Newslink March

News
Police nab ADI for using phone on lesson
Another ADI has risked his livelihood
after police spotted him on his mobile
phone while conducting a driving lesson,
resulting in this tuition car being pulled
over and a traffic offence report being
handed out.
The incident took place on January 31
in Salford, Greater Manchester, after
police spotted a white Toyota being
driven by a learner while the ADI was
using his handheld device.
To make matters worse, the instructor
was so “engrossed in his mobile phone
call”, police said, that he failed to spot
the officers’ visual request for him to
stop, and they were forced to add a little
‘light music’ to the air to grab his
attention.
Greater Manchester Police issued a
Traffic Offence Report (TOR) for using his
mobile phone while supervising a learner
driver on a lesson.
After the car was stopped, the police
published a picture of it next to an officer
– proof that there can be such a thing as
bad publicity.
In a post, GMP Traffic said: “The
instructor of this learning vehicle was so
engrossed in his mobile phone call he
failed to notice the #RPTF patrol on
Great Clowes Street.
“Luckily his student did and kindly
pulled over.
“Instructor issued with TOR for using a
mobile phone under tuition.”
The incident provoked a spot of
outrage from the safe drivers of Greater
Manchester, who posted on the
Manchester Evening News’ Facebook
page a number of unflattering comments.
One wrote: “People are paying good
money for inferior services! This
instructor needs his licence rescinding!”
Another said: “This is a duty of care
towards his or her pupils, disgusting
behaviour”.
There was – possibly predictably – a
chance for others to pile in with tales of
poor behaviour by ADIs, some
unconnected to this incident. “So many
instructors I see doing this. I would be
fuming if I was paying them to play on
phone”, one said.
One said: “I had a driving instructor
who fell asleep. He only woke up when I
went round a bend too fast and the car
swung round the corner. Then on top of
that, said he didn’t know where he was
in the area...” while another person
claimed she had spotted her ADI
“speeding down the road to get to his
next lesson, miles over the speed limit.”
Clearly, there’s a warning here about
how ADIs conduct themselves – and with
a headerboard and decals, it’s not like
the public won’t know who you are!
High price tag putting still public off buying EVs
A Government survey has found that a
significant majority of people believe
battery electric vehicles are too expensive
to buy – with many also having concerns
about the lack of charging provision.
The National Travel Attitudes Study
(NTAS) found that while only four per
cent of respondents currently own or
have use of a plug-in vehicle, 57 per
cent report that they are fairly likely or
very likely to purchase or lease one in the
future.
When it comes to the present, 80 per
cent believe that battery electric vehicles
are too expensive to buy, while 59 per
cent say that there are not enough public
electric vehicle chargepoints.
The Government is keen to encourage
the UK to switch to electric
vehicles. It is banning the
sale of new petrol and
diesel cars from 2030.
The survey shows 55
per cent support or
strongly support the UK
Government’s action to
increase the proportion of
electric vehicles sold by
manufacturers. A majority (72 per cent)
believe that electric vehicles are ‘greener’
than petrol or diesel equivalents.
The most popular factors that would
encourage the public to buy an EV
included lower initial purchase
cost (76 per cent), lower
running costs (75 per cent)
and convenience of recharging
(67 per cent).
More local chargepoints (58
per cent) and environmental
benefits (57 per cent) were also
popular factors.
22 NEWSLINK n MARCH 2023