Newslink January 2022

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Two signs of the times
Rod Came
MSA GB South East
I have always used a roof box on my
tuition car. It’s a standard size across the
roof, a non-aerodynamic white plastic
one with an L-plate on it of the prescribed
size. It also has our company name and
a landline telephone number on it.
I know that it costs a little by way of
the car using extra fuel – in fact I was
surprised when I had use of a Nissan
Micra quite how much drag there was
from the box, and taking it off was like
properly releasing the handbrake – but I
have always thought that it was worth
having one for the advertising benefit as
well as from the road safety point of view.
Currently it’s common knowledge that
there are not enough ADIs to satisfy the
demand for driving lessons. All those I
have spoken to have plenty of work,
many with a waiting list, but is this
supported by evidence?
I have no doubt that those ADIs have
genuinely reflected their personal situations,
but to see what demand there is for
lessons I have conducted a little test.
Do top boxes
attract custom?
For 15 months I have been teaching
my granddaughters to drive, driving
around in a Toyota Yaris with my box
either on the roof or the rear parcel shelf,
with the company name and telephone
number prominently displayed. The
phone has been manned 24/7 in
anticipation of a flood of calls from
frustrated learner drivers who are unable
to have lessons because local ADIs are
fully booked. Has anybody called? Is my
diary filled? Have I a waiting list?
No, not one single call.
Does this mean that roof boxes are of
no use? Probably not; they still have the
additional benefit of showing other
drivers that it is a tuition car ahead of
them and it does keep the name of the
ADI in the public domain, but whether
the box in itself attracts new business is
open to question.
Signs
There you are, driving down the road,
with or without a pupil. The digital
speedometer read-out is spot on 30,
which is the limit for the road, the
read-out on your portable satnav reads
27mph and all is right in your world.
But the local council is just about to
shatter the illusion that you are a
responsible, law abiding, professional
driving instructor. It is about to announce
to the world, well to the other people in
the vicinity, that you are a criminal, not
just any old criminal but a law breaker
unworthy of your professional status.
They will do this by illuminating a
Should these
signs be correctly
calibrated to only
show Slow Down
when a vehicle
does exceed the
speed limit?
large red, black and white electronic sign
showing 30 Slow Down. It has clocked
your speed and decided you are in need
of a very visible reprimand from the
camera in the form of a reminder of what
the speed limit is. The highway authority
has acted as judge and jury without even
reviewing the evidence, you have had no
opportunity to put forward your defence
let alone plead mitigating circumstances.
You have been convicted in the eyes of
the general public. Justice has not been
served. You must be speeding as the sign
has said so
Not only is this set of circumstances
embarrassing, but there is the possibility
that it could affect your business, your
livelihood, your income, with no recourse
to your accuser.
My question is – should all such signs
be correctly calibrated to only show Slow
Down when a vehicle actually does
exceed the posted speed limit?
The 30 could show as a reminder with
the admonishment to slow shown only to
transgressors.
Could you sue the council for a
perceived loss?
Mobile phone rules tightened ‘to keep up with tech’
2022 will see the rules on mobile phone
use while driving finally tightened up to
penalise persistent offenders.
Previously it was a criminal offence to
use a hand-held mobile phone to call or
text while driving – but a legal loophole
has ensured drivers escaped punishment
for other actions such as taking photos
or scrolling through song playlists. This
is because such actions aren’t seen as
‘interactive communication’, and did not
fit the original definition of the offence.
However, the Government confirmed
the law will be ‘brought into the 21st
century’ – banning drivers from using
their phones to take photos or videos,
scroll through playlists or play games.
The new laws will come into effect in
2022. Anyone caught using their
hand-held device while driving will face
a £200 fixed penalty notice and six
points on their licence.
The only exceptions will be for drivers
making a contactless payment with their
mobile phone while stationary in areas
such as a drive-through restaurant or on
a road toll.
Drivers will still also be able to
continue using a device ‘hands-free’
while driving, such as a sat-nav, if it’s
secured in a cradle.
Grant Shapps, transport secretary,
said: “We still have too many deaths
and injuries resulting while drivers use
mobile phones. By making it easier to
prosecute people illegally using their
phone at the wheel, we are ensuring the
law is brought into the 21st century
while further protecting all road users.
“While our roads remain among the
safest in the world, we will continue
working tirelessly to make them safer.”
A public consultation found that 81
per cent of respondents supported
proposals to strengthen the law.
The new law will also be more precise
about the fact that being stationary in
traffic counts as driving, making it clear
that hand-held mobile phone use at
traffic lights or in motorway jams is illegal
except in very limited circumstances.
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