Newslink July 01-40

For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com
I sympathise with today’s
‘trapped’ learners - but we
cannot dance to their tune
Colin Lilly
Editor,
Newslink
When taking on a new pupil, one of the
questions ADIs like answering is, ‘when do
you hope to pass your driving test’? In other
words, can we both set the same goal?
The answer we would like to hear is ‘as
soon as you think I am ready’. It is a long time
since I have heard that reply!
Recently, AA Driving School surveyed its
learners to find the top motivators to passing
the test. You can read more about the report
on page 9, but here are a few takeaways.
Among young drivers aged 18 to 24 the most
common ‘deadlines’ were:
n In time for summer (20%)
n A work commitment (19%)
n Starting further education (19%)
n Leaving childhood home (12%)
n Their birthday (12%)
n An educational commitment (11%)
n Driving to a holiday (5%)
n Before the weather worsened (3%)
So it seems that work, education and the
weather are the triggers that start a young
person on the road to a driving licence. In fact,
61% of young drivers in the survey said they
had set a personal deadline. Among all drivers
A date for your diary: the
2024 MSA GB conference
currently learning only 21% had set a similar
goal. Perhaps this is down to the impatience
of youth.
The desire to learn quickly has led to many
learners grabbing unrealistically early tests
or heading for an unfamiliar test centres, in
many cases not knowing where the town is,
let alone what the road system is like.
I usually persude pupils to drop the idea of
changing the test centre by warning that the
pass rate at a preferred test centre, ie, one
that is familiar to the pupil, is 65.9%, whereas
the pass rate at a non-preferred centre is
47.6%. That fact tends to work.
But the long waiting lists provoke a feeling
of being trapped and for some, any
opportunity to escape is seized.
The underlying belief that a driving licence
is a rite of passage is far from new. I
remember it being thus almost 60 years ago.
However, many learners do not realise that
their parents, or possibly their grandparents,
had the same fears due to licence or driving
test backlogs in the past.
The situation of the pandemic and its
social-changing aftermath may be unique in
our times but the cost of living issues we face
today are cyclical. Unique or not, these
factors still affect our businesses and
possibly our professional reputations.
We must be careful not to fall victims of
our clients’ whims – no matter how much
they press for an L-test.
We are delighted to announce the launch of the
MSA GB 2024 conference.
Taking place in-person from 22nd – 23rd March 2024,
our annual conference is set to be bigger and better than
ever, as we bring together delegates from across the UK
to meet with leading figures from the motoring and road
safety community. Each one will be ready to impart their
knowledge, opinions, and expertise to our attendees.
Alongside a jam-packed day of presentations and interactive workshops, there’ll also be a full
schedule of entertainment and leisure activities, so you’ll have plenty of time for networking
and to catch up with old friends and forge new connections.
We will soon be providing further details on the MSA GB 2024 Annual Conference, so please
keep an eye on Newslink, our app and social media channels for updates.
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COVER STORY
Risk management is
an essential part of
the Standards
Check, but it seems
that it is still widely
misunderstood,
says ADI trainer
Steve Garrod.
See page 24
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NEWSLINK n JULY 2023 03