX. 

The doors open at 6.30pm for a 

7pm start. It’s £5 members and 

£10 for non-members, but this 

includes free refreshments and a 

buffet. 

Speakers are joining us from the 

DVSA, MSA GB and Highways 

England. We’ve been advised in 

advance that one of the items on the 

agenda will be a discussion on 

Smart Motorways and a chance to 

vote on them. 

All attendees will receive a CPD 

certificate, and all members and non 

members welcome. 

To help us with numbers please 

call/text 07719697881 or email 

chair.se@msagb.com 

Hope to see you there. 

Smart... 

or not? 


31

Away from the car 

There’s always someone 

ready to watch out for you 

From time to time, we like to hear from members regarding their 

lives before becoming an ADI or their lives outside the driver training 

business. This issue we caught up with MSA GB Western member 

Nick Tapp to discuss his work as a volunteer coastguard 

In the late 1980s I returned to my home 

town of Watchet in West Somerset to 

take over the family newsagent business 

– but about 18 months after settling into 

the new 4.30am starts I was approached 

to join the local Coastguard rescue team 

as an auxiliary. 

Why me? Well, one of the key reasons 

was because I was living and working 

less than 100 yards from the Coastguard 

Station. Not being able to think of a 

reason not to, I signed up and joined the 

team. 

Training was once a week and carrying 

a pager all the time to respond to 

‘shouts’. Our team were tasked to mud 

rescues, water rescues, cliff rescue, 

missing person searches, dealing with 

explosive ordnance on beaches and 

liaising with the army and navy bomb 

disposal teams. 

We were also tasked to assist in the 

recovery of injured and deceased 

casualties from beaches, often, very 

sadly, suicides. 

Being self-employed it was easy to 

dash out in response to the pager alerts, 

usually around 15-18 call outs a year, 

though sometimes we would get up to 

30 in a year. 

One call out was always talked about, 

and that was a missing person search. It 

came in the early 1990s, a time when I 

had very little experience of a major 

search. 

We were tasked to an area east of the 

site of the new Hinckley Point C Power 

Station, looking for two missing 

fishermen who had been reported 

overdue from a boat trip in the Bristol 

Channel. Their boat had been found at 

anchor, close to the shore but with no 

one on board, a mug of coffee and an 

open sandwich box on the top of the 

engine box. 

Local boatmen came forward to assist 

in a sea search alongside the RNLI 

The picturesque town of Watchet 

sits on the Bristol Channel 

boats, and they suggested the missing 

men may have had a net in the bay and 

had rowed over to it to view and remove 

any catch, but the dingy they used may 

have capsized. 

Some members from the Watchet 

Coastguard rescue team were tasked to 

assist with the sea search using the 

Coastguard rescue patrol boat while the 

rest were assigned to a beach search. 

Our search team of three were tasked 

with combing the beach near a wildlife 

and bird sanctuary. 

After completing the area I was making 

my way back through the rough terrain 

when I spotted what I thought was a 

dead sheep washed up in the grass. 

As I got closer, I thought it was a shop 

mannequin – I got closer and walked 

around it – then I thought I have never 

seen a dummy with a hairy ar** !!! 

Realising to my horror that I had found 

a body I quickly summoned the other 

two team members. To start with they 

thought I was joking until they saw the 

casualty, naked apart from one training 

shoe. 

We had to go to the nearest property 

to telephone our Marine Rescue Coordination 

Centre at Swansea to report 

our findings. We knew by this time that 

that our body was neither of the missing 

boatmen, and we didn’t want to report 

over the radio that we had found a body 

because those searching for the other 

missing persons would hear what we 

had found: albeit the wrong one! 

A police team arrived a short time later 

and we had to give statements and our 

main search was finished for the day. 

Some months later I was called to give 

evidence at the inquest for the person I 

had found. I learned and saw the video 

evidence from the original Severn Bridge 

cameras of a vehicle driving on to the 

bridge, the driver exiting the vehicle, 

running across the carriageways and 

jumping off the bridge. 

32 



Watchet Coastguard 

lookout station 

Mindfulness? I’d rather 

teach safe driving habits 

It was almost six months to the day 

from him jumping to me finding him. He 

had been washed up on the beach by a 

very high spring tide into an area where 

nobody normally walks. 

The family came and spoke to me at 

the end of the inquest and thanked me 

for finding him, as it gave them closure. 

If we had not had the call out for the 

two missing fishermen, we may not have 

found the deceased in the wildlife 

sanctuary. Sadly, the two fishermen were 

recovered over the following three weeks: 

they were washed up in a nearby river. 

That year was probably one of the 

worst we had for fatalities; 12 bodies 

were recovered by local coastguard 

teams. 

I didn’t let the sad incident put me off 

and spent 22-and-a-half years with the 

Coastguard. There were too many 

‘shouts’ along the way to remember 

them all. 

I decided to give up after spending five 

years juggling life as an ADI with my 

responsibilities as a Coastguard. While it 

was easy to get time away from the 

newsagent as a self-employed man when 

the pager summoned me, as an ADI I 

was having to cancel lessons to keep up 

with training and call outs. 

In all that time I was always 

remembered, not as the newsagent who 

was a ‘Coastie’, or the driving instructor 

Coastie, but as the man who found the 

wrong one on the beach! 

Final point: whatever you do, if you 

feel you are in a dark place, talk to 

someone. Somebody will listen! 

Terry Pearce 

MSA GB West Midlands 

It appears the DVSA does not trust us 

to teach learners correctly as it has 

been sending out emails to candidates 

who have booked a test to check that 

they are ready and if they’re not, 

advising them to put their test date 

back. 

In the real world before Covid-19 

that made a bit of sense, but in my 

area there is still a 23-week wait for a 

test so the DVSA worrying them about 

their ability to pass when there isn’t a 

chance they will want to cancel 

anyway is unhelpful. 

I got to thinking about this when I 

received the latest missive from the 

DVSA, an email about ‘Learning to 

keep nerves under control.’ It was 

intended for my pupil. 

I have been teaching a pupil for 

many months and hopefully they will 

have passed their test before you read 

this. Previously I have had to deal 

with her nerves because a family 

member who I had previously taught 

told her that she was no good 

because she was taking too long to 

learn. It took a few lessons to get her 

confidence back, but we succeeded. 

The last thing she needed was an 

email from the DVSA, which said: 

‘Being nervous before your driving 

test is normal. Your driving examiner 

knows that you’ll be nervous, and 

they’ll do their best to help you relax. 

‘Controlling your nerves is a really 

important skill. It can help during your 

driving test and driving in unfamiliar 

places. 

‘You should: 

- talk to your instructor to make a 

plan for managing your nerves 

- ask you instructor about 

mindfulness techniques 

- search for apps and other online 

resources on mindfulness techniques’ 

Do you know what mindfulness 

techniques are? I did not have a clue, 

so I looked it up. I found the following 

definition: 

What is mindfulness? 

Mindfulness is a type of meditation 

in which you focus on being 

intensely aware of what you’re 

sensing and feeling in the moment, 

without interpretation or judgment. 

Practicing mindfulness involves 

breathing methods, guided 

imagery, and other practices to 

relax the body and mind and help 

reduce stress.” 

I am sorry, but I would rather spend 

my pupils’ time teaching them about 

driving and keeping them safe rather 

than focusing on something which I 

do not think I am qualified to teach, 

but I know how to give them 

confidence. 

Luckily, I had booked my pupil’s 

test and used my email address, so I 

got the emails. Therefore, hopefully 

when she takes her test, she has not 

been given anything else to be 

worried about. 

West Midlands Area Meeting 

and AGM 

This is your last reminder to book for 

our Zoom meeting. It is on Monday, 

November 21 at 7.30pm where you 

will hear from MSA GB National 

Chairman Peter Harvey and Deputy 

National Chairman Mike Yeomans. 

To book, email info@msagb.com and 

put West Midlands in the subject line. 

It’s free – we just need to know who 

you are so we can send you the link. 

On a personal note this will be my 

final meeting as I will be retiring from 

driver tuition this year. 

It has been a sad year with the 

passing of our chairman Geoff Little 

who was a good colleague and friend. 

At the moment there will be no 

committee left so please attend the 

meeting to see what is going to 

happen and hopefully how you can 

help. 

My final Newslink article will be 

next month where I will report on 

what happened at the AGM. 

Finally, as ever, if you have any 

items of interest, please let me know. I 

can be contacted on 07866614573 or 

via terry@terrypearce.co.uk. 


33

Life as an ADI 

It’s always interesting to read about other members’ experiences as ADIs and their lives before they 

entered this profession. In Scotland, the committee has made it a goal to include an article on the 

backstory of all its members, and in recent issues we’ve carried stories from a number of them, 

including former Chairman Bob Baker, Judy Hale and Brian Thomson. This issue ALEX BUIST has picked 

up the mantle as he prepares for life after instructing, having retired recently. Alex picks up the story... 

The artillery: 

boys always: 

make a 

lot of noise: 

We want everyone to write an article for 

Newslink, they said, write what you want, 

they said, we want to keep Scotland at 

the forefront of the publication if we can. 

So it’s my turn. Having just retired 

from instructing, could I write about 

retired life? No, it’s not long enough, 

three months out of the job doesn’t quite 

cut it. So, I thought I would actually go 

down the same road as Bob Baker did 

earlier this year and do a bit about how I 

got to where I am now. 

I left school at 15 right in the middle 

of the swinging ‘60s. You could virtually 

step out of school into a job, they were 

that plentiful. A good friend of my dad’s 

organised a job for me as a motor 

mechanic. I had aspired to stay on at 

school and then join the RAF as a pilot, 

but sadly a particular teacher destroyed 

that vision, so I decided to leave. 

Unfortunately, the promised garage job 

didn’t. I was a little upset but thought I 

would take the opportunity to enjoy a 

couple of months off before starting my 

working life. 

One day I found myself in Glasgow on 

an errand for my parents. As I was 

Alex on a 

Landrover, 

the car in 

which he 

first learned 

to drive... 

walking down Sauchiehall Street I 

lingered past the Army Recruiting Office, 

and I was drawn in. The recruiting 

sergeant welcomed me with open arms, 

being quite naive, at least that’s what I 

thought. 

What would your preference be, he 

said. Not a clue, said I. “Ah, the Infantry 

would be my recommendation,” said he. 

“Not a chance,” said I, but I didn’t 

want to upset him, as he was an infantry 

colour sergeant. 

I asked about the Royal Engineers, my 

dad’s old regiment, but for boy soldiers 

there was a three-month waiting list. 

How about the Electrical and Mechanical 

Engineers (REME)? Another three-month 

waiting list. It wasn’t looking good and 

the infantry were looming. But then I 

spied a photo on his wall. “What’s that 

about,” I asked. “That’s the Royal 

Artillery – and there’s no waiting list!” 

The forms were straight home to be 

signed by my dad and I was off to join 

the Royal Artillery. 

In September 1965 I reported to 

Gamecock Barracks, Bramcote, 

Nuneaton to start my training. It was a 

former RAF base and several of the 

hangers still stood and were used for 

various activities. One had the gym in it 

and three weeks into my training while 

doing an indoor assault course I broke 

my left wrist, well, took my hand right 

34 



out of the socket. A trip to Nuneaton 

hospital ensued where an operation put 

it back into place. I was in plaster for six 

weeks which was an inconvenience, to 

say the least. 

This was during my recruit training 

and after three months moved into a 

regular troop where drill, marching, 

education and physical training took 

place. 

It was an enjoyable two years, learning 

many things and making new friends. 

Having never been away from home it 

was amazing to hear so many different 

dialects. 

In my last three months I was selected 

for a driving course. No idea how I was 

chosen as the course was pure gold. I 

was doing well but then damaged my 

knee and was off the course for three 

weeks. I thought my foray into driving 

was at an end after this – something 

confirmed by the Captain in charge, as I 

had missed too much training. 

As I was leaving the building my 

instructor, a civilian, came in and 

welcomed me back. I told him what the 

Captain had said but he went in to see 

the officer on my behalf. Voices were 

definitely raised for a discussion that 

lasted all of five minutes, but ended with 

the instructor coming out and inviting me 

back into the Land Rover for more 

training. 

I was delighted, and was even happier 

when a few weeks later I passed. So, at 

17 and 2 weeks I had a full licence. It 

was pointed out to me that I wasn’t a 

driver, I just had a full licence. The Army 

can be cruel. 

On leaving Bramcote I had hoped to 

join the Parachute Gunners but a dodgy 

ankle put paid to that (people must be 

thinking that I went from one medical 

disaster to another!) and I was posted to 

Weeton Camp just outside Blackpool. 

A posting by the seaside ... what more 

could you ask for? Many a good night 

was spent on the sea front and the 

following day recovering. 

I managed to get onto what they called 

a B2 Drivers course which gave you 

more training, better qualifications and, 

more importantly, more money. I passed 

that and one of the facets of this 

qualification was that you could teach 

other soldiers to drive. 

I took great pleasure in teaching my 

best friend at that time to drive and he 

passed first time (did that plant the seed 

for my future, one wonders?) 

A quick tour of Northern Ireland was 

ordered, and we left Liverpool to take up 

a six-week tour of Belfast, thankfully it 

The 175mm self-propelled 

gun crew. Alex is on the 

right removing the cradle. 

‘‘ 

The 175mm self-propelled 

guns were capable of firing 

a 148lb shell a distance of 32 

kilometres. They were on a 

track chassis and weighed 29 

tons with a barrel of 32 feet. 

‘‘ 

passed with no major problems. 

In April 1968 the Regiment was 

posted to Malaysia, Terendak Garrison, 

Malacca. The journey by Caledonian 

Airways was long and arduous but 

enjoyable – my first ever flight. We flew 

out of Gatwick, landing for a few hours 

in Ankara, Turkey then onto Bombay, 

India. As we got off the plane in Bombay, 

we were all struck by the intense heat, 

many of us had never experienced 

anything like it. 

Next stop was Kuala Lumpur, Malaya, 

a different kind of heat but manageable. 

I was fortunate to be on the advance 

party, so we were there eight weeks 

before the main regiment arrived. My job 

was to assist my BSM (Battery Sergeant 

Major) to allocate married quarters for 

those that required them. 

Some of these quarters were absolutely 

terrific, lovely, detached bungalows in 

some beautiful locations. The only 

downside was the distance from the 

main camp, some as far as 22 miles, so 

travel was an issue, but taxis were 

plentiful, as was official Army transport. 

Our camp was within a 1km from the 

beach, which looked out onto the Bay of 

Malacca, I had never seen a beach so 

golden and a sea so calm and blue. 

Slowly the rest of the regiment arrived 

and over the following two months 

everyone acclimatised before we started 

back to training. 

One training exercise involved other 

regiments including Gurkhas. We were 

encamped within a rubber plantation in 

almost 40-degree heat. We set up a 

Command Post (tented) which contained 

a communication post and signallers had 

to man the radios for two-hour intervals. 

My first stag (duty) was around 2am, so 

the guard woke me up to head out. As 

you can imagine it was absolutely pitch 

black; you literally couldn’t see your 

hand in front of you. 

Because of this and not allowed 

torches as we were supposed to be on a 

war footing, we had paced out the 

number of steps that took us to the 

command post. 

I stepped out onto the path and started 

to count, as I recall it was 118 steps 

then a right turn. So quietly counting out, 

off I went. As I was nearing the magical 

figure I felt a hand on my shoulder and a 

voice saying quietly “turn now!” A 

Gurkha had walked down the path with 

me but I had no idea he was there. I 

couldn’t get off that path quick enough 

and was shaking like a leaf when I went 

into the tent. 

Wonderful soldiers, the Gurkhas, and 

he did come in and apologise to me. He 

had walked the whole path with me and 

I had no clue he was there all that time. 

Thank God they are our friends. 

Continued on page 36 


35

Life as an ADI 

From the artillery to the police, 

and then on to life as an ADI ... 

Continued from page 35 

For a time I was the second-incommand’s 

driver and on the odd 

occasion had to pick up the Colonel from 

the Officers’ mess or take them to the 

Officers’ Beach Club. Once he asked me 

if I could water ski. “Never tried it. sir”, 

says I. “Well, we will have to teach you,” 

– and he did, a great sport. He also 

suggested that if I could drive the 

speedboat to make it easier for them to 

go on the water, so off I went on a course 

to drive a speedboat! 

I got my ‘C’ helm through this and was 

one of only two in the regiment who 

could drive our brand new speedboat. 

Taking it out on the calm water of the 

Bay of Malacca was something else. 

In December of 1969 we returned to 

the UK and fortunately back to Weeton 

Camp, making the transition easier as 

we knew the place so well. Several 

months later I was called into to my 

Battery Commander’s office and told my 

promotion was being delayed, but 

because of that I was being offered a 

choice of posting. 

Number one was to the Army Air Corp 

in Hong Kong and the second was the 

Army Youth Team in York. As I’d been 

posted to the Far East before I asked 

about the Youth Team, and found out 

that it dealt with schools, youth clubs 

and cadet forces and was a five-man 

team, so I chose that. I was getting 

married the following year and thought 

York would make a better place to start 

married life. We had a wonderful time in 

York; my wife managed to get a terrific 

job at Tesco’s which she thoroughly 

enjoyed, although she admitted that 

sometimes the Scots dialect caused 

some confusion! We could not walk 

around York without someone shouting 

out a greeting and it was absolutely 

superb. In fact, some 50 years later we 

are still friendly with people we met 

there. 

In September 1973 the York posting 

ended and I was off to Hildesheim in 

West Germany to join 5 Heavy Regiment 

RA. I’d been in the artillery all this time 

but I had never been on the guns – now I 

was! 

The guns in question were 175mm 

self-propelled guns that were capable of 

firing a 148lb shell a distance of 32 

Alex sat down as he 

talks to a general and 

another officer while on 

a tour of Northern 

Ireland. 

kilometres. The guns were on a track 

chassis and weighed 29 tons with a 

barrel of 32 feet. 

I completed all the appropriate courses 

to be able to carry out all the duties on 

the gun, from loading to firing. My 

designation was Detachment 

Commander – or number 2. 

It wasn’t just gun firing, though. I was 

sent to Kristiansand in Norway to attend 

a canoe instructors’ course. This involved 

a train journey from Hannover to 

Hamburg, ferry to Denmark then train 

into Norway and picked up by Army 

transport to Kristiansand – almost a full 

day’s journey. But it was a fantastic 

course to undertake and on my return 

was the regimental canoeing instructor, 

which came in useful later in the year. 

As a regiment we were due to go to 

Northern Ireland but the Americans 

disagreed as we were one of only two 

Heavy Regiments based in Germany with 

the other going through retraining, so we 

had a six-month void to fill. We did a 

two-month adventure training exercise in 

the Harz Mountains, camped beside a 

reservoir and the canoes were going to 

be taken there. I had to ensure that the 

canoes were in good condition and that 

all the necessary equipment was also in 

good condition. 

Along with the officer in charge, a Lt 

Jacques, I did the repairs required and 

purchased the equipment that we 

needed. A brilliant two months was 

spent at this location, teaching many 

members of the regiment how to canoe. 

36 



In April 1975 we had to take our turn 

in Northern Ireland, spending four 

months in Londonderry. It was a sad 

tour, losing two friends during the time 

we were there. 

On return to Germany my wife and I 

discussed what we should do and 

decided that it was time to leave the 

Army so in November 1975 I left and 

returned to Glasgow. 

On returning I applied to join 

Strathclyde Police and in March 1976 I 

became a Constable, stationed at 

Maryhill, Glasgow. I was delighted with 

that because my patch covered Firhill 

Stadium where my team, Partick Thistle, 

played. Sadly, I didn’t get to cover as 

many games as I would have liked! 

During my probation years I attended a 

GP driving course which allowed me to 

drive the classic 1970s Panda cars and 

divisional vans, and I really wanted to 

get into the Traffic Department. They did 

run an attachment for a period of three 

months, and I pestered my Chief 

Inspector for several months to get an 

opportunity to do this. Eventually he 

allowed me to join, and I had an 

amazing three months learning so much 

from John Symington, the individual I 

partnered with. He was an amazing 

driver. 

My three months ended with me 

suffering from a slipped disc so a further 

four months off recuperating and on 

January 1979 returned to my shift 

hardly knowing anyone as I had been 

away for almost a year. In June of that 

year, I was transferred permanently to 

the Traffic Department where I attended 

two courses at Tulliallen Police College, 

the second being the Advanced Driving 

course. 

I have to say that this was one of the 

hardest courses, both physically and 

mentally, that I have ever done, but 

extremely enjoyable. 

While in the Traffic I made many 

friends and learned a great deal about 

driving. My greatest mentor was Gordon 

Scott, the best driver I have ever sat 

beside. Unfortunately he passed away 

this year. 

I left the Police in December 1989 and 

my next step was to train to be an ADI. I 

joined a training course and in June 

1990 passed my Part 3 to get that green 

‘‘ 

Through MSA GB I made great 

friends who made this job, 

which can be insular at times, 

so much easier to endure ... 

MSA GB has been a great help 

to me over the years, a great 

source of information 

‘‘ 

badge: it was was a terrific feeling. I 

began working for the company I had 

trained with, linking up with two of my 

mentors, Gordon Mercer and Phil Ross. 

Again, I learned a lot from both of them 

and hopefully they from me. 

I worked in the Glasgow branch for a 

year, then was transferred to Stirling 

which was a delight. Unfortunately the 

branch closed, and I was on my travels 

again, this time to Dumbarton. 

Sadly the company went bankrupt and 

our branch was taken over by another 

training company, but after six months I 

was made redundant. Bad news, but it 

did give me the opportunity to be 

independent, so in 1993 I set up the 

Just Learning School of Motoring and 

gradually built up my clientele. 

I quickly realised that one problem 

with running your own school was that I 

didn’t have anybody to chat to or to help 

me with any problems. Okay, you met 

other instructors at the test centre, but it 

wasn’t too often. I found out about the 

Glasgow and District Driving Instructors 

Association (GDDIA) and attended its 

next meeting. It was very informative and 

I joined on the spot. The next meeting 

was the AGM and for some reason I was 

nominated as Chairman, a position I held 

for over 20 years. With being Chair I also 

became a member of the MSA GB 

Scotland committee, though which I met 

Peter Harvey MBE for the first time. 

Peter has been a great help to me over 

the years and a source of many 

invaluable pieces of information in this 

industry. 

I met many other great people through 

these meetings, people I came to admire 

greatly. One was Ian Scoular, a great wit 

and a wonderful comic who sadly died a 

few years ago and I still miss. Others 

who fall into the category of great friends 

are John Myers and Don McTaggart, but 

there are many others. 

In 2009 I was diagnosed with bowel 

cancer. It was a great shock as I had 

shown no symptoms, but thanks to a 

brilliant GP, Dr Bob Trollen and my 

oncology surgeon David Chong 

everything went extremely well. I have 

been in remission since. 

It’s important to note that I received 

great support given from Peter and Jean 

Harvey and the MSA GB Scottish 

committee during the time. 

Shortly after returning I was proposed 

as Secretary for Scotland and Deputy 

Chair, when John unfortunately passed. I 

was delighted that Bob Baker took on 

the role as Chairman and I feel that we 

worked well together, as did the entire 

committee. 

I was absolutely delighted to be 

appointed Chairman when Bob stepped 

down in 2019 and I was so looking 

forward to being able to carry on his 

good work but unfortunately the 

pandemic happened. During lockdowns 

my wife and I looked at what was 

happening around us and thought we 

needed some time to ourselves, so I 

made the decision to retire and in 2021 

stood down. It was great to see my 

Deputy, Steven Porter, taking the helm. 

All in all I was an ADI for 32 years and 

met many people of all ages during this 

time. Through MSA GB Scotland I also 

made the friends that made this job so 

much easier to endure. We all know that 

it can be a very insular occupation but 

also very enjoyable, especially when you 

see former pupils driving by and giving 

you a wave – though you think to 

yourself, “who the hell was that...?” 

When I look back I have worked more 

or less since leaving school – that’s 57 

years – and it has been on the whole 

enjoyable. Some parts not so, but you 

remember the good times and there has 

been a lot of them. 

In conclusion I wish to pass on my 

good wishes to the present Scottish 

Committee and also the Board of the 

MSA GB, which I was fortunate to be a 

member of. Every success for the future. 


37

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 updates special offer 

for MSA GB members 

Some exciting news for members: Ford has partnered with 

MSA GB to offer exclusive discounts on all car and 

commercial Ford vehicles. 

Take a look at the Ford website www.ford.co.uk for vehicle 

and specification information. 

For further information, to view frequently asked questions, 

to request a quote and to access the member discount 

codes, please go to the Members’ Benefits page on the MSA 

GB website and follow the Ford link. 

Please note these discounts are only available to MSA GB 

members and their immediate family if they are members 

who pay annually. 

ACCOUNTANCY 

MSA GB’s Recommended 

Accountancy Service, FBTC 

offers a specialist service for 

driving instructors. It has been 

established over 20 years ago and 

covers the whole of the UK. The team takes 

pride in providing unlimited advice and 

support to ensure the completion of your tax 

return is hassle free, giving you peace of mind. 

MSA GB OFFER:: FBTC will prepare you for 

Making Tax Digital and will be providing 

HMRC compliant software to all clients very 

soon. Join now to receive three months free. 

ADVANCE DRIVING 

AND RIDING 

As the UK’s largest road 

safety charity, IAM 

RoadSmart is proud to 

partner with the Motor 

Schools Association GB. 

Working together to promote 

and enhance motorists skills on our 

roads. 

MSA GB OFFER:: Get 10% off Advanced 

courses; visit www.iamroadsmart.com/ 

course and use the code MSA10 at the 

checkout or call 0300 303 1134 to book. 

CAR AIR FRESHENERS / CANDLES 

Mandles’ handmade scented 

collections use quality 

ingredients to ensure superior 

scent throw from all its candles 

and diffusers. Check our our 

website for further details. 

MSA GB OFFER:: Special discount 

of 20% on all car air fresheners and refills. 

CARD PAYMENTS 

MSA GB and SumUp believe in 

supporting motor vehicle 

trainers of all shapes and sizes. 

Together we are on a mission to 

ease the operational workload of 

our members by providing them 

with the ability to take card payments 

on-the-go or in their respective training 

centres. SumUp readers are durable and 

user-friendly. Their paperless onboarding is 

quick and efficient. Moreover, their offer comes 

with no monthly subscription, no contractual 

agreement, no support fees, no hidden fees 

– just the one-off cost for the reader coupled 

with lowest on the market transaction fee. 

CPD & TRAINING COURSES 

As part of its new relationship 

with MSA GB, Tri-Coaching is 

delighted to offer a massive 

20% discount across the board 

on all our training products and 

courses, exclusively to MSA GB 

Members. 

MSA GB OFFER: 20% off all Tri-Coaching 

courses. 

DISABILITY AIDS 

Driving shouldn’t just be a privilege 

for people without disabilities; it 

should be accessible for all and 

there’s never been an easier 

time to make this the case! MSA 

GB members can take advantage 

of BAS’s Driving Instructor Packages which 

include a range of adaptations at a discounted 

price, suitable for teaching disabled learner 

drivers. 

MSA GB OFFER: Special Driving Instructor 

Packages for MSA GB members. 

To get the full story of 

the discounts available, 

see www.msagb.com 

38 NEWSLINK n NOVEMBER 2022


Membership offer 

Welcome new ADIs 

HEALTH / FINANCE COVER 

The Motor Schools Association 

of Great Britain has agreed 

with HMCA to offer 

discounted rates for medical 

plans, dental plan, hospital 

cash plans, personal accident 

plan, travel plan, income protection and 

vehicle breakdown products. 

MSA GB OFFER: HMCA only offer medical 

plans to membership groups and can offer 

up to a 40% discount off the 

underwriter’s standard rates. This is a 

comprehensive plan which provides 

generous cash benefits for surgery and 

other charges. 

PUPIL INSURANCE 

Help your pupils private practice 

by signing them up to 

Collingwood’s instructor 

affiliate programme. 

MSA GB OFFER:: £50 for your 

first referral and a chance to 

win £100 of High Street 

vouchers! 

PSYCHOLOGY TRAINING 

Confident Drivers has the only 

website created especially for 

drivers offering eight different 

psychological techniques 

commonly used to reduce 

stress and nerves. 

MSA GB OFFER: One month free on a 

monthly subscription plan using coupon code. 

PUPIL SOURCING 

Go Roadie provides students 

when they need them, with 

all the details you need 

before you accept. Control 

your own pricing, discounts 

and set your availability to 

suit you. Full diary? No cost! 

MSA GB OFFER: Introductory offer of 

50% off the first three students they 

accept. 

To get the full story of 

the discounts available, 

see www.msagb.com 

We’ve a special introductory offer for you! 

Congratulations on passing your 

Part 3 and becoming an ADI. 

There’s an exciting career 

open to you from today. 

It’s one that is alive with 

possibilities as you build 

your skills, your client 

base and your income. 

But for all the excitement, 

it can also be a 

challenging profession. Who 

can you turn to if you’re 

struggling to get over key driver 

training issues to a pupil? Where can you 

go to soak up advice from more 

experienced ADIs? Who will help you if 

you are caught up in a dispute with the 

DVSA? If the worst happens, who can 

you turn to for help, advice and to fight 

your corner? 

The answer is the Motor Schools 

Association of Great Britain – MSA GB 

for short. 

We are the most senior association 

representing driving instructors in Great 

Britain. Establised in 1935 when the 

first driving test was introduced, MSA GB 

has been working tirelessly ever since on 

behalf of ordinary rank and file ADIs. 

We represent your interests and your 

views in the corridors of power, holding 

regular meetings with senior officials 

from the DVSA and the Department for 

Transport to make sure the ADIs’ voice is 

heard. 

SPECIAL OFFER 

We’d like you to join us 

We’re there to support you every 

step of the way. Our officebased 

staff are there, five 

days a week, from 9am- 

5.30pm, ready to answer 

your call and help you in 

any way. 

In addition our network of 

experienced office holders 

and regional officers can offer 

advice over the phone or by email. 

But membership of the MSA GB doesn’t 

just mean we’re there for you if you’re in 

trouble. We also offer a nationwide 

network of regular meetings, seminars 

and training events, an Annual 

Conference, and a chance to participate 

in MSA GB affairs through our 

democratic structure 

In addition, you’ll get a free link to our 

membership magazine Newslink every 

month, with all the latest news, views, 

comment and advice you’ll need to 

become a successful driving instructor. 

You’ll also automatically receive 

professional indemnity insurance worth 

up to £5m and £10m public liability 

insurance free of charge. 

This is essential legal protection covering 

you against legal claims ariving from your 

tuition. 

Special offer for November10, join 

for £70 for the first year with your 

PI & PL insurance included! 

Join MSA GB today! 

NOVEMBER OFFER 

Special offer: join for JUST £70 for the first year 

with your PI & PL insurance included! 

Call 01787 221020 quoting 

discount code November10, or 

join online at www.msagb.com 

£70 

Just for 15 months membership 

NEWSLINK n NOVEMBER 2022 39

Newslink November

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