Newslink September 2024

msagb.com
Newslink
The Voice of MSA GB
Issue 380 • September 2024
Lerwick:
The learners’
test utopia
Candidate takes
1,600-mile
round trip to
secure test
20’s delivering
results in Wales
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We need to change drivers’
thinking over road safety
Welcome to your
digital, interactive
Newslink
Colin Lilly
Editor,
Newslink
During the period following an election we
begin to see the shape of things to come,
always in hope that things will be better.
This time, as far as transport and road
safety is concerned, it would appear it is very
much business as usual. Following last
month’s cancellation of major road and rail
projects, the focus now returns to local
improvements.
The Secretary of State for Transport,
Louise Haigh, has stated her support for
active travel projects such as walking or
cycling routes, and for encouraging greater
use of public transport.
She stated that the creation of Low Traffic
Neighbourhoods (LTNs) and 20 mph limits
and zones was a local matter following
consultation with the local community. There
was no mention of the amount of money
being available to support these schemes.
It would seem very likely that their
implementation will be met by fierce local
opposition. Irrespective of statistics showing
benefits for these schemes, including
casualty reduction and cleaner air, many
drivers will still have opposing views on their
implementation, based on lack of knowledge
Book now for your local...
of driving safely and economically in these
environments.
If the changes are to be welcomed it
involves changing the hearts and minds of
drivers who feel a driving licence is a right to
drive unimpeded wherever they wish. On the
other hand, anyone who feels that passing a
driving test leads to a lifetime of skilful driving
is seriously deluded.
Changes of opinion will only begin when
education and publicity are used to highlight
the issues. That is unlikely to happen in the
current financial climate.
Bringing things a little closer to home and
the almost ever-present question of driving
test waiting times. Based on the apparent
lack of Government interest in road safety or,
indeed, anything related to everyday road
travel, it seems there will be little money
available to assist with the problem.
Having been involved in driver training for
almost half a century I can only reflect the
words of the Prime Minister, “things are going
to get worse before they get better.”
“If reforms are to be welcomed
they must involve changing the
hearts and minds of drivers
who feel a driving licence is a
right to drive unimpeded
wherever they wish...”
See a pale blue box in any article or
on an advert? It it contains a web
address or email, it’s interactive. Just
click and it will take you to the
appropriate web page or email so you
can find more details easier.
You’ll also find these panels across
the magazine: just click for more
information on any given subject.
To get the
full story,
click here
How to access this
magazine
You can read Newslink in three ways:
Go online and read the interactive
magazine on the Yumpu website; or,
if you would like to read it when you
don’t have a mobile signal or WiFi,
you can download the magazine to
your tablet, PC or phone to read at
your leisure. Alternatively, a pdf can
be found on the MSA GB website, at
www.msagb.com
Follow the link
MSA GB sends
you to access
Newslink,
and then just
click Download
(circled above)
to save a copy
on your device
MSA GB Autumn
area meetings
and training event
See page 9 for more details, and book your place at
www.msagb.com
COVER STORY
All roads led
to Lerwick
As the frustration
over long L-test
waiting times
continues, the
lengths some
learners will go to
to secure an L-test
are revealed.
See page 10
NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2024 03

Contents
20
16
15
17
30
They’re upset in Aylesbury...
DVSA issues request to local ADIs after
complaints from residents near the
town’s driving test centre – 06
Drug-driving on the increase
First-of-their kind figures from the
Department for Transport have revealed the
role illegal drugs are playing in road traffic
fatalities – and it’s no susprise to many that
it shows they are on the rise – 10
Long distance learners...
Devon and Kent to Shetland for an L-test?
That’s far enough... research highlights
heartache behind learners’ extreme
commutes to grab a test – 12
Newslink
The Voice of MSA GB
The Motor Schools Association
of Great Britain Ltd
Head Office:
Peershaws,
Berewyk Hall Court,
White Colne, Colchester,
Essex CO6 2QB
T: 01787 221020
E: info@msagb.com
It’s working...
The controversial 20mph limit in Wales is
starting to pay dividends on the road safety
front, with a whopping 23 per cent drop in KSI
figures for the first quarter of 2024 – 16
Highway Code changes ‘ignored’
The public is still a long way from getting the
message on the vulnerable road user matrix,
survey reveals – 18
Newslink is published monthly on behalf of the MSA GB
and distributed to members and selected recently
qualified ADIs throughout Great Britain by:
Chamber Media Services,
4 Hilton Road, Bramhall, Stockport,
Cheshire SK7 3AG
Editorial/Production: Rob Beswick
e: rob@chambermediaservices.co.uk
t: 0161 426 7957
Advertising sales: Colin Regan
e: colinregan001@yahoo.co.uk
t: 01942 537959 / 07871 444922
Views expressed in Newslink are not necessarily those
of the MSA GB or the publishers.
Ban the car phone...
A major construction firm has banned its
staff from making hands-free calls while
driving, after new research highlighted the
dangers they’re linked to – 20
Why do they need to speed...?
Tom Harrington looks at the reasons why
some drivers still can’t resist putting their
foot down – 26
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 SEPTEMBER 2024

For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com
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 SEPTEMBER 2024 05

News
DVSA asks Aylesbury ADIs to consider the
neighbours after complaints over practising
The DVSA has contacted MSA GB to inform us
it has received complaints from local
residents over the volume of driving school
cars engaging in practice around Aylesbury
Driving Test Centre, particularly on Great
Meadow Way.
The DVSA said: “To minimise disruption to
residents and help maintain a good
relationship with them, it’s important that
driving lessons are done on a wide variety of
roads while still providing learner drivers with
a diverse driving experience.
“This approach not only helps to reduce the
impact on residents living near driving test
centres, but also ensures that pupils gain
valuable experience on a variety of road
types.”
The agency added: “We appreciate your
co-operation and understanding in reducing
any disruption to local residents who live near
to test centres.”
MSA GB defended the ADIs, pointing out
that sometimes, an influx in driving school
cars in a particular area can be momentary,
as instructors reach an area they had
considered for a lesson only to find other
tuition cars already there, and they leave. It is
also true that sometimes in and around
driving test centres, ADIs cars are present on
test business, so their presence cannot be
avoided.
However, it is always worth bearing in mind
that taking a pupil on the roads immediately
adjacent to a driving test centre is potentially
going to create the kind of problems the
DVSA has highlighted here, and is best
avoided if possible.
CARDIFF THEORY TEST CENTRE
The DVSA has asked that ADIs make sure
their pupils know the correct address of the
theory test centre in Cardiff.
The venue for testing changed on June 17,
and they are now undertaken at: Ground
Floor, 1 Caspian Point, Caspian Way, Pierhead
Street, Cardiff CF10 4DQ.
The DVSA announced the new venue in
May, and repeated it in June, but says it is still
seeing a number of candidates turn up for
their theory test at the old centre.
ADIs are asked that if they have any pupils
with a theory test booked at Cardiff, could
they check they are planning to go to the new
address. Turning up at the old address will
more than likely see them forfeit their theory
test fee as they are unlikely to make it to the
correct venue in time.
Project to help novice drivers scan the road for risks
A new project by researchers at the
University of Leeds hopes to help novice
drivers improve their ability to spot and
avoid potential hazards when they are
driving independently after passing their
L-test.
The project, funded by the Road Safety
Trust, is called Risk Awareness and
Perception Training (RAPT), and builds on a
successful pilot programme in the USA that
studied how novice drivers scanned the
road for potential hazards.
RAPT is based on a 3M (mistakes,
mediation and mastery) error-training
strategy, where the learning materials are
used to guide trainees towards an
appropriate mediation strategy after
they’ve made a mistake while searching for
potential hazards on the road. Trainees then
master the mediation strategy through
searching for the potential hazards once
again.
This UK-specific hazard anticipation
training programme will use a headmounted
display (HMD), driving simulators
and on-road driving to compile data on
driving behaviour in a bid to develop a
validated training programme that, once
completed, will be freely available to driver
trainers.
Ruth Madigan, University of Leeds, said:
“We believe that the proposed training has
the potential to provide an innovative and
easily accessible training solution for UK
drivers.”
“Hopefully we can help young drivers to
improve their risk anticipation skills, leading
to safer driving behaviours in this at-risk
group.”
The funding has been provided through
The Road Safety Trust’s Autumn 2023
funding round.
Ruth Purdie OBE, chief executive of The
Road Safety Trust, said: “It is well
established that young drivers face an
increased crash risk on the road.
“One reason for this is an inability to
anticipate hazards. This project will use an
innovative approach that has been
successful in the US to address the issue,
improving safety for young, novice drivers
across the country.”
To learn more about the project, visit The
Road Safety Trust website.
06 NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2024

News
PACTS issues plea for ADIs
to push MPs on road safety
Transport safety champion PACTS is urging
ADIs to join its ongoing campaign to improve
road safety across the UK, by asking them to
write to their local MP to highlight the
importance of road safety.
A template letter has been created that
ADIs can send. It also invites the MP to sign
up for the Manifesto for Road Safety 2024,
and invites them to join the All-Party
Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Transport
Safety.
PACTS said, with a new government and a
record 335 new MPs inducted into the House
of Commons in July, that this is a crucial time
for this call to action.
PACTS added: “We strongly encourage you
to personalise this letter with your own
experiences or concerns regarding road
safety in your constituency. Personal stories
can have a powerful impact and help to
underscore the importance of this issue.”
This would include stories from the driver
training and testing world.
Key points of the letter:
n MPs are encouraged to support the
PACTS Manifesto. This sets out the
manifesto’s key priorities, including the
development of a National Road Safety
Strategy and the introduction of a Road
Safety Investigation Branch. It also discusses
introducing graduated driving licences.
n Invitation to Join the APPG: Inviting your
local MP to join the APPG for Transport
Safety, which plays a vital role in shaping road
safety policy. PACTS is the secretariat to this
APPG.
PACTS added: “The more voices we have
advocating for road safety, the stronger our
message will be.
“Together, we can make a significant
difference in improving road safety across the
UK. Thank you for your support.”
To make this process as
seamless as possible, a
template letter you can use
can be found here.
The email address for your
local MP is available here.
Sign up for IMTD
lunch and AGM
The Institute of Master Tutors of Driving
(IMTD) is holding its members’ meeting
and awards lunch on 8th September, at
the Holiday Inn, Hinckley Road, Coventry
CV2 2HP. The meeting starts at 10am,
and runs through to 1pm, at which point
the awards lunch will begin.
If you have not yet booked and paid,
please do so now by contacting Mike
Yeomans, the treasurer, via
imtd.treasurer@gmail.com.
The cost is £30 for members, and £35
for non-members. Guests are welcome.
Members who wish to attend but
cannot stay for lunch are more than
welcome; contact the secretary at
secretary@imtd.org.uk to confirm your
attendance at the meeting.
It was announced last month that MSA
GB national chairman Mike Yeomans will
be awarded with a special IMTD honour
for his work in the driver training and
road safety field over many years.
Road safety week
theme revealed
Brake’s theme for Road Safety Week
2024 will be ‘After the Crash’, with the
focus on bringing people together to
remember loved ones who have died or
suffered life-changing injuries in road
crashes.
Road Safety Week – one of the UK’s
biggest annual road safety campaigns
– runs from November 17-23.
HMRC launches digital tool on VAT threshold
Is your driving school close to the VAT
threshold?
With the current limit set at £90,000, only
those ADIs operating multi-car schools will
probably be answering ‘yes’ to that question,
but with rumours circulating that one option
for the new Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, in her
Autumn Budget could be a sharp
reduction in the VAT threshold, now
may be the time to start seeing
what registering for VAT could
mean for you.
HMRC help
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
has launched a digital tool to help
businesses estimate what registering for
VAT may mean for them.
The VAT Registration Estimator has been
developed after feedback from small
businesses suggested an online tool would
be helpful to show when their turnover could
require businesses to register for VAT and its
effect on profits.
A business must register for VAT if:
n Their total VAT taxable turnover
for the previous 12 months is more
than £90,000 – known as the VAT
threshold. Until 31 March 2024 this
was £85,000.
n Turnover will go over the
£90,000 threshold in the next 30 days.
A VAT-registered business must charge
VAT on eligible sales and can usually reclaim it
on eligible purchases. There are around
300,000 new VAT registrations each year.
The HMRC estimator can help any business
to see what registering for VAT could mean,
as well as linking to further information about
the registration process. It is also a useful tool
for businesses operating below the threshold
and for those considering voluntary
registration. There is more help and support
for VAT guidance on G OV .UK.
CLICK HERE to go to VAT estimator
Click here for the
VAT estimator
08 NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2024

For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com
MSA GB Autumn series
Every autumn, MSA GB hosts meetings in each area which combine training sessions,
information and the area AGM. See www.msagb.com for more details and to book.
East Coast AGM & Training Event
EAST COAST TRAINING DAY / INCLUDING AGM
Date: Sunday, October 27
Venue: Woodlands Hotel Gildersome, Leeds LS27 7LY
Programme
9.30am: Arrival – tea/coffee and pastries
10.00: Opening by chairman Mike Yeomans
10.10: Driving cars in the future: What will you need
to change, to teach drivers?
11.40: Confident drivers – Kev & Tracey Field
Refreshment Break – pastries & tea/coffee
11.55: Presentation by local DVSA staff member - to be
confirmed (to include Q&A session)
12.45: Peter Harvey MBE
13.15: MSA GB East Coast Area 3 AGM
13.30: Close
The cost for this event is £15, For further details contact:
Mike Yeomans at mike.yeomans@msagb.com
Scotland AGM & Training Event
SCOTLAND AGM & TRAINING EVENT
Date: November 3
Join us for this year’s Scottish annual training event! With
industry experts from across the road safety sphere, the latest
training opportunities, and plenty of networking and
socialising, it’s an event not-to-be-missed.
Secure your place before September 30 to take advantage of
our Early Bird ticket rate - just £50. This includes tea/coffee on
arrival, morning coffee/tea, a two-course lunch with tea/
coffee, and an afternoon tea break.
All paperwork needed will also be provided.
West Coast & Wales AGM/Training Event
WEST COAST & WALES AGM TRAINING DAY
Date: November 11
Venue: Mercure Bristol North, Bristol BS36 1RP
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to secure your place at our
West Coast & Wales Annual Training Day at our exclusive Early
Bird rate - £45 for MSA GB members and £50 for non-members.
Our incredible line-up of speakers includes:
n John Sheridan, DVSA Driver Training Policy Advisor.
n Daniel Cox, Avon & Somerset Police Road Safety Officer.
n Great Western Air Ambulance.
n Mike Yeomans, MSA GB Chairman.
n Peter Harvey, MSA GB Vice Chairman
And if that wasn’t enough, we’ve also secured a 15% discount at
the hotel for any delegates travelling and wishing to stay
overnight. Book direct with the hotel if you wish to stay.
West Coast ADI meeting
ADI MEETING
Date: November 6
Venue: Warrington Masonic Hall, 15 Winmarleigh Street, Warrington
WA1 1NB
Time: 6.30pm-8.30pm
MSA GB Area 4 (West Coast and Wales) is hosting an ADI meeting
on November 6, for all ADIs.
The DVSA has kindly agreed to send two speakers:
n Elaine Smethurst, ADI Area Manager
n David Mann, National Manager, ADI Team
There will also be a presentation by Arthur Mynott, MSA GB Area
Chairman, West Coast & Wales. After the presentations there will
be an open question time for the speakers.
A small charge will be levied to cover the cost of the hall £5 for MSA
members, and £10 for non-members. Non-members who join the
MSA GB on the night will be refunded the extra £5.
To book your place or for further information, please email
Arthur at arthur.mynott@msagb.com
London & South East Events
TO BOOK
on any of
these
events, see
www.msagb.
com
ADI MEETING
Date: September 17
Time: from 7:15pm
Venue: Manor Drive Methodist Church,
Manor Drive, Whetstone, London N20 0DZ
Cost: FREE to members; non-members, £10
MSA GB London & the South East is hosting a meeting on
September 17, with an Examiner Q&A and a session on handling
emergency vehicles.
The DVSA has kindly agreed for several members of staff to attend,
to go through issues on the L-test and what examiners are looking
for.
In attendance will be:
n Peter Newell (DVSA ODM), plus Craig Buckwald, Sehnaz Erdogan
and Dan Sullivan.
n This will be followed by a presentation on Emergency Vehicles by
Tom Kwok
To book your place please phone Tom Kwok on 07956 269922
or email him at tom.kwok@msagb.com
LONDON & SOUTH EAST AGM AND TRAINING EVENT
MSA GB Area 3 (London & the South East) will be holding its
annual training event and AGM on
Thursday, November 7, to start at 7pm by Zoom.
For further details and a joining link, please contact
tom.kwok@msagb.com or by phone at 07956269922.
NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2024 09

News
Coroner’s data highlights big rise
in fatal drug-driving crashes
Police have voiced concern that young people
are ignoring the law over driving and drug
taking after new figures showed a huge rise
in the number of drivers killed who have been
found to have at least one impairment drug in
their system.
In what is the first major study into the
links between drug use and driver fatalities, a
DfT research team found that between 2014
and 2022, there was a 70 per cent increase in
drivers killed who had at least one
impairment drug in their system.
The research follows several years of
development work from the road safety
statistics team at the DfT, and is based on
data supplied by coroners following
toxicology reports.
In 2022, there were 185 drivers killed in
road collisions where at least one impairment
drug was detected. This compares with 106 in
2014 and 171 in 2021, during a time when road
fatalities have fallen. However, researchers
said that 2022 figures were well below those
in 2018, when 208 motorists were killed with
drugs in their system.
The DfT also admitted that its figures are
very likely to be underestimates of the actual
problem of drug driving, as there are many
cases where data is not available, either
because coroner data was not provided or a
toxicology report was not available.
The DfT explained the problem: “We know
that not every road traffic fatality is tested
for drugs. For example, in 2022, only 618
drivers in crashes where there was a fatality
were tested for drugs, and this figure was
slightly down on the high watermark year of
2018, when 684 were tested.
“So of those drivers in fatal crashes, only
around 30% are tested for drugs and a
toxicology report provided. That low figure
Testing drugs in road traffic fatal crashes
Drug type 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
At least one
impairment
drug detected
Medical drugs
106 138 188 202 208 172 167 171 185
16 35 31 26 28 25 18 19 27
Drugs of abuse 69 85 130 153 142 117 123 128 127
Query drugs
33 49 66 61 74 57 57 52 61
Drugs tests for 539 591 654 694 684 605 510 510 618
Number of
deceased
drivers
951 968 953 948 962 915 775 856 970
could mask an even bigger problem.”
The DfT also noted that the drug driving
increase over the years could reflect changes
in testing, including proficiency. Basically, “we
are getting better at detecting the presence
of drugs, which may have gone under the
radar previously.”
In terms of the total number of casualties
in reported road collisions where at least one
deceased driver had an impairment drug
detected, the 2022 figure stands at 203
– compared to 117 in 2014 and 190 in 2021.
The DfT concluded: “This new survey
summarises initial work towards developing
statistics on levels of drugs in drivers and
riders involved in reported road collisions,
based on data from coroners related to those
“The DfT also admitted that its
figures are very likely to be
underestimates of the actual
problem of drug driving, as there
are many cases where data is not
available, either because coroner
data was not provided or a
toxicology report not available...”
killed in road collisions.
“This is an update of the initial feasibility
study first produced in 2021 with data up to
2019. This update adds drug data for 2022 to
the report.
“We welcome feedback from users on the
next steps to inform further development.”
MSA GB writes: For several decades, the
focus of road safety groups has been on
impairment caused by alcohol.
However, societal habits have changed a
great deal in recent years, and drug taking,
particularly among the young, is far more
prevalent today than it was 50 years ago
when the breathalyser was introduced in the
first concerted crackdown on drink-driving.
A number of high-profile fatal crashes
involving young people have been linked to
drug use in recent years, and these latest
figures from the DfT, the first of their kind,
bear out the feeling that drug taking is
overtaking alcohol use as the number one
impairment issue for young drivers.
Perhaps now is the time to double down on
our warnings to young people during their
driving lessons, reminding them of the
dangers created by drug use before driving,
and how long recreational drugs remain in the
system.
10 NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2024

For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com
Webinar offers new guidance for young riders
Young motorcyclists are invited to drop into a
special webinar to hear guidance on a host of
biking issues as part of NYRF Young Rider
Day.
The event has been set up by the
Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership and
the National Young Rider Forum (NYRF) and
will take place on October 1, from 6.30pm-
8pm. It is aimed at those aged between
16-24 years who may be thinking of, or
already riding, bikes up to 125cc.
There will be advice on gaining a licence,
CBT, motorcycle PPE and bike maintenance.
There will also be biking experts on hand to
talk about the most common crashes young
riders are involved in – and how to avoid
them – and other ways to improve riding
skills.
Cllr Andy Crump, portfolio holder for
community safety and fire and rescue at
Warwickshire County Council, said: “Young
riders often lack road experience and
that can make them particularly
vulnerable.
“It is therefore important that
they receive proper advice
before taking their bike out onto
our busy road network and this
free webinar is an excellent
opportunity to support them, and
their families, so they can feel well
prepared, confident and safe.”
Heidi Duffy MBE, facilitator of the NYRF,
said: “For a young person, getting on the road
is a huge step forwards to gaining their
independence and can give them a great
sense of freedom. We want to give young
people the best start to motorcycling, being
all too aware of the challenges that young
riders face, both on and off the road.
“From choosing the right bike to getting
the best insurance policy and knowing which
PPE to buy, it can be tricky to navigate,
especially on a budget. This webinar
is a great opportunity for young
people, and their parents and
carers, to find out the nuts and
bolts of becoming a rider and to
get expert advice to help prepare
them for a successful and safe
riding journey.”
Registration is now open for the
webinar, which will take place over Microsoft
Teams. Bikers can sign up for your place at
https://warksroadsafety.org/
new-rider-webinar/
The webinar is part of the NYRF Young
Rider Day, the national event that seeks to
raise awareness of the many young
motorcyclists who take to the road on small,
powered motorcycles and who share their
journey with larger and more powerful traffic.
NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2024 11

News
Long-distance L-tests on the cards
as young learners refuse to wait
MSA GB members will be only too aware of
the lengths that some of their students will
go to obtain a driving test… but would any of
yours venture over 600 miles for one?
It probably seems unlikely but according to
a report in the Daily Mail, that is the case for
some learners. It interviewed one, Kayla Van
Dorsten, who lives in Surrey, who was so fed
up with the six-month waiting lists at her
local test centres that she ended up driving to
Cornwall for her L-test.
Kayla told the newspaper: “I was desperate
to pass as I needed my car to get to college. It
seemed like the only way to get my licence as
I couldn’t wait six months.”
The thought of taking her test in an
unfamiliar area was something that concerned
her: “I was already nervous about taking my
driving test, but being in an unfamiliar area
raised new obstacles to navigate,” she said.
“There were different speed limits from the
local routes I had practised on.”
In addition, her Cornish test also threw up
some obstacles she had not been used to
meeting on the roads of her local town: “I had
to cope with a couple of tractors on the road; I
wasn’t familiar with them, as I’d never seen
one on a road in Surrey, so I wasn’t sure how
to handle them.”
Overall, it was a worthwhile experience as
she passed, but she admitted that the
inconvenience of taking the test so far from
home was off-putting. “I had to take two days
out of education and pay for overnight
accommodation and petrol to get to the test
centre. It was very inconvenient and obviously,
very expensive, but I was happy to pass. I think
because I had put so much into obtaining the
test it made me more determined.”
Long-distance testing
However, while many ADIs might frown at
her for taking her test without her ADI – of
whom there was no mention in the article – it
is easy to sympathise with her plight, as she
points out, “my urgency to pass was because
I couldn’t rely on public transport to get to
college, there have been so many strikes in
recent months. I was missing big chunks of
my course through no fault of my own.”
Kayla’s story offers a glimpse of some of
the human stories behind the continuing
chaos of the L-test waiting times. But it
appears she is not the only one who has been
prepared to travel quite a distance, the Daily
Mail claimed – with some learners going
even further to take a test.
Last year one learner travelled a
staggering 787 miles from Exeter to Lerwick
in the Shetlands (distance taken by road) to
take their practical exam, while another went
even further, tackling a marathon journey of
871 miles to go from Folkestone to Lerwick
for theirs.
A survey by insurance firm Marmalade
found that last year, 34,614 learners made a
trip of more than 100 miles for their test.
Learners in the South of England drove
the furthest, travelling on average 13.9
miles.
By way of comparison learners in the
North West travelled 7.1 miles on average
– almost half the distance.
London has seen the greatest increase in
the distance learners are forced to travel to
sit a test. While in 2019 they travelled on
average 7.7 miles, last year this was up to 17.7
miles.
Overall, the distance travelled for a test is
up 23.25 per cent on pre-Covid figures.
Car background check provider Cap Hpi
also weighed in on the story, claiming it had
found a correlation between extended
waiting times for tests and lower pass rates.
From 2023 to 2024, 1,384,678 car practical
tests were taken with 668,038 passes - a
pass rate of 48 per cent.
But by contrast, 2021 to 2022 saw 751,914
passes from 1,528,314 practical driving tests
- a 49 per cent pass rate.
Between March 2023 and 2024, the UK
saw the lowest number of theory and
practical tests conducted and passed since
2021.
This marginal difference could be down to a
number of reasons, but Cap Hpi was happy to
say it was down to learners panicking and
taking a test whenever they could get one,
without necessarily being ready for the
challenge a driving test presents.
Interestingly, at no point in the Daily Mail
story did they interview an ADI involved.
Perhaps the views of instructors don’t
matter to the Mail?
The lengths they’ll go to,
to get a licence...
One learner was so desperate for a
test that she travelled from Surrey
to Cornwall... but that pales into
insignificance compared with the pair of
candidates who headed for Shetland from
Exeter and Folkestone respectively...
MSA GB says
It is hard not to sympathise with the
candidate forced to travel to Cornwall for
her test, as infuriating as it must have
been to her ADI.
The platitudes from the DVSA about doing
all it can to ease the crisis in L-test waiting
times has been wearing thin for some
time, and is now exhausted for many ADIs
and their pupils. An 800-mile journey
illustrates the desperation some now feel.
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DVSA in new push to get learners
to think twice before taking a test
DVSA strengthens advice not to
use cancellation finder apps
The DVSA has updated its guidelines to
learners in a bid to encourage them to think
twice before taking a test when they aren’t
quite ready to do so.
It doubles down on its advice not to use
‘unapproved websites and apps to find an
early driving test’, pointing out that ‘no
cancellation finder apps or services are
operated, authorised, or supported by DVSA’,
and that the only official website to book a
driving test is GOV.UK.
Booking through third party websites
means candidates will not receive messages
about their test, such as notifications when a
test date needs to be changed.
The DVSA also pointed out that a review of
unauthorised test booking apps found that
none had a data protection law-compliant
privacy notice, and candidates’ personal data
was vulnerable to abuse.
This could include financial details as well
as leaving candidates open to software bugs
and malware.
To assist learners who are tempted to book
a test through a third party website, the
DVSA has reminded them:
n Check you’re really ready to take an
earlier test – ideally by asking your ADI if you
are ready.
n Check how the service will use your
personal data.
n Check how much the service will charge.
Learner drivers are also being encouraged
to check out the Ready to Pass? website to
Young drivers
are increasingly
turning to
booking apps to
book L-tests
access new guidance about the dangers of
utilising cancellation finder websites and
apps.
n If a learner believes their personal data
has been misused by a third party booking
website, they can complain to the
Information Commissioner’s Office.
The Advertising Standards Authority will
also investigate misleading claims about
charges or services on unofficial websites.
• BBC on L-test chaos: see page 14
NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2024 13

News
Bots take the blame as BBC exposé
roasts DVSA over L-test waiting times
The BBC took the DVSA to task over its
inability to crack down effectively on dodgy
L-test booking sites with a major feature on
the problem on August 12, and the continuing
problem of lengthy L-test waiting times.
The feature on the main BBC News site
included quotes from the new transport
secretary Louise Haigh, who criticised
“dodgy sites” reselling driving tests to
learner drivers for a profit as “unacceptable”.
Unfortunately, that was Ms Haigh’s only
contribution on the issue as she failed to
follow up her comments with some updates
on how the new government would stop
them. She did say, however, that tackling
the current L-test backlog was a “key
priority” for the Labour government.
The DVSA said it was focused on
encouraging learners only to book tests
through the official government website, and
continued its narrative that the problem had
been created by an unprecedented increase
in demand in the wake of the pandemic, and
this having a knock-on effect of learners
taking their tests before they are ready to
pass.
With the average waiting time to book a
test across England, Scotland and Wales still
four-and-a-half-months, against a target of
nine weeks, more and more learners, the BBC
found, were looking to circumnavigate the
DVSA’s system and book tests through third
party sites. Re-selling a test isn’t illegal but
the article made clear that in every case, the
sites exploit learners, with many test
candidates paying three and four times the
usual fee to grab a test at their convenience.
The bot problem
The principal focus of the BBC report was
the experience of one of its young producers,
Nayana Mena.
Nayana had failed her test twice before,
having gone through the traditional booking
system to obtain a test, but now wanted a
third one quickly. When none were available,
she turned to a broker she met on Snapchat
and paid £150 for a test in a couple of weeks.
She told the website: “I felt like I was a
pawn in this game. So many of my friends
and peers have gone through similar
experiences.
“I spent thousands across a year trying to
If you can afford it... you can have it:
L-tests and the Taylor Swift effect
The following article was sent in to
MSA GB Newslink over the summer
by a disgruntled member... he asked
for his name to be withheld.
Anyone with a teenage daughter will know
only too well what the big dividing line was
among young people this summer.
Those who had a ticket for Taylor Swift...
and those who did not.
For those who are immune to the Taylor
Swift phenomenon, tickets for her shows in
the UK this summer went on sale last year,
and all were snapped up in seconds, leaving
those with tickets ecstatic, but the vast
majority heartbroken.
But Swifties are a powerfully effective
lobbying force, and their persistence to wear
down parents is remarkable. Which is why I
shouldn’t have been too surprised, when
chatting to a friend, to discover he was off to
Wembley with his 13-year-old daughter to
see Ms Swift in July. “How the hell did you get
the tickets,” I asked, knowing only too well
that the person concerned was not the most
tech savvy, and those who had obtained
tickets when they went on sale had got them
by juggling multiple IT platforms and utilising
fastest-finger-first keyboard skills.
“It was easy,” he said with a smile. “First I
went on line, then I parted with £700, and
then I got two tickets...”
Ah, the weak-willed parent power and the
credit card: all logistical problems vanish...
If you can’t see the relevance of this little
story to the tale of L-test waiting times woe
we’re all going through, you’re not trying....
But I’ll spell it out, just in case. There is a
growing feeling that, as the UK’s
infrastructure creaks and groans after years
of under funding, some people in the
establishment have decided that a twospeed
approach to service access is
acceptable. Give the proletariat limited access
to the things they need, such as L-tests, but
accept that for the majority, getting the same
will involve sleepless nights, stress and little
choice. There will be a few golden tickets
available but for the majority, it will be
challenging to obtain the things they want.
For the gilded few, however, the ones who
can pay, then access to what they want will
be available at the click of a button. Such as
tickets to shows... or driving tests...
You think I’m joking? Perhaps I am... or
perhaps I’m serious.
Consider the problem of hold-ups in
airports, to get through security control and
immigration. When it was clear that new rules
were causing interminable delays in getting
passengers through the gates, what was the
first response of airports? Was it, ‘let’s
employ more staff’ (which could harm profits,
through greater costs)? No, it was ‘let’s
introduce fast-track security passes’, which
allowed the gilded few the privilege of
14 NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2024

For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com
get my licence, and it was really frustrating. I
cried to my friend about it and I was really
close to giving up driving.”
Ava Devlin, 18, from Tunbridge Wells, was
another who complained to the BBC about
her experience.
She said she had been blocked out of the
DVSA booking site because she would check
the system for a test multiple times a day. An
error message prevented her from being able
to log onto the system.
After months of trying she was finally able
to book a practical test in London, 40 miles
from her local test centre in Kent.
She moved the test to her local centre
when a cancellation came up, but the test
was cancelled on the day and she wasn’t
given a reason why.
She finally passed in March this year.
Ava said: “There are so many corporations
block-booking tests; why can’t the people
who actually want to take the test do that
themselves, and why does the price have to
be so much?”
The BBC showed evidence of a number of
WhatsApp groups where brokers were
offering test dates within a few days, often
for more than £200.
The DVSA defended its position, saying it
was using AI to stop automated systems
Need a solution? Ask an ADI...
The BBC article carried this quote from Tonbridge-based ADI Teresa Allen: “The government
should change the rules so only instructors can book tests on behalf of their pupils.”
Teresa added: “It’s demoralising. People are using brokers and apps and paying well over the
odds for a test, and then they can’t take the test because they’ve got no one to take them, so
the test goes to waste.”
She says attitudes towards booking a practical test have changed. “I have a pupil who is very
early in his driving training. I would never normally suggest he look for a test but we know we
must because otherwise we’ll be waiting five or six months,” she added.
block-booking tests, but admitted
technology was developing so quickly it
struggled to stay ahead of the bots.
Since January 2023, 283 DVSA testbooking
accounts have been given warnings,
746 have been suspended and 689 have been
closed. A further 4,700 accounts have been
removed which were not linked to ADIs.
It also pointed out that it had added
145,000 tests between October 2023 and
March 2024 to try to tackle the backlog, and
that it was now conducting two million tests a
year, which was a record.
It admitted that the system was struggling
to cope with a major change in buying habits
by learners: nearly one-in-12 learners now
books an L-test before taking any driving
lessons. DVSA told the BBC that learners
should only book their test after they’ve had
sufficient on-road experience and have been
advised that they are ‘test ready’ by their
driving instructor.
What wasn’t pointed out, however, was
that while learners were booking tests before
they were ready, thus far the practice wasn’t
having a marked impact on L-test pass rates,
which were around one per cent down on last
year’s figures. This equates to around 20,000
‘extra’ failures, which would be expected to
be a pass. Admittedly, these failed learners
could then go on to fail again, absorbing as
many as 60-80,000 tests in total, but it still
does not explain fully why the L-test system
remains chaotic.
The BBC also pointed out that the ‘extra’
failures were matched by the number of tests
cancelled by the DVSA: around 60,000 last
year, despite benign weather in winter.
strolling serenely past the proles to the
front of the queue.
A win-win: the airport makes a few
quid on the side, and those members of
society most likely to kick up the
biggest stink, and with access to the
levers of power to demand change and
a better experience at airports, are
actually quite happy with their
experience.
So are we getting to the point where
access to L-tests is the same? The
DVSA will be furious to even
contemplate this, and I’m sure it’s not a
deliberate act (which it was for the
airports), but the fact is, if your blessed
mummy and daddy has a powerful
credit card, there are no problems with
L-test waiting times. For the right price,
a test is accessible when you want it. As
the article on page 12 points out, it
might not necessarily be where you
want it, but it is certainly true that for
the children of society’s wealthy, or the
very desperate, the story of four-anda-half-month
waiting times is not a
reality. Reality is the ability to ignore
the £62 L-test fee, accept it is now
priced at £250-£400, and let blessed
Tarquin and Jeremiah take their test via
the bots and booking site apps.
If you can’t afford to pay over the
odds, tough luck. Back to hammering
the DVSA booking site until you finally
get a slot.
Rant over.
My friend enjoyed Taylor Swift, by
the way. He said it was a great night
out.
That was until his credit card bill
landed in mid August...
‘Look what you
made me do...’
...said the learner...
‘I’m blameless’
...not my fault, said the DVSA
Supply and demand: Tickets for
Taylor Swift shows this summer
were available only to the lucky or
the wealthy. Just like L-tests...
NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2024 15

News
Wales’s 20mph limit starts to
deliver lower KSI numbers
Wales’s controversial decision to introduce a
default 20mph speed limit across much of
the country appears to be bearing fruit in
terms of road safety, after the latest road
casualty figures showed a 26 per cent fall in
killed/seriously injured numbers for the first
three months of this year, compared with the
same period in 2023.
From January-March 2024, Wales’s 20mph
and 30mph roads recorded 78 KSIs (killed or
seriously injured), compared to 101 in the first
quarter of 2023. Five of the 78 were fatalities,
while 11 people died in the same period in
2023.
Overall, Welsh roads recorded a 26%
reduction for casualties of all severities in the
quarter.
This major improvement is in stark contrast
to the KSI figures for Great Britain as a whole:
in the latest set of figures for which data is
fully available, 2022, Britain’s KSI figures were
down by just 3 per cent on 2019. Figures for
2020 and 2021 are largely ignored by road
safety campaigners as they cover the period
when traffic levels were down due to
pandemic lockdowns
Wales introduced the default 20mph speed
limit in September 2023, with a three-month
’soft launch’ during which few penalties were
given out to offenders. Rather, police focused
on educating motorists on the new lower
limits, which have been applied to roads in
residential and built-up areas.
A spokesman for the Welsh Government
said the data was “encouraging and shows
things are moving in the right direction”.
He added: “We expect data to fluctuate
over the next few years as drivers adjust to
the new speed. We’ve still got a way to go but
every casualty reduced makes a difference.
“The principal objective of the policy has
always been to reduce casualties and help
people feel safer in their communities, and
this data reinforces that we’re on the way to
achieving this.”
The former First Minister of Wales, Mark
Drakeford said after he stood down as leader
that the backlash against the lower limits
were the most surprising of his career. He
told one journalist, “when you remember that
I brought in a lockdown that directly affected
people’s mobility, closed pubs and
restaurants and forced shops to shut, it’s
always amazed me that the biggest criticism
I received came from bringing in a 20mph list
that I was convinced would save lives.”
Such was the backlash against the
proposal that when he announced his
surprise resignation he had to tell journalists
that it was not as a result of the backlash
from motorists.
20’s Plenty response
Road safety group 20’s Plenty for Us
welcomed the fall in casualties, saying it
vindicated the decision. The charity’s
community champion, Adrian Berendt, said:
“Initial results show the benefit to Welsh
communities of safer roads and better places
following the implementation of the 20mph
default.
‘‘
Critics of 20mph limits
refused to acknowledge
that they would deliver
major benefits in terms
of KSI figures, but these
numbers highlight how
effective they can be to
improve road safety.”
“Critics of 20mph limits always refused to
acknowledge that they would deliver major
benefits in terms of KSI figures, but these
numbers highlight how effective they can be
to improve road safety.”
He was also quick to also point out that the
data on reduced KSI statistics came shortly
after Esure, the insurance company, said
claims for vehicle damage have reduced by
20% since the lower speed limit was
introduced in Wales.
“Data from Esure showed how lower
speeds led to fewer vehicle damage claims in
the last quarter of 2023,” Mr Berendt said.
“Now, we can see from the first six months of
the 20mph default how casualties are also
reducing.
“20’s Plenty congratulates politicians, local
authority representatives and community
leaders as well as the vast majority of drivers
who have altered their behaviour to make
roads in Welsh communities better places to
be. Diolch Am 20.”
n If any MSA GB members in Wales want to
get in touch to tell us their experiences of the
lower limit as it approaches a year in action,
contact rob@chambermediaservices.co.uk
Has it improved road safety, made it easier
to conduct lessons – or harder?
How have your pupils found the transition?
Let us know.
16 NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2024

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Haigh backs lower limits and LTNs - ‘it’s a local
issue, not up to me’ she tells Streets Ahead podcast
The Secretary of State for Transport has
confirmed that she won’t stand in the way of
local authorities bringing in lower speed limits
and other traffic calming measures.
Louise Haigh said all such decisions should
remain with local communities rather than
her department.
“There’s no way me sitting in my office in
the DfT can say ‘This road in Chester should
be a 20mph road or not’, it’s completely
ridiculous, so if they want to do that then
that’s got my full backing,” the transport
secretary said. “That’s what local democracy
is for.”
Wales’s 20mph speed limit and projects
such as Low-Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs)
became a political issue under the previous
government, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
calling them “hare-brained”. Tory ministers
then tightened the rules so councils had to
ensure they had the support of residents and
businesses before bringing them in.
But Ms Haigh told the Streets Ahead
podcast that: “Local authorities will have my
full support to roll out schemes.”
In March, the Department for Transport
published guidance for councils which said
LTNs could provide “some benefits” but
councils must “engage effectively with the
whole community” over proposals.
LTNs look to reduce traffic in residential
streets, and improve access for pedestrians
and cyclists with dedicated lanes, wider
pavements and planters blocking off vehicle
access. London, Bristol, Birmingham and
Bournemouth are among a number of cities
who have introduced them, although about a
quarter of them were later scrapped.
Ms Haigh said she wanted to move away
from the “culture wars” of the previous
government. That government, she said, had
invested heavily in active travel during the
Covid pandemic but had then taken “the
money away again”, leaving many local
authorities “in limbo and paralysis”.
“It’s really, really difficult for local
authorities when they’ve not got that air
cover from government,” she said.
“And not only did they not have the air
cover, they had the government actively
working against them saying ‘No, you’re not
allowed to roll out 20mph zones, no, you’re
not allowed to roll out LTNs’.
“Those decisions should absolutely be
made at a local level by communities and not
dictated to or stoked up by the centre.”
She added: “It all has to be done with
communities. The worst thing you can do is
put the wrong schemes in because then it
erodes that support and they can be unsafe
in some circumstances.”
She confirmed that her department was
focused on boosting walking and cycling:
“Our target is to have half of all short
journeys made on foot and by bike.”
Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had
called lower speed limits and LTNs “an attack
on the day-to-day lives of most people...
who rely on cars to get to work”.
Police Scotland wants public to
hear the speed camera’s story
Police Scotland is challenging the public
perception of speed cameras as ‘cash cows’
used to milk unwitting motorists by
highlighting the stories that lie behind their
installation.
Across the UK, speed cameras are most
often located in known trouble spots, usually
roads with a large number of crashes or
fatalities in which excessive speed was a
factor.
The new campaign highlights the risk of
speeding and shows why cameras are used
to improve road safety and save lives. It uses
real life examples of people who have been
injured or killed because of speeding.
In 2022, 5,621 people were injured on
Scotland’s roads. Police Scotland Safety
Cameras aim to reduce that number through
targeted camera enforcement and by trying
to improve driver behaviour.
Eric Dunion, area manager for the North
Safety Camera Unit, said: ‘When we see a
speed camera the first thing most drivers
think about is what speed they are going at.
We rarely question why the speed cameras
are there.
“Most people don’t realise that it also
means someone has been injured at this
location previously as a result of speeding.
“Speeding is one of the main causes of
road traffic collisions, but there are simple
ways we can avoid them, the most obvious
being to stay within the legal speed for the
road.”
NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2024 17

News
Highway Code changes ignored
by nearly half of all motorists
Call for new publicity blitz to get
major changes across to public
MSA GB has joined a number of other road
safety groups and motoring organisations in
calling for TSO (The Stationery Office, in
older terminology) to consider a publicity
blitz on changes to the Highway Code, after a
survey revealed the public has not embraced
major changes introduced two years ago.
At the start of 2022, the Highway Code
brought in a number of new rules, the most
striking of which was its ‘hierarchy of road
users’ (see graphic).
This was a pyramid-style system that
places the greatest responsibility for road
safety on to the drivers of vehicles who can
cause the greatest harm, to take care of
others around them. The bigger and heavier
the vehicle you drive, the more responsibility
you have to reduce risk.
In short it meant HGV, truck and bus
drivers carried the most responsibility,
followed by drivers of vans and minibuses,
then cars and taxis, and next motorbike
riders. Cyclists and horse riders also have
more responsibility than pedestrians.
The new rules were backed up by the
statement: ‘The hierarchy does not remove
the need for everyone to behave responsibly.’
One of the most challenging changes was
for all road users to give priority at junctions
when a pedestrian is crossing - or waiting to
cross - the road.
But despite widespread publicity of the
changes at the time, the new hierarchy
remains poorly understood by the general
public, and a new survey by the AA of 10,000
motorists found that 42 per cent either don’t
know the new hierarchy existed, or had heard
about it but thought it was untrue.
When the AA asked the same question in
December 2021, a month before the changes
were adopted, 68 per cent of motorists were
unaware of the ‘hierarchy of responsibility’
rules, highlighting that little has changed in
terms of public awareness, and many
motorists remain oblivious to the changes.
There was some good news from the AA
survey, however. Some 85 per cent surveyed
knew that drivers intending to turn left
should allow cyclists to pass on the left
before carrying out the manoeuvre, while
two-in-five knew that drivers should leave at
least 1.5 metres when overtaking cyclists at
speeds of up to 30mph, and give them more
space when overtaking at higher speeds.
But only half of drivers knew that the
updated Code formally advised cyclists to
ride in the centre of the lane.
Tim Rankin, managing director of AA
Accident Assist, said; “While the majority of
drivers can recall important updates to the
Highway Code, the flagship change that puts
more responsibility on those behind the
wheel remains unknown by too many.
“Three-in-10 drivers admit they haven’t
looked at the Highway Code since they
passed their test. New drivers and those
learning to drive will be the ones most aware
of the update, but it is long-standing
motorists who need to be contacted to
ensure they know the rules.
“It’s vital that we keep reminding drivers of
these changes, which can make our roads
safer and reduce crashes.”
Rankin says the AA wants drivers to
receive annual reminders of major Highway
Code changes to hammer home the latest
rules. “Each year, millions of drivers are
contacted with car tax reminders and licence
renewals,” he said. “This would be the ideal
opportunity to inform everyone of the
updated rules and keep the changes at the
front of their minds.”
The AA survey isn’t the only time
awareness of the new hierarchy has been
challenged either. Earlier this year, the RAC
found evidence of drivers ignoring the
landmark rules.
Its road safety spokesperson, Rod Dennis,
said at the time: “We welcomed the changes
to the Highway Code. However, two years on,
it’s concerning to see there’s still so much
uncertainty, with most drivers not stopping
for people crossing when they should and
therefore many pedestrians seeing no
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change to their safety at junctions.”
Dennis added: “Part of the reason may be
that drivers simply don’t know that the
changes have been made, least of all the
consequences of ignoring them.
“Most drivers probably rarely refer to the
Highway Code once they’ve passed their
tests, and that’s where the problem could lie.
“We urge motorists to take another close
look at the changes. We’d also urge the
Government to make a concerted effort to
communicate the changes to all road users.”
A DfT spokesman defended the changes to
the Code: “We made sure the changes to the
Highway Code were informed by a public
consultation, which had over 20,000
responses.
“To increase awareness we have used our
Think! campaign to increase understanding.”
Is the hierarchy of road users rule working?
Official figures suggest the rule changes
have done very little to bolster safety for the
most vulnerable road users - pedestrians.
Road casualty statistics for 2023 show that
pedestrian deaths increased by 6 per cent on
2022, up from 385 to 407. A quarter of all road
fatalities last year were pedestrians.
However, fewer cyclists - the second most
vulnerable road user group in the hierarchy
system - were killed last year. Deaths fell
from 91 to 84 last year - a reduction of 7 per
cent. Compared to a decade ago, cyclist
casualties have fallen by 23 per cent.
Ironically, when the hierarchy of road users
rules were launched in 2022, they triggered
an angry backlash from some motorists who
said cyclists were being given the right to
take over the road. As a result the House of
Commons Public Accounts Committee
warned that messaging around the changes
was not being communicated effectively
enough to encourage public participation.
MSA GB view
MSA GB said: “When the new hierarchy
was brought in, it made sense: task each
motoring group with looking after the one
beneath it. But there is dreadful confusion
about how this translates on to the road. You
see some drivers who know the new rules
slowing down to allow pedestrians to cross,
particularly when they are crossing a side
road the car is turning into, but others are not
following suit.
“This conflict in behaviour creates two
potential problems. First, a pedestrian who
has cars stopping to let them cross on a
number of occasions becomes accustomed
to that being the rule of the road, only for
them to then cross in front of one of the 42
per cent of drivers who are not obeying the
new rules, with disastrous consequences.
“Two, there is evidence that when drivers
slow down to let pedestrians cross, they risk
being rear-ended by following traffic, if the
driver is not expecting that course of action,
and is following too close to stop.”
The changes to cycling habits is also
causing confusion. “We are seeing incidences
of cyclists travelling in the middle of the road,
creating traffic behind them to slow down, to
the frustration of some, but they are actually
not doing anything wrong. However, following
motorists are becoming agitated and taking
risky action as a result.
“If the new rules are to be observed by all,
they need to be understood by all. We need a
concerted effort to educate the public on the
importance of updating their knowledge and
understanding of the Highway Code.
“The DfT simply using its Think marketing
campaigns is not enough.
“In the 1970s we saw a concerted campaign
on our TV screens, to ‘clunk-click every trip’.
Our children were brought up on the Green
Cross Code man. All effective campaigns that
drove home the safety message. We need a
similar approach today.”
NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2024 19

News
Safe driving?
New report highlights
problems created
when drivers use
hands-free phones
One of the Britain’s biggest construction
companies has helped a university road
safety team develop a ground-breaking
video for its staff, highlighting the dangers of
using a hands-free phone while driving.
The Keir Group – a leading construction
and property developments firm – developed
the video in conjunction with Nottingham
Trent University and The Road Safety Trust to
debunk the theory that hands-free phone
use while driving is safe.
The video demonstrates how phone calls
are still a distraction even if the driver keeps
both hands on the wheel.
The film is now being rolled out to all Kier
Group’s professional drivers and other staff
who use its cars for their jobs. It is also being
made available to the general public via the
Road Safety Trust website.
While using a hands-free phone remains
legal while driving, research has proved that it
can be as distracting as making hand-held
calls while driving.
The video sets out to challenge many of
the misconceptions which have grown
around hands-free phone use, including:
n Hands-free is legal, so it must be safe.
n Driving is ‘dead time’ and I can let my
focus drift to the conversation while driving
n Hands-free is safe because your eyes
are on the road and hands are on the wheel
n Hands-free is no different to talking to a
passenger or singing along to the radio
n I need to use hands-free communication
for work.
Debunking the myths
These myths were drawn out of
conversations with over 400 fleet drivers
who drive for work and who regularly use the
phone while driving, and who defend their
‘‘
need to do so.
However, the new video debunks each
theory in a very concise and common sense
way, making it clear what dangers are
associated with making a call while driving.
In particular it highlights that making
phone calls is a distraction for your brain, and
can take lead to those parts of the brain that
control our observation losing out to those
that control our hearing and evaluation of a
conversation.
The video also points how a conversation
in the car with a passenger is not the same as
having one over the phone. Professor David
Crundall of Nottingham Trent University, and
the lead researcher on the project, said:
It highlights that making phone calls is a distraction for your
brain, and can take lead to those parts of the brain that control
our observation losing out to those that control our hearing and
evaluation of a conversation”
20 NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2024

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“When we have a chat with a passenger, they
are sharing our visual space so will be aware
when the situation on the road demands
greater concentration from the driver. An
in-car conversation will ebb and flow, as the
passengers appreciates that the driver be
left alone for a short time to focus solely on
the road.
“Someone talking to a driver over the
phone will not have this knowledge, and will
chat to the driver as if there are no other
problems for them to focus on.
“If the driver drops out of the conversation
as the traffic demands he or she focuses fully
on it, the caller may even ask ‘are you still
there’ and want to know why they have gone
quiet, causing an even greater distraction.”
The professor added that researchers had
been pointing out the dangers of hands-free
phone use for many years, “but the message
has just not got through.”
“Now, through our work with Kier, we have
demonstrated that it is possible to present
the evidence in such a way as to change
drivers’ attitudes to hands-free use.
“Our next challenge is to make sure as
many drivers as possible are exposed to this
message.”
Ruth Purdie OBE, chief executive of The
Road Safety Trust, said: “Despite its legality,
it is well understood that the use of handsfree
mobile phones is a danger to drivers.
“As a result, this resource can play a key
role in helping organisations to keep their
drivers safe on the roads, such is their
responsibility. We encourage them to make
use of it.”
The new video was created in collaboration
with Esitu Solutions.
It compared mobile phone use, and
attitudes towards mobile phone use (both
hand-held and hands-free), for a group of
drivers who watched the video and a control
group who watched a road safety video
unrelated to phone use.
Analysis demonstrated clear
improvements in safety-related attitudes
regarding mobile phone use while driving in
the intervention group, compared with
responses from the control group.
When asked whether the myth-busting
video had changed their understanding of the
dangers of mobile phones, 95% said it had,
while 80% said that they would limit or
completely avoid hands-free mobile phone
use while driving in the future.
Ray Webb, group senior insurance claims
manager, Kier Group, said: “The safety of our
people is our most important duty – whether
this is on site or while travelling – and Kier
has had a policy in place on hands-free
phones for a number of years.
“This work with the Road Safety Trust and
Nottingham Trent University will help to
educate and protect everyone on the roads
about the dangers of hands-free calls.”
Keir Group is among a number of
companies which have brought in policies to
ban hands-free calls while driving for work, in
addition to the current legal position which
bans hand-held calls.
Watch the video
You can watch the video by clicking
HERE
Sharing this video with pupils would
be a useful addition to your broader
road safety advice.
NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2024 21

Motoring news / Road safety
Good news for ADIs thinking of making
electric switch as used EV prices fall
ADIs thinking about switching their petrol or
diesel tuition car for an electric model, but
who don’t have the deep pockets needed for
the latest versions, have received some good
news from Cap HPI.
The vehicle history check specialist
organisation’s latest data found that used EV
prices are finally starting to fall as more stock
comes available – and in some cases used
EVs are now cheaper than their petrol and
diesel counterparts.
Cap HPI says price parity between the
three engine types was reached earlier in
2024, with average values now falling by
around 8.5% at three years and rising to
14% at four years.
Despite carmakers offering increasingly
competitive finance packages for new EVs,
they are still considerably more expensive
than their petrol and diesel equivalents, and
this has been cited by many ADIs as a reason
to delay their own transition to electric.
However, with used electric car prices falling,
drivers searching for a used EV could land on
a potential bargain.
Cap HPI data reveals that values of used
electrics for cars at the same age and
mileage point have halved in value since
September 2022. For instance, used delivery
mileage Vauxhall Corsas and Corsa Electrics
are now the same price on Parkers Used car
lists.
When you take into consideration the
reduced cost of fuel (usually between a
quarter and a third of the cost of carbonbased
fuel equivalent) this could mean a big
saving on overall running costs.
Why has the used car market
changed for EVs?
EV sales have risen steadily since 2021,
when there was a surge of new EV models
brought to market in the immediate
aftermath of the Covid pandemic. Many of
these new models are now three years old
and are making their way into the used car
market.
Even better, the models launched in 2021
had good electric ranges; gone were the days
pre-pandemic when purchasers of used EVs
had to put up with low range of sub-100
miles. The wave of new EVs that went on sale
in 2021 offered ranges of 250+ miles, which
reduced range anxiety considerably.
According to Cap HPI, just under a fifth of
all new car registrations are pure EVs, and in
addition to these you can add hybrids and
mild EV (MHEVs), which offer a petrol/diesel
engine combined with an electric motor to
reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
The result of this sea change in new car
buying habits is now affecting the used car
market, with sales of used electric cars 71%
higher in the first quarter of 2024 than in the
same period last year. More than 41,500 pure
electric cars were sold on the used market in
the first quarter of this year alone.
Chris Plumb, EV specialist at Cap HPI, said:
“The growing availability of used electric cars
is driving demand as drivers want to reduce
their environmental footprint and make
significant motoring cost savings due to high
diesel and petrol prices.
“The fundamental consideration is, can the
vehicle be charged. If charging the car at
home is possible, then EV ownership is an
attractive option.”
But he admitted that without home
charging, EV ownership remained challenging
as the public charging landscape was still not
comprehensive enough.
Parkers’ view
Used car specialist Parkers said it was
likely that used EV car prices are now settling
at their natural levels. It said: “That’s good
news if you’re buying one now, but this new
reality is going to shape the next generation
of finance deals for new car buyers – it will be
interesting to see how things pan out in a
market that’s a little resistant to EVs.”
n Lawrence Whittaker, CEO at Warrantywise
has warned that the motoring industry has
overlooked one key ingredient in its rush to
switch to electric motoring: training garage
technicians to look after them.
“I’ve been shouting about this since March
2022,” Whittaker said. “But the most recent
Institute of Motor Industry (IMI) report says
there’s still a huge skills gap of trained EV
technicians. Only 58,800 technicians are now
qualified to work on electric vehicles – that’s
around a quarter of the UK automotive
workforce. It’s not enough when you
consider that there are over 1,190,000 fully
electric cars on UK roads.
“Based on the forecast increase in EVs on
UK roads, the IMI is currently predicting a
shortfall of 3,000 technicians by 2031 – and
by 16,000 by 2035.”
He added that the situation would be
worse in London. “London and the South East
have the highest proportion of EVs, but just
6.1 per cent of technicians in London and the
South East respectively are EV-trained.
“Without enough qualified TechSafe EV
technicians, I believe the rapid adoption of
electric vehicles could stall.”
22 NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2024

For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com
New campaign wants us
to look again for bikers
A new campaign encouraging motorists to
take a second look for motorbikes has been
launched.
It comes as new figures from the North
East of England revealed the devastating
impact of biker collisions in the region, where
over half of all bike crashes result in the rider
being either seriously injured or killed.
Over 800 bikers were seriously injured
between 2019 and 2023, with 57 killed. The
majority of casualties were under 35, and a
third of fatalities were aged 16 - 24.
The new campaign – called Life on a Bike
– has been organised by Road Safety GB
North East (RSGB NE) in conjunction with
local police and fire services.
It highlights the huge impact road collisions
have, not only on the people directly involved,
but their wider families, friends, and work
colleagues. It also offers some important
messages for both four-wheel motorists and
two-wheel riders.
Peter Slater, chair of RSGB NE, said the
concern was that a large percentage of
serious crashes were caused by a failure to
look, by either the biker or drivers, or
because the motorcyclist lost control of the
bike.
Peter said: “Bikers are vulnerable, so we
Over half of all drivers in Britain now say the
condition of their local roads is their biggest
motoring concern, comfortably beating the
high cost of insurance, fuel and garage
repairs.
An RAC survey found that 56% of all motorists
thought the condition and maintenance of local
roads was their top motoring concern. This was up
from 49% in 2023.
Drivers surveyed said their local roads are
in a worse state than the 12 months before:
73% of drivers thought they were in poorer
condition than in 2023, compared to 67% last
year and 49% in 2019. Just 6% of drivers
believe local road surfaces have improved.
Such is the poor condition of local roads
that motorists are more concerned about
them than insurance, or the cost of fuel.
see high fatality and injury rates, and nobody
wants that on their conscience. But too often
collisions occur that could so easily have
been avoided.
“We are appealing to drivers to take a
second look for bikes – it could save a life.
And we need bikers to slow down, to ride for
the conditions and the roads, and to scan the
road ahead for hazards. They need to prepare
for what other road users might do.”
A number of bikers have backed the
campaign. Suzy Baylin, 59, from Marton in
Middlesbrough, said her top tip for her fellow
bikers was “to remember that safety is
paramount. My top tip for both bikers and
drivers is to look, wait and look again. You
never know what could be coming around the
corner.”
Biker Les Adam, 32, said he wanted
“drivers to keep an eye out for us on the
roads. We might be smaller and less visible,
but we are part of the traffic just like
everyone else. My tip for all road users is to
look twice and remember there’s a life on
that bike.”
Sean Smith, community engagement
manager at Cleveland Fire Brigade, said it was
important that bikers “moderate their speed
and read the road ahead.”
Local roads are the pits, say motorists
as they become their biggest hate
Simon Williams, RAC head of policy, said:
“It is absolutely remarkable that, on average,
drivers we surveyed are far more concerned
about the state of their local roads this year
than they are about either the cost of motor
insurance – which has been rocketing in
recent years – or the cost of fuel which is still
at an uncomfortably high level.
“If this doesn’t underline the seriousness
of the situation we now find ourselves in,
we’re not sure what does.
“The new Government simply must do
something differently. Without a promise of
more funds for councils – something we will
push hard for ahead of the autumn Budget –
its options are extremely limited. Put bluntly,
the less we spend as a nation on our roads
now, the more it will cost us in the future. ”
Rap for JD Sports over
Nike street gear bike ad
JD Sports Fashion has been censured by
the Advertising Standards Authority over
a campaign that some thought
encouraged dangerous motorcycle riding.
In a campaign for Nike Air Max clothing,
motorbike riders are seen in close up
wearing Nike trainers, pulling wheelies and
other tricks.
The ASA received 60 complaints,
including from the British Motorcyclists
Federation, saying that the ad showed
illegal and irresponsible road usage, and
encouraged riders to think that jeans and
trainers were suitable clothing to ride
motorbikes in, which they are not.
JD Sports defended the ad, saying the
motorbikes were incidental, rather than
central, to the theme, and explained that
the imagery used was captured within a
warehouse and a closed road. The
company added that it did not consider
the ads depicted activities that broke the
Highway Code, and that it had used a
slogan stating ‘these are professional
riders, don’t try these stunts at home.’
The ASA disagreed, however, and said
the ads depicted manoeuvres that were
unsafe and irresponsible. JD Sports was
also criticised for suggesting in the ads
that street trainers were suitable footwear
for motorcycling in.
iRAP wants safety
built into roads
A new campaign is calling on organisations
involved in designing and financing roads
to pledge their commitment to safety.
The International Road Assessment
Programme (iRAP), the International Road
Federation (IRF) and the FIA Foundation
have launched the #SaferRoadsPledge
campaign ahead of the 4th Global
Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in
2025. iRAP assesses the safety standards
of roads, using a simple measure of the
level of safety which is ‘built-in’ to the road
for vehicle occupants, motorcyclists,
cyclists and pedestrians. A one-star road is
the least safe, a five-star road the safest.
The Global Plan for the Decade of Action
for Road Safety recommends lifting the
safety of all news and existing roads and
designs – with a target for all new roads to
be built to at least a three-star rating by
2030.
NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2024 23

Towards your CPD
Asking
questions:
it’s always
a two-way
street
We all know the importance of good Q&A during lessons,
but does it matter if it is the pupil doing all the asking?
Steve Garrod ponders whether ADIs need to ensure every
lesson’s Q&A is a two-way street
We hear a lot about using Questions and
Answers (Q&A) during our lessons, but all too
often is it assumed that it is the trainer doing
the asking and the learner doing the
answering.
We do have to be careful, however, not to
simply answer all questions as this will soon
become a habit and many learners will find it
easier to ask you a question rather than think
about the answer themselves.
One of the problems with teaching
someone to drive is that there aren’t many
occasions when we can give a direct answer.
For example, the other day someone asked
me when they should change into second
gear when approaching a junction (major to
minor). That question comes, sadly, with a
host of other questions though, doesn’t it.
When I am asked, ‘What gear do I need to be
in?’, my answer will usually be that it depends
‘‘
One of the problems with
teaching someone to drive is
that there aren’t many
occasions when we can give a
direct answer...”
on the speed you are doing.
It can be useful to work backwards and
think about what needs to be achieved
before turning. We know that the clutch
needs to be fully up about a car length before
turning, for instance, and we can discuss
what a safe speed for turning would be, and
then what the best gear for that speed is; in
this scenario, if the speed is somewhere
between 10-15 mph and the side road we
intend to take is wide enough to turn safely.
A lot of questions and things to consider
from a simple, innocent question!
I sometimes use fixed objects along the
side of the road for practice, such as picking
out a lamppost and asking my learner to
imagine that is a side road and to be between
10-15 mph with second gear selected with
the clutch fully up as we arrive at the
lamppost.
We can then develop this and think about
what happens if the speed is lower, eg,
24 NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2024

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walking pace and when first gear may be
appropriate.
I have found that many learners underestimate
how early slowing down a car
begins. My current car is a hybrid and has
effective engine braking, so I suggest that
once they have checked their mirrors (before
braking or signalling) they come off the
accelerator to maximise the engine braking.
This allows a little more time to plan their
approach to the junction or hazard instead of
coming off the accelerator and directly onto
the footbrake.
When conducting ADI training this is often
a weakness with many instructors. They try
to be over-helpful. Remember; the lesson is
not about your knowledge of driving or the
Highway Code, but your ability to encourage
pupils to learn and to make decisions based
on what they can see or anticipate. An
example of this is while waiting at a set of
traffic lights at a crossroads. Your learner
may say, ‘Will I have to wait?’ or ‘Will the
traffic ahead of me go at the same time as
me?’ If you are stationary there is no reason
why you can’t return the question and ask,
‘How can you tell?’ or ‘What clues can you
see?’ or even ‘What would you do if you were
driving alone?’
Our job is to teach our learners how to deal
with traffic lights in general and not one
specific set of lights. This is so as they can
begin to use their own judgement when they
come to another set of traffic lights.
If someone keeps asking the same
question, such as ‘What gear do I need?’ it
suggests that there is a weakness with their
knowledge around matching gears to speed.
This usually comes before changing down to a
‘‘
When conducting ADI training this is often a weakness with
many instructors. They try to be over-helpful. Remember; the
lesson is not about your knowledge of driving or the Highway
Code, but your ability to encourage pupils to learn and to make
decisions based on what they can see or anticipate....”
lower gear. In this situation it would be
reasonable to pull up and address the
misunderstanding.
Another situation often comes up when
waiting to emerge at a roundabout. I often
hear the learner ask, ‘When can I go?’ to
which the trainer replies ‘After the next car’.
This may be helpful to you as you are aware
of the queue building up behind you, but with
some encouragement, such as the trainer
using examples of the position of other
vehicles on the roundabout or on approach to
it, the learner should soon start to read the
body language of the other vehicles. This is
where a two-way conversation is useful with
the trainer encouraging the learner to
identify a safe opportunity to precede.
Speed limits are often a cause for
questions. ‘Is this a 30?’, is a regular one.
Providing the learner is not breaking the
speed limit there is no harm in encouraging
them to work out the answer for themselves.
For example, ask them ‘How can you tell?’
I appreciate those of you teaching in Wales
and most of the London area are thinking ‘if
only!’ But the point is to teach learners how to
think for themselves and to recognise similar
situations on other roads, so they can start
applying prior knowledge to new situations.
(Remember the ADI Part 1? We teach from
the known to the unknown).
Just like the timing of asking questions it is
equally important to time the answer of your
answer to keep the situation safe or at a time
when your answer will have time to be
absorbed. For example, if you have been
asked in the middle of a crossroads it may be
sensible to deal with the situation in hand and
then pull up somewhere suitable to discuss
the answer. Again, this will give your pupil
time to work out the answer for themselves.
It is worth reflecting on the questions you
have been asked and try to pre-empt these
in future. For example, if you have been asked
where to position the car at a crossroads, ask
yourself if you could have discussed this
either on approach to the lights or while
waiting at the red light.
Encouraging learners to ask questions is
good. It will become obvious to an examiner
during a Part 3 or Standards Check if the
atmosphere created in the car is one in which
the learner feels comfortable asking
questions or discussing key learning points.
NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2024 25

Towards your CPD: The question of speed
Speed choice – Deliberate
violation or involuntary error?
We all know that inappropriate use of speed is a huge factor
in traffic collisions. But is it always a deliberate violation, or
could it be an involuntary error? Tom Harrington investigates
Speeding is a type of aggressive driving
behaviour engaged in by many drivers.
Several factors are linked to creating
speeders. Some cite traffic congestion,
others drive aggressively because they have
too much to do and are running late.
A motor vehicle insulates the driver from
the world, creating a sense of detachment as
if they are an observer of their surroundings,
rather than a participant. This can lead to
some people feeling less constrained in their
behaviour when they cannot be seen by
others and/or when it is unlikely that they
will ever again see those who witness their
behaviour.
Most motorists rarely drive aggressively,
and some never do. For others, episodes of
aggressive driving are frequent, and for a
small proportion of motorists it is their usual
driving behaviour.
This article basically concerns the
individual’s ‘speed choice’.
Who speeds?
So how common is it to speed, and why do
people do it?
The first thing to acknowledge is that
despite the fact that speeding is against the
law, it is still seen by many, including
politicians, as not ‘real crime.’ Thus, licensed
motorists found guilty of speeding have
tended to receive minimal sentences and/or
punishments.
Four main groups of drivers who speed
have been identified:
Conformers – drivers who always or
nearly always comply with speed limits.
Deterred – drivers who have reduced their
speed since cameras were introduced.
Manipulators – drivers who slow down to
pass the camera box and then accelerate
away from it.
Defiers – drivers who have not reduced
their excess speed since the arrival of
cameras.
The last two categories are of particular
interest to road safety policy makers. They
are more likely to be violators and to be
involved in road crashes. It is the amendment
of both their behaviour and their attitudes
that is likely to lead to a safer road for all
classes of road user.
How many drivers speed?
Studies suggest that speeding is a problem
for many drivers, particularly on low-speed
limit roads.
Statistics drawn from a survey by the
Department for Transport in 2018 showed
that a whopping 87% of drivers exceeded the
speed limit on 20mph roads, with nearly a
quarter (22%) exceeding the speed limit by
more than 10mph. When the speed limit
increases to 30mph, drivers tend to be more
obedient, yet more than half (52%) of
motorists still drive too fast.
The situation is only slightly better on
motorways, with almost half (46%) of drivers
driving above the speed limit. 18% admitted
to speeding at more than 100mph on
motorways at different times – something
which was more prevalent among male
drivers (28%) than females (9%). The figure
rises to 33% among 25–34-year-old drivers.
In a different study the Department of
Transport identified three types of drivers:
compliant drivers, moderate speeders, and
excessive speeders. According to the same
study, around half of drivers are compliant
drivers, who usually observe speed limits.
Moderate speeders, who occasionally exceed
speed limits, make up a third of drivers, while
around 14% are classed as excessive
speeders – those who regularly go faster
than the speed limit. The study suggested
that the latter normally ignore the 30mph
limit, often by a wide margin.
With many drivers – especially younger
drivers - their confidence exceeds their
driving ability. Therefore their performance at
higher speeds is questionable. Remember,
driver performance is what the driver can do
- driver behaviour is what the driver does (do).
A classic study conducted in the 1980s
found that 90 per cent of all accidents could
have been avoided if the driver had reacted
just one second earlier. Early observation of
hazards and prompt braking might just give
drivers the one-second advantage they
need.
Drivers in fatal crashes who had been
speeding were more likely than nonspeeders
to have high blood alcohol
concentrations and invalid licences, and were
less likely to use seat belts. (NHTSA, 2005).
In other words, they are serial motoring
offenders, sometimes at the same time.
Women appear to sense a higher perceived
risk in speeding, and are more willing to drive
at a lower speed rather than speeding.
There is continuing controversy over the
validity of certain categories of traffic law
infractions as true measures of speeders’
behaviour. Specifically, does the
accumulation of tickets for speeding identify
drivers as high risk for being involved in
speed-related crashes? Does a proclivity for
exhibiting speeding behaviour in the
presence of police translate into a greater risk
for involvement in high-severity collisions?
“The DfT found that around half of drivers are compliant drivers,
who usually observe speed limits. Moderate speeders, who
occasionally exceed speed limits, make up a third of drivers, while
around 14% are classed as excessive speeders – those who regularly
go faster than the speed limit. The study suggested that the latter
normally ignore the 30mph limit, often by a wide margin...”
26 NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2024

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Speed choice and driver characteristics
There is considerable evidence that
high-speed drivers are a high-risk group.
Many drivers prefer to drive faster than the
objective risk justifies, but also than what
they themselves consider to be a safe speed.
Motives for exceeding the speed limit are
both rational and emotional and may depend
on the temporary state of the driver or the
actual situation. There are also more
permanent personality characteristics that
affect speed choice and explain differences
between individual drivers and groups of
drivers. These types of driver characteristics
are related to speed preferences and speed
violations. A large majority of the drivers also
consider speed as a very important problem
for road safety. More than 80% of European
drivers state that driving too fast is often,
very often or always a contributory factor in
road accidents. They are right; but at the
same time, many drivers exceed the posted
speed limits. Sometimes this may be
intentionally; sometimes unintentional.
Speed choice is affected by characteristics
of the driver, by factors related to human
perceptual skills and limitations, by
characteristics of the road and the road
environment, and by characteristics of the
vehicle.
Dr. Lisa Dorn, associate professor of driver
“Some drivers speed because
they believe arriving at
their destination as quickly
as possible is more important
than staying within the set
speed limit...”
behaviour at Cranfield University, says there
are many reasons why drivers break the
speed limit. She says that some drivers have
simply adopted a driving style of habitually
breaking speed limits and driving quickly,
almost like driving on autopilot.
Personality traits underpin a lot of
speeding behaviour, too, with speeders
having thrill-seeking or aggressive
tendencies, as well as chaotic lifestyles.
Speeders may also be particularly vulnerable
to time pressures, feeling the need to speed
to make up for their own poor time planning.
Sensation seeking is a personality trait
defined by the seeking of varied, novel,
complex, and intense sensations and
experiences and the willingness to take
physical, social, legal, and financial risks for
the sake of such experiences. The driving
environment is an everyday situation which
allows sensation seekers to exhibit typical
sensation seeking behaviours.
Cars can provide a variety of intense
experiences including: speeding, racing other
cars, reckless overtaking, etc. High sensation
seekers are more likely to have accidents and
receive traffic citations and are significantly
more likely to report aggressive driving habits.
Dr Dorn also pointed out that some drivers are
influenced by other road users; if others are
breaking the speed limit, they may feel they
also need to do so.
Motivational factors also contribute to
speeding behaviours. Drivers who prefer
higher speeds also consider higher speeds to
be safe. In addition, almost all drivers want to
drive faster than the speed that they
themselves consider to be a safe speed.
According to the SARTRE 3 survey, around
20% of the European drivers’ report driving a
little faster or much faster than other drivers.
At the same time, only around 5% state that
they drive more dangerously than other
drivers. Apparently, dangerous driving is not
related to speed in the mind of most of these
drivers.
Some drivers speed because they believe
arriving at their destination as quickly as
possible is more important than staying
within the speed limit - for example, they
may be worried about missing an important
appointment.
Continued on page 28
NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2024 27

Towards your CPD: The question of speed
“Modelling on the impacts of
higher vehicle speeds has led to
the following rule of thumb: a
5% increase in average speed
leads approximately to a 10%
increase in all injury accidents
and a 20% increase in road
fatalities...”
Continued from page 27
Also, according to Dr. Dorn, social
pressures play a part in speeding, too, as you
could have a passenger in the vehicle who is
urging you to drive faster. It should be noted
that there is a higher likelihood of a crash as
speed increases: for example, in a 60km/h
speed limit area and travelling at 65km/h,
you are twice as likely to have a serious crash;
at 70km you are four times more likely, at
75km/h you are ten times and at 80km/h
you are 32 times more likely to have a crash.
Modulated by many factors
In Europe, approximately 45,000 people
are killed and 120,000 injured in road
incidents/crashes every year. Even though it
is well-known that inappropriate use of
speed contributes to both the number and
the outcome of these incidents, many drivers
involved in fatal crashes are still speeding, and
there is wide scientific evidence supporting
the fact that speeding is the factor that most
contributes to the risk, severity, and fatality
of motor vehicle collisions.
Specifically, the World Health Organization
(WHO) agrees that excessive and
inappropriate speed is the main cause of
approximately one in every three serious or
fatal crashes in the countries with high rates
of motor vehicles use.
Data from the Department for Transport
showed that driving at an unsuitable speed
contributes to more than a tenth of all injury
collisions reported to the police. Research
cited by the Royal Society for the Prevention
of Accidents (RoSPA) suggests that a drop of
just one mph in average speeds would see
the rate of accidents fall by around 4%. RoSPA
also points out that higher speeds lead to
more serious accidents, with the risk of a
fatal injury rocketing from 17% at 40mph to
60% at 50mph.
Not surprisingly, the evidence seems to
suggest that if fewer drivers exceeded the
speed limits, the roads would be a lot safer
for everyone. Modelling on the impacts of
higher vehicle speeds has led to the following
rule of thumb: a 5% increase in average speed
leads approximately to a 10% increase in all
injury accidents and a 20% increase in road
fatalities.
The same research indicates the positive
impacts on reducing vehicle speeds: a 5%
decrease in average speeds leads,
approximately, to a 10% decline in injury
accidents and a 20% decrease in fatal
accidents. Reducing speed a few mph can
thus greatly reduce the risk of accidents as
well as mitigating the consequences of an
accident.
So why do it?
Considering the very real dangers of
speeding, why do some drivers do it so
often? Psychological scientists Mark A.
Elliott and James A. Thomson (2010) of the
University of Strathclyde used a cognitive
framework called the Theory of Planned
Behaviour to examine the various cognitive
factors, beliefs, and social pressures that
might explain why people regularly speed,
despite the dangers of getting a ticket or
even causing a fatal accident, and predict
future speeding behaviour.
Elliott and Thomson mailed a questionnaire
to drivers from across England who had
received a speeding ticket in the past four
months. A second questionnaire on speeding
behaviour was sent out for comparison six
months later.
Of all the cognitive factors the researchers
looked at, the single strongest factor
associated with the intention to speed was
past speeding behaviour. That is, regularly
driving above the speed limit was the best
predictor that speeding behaviour would
continue in the future. Additional cognitive
factors that strongly predicted whether
participants would speed included whether
they thought someone important to them
would ever speed, and anticipated regret over
speeding.
The study found that a particularly
high-risk group of drivers were those who
saw speeding as an important part of their
self-concept, or roles they identify with
within society. They expressed the strongest
intention to speed, and reported frequently
exceeding speed limits. Drivers who
perceived speeding to be less morally
acceptable, and who anticipated feeling
regret over speeding, reported fewer
instances of speeding in the six-month
follow-up questionnaire.
Overall, study participants had negative
attitudes about speeding and felt that it was
morally wrong, not generally socially
acceptable, and something they regretted.
Participants also felt that the decision to
speed was an avoidable behaviour within
their control.
The results, published in the journal
Accident Analysis and Prevention, could be
useful for safety interventions aimed at
reducing the number of speed limit offenders.
The researchers identified several cognitive
28 NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2024

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“A drop of just one mph
in average speeds would
see the rate of accidents
fall by around 4%...”
factors – such as attitude about perceived
risk, potential regret, and the social
acceptability of speeding – as good targets
for speeding intervention programmes.
What needs to change?
Despite research that shows how deadly it
can be to travel at high speeds, state and
federal speed limits in some nations seem to
keep increasing. Add to that a population of
drivers who refuse to put away their
distractions, and you may be taking your life
into your hands every time you get behind
the wheel.
Some safety advocates are working to
eliminate undivided roads with speed limits
that exceed 40 mph.
However, until every driver takes
responsibility for his or her actions behind the
wheel, you and your family may still be at risk
of injury or worse.
Conclusion
Speeding collisions occur due to drivers
tendency to take risks, including driving over
the posted speed limit or at speeds that are
unsafe given the prevailing road, weather,
traffic, or light conditions.
Adding to the complexity of the problem is
the fact that even drivers who do not
consider themselves aggressive drivers are
likely to speed on occasion. Although most
crashes could be prevented by changes in
driver attitude and behaviour, those changes
are proving difficult to achieve, in part,
because too many drivers focus on the
convenience of speeding rather than the
risks to themselves, their passengers and
other road users.
The risk of speeding is clear and so is the
rationale. Driving at a high speed increases
the demands on the driver who is speeding.
To compensate for a high speed, a driver
must react more quickly and must always
react adequately to a given situation. The
distance needed to stop increases, and the
time available for stopping or taking evasive
action diminishes rapidly as speed increases.
In short, the faster a vehicle is travelling, the
longer it will take to slow or come to a
complete stop. In an emergency, those few
extra seconds can mean the difference
between life and death. Internationally
accepted research on the relationship
Is 43 the magic number?
Using mathematical formulas and physics experiments, researchers learned that 43 mph is
the fastest speed at which you have a fighting chance to survive a head-on collision. For this
reason, safety advocates in the US warn you to avoid any Maryland highways where
opposing traffic travels without dividers at speeds higher than 40 mph.
If either car in an accident is travelling faster than 43 mph, the chances of surviving a
head-on crash plummet. One study shows that doubling the speed from 40 to 80
quadruples the force of impact. Even at 70 mph, your chances of surviving a head-on
collision drop to 25 per cent. Drivers who exceed the posted speed limit may not have these
statistics and calculations, but they certainly must realise they are increasing the level of
danger for other drivers. Also, bear in mind that when two cars are approaching each other
at 60mph, the closing gap is 120mph – a frightening thought.
between changes in average traffic speed
and crash outcomes showed that a 5% speed
increase leads to around a 15% increase in
crashes.
Safety with speed depends largely on the
ability to recognise danger and to slow down
in good time – time (to react) being the
essential ingredient.
To avoid aggressive driving, speeding, and
playing “rushing” roulette, it is better to leave
home sooner, drive a little slower and
hopefully consequently you will arrive alive
and live much longer to tell the tale.
It may seem obvious to you to hear that
increasing your speed on the highway
increases your chances of serious or even
fatal injury in an accident.
With many drivers, their confidence
exceeds their driving ability. They have a
belief that they will not be caught if they
drive with excess speed, so that they have an
unreasonable attitude to speed and need to
change the mental set. But while we wait for
education to effect its slow transformation of
stubborn mind-sets, until then it appears
that enforcement is the only way to stop the
slaughter. If people do not comply,
enforcement must come in to make up for
lack of common sense. Greater enforcement
does seem to mean greater compliance with
the law, and greater compliance with the law
does make it safer for all of us on the road.
Long-term it must be education. Shortterm
it must be enforcement.
Yes, for some, speed thrills but it also kills;
this catchphrase is perfectly matched as
more than three-quarters of road crashes are
due to speeding.
Remember that undertakers love
overtakers, especially those who exceed the
speed limit by a significant margin when
driving a powerful vehicle, and which in many
cases may be in control of the driver rather
than the driver being in control of the vehicle.
Finally, bear in mind that if drivers
consciously insist on violating the law by
continuously speeding in a dangerous
manner - as opposed to making the
occasional involuntary error - their future
may arrive much faster than they expect.
NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2024 29

News
Learning to drive: is it time to make
it more relevant to real-world driving?
Janet
Stewart
London & the
South East
Recently, I was listening to Dr Shaun Helman
(pictured right), a transport psychologist,
give a presentation on how psychology is
applied to transport and traffic, and in
particular how driving skills are learnt.
Dr Helman broke learning down into three
stages. The first stage is ‘declarative’ where
learning takes place rapidly and improvement
is on a steep curve. This is followed by
‘declarative and procedural’. New learning is
still taking place but at a slower rate and there
is consolidation of skills already acquired.
The third stage is on-going learning and
‘tuning’ of skills.
These three stages will apply to many
other skills and are not particular to driving.
The basic law is that people get better with
practice.
Not many people would argue with this
analysis. However, skill learning takes time
and does not transfer easily to new
situations. As stated by the Transport
Research Laboratory in 2023, ‘When
considered against the outcome of crashes,
skill learning in driving takes years. It is
unrealistic to think that ADIs can do anything
more than prepare learners for the test, and
for the post-test period – ie, ADIs do not
have sufficient time with candidates to have
much direct effect on their safety’.
I think that most ADIs would agree with
this, too.
So, then, what would work? Do we need to
have a minimum learning period of, say, six
months, 12 months or should it actually be
two years? The suggestion has been put
forward of 120 hours. This is currently
unthinkable, but should it be? Maybe ADIs
would then be able to teach driving on fast
roads, driving at night and all the other
aspects that few of us are able to cover.
However, while to be welcomed it would be
unaffordable for most learners and
unacceptable to nearly all of them and their
parents.
The recommendations that Dr Helman
put forward are:
n Get in practice with parents and
don’t worry about developing bad
habits – the ADI will sort them out.
n More HPT. There are a lot of
packages available and it should not
be seen in the same way as online
gaming.
n Learners should be encouraged to
“self-limit” after the test, with regard to
passengers and night driving and should
have more supervised practice (not
necessarily with an ADI)
n The narrative needs to change. The
L-test should be seen as the first step in
learning, not the end result.
n Learners could watch demonstration
drives by experts giving commentary online.
Interesting stuff. His comment about not
seeing the L-test as the end result chimes
with the old saying ‘you start learning how to
drive after passing your test’, doesn’t it.
One point I would add to his list is, can we
get parents more involved in the learning
process? There has been a big effort with the
Ready to Pass campaign. I have always
invited parents to sit in on lessons but they
very seldom take this up.
Hazard perception
According to Dr Helman the most
important skill is hazard perception. To drive
safely learners must understand, mitigate
and manage risk.
Again, we know this but learners and
parents are hardly ever really prepared to put
in the effort, time and money to make sure
this knowledge is embedded.
The current system of driver education
has not sufficiently evolved to take this into
consideration either; it remains a test of
mechnical skills.
‘‘
TRL came up with a
matrix which
suggests a minimum
learning period of 6
– 12 months. Driving
style and practice
would be monitored
by telematics and the
driving test would be
taken after the stated
criteria are met.
The licence would have restrictions which
would be removed after an extended period
of monitoring by telematics when the driver
had proved themselves to be safe, and a full
unrestricted licence would then be acquired.
Role of Pass Plus
I have been banging on about Pass Plus for
some time. I believe it could be re-vamped
and new drivers be required to pass all
modules (6 or 8, say) within six months of
passing the L test, but with there being no
restrictions in this six-month period. People
will say it would be unenforceable but
practically everything else that is being
suggested has problems of enforcement.
There is so much talk around GDLs at the
moment it is quite clear that something
needs to be done. However, I can’t see any
government of any colour really grasping the
nettle on this, but I do wonder if we should
start by educating the parents.
I think they see us in the same light as any
other teacher – it is our job to get their
children through the driving test. The big
difference is that if a student has a melt down
on their arithmetic after passing their maths
exam they don’t end up dead.
That is the harsh reality and yet I still get
asked to get the student through the driving
test as quickly and as cheaply as possible.
Perhaps next time I am asked how long it
will take I should say “oh, about 120 hours”.
‘‘
According to Dr Helman the most important
skill is hazard perception. To drive safely learners
must understand, mitigate and manage risk...
30 NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2024

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MSA GB mourns passing
of Marie Mynott
It is with regret that we have to report the passing of Marie Mynott,
wife of Arthur Mynott, Chairman MSA GB Area 4, West Coast and
Wales, and a long-time friend of the association.
Arthur and Marie had been married for 43 years. They are pictured
right on a cruise they enjoyed to mark their 40th anniversary,
although this was initially delayed due to the Covid pandemic.
Marie and Arthur had three sons, a daughter, and 12 grandchildren.
Marie passed away on 10th August surrounded by her family in
Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton. She had had a number of health
issues in recent years but she was able to support Arthur at many
MSA GB events, including the National Training Day in March of this
year. She was certainly the hub of a very close family.
Regular readers of Newslink will have seen numerous stories from
Arthur of their travels with their caravan and other foreign trips, a
pursuit they both enjoyed.
A funeral service for Marie’s life was held at the Church of the Holy
Ghost, Crowcombe, Taunton, TA4 4AA, on Monday, 2nd September at
noon, with MSA GB representatives in attendance.
Donations in memory of Marie, if desired, can be sent to the British
Acoustic Neuroma Association; they can be sent online via
https://mariemynott.muchloved.com or forwarded to: Willow
Funeral Services, 4 Chip Lane, Taunton TA1 1BZ. Tel: 01823 806494.
Rest in Peace Marie, friend of MSA GB.
Air Ambulance deserves your support
Bob Page
London &
the South East
As reported in last month’s Newslink, Terry
Cummins’ group held a CPD event on 30th
July.
Unfortunately it took place after the
editorial deadline for the magazine, and
though we got some photos in, there wasn’t
much of a write-up.
I thought I would put that right in this issue
and say a little more about one of the
organisations who presented to the meeting,
the Air Ambulance Service. Our speaker,
Kate, is herself a volunteer, giving up her free
time to help publicise the service.
Many present were surprised to learn that
organisation, which has been running since
1989, is almost entirely unfunded and is a
registered charity without official public
funding. The service runs round-the-clock,
365 days a year, and last year responded to
3,300 calls. It has three helicopters and four
rapid response vehicles to cover an area
between Southampton and Sheppey, and
working with London hospitals.
The charity is in a constant battle for
funding, donations, public support and
publicity, and when I contacted the Head
Office they were only too pleased to come to
our meeting, so I imagine if other regions
contact their local service they could benefit
from a similar presentation. It was very
interesting and we should support the
service if we can; it’s well deserved.
Welcome to Jersey
I recently took a holiday to Jersey. If you
ever wonder what happened to all the well
behaved and courteous drivers you trained,
I’ve found the answer; they all live in Jersey! I
found the standard of driving higher than I’ve
seen anywhere, and the courtesy from one
driver to another was off the scale. I wasn’t
tailgated once, meeting traffic on the often
very narrow roads was a joy, and emerging
from junctions so simple. Best of all, in six
days of touring we counted nine potholes!.
Well done, Jersey.
Stay safe!
Kate delivered an
interesting
presentation on
the work of the
Air Ambulance
NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2024 31

Area news
Racing hard in the Portuguese heat:
John McPhee’s living the dream!
Steven Porter
MSA GB
Scotland
As you’ve possibly read in previous issues of
Newslink, I’ve been following my fellow
Scotsman John McPhee in the World
Superbikes Supersport for the last few years.
We don’t get many top sportsman these
days now that Sir Andy Murray has retired
– and well done that man for being Britain’s
best for many years now, as he hangs up his
racket.
Anyway, I missed out on a visit to
Donnington this year for its round of the
Superbikes, due to going away on a jolly with
my four sons, so I promised my youngest we
would go abroad and watch John somewhere
this year instead. We picked Portimão on the
southern coastline of Portugal, and what a
beautiful place it is, with stunning beaches
and a lovely long promenade full of bars and
restaurants of all delicacies from all over the
world, and not to mention some
mouthwatering ice cream!
John has had an eventful time of it, again!
He has got a contract with a new Supersport
team based in the Czech Republic and he is
now riding a Triumph. There’s been some ups
and downs with the bike, with one highlight
this season John showing all the lightweights
how to ride a bike in the rain (it always rains in
Scotland so it’s second nature to him!), only
for the rain to stop, the track to dry out and
for him to come off trying to push for a
podium place in the final laps. He wasn’t
helped by some gear box issues into a bend.
With it being a new team, personnel and bike,
it’s all been a learning curve trying to get the
bike to its maximum potential.
Day 1 of our holiday, but my youngest
wakes up not feeling too good due to his
diabetes (we won’t go into that) so we miss
practice and head off to the pool for a lazy
day consisting of sun, pool, lager, pool, lager
and some more sun... maybe not exactly in
that order and possibly one or two more than
remembered.
Day 2 and up early for breakfast. I do the
dutiful husband bit and go to the shops for
some hot, fresh chocolate croissants and
take them back to hers truly before we head
off in a taxi to the Autódromo Internacional
do Algarve . It costs €35 for the privilege of
said journey (it used to be free via a courtesy
bus, but that was removed by Covid and
never brought back), although a lovely young
Ukrainian lady filled us in on the history of
Portimao on the way. She outlined how it has
grown in recent years – as had the cost of
housing along the way: a one bedroom
apartment near the sea now fetches around
€800,000!
The circuit was built in the middle of
nowhere due to the noise apparently so as
not to annoy the neighbours. It is 4.5km long
and most of the circuit is uncovered for us
supporters; we will come back to that later.
Anyway, off we go to stand in a very long
queue. I remembered you can buy online and
as the other queue was empty I had a
brainwave – or at least I thought I did! Buy
John McPhee (number 17) battles hard for a
place in the top 10 at Portimão
online. After paying for said tickets I went
down the empty queue, only to be told the
tickets I purchased (recommended by now
old friend) was on the other side of the
stadium... So off we trotted for what felt like
at least 30 minutes in that heat, probably 10
maybe 15 minutes in reality.
That wasn’t the only error. Another big
mistake was going so early with no umbrella
and no provisions except euros; fail to
prepare, prepare to fail, as they say. Won’t
make that mistake again!
33 degrees heat and as I said earlier,
uncovered stands so no covering. There was
also nowhere really to go except a kiosk that
looked like something out of a Clint
Easterwood movie which thankfully sold
lager (good), juice for junior, ice cream for
junior and cold baguettes that junior started
to eat till he realised it had salad in it halfway
through... what is it with kids!
By the time our John came out for his race
we were both ready to admit defeat but, we
came to cheer for John and cheer we shall do.
As I’ve mentioned previously, if all the riders
rode the same bikes John would be in the top
three most races and more likely be in with
the big boys in either World Superbikes or
Moto 1, but sadly, he is where he is, for now.
The bike wasn’t playing game either and
John finished 15th where he had started the
session.
Both Junior and I were so tired with the
heat we decided to head home even though
the main event was after John’s race but, for
us, John is the main event.
Day 3 and lessons learnt from day 2, up to
the track much, much later. Lots of goodies in
bag, lots of water/juice, fruit and most
importantly, a sun umbrella! Usually for us
umbrellas are for when it’s miserable and wet
but for these mainland Europeans it’s a whole
new ball game – they use it to keep cool not
dry as we do. Another 33 degrees, although
today we had wind and a very lovely wind I
may add, so cooler, for a few seconds at
least.
I had a good feeling about today, don’t
know why but something felt right. It helped
32 NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2024

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“Ninth is the highest John’s
finished on a Triumph and good
to see him having a good old scrap
throughout the race; it was also
good to see the bike is finally
becoming more reliable ...”
John had a good practice in the morning,
finishing fifth fastest overall . What a
difference with the bike. It’s amazing how the
slightest of tweaks can improve lap times by
hundredths of a second, and that in itself can
make a massive difference.
Left, John in action.
Above, Ouch! Proof that 52-year-old men
and inflatables pulled by speedboats should
not mix...
This was a great race to watch as far as
John was concerned as he managed to make
up some ground in the first lap, then after a
few more he found himself fighting between
6th and 9th. It’s the best I’ve seen with this
Triumph except on that rainy day I mentioned
earlier. Throughout the race John was up to
8th, 7th, back to 8th, then 7th again before a
late problem pushed him back to 9th. We
didn’t get to see why because, unlike at
Donnington which has big screens all round
the circuit, helping you understand what is
going on during the race, there were no
screens at this circuit.
Ninth was his final position. It’s the highest
MARIE MYNOTT
I know there is a tribute elsewhere in this
issue, but I would like to add my
condolences to my fellow board member
Arthur Mynott after losing his lovely wife,
Marie. As you will have read on page 33,
Marie passed away after a short illness,
with the love of her family members
around her.
Marie was always there at board
meetings and conferences, and a lot of
you will have met her and like me, found
her a lovely lady to talk to. Considering her
ill health for many years that showed the
character of the woman.
R.I.P Marie, sadly taken too soon.
on a Triumph and good to see John having a
good old scrap throughout the race; he was
unlucky not to finish higher than he did. It was
also good to see the bike is finally becoming
more reliable; hopefully he can keep
progressing from here on in. On to France,
Magny Cours, September 6-8!
A little about Portimão. It is a really
beautiful place to go if you’re ever thinking of
something different/new, especially for
someone looking for a relaxed sunny holiday.
The beaches are immaculate but a word of
warning: don’t go on the inflatable rafts pulled
by speed boats if you are around, say, 52
years of age or older... as you can see from
the photo, it didn’t go down too well for me!
The things we do for our kids, eh!
Hope you all had a wonderful holiday,
wherever you got to go.
Scotland, last Thursday. Actually, it’s not,
it’s the sun-drenched beach at Portimão
This is NOT Ibrox! Uncovered stands and sun
umbrellas suggest the Portuguese aren’t
expecting rain any day soon
NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2024 33

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 AUGUST.
Prices have dipped slightly in recent weeks but analysts predict a slight increase in
global prices in autumn. This rise could be exacerbated by increases in fuel duty in
the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget.
MEMBER OFFER
UNLEADED
DIESEL
UK average 142p 147p
Motorway 166p 172p
Supermarkets 139p 143p
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.
34 NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2024

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
For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com
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 Roman Park Hall, Sir Henry Lee
Crescent, HP18 0YT. 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
NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2024
35

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
Tyresafe and MSA GB: A crucial
partnership for tyre education
TyreSafe, the UK’s leading tyre safety charity, partners with the MSA GB, the longest
established trade association for driver trainers in GB, to promote tyre safety education
across the nation.
This collaboration is a significant step towards ensuring that the next generation of
drivers understands the critical importance of tyre maintenance.
By leveraging the strengths and resources of both organisations, TyreSafe and MSA GB
are committed to making UK roads safer for all.
See msagb.com 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
Making Tax Digital and will be providing HMRC
compliant software to all clients very soon.
Join now to receive three months free.
ADVANCE DRIVING
AND RIDING
As the UK’s largest road safety
charity, IAM RoadSmart is
proud to partner with the
Motor Schools Association
GB. Working together to promote and
enhance motorists skills on our roads.
MSA GB OFFER:: Get 10% off Advanced courses;
visit www.iamroadsmart.com/course and
use the code MSA10 at the checkout or call
0300 303 1134 to book.
BREATHALYSER KITS
Protect yourself and your pupils with a
personal breathalyser. We’ve teamed up with
AlcoSense, the award-winning range of
personal breathalysers, to offer an exclusive
discount to all MSA GB members. A personal
breathalyser takes the guesswork out of
whether there’s residual alcohol in your
system (or that of your learner driver pupil)
the morning after the night before.
MSA GB OFFER:: 10% off any AlcoSense product
(excluding single-use disposables) – from the
entry-level Lite 2 (£44.99) to the top-ofthe-range
Ultra (£249.00).
CAR AIR FRESHENERS / CANDLES
Mandles’ handmade scented collections use
quality ingredients to ensure superior scent
throw from all its candles and
diffusers. Check our our website
for further details.
MSA GB OFFER:: Special discount
of 20% on all car air fresheners
and refills.
CARD PAYMENTS
MSA GB and SumUp believe
in supporting motor vehicle
trainers of all shapes and sizes.
Together we are on a mission to
ease the operational workload of
our members by providing them with the ability
to take card payments on-the-go or in their
respective training centres. SumUp readers
are durable and user-friendly. Their paperless
onboarding is quick and efficient. Moreover,
their offer comes with no monthly subscription,
no contractual agreement, no support fees,
no hidden fees – just the one-off cost for the
reader coupled with lowest on the market
transaction fee.
DISABILITY AIDS
Driving shouldn’t just be a
privilege for people without
disabilities; it should be
accessible for all and there’s never been an easier
time to make this the case! MSA GB members
can take advantage of BAS’s Driving Instructor
Packages which include a range of adaptations at
a discounted price, suitable for teaching disabled
learner drivers.
MSA GB OFFER:: Special Driving Instructor
Packages for MSA GB members.
FUEL CARDS
Save up to 10p per litre of fuel with Fuel Card
Services. 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.
MSA GB OFFER:: An MSA GB fuel card will save
you up to 10p per litre.
HEALTH / FINANCE COVER
The Motor Schools Association of Great
Britain has agreed with HMCA to
offer discounted rates for medical
plans, dental plan, hospital cash
plans, personal accident plan,
travel plan, income protection
and vehicle breakdown products.
MSA GB OFFER:: HMCA only offer
medical plans to membership groups
and can offer up to a 40% discount off the
underwriter’s standard rates. This is a
comprehensive plan which provides generous
cash benefits for surgery and other charges.
To get the full story of the
discounts available, see
www.msagb.com
36 NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2024

For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com
PUPIL INSURANCE
Join the Collingwood
Instructor Programme and
refer your pupils for learner
insurance.
MSA GB OFFER:: MSA GB OFFER:: £50 for
your first referral and £20 for all additional
referrals.
PSYCHOLOGY TRAINING
Confident Drivers has the only
website created especially for
drivers offering eight different
psychological techniques
commonly used to reduce stress and nerves.
MSA GB OFFER:: One month free on a monthly
subscription plan using coupon code.
PUPIL SOURCING
Go Roadie provides students
when they need them, with all
the details you need before you
accept. Control your own pricing,
discounts and set your availability
to suit you. Full diary? No cost!
MSA GB OFFER:: Introductory offer of 50% off
the first three students they accept.
QUICKBOOKS
50% Discount on two
packages for MSA GB
members
Quickbooks is offering an online
50% discount for MSA GB members on two of
their premium accounting packages.
Essentials Package For small businesses
working with suppliers. Manage VAT and
Income Tax with up to three users.
Plus For businesses managing projects,
stock, VAT, and Income Tax. Up to five users.
The packages are contract-free throughout
with no cancellation fee. This exclusive
member offer can only be secured by
contacting our MSA GB representative at
Quickbooks - Ollie Nobes, on: 07723 507 026
or email: Ollie_Nobes@intuit.com quoting:
**MSAGB**
To get the full story of the
discounts available, see
www.msagb.com
Membership offer
Welcome, new ADIs
We’ve a special introductory offer for you!
Congratulations on passing your
Part 3 and becoming an ADI.
There’s an exciting career
open to you from today,
one that’s alive with
possibilities as you build
your skills, your client base
and your income.
But for all the excitement,
it can also be challenging;
who can you turn to if you’re
struggling to get over key driver
training issues to a pupil? Where can
you go to soak up advice from more
experienced ADIs? Who will help you if you
are caught up in a dispute with the DVSA? If
the worst happens, who can you turn to for
help, advice and to fight your corner?
The answer is the Motor Schools
Association of Great Britain – MSA GB for
short.
We are the most senior association
representing driving instructors in Great
Britain. Establised in 1935 when the first
driving test was introduced, MSA GB has
been working tirelessly ever since on
behalf of ordinary rank and file ADIs.
We represent your interests and your
views in the corridors of power, holding
regular meetings with senior officials
from the DVSA and the Department for
Transport to make sure the ADIs’ voice is
heard.
SPECIAL OFFER
Join MSA GB today!
SPECIAL OFFER: Join for just £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 n SEPTEMBER 2024 37

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