Newslink October Marketing Special

msagb.com 

Newslink 

The Voice of MSA GB 

Issue 369 • October 2023 

Non-members 

special issue 

Join us today 

for just 

£60 

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a prize worth £100 

by joining MSA GB 

150,000 * 

more L-tests 

on their way 

Boost for ADIs and learners as DVSA makes 

major intervention to reduce waiting times 

* possibly... 

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Welcome to MSA GB 

Mike Yeomans 

MSA GB 

National Chairman 

I’d like to say a warm welcome to 

members of the ADI and PDI 

community who are receiving their 

own link to this digital issue of 

Newslink for the first time. 

Newslink is the official membership 

magazine of the Motor Schools Association 

of Great Britain – or MSA GB, as it is more 

usually known. 

At MSA GB we represent driving 

instructors across Great Britain, lobbying 

government and the DVSA on your behalf 

while at the same time representing 

individual members when they become 

embroiled in dispute with the DVSA, the 

registrar or when problems arise at their 

local driving test centre. Our team is ready 

to advise, guide and help you to become the 

very best driving instructor you can 

possibly be. 

In addition, our members receive a host 

of benefits, including money off specially 

selected products and services, free of 

charge Professional Indemnity Insurance 

and Public Liability Insurance, free Terms of 

Business contracts for you to work to with 

your pupils, and numerous discounted CPD 

training events throughout the year. 

And they get Newslink every month, too! 

This free digital publication comes to you at 

the start of every month packed with all 

the latest news, views and comment from 

across the driver training and testing 

profession, as well as CPD articles 

and general road safety 

information that will improve 

you as an instructor. 

So why are you receiving a 

copy of Newslink this 

month? Because we want 

you to join the MSA GB 

family. 

Over the next couple of pages we’ll 

highlight some of the benefits of joining 

MSA GB, and then you will see what you can 

look forward to each month in Newslink. 

Becoming a member of MSA GB is 

oustanding value: just £70 a year will get 

you all the benefits I’ve mentioned above 

– and don’t forget, as a professional fee, 

that is tax deductible, too! 

But to make the decision to join us that 

little bit easier, if you join using our special 

joining offer code, Newslink, you will receive 

a full year’s membership for just £60, 

saving you £25, and your access to PI & PL 

insurance cover starts immediately. 

Want to meet 

up with MSA GB 

members in person? We 

have a number of in-person 

events lined up - see pgs 

30-31 for more details of 

how you can get involved 

with the MSA GB 

Enjoy this magazine. I hope 

you see enough here to 

convince you to join the 

association. If you want to 

talk to anyone at MSA GB, 

contact our head office 

team. We will be 

delighted to take your call 

and tell you more. 

How to join MSA GB 

Go to https://msagb.com/join/ 

Pay just £60 for a year’s membership, 

saving you £25. 

Don’t forget to use the special 

Discount Code: Newslink 

WIN! 

Join MSA GB this month and be in with a 

chance to win an AlcoSense personal 

breathalyser worth £100! 

Protect yourself and your pupils with this personal 

breathalyser. Worth £100, all ADIs/PDIs who join MSA 

GB this month will be entered into a free draw to win one. 

MSA GB has arranged a special discount on all Alcosense 

products: see page 43 of this publication for details. 

JOIN TODAY: Go to https://msagb.com/join or call 01787 221020

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

Why join? 

Just some of the benefits 

that membership brings 

n Products 

and services 

- including 

our Terms of 

Business and 

handy guides written by 

our industry experts 

Check out our App 

n Networking with fellow ADIs: 

Get involved through our regional 

networks - friendly advice and 

support that’s on your doorstep 

MSA GB has its own app that can be downloaded free from 

Apple Play and Google Play stores. 

It contains all the latest information on the driver training 

and testing sector, including policy updates, news from 

the DVSA and the latest on L-tests. 

It also includes details on MSA GB events, benefits, 

exclusive discounts and much, much more. 

Keep up-to-date in a flash with all that’s going on: 

Download it today. 

Representing the profession 

MSA GB is in constant touch with the Department for Transport 

and the DVSA as they look to develop the L-test and Standards 

Check for ADIs. That way you get to influence the future of 

driver training and testing. We always ask you for your views and 

take them directly to the people at the top. 

Essential legal protection 

Professional indemnity cover – up 

to £5m – and £10m public liability 

insurance included in your 

membership FREE 

More on this on pg 4-5 

CPD: vital for the 

modern ADI 

Subsidised - 

sometimes FREE 

- training material, 

guides and exclusive 

CPD courses to keep 

your tuition fresh and 

ahead of the field 


Welcome to MSA GB 

Who we are, how we’re run 

Who we are 

The Motor Schools Association of Great 

Britain (MSA) was formed on March 31, 

1935, just before the driving test was 

introduced. Its principal aims, then as now, 

are to keep members informed of any 

matters of interest to them, to represent 

the views of members to Government, its 

departments and agencies, to provide 

services that will be of benefit to members 

and to set standards of professional and 

ethical behaviour for teachers of driving. 

Who owns the MSA GB? 

The MSA GB is a non-profit-making 

association, without shareholders, owned by 

and run for the benefit of its membership. 

Membership 

Membership is open to all Approved 

Driving Instructors (ADIs). PDIs join as 

Probationary Members and their 

membership is automatically converted to 

Full on qualification. MSA GB also offers 

membership to motorcycle and LGV 

instructors, as well as deliverers of driver 

improvement courses. 

How it is run 

The MSA GB is a company limited by 

guarantee. Formal title is The Motor 

Schools Association of Great Britain Ltd. 

Registered in London (615026). The 

association’s registered office is: 

Peershaws, Berewyk Hall Court, White 

Colne, Colchester, Essex CO6 2QB 

The MSA GB is run on behalf of members 

by the Board of Management. Board 

members are all working driving 

instructors and are paid no salary for the 

work they do. 

All full members have voting rights and 

can join their area committees, vote at the 

AGM and help decide future strategy and 

direction of the association. 

Some of the benefits of 

joining MSA GB 

Manned phone lines to help 

you during office hours 

Advice on dealing with the 

DVSA... L-test examiners... 

and your Standards Check 

Professional help if you are 

threatened with being 

removed from the register 

Cost-effective CPD 

to keep your tuition 

skills up to date 

What are the main benefits? 

The MSA offers members benefits falling under four headings: 

INFORMATION – through Newslink, the MSA GB website and our social media channels. 

REPRESENTATION – if you have a problem with your work as an ADI, we will offer advice 

and guidance and represent your interests. In particular, if you need help with the DVSA, 

perhaps because they are threatening to remove your ADI registration, contact us and we 

will try to help. Every year we represent many ADIs in cases against the DVSA. We also act 

as expert witnesses in instructor-pupil disputes. 

SERVICES – Members automatically receive professional indemnity insurance worth up to 

£5m and £10 public liability insurance - FREE OF CHARGE. This is an essential service: legal 

protection, covering you against legal claims arising from your tuition. 

SUPPORT – We also organise events on your behalf, including our annual conference every 

March and area AGMs each autumn. 

Free, professionally written Terms of 

Business will make sure you’re covered 

MSA GB members receive access to our superb and highly 

recommended Terms of Business. These are free for you to 

download and allow you to present yourself to pupils in a businesslike 

fashion by setting out the ‘rules’ that will govern the relationship 

between the ADI and the pupil in a professional manner. A printed 

version (as photo) is available to purchase from Driving School 

Supplies, updated in April 2023. 

The Terms cover items such payment terms, lesson duration, 

conduct of both parties during lessons, cancellations and the 

responsibilities both parties carry in terms of licensing and the rules 

of the road. 

Here is an example that highlights their usefulness: You receive a 

fine for using your car in a bus lane. 

You don’t recall this incident and on checking your diary you 

realise the car was on an L-test at the time of the incident. As the 

person responsible for the vehicle you are 

required to pay the fine. Unlike an offence 

like speeding, the law requires you to pay, 

not to provide details of the driver. Luckily, 

you and your pupil have signed the MSA 

GB Terms of Business. 

Clause 12 states: During an official 

driving test the client is in charge of the 

vehicle and is liable for any fines or 

charges levied as a result of any motoring 

offence committed. 

You are therefore able to claim the fee 

from the client. 

That’s why you need the reassurance of 

having the MSA’s Terms of Business behind you. 

Updated in 

April 2023 



FREE to members: Our professional indemnity 

and public liability insurance has you covered 

As part of our membership offer, MSA GB 

has arranged Public Liability Insurance and 

Professional Idemnity Insurance for all 

members. Public Liability Insurance is up to 

the sum of £10m and Professional 

Indemnity insurance is up to the sum of 

£5m for when members are engaged in 

any driver training that they are qualified 

to deliver... 

Th e Public Liability Insurance protects 

members where a third party makes a 

claim, caused by the negligence of the 

member, for personal injury or damage to 

property, not belonging to the member, 

when outside the car. 

Th e Professional Indemnity Insurance 

covers members in case of action taken 

against them by a third party for 

professional error, negligence or omission 

in the professional advice they give to the 

public. 

Sounds great... but why would I need it? 

These two policies are so important that 

if you decide to move into teaching 

business fleet drivers or on behalf of local 

authorities, colleges or other public sector 

bodies, they will insist on you having such 

cover in place before employing you. It is 

also a requirement to have such insurance 

in place if you are going to hire facilities for 

classroom tuition. 

Why would I need it? The cover protects 

you should a pupil or another third party 

bring a legal action against you for 

damages. 

As an ADI you are expected to maintain 

the highest standards at all times when 

supervising learners, but if ever your 

standards should slip, or are perceived to 

have slipped by a court, and someone else 

is hurt, then you are vulnerable to a claim 

made against you. 

How does it work? An example case 

would be where, during a lesson, you and 

your pupil are involved in a car crash, in 

which the pupil is injured. 

Subsequently the pupil claims his/her 

injuries were due to your poor tuition and 

supervision of the lesson. They contract a 

solicitor on a no-win, no-fee basis and 

proceed to being a civil case against you for 

damages. 

What can the ADI do? As a member of 

the MSA GB, you would enact the free 

Professional Indemnity cover that comes 

as part of membership. It protects you for 

up to £5 million of legal costs and damages. 

Any court case would still be a trying 

experience but at least you would be 

covered financially. 

If you were not covered you would have 

to either contract a solicitor out of your 

own pocket and fight the claim or agree to 

pay damages to the pupil. Either way you 

will be out of pocket. 

That’s the peace of mind and protection 

that professional indemnity insurance can 

bring – and you get it free of charge as a 

member. 

Start your cover now: Just go to 

https://msagb.com/join and use Discount 

Code Newslink to secure your year’s 

membership for just £60 – saving you 

£25. All benefits start immediately 

you join. 

Ready to support and serve 

MSA GB members are served by 

a dedicated team of staff at our 

head office. 

MSA GB is administered by a professional 

team at CJAM, who provide support with 

the day-to-day running of MSA GB, as 

well as supporting members with any 

issues they may have. 

CJAM has extensive experience 

supporting trade bodies, charities, 

professional institutions, societies, and 

business clients. 

They have access to the latest skills, 

tools, and methods of best practice, 

ensuring MSA GB runs as smoothly and 

efficiently as possible. 

The MSA GB team is led by Helen 

Shears. As the first point of contact for 

MSA GB members, Helen is very friendly 

and approachable. Working closely with 

the team and using her experience of 

managing ‘not for profit’ groups, she 

brings meticulous administrative skills to 

the association, ensuring that members 

receive consistent and helpful support, so 

they can make the best use of their 

membership and its benefits. 

For any member enquiries, please do 

not hesitate to contact us on: info@ 

msagb.com or to speak to Helen direct on 

01787 221 020. 

TURN TO THE NEXT PAGE TO READ NEWSLINK IN FULL


Welcome news for those worried 

by the rush to electrify – and for 

those desperate for their L-test 

Colin Lilly 

Editor, 


One of the surprise announcements in 

September came from the Prime Minister 

Rishi Sunak, when he confirmed that a 

number of the Net Zero 2050 policies would 

be delayed. 

To drivers the most important was the 

stay of execution on the sale of petrol and 

diesel-powered vehicles and some hybrids, 

with the axe falling not in 2030 but in 2035. 

This will take pressure off many car owners 

who were not relishing the financial outlay of 

going electric. 

The postponement is a mixed blessing 

depending on your situation. 

Some driver trainers have gone ahead and 

started using electric training vehicles. The 

postponement of five years may reduce 

demand for lessons in the short term but a 

significant number will still want to be ready 

for the inevitable. 

There is little doubt that a potential change 

to electric or hybrid vehicles has fuelled the 

demand for lessons in a car with an automatic 

gearbox. This demand will continue as the 

popularity of these vehicles is increasing. 

Availability of charging points has been a 

concern for drivers. Hopefully the extra five 

years will allow providers and local 

authorities to catch up and prepare a network 

that will approach sufficiency. 

Battery range has been a concern for 

potential owners and battery supply for 

manufacturers. More time should allow these 

matters to be resolved. Sources of the 

precious metals required from around the 

world are expanding, which will help 

production levels and reduce prices. 

The change in date to 2035 brings UK in line 

with the European Union and United States. 

This will help vehicle manufacturers plan 

models. A number of manufacturers have set 

dates to end sales of petrol and diesel 

vehicles. Jaguar Land Rover, Ford, BMW, 

including Mini, Nissan and others have 

announced plans to make their range all 

electric by 2030. 

There are some doubts that the target of 

net zero by 2050 can be met. But vehicle 

targets may be achieved by manufacturers 

rather than legislation. 

• More on this on page 20 

Another announcement in September that 

was most welcome was the plan by DVSA to 

allocate all driving examiner warrant card 

holder to testing duties, creating up to an 

extra 150,000 test slots by the end of the 

financial year. Hopefully, this shows that the 

DVSA recognises at last just how serious the 

situation is. 

• More on this on page 10 

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 page or email so you 

can find 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 ways: 

Go online and read the interactive 

magazine on the Yumpu website; or, 

if you would like to read it 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 on the MSA GB website, at 

www.msagb.com 

Follow the link 

MSA GB sends 

you to access 

Newslink, 

and then just 

click Download 

(circled above) 

to save a copy 

on your device 

MSA GB Annual Conference 2024: 

Prices and venue announced 

Time to get the weekend 

cleared.... 

Venue and pricing 

details released. 

See pg 30 for more 

details and first news 

COVER STORY 

The DVSA’s latest 

intervention could 

add as many as 

150,000 L-tests, 

in a bid to cut the 

waiting times. 

Full story, 

see pg 10 

NEWSLINK n OCTOBER 2023 07

Contents 

10 150,000 

more 

tests... 

16 

28 

A cry 

for help 

40 ICE man cometh... 20 

DVSA plan could see a fall in 

L-test waiting times 

Warranted examiners to leave their 

desks and return to the frontline as 

DVSA plans for 150,000 additional 

tests – pg 10 

IMTD honour for Peter Harvey 

Lifetime achievement award for a man 

who has given so much to the driver 

training and testing sector – pg 12 

New figures offer reminder of 

price we pay for road deaths 

Renewed calls for the Government to 

reintroduce road casualty reduction 

targets as DfT reveals road death toll 

for 2022 – pg 14 

Wales: Slow acceptance? 

Colin Lilly looks at how Wales has 

responded to the introduction of the 

20mph speed limits – pg 16 

Rishi puts new petrol and 

diesel sales on ice 

Rishi Sunak announces a slow-down 

in the race to electrify the UK’s car 

parc – but the manufacturers don’t 

look like backing his plan – pg 20 

Law gets tough on offenders 

ADIs urged to make pupils aware of 

the consequences of a single act of 

careless driving – pg 22 


The Voice of MSA GB 

The Motor Schools Association 

of Great Britain Ltd 

Head Office: 

Peershaws, 

Berewyk Hall Court, 

White Colne, Colchester, 

Essex CO6 2QB 

T: 01787 221020 

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, 

4 Hilton Road, Bramhall, Stockport, 

Cheshire SK7 3AG 

Editorial/Production: Rob Beswick 

e: rob@chambermediaservices.co.uk 

t: 0161 426 7957 

Advertising sales: Colin Regan 

e: colinregan001@yahoo.co.uk 

t: 01942 537959 / 07871 444922 

Views expressed in Newslink are not necessarily those of the MSA 

GB or the publishers. 

Although every effort is made 

to ensure the accuracy of 

material contained within 

this publication, neither MSA 

GB nor the publishers can 

accept any responsibility for 

the veracity of claims made 

by contributors in either 

advertising or editorial content. 

©2023 The Motor Schools 

Association of Great Britain 

Ltd. Reproducing in whole 

or part is forbidden without 

express permission of the 

editor. 

08 NEWSLINK n OCTOBER 2023


MSA GB Board 

of Management 

National Chairman & 

Area 2 - East Coast Chair 

Mike Yeomans 

7 Oak Avenue, Elloughton, 

Brough HU15 1LA 

T: 07772 757529 

E: mike.yeomans@msagb.com 

AREA 1 

Vice Chairman 

Peter Harvey MBE 

T: 01505 814823 

E: peter.harveymbe@msagb.com 

Area 1 – Scotland & 

Northern Ireland 

Chair: Steven Porter 

18 Heron Place, Johnstone 

PA5 0RW 

T: 01505 345372 or 

07747 600672 

E: steven.porter@msagb.com 

Area 3 – London & South East 

Chair: Tom Kwok 

52B Sutton Road, Muswell Hill, 

London N10 1HE 

07956 269922 

E: tom.kwok@msagb.com 

How MSA GB 

is organised, in 

four AREAS 

AREA 4 

AREA 2 

AREA 3 

Area 4 – West Coast & Wales 

Chair: Arthur Mynott 

9 Hagleys Green, Crowcombe, 

Taunton TA4 4AH 

T: 01984 618858 

E: arthur.mynott@msagb.com 

Keep in touch 

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. 

Follow MSA GB on social media 

Just click on the icon to go 

through to the relevant site 


News 

Good news on waiting times at last as DVSA 

makes 150,000 more L-test slots available 

Significant intervention will 

see up to a fifth more tests 

between now and March 2024 

Number of Standards Checks 

reduced and some cancelled 

as DVSA staff shift duties 

In a move aimed at bringing down L-test 

waiting times to more realistic levels, the 

DVSA has announced plans to offer an 

additional 150,000 L-tests between the start 

of October and the end of March 2024. 

MSA GB has broadly welcomed the plan, 

saying if the plan works as well as outlined by 

the DVSA, it could have a major impact on 

test waiting times and ease some of the 

pressures currently faced by ADIs and 

learners. 

From October-March the DVSA would 

expect to conduct around 800,000 tests, so 

the additional slots constitute a 20 per cent 

uplift in capacity. 

The current waiting time for a test remains 

as high as 20 weeks in some test centres, 

with too many test slots still being hoovered 

up by ‘test bots’ and reports of learners 

taking any test they can, in different parts of 

the country, just to get a slot. 

It is hoped that the extra tests will dampen 

down demand and make the test bots’ work 

unnecessary. 

The extra tests have been created after the 

DVSA asked up to 240 full-time ‘exam warrant 

card holding’ staff to return to frontline testing 

full-time for the next six months. 

From as early as next week the agency will 

be deploying any personnel who hold a 

warrant card back to driver testing. They will 

effectively be giving up other roles or 

projects within the agency in that period. 

This will, DVSA said, have the potential to 

generate the additional 150,000 driving test 

slots. These additional slots will be drip-fed 

into the booking system in fortnightly 

batches, starting from October 4. 

On Monday, October 2 DVSA began adding 

the extra appointments to the booking 

service. This will cover test appointments for 

October 6-November 3. It will take a few 

days for all the appointments to be added. 

Then, on October 16, it will start to add 

appointments for November 4-November 18. 

Again, it will take a few days for all the 

appointments to be added. This process will 

be repeated every two weeks. For example, 

they’ll add more appointments on October 

30, November 13 and so on. 

DVSA will continue to do this until 

additional appointments are available up to 

March 31, 2024. 

Making the additional tests count 

The DVSA has offered the following reminder to ADIs and learners as they announced the addition 

of up to 150,000 L-tests. “It’s really important that we work together to reduce the current high 

driving test waiting times, by making every L-test count. 

“We know that many of your pupils have been using the Ready to Pass? campaign resources to 

help prepare for their test – and found them really useful. 

“We also know that many ADIs have used the resources on the site to work with your pupils to 

make sure they only go for their test when they are ready to do so. 

“The campaign has been designed to support you and reinforce the messages you already give 

your pupils. You can visit the campaign website for 10 ways that you can help us spread the word.” 

See https://readytopass.campaign.gov.ukfor more details and resources. 

The majority of the additional tests will be 

covered by staff qualified to take L-tests who 

have currently volunteered to do some 

additional testing in addition to their normal 

roles, such as local driving test managers, 

operational managers, examiners tasked 

with Standards Checks and policy experts. 

The DVSA will now be asking them to cover 

driving tests full-time until March, which will 

mean they will not do their usual roles. 

This move will certainly make a difference 

to the testing on offer but will impact in other 

areas. The biggest change that ADIs will 

notice will be on standards checks. The 

number of slots given over to these will be 

significantly reduced – and any ADI currently 

holding a standards check appointment may 

find that it is cancelled in the next few days. 

However, those ADIs flagged to be the 

most risky (ie, those who present a 

concerning number of poor quality test 



candidates, or who have failed previous 

checks) will still be prioritised for a check. 

The DVSA has confirmed that any third 

(final) attempt standards checks will still go 

ahead, and if it is obvious instructors’ 

standards are falling at a test centre, some 

checks will still go ahead. 

If the new system delivers results quickly, 

the usual standards checks regime may 

return before March. 

Part 2 and 3 tests will still go ahead, 

however, and DVSA said it would continue to 

monitor driving test performance while 

prioritising car driving tests. 

MSA GB and NASP welcomed this news. 

“With such a high average waiting time for 

tests currently, the additional slots could 

have a significant impact on bringing the 

average wait down and will help alleviate 

pressure on DVSA, instructors and pupils 

alike, ” a spokesperson said. 

“We will continue to meet regularly with 

DVSA to monitor the impact of this 

development (and any other measures the 

agency is undertaking to combat test waiting 

times) and we will keep members informed 

on progress.” 

MSA GB added: “While this sounds like a 

good solution, it begs the question, why did 

the DVSA not think of dropping standards 

checks earlier? We hope it isn’t because 

there was a lack of trust in ADIs maintaining 

their tuition standards without the threats of 

a check to keep them in line. 

“We will press DVSA to ask candidates to 

consult with their instructor before accepting 

any test. Candidates must be reminded that 

ADIs are in the best position to judge whether 

a pupil has a chance of passing their test, and 

to remind them that late notice cancellations 

can mean they lose their test fee.” 

One potential problem to this idea is if the 

warranted examiners struggle with their 

return to a seven-tests a day environment 

MSA GB said: “This could be a real shock to 

some of the older office-based staff, 

who may not be too enthusiastic about this 

major change to their working conditions. 

Their response could mean the 150,000 

pledged may not all materialise.” 

Other organisations working in the driver 

training and testing sector also welcomed the 

news. The AA Driving School Managing 

Director, Camilla Benitz, said: “We warmly 

welcome this step. The AA Driving School has 

been campaigning for concerted action to 

tackle the test backlog since 2021 ,and 

recently wrote to the Minister on this issue. 

“Now we hope DVSA can capitalise on this 

forward momentum in tackling the backlog 

and consider what other measures might be 

necessary to continue to push the waiting 

time back to six weeks. 

“Many people need their driving licence for 

work or education; long waits to get a test 

slot are a barrier few can afford.” 

The AA Driving School’s latest data on the 

backlog shows learners faced waiting times 

above the pre-pandemic average of six 

weeks at 80% of driving test centres (260 

total). 

To read the full DVSA Direct announcement 

on this topic follow the link below: 

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/ 

UKDVSA/bulletins/372a290 


News 

IMTD honours Peter Harvey with 

Lifetime Achievement Award 

by Neil Wightman M.Inst IMTD, 

Y2 Learn Driver Training 

The Institute of Master Tutors of Driving 

(IMTD) has given Peter Harvey MBE, MSA GB 

former National Chairman and current 

Deputy Chairman, its Lifetime Achievement 

Award. 

The award was made last month at its 

Annual meeting and AGM. 

Peter had, the IMTD said, made a 

considerable contribution to the driver 

training, testing and road safety worlds, and 

the IMTD wished to recognise his significant 

contributions to the driving instruction 

community. 

During the many decades since he qualified 

as an ADI he has devoted his efforts to 

helping numerous ADIs and PDIs, working 

with local road safety groups and promoting 

high standards for instructors across 

Scotland and throughout the British Isles as a 

member and officer of MSA GB. 

His contribution has been felt at all levels: 

with ADIs, helping with problems at a local 

level and at test centres; with youngsters on 

cycling proficiency schemes and road safety 

education; on to national and international 

levels, through his talks with Government 

ministers, the DVSA and the European 

Driving Instructors association, EFA. 

Peter also represents the MSA GB 

nationally at meetings with the DVSA and is 

one of the regular chairs of the National 

Associations Strategic Partnership (NASP). 

He has also been called to give evidence on 

behalf of driver trainers to the House of 

Commons Transport Select Committee. 

He was involved in the pilot for the new 

driving test and has been involved in the 

working group considering proposed changes 

to the way the ADI Part 3 test is conducted. 

He joined the MSA Scotland committee 

around 1979, became its chairman in the 

mid-1980s and joined the MSA board of 

management. In 1989 he became the national 

deputy chairman and in 1995 the MSA 

national chairman and has been returned to 

this post unopposed every year until handing 

over the mantle in March of this year, and 

now serves as Deputy Chair. 

In the Queen’s Birthday Honours list 2011 

Peter was appointed a Member of the Most 

Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE). 

In addition to Peter, other awards went to: 

Stuart Walker, who was honored for his 

outstanding production of a skid control DVD. 

Andrew Drewery, Road Safety Smart Ltd 

Tom Harrington, who received the 

Chairman’s Recognition Award 

ADAS Hub, for producing an exemplary 

educational platform 

And finally to the DVSA, recognisingits 

outstanding achievement with a Certificate 

of Commendation for the impactful L-test 

campaign, ‘Ready to Pass. 

A sixth award went to the IMTD’s 

chairman, Graham Feest, who received a 

well-deserved award in recognition of his 

tireless support of the Institute and the 

invaluable monthly newsletter he sends 

around to members. 

The IMTD award 

winners. From left, 

Andrew Drewery, 

Tom Harrington, 

Stuart Walker, 

Graham Feest and 

Peter Harvey 

HMRC offers guidance on self-employed expenses queries 

HMRC is hosting another round of its 

webinars for the self-employed, focused on 

good record keeping so you can work out 

what expenses you can claim for – especially 

when you’re claiming for items which you 

may use privately as well as for business. 

Capital allowances for the self-employed 

This webinar looks at claiming expenses 

for plant and machinery, such as business 

vehicles, computers and equipment. 

It will also cover: annual investment 

allowance, first year allowances , writing 

down allowances and record keeping 

Register here 

For more information on claiming for cars, 

please join our separate webinar, ‘Car 

expenses and the self-employed’ (HERE) 

Record keeping for the self-employed 

Find out about setting up a record system 

and tips on keeping it up to date, as well as: 

unfamiliar terms; using records to work out 

taxable profits; information to record 

Register here 


News 

2022 road deaths stats labelled ‘chilling 

reminder of price paid for poor road safety’ 

Final figures show there were 1,711 road 

deaths in Great Britain during 2022, a 

year-on-year rise of 10%. 

The stats were published on September 28 

by the DfT, who says the number of 

casualties ‘have begun to normalise’ after the 

Covid-impacted years of 2020 and 2021. 

In comparison to 2019, the last year 

unaffected by the pandemic, the 2022 fatality 

figure is down 2%. 

Despite this, the RAC says the figures are 

“a chilling reminder that there remains so 

much work to do to improve road safety in 

the UK”. 

As has been widely reported over the last 

few years, casualty statistics have been 

heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, 

with lockdown periods leading to a reduction 

in traffic on the roads. 

As 2021 had a lockdown, it is perhaps no 

surprise that 2022 has seen an increase in 

not only fatalities, but also KSIs and the total 

number of casualties. At 29,742, the number 

of KSIs rose by 8%, while the overall casualty 

figure increased by 6% to 135,480. 

Both of the 2022 figures are however 

lower than 2019 – KSIs are down by 3% and 

casualties of all severities by 12%. 

In 2022, 76% of fatalities and 62% of 

casualties of all severities were male. 

RAC reiterates call for reintroduction of 

casualty targets 

Reacting to the figures, the RAC is calling 

on the Government to treat road safety “with 

the upmost seriousness” by reintroducing 

casualty reduction targets. 

Rod Dennis, RAC road safety spokesperson, 

said: “Confirmation that last year saw a rise 

in the number of casualties on our roads – 

and that men are so much more likely to be 

involved – is a chilling reminder that there 

remains so much work to be done to improve 

road safety in the UK, even if statistically we 

have some of the safest roads in Europe. 

“The data shows there were more fatal 

collisions last year than at any point over the 

last decade caused by drivers or riders being 

distracted, impaired (458 lives lost) or 

breaking the speed limit (303 lives lost). 

“It’s time the Government turned the dial 

up on tackling these issues which, while 

complex, result in hundreds of people losing 

their lives every year. 

“We also continue to urge the Government 

to treat this issue with the upmost 

seriousness by reintroducing casualty 

reduction targets which were scrapped in 

2010.” 

Initiative promotes helmet wearing among e-scooter riders 

Helmets are one of the “simplest and most 

effective ways” for e-scooter riders to 

prevent serious injury in the event of a 

collision. 

That’s the verdict of Neuron Mobility’s Alex 

Gunn, at the start of the organisation’s third 

Helmet Safety Awareness Week. 

Data shows that 28% of e-scooter injuries 

occur to the head or neck, while wearing a 

helmet reduces the risk of sustaining a 

severe injury by 70%. 

Neuron has teamed up with RoSPA to share 

five top tips to promote e-scooter helmet 

Road casualty charts, 2012-22 

use. As well as safety, the reasons for 

wearing a helmet include: 

n Increased visibility 

n Leading by example and setting a 

positive precedent for others 

n Protection from the weather 

n Financial savings 

David Walker, head of road and leisure 

safety at RoSPA, said: “We’re pleased to 

support Neuron this Helmet Awareness 

Week, which offers the ideal time for riders to 

be reminded of the importance of wearing a 

helmet. 

“Although helmets don’t prevent collisions 

from happening, they do provide a crucial line 

of defence that cannot be underestimated. 

“We strongly recommend all riders wear 

helmets, so if they are in an incident, their 

head is as protected as possible.” 

A study conducted for Neuron examined 

the perceptions on e-scooter safety and 

what would increase helmet use. The top 

suggestions were to introduce regulations to 

wear helmets, as with motorcycles (64%), 

more rider education (44%), and operators 

mandated to provide helmets (42%). 



MPs urge Government to push on with 

self-driving vehicle legislation 

Progress in developing self-driving vehicles 

(SDVs) risks stalling if the Government fails to 

include relevant legislation in the King’s 

Speech, MPs have warned. 

A report by the Commons’ Transport 

Committee stated the UK had a “competitive 

advantage” over other countries in relation to 

the technology, but warned “we must 

maintain it”. It urged the Government to put 

in place a robust regulatory framework for 

self-driving vehicles, to cover vehicle 

approval, liability for accidents, cybersecurity 

and the use of personal data. 

The MPs warned: “Failing to do so will do 

significant and lasting damage both to the 

UK’s self-driving vehicle industry and to this 

country’s reputation as a trailblazer.” 

The Government will set out proposed 

legislation for the next parliamentary session 

in the King’s Speech on November 7. 

In April, the UK became the first European 

country to allow drivers to take their hands 

off car steering wheels on public roads, after 

the DfT gave manufacturer Ford permission 

to activate its BlueCruise system on 

motorways (pictured). This controls steering, 

acceleration, braking and lane 

positioning. 

Fully self-driving cars remain 

banned on public roads in the 

UK apart from during 

Government-approved trials. 

Iain Stewart, who chairs the 

Transport Committee, said: 

“Thanks to the energy and 

creativity of the self-driving 

vehicles sector, the UK has a head start in 

developing a vision for how SDVs could be 

introduced. The Government’s strategy is one 

this committee broadly welcomes. 

“SDVs are a great British success story in 

the making and we have a competitive 

advantage. But all that hard work could be at 

risk if the Government doesn’t follow through 

and bring forward a transport Bill in 

the next parliamentary session. 

“SDVs face various hurdles, 

including public confidence in 

their safety and their potential 

to have knock-on impacts on 

other road users. If the 

Government is going to meet 

its ambitions for SDVs, these 

issues need to be addressed.” 


News: Wales’s 20mph limits 

Wales: the battle lines are drawn 

as 20mph limits come into effect 

Colin Lilly 

Editor 

MSA GB Newslink 

When the speed limit in built-up areas of 

Wales was reduced from 30mph to 20mph on 

September 17, the country became the first 

part of the UK to do so. 

The new limit will apply to residential 

streets with high levels of pedestrians and 

follows the ‘street light rule’. Local authorities 

can apply for certain roads to be left at 30mph. 

While proposing the scheme the Welsh 

Government used the slogan ‘20mph. A bit 

slower but a whole lot better.’ 

The change has many potential public 

health benefits. These include reducing the 

number and severity of injuries including 

deaths. It may seem obvious that a 

pedestrian hit at a lower speed has an 

increased chance of survival. It could reduce 

pressure on the NHS, not least because those 

involved in crashes should expect a reduced 

recovery time. It is hoped it will encourage 

walking and cycling, which has been shown to 

happen when people feel safer after the 

speed has been reduced. All this promotes 

better health. 

Hopefully the lower limit will reduce the 

number of incidents: a lower speed limit will 

give drivers more time to react when things 

go wrong. We know as trainers the effect of 

increased speed on stopping distances and 

collisions. 

Among evidence from cities that have 

reduced speed limits supporting the scheme 

is that of Edinburgh, where in one year 

collisions fell by 40% following the 

implementation of a 20mph limit. Deaths fell 

by 23% and serious injuries by 33%. 

Opponents of the change expressed 

concerns about journey times, costs to 

businesses and the effect on vehicle 

emissions. A UK government report in 2018 

reviewed 12 case studies from schemes in 

England where 20 mph limits had been 

implemented revealed that journey times 

increased by 3% in residential areas and 5% in 

city centres. This equated to less than a 

minute over a five-mile trip as drivers 

develop strategies to deal with the lower limit 

– particularly, developing a smoother driving 

style, while traffic flow improves and is less 

stop-start. 

The more confrontational of the opponents 

have been defacing the new speed limit signs. 

Politicians and their families have been 

threatened in Wales, such is the strength of 

feeling. 

Driver behaviour is a very complex subject. 

Some drivers do not want to slow down and 

feel they have a right to drive fast. But other 

drivers feel the pressure to conform with 

Immediate impact 

Traffic speeds on urban roads in Wales 

have fallen by 2.9mph since the 20mph 

speed limit came in, research by Agilysis 

has found. Its analysis on main routes in 

ten towns and cities, totalling 261 miles, 

looked at average speeds the week before 

and the week after the switch. Surveyed 

roads averaged 19.77 mph compared to 

22.67 mph the week before the change. 

other people’s behaviour, fitting in with the 

prevailing norms on the road. 

Compliant drivers, meanwhile, are 

frequently distracted while suffering pressure 

and road rage from more aggressive drivers. 

Drivers can be divided into three groups: 

Supporters. They adopt the 20mph and will 

drive to it unaffected by the opinions or 

threats of others around them. 

Opponents. These are drivers that are 

generally against speed limits and set their 

speed based on their own perception of 

ability and prevailing conditions. 

Pragmatists. These drivers tend to be 

influenced by the behaviour of the drivers 

around them. In some cases, they are 

unaware of speed limits but go with the flow. 

In order for these schemes to succeed, and 

for people to migrate between groups, it has 

to be supported by reliable and factual 

information, driver education and if 

necessary, police enforcement. 

Many people find change difficult while 

others just regard enforced change as an 

attack on their freedom. 

After a bedding-in period, change becomes 

the new norm. 



20mph speed limits – a personal recollection 

The issue of 20mph zones in Wales brought 

back some memories of the introduction of 

the same limit in large areas of Bristol and 

Bath, writes Colin Lilly. 

When the limits were introduced I was 

involved in the trial of a speed awareness 

course for 20mph only. This was ultimately 

incorporated into the standard course. 

In the early days of these courses, to say 

that the attendees were confrontational is an 

understatement. Many came along to make a 

point, with some arriving with files of 

paperwork to ‘present their case’; we never 

gave them to opportunity to do so. 

Highway Code 

message is not 

getting though 

One of the objections raised during the 

introduction of the Welsh 20mph limit is one 

of safety. 

One claim is that cyclists will be travelling 

at the same speed, or faster, than larger 

vehicles, giving a problem for drivers when 

turning left at a junction. This clearly shows 

that the commentator is unaware of or 

ignoring the hierarchy of road users 

introduced in January 2022. 

This supports a survey of drivers carried 

out by Tier, the world’s largest shared 

micro-mobility operator, and reported by 

Roadcc, the cycling organisation. 

The survey found that 25% of drivers, 

when questioned about pedestrian and 

cyclist priority, were either unable to answer 

or were incorrect in believing that vehicles 

have priority over cyclists and pedestrians 

when turning into a side road. Less than half 

of drivers identified pedestrians having 

priority 18 months after the Highway Code 

changes were introduced. 

More than a third of drivers thought that 

vehicles have priority turning into side roads 

and one-in-five were unsure who has 

priority. 

Last year the AA found that 61% of drivers 

admitted to not reading the new rules. 

Highway Code rules H1-3 are clear on the 

hierarchy with details of dealing with 

pedestrians and cyclists. 

More on this - plus ADIs 

in Wales offer their view: 

see pg 18 

At one time a misinformed newspaper 

report led to a rumour that the 20mph was 

being scrapped. Clients began attending the 

courses with the attitude that they were only 

there to avoid the fine and points rather than 

gain tips to deal with the limits. As a result I 

began each course by saying “you may have 

heard that the 20 limit is being scrapped. It is 

not true”. From then on, the clients were more 

co-operative. However, I do remember one 

woman who had taken up the confrontational 

seat at the front. I seriously thought she was 

going to cry on hearing the news. 

The main point of the courses was to get 

rid of the negatives of driving at 20mph. Such 

things as ‘it’s impossible to drive uphill 

without stalling at that speed...’ That would 

be the case in their chosen fourth gear so a 

little advice on the use of gears was given. 

It all comes down to drivers who have not 

developed their skills to get the best from a 

modern car. 

Eventually, the public were more accepting 

of the changes. I am, therefore, confident that 

the changes in Wales will also be accepted 

and the protests will subside. 


News: Wales’s 20mph limits 

Wales’s 20mph revolution 

The ADIs’ view 

MSA GB is interested in how its members 

have found the new limits, a fortnight after 

their introduction, with a particular look at 

how it will affect lesson planning and 

ultimately, the L-test. 

Bill Davies, a long-standing member from 

Caerphilly was blunt in saying most 

instructors he had spoken to viewed the new 

limit as a ‘pain in the butt’ – though he was 

quick to say that the new rules would not 

affect him too much. “From my house to a 

40-50mph dual carriageway is a couple of 

minutes’ drive, so I have plenty of chance to 

get my pupils out on to faster roads,” he told 

Newslink. “It won’t affect me. The guys I feel 

more sorry for are those based in Cardiff. 

Some have said they are surrounded by 

20mph zones. They do only hour-long 

lessons so getting out to a quicker road 

during that length of lesson is always going to 

be difficult.” 

Cardiff does have two major A roads going 

through its heart, which are unaffected by the 

lower limit, but both the A470 and A48 can be 

snarled with traffic so generally, ADIs have 

tried to avoid them, to avoid having a lesson 

spent in a traffic queue. 

“I can see this being a problem for the 

DVSA,” Bill added. “Both the A roads are 

accessible to the test centre, and all tests 

used them before the change, but I’d imagine 

that now the tests would have to have a 

larger proportion of their time on those 

roads. The problem will be for the tests at the 

start of the day, and those nearer the end; I 

can see the timings going out of the window, 

as it is so hard to judge how bad the traffic will 

be near some of the junctions.” 

He cited other concerns. “I’m worried that 

pupils will fixate on the speed limit signs and 

all their other observations will go out of the 

window. I know from talking to other ADIs 

that they have been drumming the 20mph 

limit into them for weeks. One said he’s 

finding himself saying ‘watch your speed’ all 

day, and he had one pupil who was so 

concerned about the limit that he missed the 

fact that he was approaching a zerbra 

crossing and had to be stopped just short 

with the duals as there was a pedestrian on it. 

“Pupils aren’t watching the traffic, they are 

watching the speed limit signs.” 

Another issue was with the speed limit 

signs themselves. “There are quite a few of 

20mph limits: Some facts ... 

Pedestrians have a much higher chance of 

survival if hit at 20mph, with a 2.5% chance 

of death, compared to 20% at 30mph. 

In 2021, Spain rolled out a national 30km/h 

(18mph) speed limit on most urban streets. 

and saw a 20 per cent fall in mortality rate. 

the old 30mph signs that haven’t come down 

yet. Whether that’s an error, I’m not sure, but 

it is causing confusion.” 

MSA GB agrees with the road safety 

aspect of 20mph areas, however, we remain 

concerned that blanket 20mph zones may 

make it difficult for urban ADIs to find enough 

faster roads within the normal lesson times. 

This may cause added expense to pupils 

with the time taken in the slower areas. 

DVSA will be monitoring the situation 

closely to see if examiners are struggling to 

find routes consistent with overall testing 

standard. It may be that DVSA will have to 

relocate or close test centres which can no 

longer meet the required test criteria. I’m sure 

instructors will work even harder to ensure 

pupils gain experience on all types of roads. 

Newslink asked the DVSA: 

n Have the 20mph speed limits led to any 

Blue light blues? 

changes in L-test routes? 

n Is the DVSA looking to operate out of 

different sites within Wales as a result of the 

reduction to the speed limits? 

n Are any examiners reporting difficulties 

in ensuring that all test candidates are driving 

at speeds of over 20mph for long enough? 

A spokesman for the DVSA said: “Driving 

test centre and routes are kept under 

constant review to make sure driving tests 

continue to test the ability of candidates to 

drive safely and independently.” 

Gary Digva, founder of Road Angel, says it 

is disappointing to see “such a pushback on 

life-saving policies”. He added: “Although the 

changes may seem inconvenient to people in 

a rush, these policies will ultimately save lives 

and should be considered more seriously 

across the whole of Britain.” 

How will the 20mph limit affect response times for emergency vehicles? Both the Police and 

the Fire Service say they will continue, when safe, to exceed the speed limit when responding 

to emergencies. The police added that as traffic should be moving at a slower speed, 

overtaking may be safer and response times reduced. 

South Wales Ambulance, however, said that there may be some effect on response times 

as its current policy is that their drivers would not travel at more than 20 mph over the speed 

limit on any road. 

It was also claimed by many opponents that businesses would be affected. After one week 

of the lower limit being in place, Tesco and Sainsburys’ home delivery schedule had not been 

affected, they said. 

Proof that generally, perceptions and reality are not always the same. 



The E1s and E2s are resurfacing in the 

debate over Wales’s speed limits 

Colin Lilly 

Editor 

MSA GB Newslink 

The recent activities in Wales regarding the 

introduction of the 20mph national speed 

limit (covered on pages 12-13) reminds me of 

a piece I wrote in 2020 in MSA GB’s then 

Weekly Bulletin. This was produced in the 

early weeks of the Covid-19 lockdown before 

the return of Newslink, and my article 

touched on stories in the media on those who 

breached the social distancing rules on 

meeting others. 

I can see that for many the speed limit 

reduction is almost like a kind of motoring 

lockdown. The first couple of paragraphs refer 

to drivers’ behaviour during lockdown 

knowingly breaching the rules. I think that 

behaviour is reflected in current events. 

Have lockdown breaches been 

years in the making? 

When we read or hear of some people’s 

behaviour during the lockdown period, should 

anyone in driver training or road safety be 

surprised? 

We see behaviours every day that show a 

scant regard for the rules: driving excessively 

over the speed limit on currently quieter 

roads; travelling long distances to beauty 

DTC update: Blandford Forum 

theory test centre 

Blandford Forum theory test centre 

moved to a new address last month. It is 

now based at: Ground Floor, Unit 3 

Barnark Walk, Blandford Forum DT11 7AL. 

All tests are now taking place at this 

new address.will be at the new address. 

The DVSA has contacted all pupils who 

have a theory test at Blandford Forum to 

let them know. 

Lockdown news bulletins were 

dominated by revelations about 

high-profile people abusing the 

lockdown rules for their own reasons, 

such as PM advisor Dominic 

Cummins. Classic E1 behaviour... 

spots that are normally tourist destinations 

and other unnecessary journeys too 

numerous to mention. Reports have shown 

that many of the drivers pulled over are found 

to be committing other motoring offences. 

What is the connection to training and road 

safety? These drivers are likely to be the 

ones who habitually speed, ignore red lights, 

ignore red Xs and hog lanes. They consider 

themselves to be the entitled ones, which I 

will refer to as the ‘E1s’. 

Now, this in itself is bad enough but others 

seem willing to excuse this behaviour by 

Know your Traffic Signs finally 

given a new look for 2023 

A couple of key updates to driver training 

information were made in September. 

A new version of Know Your Traffic Signs 

has just been published. The last full update 

was in 2007. You can view and purchase 

the newest version here: 

https://www.safedrivingforlife.info/ 

shop/know-your-traffic-signs/ 

There has also been yet another update 

to the Highway Code, on September 17. 

To view the most recent update see: 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ 

the-highway-code/updates 

saying ‘we don’t know what else was going 

on in their life’ or ‘they may have a sick child in 

the back of the car’. Both are possibilities but 

not in large numbers. By excusing this 

behaviour, I often feel they will also be able to 

be entitled too, which I refer to as ‘E2s’. 

The E1s and E2s do not belong in any 

particular age group, drive a certain category 

of vehicle, make of car or come from any set 

social group. They generally have no respect 

for other road users and will often single out 

selected road user types as being the 

problem; they are there only to hamper their 

use of what they consider is their road. 

E1s and E2s will sometimes adopt other 

modes of transport, shift their allegiance to 

their original vehicle, but retain E1 and E2 

prejudices against all other road users. 

Perhaps if there had been more enforcement 

available in recent years this type of 

behaviour would not have been allowed to 

develop. This may be a thought for the future. 

To my mind the E1s and E2s have wrung 

much of the pleasure out of driving in recent 

years and certainly created a less safe 

environment. I suspect the recovery to some 

form of previous normality will be slow. 

All this can be frustrating to driver training 

and road safety professionals. After all, 

training and safety campaigns are only 

conspiracies to frustrate the desires of E1s 

and E2s 


News 

Rishi puts new car petrol and 

diesel sales ban on ICE 

PM pulls a U-turn - but is 

anyone listening? 

Rishi Sunak performed what one political 

commentator described as the ‘mother of all 

U-turns’ last month when he announced a 

huge shake-up in the UK’s response to 

climate change. 

At the heart of these changes, as far as 

ADIs are concerned, was the news that the 

date at which the sale of new petrol and 

diesel cars was to stop, had been pushed 

back, from 2030 to 2035. 

Under the old legislation, only petrolhybrids, 

diesel-hybrids and BEV (battery 

electric vehicles) would be sold after 2030, 

and all sales after 2035 would be fully electric 

vehicles only. 

The change in policy ends this, pushing 

back the last date for ICE sales to 2035. It is 

assumed – though it has not yet been 

confirmed – that all sales after that date will 

still be electric only, and there will not be an 

amnesty for a few years on hybrid vehicles. 

This is, on the face of it, a major change... 

but is it as ground-breaking as some 

commentators have suggested? 

There are two factors to consider. The first 

is that more than one commentator has 

described the U-turn as a classic politician’s 

‘smoke and mirrors’ stunt, pulled to gain 

favour with the Tory grassroots and 

anti-climate change groups. It was revealed 

on Tuesday, September 26, a week after the 

announcement, that No. 10 officials had used 

talks with several major car manufacturers to 

reiterate that other restrictions on new ICE 

car and van sales would remain in place. A 

‘zero emissions mandate’ means 

manufacturers will face large fines if 22 per 

cent of new car sales aren’t electric by 2024, 

rising to 52 per cent by 2028 and 80 per cent 

by 2030. 

So, despite this apparent U-turn, 

effectively, four-fifths of all new car sales 

must be zero emissions by 2030 anyway, 

giving the motoring world little room to sell 

petrol or diesel only vehicles, and possibly 

creating such a narrow sales window as to 

make large scale investments in new ICE 

models unviable. 

Perhaps that’s why the PM’s news wasn’t 

greeted by manufacturers announcing a raft 

of new ICE models to go on sale in 2030-35. 

Faced with the original UK sales cut-off point 

of 2030, and similar deadlines ranging from 

2030 to 2035 across the rest of Europe and 

much of the Western world, virtually all 

manufacturers have already made their 

minds up on the direction of travel: they are 

committed to electric and hybrids after 2030, 

and few, if any, ICE cars will be heading to 

market after that date anyway. 

Westminster claimed that the U-turn will 

allow manufacturers time to keep producing 

new petrol and diesels. Certainly a number of 

key manufacturers have not officially said 

they were stopping all ICE production by 

2030 (see panel right). But as a source at the 

SMMT said: “No one is interested in turning 

back the clock. The manufacturers have set 

their stall out on BEVs and hybrids. They see 

them as the future of motoring. This policy 

U-turn changes nothing.” 

However, while that sentiment is shared by 

many, one aspect is open to challenge: that it 

changes nothing. While in practical terms the 

move may mean little on the ground when 

the calendar turns over to January 1, 2030, in 

reality it sends a worrying signal to the EV 

sector. As one person involved in the 

charging infrastructure pointed out: “It is 

challenging as it is to get councils and 

businesses to sign up to install charging 



ICE, ICE baby: what the 

industry said 

points, which are desperately needed. This 

new policy suggests to them that the whole 

EV edifice could come crashing down. It 

won’t, but it will make people nervous. 

“I think what we will see is a slow-down in 

new EV charging points being installed. It 

feels like a signal that the Government is no 

longer fully committed to an EV future - and if 

that’s the case, businesses and authorities 

will ask themselves, ‘why should we be?’ 

As for ADIs, the biggest problem we face is 

more immediate. Most instructors turn their 

cars around every two-three years or less, 

so some will have two-three cars to go 

through before the original 2030 deadline 

arrives. What concerns some within the MSA 

GB is, does this policy switch signal a 

slow-down in embracing electric vehicles to 

all departments, including the DVSA? 

As Peter Harvey pointed out: “We already 

have many members nervous at the 

apparent lack of movement on changing the 

L-test to embrace new tech. Whether it’s the 

self-driving technology, or the switch to auto 

boxes as more instructors teach in hybrids or 

electric, we need to see progress on changing 

the way the L-test functions. 

“Let’s face it, the L-test we have today is 

basically the same test as we had in the 

1960s, with lots of extra items bolted on to 

the original framework. It is geared up – 

excuse the pun – to manual gearboxes, 

driving cars that have little in the way of 

driver assistance tech. 

“But that’s not what we have today; the 

L-test has to change. We need a way to 

incorporate self-driving tech in the test, and 

to lance the boil that is what to do with 

learners who pass in an automatic. 

“The worry is, this change will allow 

Government departments to put the EV issue 

on the backburner – including the DVSA.” 

Ian Plummer, Commercial Director of Auto 

Trader: “The PM has left the industry and 

drivers high and dry by sacrificing the 2030 

target on the altar of political advantage. 

“According to our research only half of 

people could see how an EV could fit into 

their lifestyle as it is, suggesting major 

barriers to adoption. We should be 

positively addressing concerns over 

affordability and charging rather than 

planting seeds of doubt. The 2030 target 

itself in no way forced UK consumers to 

pay more as affordable petrol and diesel 

vehicles will be readily available in the used 

market for years to come. This 

announcement has only served to remove 

trust and confidence in the UK market.” 

DriveElectric: “The Prime Minister’s 

announcement will have a number of 

negative consequences. He ignores the 

fact that the running costs of electric cars 

are lower than those of petrol and diesel 

cars, that the whole-life costs of EVs are 

already less in many cases, and the 

purchase price of EVs are forecast to be on 

par with petrol cars by around the middle of 

this decade.” 

SMMT Electrified Conference: “The key 

message at this event, which took place in 

Westminster just two days before the 

Prime Minister’s announcement, was that 

the automotive industry needs certainty in 

order to plan ahead and invest in the UK. 

This offers far from that certainty.” 

Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, 

said: “The automotive industry’s 

commitment to a zero-emission new car 

and van market remains unchanged. 

Manufacturers will continue to put 

innovative new models on the market but 

consumers need encouragement to buy 

more than ever. Today’s announcement 

must be backed up with a package of 

attractive incentives and measures to 

accelerate charging infrastructure to give 

consumers the confidence to switch. 

Carrots move markets faster than sticks.” 

Lisa Brankin, Ford UK Chair: “Three 

years ago the government announced the 

UK’s transition to electric new car and van 

sales from 2030. The auto industry is 

investing to meet that challenge.” 

Volvo Cars: “Electric powertrains are 

superior to combustion engines, and are 

our future.” 

2030 deadline: who is stopping selling ICE? 

When will manufacturers stop selling 

petrol and diesel vehicles? 

ALFA ROMEO 2027 

CITROEN 2030 

CUPRA 2030 

DS AUTOMOBILES 2024 

FIAT 2030 

FORD 2030 

JAGUAR 2025 

LEXUS 2030 

MAZDA 2030 

MERCEDES-BENZ 2030 

*but could delay to 2032-3 

MINI 2030 

NISSAN 2030* 

PEUGEOT 2030 

RENAULT 2030 

SMART 

All electric now 

VAUXHALL 2028 

VOLVO 

Scrapped all diesels, 

all electric by 2030 

Volkswagen, Audi, Toyota, Honda and BMW 

have not confirmed a date to stop selling 

ICE cars as yet. 

*Nissan confirmed this date only AFTER 

Rishi Sunak announced his U-turn 


Motoring Law Update 

The law is getting tough 

on motoring offenders 

ADIs need to think about how the offence of causing serious 

injury by careless driving could affect them or their pupils, 

say Charlotte Le Maire and Andrew Drewary 

Most of the time, the vast majority of drivers 

drive well. However, sometimes an error of 

judgement or loss of attention can have 

devastating consequences. 

On June 28, 2022, a new criminal offence of 

‘Causing Serious Injury by Careless Driving’ 

came into effect under Section 2C of the 

Road Traffic Act 1988. Up until the 

introduction of this new offence, drivers who 

caused serious injury in collisions could only 

be prosecuted for one of two offences: 

causing serious injury by dangerous driving 

or careless driving. Typically, the prosecution 

was unable to meet the high test required to 

prove dangerous driving and so, up until 

recently, a driver would be much more likely 

to be facing an offence of careless driving. 

This is a non-imprisonable offence for which 

the maximum sentence is a disqualification 

and a fine. 

The introduction of the new law of ‘Causing 

Serious Injury by Careless Driving’ changes 

this, however. 

Cases involving serious and life-changing 

injury have a devastating impact on victims 

and their families. The key arguments for the 

introduction of the new offence were that the 

offence of careless driving does not reflect 

the seriousness of any injury caused and that 

drivers are not being appropriately punished 

for these offences. The new offence 

emphasises the responsibility that drivers 

have to other road users and recognises the 

harm caused to victims. 

Therefore, why it is so important that 

driving instructors educate their students 

about this offence from the very first time 

the sit behind the steering wheel? This is the 

offence that most new drivers due to their 

inexperience, are most likely to fall foul of 

during the probationary period after 

obtaining their licence. 

The Law 

In order to be found guilty of an offence of 

Causing Serious Injury by Careless Driving, 

the prosecution has to prove the following: 

n A person causes serious injury to 

another person. 

- By driving a mechanically propelled 

vehicle on a road or other public place. 

- - without due care and attention or 

without reasonable consideration for other 

persons using the road or place. 

The definition of ‘without due care and 

attention’ or ‘careless driving’ is where the 

standard of driving simply falls below the 

standard of a careful and competent driver. 

This is not to be confused with dangerous 

driving, where the manner of driving falls far 

below the standard of a careful and 

competent driver. Typical examples of 

careless or inconsiderate driving include 

driving too close to another vehicle, 

unnecessarily slow driving, talking to a 

passenger or even something as minor as a 

momentary lapse of concentration. 

‘Serious injury’ is defined in law as ‘physical 

harm which amounts to grievous bodily harm 



for the purposes of the Offences against the 

Person Act 1861’. However, this encompasses 

a wide range of injuries including 

psychological harm and, most commonly, 

broken bones and factures. This means that a 

fractured finger could constitute serious 

injury; and so, one could find themselves 

facing this offence easily. 

The only difference between careless 

driving and causing serious injury by careless 

driving is the fact that serious injury has been 

caused. The culpability of the driver, or ‘how 

bad’ the driving was, is the same for both 

offences. The new law places a greater 

emphasis on the extent of the injury rather 

than the extent of the carelessness. 

Strict Liability 

As with most motoring offences, causing 

serious injury by careless driving is a strict 

liability offence, meaning that there is no 

requirement on the Crown to prove intention 

of the mind. 

Therefore, the Prosecution does not need 

to prove that someone set out deliberately to 

drive carelessly or to cause injury to charge 

them with this offence. 

Sentencing Guidelines 

The Sentencing Council recently published 

long-awaited sentencing guidelines for the 

offence. If found guilty, a driver faces an 

obligatory disqualification of a minimum of 12 

months plus a penalty of either a community 

order or up to two years’ imprisonment. 

By way of an example, a driver who has 

engaged in a brief but avoidable distraction 

(for example, adjusting the heat controls in 

the vehicle) who goes on to cause a 

permanent, irreversible injury or condition 

would be facing a custodial sentence ranging 

‘A driver who has 

engaged in a brief 

but avoidable 

distraction (for 

example, adjusting 

the heat controls in 

the vehicle or 

adjusting the in-car 

tech to change the 

radio) who goes on 

to cause a 

permanent, 

irreversible injury 

or condition, could 

be facing a 

custodial sentence’ 

from 26 weeks to 1 year and 6 months 

custody. 

This means that drivers who may have 

taken their eye off the road momentarily, or 

whose driving has erred in some other minor 

way and have caused serious injury, could at 

the very least temporarily lose their 

livelihoods. 

Furthermore, drivers could realistically face 

the loss of their liberty with up to two years’ 

imprisonment. 

Road safety is essential to the well-being 

of people and communities and at the heart 

of compliance and best practice. 

Says Charlotte Le Maire, Criminal & 

Regulatory Lawyer and Barrister and 

Founder & Partner of LMP Legal Ltd: “The law 

has got significantly tougher for drivers 

whose actions result in serious injury. Drivers 

convicted of the new offence will not only 

lose their licence but will also be at risk of 

being sent to prison. 

“Driving instructors need to ensure their 

students are protected from the very 

beginning. It is vitally important their 

students not only engage in the physical 

aspect of learning how to drive but fully 

understand the consequences of a minor 

lapse of concentration. 

“Therefore, it is crucial that driving 

instructors ensure their students are aware 

of the new law and how it might affect them, 

as this will also help improve road safety and 

reduce driving incidents.” 

Charlotte Le Maire is a Criminal & Regulatory 

Lawyer and Barrister and Founder & Partner 

of LMP Legal Ltd 

Andrew Drewary is a Collision Investigator 

and Road Safety Consultant, Road Safety 

Smart Ltd 

“Driving instructors need 

to ensure their students are 

protected from the very 

beginning. It is vitally 

important their students 

not only engage in the 

physical aspect of learning 

how to drive but fully 

understand the 

consequences of a minor 

lapse of concentration. 

“It is crucial that ADIs 

ensure their students are 

aware of the new law and 

how it might affect them.” 


Motoring under attack? 

Cost of driving: is there 

a war on motorists – and 

is there more to come? 

Tom Harrington 

Driving a car is becoming more expensive 

by the day. The momentum has gone out 

of the Government’s efforts to tackle the 

motor insurance crisis, as premiums rise 

way ahead of inflation. That is a real pity, 

because it coincides with petrol and diesel 

prices shooting up at the pumps and the 

emergence of new charges on drivers in 

the form of ULEZ-style charges. 

And the Government bears a large 

degree of responsibility for this, as it takes 

a huge slice of tax from motor fuels. 

In fact, it’s easy to see why motorists 

feel they are being bled dry by the 

Government through taxes, ranging from 

excise duty on petrol and diesel, to vehicle 

tax and other charges. 

The current price of petrol and diesel - 

based on late September figures - is 

£1.56.11p for petrol, £1.60.18p for diesel. 

These figures can be bettered if bought at 

a supermarket, or be far worse on 

motorways and major trunk roads, and in 

rural areas. 

By way of comparison, in 2013 these 

prices were £1.37 and £1.40. 

The current Government has made much 

of it being ‘on the side of the motorist’, and 

has frozen fuel duty rises since 2013. 

But it would be challenging to describe 

any Government as a ‘friend’ of the 

motorist when you consider how much of 

that £1.56/£1.60 is tax. 

Current fuel duty is 52.95 per litre, and 

on top of that you add VAT at 20 per cent. 

Without fuel duty, but keeping VAT on 

fuel, would see prices fall to around 

95p/£1.00 a litre. 

Whether there is a ‘war’ on motorists 

could become very apparent in the next 

few years, however, as it is clear that 

something has to change in the war cars 

are taxed and charged. Why? Because of 

electric vehicles. 

In a new report, MPs on the Transport 

Select Committee have recommended the 

introduction of a road pricing system based 

on miles travelled and vehicle type. 

This would “enable the Government to 

maintain the existing link between motoring 

taxation and road usage” – which could come 

under threat because neither fuel duty nor 

vehicle excise duty are currently levied on 

electric vehicles. 

The report estimates that without reform, 

policies to deliver net zero emissions by 2050 

– even taking into account the recent 

decision to push back the ban on petrol and 

diesel car sales to 2035 – will result in zero 

revenue for the Government from motoring 

taxation – leading to a potential loss of £35 

billion to the Exchequer. 

This would impact on roads funding – as 

well as funding for other areas such as 

schools and hospitals. 

The report concludes by saying drivers of 

electric vehicles should pay to maintain and 

use the roads which they drive on, as is 

currently the case for petrol and diesel 

drivers. However, it stresses there must 

remain incentives for motorists to purchase 

vehicles with cleaner emissions. 

Huw Merriman MP, chair of the Transport 

Committee, said: “It’s time for an honest 

conversation on motoring taxes. The 

Government’s plans to reach net zero by 

2050 are ambitious. Zero emission vehicles 

are part of that plan. However, the resulting 

loss of two major sources of motor taxation 

will leave a £35 billion black hole in finances 

unless the Government acts now – that’s 4% 

of the entire tax-take. 

“Only £7 billion of this goes back to the 

roads; the rest is used for general public 

spending, meaning schools and hospitals 

would be impacted if motorists don’t 

continue to pay.” 

He suggest using technology to deliver a 

road pricing scheme which prices up a 

journey based on the amount of road, and 

type of vehicle, used. 

“Just like our current motoring taxes but, 

by using price as a lever, we can offer better 

prices at less congested times and have 



technology compare these directly to public 

transport alternatives. ” 

It’s not an unusual idea. Anyone who has 

used the M6 Toll Road around Birmingham will 

have noted the lower prices later at night, 

which is a carrot to draw vehicles on the toll 

at a time when drivers may be prepared to 

risk the usually congested stretch through 

Bormingham. “By offering choice, we can 

deliver for the driver and for the environment. 

Road pricing should not cost motorists more, 

overall, or undermine progress on active 

travel.” 

The RAC said the rise in electric vehicles 

means it’s “inevitable” a new system will 

have to be developed. Nicholas Lyes, RAC 

head of roads policy, said: “As more electric 

vehicles come on to our roads, revenue from 

fuel duty and vehicle excise duty will decline, 

so it’s inevitable a new system will have to be 

developed. 

“Our research suggests that drivers 

broadly support the principle of ‘the more 

you drive, the more tax you should pay’, with 

nearly half (45 per cent) saying a ‘pay per 

mile’ system would be fairer than the current 

regime. 

“Whatever any new taxation system looks 

like, the most important thing is that it’s 

simple and fair to drivers of both conventional 

and electric vehicles. Ministers should also 

consider ring-fencing a sizable proportion of 

revenue for reinvestment into our road and 

transport network. The Treasury needs to get 

moving on this sooner rather than later.” 

While the idea that the biggest user pays 

the most, there are losers. Taxation is usually 

linked to the ability to pay: those who earn 

the most, pay the most. That has never been 

“The Government’s plans to 

reach net zero by 2050 are 

ambitious. Zero emission 

vehicles are part of that plan. 

However, the resulting loss of 

two major sources of motor 

taxation will leave a £35 

billion black hole in finances 

unless the Government acts 

now – that’s 4 per cent of the 

entire UK tax-take...” 

wholly true for motoring taxes; while it is true 

that larger - more expensive - cars used to 

be gas guzzlers, so exposing their owners to 

a greater share of the fuel duty tax take, that 

is not as true today. Technology now means 

the driver of a £60,000+ Jaguar or BMW 

could get far better fuel economy than the 

owner of a 1.2-litre petrol supermini. VED is 

linked to emissions, but with electric vehicles 

paying nothing, but a 1.2-litre diesel paying up 

to £255 a year, again, the link has been 

broken. 

However, a system that was based purely 

on miles covered would feel unprogressive 

and could be seen as a motoring equivalent of 

the Poll Tax - a tax levied against people with 

no consideration to their income or ability to 

pay. 

Therefore, a mileage tax linked to the type 

of car used could see discounts given to EVs, 

and smaller engined cars / lighter cars paying 

less, too. 

There could also be consideration given to 

rural motorists, for whom a car is sometimes 

the only possible mode of transport, such is 

the paucity of public transport. 

Rural drivers, Huw Merriman said, could 

receive an annual free mileage allowance, or 

mileage charges could be set in tiers: Band A, 

the most expensive, would be for cities, 

possibly replacing the Congestion Charge 

and ULEZ in London. Band B would be for 

built-up towns/suburbs; and Band C, the 

cheapest, for rural communities. 

A simple microchip in the windscreen, 

linked to GPS systems, would calibrate the 

costs, and motorists would need to create a 

direct link to their bank account for charges 

to be drawn from. 

There are obvious flaws to the system. It 

would create a backlash from those who 

would see it as more evidence of state 

snooping on our personal lives and journeys. 

It could also price the poorest in society out 

of driving, potentially stopping them from 

getting to jobs. There would also have to be a 

consideration made for foreign visitors. 

Tourists hiring cars from airports could find 

the car hire already ‘chipped’ and they would 

have to supply bank account details, while 

those in their own cars would have a pay a 

one-off fee at the port, or register on a 

temporary charge basis on arrival. 

Whatever the system used, it will still leave 

the Government open to accusations of 

milking the motorist cash cow. Certainly the 

day of the motorist driving without ever 

contributing to the state coffers is never 

going to happen – though currently, EV 

drivers are getting as close to free access to 

the roads as anyone ever has. 


Towards your CPD 

There’s no such thing as 

a ‘no school day’ – as 

Steve Garrod discovered 

while sat waiting for the 

dentist with nothing 

but a dog-eared copy 

of Better Homes and 

Garden to read and 

autumn in the air... 

The natural perils of autumn 

What to look out for, what to teach 

While waiting in my dentist’s waiting room 

last week (yes, I still find these more daunting 

than driving test centres), I picked up a 

well-thumbed Better Homes and Gardens’ 

magazine with a picturesque autumnal scene 

of a garden shed surrounded by red and 

golden trees with low sun casting long 

shadows across the fallen leaves on a slightly 

neglected lawn. 

In an effort to take my mind off my 

appointment I began to flick through the 

publication and recognised similarities 

between home maintenance and driving. For 

example, I read a couple of articles on why I 

should check and clear my guttering and 

paint my decking in preparation for the winter 

months. 

But above all, it was the picture of the low 

sun which reminded me of the recent 

problems I have experienced, while riding and 

driving into the sun, that made me think 

about the risks this poses to us while we are 

on the road. 

Just as Better Gardens and Homes 

prepares its readers for the coming seasons, 

it is equally important for us, as professional 

trainers, to ensure we prepare our students, 

whether they are a full or provisional licence 

holders, for driving or riding in all types of 

road and weather conditions. 

Ironically, I am writing this article in late 

September where we are enjoying a late 

summer in the low 20s but with misty 

mornings. 

Even if you are engaged in fleet work then 

it is worthwhile including a ‘bit of the obvious’ 

into your training sessions. Likewise learners 

will cover driving in autumn and winter in 

their theory, but few will make the 

connection unless it is covered out on the 

road. 

My reason for saying this is because, 

according to the AA, each year just under 

4,000 road users in accidents caused by 

being dazzled by the sun. One road where 

dazzle is a particular problem is the M4, which 

carries thousands of drivers towards London 

each morning and runs in a fairly straight 

west-east line from South Wales to the 

capital. 

With this in mind I thought it might be 

useful to take a leaf out of BH&G (no pun 

intended) and to cover a few obvious, but 

often forgotten tips to help keep you and 

your learners safe this autumn. Don’t feel 

embarrassed about including them into your 

lessons or fleet presentations, because they 

are potential life savers and good risk 

management. 

Low sun 

Glare is worsened by dirty windscreens. It 

is important to clean the inside of the 

windscreen clean as well as the outside. 

Grime can build up during the summer 

months from residue from fumes being 

drawn in through the car’s ventilation system. 

I often see drivers using a rag as old as the 

magazine I read in the dentist’s waiting room. 

It is better to use paper towel then throw it 

away because the rag or de-mister pads will 

just drag the grease around the glass. 

Part of the vehicle checks should also 

include the windscreen wiper blades: they are 

generally good for two years but will need 

replacing after that period to ensure they 

clear the water as effectively as possible. 

I normally tell students to collect the 

sachets of vinegar from cafes etc and to keep 

them handy for use when on a longer 

journey. Vinegar on a paper towel run along 



the blade will remove the grease and help the 

blade to run smoothly across the screen. 

Once on the road, remember to make use 

of the ‘Show Me’ questions such as washing 

the front and rear windscreens and operating 

the front and rear de-misters. You can also 

include the open/close the window question 

as this will also allow fresh air into the car. 

Where visibility is reduced, lower your 

speed to allow more time to respond to 

hazards. Something also to be aware of is 

that if there is low sun and it is not in your 

eyes, it could be in the eyes of oncoming 

drivers or those who may be waiting to 

emerge from a junction. Just because the 

driver is looking in your direction does not 

mean they can see you. 

Pedestrians and cyclists could be more 

difficult to see, so give your students advice 

of where they should be looking, for example 

some observation links. 

There is also a myth that you can’t take 

driving lessons or a driving test wearing 

sunglasses. This is just a myth! Of course you 

can. Examiners need to see that drivers 

respond to what is happening around them, 

not just looking in the mirror. The same is 

applied for driving forward. Drivers look out 

of the front windscreen but do not always act 

on what they should, possibly because they 

haven’t seen a hazard or have poor 

judgement of special awareness or the speed 

of other road users. 

Above all, do not look directly at the sun! I 

had a pupil the other week who did just that. 

His excuse was that he ‘has brown eyes’ and 

that they can withstand the sun better than 

those of us with blue eyes! 

Puddles and lying water 

With the combination of heavy rain and 

leaves blocking drains, large sections of road 

surfaces are often covered by water, some 

surprisingly deep. It is easy to lose control if 

you drive through deep water too quickly. 

You can link this to the theory question of 

how to drive through flood water. Sometimes 

puddles disguise potholes, so they should be 

avoided if possible. 

On the subject of standing water, I 

remember attending a seminar at which I saw 

a presentation from tyre manufacturer who 

said we should avoid parking in puddles too, 

as the water breaks down the composition of 

the rubber. 

He said that is the main reason that the 

majority of punctures happen to nearside 

tyres due to the combination of the sharp 

objects that can be found by the kerb and the 

standing water. 

Leaves on the road 

Leaves cause two main problems, apart 

from blocking drains. They often cover road 

markings, a particular problem at junctions, 

where you also need to be aware that braking 

will be more hazardous. It has been said that 

driving in the autumn is more dangerous than 

in the winter, because drivers underestimate 

just how slippery leaves can be. 

Pupils do need to understand that the 

mulch caused by the leaves is as dangerous 

as ice, therefore using acceleration sense 

early to prevent heavy braking at junctions is 

essential. 

Wind 

On open roads, and particularly on bridges 

and motorways, high-sided vehicles not only 

swerve from side to side, but can actually 

topple over. And if you overtake one, having 

been sheltered while overtaking, when you 

get past the vehicle a strong wind will 

actually force you towards the centre of the 

road. In towns, wheelie bins, dustbin lids and 

other debris can appear from nowhere and 

cause you to swerve to avoid them. 

Verges 

When you’re driving out of town and meet 

a driver coming towards you on a narrow 

road, verges will be soft. If you drive on to one 

your car will sink in, often disastrously. New 

drivers who have perhaps been driving since 

the spring need to be far more aware of road 

conditions and their surroundings in the 

autumn than they can possibly realise. You 

may have seen these signs during their 

lessons but the risk element will not have 

been so obvious on a sunny day. All drivers 

need to be more observant, more cautious, 

and need to take account of the changing 

road conditions and drive accordingly. 

So, with the above in mind you should be 

able to make your training sessions more 

topical, which is good risk management. 

And, as for clearing my gutters, I’ll get 

someone to foot my ladder. 


Towards your CPD: Understanding mental health 

Knowing how 

to respond 

when there’s 

a cry for help 

Many people are struggling with poor mental health 

at present. ADI Judy Hale looks at the issues and 

considers ways in which ADIs, both as driver trainers 

and as friends and family members, can help those 

who are struggling 

Many people in today’s world face judgment 

based on others’ standards. If someone doesn’t 

fit the mould, they are often left feeling like 

outsiders. It is disheartening to see how 

easily people resort to criticism and negative 

comments when dealing with those who are 

different from them, whether it be due to 

autism, dyslexia, or mental health issues. 

Unlike the past, when we were more 

community-oriented, modern living has 

made us more individualistic. Unfortunately, 

many people no longer have the same level of 

support from their extended families and we 

are becoming increasingly isolated – let’s 

face it, it’s considered unsafe to let our 

children play outside unsupervised. 

In the present day, many individuals live 

their lives without much personal contact, 

especially with remote work becoming more 

prevalent. This isolation can have a 

detrimental effect on their thoughts and 

feelings, as they lack the stimulation and 

connection that comes from community and 

face-to-face interactions. 

So, what exactly is mental health, and how 

can we recognise symptoms when it 

becomes to deteriorate and become a 

concern? How do we cope with someone 

whose experiences we struggle to 

understand? 

Mental health is a global and far-reaching 

issue. Most of us have either encountered 

someone with mental health struggles, or 

perhaps have faced them ourselves. Given 

that everyone is unique, both diagnosing and 

treating mental health conditions is a 

complex process. Fortunately, in recent 

years, people have become more empowered 

to discuss their mental health, leading to 

increased awareness. 

Good mental health entails being able to 

think, feel, and react in ways that allow us to 

live our lives as we desire. However, during 

periods of poor mental health, our usual 

patterns of thinking, feeling, and reacting can 

become challenging or even impossible to 

cope with. This can be just as debilitating as a 

physical illness, if not worse. 

It’s important to note that not everyone 

finds it helpful to approach mental health in 

the same way. Different cultures and belief 

systems may have distinct perspectives on 

how best to manage mental health. 

Emotional well-being is often closely tied to 

religious or spiritual life in many cultures. 

Additionally, your difficult experiences may 

only be a part of how you perceive your 

overall identity. While we use phrases like 

‘mental health problems’, some individuals 

may prefer terms such as ‘poor emotional 

health’, ‘overloaded, ‘burnt out’, or 

‘overwhelmed’ to describe their experiences, 

as these terms may resonate better with 

them or be easier to explain to others in their 

lives. 

Anxiety problems are prevalent and can 

manifest as intense worry, tension or fear, 

especially regarding essential tasks or future 

events ie, sitting the driving test. So, feelings 

of inadequacy, anxiety and or stress mean 

they may struggle with or feel inadequate to 

complete the given task. 

Occasional anxiety is a normal human 

experience, but when feelings of anxiety 

become overwhelming or persist for 

extended periods, they can significantly 

impact our lives. Physical symptoms such as 

sleep problems and panic attacks may also 

accompany anxiety. 

Self-harm is a negative coping mechanism 

where individuals hurt themselves as a way 

to deal with intense emotions, painful 

memories, or overwhelming situations and 

experiences. 

“Given that everyone is unique, both diagnosing and treating 

mental health conditions is a complex process. Fortunately, in 

recent years, people have become more empowered to discuss their 

mental health, leading to increased awareness...” 



Ways you can help others 

Tell them you’re worried 

This might be a good way to open up a 

conversation. It also shows you care about 

that person and have time for them – and 

that they do not have to avoid you. 

Carry on as usual 

Do what you usually do – behaving 

differently can make someone feel more 

isolated. Do not be afraid to offer kind words 

and a space to talk by phone, messaging or in 

person. 

Reassure them 

The first time someone mentions their 

worries is a big step. It’s good to recognise 

this and reassure them. Let them know 

you’re there to listen when they need to talk. 

Offer your time to listen 

Listening is an important skill. Ask open 

questions that start with ‘how’, ‘what’, 

‘where’ or ‘when’. This can help people open 

up. 

Do not force it 

Do not force someone to talk to you or get 

help, or go to a GP on their behalf, as it might 

make them feel uncomfortable. Gently 

explore their reasons and listen without 

judgement, as this might help them to work 

out what to do. 

Look after yourself 

It can be upsetting to hear someone you care 

about in distress. Be kind to yourself and 

take some time to relax. Check out our 

mental wellbeing tips. 

Offer practical help 

Little acts of kindness – like offering to do 

the shopping or to go to professional 

appointments with them – can help. 

Find out what works for them. 

More advice at https://www.nhs.uk/ 

every-mind-matters/supporting-others/ 

helping-others/ 

People with mental health problems are 

excellent at putting a brave face on situations, 

so if you ask if they are okay, they will raise 

their barriers and say yes, they’re fine. But if 

you ask how they are feeling, and how can 

you help, thus letting them know you are 

non-judgemental, the chances are they will 

make you more aware of their feelings, so 

allowing you to offer a lifeline on how to 

overcome ny given situation. 

Don’t be afraid to ask how they are feeling 

if you sense someone is struggling, or ask 

how can you help, as they might want to talk 

about it. Avoid using dismissive phrases like 

‘cheer up’, ‘I’m sure it’ll pass’, or ‘pull yourself 

together’, as they tend to be unhelpful. 

Instead, strive to be non-judgmental and 

listen attentively. 

Those experiencing a mental health 

problem often have the best understanding 

of what is helpful for them. Understanding 

that people can have hidden issues and may 

appear outwardly calm while struggling with 

low self-esteem or confidence is crucial. 

The moral of this tale is that it is far too 

easy to pass judgment or make assumptions 

about others without first seeking to 

understand their feelings. As driving 

instructors, our role extends beyond teaching 

people how to drive safely; we have a 

responsibility to ensure that learners become 

confident and safe drivers. Part of this 

responsibility is creating an environment 

where they feel at ease, knowing they won’t 

be judged and won’t be forced to do things 

our way. 

By allowing them to learn in a way that 

suits them best, we can help fellow human 

beings achieve their goals. 

“Offer your time to 

listen ... as we 

know from our 

work as ADIs, 

listening is an 

important skill. 

Open questions 

that start with 

‘how’, ‘what’, 

‘where’ or ‘when’ .. 

can help people 

open up ...” 


Members’ section 

MSA GB Annual Conference 2024 

It’s a case of all roads lead to Telford as we head to Shropshire 

for the MSA GB Annual Conference 2024. 

To be held from March 22-23 at the stunning Telford Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort 

in Shropshire, it promises to be the ideal mix of information, debate, advice, 

education, networking and fun, as the MSA GB membership comes 

together to learn more about, and discuss, the big issues of the day. 

We are in the middle of confirming our keynote presenters, but we can 

guarantee an exciting and knowledgeable roster of high-profile names from 

the DVSA and driver training and road safety communities. 

Bookings are open now. Just click on the link below to book. See the price list 

below, with day, day/night and full weekend packages available. 

We have endeavoured to keep our prices as low as possible while providing a high-quality 

weekend, and the Telford Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort has more than enough to keep nondelegate 

partners happy, with a superb swimming pool and spa, golf and other attractions 

on site, as well as having the beautiful Severn Valley and iconic UNESCO World Heritage Site 

of Ironbridge Gorge on its doorstep. Even better, we have arranged a special MSA GB 

Conference discount on all spa treatments and golf fees! 

Please note: All prices below are EARLY BIRD prices, and will be held until January 20. 

After that date, some prices may rise. 

https://msagb.com/msa-gb-national-conference/ 

Full Conference packages 

Two nights’ accommodation and breakfast, Friday & Saturday 

evening meals, Saturday lunch, Conference delegate ticket 

Single booking: 

£275 

Couple sharing (with non-delegate ticket): 

£385 

* Non delegates receive lunch 

on the Saturday 

Telford Hotel, 

Spa & Golf 

Resort 

One-day Conference packages 

One night’s accommodation and breakfast, Friday OR Saturday 

evening meals, Saturday lunch; Conference delegate ticket 

Single booking: 

£165 

Couple sharing (with non-delegate ticket): 

£235 

Conference day delegate 

* Non delegates receive lunch 

on the Saturday 

Conference delegate ticket for Saturday Booked after January 20 

If booked before 

£49 

January 20 ... 

£59 

Thinking of bringing 

the family? 

There are other options available during 

Saturday should you wish to make this a 

family weekend and bring the children. 

You can find full details at: 

https://msagb.com/msa-gb-nationalconference/ 



Area meetings and training events 

Scottish Area Annual 

Conference & AGM 

Date: Sunday, November 5 

Venue: Castlecary House Hotel 

Time: 9.30am-4.30pm 

Cost: £50 members; £55 non-members 

This year’s MSA GB Scotland annual training event is being held at the 

Castlecary House Hotel on November 5. It is a full day event, with a 

break for a two-course lunch. Fee includes refreshments and all papers. 

Our speakers this year are being finalised, however, confirmed 

already are Peter Hearn, DVSA area manager Northern, Kev and Tracey 

from Confident Drivers, Stewart from Bright Coaching, who will cover 

driver psychology and behavioural change, and Peter Harvey MBE will 

do his usual update of our industry. Each speaker will end with a Q&A 

session, and we hope to confirm some more speakers in the coming 

weeks. In addition we will also have some trade stands offering 

discounts to those who attend. 

This is always an excellent event, and we look forward to you joining 

us on November 5. 

The Castlecary House Hotel is located just of the M80, on Castlecary 

Road G68 0HD. 

You can puchase tickets by 

clicking this panel, or by 

calling 01787 221 020 

West Coast & Wales 

Area Meeting 

Date: Thursday, November 9 

Venue: Gloucester Robinswood Best Western Hotel 

Time: 9.30am-4pm 

Cost: £40 members*, £45 non-members 

* rises to £45 if booked after September 20 

MSA GB West Coast & Wales is hosting an all-day training event on 

Thursday, November 9 at the Best Western Hotel, Gloucester. 

We are pleased to announce the speakers: 

n Sue Robertson, DVSA ADI Examiner 

n Haydn Jenkins, Disability Driving Instructors 

n Amy Hartley, FBTC Accountancy 

n Mike Yeomans, National Chairman, and 

n Peter Harvey MBE, Vice Chairman of MSA GB. 

The cost is £40 for MSA GB members if paid before 20th September, 

£45 after this date and to non-members. 

The price includes refreshments throughout the day and a two-course 

delegate lunch. Free parking is available at this hotel. 

You can book on this event by 

emailing Arthur Mynott at 

arthur.mynott@msagb.co.uk 

Online Area Training Events, Autumn 2023: 

East Coast and London & the South East 

This year, as well as the two in-person events 

in Scotland and the West Coast, we are also 

running two online events. You are welcome 

to attend any of the events. 

Our Area Events are a great way to keep 

abreast of the latest driver trainer news and 

industry developments, but we know that it 

can be difficult to find the time to attend our 

in-person events. 

We also know that sometimes you may 

want to attend an event outside of your area, 

but it’s just that bit too far to travel. 

So, this year we are trialling two online 

events for the London & South East and the 

East Coast which will be conducted via the 

ZOOM platform. 

The details of each event can be found 

right; for further information contact the area 

chairman of the meeting you would like to 

attend. 

EAST COAST 

Date: Monday, 30th October 

Time: 7pm – 9.30pm 

Venue: Online 

Speakers: 

n DVSA Local ADI Examiner 

n Mike Yeomans – MSA GB National Chair 

& Area 2 Chairman 

n Peter Harvey MBE - MSA GB Vice Chairman 

To secure your place, please email: 

mike.yeomans@msagb.com with your details. 

LONDON & SOUTH EAST 

Date: Sunday, 12th November 

Time: 4pm – 6pm 

Venue: Online 

Speakers: 

n Tom Kwok – London & South East Chairman 

n Peter Harvey MBE – MSA GB Vice Chairman 

To secure your place, please email: 

tom.kwok@msagb.com with your details. 

Discounted 

training 

Sign up for discounted standards check 

training sessions with the award-winning 

Knowledgeable Instructor Training. 

COURSE DATES 

9th October: Mansfield – The Towers, 

Botany Avenue, Mansfield, NG18 5NG 

20th October: Huddersfield 

20th November: Southend 

21st November: Cambridge Shelford 

Rugby Club, Great Shelford, Cambridge 

CB22 5JJ 

1st December: Pontefract The Hut 

Kershaw Avenue, Castleford 

TIME: 8.45am – 4.30pm 

COST: These workshops should be £115, 

but MSA GB has negotiated a £16 

deduction for Members, bringing the 

cost down to £99. 

Please book this directly through the 

website www.adikit.co.uk/courses/ 

book using the code MSA-16. 



MSA GB launches new partnership with insurer to 

keep you on the road when things go wrong 

MSA GB partners with AI 

Insurance Solutions Limited 

to provide members with dual 

control cars for when things 

don’t quite go to plan. 

A critical service to driving instructors is the 

provision of a dual-controlled replacement 

vehicle for non-fault and fault accidents. 

But in recent months we have had several 

calls from MSA GB members across the 

country who have been let down by their 

insurance company not being able to supply a 

dual-controlled vehicle when they have had 

an accident. 

They report that they are usually offered a 

replacement vehicle but not one with dual 

controls – which isn’t a lot of good when 

running a driving school. 

MSA GB steps in 

Understanding the stress and the 

detriment to your business this can cause, 

we are pleased to announce that we have 

formed an exclusive agreement with AI 

Solutions Ltd to supply a replacement vehicle 

to you should the need arise. 

This means that MSA GB members will be 

able to obtain both a replacement manual or 

automatic dual-controlled car for both fault 

and non-fault accidents, without the need to 

buy an extra insurance policy to cover the risk. 

The cost of using this new service is zero. 

You don’t need to register or buy an 

insurance policy. 

If you need to use the service the cost of 

your replacement vehicle will be charged 

either to their insurance policy or yours, 

depending entirely on who is at fault. 

Additionally, if the vehicle needs to be 

recovered, this also will be charged to the 

appropriate insurer. 

However, we must stress that this does 

not impose any restrictions on where you get 

your vehicle repaired. 

The FCA states under ‘treating customers 

fairly’ that - ‘a policy-holder does not have to 

use the services of their broker or insurer but 

can access any service they choose without 

their instructor insurance policy being 

invalidated.’ 

So, in the event of an accident you simply 

need to contact The AI Insurance Solutions 

Emergency (AIIS) assistance line on 01945 

425211. AIIS will then inform your insurer and 

organise for your replacement dual controlled 

car to be delivered to your chosen location as 

soon as possible. 

If your vehicle is drivable and legal 

post-event, then it is best to arrange a 

delivery to the body repairer at an agreed 

time. If the vehicle, however, is not drivable, 

then AI Solutions will ensure that it is 

delivered to the most convenient location for 

you. 

Sadly, statistically, road traffic crashes do 

happen, and we cannot prevent you from 

being involved in one. 

However, with this new agreement we 

hope to ensure that any impact to MSA GB 

members is kept to a minimum. 

How it 

works... 

n A prompt and 

courteous reporting 

process 24 hours a day 

n To be taken to a safe 

place/home if your car 

is not drivable 

n A replacement dual 

controlled car on same 

day as accident 

reported, if before 2pm 

(in Scotland, this may 

take up to 24hrs) 

n The vehicle will be of 

a similar size 

n Regular updates on 

your vehicle’s repair 



FAQs on the new membership service 

Q: How do I use the service? 

A: You just call AIIS’s emergency 

assistance number on 01945 425211. 

Q: What will the service cost me? 

A: Just the cost of a call. 

Q: Should I notify my insurance company? 

A: Absolutely, although AIIS will also talk to 

them to confirm hire provision and, where 

appropriate, details of the repairer. 

Q: What if my vehicle is not drivable? 

A: AIIS will recover the vehicle to safe 

storage and get you home or to a 

nominated location. 

Q: Is this an insurance product that I need 

to purchase? 

A: No, the service is provided to you on a 

no-cost basis. 

Q: What if my vehicle is drivable? 

A: AIIS can arrange for an estimate to 

completed and deliver the car to the 

repairer to ensure that you are mobile 

throughout the process and that there is 

no loss of income. 

Emergency crash protocol: What to do if you are involved in a crash 

In the event of a crash, call 01945 425211 to use the AIIS offer 

More MSA GB membership offers 

and discounts - see pg 42-43 



New membership service: Find My Local 

MSA GB Instructor directory launched 

Cut through the competition 

by advertising your skills on 

MSA GB’s own ADI directory 

With the DVSA (https://tinyurl.com/ 

4b3t9a9e) reporting a 24 per cent increase in 

the number of new driving instructor 

registrations in 2022/2023, compared to 

2020/2021, our industry is set to become 

even more competitive as driving instructors 

do battle to gain the attention of those 

wanting to learn to drive. 

To help MSA GB members cut through the 

industry noise and raise their profile, we’re 

delighted to announce the launch of our 

online ‘Find My Local MSA GB Instructor’ 

directory, which will be proudly displayed on 

the MSA GB home page and on the MSA GB 

App. 

Once live, this new directory will be easily 

accessible by the public, who can use our 

simple search engine to source a driving 

instructor in their local area, who suits their 

learning needs. 

For MSA GB members it couldn’t be simpler 

to input your details and make sure you stand 

out from the crowd. We’ve included several 

opportunities for you to highlight any special 

skills or teaching experience that you may 

have, for example teaching pupils with 

disabilities or those who are particularly 

anxious drivers. 

To upload your profile onto the MSA GB 

directory, all you need to do is: 

n Log into the Member Area 

n Look to the left of the page and scroll 

down until you see three blue arrow tabs. 

n Click on the tab - ‘Add Directory listing’ 

n You will then be taken to the following 

page: 

n Input your details and upload your photo 

(adding your photo is optional) 

n Once you’ve inputted all your details, 

check that all your information is correct 

n Tick the box if you agree to share your 

details on the website. Please note if you do 

not tick the box your details will not appear 

on the on the Find My Local MSA GB 

Instructor directory. 

n Click submit – and your done! 

This is just one of the many fantastic 

benefits that MSA GB members get to enjoy 

with their membership, which also includes: 

n PI & PL Insurance cover totalling £10 

million. 

n Legal & Technical Advice 

n Member Representation 

n Access to a wealth of exclusive 

information and downloadable resources 

n Member Discounts 

n Our monthly digital industry magazine 

- Newslink 

n Comprehensive driving school cover. 

We hope registering is a straightforward 

process, but if you need any assistance, or 

have any queries, don’t hesitate to contact 

our membership team on info@msagb.com 

or 01787 221 020 


ADI groups and associations 

MSA GB is proud of its long-standing links with many local ADI 

groups around the country. Many are small, dedicated to driver 

training in one city, town or even focused on a sole DTC, but all 

work tirelessly to improve the work of being an ADI. This can 

be in representing ADIs’ interests and views to your DVSA area 

manager, offering an ADI’s voice to local authorities and town 

planners, or by simply providing a network within which ADIs can 

find help and advice from their fellow instructors. After all, for 


many ADIs working as sole traders, being a driving instructor can 

be a lonely task: local ADI groups help stop it feeling quite so much 

that it’s ‘you against the world.’ 

From this issue onwards Newslink will be publishing a list of local 

ADI groups and associations. We will only publish those groups 

who let us know they are happy to be included in our list, however, 

so if you would like to see your details here, please contact Peter 

Harvey at peter.harveymbe@msagb.com 

Aberdeen and District Driving Schools 

Association 

Secretary: Derek Young 

T: 07732 379396 

E: derekyoungcreel@aol.com 

Meets quarterly February (AGM), May, 

August and November. 

Cost £35 per annum 

Angus Driving Instructors Association 

Secretary: Frances Matthew 

T: 07703 664522 

E; francesmatthew@hotmail.co.uk 

This group holds six meeting per year 

(usually one week after the Scottish 

committee meeting) 

Cost £20 per year. 

Aylesbury Vale Driving Instructors 

Association 

Chairman: Sue Pusey 

T: 07780 606868 

E: AVDIA@btinternet.com 

Meetings are first Wednesday of every 

month at Church of the Holy Spirit, 

Camborne Avenue, Aylesbury, HP21 7UE. 

7.30pm start. 

Guest speaker every other month, 

refreshments provided. 

Annual fee £30. First meeting free as try 

before you buy. 

Birmingham Approved Driving Instructors 

Contact: Dave Allen 

T: 07939 627493 

E: Daveallen1999@googlemail.com 

Cornwall Association of Approved Driving 

Instructors (CAADI) 

Secretary: Rachael Lloyd-Phillips 

E: rachael@oneandallsom.co.uk 

This group meets via Zoom on the 3rd 

Monday every other month at 7.30pm. 

City of Dunfermline and District ADIs 

Secretary: Gail Pilch 

T: 07817 661450 

E: dunfermlineadisecretary@outlook.com 

Meetings are bi-monthly, at 

Dunfermline Northern Bowling Club, Dewar 

Street, 

Dunfermline KY12 8AD 

Glasgow & District Driving Instructors 

Association 

Contact: Bryan Phillips 

T: 07989 339 646 

E: bryan.phillips@hotmail.co.uk 

Meet on the last Sunday of the month, 

once every quarter, at 

The Fort Theatre, Kenmuir Ave, 

Bishopbriggs, Glasgow, G64 2DW. 

Joining fee: £15 per year 

Hinckley & District Driver Trainers 

Association (HDDTA) 

Chairman: Barrie Pates 

T: 07914 408 739 

E: haddta@yahoo.com 

Hull and East Riding Driving Instructors 

(HERDI) 

Contact: Andrew 

T: 07754542993 

E: herdi.rsa@gmail.com 

Lanark Driving Instructors 

Secretary: Sandra Smillie 

T: 07975 147150 

Meet quarterly from March which is our 

AGM 

South Warwickshire Association 

of ADIs (SWAADI) 

Contact: Andy Thomas 

T: 01926 717230 / 07900 673634 

E: artommo@hotmail.com 

We meet at 8.30pm every third Monday of 

the month except August and December 

(no meetings) at The Windmill Inn, 

Tachbrook Rd, Leamington Spa CV31 3DD, 

Rolls and snacks are available for a small 

charge and membership is £25 a year and 

includes a monthly newsletter and addition 

to a WhatsApp group for local issues/ 

traffic updates, etc. 

Swindon Driving Instructors Association 

(Swindon DIA) 

Contact: Sandra Jill Richens 

T: 07795 006015 

E: SJRichens@btinternet.com 

Taunton Association Driving Instructors 

See Facebook page – search ‘Taunton ADI 

& PDI Forum’ 

Wirral Association of Professional Driving 

Instructors (APDI) 

Chairman: Brian Murray 

T: 07810 094332 

Secretary: Richard Gillmore 

T: 07790 193138 

E: wirral-apdi@hotmail.co.uk 

W: wirralinstructors.co.uk 

Meet monthly on the first Thursday of the 

month (except January and August) 

at Heswall FC, Brimstage Road, Heswall, 

Wirral CH60 1XG 

Further information and to join, please visit 

the website. 

If you want to see your local ADI group listed in this index, 

contact Peter Harvey on peterharveymbe@msagb.com 


Area News 

I’m with the PM on electric vehicles; 

2030 seems too soon for the UK 

Arthur Mynott 

MSA GB 

West Coast & Wales 

I am currently on holiday with Mrs. M. cruising 

the Mediterranean while writing this (such is 

my commitment to the MSA GB!!) and, in 

doing so I am visiting lots of cities, and this 

got me wondering as to how many cars there 

are in the world? 

Curiousity piqued I took to the internet to 

ind out. It turns out there are 33.27 million 

cars in the UK alone (as of March 2023) and 

worldwide there are around 1.47 billion cars 

(as of August 2023). That’s 1,470,000,000 

when written down! 

Of these there are 1.38million electric or 

plug in electric vehicles in the UK, and about 

26 million of these world wide. These are 

remarkable figures and quite mind blowing. 

As I was taking in the enormities of these 

figures, our Prime Minister announced that 

he was delaying the ban on the sale of cars in 

the UK with Internal Combustion Engines 

(petrol or diesel only) from 2030 to 2035 for 

various reasons, political or otherwise. 

Personally I think this is a good idea as I can’t 

see the infrastructure being in place to cope 

with the demand for EVs by 2030. What 

about the people who live in tower blocks, 

houses which have no driveways, families 

with two or more cars? How are they going to 

charge their vehicles? 

What about people like me who tow 

caravans to the South of France or up to 

Scotland. What does towing a caravan do to 

the range of an electric vehicle? 

I use our 2.4 diesel Volvo XC60 to tow ours 

and, when driving normally, I can average 

around 45-50 mpg but when towing it is 

reduced to around 27-28 mpg. This would 

probably mean I would have to charge an 

equivalent electric vehicle about every 

100-120 miles, and when going to the South 

of France it would mean stopping to charge 

about seven or eight times on the way down! 

I assume the range of the batteries is going 

to improve but I will need a lot more 

convincing before I take the plunge and invest 

in one. 

I must admit there will be many 

advantages to using an EV, it would be handy 

for driving locally such as carrying my golf 

clubs around or shopping, etc, and would 

work out much cheaper per mile than my 

current vehicles, but I can’t really warrant 

spending thousands on a car just to do these 

trips when I can go to golf in my little Yaris 

(my golf buggy) for about £4-worth of fuel 

each time! 

As for teaching learners in an EV, I do think 

this will be the way forward as in years to 

come they will be the norm for our pupils. 

Area event 

If those comments have whetted your 

appetite for a debate on electric vehicles, 

then why not come along to our Area Event/ 

Conference this year? One of our guests is 

Cleevely Electric Vehicles, and they have 

promised to bring a couple of vehicles for you 

to test drive and you will be able make up 

your own mind as to whether you might get 

one for your next tuition vehicle. Just make 

A ‘super EV charging station’ at Braintree, 

near the M25. The race to electric vehicles 

appears to have overlooked the difficulties 

some people will have accessing charging 

points 

sure you bring your driving licence with you. 

As well as Cleevely Motors, there will be 

also presentations by several speakers. 

n Sue Robertson, DVSA ADI Examiner. 

n Amy Hartley FBTC Accountancy 

n Haydn Jenkins, Disability Driving 

Instructors 

n Mike Yeomans, MSA GB National 

Chairman 

n Peter Harvey, MSA GB Vice Chairman. 

We had previously advertised that John 

Sheridan, DVSA Driver Training Policy Advisor 

would be attending, but unfortunately John 

has been recalled to testing under the DVSA 

policy to reduce the waiting list (see page 6). 

Haydn Jenkins will be filling us in on the 

history of Disability Driving Instructors, a 

not-for-profit community interest company 

“What about people like me who tow caravans to the South of France. 

What does towing a caravan do to the range of an electric vehicle? I use 

our 2.4 diesel Volvo XC60 to tow ours and, when driving normally, I 

can average around 45-50 mpg but when towing it is reduced to 

around 27-28 mpg. This would probably mean I would have to charge 

an equivalent EV about every 100-120 miles, necessitating a seven or 

eight steops on a run to the South of France...” 



Mae Ugain yn Ddigon 

and how they are trying to bring together and 

exchange ideas on training and tuition. 

He will explain his training courses including 

‘deaf aware’ and the subject of SEN tuition. 

He will also explain how his vehicle is set up 

for the work he used to do. 

Mike Yeomans became our National 

Chairman earlier this year and this will be an 

opportunity to meet him in person and listen 

to how the MSA GB works for you and any 

changes that will be happening to our 

organisation in the near future. 

Mike, along with Peter Harvey MBE will 

also answer any other questions about our 

industry that may not have been addressed 

earlier in the day. 

There is a huge amount going on in the 

industry at the moment, and this event will 

be the best possible way of getting on top of 

the changes and having your questions 

answered by the people who really know 

what’s going on. 

Our exhibitors will include Driving 

Instructor Services with items for sale which 

you might need for your work, such as roof 

boxes, L plates, mirrors, books and all 

varieties of teaching materials. We will also 

be joined by GoRoadie, a company which 

provides services for instructors such as 

helping to run your diaries, etc. 

All in all this should prove to be a really 

interesting event, plus you will have the 

chance to interact and meet lots of fellow 

driving instructors. 

This event is being held at the Gloucester 

Robinswood Hotel, Marlston Close, 

Gloucester GL4 6EA on Monday, November 

9. Doors open at 9.00am for a 9.30 start and 

should finish around 4.00pm. 

The cost, which covers a two-course 

buffet lunch and tea/coffee/refreshments 

throughout the day is £45 per person. The 

parking is also free on the day as I’ve been 

told the cameras will be turned off!! 

To book and pay, please contact me on the 

details below. 

CONTACT 

Arthur Mynott, Chairman West Coast & 

Wales MSA GB 

Tel 07989852274 

arthur.mynott@msagb.com 

John Lomas 

MSA GB 

West Coast 

& Wales 

I know that Arthur Mynott has included a 

plug in his copy for the West & Wales event, 

but one small point I’d like to add to it. If you 

travelling to the venue from the south, 

works in preparation for the construction of 

the A417’s missing link may cause you 

some problems. 

If you are coming up to Gloucester via the 

Swindon to Cirencester route, please note 

that there may be road works or even a road 

closure on the A417 between the roundbout 

at the northern end of the dual carriageway, 

passing the Golden Heart Inn to the 

roundabout at the A417/A436 junction. 

I would advise checking on your favourite 

road works web site and if it is closed you 

might consider using Cirencester to Glos via 

Stroud or Cirencester A435 to Seven 

Springs then A436 to the previously 

mentioned A417/A436 jct. 

Google 

Streetview 

Signal right to turn left 

That header probably had you wonderin g 

if my age has finally got to me, but worry 

not, I’m fairly sure I still have most of my 

marbles. 

I can remember a roundabout in 

Blackburn which often had a very long 

queue for straight ahead and I was known 

on occasion to approach in the right-hand 

lane with a right-hand signal, then go round 

the roundabout till I was passing the road I 

had approached on and then signaling left to 

leave. Now, I have seen this procedure 

criticised but I have never seen anything 

making it illegal. 

I have now found, in our area, a location 

where this procedure is actually required 

(see photo above). 

Can any member from around the 

Telford-Ironbridge area tell us whether this 

has ever appeared on a test, learner or ADI 

part 2 ? 

Mae Ugain yn Ddigon .... or Twenty is Plenty 

If the Welsh translation is incorrect please 

blame Google Translate, not me. 

We now have a default 20mph limit 

throughout the restricted roads in Wales. 

Now, the normal media has not definitely 

explained if that is previous 30 limits or all 

previous restriction such as 40s or 50s, 

though Newslink in September (pp12 did 

explain the changes. (click here to read). 

I heard someone on Question Time 

complain that a 30-mile journey would now 

take an hour-and-a-half instead of an hour. 

I would love to know where in Wales there is 

a continuous 30mph limit for 30 miles! 

Judging by my own car and the way it 

performs at lower speeds it is possible that 

except for real uphill gradients it is quite 

likely that it is possible to trickle along at 

20mph on tickover once you have found 

which gear is the most suitable for the task. 

That could well result in; a) an improved mpg 

figure and; b) a very slight increase in 

journey time or even a reduction in journey 

time as there could be a lot less bunching 

and less stopping and waiting at junctions 

because you have more time to judge your 

approach and pick the gaps. 

HOWEVER... Unless Wales has changed 

other aspects of the Law, these limits will 

NOT apply to cycles. There was recently an 

incident in the south west when the police 

pulled over a group of cyclists exceeding the 

30mph limit. They could do no more than 

advise the cyclists to take care, as there is 

no limit, other than their physical abilities, to 

the speed at which cyclists are able to ride. 

I knew an instructor from south east 

Manchester who delighted in trying to set 

off the cameras on the A5004 downhill 

stretches into Buxton when on a bike ride. 

The question of speed limits for cyclists 

also affects mobility scooters: I am limited 

to 4mph on pavements and footpaths or 

8mph on roads, while cycles which are silent 

compared with the electric whine from my 

scooter, can be ridden at any attainable 

speed on shared cycle and footpath areas. 

Which of us is the more hazardous for 

pedestrians? 


Area news 

Assess what you see, and let the 

oldies set their own parameters 

Janet 

Stewart 

London & the 

South East 

From time to time I am approached by 

someone to “check them over”, to see if they 

are still fit to drive. The requests are nearly 

always from older people, and come 

voluntarily (possibly prompted by a family 

member), not because of anything that a 

doctor or optician might have said/ 

suggested to them. 

Recently, a newer ADI wanted to tell me 

about an experience he had had – basically 

he was trying to make a point about how bad 

some older licence holders are and how their 

driving really doesn’t measure up. 

When he had finished telling me how skilled 

he was, I had the opportunity to put a few 

questions to him. 

The purport of what he put across to me 

was that the elderly person he had been 

assessing was not using MSPSL properly, she 

had held the steering wheel on the inside 

while parking and had been reluctant to drive 

on the motorway (the M25 in this case). 

Now, I don’t claim to have all the answers 

and hope that I will never think that I do. 

However, it seemed to me that this young 

man had approached the assessment in the 

wrong way. I asked him whether he had 

begun by asking his client how much she 

drove, where she drove and what she wanted 

to achieve. No, he had not asked, he had 

basically given a driving lesson as if to a 

learner. While training to be an ADI, I worked 

as a medical secretary and I remember the 

senior consultant saying that before you do 

anything else you should listen to the patient 

– they know their body better than you do. 

So when assessing an older driver it is 

important to know what their objective is. 

I usually begin by asking them why they 

have come to me and try to establish how 

worried they are about their driving, if at all. 

After that, what journeys do they make, at 

what time of day? 

The most recent client I had in this 

category was a lady aged 81 who was the last 

in her group of friends who was still driving. 

Since she was now the driver for three other 

old ladies to go to their bridge club she 

thought she should just make sure that she 

was safe. She had never driven on a 

motorway and saw no need to start now. We 

looked at the roads around where her friends 

lived, a couple of routes to the bridge club and 

we did some parking at her chosen 

supermarket. 

In other words, I helped her in the areas in 

which she needed help and did not try to get 

her to do anything with which she was not 

comfortable and would not need to do 

anyway. 

Most people only ever buy one copy of the 

Highway Code – the one they get as a 

learner! So I suggest that an up-to-date 

copy would be a good idea, and I usually ask a 

few questions about familiarity with road 

signs and markings. If someone is going to 

be making longer journeys we talk about 

being prepared for traffic jams and planning 

“The most recent 

client I had was a 

lady aged 81... she 

had never driven on 

a motorway and saw 

no need to start now. 

A trip to the 

supermarket and 

local bridge club was 

enough for her...” 

stops. Driving at night is more challenging as 

one gets older because the muscles in the 

eyes do not respond so quickly to glare and 

often there is that second or two of panic 

while blinking frantically and staring ahead 

after passing someone who has failed to dip 

their headlights. 

Being ready for this to happen and looking 

further ahead helps, as does looking slightly 

down and slightly to the left. 

It just so happens that last night I was 

driving home through floods and in the dark. I 

was most grateful to the Mercedes driver in 

front who was travelling at about 30/35 mph 

on a road that went from 40mph to 60mph. 

From time to time he slowed right down and 

went onto the wrong side of the road to get 

round some rather deep water. I was less 

happy with the person behind who was 

following closely behind me and seemed to 

be looking for an overtake. Twice I was 

swamped by people coming the other way 

and sending a sheet of water over my car. I 

did not like this at all and actually considered 

“I see my job as helping people to achieve their own objectives 

within safe criteria and in accordance with the rules of the 

road. Older people will never have heard of MSPSL, have 

probably been putting their hand through the wheel to help 

their steering for years and were driving years before the M25 

was built (as was I!)...” 



stopping. I only kept going because I was not 

far from home and I know these roads so well 

that I was ready for the deepest water and 

could decide on my detour. 

I don’t want to get into a debate about 

climate change but if I am talking to anyone 

about their driving I do talk about the state of 

our roads locally and how important it is to 

consider the weather before starting a 

journey. 

Last summer (2022) I was giving my pupils 

the option to take their lesson or not if it was 

in the afternoon because for a couple of 

weeks the heat was excessive. I (at my age) 

have a number of elderly friends, a couple 

now in their nineties, and we don’t cope with 

extremes of weather as well as we used to. 

Fortunately, most older people are more 

concerned with comfort and practicality than 

how they look and will dress sensibly. 

Nonetheless I do discuss what people are 

wearing in the car – sleeves that catch on 

gear sticks or indicator stalks, shoes that slip 

off pedals, etc. Are they prepared for a 

sudden change in weather conditions? 

Perhaps most importantly of all, does the 

client need a larger rear view mirror? If 

turning round to see behind when reversing is 

difficult or painful, is best use being made of 

door mirrors? Would sitting on a cushion or 

booster be a good idea? If there are mobility 

issues should the whole seating position be 

addressed? 

One other thing. One of my learners is a 

mother who never bothered to learn to drive 

when she was younger and now feels the 

time is right. She was telling me about her 

own mother who had been driving a Volvo 

estate for years but her husband had just 

persuaded her to buy an electric car. 

She hated it. There were so many gadgets, 

bells and whistles, all singing all dancing, that 

she wanted to turn all of it off. 

I have heard similar things so often before. 

I see my job as helping people to achieve 

their own objectives within safe criteria and 

in accordance with the rules of the road. 

Older people will never have heard of MSPSL, 

have probably been putting their hand 

through the wheel to help their steering for 

years and were driving years before the M25 

was built (as was I!). 

So, I know I am preaching to the converted 

but, if you are new to the industry, please 

consider the possibility that there may be 

times NOT to ‘go by the book’. 

OLDER DRIVERS 

Do you often take older drivers out for 

assessments or fitness-to-drive checks? 

Let MSA GB know your experiences, by 

contacting editor@msagb.com 

MPs call for 

zero tolerance 

to speeding 

Motorists should receive a penalty for 

even the smallest breach of the speed 

limit, says the all-party parliamentary 

group for cycling and walking. 

The group of MPs and peers say that 

allowing drivers leeway with speed limits 

has “led to a culture of impunity.” 

Removing the tolerances would make it 

safer for those walking, cycling and 

scootering, who are being put off by the 

perceived danger on the roads. 

“We hold the view that speed limits and 

their enforcement represent the 

foundation of road justice because 

speeding accounts for the lion’s share of 

offences committed on the roads,” said the 

group. 

“If the working assumption is that one 

can speed (to an extent) with impunity, 

this fosters a belief that traffic law does 

not need to be taken seriously.” 

The zero-tolerance approach to 

speeding is one of 10 recommendations in 

the group’s new Road Justice Inquiry, 

which aims to tackle bad driving so 

motorists cannot get away with driving 

“impatiently, discourteous or, worse, 

maliciously”. 

It added that more than 8 in 10 members 

of the public believe it is not to speed even 

slightly in residential roads. 

New licence idea floating 

in EU for bigger cars 

A leading MEP has called on the European 

Parliament to introduce new licence 

categories for heavier cars. 

Under proposals brought forward by 

Karima Delli is to introduce a new B+ 

licence for cars weighing more than 1.8 

tonnes. New drivers would only be able to 

apply for the licence to drive the largest 

and heaviest vehicles, such as the BMW 

X5 when they are above 21 years of age, 

and after two years of driving. 

Ms Delli’s proposal has more than a good 

chance of finding support, as she is the 

MEP in charge of drafting the European 

Parliament’s response to a European 

Commission proposal to revise rules on 

driving licences. 


Area news 

Keeping members in the loop 

From left, Tom Kwok and Joan; 

above, Fenella Wheeler with Mike 

Yeomans and right, Dawn Cummins 

Bob Page 

MSA GB London 

& the South East 

Terry Cummins and his committee held 

another of its popular CPD events on Friday 

22nd September at St Peter and Paul’s 

Church in Hastings. It’s good to report that as 

with previous events of this nature, it was 

very well attended. 

Dawn Cummins gave an interesting 

presentation on test nerves and mindfulness; 

we all have our own techniques for dealing 

with this but I certainly felt I learned 

something new. 

We were joined by representatives from 

Sussex Safer Roads, who spoke about 

community Speed Watch and the police 

response to their reports. They explained 

how they deal with reports from the public, 

again some things I knew and some didn’t. 

They also spoke about ‘Blue light 

awareness’. Of course, this could be covered 

by TV announcements but if not, it makes a 

great case for MSA GB membership! 

Terry made a presentation to Fenella 

Wheeler and Joan for the help they had given 

to the committee in setting up the event, and 

some welcome refreshments were taken. 

London & South East ChairmanTom Kwok 

then took the floor for a presentation on the 

Top 10 reasons for failing the driving test. 

Moving off safely has now risen to number 

three, interestingly, and Tom covered this 

admirably. 

Finally, we were joined by MSA GB National 

Chairman Mike Yeomans who had made the 

long drive down from his base near Hull to 

deliver an industry update. It was interesting 

and informative, and yet again I couldn’t help 

wonder how instructors can keep up with 

changes without organisations such as ours 

keeping them in the loop. 

Hopefully, we’ll see some of you at the 

next one. 

ADIA donation hand over 

I was delighted to help hand over a 

cheque for £600 to Maggie’s in Dundee, 

with the money raised at Angus Driving 

Instructors Association’s (ADIA) ‘Sit 

your test for charity day’, writes Brian 

Thomson. 

The money was raised from test day 

participants, £360, topped up by £40 in 

donations and a whopping £172 raised by 

the 2nd Chance Tearoom in Inverkeilor. 

This gave us a massive £572 in total, 

which ADIA rounded up to £600. 

This year our chosen charity was 

Maggie’s in Dundee. This brilliant place 

caters for patients and families affected 

by or suffering from all ranges of cancer, 

providing support and advice as well as 

a place to have a coffee and a cake with 

the staff members who are always 

willing to sit down and listen. 

Pictured left is my good self, in my 

capacity as ADIA’s vice chairman, with 

Laila Nixon, (far left) one of my students 

who took the opportunity to take a drive 

down to Dundee (approx. 40 miles from 

our training area in Montrose) to get a 

feel for driving in a large city and lengthy 

dual carriageway run. The promise of a 

McDonalds breakfast probably helped 

influence her! Between them holding the 

cheque is Lauren McLean, Maggie’s 

fundraising organiser. 

ADIA and Maggie’s would like to say a 

massive thanks to all people who took 

part in this fundraiser, our supporters 

and everyone who donated. 



Start helping to reduce new drivers 

insurance costs – before they pass! 

Need help explaining the 

intricacies of car insurance 

to your pupils? MSA GB 

supporter Collingwood has 

some advice you can pass on 

When you are learning to drive, there are 

many costs to consider. And those costs 

don’t stop after you have passed your test! 

New driver insurance after you pass your test 

can be pricey, and will most likely be more 

expensive than a learner driver 

policy. Insurance companies often view new 

drivers as a high risk. This is because they are 

new on the road and do not have much 

experience at first. As you get older, earn a 

no claims bonus and have more experience 

with driving premiums will often reduce. 

However, if you pass your test, you may be 

able to reduce the cost of your first full 

licence insurance! By getting a No Claims 

bonus before you pass! 

What is a No Claims Bonus? 

A No Claims Bonus (NCB), sometimes 

referred to as a No Claims Discount (NCD) 

lets an insurer know that you have had no 

fault claims on the policy – letting them know 

you are a safe driver. 

Depending on the number of years you are 

claims free, you can accumulate your NCB, for 

example driving for four years without any 

claims, you build up a four-year NCB. This can 

reduce your premium by 30%, rising to 

60%–65% according to the British Insurance 

Broker’s Institute. You will typically earn a 

NCB after passing your practical driving test, 

when you have been on the road for at least 

one year with no claims. 

Although, this is not always the case! If 

you have taken out provisional insurance 

while learning, you may be able to earn your 

own NCB, which could help reduce the cost of 

premiums when you pass your test. 

Not every Learner Insurance company will 

offer this, but it will be a huge advantage after 

you have passed your test as it could save 

you some money. 

Can a learner driver earn a no claims bonus? 

As a provisional licence holder, you can 

start to earn your own NCB before you even 

pass your test. With Collingwood Learner 

Driver Insurance, you have the potential to 

earn a no claims bonus. 

Even better, with a Collingwood Learners 

insurance policy, no claims are accelerated, 

meaning if you achieve 10 months of 

uninterrupted cover, with no claims on the 

policy, you can earn your own accelerated 

NCB. This can be 10 months of an annual policy 

or a short-term policy with no breaks in cover! 

By being a safe driver and meeting all the 

terms and conditions of your policy, you 

could be in for a chance of reducing your first 

full-license insurance premium 

Top tip! 

The advice is to set up a Learner Driver 

Insurance policy with Collingwood as soon as 

you start learning to drive. This makes it more 

likely that you will be able to achieve all 

criteria to get your own No Claims Bonus. 

It may not take you 10 months to pass. 

However, if it does you will get the added 

benefit of a NCB for your full licence 

insurance.You also get the added benefit of 

extra driving practice outside of your lessons, 

which could help you pass your driving test. 

Remember, the DVSA recommends drivers 

get 45 hours of driving lessons and 22 hours 

of private practice. 

NO CLAIMS BONUS REQUIREMENTS with 

Collingwood Learner Driver Insurance 

Annual or short-term cover 

At least 10 months of uninterrupted cover 

No claims during policy 

To get your NCB you must meet all the 

criteria on your learner policy, and then after 

it has ended, you will be sent your NCB 

certificate. You can then pass this on to your 

next insurer to potentially get a discount 

when you pass.Collingwood also provides 

exclusive follow-on insurance to existing 

Collingwood customers only. With 

competitive pricing and the guarantee that 

your NCB will be considered. 

Will a no claims discount save me money on 

full licence insurance? 

Having a NCD shows the insurer that you 

are a responsible driver and can drive safely. 

Therefore, it may reduce premiums after you 

pass. 

Not every insurer will acknowledge an NCD 

from a learner policy. So, it is a good idea to 

ask and look around when you are setting up 

your full licence insurance for an insurer that 

will consider your NCB or accelerated no 

claims bonus. 

When your Collingwood Insurance policy 

ends your no claims eligibility will be sent to 

you by email. Once you have passed your 

test, your learner driver policy is no longer 

valid. Make sure this is cancelled before 

insuring your car as a full licence holder! 

When you are completing a quote for a new 

driver insurance policy, there is normally a 

question asking if you have a No claims 

bonus from previous insurance. If you have 

already insured your car as a new driver prior 

to receiving your Collingwood No Claims 

Certificate, you may be able to call your new 

insurer to ask if they will accept it. 

You can do this even after the policy has 

been taken out. 

Conclusion 

As a learner driver, there are ways that you 

can earn a no claims discount, which can help 

you save money when you move on to full 

licence insurance. This is subject to you 

meeting specific criteria for your policy, 

which will allow you to achieve your own 

NCD.With Collingwood you know that you 

have a chance to earn your own NCD with 10 

months of uninterrupted cover without any 

claims on the policy. This will give you 

potential savings after you have passed your 

driving test. 

After passing, it is always a good idea to 

shop around for the best deal and look for an 

insurer who will accept your Learner’s NCB. 

To guarantee your NCB as a learner it is best 

practice to set up insurance as soon as you 

want to learn to drive. This gives you the 

most amount of time covered and will set you 

up better for earning your discount. It also 

gives you extra driving practice to help you 

feel more prepared for your test! 

Find out more about Collingwood’s 

products by clicking here 


Members’ offers and discounts 

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 

Access to a replacement dual 

control car after a crash 

EXCLUSIVE DEAL FOR MSA GB MEMBERS 

MSA GB has partnered with AI Insurance Solutions Limited to provide members with a 

replacement dual controlled car when things don’t quite go to plan. 

If you lose your dual-controlled tuition car in a crash, MSA GB’s new partnership with AI 

Insurance Solutions Ltd will have you back on the road and teaching in no time. 

Our exclusive agreement with AI Solutions Ltd will supply a replacement vehicle to you 

should the need arise – at no cost. 

Contact The AI Insurance Solutions Emergency (AIIS) assistance line on 01945 425211 

for more details, or see pg 26. 

Ford updates special 

members’ offer 

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. See the 

Members’ Benefits page on the MSA GB website 

and follow the Ford link for more details.. 

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. 

BREATHALYSER KITS 

Protect yourself and your pupils with a 

personal breathalyser. We’ve teamed up with 

AlcoSense, the award-winning range of 

personal breathalysers, to offer an exclusive 

discount to all MSA GB members. 

A personal breathalyser takes the 

guesswork out of whether there’s residual 

alcohol in your system (or that of your learner 

driver pupil) the morning after the night 

before. 

MSA GB OFFER:: 10% off any AlcoSense product 

(excluding single-use disposables) – from the 

entry-level Lite 2 (£44.99) to the 

top-of-the-range Ultra 

(£249.00). 

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. 

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. 

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. 

To get the full story of the 

discounts available, see 

www.msagb.com 



PUPIL INSURANCE 

Join the Collingwood Instructor 

Programme and refer your pupils 

for learner insurance. 

MSA GB OFFER:: MSA GB OFFER:: £50 for your 

first referral and £20 for all additional 

referrals. 

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. 

QUICKBOOKS 

50% Discount on two 

packages for MSA GB members 

Quickbooks is offering an online 50% 

discount for MSA GB members on two of 

their premium accounting packages. 

Essentials Package For small businesses 

working with suppliers. Manage VAT and 

Income Tax with up to three users. 

Plus For businesses managing projects, 

stock, VAT, and Income Tax. Up to five users. 

The packages are contract-free throughout 

with no cancellation fee. This exclusive 

member offer can only be secured by 

contacting our MSA GB representative at 

Quickbooks - Ollie Nobes, on: 07723 507 026 

or email: Ollie_Nobes@intuit.com quoting: 

**MSAGB** 

To get the full story of the 

discounts available, see 

www.msagb.com 

Membership offer 

Welcome, new ADIs 

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, 

one that’s alive with 

possibilities as you build 

your skills, your client base 

and your income. 

But for all the excitement, 

it can also be challenging; 

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 

Join MSA GB today! 

SPECIAL OFFER: Join for just £60 with your 

PI & PL insurance included immediately! 

No joining fee - saving you £25 

Call 01787 221020 quoting discount code 

Newslink, or join online at www.msagb.com 

We’d like you to join us 

We’re there to support you 

every step of the way. Our 

office-based staff are 

there, five days a week, 

from 9am-5pm, 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.

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