Newslink May 2024

msagb.com 

Newslink 

The Voice of MSA GB 

Issue 376 • May 2024 

Politicians slammed 

for failure to act on 

graduated licences 

New safety concerns 

as more automated 

car tech is approved 

L-tests and the power 

of positive thinking 

We work for all Driver Trainers. Want to join? SAVE £25 – see pg 39 for special offer

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

GDL back on the agenda - but still 

no consensus of right approach 

Colin Lilly 

Editor, 


The introduction of Graduated Driver 

Licensing (GDL) is back in the spotlight. 

Following some recent tragic incidents and 

the BBC documentary ‘Drive Fast Die Young’ 

regarding crashes involving young drivers (as 

featured in the April issue of Newslink), there 

has been an increase in public demands for 

the restriction of young drivers’ activities. 

Meanwhile the public, who may be less 

aware of the benefits of training, clamour for 

prohibition. An easy interpretation is, if we 

remove the more common scenarios for car 

crashes they will not happen. If only life were 

that simple. 

The popular media covering the topic seem 

to be targeting young drivers assuming that 

all crashes are caused by the exuberance of 

youth, but inexperience is also a primary 

factor. 

Whatever factors could be prohibited such 

as night driving, carrying passengers, engine 

size, etc, they are of negligible effect until the 

new driver actually drives after passing a 

test. Newly qualified drivers will often wait to 

buy a car once the expense of driving lessons 

and test are over, and this could be some 

months. 

Easy options such as a minimum learning 

period do not work because the person may 

not take lessons during that time. A minimum 

number of lessons does not mean that will be 

sufficient for the less able learner. 

It is unlikely that any legislation will be 

brought in quickly, particularly in an election 

year. Political parties are not going to make 

any apparent restriction on young voters part 

of their manifesto. For once road legislation 

has become a political policy but in the form 

of placating the so-called road lobby against 

anything that restrains their own driving 

desire. 

Just because the subject may be sent to a 

backburner does not mean it should be 

forgotten. The training industry must begin to 

form a policy on the way forward. The topic 

was the subject of a debate at the MSA GB 

conference in March. Many ideas were raised 

during the discussion led by Graham Feest 

but no consensus was formed, as was 

reported in the April issue of Newslink. 

Pass Plus has been raised as a basis to 

build on. Initially the discounts available from 

insurance companies were good, but in many 

cases diminished to the point where the cost 

of Pass Plus was not giving value for money. 

Pass Plus is still available but only seems to 

be of interest to the most conscientious new 

drivers. 

If more incentives could be available the 

take-up would be better. The Government 

could help by offering ‘early release’ from a 

restricted licence for those who have taken 

extra training. The insurance companies could 

go back and look again at Pass Plus and offer 

discounts for those completing an enhanced 

course of training. 

MSA GB supports GDL but on the terms 

that will benefit the new driver through 

training. We cannot go on throwing 

inexperienced drivers, with little more than 

basic training, into the maelstrom. 

MSA GB is hosting a webinar on graduated 

driver licences later this month. See pg 6 

Comment 

Failure to bring in GDL is ‘major 

flaw in British policymaking’ 

In this opinion piece, Dr Ian 

Greenwood explains why 

introducing graduated driving 

licences will save lives and 

improve roasd safety 

Dr Ian Greenwood 

has provided an 

opinion piece on the 

issue: see pg 18 

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 

COVER STORY 

Mark Hewison 

considers whether 

optimists fare better 

on their L-tests by 

embracing the 

pressure and having 

a more positive view 

of its challenges. 

See pg 22 

Follow the link 

MSA GB sends 

you to access 

Newslink, 

and then just 

click Download 

(circled above) 

to save a copy 

on your device 

We rightly value our freedoms in Britain, but 

at what point does the freedom for us all to 

be safe on our roads trump the freedom of 

motorists to drive? 

This debate rightly demands an important 

space in our political discourse, and in the 

media. But there does appear to be a clear 

winner when the Plan for Drivers from the 

Government, and the Labour Party, has a 

“laser-like focus” on the cost of driving, 

rather than improved road safety. 

NEWSLINK n MAY 2024 03 

This issue occupies a large part of 

Westminster’s policy priorities, though not 

Parliamentary debate. But it is clearly not as 

simple as a ‘one or the other’ debate. 

To illustrate, let us consider the well-known Hugo Morris, Jevon Hirst, Wilf Fitchett and Harvey Owen were all aged between 16 and 18 when 

they were killed in a car crash in Gwynedd last November.

Contents 

14 

30 

Wales drops blanket 20mph 

urban speed limits 

The new First Minister of Wales, Vaughan 

Gethin, has surprised many by agreeing to 

axe the controversial lower speed limit that 

he introduced as Transport Secretary – 8 

Lords attack Government 

failures in EV strategy 

Peers have made some good suggestions to 

boost electric vehicles sale - so why has the 

Government ignored them all? – 10 

BBC reveals more problems with 

smart motorways... 

... but National Highways hits back, saying 

Panorama took figures out of context and 

its security systems are safe – 14 

33 

Politicians’ failure to introduce 

graduated licences costing lives 

Dr Ian Greenwood says it’s time the 

Government grasped the nettle of graduated 

driving licences before it is too late – 18 

Automated driving: new 

regulations are causing concern 

We were promised that road safety would be 

the number one priority when automated 

driving tech was approved. But recent subtle 

changes suggest this isn’t the case – 20 

20 

Power of positive thinking can be 

the difference on L-test 

A half-full or half-empty attitude on lessons 

can be the difference between a pupil 

approaching their L-test with confidence or 

trepidation, says Mark Hewison – 22 

Work-related crashes – are we 

taking them seriously enough? 

Tom Harrington looks at the workplace 

activity with the highest death and injury rate 

by far: driving – 24 


The Voice of MSA GB 

The Motor Schools Association 

of Great Britain Ltd 

Head Office: 

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qualified ADIs throughout Great Britain by: 

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Views expressed in Newslink are not necessarily those 

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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. 

©2024 The Motor Schools 

Association of Great Britain 

Ltd. Reproducing in whole 

or part is forbidden without 

express permission of the 

editor. 

04 NEWSLINK n MAY 2024


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 

NEWSLINK n MAY 2024 05

News 

Call for first aid training to 

be compulsory for drivers 

LeaseCar.uk has called for all drivers to 

receive mandatory first aid training so 

they know how to help in the event of a 

road collision, and for first aid training to 

be included in driver training. 

It points to research which suggests up 

to 59% of deaths from injury may have 

been prevented if first aid had been given 

before emergency services arrived. 

Just one-in-20 adults in the UK know 

what to do in a first aid emergency, and 

the same number would feel confident, 

knowledgeable and willing to help 

someone with a medical issue. 

LeaseCar.uk says the skills learnt in 

first aid courses can help people treat 

casualties with life-threatening injuries 

and improve their chances of survival. 

First aid training is already compulsory 

in some countries, and learner drivers in 

some European nations must show first 

aid knowledge for their theory tests. 

These include Hungary, Czechia, Austria 

and Slovenia. 

In Switzerland, motorists must attend 

an obligatory 10-hour first aid course split 

into different modules, followed by a 

practical assessment and written test. 

Tim Alcock from LeaseCar.uk said: “First 

aid training should be a requirement before 

getting behind the wheel to reduce deaths 

and help those with injuries on UK roads. 

“It is concerning that just 5% of the 

public would be willing to help someone 

bleeding heavily, unresponsive or not 

breathing. 

“First aid can be crucial when 

responding to a car crash and the correct 

knowledge and skills can help save lives 

while waiting for ambulances. 

“Whether the first aid training covers 

the basics or advanced emergencies, the 

skills learnt in courses can drastically 

improve the chance of survival. 

“The UK should be following in the 

footsteps of other countries who have 

made first aid training mandatory to give 

the necessary help to drivers if they get 

into an accident.” 

The Driving Licence (Mandatory First 

Aid Training) Bill was unveiled in the House 

of Commons in 2016 which would require 

all driving licence applicants to have had 

first aid training before undertaking a 

practical driving test. However, there has 

been no progress or updates since. 

GDL: MSA GB webinar to get 

to the heart of the matter 

MSA GB will be hosting a webinar on 

Graduated Driver Licences (GDL) on 

Thursday, 23rd May at 4 pm, so keep an eye 

on your inbox, as we’ll soon be sharing the 

event details and information on how to book. 

This webinar is your chance to share your 

views on GDLs. Whether you think they’re 

necessary or not, and if you think they should 

be introduced. 

Please note that places are limited to just 

100 for this event, so as soon as you receive 

our mailer, we urge you to book your place. 

To ensure you receive the booking details 

and all MSA GB correspondence, add: info@ 

msagb.com to your address book. 

Have we got your latest email address? If 

Email licence scam alert 

you are in doubt, contact MSA GB head office 

to make sure we have your latest contact 

details. 

MSA GB’s head office 

is always on the 

look-out for the latest 

scams via Facebook, 

email or other digital 

avenues. The email 

left is one of the more 

realistic, and it would 

be good to circulate 

this image around 

your pupils to make 

them aware of the 

scammers. 

It’s not bad, this one: 

nearly everything is 

spelt correctly! 

New features added to the driver and vehicles account 

Motorists are now able to complete the 

10-year renewal of their driving licence and 

apply for a first provisional licence through 

the Driver and Vehicles account. 

Along with the current features, such as 

opting to receive vehicle tax reminders by 

text or email, account holders will now be able 

to renew their photocard driving licence, track 

their application and see details of their new 

driving licence once issued. 

First provisional drivers with an account will 

also be able to view their provisional driving 

licence and add a vehicle registered in their 

name. 

These additional services come after it was 

announced last October that commercial 

drivers can now view their Driver Certificate 

of Professional Competence (CPC) and 

tachograph information through the account. 

Set up your 

account here 



DTC Update 

Hotel to stay as Blackpool DTC 

DVSA has advised ADIs operating in and 

around Blackpool that the resort town’s 

famous Norbreck Castle Hotel will continue to 

be its base for L-tests for some time. 

Norbreck Castle Hotel is still classed as a 

temporary location, however, and the DVSA is 

continuing to look for a permanent base in 

the town for its operations. 

A reminder that the address for the 

temporary centre is: Lancastria Suite, Rear of 

Norbreck Castle Hotel, Queen’s Promenade, 

Norbreck, Blackpool FY2 9AA. 

Examiners will meet candidates at their 

cars at the time of the test. The car park 

must not be used for candidates to practise 

parking exercises. 

Caernarfon LGV test centre relocation 

From Wednesday, May1, the Caernarfon 

light goods vehicle (LGV) test centre will be 

operating from Carmel Driving School & 

Travel. If you have a test booked at 

Caernarfon LGV test centre from Wednesday, 

May 1, this test will still go ahead at the date 

and time arranged but will now take place at 

Carmel Driving School & Travel. 

The address for new Caernarfon LGV test 

centre is: Carmel Driving School & Travel, 4 

Tan Y Fynwent, Carmel, Caernarfon LL54 7AR. 

Paisley driving test centre 

temporary location 

The Paisley test centre located in St James 

Business park, will be permanently closing 

from May 7. 

After that date all tests will be conducted 

from the following temporary location: 

Glynhill Hotel, 169 Paisley Road, Paisley 

PA4 8XB 

The date and time of any tests booked will 

not been affected by this change and 

candidates will receive an email to advise of 

this temporary location. 

Note to ADIs 

When entering the hotel grounds, you will 

need to turn right and park at the far end, in 

front of the Barony Suite and the examiner 

will meet you at your car. 

The car park is solely for driving test 

appointments and NO practising is permitted 

on the hotel grounds. 

The DVSA is looking for a new permanent 

home for tests in the town and will advise 

ADIs when one has been located. 


News 

Wales drops blanket urban 

20mph limit amid criticism 

As Wales announced it was ditching its blanket 

urban 20mph speed limit, councillors in 

Coventry were voting through a similar policy. 

Last month, after weeks of criticism of the 

20mph zones, the Welsh Government under 

new First Minister Vaughan Gething said it 

would scale back the number of 20mph 

roads, at a cost of around £3-5m. It was a 

surprising move as it was Mr Gething that 

had introduced them as Transport Secretary, 

but the policy has been criticised from day 

one. Indeed, former First Minister Mark 

Drakeford said on his retirement that the 

pushback against the policy had been the 

biggest surprise of his time in politics. 

Transport Secretary Ken Skates said £32m 

was spent introducing the 20mph law seven 

months ago, and his department will pay for 

the switch. The public has been invited to 

contact their local councils if they want to 

change speed limits. Roads will revert to 

30mph from September. 

ADIs were largely disappointed with the 

original policy, with some based in urban 

areas complaining that too many 20mph 

roads near them made it difficult to access all 

types of roads. One told MSA GB that he had 

radically altered his lesson plans: “I work in 

Cardiff centre in an area surrounded by 

20mph roads for some distance, and it was 

clear straight away that an hour-long lesson 

was fine for new pupils but it was challenging 

to create appropriate lessons for more 

experienced pupils, and those close to their 

tests. I realised making all lessons 90 minutes 

gave me the flexibility to leave the city and 

spend more time on 30mph+ roads, and to be 

fair it’s been fine since.” 

While many in the Welsh public applauded 

the decision, not everyone backed it, 

however. One mum said she was convinced 

the policy had saved her son’s life. 

Mum Rhiannon, from Holywell, Flintshire, 

made the comments as her son, Ioan, was in 

hospital recovering after being hit by a car 

doing 20mph on a road that was previously a 

40mph limit. Ioan was left with a double 

fracture to his pelvis, deep cuts to his face, 

knees, back and elbow and needed three 

stitches to his lower lip – but his mum said he 

could have been killed if the vehicle had been 

going faster. 

Rhiannon said: “The doctor who treated 

Ioan said that he had been fortunate. 

“After thinking how slow the 20mph speed 

was I am now so grateful that the car was 

travelling at 20 because I dread to think what 

would have happened if it was going at 

30-40mph,” she said. “The doctor said that 

he’s a very lucky boy - and that’s just having 

been hit at 20. The fact the car was only 

travelling at 20mph saved his life, or from 

potentially life-changing injuries.” 

Rhiannon said “there’s a place for 20mph 

and a place for 30mph. We believe that 

20mph was definitely the right speed limit in 

the area where he was struck.” 

• A new blanket 20mph zone in the 

Earlsdon area of Coventry has been given 

final approval by the city council. 

The council said “liveable neighbourhoods” 

would start next month, with measures such 

as new no-entry roads, wider pavements, 

and extra pedestrian crossings, as well as the 

lower limits. 

Patricia Hetherton, the cabinet member for 

city services, said she knew 20mph limits 

“won’t please everybody, but if it saves one 

life then it’ll be worth it.” 

A public consultation on the initial plans 

was held in 2022. Work will start soon, to be 

completed by the end of August. 

But critics say blanket 20mph zones are 

unnecessary and make life harder for 

motorists. One resident who spoke to the 

BBC, Richard Overton, said he was 

“disappointed a decision has been taken 

before we’ve seen any evidence, especially 

on road traffic usage or air quality”. 

Consultation opened on 

vocational HGV regs 

The Department for Transport (DfT) is launching 

a consultation on amendments to Licensing 

Restrictions: Bus, Coach and Heavy Goods 

Vehicles (HGVs). The consultation is part of 

DfT’s ongoing work to help reduce the bus, 

coach and HGV driver shortage. 

Key changes include plans to remove the 

50km restriction if bus and coach drivers aged 

18 to 20 are driving a regular service; and to 

allow a person to undertake the theory and 

off-road manoeuvres tests DCPC before being 

granted a provisional bus, coach or heavy goods 

vehicle driver entitlement. 

CLICK HERE for details. 



EU agrees finally to take action against 

foreign drivers who commit traffic offences 

No plans as yet for UK to 

sign reciprocal agreement 

The European Parliament has voted to 

approve new rules to ensure more foreignregistered 

drivers face justice after 

committing road traffic offences outside of 

their home country. 

Current rules on ‘cross-border enforcement’ 

within EU Member States have helped 

increase compliance, Brussels said, but in 

2019 around 40 per cent of motoring 

offences by foreign drivers were not followed 

up, either because the offender was not 

identified or because payment of the fine 

was not enforced. 

The updated rules, approved by MEPs, 

address these issues with new provisions 

improving co-operation between EU nations. 

Besides the automated exchange of 

information between national authorities, 

new mutual assistance procedures will be 

introduced to identify the offender and 

enforce fines. 

Importantly some new offences have been 

included such as ‘hit and run’ – when a driver 

leaves the scene of a crash - in addition to the 

most frequent and egregious offences, such 

as speeding and drink- and drug-driving. 

Ellen Townsend, policy director of the 

European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) 

said: “Freedom of movement within the EU 

shouldn’t mean freedom to speed and 

drink-drive when away from home. 

“It’s great that the EU is cracking down on 

this by extending the range of traffic offences 

that can be followed up and improving the 

chances of fines being paid. 

“It’s unfortunate that we still don’t have a 

way of applying penalty points across 

borders – this is an issue that EU 

policymakers will have to return to. 

“Nonetheless, this deal is a step forward 

for road safety. MEPs have done a good job.” 

The legislation will not come into force 

immediately because it still needs to be 

written into the national law of all 27 EU 

Member States. 

Because the UK has left the EU, it means 

foreign drivers will still be able to break 

motoring laws in the UK without punishment 

in the majority of cases. There are no plans to 

agree a reciprocal deal between the UK and 

the EU at this stage. 


News 

Lords attack Government failures in EV strategy 

The Government is facing severe criticism 

after it rejected out of hand a series of 

proposals by a key House of Lords committee 

aimed at boosting the switch to electric 

vehicles (EVs) in the UK. 

Peers on the Environment and Climate 

Change Committee had called on the 

Government to cut the VAT levied on 

electricity from public charging stations, 

introduce targeted purchase grants for EVs, 

increase home charging options for people 

without drives and force EV recharging 

stations to publicise charging prices, in a 

paper, ‘EV strategy: Rapid recharge needed’. 

They warned that the Government needed to 

“put its foot on the accelerator” to support 

the EV transition to meet net zero targets. 

But all the ideas were immediately 

dismissed by the DfT. 

At present, anyone charging up their EV at 

home pays 5% VAT on the electricity used, 

but if they recharge at a public station the 

VAT is levied at 20%. 

This situation has repeatedly been 

criticised by the RAC and FairCharge, who 

point out that roughly 40% of drivers don’t 

have access to a driveway to install a home 

charger. But the Government rejected the 

idea, saying the Treasury has no plans to 

change VAT on public charging and said such 

a move would “impose additional pressure on 

the public finances, to which VAT makes a 

significant contribution”. 

It also rejected targeted grants to help 

make EVs more affordable. Since the Plug-in 

Car Grant was axed in June 2022 there has 

been no central incentive scheme for buyers. 

In response the Government said the 

Plug-in Car Grant had been vital in building 

the early market for EVs, but now “would 

have less of an effect on demand than other 

existing price incentives, such as company 

car tax” and that it targets incentives “where 

they have the most impact and deliver the 

greatest value for money”. 

It also said that EV prices continue to fall 

and some external forecasts predict that 

some EVs could achieve price parity with ICE 

cars by the end of the 2020s. 

The Government also rejected peers’ calls 

to boost roll-out of the On-Street Residential 

Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS), which 

supports local authorities to deliver EV 

charging infrastructure for residents without 

off-street parking; a ‘right to charge’ for 

tenants and leaseholds in multi-occupancy 

buildings; and mandatory ‘totem signs’ at the 

approach to motorways service stations with 

EV charging facilities. 

Baroness Parminter, chair of the inquiry, 

said: “It is disappointing that the Government 

is not incentivising the purchase of more EVs, 

equalising the VAT differential between public 

and domestic charging, or addressing our 

concerns about barriers to charging in 

multi-occupancy buildings. 

“If implemented, these recommendations 

would help people to adopt EVs and ensure a 

smoother journey towards net zero. Peers will 

keep urging the Government to do more, as 

otherwise the EV revolution is a non-starter.” 

Denis Watling, MD at ChargeGuru UK, said: 

“Reducing the 20% VAT rate is a vital step in 

democratising the charging experience. Not 

everyone has access to home charging at the 

5% rate, and it’s these individuals that 

desperately need the support of the 

Government to make the switch. 

About the only area where the 

Government and peers were in agreement 

was when the committee called for work to 

be done on regulating a ‘battery health 

standard.’ The Government said it has worked 

“with industry and other governments to 

develop a Global Technical Regulation on EV 

batteries (GTR 22) that would set minimum 

durability and lifespan standards. It would 

also make reliable and comparable battery 

health information accessible to owners.” 

“Since January, the Zero Emission Vehicle 

Mandate regulations have been in force, 

which obligate manufacturers to provide 

minimum warranties for EV batteries, in line 

with the GTR 22 durability standards.” 

However, it moved back into rejection 

mode when the Lords’ report said more 

needed to be done to incentivise the 

purchase of second hand EVs, as happens in 

the Netherlands. Rather, “industry 

intelligence suggests that some EVs on the 

used market are now similar in price to their 

petrol and diesel equivalents.” 

Damien Dally, Fiat UK managing director, 

was scathing in his criticism. “Fiat has said the 

Government is sleepwalking into an electric 

vehicle crisis. With confirmation that no 

electric car grant is going to be reintroduced, 

we would say the Government is now well and 

truly on the cusp of that crisis. 

“The EV market for private buyers is in real 

jeopardy; only 18.2% new electric cars were 

registered privately so far this year. While we 

welcome the incentive in place for electric 

van buyers, the biggest barrier to entry for a 

retail electric car buyer remains price. 

“Fiat is playing its part in that with the 

continuation of its £3,000 E-Grant. The 

Government must now do the same.” 


News 

NASP: The National Associations 

Strategic Partnership 

The latest meeting between officials from the 

DVSA and representatives of NASP, the 

National Associations Strategic Partnership, 

took place last month, with the current 

position on L-test waiting times still the main 

subject of conversation. Below are the 

minuted highlights from the meeting, which 

offers a good overview of the discussions and 

the current picture. 

n DVSA is nearing end of its six months 

recovery period. Some warrant holders will be 

returning to normal duties after end of March 

(as reported to the MSA Conference; see last 

issue of Newslink) 

n National average waiting times for 

L-tests were down, to 16.1 weeks through 

February. The north of Great Britain was 

recovering more quickly than the south. In 

Scotland, north-east England down to 

Lincolnshire the average waiting time was 12.5 

weeks. In north-west England, including 

Manchester, Wales, and down to 

Gloucestershire, waiting times were 15 weeks. 

In Nottingham, M1, Oxford, Cambridge and a 

belt running from Norfolk to Penzance, the 

position was worse, around 19 weeks, and 

there was continuing high demand in M1 

corridor area into SE England. In London and 

south-east England it was 21-22 weeks. 

n The DVSA is actively seeking volunteers 

from among its examiners to move from 

driving test centres with lower L-test waiting 

times to ones in high wait areas. 

n Forward bookings have fallen to 507,293, 

with a sustained dropping off for bookings 

since October. These have been continually 

falling each month. Panic buying of tests is not 

fully over but customer behaviour is starting 

to change. 

At the time of writing there were 127,000 

available tests in system to book, though 

these were not evenly distributed across the 

country. 

n The DVSA is conducting around 44,000 

tests a week. In July 2023 it was 33,000. 

It was forecast that there would be two 

million tests held this year – comfortably a 

record high. 

Recruitment 

The DVSA was still looking to recruit more 

examiners. It had 170 available posts - 

proportionally in line with recovery. 

“The DVSA is conducting around 

44,000 tests a week. In July 

2023 it was 33,000. It was 

forecast that there would be two 

million tests held this year – 

comfortably a record high.” 

Newcomers will be posted where they are 

most needed. Response has been positive. 

ADI Registrar 

The volume of new applications to become 

ADIs is not reducing. Over 100% more 

applications than previously - now 41,000 on 

the Register with 4,000 trainee licence 

holders. The DVSA is still receiving around 700 

applications per month for trainee licences 

- previously 250 per month. This has been 

challenging, with no let-up for 18 months. 

In February 2024 there were 1,675 new ADI 

qualifications and 722 trainee licences. 

ADI Examiner Update 

n There were 5,727 Part 2s from 

September 2023 - February 2024 - again, a 

record number. Previously were 500 a month. 

Currently delivering to capacity at three times 

the normal. 

During the same period there were 4,637 

Part 3s. 

n However, the DVSA conducted only 863 

Standard Checks. Each one was with an ADI 

who had registered poor scores on the TIP 

evaluation of pupils’ driving test record, had 

qualified recently or had failed a Standards 

Check. 

n A six-week course was starting on 8 

April for six new examiners. There will be nine 

examiners within three months giving an 

extra 150 tests per week. 

n Resources will be focused on Part 2s and 

3s and then Standards Checks, focusing on 

areas with highest needs 

n NASP asked if people are booking early 

because of lack of Part 2 and 3 tests. This is 

happening and means they will cancel tests, 

which will have detrimental effect on whether 

they get more than one trainee licence and 

take slots away from those who are ready. 

NASP suggested it’s happening because 

people are scared their two years will run out 

and asked if there are messages for trainees. 

DVSA said making sure they are prepared is 

the best message. 

n NASP said if a trainee is on “Book to Hold” 

they can take Part 3 if theory is running out, 

but they can’t have more than one test 

booked at a time. 

DVSA stated, the window is still 12 weeks 

and priority will be given to those with Part 1’s 

expiring, as well as those who came on the list 

first. Some test centres have different needs. 

If the demand for Part 2s and 3s is lower there 

will be more Standard Checks. 

Ready2Pass? and communications 

n NASP asked for an update in relation to 

Ready2Pass regarding trainees. DVSA stated 

work had been started on this, however is 

currently paused. Supporting messages and 

PDI guidance is now being issued on a weekly 

basis. 

n NASP queried ADI qualification test 

results emails update. It was explained that 

these will be reviewed once warrant card 

holders return from testing. 

Policy update 

n DVSA driver policy team is currently 

focusing on driver policy priorities and has 

started designing a long-term recovery 

roadmap 



VR sets help to gauge drivers’ ability to 

swap focus when in self-driving cars 

Researchers at the University of Glasgow are 

using augmented reality headsets to see 

whether drivers in future autonomous 

vehicles will be able to switch back to 

controlling their vehicle after a period where 

they weren’t in charge and were performing 

tasks other from driving. 

As self-driving cars become more likely on 

Britain’s roads in the future, car designers 

face a challenge in how to balance the driver’s 

desire to relax during their trip or engage in 

other tasks, such as reading or watching TV, 

while remaining aware of road hazards and 

being ready to retake control of the vehicle if 

circumstances demand. 

The university asked participants to wear 

VR head sets to simulate the driving 

experience for their research, and found that 

if they placed attention-grabbing graphics 

over real-world views through the car 

windscreens, drivers proved they could use 

entertainment apps while still maintaining 

awareness of the road – and swap back to 

taking control if needed. 

However, the design needs to be carefully 

managed to avoid overwhelming users with 

information at critical moments. 

The findings will be used to inform the 

development of self-driving cars as they 

move towards fully autonomous control. 

Thomas Goodge, of the university’s School 

of Computing Science, said: “One of the main 

attractions of autonomous vehicles is that 

drivers will eventually be able to take their 

focus off the road and read or play games. 

“But they will still have to take control in 

emergencies, as it will likely be years before 

cars are capable of driving themselves 

entirely without human intervention. 

“In the meantime, the people sitting behind 

the wheel are somewhere between drivers 

and passengers – not actively involved in 

steering but still required to supervise their 

vehicle on occasion. 

“However, humans don’t deal very well 

with sustained supervisory tasks. They get 

bored, they get distracted, and when they do 

they lose their awareness of the road. That 

could be dangerous if they react too slowly to 

a sudden change on the road around them. 

“This project explored whether attentiongrabbing 

augmented reality systems could 

allow people to perform non-driving tasks 

but switch focus at key moments.” 

Can VR help improve safety in 

autonomous cars? 

(Photo not of trial reported on) 

The team put study participants in a 

driver’s seat in front of a steering wheel and 

computer monitors to simulate their view out 

of a car window. 

The screens displayed a series of 40 video 

clips of real road situations and asked them to 

complete tasks on either a tablet, similar to the 

large dashboard displays of current vehicles, or 

while using an augmented reality display 

overlaying tasks on top of the road scene. 

One task was a simple game where users 

tracked and ‘collected’ gems moving across 

the screen by gazing at them. The second 

task presented the participants with a more 

complicated number pad app on which they 

had to correctly copy a phone number. 

In both scenarios, the video stopped 

abruptly before a potentially hazardous 

situation like a pedestrian stepping into the 

road, to test situational awareness. The 

participants were asked to select from one of 

four predictions about what would happen 

next based on their understanding of the 

road conditions at the point the video cut off. 

Their ability to correctly guess the 

outcome of the hazard was measured against 

an initial control experiment where they 

made predictions without performing a task. 

In both the heads-down portion of the task 

using the tablet and the heads-up section 

using the AR headset, participants were able 

to maintain some awareness of the 

conditions on the road. 

However, their ability to reliably predict 

what would happen next was significantly 

reduced in both set-ups. 

In another section, the AR headset 

displayed special visual cues in participants’ 

eyelines to draw their attention to developing 

road situations several seconds before the 

video stopped. Here, the participants showed 

increased awareness of the road conditions, 

with performance improving more in the 

gem-collecting game than in the more 

demanding keypad app. 

Study co-author Professor Frank Pollick, 

of the University’s School of Psychology & 

Neuroscience, said: “An important aspect of 

road safety is something called the ‘look but 

fail to see’ phenomenon, which happens 

when people fail to adequately process 

what’s right in front of their eyes. 

“This study aimed to replicate that in a 

simulated driving situation, where 

participants had all the relevant information 

on the screen but were being distracted to 

one degree or another, blurring their ability to 

judge the road conditions correctly. 

“The study shows that adding visual cues 

to draw drivers’ attention to situations does 

seem to improve their ability to quickly focus 

and understand situations. 

“However, the level of demand on their 

attention is important – they were more able 

to read the road correctly in the less 

cognitively-challenging task.” 

Self-driving systems steam ahead - pg 20 


News 

National Highways rejects BBC criticism 

of smart motorways’ safety systems 

National Highways has launched a spirited 

defence of its smart motorways network 

after the BBC used a Panorama programme 

to call their safety into question once more. 

Smart motorways have come under 

increasing attack in recent months, with road 

safety groups saying they leave the motoring 

public at risk if they break down without a 

safety refuge to pull into. Several coroners 

courts have blamed a number of fatal crashes 

on smart motorways and all-lane running. 

The latest criticism centres on the safety 

technology used on smart motorways, which 

is supposed to ensure that any motorists left 

stranded in a live lane are spotted and help 

gets to them quickly from Highways Agency 

officers. 

However, Panorama researchers found via 

a Freedom of Information request that 

between June 2022 and February 2024, 

there were 397 incidents when smart 

motorways safety cameras and other 

systems lost power, impacting the ability of 

officers to spot stranded motorists and get 

them help. 

The programme also reiterated previous 

concerns over the dangers of breaking down 

on a smart motorway without a hard shoulder. 

According to the BBC, there are 193 miles 

of what’s called “all-lane-running” motorway 

- this means the hard shoulder has been 

permanently removed to provide an extra 

lane. 

If you do break down on the motorway 

where there is no hard shoulder or an 

emergency refuge that is reachable, you will 

be left stranded in fast-moving traffic. 

The safety system involves a network of 

cameras overseen by officers that are meant 

to automatically spot stranded motorists and 

direct National Highways officers to the 

scene as well as employ overhead gantry 

signs to warn following motorists that there 

is an obstruction in the lane. 

But the system failed on multiple 

occasions, the BBC said: 

n For five days in July 2023 there were no 

signs, signals, camera or radar at junction 18 

on the M6; 

n In September 2023, there were no signs, 

signals or CCTV for five days at junction 22 of 

the M62 

n In December 2023, there were no signs, 

signals, sensors or CCTV for three and a half 

days at junction 6 on the M5 

n In the six months leading up to February 

2024, there were 174 power outages - almost 

one a day. 

n The longest outage was at junction 14 on 

the M4, a stretch of smart motorway that 

does have a hard shoulder. The sensors and 

signals were out for 11 days. 

n National Highways’ own figures show 

that in 2022 there were also 2,331 faults on 

the radar system which is designed to spot 

stationary vehicles. The average length of 

the fault was more than five days. By its own 

figures National Highways admits that its 

radar detects 89% of stopped vehicles - but 

that means one in 10 are not spotted. 

But in a statement, National Highways said 

that Panorama’s claims were “absent of key 

information and relevant context”. 

It was particularly annoyed by a BBC 

assertion that “if you break down on a smart 

motorway without a hard shoulder, you’re 

three times more likely to be killed or 

seriously injured than on one with a hard 

shoulder”. National Highways said this claim 

was based on a very small dataset, adding 

that as ‘stopped collisions’ are a small 

proportion of all collisions across all roads, 

“these should always be considered within a 

broader context”. 

In insisted that it had “well-rehearsed 

contingency plans for both planned and 

unplanned outages” of its security systems, 

including lowering speed limits, increasing 

patrols by traffic officers, enhanced 

monitoring of CCTV, and using pre-positioned 

vehicle recovery to speed up attendance and 

clearance of stranded vehicles. 

In response to claims that it was leaving 

motorists vulnerable if they break down, 

National Highways said it was committed to 

adding a further 150 emergency areas “as 

quickly and efficiently as possible”. 

A spokesman said: “There is still work to do 

as every death is a tragedy and every serious 

injury a life changed. We accept that we need 

to help everyone feel confident when using 

smart motorways. 

“Smart motorways were introduced to 

provide extra capacity on some of our 

busiest and most congested sections of 

motorway, and the latest safety data shows 

that, overall, in terms of serious or fatal 

casualties, smart motorways are our safest 

roads. 

“We are taking action to close the gap 

between how drivers feel and what the 

safety statistics show by increasing the 

number of emergency areas, delivering 

education campaigns, and improving the 

resilience of our operational technology 

systems.” 

Edmund King, president of the AA, says the 

outages are dangerous, particularly on smart 



motorways with no hard shoulder. 

“If you haven’t got that technology, it’s not 

even a basic motorway because you haven’t 

got the hard shoulder,” he says. “It means 

that you’re playing Russian roulette with 

people’s lives.” 

National Highways says reinstating the 

hard shoulder would increase congestion and 

that there are well-rehearsed contingency 

plans to deal with power outages. 

At least 79 people have been killed on 

smart motorways since they were introduced 

in 2010. In the past five years, seven coroners 

have called for them to be made safer. 

Last year the Government announced that 

it was halting the roll-out of new smart 

motorways because of cost and safety 

concerns. It also said it would add more 

emergency refuges, but only 13 have been 

completed so far. 

The agency’s operational control director 

Andrew Page-Dove says action was being 

taken to “close the gap between how drivers 

feel and what the safety statistics show”. As 

well as more emergency areas, this would 

include education campaigns, and improving 

the resilience of technology systems. 

“Safety is our highest priority and our 

motorways are statistically some of the 

safest in the world,” he says. 

Guidance needed on potholes 

The Government needs to issue guidance on 

how drivers should navigate potholes to 

avoid costly damage to their vehicles. 

So says Quotezone.co.uk in the wake of a 

survey commissioned by the car insurance 

comparison website which showed that 90% 

of drivers had issues with potholes in their 

area. Three-fifths of motorists say either 

they or their friends and family had suffered 

damage to their vehicles through striking a 

pothole. 

Quotezone.co.uk says many drivers are 

being forced to slow down or stop sharply to 

avoid potholes – while others are having to 

drive round or swerve to prevent 

unnecessary damage, creating a potential 

risk for other motorists either travelling 

behind or alongside. 

What makes it worse is that such actions 

could leave the driver liable to a penalty if 

their actions are construed as careless or 

inconsiderate driving, in the event of a crash. 

Therefore, Quotezone.co.uk is calling on 

the Government to issue guidance on the 

subject. Greg Wilson, its founder and CEO 

said: “Unfortunately, we are seeing more and 

more potholes across our roads, and they 

pose serious safety risks for all road users. 

“Driving over potholes can cause damaged 

suspension components, bent steering parts, 

damaged shock absorbers, tyre damage and 

even broken wheels. 

“However, if you have an accident while 

swerving round a pothole, it is likely you who 

will be held criminally liable. This means you 

could be charged with a number of 

wrongdoings, from driving without due care 

and attention to even harsher offences. 

“Perhaps it’s a case of temporary speed 

reductions in problematic areas or even 

diversions to reduce the risk of incidents and 

stop roads deteriorating further. 

“This problem isn’t going away in the 

foreseeable future, so we need manageable 

solutions and practical information to protect 

all road users from harm and safeguard their 

finances.” 

Campaign for lane hoggers and tailgaters 

Tom Harrington 

National Highways has launched a new 

campaign urging lane hoggers and tailgaters 

to carefully consider their driving habits. 

According to a survey by Ipsos UK on 

behalf of National Highways, nearly a third 

(32%) of drivers admit to lane hogging ‘at 

least occasionally’ while driving on England’s 

motorways and major A roads. Meanwhile, 

23% of the 2,500 respondents admitted to 

tailgating ‘at least occasionally’. 

Guy Opperman, roads minister, says both 

behaviours “are not only irritating but 

dangerous too.” 

To challenge this behaviour a new National 

Highways campaign aims to highlight that 

lane hogging is among the most likely 

behaviours to cause motorists and riders to 

feel frustrated, while tailgating makes them 

feel anxious, stressed, or unsafe. 

When thinking about their most recent 

journey, around a third (34%) of those 

responding to the survey noticed middle lane 

hogging, and many of them reported that it 

made them feel frustrated or angry. Almost 

seven in ten (67%) said tailgating is a serious 

problem on these types of roads. 

Guy Opperman said: “This campaign, as 

part of our Plan for Drivers, aims to tackle 

middle lane hogging and tailgating, which are 

not only irritating but dangerous too.” 

The campaign will feature on radio and 

television adverts, podcasts, roadside 

billboards, posters at motorway service 

stations, retail parks and petrol stations, and 

on social media. 

Sheena Hague, National Highways director 

of road safety, said: “Bad habits can make 

driving on our motorways a challenging 

experience, as those who lane hog or tailgate 

frustrate other drivers and make them feel 

unsafe. Both are dangerous and can cause 

accidents. 

“Lane hogging and tailgating both fall 

under the offence of careless driving, with 

police officers having the power to hand out 

on-the-spot fines of £100 and three penalty 

points.” 


News 

The April issue of Newslink carried comprehensive coverage of the MSA GB Conference held in Telford from March 

22-23. Among the reports was one on Dr Julia Malkin MBE’s presentation on teaching learners who are autistic, 

have ADHD or are in other ways neurodivergent. However, the report contained a couple of references and 

phrases that Julia felt didn’t accurately represent the issue, so we are happy to republish it here with amendments 

suggested by her, to ensure that members and ADIs interested in this field have an accurate picture 

ADHD and the L-test: 

Understanding neurodiversity 

Dr Julia Malkin MBE is a long-time supporter 

of MSA GB events and a well-known face 

within the driving instruction community. 

She is best known for teaching, and helping 

others to teach, autistic learners, those with 

ADHD, and other neurodivergent differences. 

Julia used her slot at Conference to explain 

the different ways that ADHD can affect 

pupils. The support they need varies. Some 

people need to take things slowly and others 

could need all tasks to be broken down into 

more manageable chunks that can be more 

easily processed. 

There were some interesting takeaways 

from her presentation. It is believed that 

around three per cent of the UK population 

have one of the three types of ADHD, and 65 

per cent of people with this condition are 

undiagnosed. 

These are, as a group, a throwback to our 

ancestors’ most successful hunters: as Julia 

put it, “when there were hunter-gatherers 

thousands of years ago, those with ADHD 

traits were always on the go. They were 

scanning their environment for predators and 

prey, seeing changes around them faster, the 

tribe’s best hunters.” 

That agile ‘constantly on’ brain remains 

with us today. But our modern world, with its 

‘sit still, stay quiet’ behavioural norms, makes 

people with ADHD have constant struggles. 

While the condition can be challenging to 

manage, it does not prevent those with 

ADHD from learning to drive. 

Types of ADHD 

There are three types of ADHD. The first 

type is Impulsive ADHD, driven by activity 

and constantly being on the go. Commonly 

diagnosed in childhood and in boys, this 

condition manifests today in teens and adults 

as restlessness, fidgeting, problems with 

Dr Julia Malkin: 

“ADHD can 

affect pupils in 

different ways, 

and the 

support they 

need varies 

accordingly” 

focus and concentration. In extreme cases it 

can cause recklessness due to its impulsive 

traits. In the past, it was known as 

‘hyperactivity’ and results in children being 

always told they were naughty. 

“We were the naughty kids at school,” Julia 

said in the presentation. “We were those 

always being told off for not being able to sit 

still, stay still, and shut up. Many of us were 

told to stand in the corridor. I was sent to the 

Head! I was diagnosed hyperactive when I 

was six, and was drugged with Valium so 

deeply that it took three hours to walk four 

streets home from school.” 

Some people with the condition can 

interrupt, others have problems listening, and 

many can’t stand waiting, so situations 

involving queues of traffic can present 

problems. 

Some of them, as Julia puts it, “could 

impulsively touch all the controls, anything 

within reach; others will be watching through 

the windscreen, spotting changes in the 

environment, such as a boy with a ball; their 

mind is always on the go and this makes them 

lose concentration.” 

This is why it is exhausting having this type 

of ADHD. 

Another type of ADHD is Inattentive ADHD 

– commonly diagnosed in girls and in adults. 

People with this type can struggle to 

concentrate on a task. This constant need to 

focus our attention on a task or person drains 

their energy quickly, and the loss of energy 

can lead to them ‘zoning out’ to recharge – at 

school these were “the daydreamers, always 

looking out of the window, and losing 

attention on the task and the teacher.” 

This type is not so impulsive, but they can 

be distracted, especially when they have 

concentrated on sitting down or thinking for 

long periods. They can lose confidence when, 

after much effort and energy is spent on 

concentration, they eventually try to do a 

task and cannot do it correctly. 

The third type of ADHD is Combined ADHD 

– this type has traits of both of the two other 

types. Julia said that this was the type of 

ADHD she herself has. Combined ADHD often 

has the restlessness and daydreaming states 

of the two previous conditions, but also 

commonly there is anxiety, mood swings and 

depression. 

Tiredness and energy loss are common 

with this ADHD type, as are sleep issues and 

low self-esteem. Confidence is very easily 

lost. People with this type can be constantly 

in need of reassurance that they can succeed 

– many could easily lose hope of trying to 

learn, and often have problems finding good 

in the work they do. 

A key feature of ADHD is a condition called 

Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, or RSD. It is 

present in many ADHD people. 



Bike simulator to boost 

young rider training 

The report in April’s issue 

“That agile ‘constantly on’ 

brain remains with us 

today. But our modern 

world, with its ‘sit still, stay 

quiet’ behavioural norms, 

makes people with ADHD 

have constant struggles...” 

RSD works in this way – a pupil could 

worry about starting a task, or hesitate for a 

long time before starting one. Here, many 

people think they are lazy, or not committed 

to the task, but they cannot see inside the 

ADHD head. This problem is due to fear. 

When presented with a new task in a driving 

lesson, the person is often thinking – ‘If I try 

this, and can’t do it, or something goes 

wrong, my driving instructor will reject me 

because I can’t learn or can’t drive.’ 

The fear is not of the driving task, but of 

rejection by their driving instructor if they 

can’t succeed. They may have had problems 

at school, rejection by their peers, or have 

been to a previous driving instructor who had 

problems understanding the ADHD head. 

This fear of being rejected is very strong – 

with them, a car hooting could mean the 

driver has rejected them, and of course on 

the driving test, if they do not pass it is, to 

them, proof that the driving examiner has 

rejected them. This is what causes fear and 

nerves on their driving tests. 

If an ADHD pupil learns that there’s no 

actual rejection by anyone if the test is not 

passed, and there’s always another attempt 

to try, that will give them more confidence in 

themselves to succeed. 

Devon & Cornwall Police are taking a 

high-tech approach in a bid to help 

inexperienced motorbike riders. 

They have purchased a new state-ofthe-art 

motorcycle simulator, funded by 

the DfT and Vision Zero South West, which 

uses a real motorbike – a Honda CB500X 

– and custom software to test the rider’s 

hazard awareness skills. 

The rider uses authentic controls 

including brakes, clutch, throttle, and 

indicators as integrated video screens 

replicate real-life road conditions for them 

to ride in. 

The set-up is made even more believable 

by realistic vibration, surround sound and 

working wing mirrors. 

The simulator is part of the Project APEX 

scheme which aims to reduce the number 

of motorcycle casualties and collisions 

across the country. 

It is being piloted to the effectiveness of 

simulated hazard awareness training and 

its impact on the reduction of serious and 

fatal collisions. Ian Harvey, police 

motorcycle casualty reduction officer, said: 

“Motorcyclists are one of the highest risk 

road users in Devon and Cornwall, and 

we’re hoping the simulator will help us to 

provide vital skills to inexperienced riders 

in a safe environment. 

“Every death and serious injury on our 

roads has a devastating impact. We’ll be 

using the simulator at every available 

opportunity to engage with riders about 

how they can hone their skills and help us 

to reduce the number of deaths or serious 

injuries on UK roads.” 

The simulator will be touring across 

Devon and Cornwall over the next few 

months, calling in at colleges as well as 

exhibitions and county shows so as many 

young people as possible can have a go. 

It will also be on display at the Royal 

Cornwall Show, Torbay Air Show and 

Plymouth Armed Forces Day as well as 

national events including Formula 1 and 

British Superbikes. 

Natalie Warr, partnership manager of 

Vision Zero South West, said: “Our 

collective aim is to reduce the number of 

people killed and seriously injured on 

Devon and Cornwall’s roads – and we are 

committed to supporting innovative and 

creative projects such as this. 

“We know additional training is an 

effective way of improving road user skills 

and awareness, which is why the 

partnership was so keen to back this 

exciting project.” 


Comment 

Failure to bring in GDL is ‘major 

flaw in British policymaking’ 

In this opinion piece, Dr Ian 

Greenwood explains why 

introducing graduated driving 

licences will save lives and 

improve roads safety 

We rightly value our freedoms in Britain, but 

at what point does the freedom for us all to 

be safe on our roads trump the freedom of 

motorists to drive? 

This debate rightly demands an important 

space in our political discourse, and in the 

media. But there does appear to be a clear 

winner when the Plan for Drivers from the 

Government, and the Labour Party, has a 

“laser-like focus” on the cost of driving, 

rather than improved road safety. 

This issue occupies a large part of 

Westminster’s policy priorities, though not 

Parliamentary debate. But it is clearly not as 

simple as a ‘one or the other’ debate. 

To illustrate, let us consider the well-known 

area of road crashes involving young drivers 

and the heightened risk of death or serious 

injury for young drivers (28%), their 

passengers (22%) and other road users (50%), 

and Graduated Driving Licensing, which 

includes proportionate changes to the young 

driver’s licence to support them through the 

transition from being a learner, by initially 

limiting their driving in the riskiest situations. 

The Department for Transport told me in a 

recent letter that the ‘latest’ statistics show 

the number of fatalities involving 17-24 year 

olds has dropped, “with a 77% total decrease 

since 1990.” This is, of course, good news. But 

starting an argument on road deaths with 

data from 1990 seemed to me to be a 

misleading way to assert that the current mix 

of policies was working. 

Even though we have seen a reduction in 

crash injuries over this period, there were still 

4,935 deaths or serious injuries from young 

driver crashes in 2022. It is also accurate to 

say that there was a 15% increase in the 

number of deaths of young drivers between 

2019 and 2022. Examples of the three groups 

of people killed from young driver crashes 

have attracted more attention from the 

media recently: first a young driver death – 

Hugo Morris, Jevon Hirst, Wilf Fitchett and Harvey Owen were all aged between 16 and 18 when 

they were killed in a car crash in Gwynedd last November. 

and his passenger – whilst speeding; second 

the death of pregnant Frankie Jules-Hough 

while simply waiting for vehicle recovery; and 

the death of four young men in a crash in 

north Wales. 

Because there is a disproportionate risk to 

young drivers, and the consequences of 

injury and crashes, there is a clear policy 

problem in need of attention from 

Parliamentarians. It must go beyond the 

Government’s current argument that the 

number is falling, and so the current approach 

is sufficient. Graduated driver licensing has 

been rejected by the Department for 

Transport even though it admits “every death 

or serious injury on our roads is a tragedy”. 

We have known for decades that young 

drivers are more likely to crash due to their 

age, inexperience, when carrying similaraged 

passengers, and are susceptible to peer 

influence and risk taking, and this is 

particularly true of young male drivers. But 

politicians across the House of Commons do 

not seem to want to take policy action where 

solutions could be seen as restrictive or as 

‘picking on’ young or novice drivers, as was 

said in a Transport Committee inquiry. 

So, while wondering why the Government 

was reluctant to take action, I penned a letter 

to the Guardian which was signed by 23 

leading experts from transport safety, 

psychology, law, health and public health (not 

all names were published purely due to space). 

The main thrust of the letter, after arguing 

there was a problem in need of fixing, was 

that there is a clear solution which has 

reduced death or serious injuries between 

20% and 40% in countries, such as Australia, 

Canada and New Zealand, where it has been 



“MPs have failed to act on 

introducing proven evidencebased 

licensing changes to 

support young drivers which 

people in Britain generally 

support...” 

AA launches manifesto for 

motorists as election dawns 

introduced. A Graduated Driving Licensing 

system could require a minimum learning 

period, and include a night-time curfew from 

carrying peer-aged passengers for young 

drivers. This would enable them to gain 

experience and skills, and has shown to have 

minimal impact on the young drivers’ access 

to education, employment and social activities. 

While this intervention is supported by 

decades of research and evidence from public 

health and transport safety, alternatives 

such as education, testing and campaigns 

remain the main focus from Government. This 

optimism bias in favour of solutions with 

limited efficacy to reduce death or serious 

injury, against a Graduated Driving Licensing, 

backed up with decades of clear evidence on 

the reduction of death and serious injury, has 

been a major flaw in British policymaking 

over decades. 

The consequences for families and their 

communities are devastating. These road 

crashes cost the economy £132 million each 

year, add pressure on the NHS and 

emergency services, and inflate insurance 

premiums, but there is not the political will to 

tackle deaths and serious injuries from young 

driver crashes. 

I suggest that this depth of research and 

efficacy would not be dismissed if applied to, 

for example, teenage cancer treatments, but 

it is when applied to teenage road deaths. 

Despite talking about supporting young 

drivers for decades, MPs have failed to act on 

introducing proven evidence-based licensing 

changes to support young drivers which 

people in Britain generally support, and do 

not recognise that GDL would be an 

important element of reducing the cost of 

driving for young drivers. 

This is even more important in an election 

year, where there is a need to focus on 

Graduated Driving Licensing which would not 

only save the lives of young drivers and their 

passengers, but also people killed whilst 

simply travelling on Britain’s roads and 

impacted by young driver crashes. 

This effective public health intervention 

would prioritise safety for all of us travelling 

on Britain’s roads, and hardly dent the 

freedom of young drivers. 

Reproduced courtesy of Road Safety GB 

“Our message to all parties is 

motoring matters.” 

The AA has launched a motoring manifesto, 

‘Creating Confidence for Drivers’, ahead of 

the upcoming local and mayoral elections 

– and a pending General Election. 

The AA says research shows that many 

of those drivers are “confused and 

concerned across a range of issues” – 

unsure about how and when to make the 

shift to electric vehicles (EVs) and worried 

about the state of roads and infrastructure, 

as well as the affordability and safety of 

driving overall. 

The manifesto highlights five critical 

areas of action to address those concerns: 

n Supporting drivers: keeping motoring 

costs low through fuel duty freeze, better 

fuel price transparency and reducing 

Insurance Premium Tax. 

n Sustainable future: providing the right 

incentives, infrastructure, and information 

to support the switch to zero emission 

vehicles. For example, helping those 

without on-street parking by cutting VAT 

for on-street EV charging. 

n Smoother journeys: addressing the 

pothole ‘crisis’ with ring-fenced funds and 

use of technology for more permanent 

repairs. Scrapping the failed experiment of 

‘smart’ motorways. 

n Safer roads: reducing road deaths 

through setting clear targets, increased 

roads policing and addressing new driver 

deaths through graduated licences such as 

restricting passengers for six months after 

passing their test. 

n Strengthening the industry: providing 

support to the sector to enable greater 

investment in innovation and skills. 

Maintain push for regulations to allow 

access to vehicle data to improve the 

safety, convenience, running costs and 

environment via connected car services. 

The AA says as a nation, we rely on the 

roads to connect communities, grow the 

economy, and keep families functioning. 

It adds that drivers make a significant 

contribution to the public purse, as well as 

play a major part in the transition to net 

zero – so it is vital their voice is heard by all 

political parties. 

Jakob Pfaudler, AA CEO, said: “I hope this 

manifesto proves informative and helps to 

shape a better road ahead for all drivers as 

we enter a critical juncture for the nation. 

“There are 50 million people with a 

driving licence in Great Britain and around 

40 million licensed vehicles. Driving forms a 

vital part of the majority of people’s daily 

lives. Driving matters to them and their 

views should matter to us as we head to 

the polls later this year. Implementing our 

motoring manifesto will help to create 

confidence for drivers now and for the 

future.” 

Edmund King, AA president, added: “The 

AA’s manifesto is backed by polling of our 

members. “We know that permanently 

fixing potholes is the number one issue, but 

we also know that drivers want action on 

scrapping ‘smart’ motorways, improving 

the safety of new drivers and being given 

more incentives and reassurance before 

switching to zero emission vehicles. 

“Our message to all parties is motoring 

matters.” 


News 

A left-hand drive version of 

Ford’s BlueCruise system 

Hands-off driving assistance 

systems steam ahead 

Are the authorities always putting safety first when they agree 

new levels of automated driving systems on our roads? 

Professor Oliver Carsten, a leading authority in this field, 

suggests that claims they are may not be strictly accurate... 

By far the most significant differentiation in 

the levels of driving automation is between 

high-level assisted driving, where the driver 

is assisted in longitudinal and lateral vehicle 

control, and the lowest level of automated 

driving, where the driver can hand over full 

control of the driving task to the vehicle, but 

has to be ready to comply with a request to 

resume manual control when instructed to do 

so by the vehicle. 

In assisted driving, the human driver is 

required to maintain attention to the road 

traffic scene; in automated driving the human 

user is allowed to divert attention until 

instructed no longer to do so. 

The most obvious and simple way to 

indicate that distinction to users is to require 

hands on the wheel in assisted driving and 

permit hands off the wheel in automated 

driving, where it is not needed. 

Until recently in the UK and Europe, no 

driving assistance system was approved that 

broke that distinction by permitting a driving 

assistance system that does not monitor 

drivers’ hands on the wheel and consequently 

allowed hands-off driving, while still leaving 

the driver responsible for safety. 

However, two recent events have broken 

that crucial differentiation. They indicate that 

relevant authorities both in the UK and in the 

EC do not always give priority to safety 

considerations when deciding which types of 

driver assistance should be permitted for 

sale in new vehicles. 

The first such event was in April 2023, 

when the UK Vehicle Certification Agency 

(VCA) gave approval for the first hands-off 

driving assistance system to be permitted for 

use on UK roads. 

That system is Ford’s BlueCruise system 

which is an option on the Mustang Mach-E. It 

allows drivers to take their hands off the 

steering wheel, but they are supposed to 

maintain their attention to the road and traffic 

scene and are also required to intervene in 

vehicle control (eg, brake or intervene in 

steering control) when they determine that 

the assistance system cannot handle the 

situation. Ford calls this ‘hands-off, eyes-on’ 

driving. Continued driver attention is 

supposedly maintained by means of a 

camera-based driver monitoring system 

which detects when the driver makes long 

glances away from the forward roadway or 

the mirrors. 

This approval was heralded with the 

headline ‘First driverless car approved for 



British motorways’ in The Times on April 13 

2023. But this headline is an illustration of 

one of the major problems with the decision. 

This is not a driverless car: the human driver 

retains responsibility for safety at all times, 

whether the system is enabled or not. The 

Ford BlueCruise system is a driving 

assistance system; it is not an automated 

driving system which, when enabled, would 

take over responsibility for the safety of the 

driving task. 

The approval was greeted with enthusiasm 

by Transport Minister Jesse Norman who 

declared: “I am delighted that this country is 

once more at the forefront of innovation. The 

latest advanced driver assistance systems 

make driving smoother and easier, but they 

can also help make roads safer by reducing 

scope for driver error.” 

What was the legal basis for this approval? 

Normally the UK follows technical rules 

established by UNECE WP.29, the World 

Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle 

Regulations. However, there are currently no 

international regulations for hands-off 

driving assistance systems. Instead, the 

procedure adopted via Article 39 of the GB 

type approval regulations, inherited from the 

European Community’s Article 39, which 

allows a manufacturer to apply directly to 

VCA for approval of a novel system that is 

incompatible with existing regulations. The 

GB and the EC Article 39 procedures require 

that the manufacturer “describes the safety 

and environmental implications of the new 

technology or new concept and the measures 

taken in order to ensure at least an equivalent 

level of safety and environmental protection 

to that provided by the requirements in 

respect of which an exemption is sought.” 

So, all that is needed is paperwork to 

describe the safety measures adopted in the 

vehicle system. No track or on-road tests of 

the system’s capabilities and behaviour are 

needed. 

Beyond muddying the distinction from 

automated driving, there are a number of 

additional serious concerns: 

n Hands-off driving is entirely reliant for 

safe operation on the detection of driver 

inattention by the driver monitoring system 

(DMS). That means that the DMS must be 

100% reliable with no misses in detection of 

inattention, an impossible target. 

n How do we know that eyes on the road 

means that drivers are paying attention and 

processing the information? In fact, we don’t. 

Missy Cummings, a well-respected human 

factors and safety expert at George Mason 

University has summed this up nicely. She 

states that “hands-free equals mind-free.” 

See more on Missy 

Cummings’ work HERE 

n By removing direct interaction with 

controlling the vehicle, drivers with such 

assistance are placed in supervisory control, 

required to watch closely for inappropriate 

actions of the system or for situations that 

the system is unable to handle. The driver is 

supposed to realise when an intervention is 

needed. How reliable will be that 

determination? 

There is a very large body of human factors 

literature on supervisory control; one major 

point from that literature is that it can be 

more onerous than direct control. 

n Finally, there is a fundamental ethical 

problem here: if the system makes an error, 

the human is still responsible because that 

human should have noticed and intervened. 

The second event that suggests a change 

in view was more recent. Ford’s BlueCruise 

system can only drive within a lane on a 

mapped motorway, but a yet more flexible 

system was approved behind closed doors by 

the European Commission’s Technical 

Committee on Motor Vehicles (TCMV) under 

the EU Article 39 procedure. 

The TCMV is managed by the industry 

directorate of the European Commission (DG 

GROW) and its membership consists of 

representatives of the EU Member States. A 

BMW system called ‘Extended Lane Change 

Assistant’ was approved. With this system, 

the vehicle can change lanes automatically 

without a driver confirmation. Or rather, a 

driver’s glance to the side mirror is deemed to 

be confirmation that the vehicle can make 

the manoeuvre in the next few seconds. 

Here we are on dangerous territory: the 

driver has pretty much lost authority over 

the vehicle’s manoeuvring into an adjacent 

lane and the vehicle is performing the action 

automatically. But the driver still remains 

responsible for the safety of the vehicle’s 

actions. 

So questions need to be asked: What was 

the need for approvals before these systems 

had been regulated at international level? 

Why was a fast-track process employed? 

And why were legitimate safety concerns 

ignored? 

Professor Oliver Carsten is a Professor of 

Transport Safety, Institute of Transport 

Studies, University of Leeds 

Click here for more on 

Professor Carsten’s 

research in this area 

DfT to look into 

drivers’ headlight 

glare claims 

The DfT has said it will conduct a 

thorough investigation into claims drivers 

are increasingly being dazzled by 

headlight glare from oncoming vehicles. 

A petition calling for a ‘review into the 

brightness of car headlights’ has 

garnered over 11,000 signatures, 

prompting the investigation. 

The DfT said: “We know that lots of 

people raise concerns about headlight 

glare – but also that the police collision 

statistics don’t show any underlying road 

safety issue.” 

“We intend to gain evidence by 

commissioning independent research to 

identify the root causes of driver glare 

and identify any further appropriate 

mitigations.” 

Calls for the government to take action 

on headlight glare have been growing. A 

survey by the RAC found that 89% of 

drivers think at least some car headlights 

are too bright, and 85% think the problem 

is getting worse. 74% said they are 

regularly dazzled while driving at night 

and 64% thought that headlights”are so 

bright they risk causing accidents.” 

The RAC says the growing popularity 

of LED headlights could be to blame, as 

LEDs produce a more intense, focused 

white-blue light that the human eye can 

struggle to deal with, and which tends to 

dazzle the eye for some time. Old-style 

halogen bulbs shed a yellowy light that is 

easier to cope with, as is the less intense 

white-blue light emitted by xenon bulbs. 

The RAC also found that a significant 

number of drivers thought the growing 

popularity of SUVs is contributing to the 

problem. Such cars sit higher off the road, 

potentially putting their headlights at 

eye-level with drivers of lower cars. 

The RAC’s road safety spokesperson, 

Rod Dennis, said he was glad the 

“Government has listened to drivers’ 

concerns. The topic has undoubtedly 

struck a chord with motorists up and 

down the country.” 


Towards your CPD 

L-tests and the power 

of positive thinking 

Mark Hewison considers 

whether a positive attitude can 

be the difference between a 

pupil passing and failing a test 

At the end of the day, when all is said and 

done, I can’t abide clichés. Indeed, I avoid 

them like the plague. 

But there is one cliché that seems to pop 

up more than most: is the glass half-full or 

half-empty?’ 

Positive thinkers would always take the 

optimistic view and say the glass is half-full. 

This signifies potential for fulfilment, and a 

promise of bigger and better things to come. 

More negative viewers of the situation would 

class the glass as ‘half-empty’. 

Some people are naturally positive 

thinkers. They seem to have discovered the 

secrets of optimism, enthusiasm and 

flexibility. Another sign is that they bounce 

back no matter what’s thrown at them. While 

facing challenges confidently, persevering in 

difficult circumstances and working through 

problems, they also help and encourage 

others. 

In fact, overall, they have a natural sunny 

attitude to life – and don’t you just hate 

them? Especially when it’s first thing in the 

morning. 

But there is a middle ground – an 

optimistic outlook tempered with a realistic 

and down-to-earth approach. Does this 

sound like you? If not, would you like it to? 

In my opinion it can be achieved by having 

‘measured’ optimism, and a strong sense of 

purpose. For people who are naturally 

positive, it is this sense of purpose that gives 

order and meaning to their lives. They live 

with the intention of moving purposefully 

towards the desired outcomes and 

objectives, rather than drifting aimlessly, 

carried along by the currents and eddies of 

circumstance. They shape events rather than 

letting events shape them. 

Positive people are willing to learn new 

skills and experiment. They are also prepared 

to listen to others’ ideas and have an open 

and enquiring mind. When you do have strong 

clear overviews of your direction, you can 

relate your actions to an end purpose rather 

than just carrying out a series of tasks. This 

makes it easier to: 

n Recognise and use opportunities. 

n Evaluate consequences and commitments. 

n Be proactive and take the initiative. 

Having a sense of purpose is one of the 

major keys to developing a positive outlook 

on life. To foster this, you need to know who 

you are, where you want to go, and why want 

to go there. 

Optimism is the ability to seek the positive 

side of things rather than the negative. As a 

teaching example as far as driving instructors 

are concerned, you might say – “Your speed 

and observation on approach were good. 

However, your road positioning was incorrect 

on approaching the junction; it’s relatively 

easy to correct and we’ll work on it together.” 

Note the use of positive feedback first. 

Optimists anticipate success and look for 

evidence of it. Pessimists on the other hand 

anticipate failure and look for evidence of 

that. For example, your pupil asks you what is 

likely to cause them to fail their test. In all 

innocence you might reply “Junctions, 

probably.” The big day dawns, they fail on 

junctions, and your pupil says, “There you 

go!” For them it has become a self-fulfilling 

prophecy. 



“Pessimists anticipate failure and 

look for evidence of that. For 

example, your pupil asks you 

what is likely to cause them to fail 

their test. In all innocence you 

might reply ‘Junctions, probably.’ 

The big day dawns, they fail on 

junctions, and your pupil says, 

“There you go!” For them it has 

become a self-fulfilling prophecy” 

A more positive approach would be to say, 

“I can’t really see any reason you’d fail, but I 

can tell you three good reasons why I think 

you’ll be successful…” 

Seeing the positive aspects of difficult or 

disappointing circumstances gives optimists 

the courage and ability to carry on and try 

again. They learn from mistakes and apply 

the knowledge to subsequent events in the 

future, rather than avoiding similar situations 

or fatalistically repeating the same error. 

Success not setbacks 

Optimists look at their lives in terms of 

success rather than setbacks. They focus on 

what they have achieved, however little, 

rather than dwelling on what might have 

been and where they have failed. They also 

have a much broader definition of success 

than pessimists, taking any signs of progress 

as evidence of achievement. In particular, 

optimists believe that success is: 

Permanent – once a success, always a 

success, 

Generalised – success in one thing means 

success is possible in all things. 

You can increase your positive thinking by 

deliberately adopting the optimists’ way of 

thinking about things. Doing this consciously 

and persistently, you can gradually change 

your thinking habits, and achieve a more 

optimistic and positive frame of mind. Focus 

on your successes and acknowledging them 

and enjoying them. Minimise your failures by 

putting them into perspective, and realising 

they can be overcome. 

Negative thought 

n I was lucky. 

n It was a co-incidence. 

n I only managed one bit. 

Positive thought 

n I planned well and was prepared. 

n I saw the opportunity and seized it. 

n I’ll be able to do the rest now. 

Positive thinkers pay little attention to 

negative occurrences and, rather than going 

over them again and again, they let them fade 

from their memories quickly and naturally. 

Positive thinkers give much more of their 

time to what is positive, rather than to what 

is negative. 

Overall, it’s beneficial to both you and your 

pupils to remain in a positive frame of mind 

during lessons. You will find that it helps to 

create an environment for learning to take 

place and will help to develop a safe and 

considerate attitude for life. 

So, at the risk of over-egging the 

omelette, I’ll conclude by saying that every 

cloud has a silver lining, and don’t waste time 

waiting for your ship to come in; dive in and 

swim out to it. Bon voyage! 

Mark Hewison is a grade A driving instructor 

and the current Chairman of Aberdeen and 

District Driving Schools Association. 

New policy to 

keep driving at 

work safer 

A new survey by Driving for Better 

Business has revealed that a quarter of UK 

firms whose employees drive for work, 

have no driving policy for their employees, 

and more than a quarter have not reviewed 

their policy in the past three years. 

Driving for work is statistically the most 

dangerous activity employees undertake. 

Up to a third of all road traffic incidents 

involve someone who is driving for work at 

the time - accounting for some 500 

fatalities and almost 40,000 injuries a year. 

All reputable employers must have a 

driving for work policy that will stand up to 

scrutiny in the event of a crash. The law 

requires all those who drive on the public 

highway to be adequately and 

appropriately insured. This means that any 

person driving, even occasionally in 

connection with their employer’s work, 

must be covered for ‘business use’. 

To fill gaps in a company’s policy, Driving 

for Better Business has launched its new 

Driving for Work Policy Builder. It uses a 

template to create a legally compliant 

document that can be adapted to their 

own needs and shared with all employees. 

Driving for Better Business – an 

award-winning programme run by National 

Highways– said that the policy is good not 

only for road safety but for business, too. 

A spokesperson said: “The law says all 

companies must have policies and 

procedures to minimise risk – and that 

includes driving. In the event of a serious 

incident, a company must be able to 

produce documentary proof that the 

organisation has taken reasonable steps to 

protect drivers and other road users. 

“But having one makes good business 

sense. Poorly managed drivers will cost 

companies more: higher insurance, 

increased servicing and maintenance 

costs, more speeding tickets and greater 

fuel use. 

It is also the right thing to do so that 

staff and other road users get home to 

their families safe and well at the end of 

each day. 

• Businesses need to put driving at top of 

health and safety agenda: pg 24 



Businesses need to place 

driving standards at top of their 

health and safety agenda 

Tom Harrington looks at work-related transport crashes, with the starting 

point that … “Employees who drive more than 25,000 miles a year have at least 

a one in 8,000 chance of dying behind the wheel of their company vehicle.” 

Truck crashes are historically more likely to 

happen outside of urban areas. They are also 

more likely to involve a car or smaller vehicle, 

and on many occasions the crash was caused 

by the driver of the truck trying to avoid 

collision with another vehicle following their 

dangerous or careless manoeuvre. 

As the number of trucks on our roads has 

increased, so has the number of truck 

accidents – in fact, truck accidents resulting 

in deaths and serious injuries are the only 

category of road user showing a growth in 

number over the past ten years. 

Road safety should be a priority for all 

European nations . Although it is a shared 

responsibility between public authorities, 

enterprises and the public, enterprises and 

employees in the transport sector should 

take a leading role. Successful businesses 

incorporate health and road safety into their 

quality policy. 

Across Europe, some 800 lorry drivers are 

killed each year in road traffic accidents, 

making this a dangerous occupation. This 

figure increases substantially if the deaths of 

drivers of vehicles less than 3.5 tonnes are 

included. 

All employees, including in road haulage, 

have a right to safe and healthy work. 

Businesses fare better when safety is a 

priority: adopting a road safety policy 

generally reduces operating costs. HGV 

crashes are damaging to the image and public 

acceptance of road haulage. For all these 

reasons, a firm commitment from road 

transport enterprises is needed to reduce the 

risks to their drivers. 

Overall, in GB, up to a third of all road traffic 

accidents are thought to be work-related. UK 

figures exclude commuting accidents. 

It’s not just in Europe where there is 

concern on work-related collisions. The total 

cost of work-related road incidents in 

Australia was in the vicinity of $1.5 billion and 

account for up to 23% of work-related 

fatalities in Australia, as well as 13% of the 

national road toll. 

Good occupational safety includes 

assessing risks and implementing preventive 

measures, giving priority to removing risks at 

source. These principles should be applied to 

road safety. 

Several steps can be taken. First, it would 

be prudent to set up a register to enter any 

incidents. These can be analysed as part of 

the risk assessment to help determine the 

best action to take. 

A preventive plan should be set up, to 

include: 

• A designated company safety officer. 

• Staff consultation and an internal 

communication system, providing a channel 

for staff to put forward comments, ideas, and 

suggestions. 

• Specific training for staff, especially 

drivers. 

• Arrangements to ensure account are 

taken of the road safety performance of 

individual personnel. 

• Proper maintenance of lorries and 

equipment. 

• Alignment with road traffic legislation and 

highway codes including requirements 

relating to tachographs and driving times. 

• Specific road transport directives and 

regulations include measures to regulate 

driving times, recording equipment, vehicle 

inspection and driving licences. 



and any additional emergency contacts 

Work-related fatigue crashes 

Driver fatigue is a particular problem for 

truck drivers. A 1998 American study found 

that about 20% of all fatal crashes and 

fatalities and 10% of all injuries involving a 

long-haul truck occurred between midnight 

and 6 am, the peak period for driver fatigue. 

These crashes tended to be more severe than 

crashes during other parts of the day. 

Truck driver fatigue was a particular 

problem in single-vehicle fatal crashes, but in 

crashes involving other vehicles, fatigue was 

coded more often for the other driver than 

for the truck driver. 

In another study, 593 truck drivers were 

interviewed at rest areas on New York’s 

interstate highways 29. Nearly two-thirds 

reported episodes of drowsy driving within 

the previous month, and almost 5% said that 

they drove when drowsy on most, if not all, 

days. Nearly half had fallen asleep at the 

wheel at some point in their driving career, 

and about one-quarter reported doing so at 

least once during the previous year. 

Truck driver fatigue may be a contributing 

factor in as many as 30% to 40% of all heavy 

truck accidents. 

Driving more than eight hours increased 

the risk of crash involvement by a factor of 

two; drivers with log book violations, young 

drivers, and interstate drivers also had 

increased crash risks. 

However, despite the considerable impact 

of work-related driving crashes, 

comparatively little national or international 

research has endeavoured to identify the 

extent of, and underlying factors associated 

with, engagement in aberrant driving 

behaviours. As a result, there is a clear and 

growing need for industry, government, and 

the community to allocate resources to 

further knowledge and expertise in this area. 

Managing your drivers 

It is an employer’s duty to protect the 

health and safety of their staff as well as 

visitors and general members of the public. 

Under the Health & Safety at Work 

Regulations 1992, an employer must carry 

out risk assessments across all areas of 

health and safety and to then ensure 

measures are put in place to minimise risks 

identified. The employer must also advise 

employees of the risks identified. 

It is estimated that up to 95 per cent of 

crashes can be attributed to driver error to 

some degree. It is therefore vital that 

employees who drive understand the 

importance of safety and simple steps they 

are expected to take to protect themselves 

and others. 

Employers must understand how to 

monitor, assess, and communicate safety 

priorities to drivers. Effective, regular 

communication with drivers is essential to 

get across that safety is paramount. A 

handbook should be issued to all drivers 

when they start, to explain the importance of 

driving safely and what is expected when 

they are at the wheel on company time. This 

should include: 

n The organisation’s road risk policy 

n Advice on driving safely covering at least 

key topics on driver risks 

n What to in the event of a collision 

n Contact details for the relevant manager 

Driver assessment and training 

Even though a new employee may have a 

full licence for the category of vehicle he or 

she is to drive, their driving standards should 

be assessed on recruitment. This should 

include: 

n A test of their knowledge such as the 

Highway Code 

n Assessment of their attitudes to safe 

driving, either through a standard interview 

or through psychometric tests 

n Checking their driving licence is clean: 

n Checking for health conditions that 

could affect their driving, such as sleep 

apnoea or visual impairment. 

Practical skills assessments can also be 

included at this stage, or during a 

probationary period of employment. 

Assessments should be repeated for all 

drivers on a regular basis, to keep drivers’ 

knowledge and skills up- to- and identify any 

who need further training. 

Drivers should also be re-assessed if they 

have been involved in a crash; are reassigned 

to duties involving a different type of vehicle 

or are returning from a career break or 

lengthy sick leave. 

Drivers who fail assessments should be 

taken off driving duties immediately and 

either referred to relevant services, ie, to an 

optician for an eyesight assessment and new 

glasses if needed or given targeted training 

to bring them up to the required standard. 

Monitoring drivers and analysing crash 

statistics will identify which drivers need 

additional training and how this should be 

targeted. 

Training should focus on defensive driving 

techniques and safe attitudes, such as Safe 

and Fuel-Efficient Driving (SAFED) training 

course. Skill-based training is not advised as 

there is evidence that this type of training 

increased crash risk by encouraging 

overconfidence. 

Organisations who do not have internal 

expertise on safe driver training should 

consider using external driver training 

companies to run assessments and training 

to ensure training is of a high standard. 

New drivers must be made aware of 

expectations on them to drive safely. This 

should be written into their employment 

contract and disciplinary policy. Drivers must 

notify their line managers immediately of any 

driving convictions and the organisation 

should also carry out regular checks on all 

drivers’ licences. 

Continued on page 26 



Continued from page 25 

Training needs to be adapted to the rapidly 

changing working conditions and there is an 

urgent need for continuous training. 

There are other issues to consider, 

however. First, the transport workforce is 

ageing at a faster pace than in other sectors, 

and it is difficult to attract younger workers to 

the sector. This provides challenges for 

maintaining standards. 

Conditions have also not adapted to a 

slowly increasing female workforce, which 

takes place especially in short-distance 

transport activities, such as school transport. 

‘Just-in-time’ management, and its impact 

on road safety 

One of the key concerns is that some 

drivers feel forced to compromise road safety 

standards to get their jobs completed. The 

road transport sector is a highly competitive 

one. To maintain their market share, 

companies must work efficiently, provide 

higher quality services, and offer additional 

services than their rivals. 

‘Just-in-time’ management demands that 

goods must be delivered at the point in the 

production process when the customer 

needs them. 

But such time pressure impacts negatively 

on driver safety. When driving for work, 

“The danger of driver 

aggression is evident through 

its relationship with increased 

incident/crash involvement, a 

danger not only for the driver 

but for surrounding motorists” 

some drivers feel as though they need to 

commit traffic offences such as speeding or 

close following to meet task demands such 

as making scheduled deliveries or make 

appointments on time. Such pressure 

increases stress levels and leads to adverse 

behaviours and events. 

For example, unreasonable job quotas 

combined with slow traffic conditions may 

increase stress, which in turn may increase 

the potential for aggressive and erratic 

driving. 

In addition, driver stress has been related 

to aggressive driving, poor concentration 

levels, and accidents. After-effects of 

negative moods, thoughts, or attitudes to 

work and family environments have been 

also found to aggravate driving stress. 

“Some drivers feel forced to 

compromise road safety 

standards to get their jobs 

completed. The road transport 

sector is a highly competitive 

one ... just-in-time 

management demands that 

goods must be delivered when 

the customer needs them. ..” 

The danger of driver aggression is evident 

through its relationship with increased 

incident/crash involvement, a danger not 

only for the driver but for surrounding 

motorists as well. 

Other factors 

Driving at night, under bad weather 

conditions or in heavy traffic increases the 

risk. According to the scientific study into 

European Truck Accident Causation (ETAC) 

(IRU, 2007), the main cause of accidents on 

the road is linked to human error (85.2 per 

cent). Other factors such as weather, 

infrastructure conditions or technical failures 

of vehicles played a minor role. 25 per cent of 

the accidents were caused by trucks. 624 

accidents were analysed. 

Young workers are particularly affected by 

fatal accidents involving loss of control: 13 per 

cent of workers who died because of this 

type of accident were under 25 years old (for 

comparison, in 2005 workers aged 18-24 

accounted for only 8 per cent of all fatal 

accidents at work). 

Fleet management 

Principally, fleet management is how a 

business or organisation keeps their vehicle 

fleet running healthily, both presently and 

prospectively. All facets of fleet management 

house the shared aim of controlling the entire 

life cycle of an organisation’s fleet of 

vehicles. This not only implies the upkeep of 

each individual vehicle’s physical condition, 

but also means measuring and maximising 

the performance of these vehicles when they 

are on the road – including safety. 

Fleet management can increase the 

overall operational efficiency of a vehicle 

fleet. But it must effectively handle issues 

that are posed inside the fleet itself, in 

addition to those that come from the outside 

– including safety and crash statistics. 

Fleet management done right lessens the 

strain on managers and drivers. Its 

advantages can be summed up as follows: (1) 

Total cost reduction; 

(2) Driver safety; 

(3) Productivity and 

(4) Driver retention. 

Finally, fleet management is not just about 

saving money. After all, fleets generally rely 

on their provision of deliveries. If these 

deliveries are faster, more reliable, and 

eco-friendlier, then customers will 

appreciate a fleet’s values and maintain their 

relationship with its manager. 

In this way, a fleet manager which exhibits 

high standards of service possesses 

benefits that stretch beyond the fleet itself. 



The importance of active participation in 

continuing professional development 

Neil Wightman continues his 

look at the importance of CPD 

for professional ADIs 

In today’s rapidly evolving world, professionals 

in every field face the challenge of staying 

relevant and maintaining their competitive 

edge. 

One way to address this challenge is 

through active participation in Continuing 

Professional Development (CPD) activities. 

CPD refers to the ongoing process of learning, 

acquiring new skills, and enhancing 

knowledge to ensure professional growth. By 

actively engaging in CPD, professionals 

demonstrate a strong commitment to 

maintaining and enhancing their expertise. 

This commitment not only benefits 

professionals but also inspires confidence 

among the public, who perceive CPD as a 

mark of dedication and excellence. 

Commitment to lifelong learning: 

Active participation in CPD activities 

reflects a commitment to lifelong learning. 

Professionals recognise that learning is a 

continuous process and that they must stay 

current with the latest advancements in their 

field. By investing time and effort in CPD, 

professionals embrace a culture of ongoing 

learning, which fosters personal and 

professional growth. 

CPD activities provide professionals with 

opportunities to expand their knowledge 

base and acquire new insights. By actively 

participating in these activities, professionals 

demonstrate their dedication to staying 

informed about the latest trends, research, 

and best practices. This commitment to 

knowledge enhancement enables 

professionals to provide up-to-date and 

high-quality services to their clients or 

stakeholders. 

Developing practical skills and competencies 

CPD activities often focus on developing 

practical skills and competencies that are 

essential for professional success. Through 

active participation, professionals 

demonstrate their willingness to invest in skill 

development and improve their performance. 

By acquiring new skills, professionals can 

tackle challenges more effectively and 

deliver better outcomes. 

The business landscape is constantly 

evolving, driven by technological 

advancements and changing market 

dynamics. Active participation in CPD enables 

professionals to stay ahead or in line of these 

“Active participation 

in CPD activities 

reflects a commitment 

to lifelong learning” 

“CPD activities go beyond 

mandatory requirements, 

displaying a sense of 

professionalism ... by actively 

participating in CPD, you 

acknowledge your responsibility 

to maintain their competence...” 

changes. CPD activities introduce 

professionals to emerging trends, 

technologies, and best practices, fostering 

adaptability and innovation. By actively 

engaging in CPD, professionals demonstrate 

their commitment to adapting to new 

circumstances and embracing innovation, 

which ultimately benefits their clients with 

the ability to answer questions asked. 

Professionalism and accountability 

CPD activities go beyond mandatory 

requirements, displaying a sense of 

professionalism and accountability. By 

actively participating in CPD, professionals 

acknowledge their responsibility to maintain 

and enhance their competence. This 

commitment instils confidence among the 

public who expect that or perceive 

professionals to be engaging in CPD as 

dedicated individuals who strive for 

excellence. It reinforces the trust between 

professionals and the stakeholders they 

serve. 

If you were asked to demonstrate your 

CPD to a pupil’s parent or guardian, what 

would you show them? 

Conclusion 

Active participation in CPD activities is a 

powerful way for professionals to 

demonstrate their commitment to ongoing 

learning, knowledge enhancement, skill 

development, adaptability, and 

professionalism. 

By investing in CPD, professionals not only 

stay competitive in their fields but also 

inspire confidence among the public. CPD 

becomes a symbol of dedication, excellence, 

and a commitment to providing the best 

possible services. 

In my opinion, as the world continues to 

evolve, active participation in CPD is essential 

for professionals to thrive and make a 

positive impact in their respective industries. 


Members’ section 

Get 10p off every litre of fuel 

with special MSA GB deal 

The cost-of-living crisis is putting many 

ADIs under considerable financial pressure, 

and nowhere is it felt more than through 

the rising cost of fuel. 

So to help alleviate some of the burden 

on our members, we’re thrilled to 

announce a brand-new partnership with 

FUEL CARD SERVICES. 

A fuel card from MSA GB partner, Fuel 

Card Services can provide huge benefits to 

businesses that use vehicles on a daily 

basis: 

n Cutting fuel costs - save up to 10p per 

litre and get a consistent price. 

n Increased security - fuel cards are a 

safer alternative to carrying cash and 

eliminate fraud. 

n Streamline admin - HMRC compliant 

invoices, no receipts, one neat invoice and 

a dedicated account manager. 

n Tighter control of business expenses 

- view transactions and reports online 24/7. 

n Increased flexibility for refuelling 

across a huge network. 

n Fleet convenience - a quick and 

convenient way for fleets to refuel. 

There are a range of fuel cards available 

on the market and for your business to 

truly benefit from investing in fuel cards, 

you need to choose the right one for your 

businesses’ requirements. 

FUEL CARD SERVICES offers a large 

choice of networks from leading brands, 

such as BP, Shell, Esso and UK Fuels, so 

you can decide which networks you wish 

to include on your business account. 

Fuel Card Services and MSA GB are 

helping to deliver cost savings to 

members throughout the country. 

For more details and to obtain a fuel 

card through MSA GB, go to our website 

at https://msagb.com/members/ 

member-discounts/ 

What are the latest UK fuel prices? 

The prices right are the latest available unleaded petrol and diesel averages 

across supermarket, motorway and independent forecourts in the UK, according 

to data compiled by the RAC. Prices correct at the end of April. Continuing 

instability in the Middle East, affecting both fuel output and transport through the 

Red Sea, risks causing further price rises. 

MEMBER OFFER 

UNLEADED 

DIESEL 

UK average 150p 158p 

Motorway 170p 179p 

Supermarkets 147p 155p 

MEMBER OFFER 

AlcoSense: Every ADI should have one handy 

MSA GB has teamed up with leading supplier of personal 

breathalyser kits AlcoSense to bring our members a 

very special offer. 

The AlcoSense kits give an instant and accurate 

snapshot of whether you – or your pupil – has alcohol in 

your/their system, and are particularly useful ‘the 

morning after.’ 

Peter Harvey, MSA GB national vice chairman, 

commented: “These are a quality product. They arrive 

well packaged, with the required batteries, five 

mouthpieces and full instructions. They are very easy to 

use, with a simple menu, and can be adjusted to suit the 

country you are in depending on the legal limit there. 

Once set up, the breathalyser gives a very clear reading 

in traffic light colours, making it easy to follow. 

“Green, as you would expect, tells you you are okay to 

drive. Amber advises you that alcohol is present but you 

are below the limit you entered at set up – though it is so 

important to check what the limit is in the country you 

use it. Red is pretty self-explanatory – Don’t drive. 

“The set is very compact, about the same size as a 

mobile phone but a little deeper. It is ideal for eliminating 

any concerns you may have the morning after – or for 

your pupils.” 

The Excel model costs around £100 and can be viewed: 

https://alcosense.co.uk/alcosense.html. 

But we’ve negotiated a special discount on the entire 

AlcoSense range (except single-use disposables) of 10 

per cent for members IF BOUGHT THROUGH THE MSA 

GB WEBSITE – from the entry-level Lite 2 (£44.99) to 

the top-of-the-range Ultra (£249.00), with other 

options available. Go to 

https://msagb.com/members/member-discounts/ 

to secure your member discount. 



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.’ 

In every issue of 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, 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. 

Why join a local association? 

Local news, local input – a local voice... 

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

contact Peter Harvey on peter.harveymbe@msagb.com 



Taking the risk out 

of every lesson 

Steve Garrod finds that the risk management part of the 

Standards Check continues to trip too many ADIs up. 

Risk management is an essential part of the 

Standards Check, but following a number of 

conversations with ADIs who sadly only seek 

training after a failed Standards Check, it 

seems that it is still a widely misunderstood 

part of driver training. 

Subsequent conversations with a former 

colleague of mine in the DVSA have 

confirmed that many ADIs arrive for their 

Standards Check poorly prepared with no 

real understanding of risk management or 

client-centred learning. When asked about 

CPD, those who are unsuccessful admit to 

not actively undertaking any; instead, they 

become confused with their teaching 

methods. Many realise the need to ask 

questions, but they are rarely structured in a 

way that helps their learner. 

Asking ‘What would you like to do this 

week?’ may seem like client-centred 

learning, but in reality, many learners don’t 

know the difference between what they want 

to do and what they need to do. We can look 

at this in more detail next month, but the 

focus of this month’s article is risk 

management, because if the lesson does not 

meet the needs of the learner it becomes 

difficult to manage the risk, due to lack of 

knowledge or skill required during the lesson. 

Managing risk is not simply explaining that 

you have dual controls and you will use them 

if necessary to prevent a crash or keep asking 

the question, “What’s the risk here?” When I 

sit out and observe lessons I find many 

trainers miss naturally occurring 

opportunities to cover risk management, for 

example, when introducing the DVSA official 

at the beginning of the lesson. 

Many talk about the additional weight in 

the back, but given so many of our learners 

are still teenagers, there could be a natural 

link to the risks involved with carrying 

passengers and the potential distractions 

such as additional noise, not wearing 

seatbelts, etc. 

Risk management should happen naturally 

and form part of each lesson. During the 

lesson you could ask your pupil which part of 

the MSM routing they feel confident to take 

responsibility and which part they would like 

support. This is sharing the responsibility for 

risk and client-centred learning. You could 

ask them how best you could support them 

(talk-through, prompting or allowing more 

independence). This means you are more 

likely to match your teaching style to their 

preferred learning style. You do need to be 

careful, however, that their preferred learning 

style is suitable for their ability. 

Spotting potential hazards 

If you are waiting at a set of red traffic 

lights at a crossroads, you could make use of 

the time by discussing the potential hazards 

you could reasonably expect to see at the 

junction, such as pedestrians crossing the 

road or the activity in the new road, such as a 

large vehicle causing an obstruction and how 

to prioritise those hazards. 

While stationary, you could discuss how to 

make a plan to help reduce the risk of making 

a situation worse, in other words, adapting 

their driving to manage the potential risks. If 



pupils are bombarded with questions on the 

move they will have little time to concentrate. 

I’m sure we discuss the risk of using a mobile 

phone while driving- but it’s the same for 

them if they are being asked a series of 

questions when they really need to be 

concentrating on the task ahead. 

Discussing situations at the appropriate 

time allows pupils time to think and 

subsequently they are often encouraged to 

ask questions for themselves. 

In assessment terms this method is often 

known as a professional discussion. It leads 

to questions being asked by both parties (the 

learner and the instructor/assessor). It helps 

identify any misunderstandings and allows 

you, as the instructor, to help fill any gaps in 

your pupil’s knowledge and enables you both 

to make the most of the training session. It 

could mean that you change the training area to 

include a more suitable learning environment. 

As pupils gain more confidence these 

conversations can be replaced by questions, 

but questions should only be used when a 

pupil has time to think of an appropriate 

response and at the correct time. Just asking 

questions requiring a quick response only 

tests the power of recall, and not 

understanding. Questions requiring greater 

depth of thinking may need to be asked while 

stationary or when pupils are confident with 

driving in heavier traffic. 

Another example could be while waiting to 

emerge from a side road. If you can see 

parked vehicles in the new road to your left, 

you could use this as a risk management 

opportunity, for example, ‘Where will the 

traffic on the main road be positioned? And 

“Where will you have to be positioned once 

you emerge [on to main road]?” Chances are 

that you and oncoming traffic will be sharing 

the same space on the road. Using such 

examples can also help link the theory to the 

practical to reinforce the risks associated 

with parking so close to junctions. A 

challenging question here could be to ask 

who has priority. Learners will often give the 

standard reply, “Traffic on the main road’. This 

is true but from experience I have found that 

they generally assume it is traffic 

approaching from the right. Traffic 

approaching from the left which may be on 

your side of the road also has priority, 

because it is on the main road, therefore, to 

reduce the risk of causing an obstruction or 

something worse, it may be safer to wait in 

the side road, even if that means the 

occasional ‘beep’ from behind. 

This is similar to waiting to turn right at a 

controlled crossroads when you can see 

there is not enough room to wait in the 

“The same questions could be 

applied to road signs, for 

example school children ... if 

you can find some signs which 

you know you are likely to see 

during the lesson, then you are 

preparing your pupil for what 

will be seen while driving.” 

middle of the junction, so instead of 

proceeding you wait behind the stop line to 

avoid blocking the pedestrian areas, and wait 

for the traffic to clear and risk the wrath of 

the following drivers who, given the chance, 

would do exactly what you are trying to 

avoid, eg, block the junction. 

Making the correct decision not to proceed 

requires as much confidence as knowing 

when to proceed. Learners also need to 

understand how they can reduce the risk that 

they may pose to other road users while 

driving, manoeuvring or parking. 

These are examples of risk management. 

How you phrase the term depends on your 

pupil, after all, using the same phrase can 

become tiresome and if a pupil becomes 

bored they are in danger of switching off and 

losing concentration (also a risk!) How you 

phrase questions will determine the level of 

your pupil’s understanding of a subject, for 

example, asking a pupil to identify a hazard 

(or risk) means asking them what they have 

(or haven’t) seen, but asking them how they 

are going to deal with it means a higher level 

of thinking. 

Other questions relating to risk 

management could include: 

n What could be the danger/ 

consequences of….?” 

n What could be the disadvantage of…?” 

n Where is the safest place to wait? 

n Why do you think it’s a 20mph speed 

limit? 

If you see other drivers causing an 

unnecessary obstruction, you could ask 

“How could that driver have made that 

situation easier?” 

Or “What would you have done?” You could 

then explain what they have witnessed is 

poor risk management. 

Teaching pupils to plan 10 or even 15 

seconds ahead encourages them to read the 

road well ahead and allows time to adapt to 

the road and traffic conditions. It allows time 

for options, adjustments to the driving plan 

and increases the chances of arriving at 

hazards in the correct position, at the correct 

speed and in the correct gear, and essentially 

with enough time to look. (Position Speed 

and Look). 

As my old driving instructor told me many 

years ago as he puffed away on his pipe, 

“Nobody’s ever crashed into fresh air!” 

A useful format for asking thought 

provoking questions comes from the Police 

publication, ‘Roadcraft’. On approach to a 

hazard is asks the questions: 

n What can be seen? 

n What can’t be seen? 

n What may reasonably be expected to 

happen? 

Imagine you are approaching a side road; 

what can be seen could be a car waiting to 

emerge. What can’t be seen could be a 

second car waiting to emerge behind the first 

one, but not in view. Often the danger comes 

from what can’t be seen, rather than what 

can be seen, such as a car closely following a 

van coming towards you in a ‘meeting’ 

situation. 

If you have a few minutes to spare have a 

think about how you could apply this scenario 

to another hazardous stretch of road, such as 

a sharp bend or a where there are parked 

cars narrowing the road. 

The same questions could be applied to 

road signs, for example road narrows, school 

children or slippery surfaces. If you can find 

some signs which you know you are likely to 

see during the lesson, then you are preparing 

your pupil for what will be seen while driving. 

You could repeat these questions while 

driving to assess if your pupil is able to put 

the theory into practice. Knowing what a road 

sign means is one thing, but knowing how act 

upon seeing it is another. 

It is important to remember that risk 

management should not be made too 

technical. It is just the process we take once 

we have identified a hazard to reduce that 

risk. 

Try and include it in each lesson and you’ll 

have nothing to fear once your Standards 

Check arrives. 


Area News 

Technology working to save us time, 

and the dawning of a new awning 

Arthur Mynott 

West Coast 

& Wales 

It’s that time of the year when we set off on 

our first caravan holiday for 2024. We are 

starting off with a trip to the New Forest as 

we have never been there before. 

In preparation for this, a couple of months 

ago I took the caravan to Taunton Caravan 

Services for an annual check-over to make 

sure everything was in order. They check the 

gas, water and electrical systems, including 

the heater and waste systems also. The 

wheels, tyres, hitch and anti-sway 

mechanisms are also checked to make sure 

everything is in order. 

I wonder if every caravan owner follows a 

similar routine? 

One problem I had last year was with one 

of the locker doors, which was faulty. I tried 

repairing it myself but not very well. I had 

already asked them to repair it for me which 

they did but one other thing they always do is 

go over the caravan with a moisture meter to 

highlight any damp areas, and the area behind 

the locker door which is under the bed had a 

very high reading. Fortunately the repaired 

door will stop this happening again. 

It’s always useful to have a caravan 

serviced to highlight any problems and get 

them sorted before anything major happens. 

When we first started caravan holidays, we 

used to have a frame awning. It was 

constructed with metal poles and really 

needed two people to put it up. Because my 

wife has mobility issues I found it was getting 

more and more difficult to erect this awning. 

On one holiday I noticed a neighbouring 

caravan had what is called an ‘air awning’. On 

closer inspection it had air tubes (bladders) 

which are blown up with a pump and these 

hold the awning up. 

I bought one of these in readiness for our 

next holiday and it lasted us for the next few 

years. It was easier to put up than our 

The air awning proved a suitable 

replacement for a few years 

The evolution of awnings: left, the original, 

with tent poles 

previous awning but still required a degree of 

effort. 

Then, two years ago when we were in 

France, I saw a caravan with a canopy instead 

of an awning. I went and had a closer look and 

a chat with the occupants and this seemed 

the perfect thing for us to have. Needless to 

say, as soon as we returned home I went and 

purchased one and we have used it several 

times already and I love it. 

Once we have the caravan on the pitch it 

literally take about 10 minutes to roll out the 

canopy, pull out the integral legs and 

tensioner poles, and attach the two guy 

ropes ... and that’s job done! No threading an 

awning through the channel on the caravan, 

working out which pole goes where and 

tapping in endless tent pegs and guy ropes. 

Another benefit is that it is also just as 

quick to put away again. 

Last year we stayed at four different camp 

sites on our holiday in France, just imagine 

having to put an awning up and down four 

times! 

With our previous awnings, because we 

have to pack up in the morning, quite often 

the material would be damp and required 

wiping down or if it was wet, I normally had to 

put it up on the lawn at home and dry it out 

before packing it back up again. What a lot of 

work! 



Ireland’s rural 

road deaths 

causing concern 

In last month’s Newslink I let you know about 

the West Coast & Wales Area Training Day in 

November. The speakers are now confirmed 

as 

n John Sheridan, DVSA Driver Training Policy 

Advisor 

n Daniel Cox, Avon and Somerset Police Road 

Safety Officer 

n Great Western Air Ambulance Charity 

n Mike Yeomans, MSA GB National Chairman 

n Peter Harvey MBE, MSA GB Vice Chairman 

The event is being held at the Mercure 

Bristol North, The Grange Hotel on Monday, 

11th November. Doors open at 9am for a 9.30 

start and will finish around 4pm. 

This is open to any ADI and PDI so please 

feel free to bring a colleague along. 

Finally, the roll-out canopy: 

Prove that technology can 

make our lives easier! 

West Coast & Wales training day 

The cost is £45 for MSA GB members if 

paid before 1st September, after this date the 

cost will be £50. Non members cost is also 

£50. 

The hotel has offered a 15% discount to any 

delegates wishing to stay at the hotel but 

must be booked by 6 weeks before the day. 

Just call the hotel on 01454 355012. 

To book for this event, please contact me 

on the details below. 

Contact: 

Arthur Mynott, 

MSA GB West Coast & Wales Chairman 

arthur.mynott@yahoo.com 

Tel 07989 852274. 

Tom Harrington 

A new report by the European Transport 

Safety Council shows that rural road 

deaths in Ireland are the third highest in 

the EU, with more than two-thirds of all 

road fatalities occurring outside built-up 

areas and motorways. 

67 per cent of all road deaths in the 

Republic between 2020 and 2022 were on 

rural roads, compared to the EU average of 

52 per cent over the same period. Only 

Finland and Sweden have a higher 

proportion of all road fatalities on rural 

roads. 

The ETSC report also revealed that 

average speeds on rural roads in Ireland 

have been increasing in recent years at a 

time when reductions in average speeds 

have been observed on similar roads in 

many other EU member states, including 

France and Austria. 

The report showed that around 10,000 

people were killed on rural roads, excluding 

motorways, in the EU in 2022. 

It also highlighted that just 22 per cent 

of motorists in Ireland were travelling 

within the speed limit on rural roads with a 

50km/h limit in 2022, with the compliance 

rate increasing to 75 per cent on rural 

roads with a 100km/h limit. 

The report comes against a background 

of growing concern in Ireland at a sharp 

increase in road deaths in recent years 

after an extended period where there had 

been a strong downward trend in fatal 

collisions. 

The lowest annual road fatality figure in 

recent decades was 135 in 2018 but the 

numbers have started increasing again to 

reach 188 last year. 

A total of 55 people has been killed on 

Irish roads so far this year – 13 more than 

in the corresponding period in 2023. 


Area News 

A hi-tech way to fix the hole in the road 

Janet 

Stewart 

London & the 

South East 

I receive updates from time to time from 

Hertfordshire Highways. Recently, they were 

talking about their new robot for dealing with 

pot holes, cracks etc. 

Anyone who reads me regularly will know 

that I cannot resist a robot – in fact, I have a 

small one that walks across my desk and 

entertains me in idle moments. 

An autonomous robot has been developed 

by Robotiz3d along with academics at the 

University of Liverpool. Apparently, Herts 

will be the first county to trial it outside of the 

laboratory. 

It is called ‘ARRES PREVENT’. It identifies 

and characterises cracks and potholes using 

AI and then automatically fills them to 

prevent surface water getting in and avoiding 

a full scale pothole. 

In theory, this should save time and money 

and could revolutionise the way potholes and 

road maintenance generally are dealt with in 

the future. 

Phil Bibby, executive member for Highways 

at Hertfordshire County Council was thrilled 

to be at the coalface of this exciting new 

technology, working with world-class tech 

inventors and engineers. He said “We’ve long 

been leading the way in cracking the pothole 

issue and in recent times have been trialling 

new and improved ways to fill potholes. Using 

state-of-the-art technology to prevent 

potholes forming in the first place could be 

exactly what we need to ensure our road 

network remains one of the best in the 

country”. 

At the end of the article there was a web 

address for reporting potholes. I am a little 

rueful in reporting any, remembering what 

happened to John Major’s famous cones 

hotline in the 1990s. 

One thing I would challenge is the assertion 

that Hertfordshire’s roads are among the 

best in the country. If they are then I shudder 

to think what the rest must be like. The roads 

around me are utterly appalling and I cannot 

imagine that one little robot is going to have 

much impact on the problem. 

However, let’s wait and see. 

Claims from the Robotiz3d website are 

that the cost saving will be 90 per cent, it will 

be 70 per cent faster than traditional repair 

methods and that there will be three times 

less CO 2 

produced. 

This all sounds extraordinary and will be 

marvellous if it comes good. In 2021 the 

company received a SMART grant from 

Innovate UK, providing substantial funding for 

two years and enabling the company to work 

with Liverpool University. Lisa Layzell, CEO 

at Robotiz3d, said that they had been given 

the award in view of the “disruptive and 

relevant nature of our developments to solve 

a pressing and growing problem affecting 

many people in the UK.” 

I think it looks fiendish, but I hope it’s just 

fiendishly clever. 

Contact: 

Janet Stewart, 

MSA GB London & the South 

E: janetslittlecar@btinternet.com 

T: 07989 852274. 



Taxi driver spots the signals and lets the 

HGV create his own Highway Code 

John Lomas 

MSA GB 

West Coast 

& Wales 

The map 

showing the 

route the 

HGV took 

Taxi v LGV 

Over the years I have done my share of 

criticising taxi drivers but the other week I 

was grateful for my driver managing to 

avoid a serious conflict with a rigid LGV at 

the roundabout pictured right. 

The slip road A has three lanes, the 

left-hand lane is to access B, the middle 

lane is to access C and the right-hand lane 

is to access E. 

We were approaching in the right-hand 

lane, on the way to the hospital. The lorry 

was using the middle lane and yet insisted 

on travelling around the roundabout, 

continually blowing its horn. My driver 

backed off and let him go ahead but he 

didn’t even exit at E, he went all the way 

round to reverse direction and use exit F. 

The moral is: “Don’t think you know 

another drivers’ intentions by their 

positions and/or signals”. 

MSA GB Conference, Telford 

It was good to catch up with old friends 

and colleagues, and even meet new people 

from our expanded area, which has taken 

in so many of the old regions. 

I felt that the speakers did a good job, 

and certainly heard mainly complementary 

remarks about the topics covered. 

How big is too big? 

I wonder what the examiners’ reaction 

was when he came out and found this pair 

waiting for him (see photo right)? One is a 

Mk 8 Jaguar being driven by a young lady 

who went on to have a successful singing 

career... indeed, I wonder if the size of her 

car led to her spoonerism nickname of 

Burly Chassis. 

(see photo B... for those who don’t 

recognise her, or get the nickname joke, it 

is a very young Shirley Bassey) 

It turned out, after I first found the photo, 

that it was a delayed success picture taken 

in 1958. That’s the year before I passed my 

test. If it is a test centre pic, the Morris 

Traveller has a roof sign on it as well. Oddly 

this person recorded the song ‘Born to Sing 

the Blues’ the year before in 1957. 

Kingstanding Test Centre 

Following on from the article in April’s issue 

about residents complaining about the 

actions of ADIs on the roads close to 

Kingstanding DTC, I went for a wander around 

the vicinity by Streetview. 

Admittedly the latest Streetview is dated 

2022 although the satellite view is later. 

There are very few school cars showing on 

any of the roads, though the amount of 

people pavement parking, even where I could 

see no yellow lines, is quite worrying with the 

upcoming threat to make pavement parking 

illegal throughout the country. I would 

assume a lot of them would be residents. 

I do think that when such reports come to 

us complaining about tuition cars’ 

misbehaving, they should be backed up by 

photographic evidence. 

Mystery car 

Brian Thomson’s mystery car (Newslink, 

page 37 April) is a modern Electric version of 

the Citroen Ami . It is described as a 

quadricycle, though I haven’t as yet ID’d it as 

a Voiture Sans Permit in France (literally, car 

without permit, which means you can drive it 

without a driving licence, such as in the 

circumstances where you have lost your 

licence for drink driving). It is also marketed 

as the Fiat Topolino and Opel Rocks. 

The photo appeared to show the spare 

wheel protruding from the rear bumper 

making it a ‘shock absorber’, though I haven’t 

seen that feature on any other pictures, so 

maybe someone was in the process of 

changing a wheel or having the spare repaired. 

If you ever want to verify or ID a photo I 

would recommend Goggle Images. https:// 

images.google.co.uk/ though no doubt 

there are other image searches available. 

Contact: John Lomas 

T: 0779 609 1767 

E: johnstardriving@hotmail.com 

bristoljackaroo@gmail.com 


An ADI’s view.... times two 

Playing the ‘Long Game’ 

Tim Clayton, an MSA GB 

member from the East Coast 

Area 2, has been an ADI for just 

over a decade. Perhaps now is 

a good time to step back and 

consider the job, and how it has 

changed during that period 

A long game? Is it a game we’re playing? 

Really? Not if your living – and your family’s 

– depends on it. So, is it “long,” then? 

How many of us stick around to complete 

more than a handful of years in this business? 

If not, why is that? (Why is that, if we do?!) 

I guess I’ve been in this game for what I can 

now call a long time. More than ten years. 

Others have done 20, 30: I’m not claiming any 

records. I just feel that now I’ve reached this 

milestone, it’s time once more to reflect. 

Should I still be here? Do I want to be? 

Where could I be in another 10? 

It took a few years to slay the phantom 

that beset my every teaching hour: the 

gnawing guilt of underperformance as I 

reflected on ‘what I did’ and ‘what I should 

have done’ (in other words what the training 

taught me to do). I could feel my mind 

knotting up as I did so, even as I knew that 

sticking to the formal way often seemed to 

run counter to building friendly trust with 

clients. 

No sudden bolt of light cured that. But 

thank God it did stop. As I’ve often joked with 

friends and customers alike, teaching is more 

like ‘structured socialising’, where learning 

the new skill of driving just happens while we 

relax and enjoy the scenery. This has become 

a lot easier, for me as tutor as well as for any 

client, since I’ve moved to teaching in an 

automatic. 

I know Standards Checks are a resourcelimited 

snapshot of how an ADI is doing, and 

so those lessons must read like an 

‘EastEnders’ omnibus episode: the 17 core 

competencies packed into 45 minutes for a 

stranger to observe (a bit like a learner’s 

test). But weeks of getting to know an 

individual means real lessons aren’t so 

intense – lots of learning isn’t verbalised but 

is understood, nonetheless. For the same 

reason, therapists aren’t judged on how they 

conduct a single session. 

“Let’s innovate with songs and 

poems, comedy and role-plays, 

memorable jingles and smells 

to help us retain the important 

bits and stay relaxed...” 

So, what else has changed? Fewer tyres, 

for a start! In my Ford Focus, I got through 

nine in the first two years (probably because 

of low-profile tyre-walls and sporty, low 

seats making for poor sight lines). So, 

overheads are lower. That’s echoed by going 

electric, appreciably reducing fuel costs but 

also maintenance, without greatly increasing 

monthly purchase instalments. 

There seem to be no more occasional 

disputes or misunderstandings with clients: 

perhaps because learners are older and – in 

my case – newly settled from overseas, so 

“feeling their way with authority.” 

Having longer lessons (1½ or 2 hr) helps 

too, so there are fewer dashes between 

customers / roadwork hold-ups, and less 

casework to record after. 

It’s been many a year since a student had a 

meltdown during the turn-in-the-road, when 

they became convinced that racist 

neighbours would think she was rifling 

through the roadside bins, or another got 

very offended because I’d mentioned the 

name of Peter Rachmann (a notorious 1960s 

racketeer in Notting Hill). 

But there has been one complaint to DVSA 

- the result of a customer cutting off 

communication and then misinterpreting my 

letter asking for payment – plus DVSA 

themselves “recommending” that I take 

down my online diary (in case it was held to 

be flouting GDPR). 

A careful email put each situation to bed, 

but not before the first individual had 

defamed me on social media. Such is life. 

To better protect my reputation, over those 

years I’ve twice tweaked my published 

business terms and continue to expand my 

original website with summaries I find are 

helpful to specific clients. But I make fewer 

videos, and they are very much shorter (1-2 

minutes) as I recognised attention spans 

reduce amid the modern world’s advertising 

clamour. 

I’ve also recently produced a VERY simple 

website, based on the long-held idea that 

“brains work in 3s”. I’m running it in parallel 

with the detailed, page-heavy one I’ve 

developed since 2013, pointing folk to the 

new one if I get a feeling they’d benefit 

starting there. 

I’ve finally wrestled my record-keeping into 

a very neat database that does my tax return 

and analyses some key ratios. It might even 

produce some graphs to show trends or 

proportions, but that’s nowadays more for 

interest than business-planning as I no longer 

have to support three children! 

No doubt that the complexity of my work 

has more than halved overall, 2010-2024 



(ages 45-59). However, my pass-rate is not 

up. Should we expect it to be? Should I, in 

fact, work to raise it? 

While it’s efficient for each test-attempt to 

end in a Pass, most candidates just can’t feel 

the same in a mock test as they do when 

approaching (or during) the real, critical, 

costly, life-changing L-test itself. 

Others WILL need to experience the scope 

of biding their final minutes (in a waiting room), 

associations they make with the stranger 

(examiner), transference of previous traumas 

they’ve had with authority figures (examiner), 

different accents and phraseology (examiner), 

and range of personal emotions (themselves) 

… before they can settle secure into knowing 

what it’ll be like … just as if they were attending 

an important hospital visit, or engaging in 

warfare. I suppose convincing a pupil not to 

take their L-test because they’re not quite 

ready is similar to asking folk not to see their 

GP every time they have a cold. Both clog up 

the system, but it is ultimately each citizen’s 

choice in a democracy. 

Changes... 

What else has changed? The qualifying 

process, ADI parameters (‘triggers’), the 

legacies of an infectious pandemic, changing 

travel patterns, expectations around climate 

and consumption. Yet industry experts seem 

to still be offering largely the same fare: how 

to deliver client-centred learning / raise your 

Standards Check mark / trim your admin 

burden. 

Thank goodness we have fringe-show 

entrants now becoming mainstream, with a 

focus rightly on neurodiversity. Since cars 

are, in theory, now simpler to drive, shouldn’t 

ADIs put their efforts into appreciating the 

breadth of human psychology, as drivers’ 

attitudes will govern behaviour much more 

than ‘mechie-techie’ knowledge about 

engineering? 

This is where, I think, we should be on the 

lookout to simplify teaching and learning. 

How hard, in fact, is it? Just get from A to B, on 

wheels, without hitting anything! 

Make it smooth by forward planning. Know 

a few rules, so lots of us moving at once 

aren’t confused. Let’s innovate with songs 

and poems, comedy and role-plays, 

memorable jingles and smells to help us 

retain the important bits and stay relaxed. 

After all, we use nursery rhymes and 

fairytales to teach ‘home truths’ about the 

world, to speed up young minds’ appreciation 

of the pitfalls ahead in society. So why not in 

the road? Wouldn’t that make a good legacy: 

an appetising new way to “make driving fun” 

and remain so …for ‘them’ and ‘us’. 

Fulfilling the dreams of 

the deaf community 

Kieran Cuthbert, MSA GB Scotland 

A little bit about myself. My name is 

Kieran Cuthbert, and I am an ADI who is 

deaf. 

I was born hearing and then became 

deaf through meningitis when I was one 

and a half years old, meaning I had to 

adapt to a hearing lifestyle growing up as I 

had a hearing family, hearing friends and 

went to mainstream schools. 

I learned a little bit of British Sign 

Language when I was around 9-10 years 

old, which was then developed further as I 

got older and became friends with deaf 

BSL users. 

One of the things I realised as I became 

older was that there was a problem for 

deaf BSL users who wanted to learn how 

to drive, as there were very fewer ADIs 

out there who could accommodate them. 

There just was not enough instructors out 

there that could teach using BSL. 

This thought really came home to me 

straight after Covid, as I was leaving 

college. The realisation sparked an interest 

in me to become a driving instructor and 

help fill this gap that was missing for deaf 

people. 

However, this in itself then became a 

challenge for me. The journey to becoming 

a driving instructor is not an easy one for 

anyone, let alone someone who struggles 

Kieran Cuthbert is the only 

deaf BSL ADI in Scotland 

to hear. So you could imagine what 

training was like for me, trying to hear and 

understand everything that I had to do 

proved to be a problem, and it took a few 

attempts to find a training structure that 

would work for me. 

Despite the challenges I passed Part 1, 

Part 2 and Part 3 at the first attempt, 

which I am still extremely proud of. 

Today it feels really good knowing that I 

can support any deaf student in a 

language that they know and are 

comfortable with, and I am extremely 

proud to say that I am the only deaf BSL 

instructor in Scotland. 

The only struggle I have now is that 

there’s a lot of demand for BSL lessons 

and I cannot cover them all, but I will try 

my best in order to do so. 

I feel good knowing that I can provide 

for a community and give them an entire 

new freedom that many do not get to 

experience and they will be able to say 

that they learned a lot from lessons in an 

environment that is suited to them. 

Kieran Cuthbert is a Member of the 

Aberdeen & District Driving Schools 

Association. 

More details of the group can be found on 

page 29 


Members’ 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 arranged 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 will have 

you back on the road and teaching in no time. 

Our exclusive agreement will supply a replacement vehicle to you should the need arise 

– at no cost. Contact 07914 275539 for more details. 

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 

ADIs. 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 

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Join now to receive three months free. 

ADVANCE DRIVING 

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As the UK’s largest road safety 

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MSA GB OFFER:: Get 10% off Advanced courses; 

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Protect yourself and your pupils with a 

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MSA GB OFFER:: 10% off any AlcoSense product 

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MSA GB OFFER:: Special discount 

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MSA GB and SumUp believe 

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Together we are on a mission to 

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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 

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learner drivers. 

MSA GB OFFER:: Special Driving Instructor 

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FUEL CARDS 

Save up to 10p per litre of fuel with Fuel Card 

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MSA GB OFFER:: An MSA GB fuel card will save 

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HEALTH / FINANCE COVER 

The Motor Schools Association of Great 

Britain has agreed with HMCA to 

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and vehicle breakdown products. 

MSA GB OFFER:: HMCA only offer 

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To get the full story of the 

discounts available, see 

www.msagb.com 



PUPIL INSURANCE 

Join the Collingwood 

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

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Confident Drivers has the only 

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MSA GB OFFER:: One month free on a monthly 

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members 

Quickbooks is offering an online 

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To get the full story of the 

discounts available, see 

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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 £65 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.

Newslink May 2024

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