Newslink December final
Motor Schools Association members magazine; driver training and testing; road safety
Motor Schools Association members magazine; driver training and testing; road safety
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
msagb.com<br />
<strong>Newslink</strong><br />
The Voice of MSA GB<br />
Issue 371 • <strong>December</strong> 2023<br />
The burning issue<br />
Why do cars catch fire... and<br />
how can they be prevented?<br />
NASP vows to keep<br />
up pressure on TIP<br />
and waiting times<br />
We work for all Driver Trainers. Want to join? SAVE £25 – see pg 39 for special offer
For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com<br />
We need a focus on safe driving,<br />
not on the race to book a test<br />
Welcome to your<br />
digital, interactive<br />
<strong>Newslink</strong><br />
Colin Lilly<br />
Editor,<br />
<strong>Newslink</strong><br />
As we approach the end of 2023, I suspect<br />
that most driver trainers’ main wish for 2024<br />
is a reduction in driving test waiting times.<br />
I first became an ADI in 1978 and at that<br />
time the waiting list was six to nine months,<br />
with some London centres over a year. The<br />
number of people applying for a test had<br />
increased since 1977 and there were not<br />
enough examiners coming from the Driving<br />
Examiners’ Training Centre at Cardington.<br />
The delays meant that pupils would apply<br />
for a driving test on their first lesson, and as<br />
the average number of hours needed to pass<br />
a test at that time was 20-25, it fitted nicely<br />
with the list. However, at that time it was<br />
possible to book more than one test per pupil,<br />
so another test was booked for a month later<br />
as this was the wait required after failing.<br />
This was an insurance to avoid pupils who<br />
failed getting caught up in the waiting list<br />
backlog and having to wait another six<br />
months for another. Applications were made<br />
by post and any change of date required a<br />
phone call – or ten!<br />
Of course, double applications only made<br />
the list longer, but needs must.<br />
Within a couple of years industrial action at<br />
DVLA meant that very few licences were<br />
being processed. Up to this time provisional<br />
licences were renewable every two years and<br />
some pupils had to delay their test because<br />
their licence had lapsed.<br />
Early computerisation of the system<br />
meant that drivers could not have two tests<br />
booked in the same category. This ended the<br />
‘double booking’ ploy but ironically, also<br />
massively reduced the driving test waiting, to<br />
six to eight weeks. That was much easier for<br />
the trainers to plan test dates.<br />
At present we have long test waiting times<br />
at the majority of centres. If tests could be<br />
booked beyond 24 weeks, then many would<br />
be longer.<br />
We know that the embryo of the waiting<br />
list was the Covid lockdowns but its<br />
continuation for over three years is<br />
concerning.<br />
I feel we should have some sympathy for<br />
the DVSA as it is a victim of the modern<br />
world. By bringing warrant holders back to<br />
every day testing it is not ‘business as usual’.<br />
Perhaps the provision of assumed easy<br />
access via the internet has backfired. This<br />
has allowed technology through apps and<br />
BOTs to acquire access easier than any<br />
individual ADI or learner can.<br />
The real downside of the current situation<br />
has diverted the goal of new drivers from<br />
learning to drive safely to a competition to<br />
book a test. Pupils so desperate to book tests<br />
as soon as possible has led to unprepared<br />
test candidates and wasted tests, late<br />
cancellations and failures to attend.<br />
This is a long way from the profession I<br />
entered 45 years ago. We need to drag it back<br />
to a focus of safe driving.<br />
See a pale blue box in any article or<br />
on an advert? It it contains a web<br />
address or email, it’s interactive. Just<br />
click and it will take you to the<br />
appropriate web page or email so you<br />
can find more details easier.<br />
You’ll also find these panels across<br />
the magazine: just click for more<br />
information on any given subject.<br />
To get the<br />
full story,<br />
click here<br />
How to access this<br />
magazine<br />
You can read <strong>Newslink</strong> in three ways:<br />
Go online and read the interactive<br />
magazine on the Yumpu website; or,<br />
if you would like to read it when you<br />
don’t have a mobile signal or WiFi,<br />
you can download the magazine to<br />
your tablet, PC or phone to read at<br />
your leisure. Alternatively, a pdf can<br />
be found on the MSA GB website, at<br />
www.msagb.com<br />
Follow the link<br />
MSA GB sends<br />
you to access<br />
<strong>Newslink</strong>,<br />
and then just<br />
click Download<br />
(circled above)<br />
to save a copy<br />
on your device<br />
MSA GB Office Christmas opening hours<br />
All members should note that the MSA GB head office will close for the<br />
Christmas break on Wednesday, 20th <strong>December</strong> at 12noon, re-opening<br />
on Tuesday, 2nd January, at 9am.<br />
We would like to wish all our staff, members, their families and all in<br />
the ADI community a restful and peaceful Christmas, and wishing<br />
you all a Happy New Year.<br />
COVER STORY<br />
Why do cars<br />
catch fire – and<br />
will the presence<br />
of more EVs on<br />
the roads make<br />
the probem<br />
better, or worse?<br />
See page 20<br />
NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023 03
Contents<br />
10<br />
18<br />
14<br />
17<br />
13<br />
ORDIT applications paused as<br />
DVSA focuses on L-tests<br />
No risk to trainers’ registrations, even<br />
if they are about to expire, the DVSA<br />
confirms – pg 6<br />
Union wants tighter minibus rules<br />
The NASUWT teaching union is calling for<br />
exemptions that allow schools to run<br />
minibuses without a full operator’s licence to<br />
be scrapped – pg 10<br />
08<br />
More fun and games on the<br />
Clevedon beach front<br />
After the wiggly lines we’re back to how<br />
we were in Clevedon - just £1.6m poorer<br />
– pg 12<br />
We’ll keep pushing...<br />
NASP representatives offer ADIs a<br />
round-up on what’s new and a Q&A<br />
session, vowing to keep up pressure on the<br />
DVSA over waiting times – pg 14<br />
Getting to grips with your<br />
TIP data is half the battle<br />
Steve Garrod offers some pointers on<br />
what to look for, as TIP is a blizzard of<br />
information – pg 18<br />
Conference round-up<br />
Reports from the area conferences and<br />
AGMs as MSA GB maintains its democratic<br />
roots and puts its members in charge<br />
– from pg 30<br />
<strong>Newslink</strong><br />
The Voice of MSA GB<br />
The Motor Schools Association<br />
of Great Britain Ltd<br />
Head Office:<br />
Peershaws,<br />
Berewyk Hall Court,<br />
White Colne, Colchester,<br />
Essex CO6 2QB<br />
T: 01787 221020<br />
E: info@msagb.com<br />
<strong>Newslink</strong> is published monthly on behalf of the MSA GB<br />
and distributed to members and selected recently<br />
qualified ADIs throughout Great Britain by:<br />
Chamber Media Services,<br />
4 Hilton Road, Bramhall, Stockport,<br />
Cheshire SK7 3AG<br />
Editorial/Production: Rob Beswick<br />
e: rob@chambermediaservices.co.uk<br />
t: 0161 426 7957<br />
Advertising sales: Colin Regan<br />
e: colinregan001@yahoo.co.uk<br />
t: 01942 537959 / 07871 444922<br />
Views expressed in <strong>Newslink</strong> are not necessarily those<br />
of the MSA GB or the publishers.<br />
Although every effort is made<br />
to ensure the accuracy of<br />
material contained within<br />
this publication, neither MSA<br />
GB nor the publishers can<br />
accept any responsibility for<br />
the veracity of claims made<br />
by contributors in either<br />
advertising or editorial content.<br />
©2023 The Motor Schools<br />
Association of Great Britain<br />
Ltd. Reproducing in whole<br />
or part is forbidden without<br />
express permission of the<br />
editor.<br />
04 NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023
For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com<br />
MSA GB Board<br />
of Management<br />
National Chairman &<br />
Area 2 - East Coast Chair<br />
Mike Yeomans<br />
7 Oak Avenue, Elloughton,<br />
Brough HU15 1LA<br />
T: 07772 757529<br />
E: mike.yeomans@msagb.com<br />
AREA 1<br />
Vice Chairman<br />
Peter Harvey MBE<br />
T: 01505 814823<br />
E: peter.harveymbe@msagb.com<br />
Area 1 – Scotland &<br />
Northern Ireland<br />
Chair: Steven Porter<br />
18 Heron Place, Johnstone<br />
PA5 0RW<br />
T: 01505 345372 or<br />
07747 600672<br />
E: steven.porter@msagb.com<br />
Area 3 – London & South East<br />
Chair: Tom Kwok<br />
52B Sutton Road, Muswell Hill,<br />
London N10 1HE<br />
07956 269922<br />
E: tom.kwok@msagb.com<br />
How MSA GB<br />
is organised, in<br />
four AREAS<br />
AREA 4<br />
AREA 2<br />
AREA 3<br />
Area 4 – West Coast & Wales<br />
Chair: Arthur Mynott<br />
9 Hagleys Green, Crowcombe,<br />
Taunton TA4 4AH<br />
T: 01984 618858<br />
E: arthur.mynott@msagb.com<br />
Keep in touch<br />
If you have updated your address, telephone numbers or<br />
changed your email address recently, please let us know<br />
at head office by emailing us with your new details and<br />
membership number to info@msagb.com.<br />
If you can’t find your membership number, give us a ring<br />
on 01787 221020.<br />
Follow MSA GB on social media<br />
Just click on the icon to go<br />
through to the relevant site<br />
NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023 05
News<br />
MSA GB Annual Conference 2024:<br />
Prices and venue announced<br />
Time to get the weekend<br />
cleared....<br />
Venue and pricing<br />
details released.<br />
See pg 24 for more<br />
details and first news<br />
DVSA closes applications for<br />
ORDIT trainer and renewals<br />
If you are looking to renew your driving<br />
instructor trainer (ORDIT) registration, note<br />
that the DVSA is not accepting any more<br />
applications until April 2024.<br />
This may have caused concern to some<br />
trainers whose registration lapses before<br />
then, as usually you have to do this every four<br />
years, before your ORDIT registration runs<br />
out.<br />
However, the DVSA has confirmed that no<br />
trainers will be removed from the register.<br />
If you want to renew your registration<br />
before 31 March 2024, you can wait until then<br />
to book your re-assessment.<br />
Update for Know Your Traffic Signs<br />
Know Your Traffic Signs has been updated,<br />
making it an even better info resource that<br />
every ADI should have in their glovebox.<br />
The latest edition has guidance on clean air<br />
zones and ultra low emission zone and low<br />
emission zones in London; tunnel restriction<br />
codes; parking places for electric taxis; bus<br />
gates; share space and parallel crossings.<br />
It also has updated guidance and signs for<br />
road charging, rising bollards, pedestrian and<br />
cycle zones, road works; and bridge height<br />
warning signs, as well as guidance specific for<br />
Scotland and for Wales.<br />
As well as accessing the<br />
PDF free of charge on GOV.<br />
UK, you can also buy the<br />
Know Your Traffic Signs<br />
book from the Safe Driving<br />
for Life shop.<br />
Use code FO35 to get<br />
35% off until 31 <strong>December</strong><br />
2023, meaning the book<br />
costs £3.24 plus shipping.<br />
At all other times, you can use code ADI1 to<br />
get 25% off anything you buy from the Safe<br />
Driving for Life shop.<br />
Blackpool DTC to<br />
extend stay at the<br />
Castle until January<br />
The DVSA has announced that Norbreck<br />
Castle Hotel will remain its base in<br />
Blackpool for all testing until the end of<br />
January 2024.<br />
The lease at the former DTC in the town<br />
expired on May 26, and the switch to the<br />
hotel was meant to be for a short duration<br />
while a new permanent home was found.<br />
However, the DVSA has confirmed that<br />
the relocation will continue for a little<br />
longer, with all tests based there until<br />
Friday, 26 January 2024.<br />
As a reminder, the address for the<br />
temporary centre is: Lancastria Suite, Rear<br />
of Norbreck Castle Hotel, Queen’s<br />
Promenade, Norbreck, Blackpool FY2 9AA.<br />
As before, examiners will meet<br />
candidates at their cars at the time of the<br />
test. The car park must not be used for<br />
candidates to practise parking exercises.<br />
ETSC targets improved<br />
motorbike safety<br />
The European Transport Safety Council is<br />
hosting a half-day event focused on<br />
improving motorbike safety across<br />
Europe.<br />
To be held on 13th <strong>December</strong>, from<br />
10am 12.30pm, the event includes<br />
presentations on reducing road deaths<br />
among PTW users, the future of<br />
motorcycle safety, ABS on bikes, training<br />
standards for new riders and gaps in<br />
motorbike safety from a rider’s<br />
perspective.<br />
The event is free and can be accessed<br />
by clicking HERE.<br />
BBC’s One Show pays tribute to Lou<br />
Hampshire-based ADI and charity fundraiser<br />
Lou Walsh was honoured in a special tribute<br />
on the BBC’s The One Show on 3rd<br />
November.<br />
Lou – who tragically died on 25th August,<br />
after suffering from a brain haemorrhage, at<br />
the age of just 50 – had helped raise<br />
hundreds of thousands of pounds for the<br />
BBC’s Children in Need charity appeal, by<br />
organising nine Big Learner Relays over the<br />
years.<br />
This year would have been her tenth, but it<br />
was cancelled in the wake of her untimely<br />
death.<br />
One Show presenter Alex Jones paid a<br />
short tribute to Lou during a slot promoting<br />
this year’s appeal, acknowledging all her hard<br />
work over the years and passing on the<br />
BBC’s own condolences to her family.<br />
It was a moving tribute, and proved once<br />
again how Lou’s legacy was felt far beyond<br />
the ADI community.<br />
06 NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023
For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com<br />
Brave mum joins police campaign to reduce<br />
road casualties among young riders<br />
A bereaved mum has team up with Cheshire<br />
Police to launch an emotive new campaign<br />
with the aim of reducing the number of young<br />
people killed or seriously injured on the roads,<br />
particularly in motorcycle collisions.<br />
Harry Abbey was riding to work on his<br />
motorbike in July 2021 when he was involved<br />
in a serious collision. He died at the scene; he<br />
was just 19.<br />
Now, Harry’s mother Bev and his three<br />
siblings have bravely opened up on the<br />
impact losing Harry has had on them, with<br />
the hope that it stops any other family from<br />
having to go through the same pain and<br />
heartbreak.<br />
The video has been released on Cheshire<br />
Police’s social channels and will be used in<br />
schools and colleges across the county. The<br />
full version is available on the Cheshire Police<br />
website.<br />
Bev Abbey, Harry’s mother, said: “Losing<br />
Harry has been one of the most traumatic<br />
experiences of mine and my family’s life. That<br />
pain, it doesn’t go away, it will be there all the<br />
time – you just make more room for it and<br />
learn to live alongside it.<br />
“I want young people to know that they<br />
have a responsibility for not only their own<br />
lives, but a responsibility to come home –<br />
back to the people that love them.”<br />
Bev has also given Harry’s bike to the<br />
constabulary to be used by the roads<br />
education team.<br />
PC Darren Daniels, road safety education<br />
officer for Cheshire Constabulary, said: “I<br />
attend schools and colleges across the<br />
county all the time, educating and<br />
encouraging young people on how to stay<br />
safe while driving their cars or riding their<br />
bikes – yet serious and fatal collisions still<br />
happen.<br />
“We want young people to understand that<br />
they are not invincible, and their life matters.<br />
“It matters to those who are left behind<br />
dealing with the consequences and I hope<br />
that by Bev bravely sharing Harry’s story –<br />
and using his bike as an educational tool – we<br />
can make a real difference and help to reduce<br />
the number of young people who are<br />
needlessly killed on the county’s roads.”<br />
You can see the<br />
video by clicking<br />
on this panel<br />
NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023 07
News<br />
Grants boost for road<br />
safety projects<br />
The Road Safety Trust has announced the<br />
second set of projects which have<br />
received funding through its 2023 Small<br />
Grants Programme.<br />
The Small Grants Programme funds<br />
local projects with a practical focus that<br />
‘show a proposed link to reducing<br />
casualties’.<br />
In total, six projects have been awarded<br />
funding through the 2023 funding round,<br />
which ran earlier this year.<br />
The recipients include:<br />
n University of the West of England<br />
(UWE Bristol)’s small scale trial to test the<br />
effectiveness of implementing centre line<br />
removal (CLR) on roads with 20 and<br />
30mph limits when it comes to reducing<br />
speeds.<br />
It will take place in small town and semirural<br />
settlement areas within East Lothian<br />
Council’s local highway network. The trial<br />
seeks to understand the potential for CLR<br />
as a low cost intervention in support of<br />
the growing introduction of 20mph speed<br />
limits across the UK.<br />
n National Young Rider Forum is to run<br />
a project to improve the hazard perception<br />
skills of motorcyclists, in order to help<br />
them avoid collisions.<br />
Traditional car-perspective hazard<br />
tests do not appeal to motorcyclists, as<br />
they do not reflect the typical hazards<br />
that riders face on the roads.<br />
Therefore, this project will create a<br />
hazard test that is filmed from the<br />
perspective of a rider on a bike, providing<br />
more relevant hazards.<br />
The resultant test will be shown to<br />
riders of varying experience and crash<br />
history. Example clips will be used by the<br />
National Young Rider Forum on their<br />
website to engage young riders with<br />
hazard perception, and will also be put out<br />
through social media.<br />
n Nottingham Trent University is<br />
looking to create a cost-effective and<br />
innovative tool for on-road tractor<br />
assessments and training, to improve<br />
driver skills, and ultimately reduce<br />
collisions. A 360-degree hazard test using<br />
footage recorded from tractors on real<br />
roads will be compiled in collaboration<br />
with The Farm Safety Foundation (FSF).<br />
‘Do it for Dave’ is the cry as Fire &<br />
Rescue teams back Biker Down<br />
Leicestershire Fire & Rescue Service has<br />
launched a new campaign to increase uptake<br />
on the Biker Down training course.<br />
Biker Down, which is run by 20 Fire and<br />
Rescue Emergency Services across the UK,<br />
is for bikers of all ages and experience, and<br />
teaches practical skills on what to do in the<br />
event of a crash, including essential first aid,<br />
how to protect the scene of a crash to ensure<br />
safety is maintained, plus tips on conspicuity<br />
and how to avoid the dreaded SMIDSY<br />
syndrome (Sorry mate, I didn’t see you).<br />
The course covers:<br />
n Crash scene management – advice from<br />
emergency service personnel on how to<br />
protect a casualty and other road users who<br />
may have stopped to assist.<br />
n Casualty care – a motorcycle-specific<br />
input, looking at basic lifesaving skills such as<br />
CPR, airway management and helmet<br />
removal (when & how).<br />
n The science of being seen – a session<br />
looking at conspicuity issues and the classic<br />
SMIDSY situations.<br />
What did participants say? “I thought the<br />
course was excellent and I very much<br />
appreciated it. I even had a chance to put a<br />
little part of it into practice yesterday when<br />
one of my ride-out team broke down and I<br />
managed to get the guys who had stopped<br />
with him to move their bikes which were not<br />
in the best place – just round a corner. A<br />
small thing that I might not have thought of<br />
without your insight.”<br />
The Leicestershire campaign - dubbed ‘Do<br />
it for Dave’ – tells the true story of Dave, a<br />
real biker who suffered a sudden cardiac<br />
arrest while riding his bike.<br />
He survived thanks to the assistance of<br />
Peter, Tim, Paul and Susie – all of whom had<br />
been on a Biker Down course.<br />
The Leicestershire campaign was launched<br />
at the Motorcycle Live show in November,<br />
and featured an interview with Dave, who<br />
said: “Without their help the doctors have<br />
told me I wouldn’t be here, pure and simple.”<br />
You can find out more here:<br />
https://tinyurl.com/3htnwexa<br />
And to find out more about the course see:<br />
https://www.roadwise.co.uk/bikerdown/<br />
Theory test pass rate dips below practical<br />
The BBC has reported that a learner driver<br />
failed their theory test 59 times before<br />
passing recently – at a total cost of £1,380.<br />
The learner, who has not been identified,<br />
did most of their tests at the Redditch theory<br />
centre.<br />
Others who struggled with the test include<br />
a learner in Hull who failed 57 tests, and one in<br />
Guildford who fell short 55 times.<br />
However, such struggles are not new: the<br />
Representatives<br />
from<br />
Leicestershire<br />
Fire & Rescue<br />
Service launch<br />
the ‘Do it for<br />
Dave’ campaign<br />
at Motorcycle<br />
Live<br />
record for attempting the test is believed to<br />
be held by a 28-year-old who passed in 2012<br />
– at his 93rd attempt.<br />
The story comes amid growing concern<br />
over the plummeting pass rate on the theory<br />
test. As recently as 2008 the pass rate stood<br />
at 65 per cent, while the latest figures<br />
suggest it is now just 44 per cent.<br />
Ironically, that puts it below the current<br />
L-test pass rate.<br />
08 NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023
News<br />
Union joins parents in calling for tighter rules<br />
on teachers in minibuses, not relaxing them<br />
Teachers should not be allowed to drive<br />
school and college minibuses without formal<br />
qualifications or statutory safeguards, a<br />
teaching union has said.<br />
The NASUWT teaching union is calling for<br />
exemptions that allow schools and colleges<br />
to run minibuses without a full operator’s<br />
licence to be scrapped to prevent further<br />
tragedies on the road.<br />
The call came ahead of the 30th<br />
anniversary of a minibus crash on the M40<br />
near Warwick that claimed the lives of 12<br />
schoolchildren and their teacher.<br />
Pupils from Hagley Roman Catholic High<br />
School in Worcestershire – and their teacher<br />
Eleanor Fry, who was driving at the time –<br />
were killed when their minibus crashed on the<br />
way home from a concert in London on<br />
November 18, 1993.<br />
Liz and Steve Fitzgerald, whose daughter<br />
Claire was one of the pupils who died in the<br />
crash, are also calling on the Government to<br />
address safety concerns.<br />
The parents are campaigning for the<br />
Government to legislate for best practice<br />
which would mean all schools with minibuses<br />
to have an operator’s licence.<br />
In a joint statement they said: “We are<br />
looking for support from Government to<br />
redress this inequality in safety for young<br />
people and teachers alike urgently. This is a<br />
matter above politics, it is a matter of life and<br />
death.”<br />
Currently, school staff in the UK can be<br />
asked to drive minibuses with just a car<br />
driving licence.<br />
The NASUWT is calling for the Section<br />
19/22 exemptions, which allow schools to<br />
operate minibuses without a full public<br />
service vehicle (PSV) operator’s licence, to be<br />
withdrawn.<br />
This would mean that all drivers of<br />
minibuses would need to have formal<br />
qualifications and statutory safeguards on<br />
driving would be in place, the union said.<br />
Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT general<br />
secretary, said: “Many parents will be<br />
horrified to realise that 30 years after this<br />
appalling tragedy, school minibuses are still<br />
being driven by teachers without full minibus<br />
driving licence qualifications or without<br />
statutory safeguards in place.<br />
“It is still the case that teachers can do a<br />
whole day of teaching pupils and then drive<br />
A police officer inspects floral tributes<br />
to the victims of the M40 minibus crash<br />
and supervise pupils, sometimes for many<br />
hours.<br />
“We are calling on the Transport Secretary<br />
to close this loophole in the regulations, bring<br />
in statutory safeguards and ensure that all<br />
drivers of minibuses have formal<br />
qualifications.<br />
“Thirty years on from this tragedy, the<br />
most appropriate way to honour the memory<br />
of the victims is to do everything possible to<br />
ensure such a terrible accident doesn’t<br />
happen again.”<br />
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the<br />
Association of School and College Leaders<br />
(ASCL), said: “School minibuses are essential<br />
in being able to provide a range of activities to<br />
pupils but the law as it stands is complex and<br />
C1, D1: what are they?<br />
C1: With a Category C1 Licence drivers are<br />
able to drive an LGV of between 3,500kg<br />
and 7,500kg. You can also add a trailer of<br />
no more than 750kg. This vehicle is<br />
commonly known as a 7.5 ton, Class 3 or<br />
C1, and is typically used for making local<br />
supermarket deliveries, or removals.<br />
D1: People who hold a D1 licence can drive<br />
minibus-style with no more than 16<br />
passenger seats, and a maximum length<br />
of 8 metres.<br />
in need of review.<br />
“The Royal Society for the Prevention of<br />
Accidents advises that anyone who operates<br />
a minibus service to carry passengers has a<br />
duty of care under health and safety law to<br />
take all reasonable precautions to ensure that<br />
it is operated safely, and it recommends that<br />
all minibus drivers should receive specific<br />
minibus driver training.”<br />
The call also comes as road safety groups<br />
have voiced alarm that the Government<br />
intends to relax the licensing rules on C1 and<br />
D1 licensing.<br />
One MSA GB member told <strong>Newslink</strong>: “This<br />
smacks of the way the Department for<br />
Transport scrapped B + E licence testing, for<br />
towing trailers. That licence category was<br />
brought in for a reason, because it was clear<br />
that people were passing their driving test<br />
and then towing a trailer, without taking any<br />
additional training to cope with the different<br />
challenges involved.<br />
“That decision may well come back to bite<br />
the Department for Transport; scrapping C1<br />
and D1 licence categories could also lead to an<br />
increase in road fatalities.”<br />
A Government spokesperson said: “Every<br />
death on our roads is a tragedy and we<br />
continue to work tirelessly to improve road<br />
safety for all users.<br />
“We provide guidance to schools and local<br />
authorities on driving school minibuses and<br />
we continue to work with the sector on<br />
promoting road safety.”<br />
10 NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023
For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com<br />
Scotland sends tough message to pavement parkers<br />
A public information campaign has been<br />
launched in Scotland to make people aware<br />
that they could soon be fined for parking on<br />
the pavement.<br />
The Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 bans<br />
pavement parking, double parking and<br />
parking at dropped kerbs, with exemptions<br />
designated by local authorities – for example<br />
to ensure safe access for emergency<br />
vehicles.<br />
However, while it has been in law since<br />
then, penalties have been rare. But from<br />
<strong>December</strong> 11, local authorities will begin<br />
enforcing the law vigorously, with fines of up<br />
to £100, reduced to £50 if paid within 14 days.<br />
The new campaign includes radio, outdoor<br />
and social media advertising, highlighting the<br />
dangers pavement parking poses to<br />
pavement users, forcing them to take<br />
unnecessary risks by moving around the car<br />
and onto the road.<br />
Fiona Hyslop, Scotland’s minister for<br />
transport, said: “The message here is clear:<br />
pavement parking is unsafe, unfair and illegal,<br />
and you could be fined up to £100 for it.<br />
“Local authorities can begin to issue fines<br />
from <strong>December</strong> 11, so this campaign is really<br />
important to make sure everyone in Scotland<br />
is aware that enforcement is coming.<br />
“We’re highlighting the danger that illegal<br />
pavement parking poses to pavement users,<br />
and in particular those with mobility issues or<br />
visual impairments, or parents pushing prams<br />
and buggies.<br />
“Scotland is the first of the four nations of<br />
the UK to make pavement parking illegal<br />
nationwide. This change in legislation is a step<br />
towards developing communities that are<br />
better able to support active travel, building<br />
on the work that is already underway to<br />
reduce emissions and helping us meet our<br />
world-leading climate change targets.”<br />
Mike Harrison has been a wheelchair user<br />
following a cycling collision 17 years ago. He<br />
said the news that pavement parkers were to<br />
be punished was “about time.”<br />
He said: “Vehicles on the pavement can be<br />
just a nuisance – or a severe obstacle. It<br />
increases my journey time, I’m often in<br />
danger of scratching my hands on a wall, or<br />
vegetation sticking out makes it difficult to<br />
get past.<br />
“Sometimes there is no way you can<br />
squeeze past, so you have to enter the road,<br />
and of course, you’re more vulnerable there,<br />
particularly with traffic coming bahind you.<br />
“The new enforcement will make it clear to<br />
people what is required and will make<br />
journeys safer and more convenient.”<br />
NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023 11
News<br />
Clevedon goes back to how it was<br />
– just £1.6m lighter in the wallet<br />
Colin Lilly<br />
Editor<br />
MSA GB <strong>Newslink</strong><br />
The controversial sea front road markings in<br />
the North Somerset town of Clevedon has<br />
once again hit the headlines. I have written of<br />
this saga a number of times during 2023.<br />
For new members and those unfamiliar<br />
with the story, this involves a change to the<br />
road layout and markings which came into<br />
place on the sea front despite opposition<br />
from various quarters. It involved a reduction<br />
in the number of parking places, their<br />
relocation into a ‘central lane’ (see photo), the<br />
installation of a two way cycle lane and some<br />
bizarre wavy road markings.<br />
It caused uproar at the time, and much<br />
confusion and criticism. Eventually, in<br />
September, the council employed an<br />
independent consultancy, Audit West, to<br />
review the scheme and other changes in<br />
nearby areas, including the introduction of<br />
one-way streets. The scheme initially was<br />
estimated to cost £200,520. By the time the<br />
scheme was completed, along with changes<br />
and modifications along the way, it came in at<br />
£1.3 million – a mere £1.1 million over budget.<br />
In November the council agreed to the<br />
consultant’s recommendations.<br />
They would remove the two-way cycle<br />
path and replace it with a contraflow cycle<br />
path to the eastern side of The Beach (the<br />
sea front faces west).<br />
The parallel parking would go, to be<br />
replaced by angled, sea-facing parking on The<br />
Beach. The irony of this is the removal of<br />
angled parking in the first place was probably<br />
the most controversial part of the scheme, as<br />
it had been a very popular feature for<br />
decades.<br />
In addition, a coach pick-up and drop-off<br />
point, and loading bay, would be introduced,<br />
as would a pedestrian crossing on The Beach.<br />
The mini roundabout on The Beach would<br />
change but the one-way system, 20mph<br />
zone and changes to the other roads in the<br />
area would stay.<br />
The changes are estimated to cost<br />
£375,000, and will be made during 2024.<br />
So, a scheme, which few outside the<br />
council supported, will end up costing around<br />
£1.6 million, to create something that already<br />
existed anyway apart from the introduction<br />
of a one-way system and a 20mph zone.<br />
What a happy council taxpayer am I!<br />
In the 1950s this could have been the<br />
subject of an Ealing comedy, unfortunately<br />
the title a Comedy of Errors has already been<br />
taken.<br />
When the scheme is returned to its former<br />
state, I will provide a photo in <strong>Newslink</strong>.<br />
Driver with 46 points avoids a ban<br />
Colin Lilly<br />
A driver from Bath who was caught speeding<br />
15 times on the same road in less than four<br />
months, amassing 46 points in the process,<br />
has escaped a ban after magistrates accepted<br />
his plea that losing his licence would have a<br />
detrimental effect on his family.<br />
Daniel John Bennett’s 46 points are almost<br />
four times the usual number that would lead<br />
to disqualification.<br />
The offences were committed on Lansdown<br />
Lane, Bath between March 12, 2023, and June<br />
28. He was caught travelling at between 28<br />
and 32 mph in what is a 20mph zone.<br />
To put this in context, Lansdown Lane is a<br />
hill on the edge of Bath which was the site of a<br />
four-fatality crash in 2015 involving a<br />
runaway 32-tonne tipper truck. A local<br />
four-year-old girl and three occupants of a<br />
car from Wales were killed.<br />
Addressing the concerns of local residents,<br />
the local authority introduced a number of<br />
traffic management features, including a fixed<br />
speed camera and a mobile camera site for<br />
those who thought it was okay to increase<br />
speed when outside the camera zone.<br />
Instead of the ban, the magistrates gave<br />
him three points for a combined 14 of the<br />
offences and four points for the 32mph<br />
offence. He was also fined £769 and ordered<br />
to pay a victim surcharge fee of £308 and a<br />
contribution of £95 towards prosecution<br />
costs, making a total court bill of £1,172.<br />
But the magistrates stepped back from<br />
their right to disqualify him after hearing how<br />
a ban would impact on his family.<br />
Drink-driving rules blurred<br />
The British Medical Association president<br />
has warned that the trend for larger and<br />
stronger alcoholic drinks means that “just<br />
having one” before you get behind the<br />
wheel is now too dangerous.<br />
Sir Ian Gilmore pointed out that when<br />
drink-driving rules were introduced, the<br />
idea you could have “one or two drinks was<br />
common”. But he cautioned that back in<br />
the 1970s a 125ml glass of 9 per cent wine<br />
was the usual measure, and beer was often<br />
3-4 per cent proof. Today wines of that<br />
strength are “virtually unheard of” and are<br />
served in 250ml glasses, while the trend<br />
for stronger ales means many beers are 6<br />
per cent proof.<br />
These bigger measures and stronger<br />
drinks have blurred how many units can be<br />
consumed, Sir Ian said, so the only safe<br />
option is to have none.<br />
12 NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023
For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com<br />
PCS ballot could derail DVSA<br />
L-test waiting time strategy<br />
MSA members will be concerned that the<br />
PCS union is currently balloting its driving<br />
examiner members on further industrial<br />
action in the new year.<br />
More than 1,900 members working for the<br />
DVSA are involved in the latest postal ballot,<br />
which will run until noon on <strong>December</strong> 13.<br />
The issue at stake is what the PCS has<br />
claimed to be an attempt by the DVSA to erode<br />
examiners’ terms and conditions by the way it<br />
has introduced the driver services recovery<br />
programme – the scheme by which DVSA<br />
hopes to reduce the L-test waiting times.<br />
The PCS said: “The DVSA is willing to<br />
jeopardise members’ safety, terms and<br />
conditions and the standards of safety that<br />
driving tests require to recover the backlog of<br />
tests that was their making. That’s why we<br />
want members to say ‘Yes’ to industrial action.”<br />
PCS complaints<br />
PCS is demanding written confirmation<br />
that there are no plans to introduce an<br />
eight-test day, the withdrawal of the cluster<br />
5-over-7 contracts, and the creation of<br />
acceptable overtime incentives and a new<br />
remuneration package to reward staff for<br />
their efforts during the recovery period.<br />
PCS also demands the return of driving<br />
examiner line management for certain staff<br />
and the removal of same grade peer-to-peer<br />
management, as well as a binding<br />
The European Transport Safety Council has<br />
welcomed the support of MEPs for<br />
improvements to the way dangerous driving<br />
is enforced across EU Member States.<br />
The MEPs backed a European<br />
Commission proposal to extend the scope of<br />
existing rules on cross-border enforcement<br />
of traffic penalties, and a new law which<br />
would see driving disqualifications issued in<br />
one Member State apply in all other EU<br />
countries.<br />
UK road safety groups said the moves<br />
were a sensible step in the right direction,<br />
but would not protect the UK roads from<br />
dangerous European nationals who were<br />
banned in their home nations as no<br />
reciprocal agreements of this kind are in<br />
memorandum of understanding on job and<br />
role security; and an agreement for a joint<br />
PCS and DVSA review and update of the lone<br />
working policy and processes of risk<br />
assessments.<br />
Some of its members were quoted on the<br />
PCS website as saying they felt strongly<br />
about voting Yes.<br />
One examiner, named as ‘Gary’, said: “I feel<br />
strongly about voting yes. I, like the<br />
overriding majority of my colleagues, are<br />
concerned about the test backlog and we<br />
have been working hard to try and get<br />
waiting lists down to a reasonable level since<br />
Covid. But the DVSA has now implemented a<br />
recovery plan, which not only doesn’t<br />
address the problem, but significantly and<br />
adversely affects staff from all parts of<br />
DVSA.”<br />
His colleague, ‘Caroline’ , said that she felt<br />
“this agency has changed for the worst over<br />
the last few years. It is clear that road safety<br />
and the well-being of staff do not appear to<br />
be on the list of priorities for this agency.”<br />
She adds. “Those in the decision-making<br />
roles seem unaware what the role of a driving<br />
examiner involves and that we should be<br />
providing an environment of safe driving for<br />
all.”<br />
The result of the ballot should be known<br />
before Christmas, with any strikes likely to<br />
take place at the end of January<br />
place between the UK and the EU since<br />
Brexit.<br />
MEPs are also backing penalties to be<br />
viewed as cross-Europe sanctions for ‘hit<br />
and run’ crashes, dangerous overtaking,<br />
wrong-way driving, use of an overloaded<br />
vehicle and some other offences.<br />
MEPs also want offences to be followed<br />
up more quickly by the home Member<br />
States once a penalty has been issued to a<br />
foreign resident driver.<br />
Unfortunately MEPs failed to agree to<br />
tackle the critical issue of penalty points. 22<br />
out of 27 EU Member States now have these<br />
systems, which discourage dangerous<br />
driving. ETSC says it’s essential that drivers<br />
also face these non-financial penalties when<br />
MSA GB commented: “We were hoping<br />
that the DVSA plan to reduce test waiting<br />
times had been approved by all stakeholders<br />
in the DVSA – including the examiners’ union.<br />
“There seems little point in the DVSA<br />
adding 2-300 new examiners to the roster as<br />
part of its post-Covid plan if it is then going to<br />
lose 1,900 examiners on a number of days<br />
through strike action, effectively undoing any<br />
improvements in the waiting times.<br />
“Once again it looks like ADIs and their<br />
pupils will be caught between this bickering<br />
couple. ”<br />
MEPs look to enforce driving bans across borders<br />
they commit traffic offences abroad.<br />
They also failed to address what to do<br />
with bans for speeding via the points<br />
system.<br />
The ETSC said that in principle, driving<br />
bans resulting from speeding should<br />
universally apply in other Member States.<br />
Ellen Townsend, Policy Director of ETSC<br />
commented: “Overall, today’s votes in the<br />
European Parliament are a positive step for<br />
road safety that could further cut the<br />
number of foreign-registered drivers that<br />
currently get away with dangerous driving<br />
outside of their home country.<br />
“There can be no justification for letting<br />
foreign-registered drivers off the hook<br />
while locals follow the rules.”<br />
NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023 13
News: NASP Q&A<br />
NASP pledges to keep pushing DVSA to<br />
improve training, and booking system<br />
MSA GB National Chairman Mike Yeomans<br />
joined fellow NASP representatives Carly<br />
Brookfield from the DIA and Lynne Barrie of<br />
the ADI NJC to answer ADIs’ questions in a<br />
special online Q&A session last month.<br />
The event’s focus was very much skewed<br />
towards the ongoing problems with L-test<br />
waiting times, though other issues were<br />
covered, including whether the Part 3 and<br />
Standards Check remained fit for purpose<br />
and concerns over an increase in imposters<br />
taking tests on behalf of others.<br />
After the DVSA’s major announcement in<br />
October that all staff who held an L-test<br />
warrant card would be transferred from their<br />
usual roles to testing duties in an attempt to<br />
blitz the backlog, it was disappointing that so<br />
far, no firm data had been released from<br />
DVSA as to how this approach was faring.<br />
Carly Brookfield suggested that the initiative<br />
may not be bearing fruit at the moment, “as<br />
I’m sure we’d have had a press release<br />
outlining the improvements by now if it was<br />
having a marked effect.”<br />
But the three NASP representatives<br />
agreed that it was a huge effort by the DVSA,<br />
and it was effectively increasing the examiner<br />
headcount by 230 - which could add up to<br />
150,000 extra test slots by the end of March,<br />
when the initiative is scheduled to end.<br />
The release of pent-up demand post-<br />
Covid, plus driving examiners’ recent<br />
industrial action, had increased waiting times,<br />
but another huge factor was the change in<br />
learners’ behaviour when it came to booking<br />
L-tests. Worried that they will struggle to<br />
get a test when they were ready to take it,<br />
many were booking one as soon as they<br />
started lessons, increasing demand and<br />
unbalancing the entire system.<br />
As of November 13 there were 562,296<br />
L-tests booked up to the end of the test<br />
booking window of 24 weeks - but within<br />
that same timeframe there were as many as<br />
82,000 tests available.<br />
The problem for many ADIs was that those<br />
tests were not necessarily available in their<br />
local test centres: there were still too many<br />
centres with 20+ week waiting times, while<br />
others had a little better availability.<br />
Lynne Barrie pointed out that in her local<br />
area, most new test bookings being made<br />
now were for April and May, but ADIs just 20<br />
miles away were reporting availability much<br />
sooner.<br />
Another concern was that this huge<br />
change in booking habits appeared to be<br />
increasing the number of ‘no shows’ and late<br />
cancellations as learners realised they had<br />
little chance of passing.<br />
Lynne commented that at her local DTC<br />
recently, she had seen five examiners going<br />
out for tests but two sitting idle because their<br />
tests had been cancelled last minute.<br />
Everyone hopes this new strategy is a<br />
success – though if it does succeed, it would<br />
beggar the question, why wasn’t it tried<br />
earlier?<br />
ADIs were told the DVSA was pulling out all<br />
the stops to cut waiting lists as soon as<br />
pandemic restrictions relaxed – so why wait<br />
two years to try this strategy?<br />
There was praise for the Ready to<br />
Pass campaign - with the<br />
suggestion that the DVSA should<br />
run a follow-up publicity drive to<br />
highlight the problems created by<br />
failing to show for tests, and using<br />
third party booking apps<br />
14 NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023
For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com<br />
Ready to Pass<br />
The DVSA’s Ready to Pass campaign was<br />
praised for raising awareness of the standard<br />
candidates needed to reach for their test, but<br />
Carly Brookfield suggested a follow-up<br />
campaign was needed to highlight the<br />
problems created by failing to appear for<br />
tests and using third party booking apps -<br />
even going as far as suggesting that learners<br />
could be sanctioned for failing to attend<br />
numerous times, perhaps by not allowing<br />
them to book a test for a period.<br />
“We need a tough and direct message to<br />
get out there, to stop people paying over the<br />
odds by booking tests through apps...<br />
perhaps we need to block people out of the<br />
system if they ‘fail to appear’ for tests several<br />
times,” suggested Carly.<br />
The clear problem was those running the<br />
bots were several steps ahead of the DVSA;<br />
“it’s a sad fact that the digital criminals are<br />
always ahead of the rest of society.”<br />
Mike Yeoman said his area of Hull was<br />
constantly receiving requests for lessons<br />
from people outside the area, and such<br />
moves were undermining the business model<br />
of being able to book L-tests.<br />
Focus on L-tests<br />
Switching all warrant card-holding staff to<br />
cover L-tests had led to the cancellation of<br />
many Part 3 tests, ORDIT assessments and<br />
Standards Checks. On the latter, only those<br />
ADIs who had previously failed a Standard<br />
Check, or whose pupils’ test performances<br />
were causing concern, would now receive one<br />
for the time being, and it was highly unlikely<br />
that any other Standards Checks would take<br />
place before the start of April.<br />
The same was true of ORDIT assessments,<br />
but anyone whose ORDIT registration was<br />
due to lapse needn’t worry, as this pause in<br />
activity would not lead to them losing their<br />
position on the ORDIT register.<br />
One online participant asked the NASP<br />
representatives if they considered the<br />
Standards Check and ADI Part 3 exam old<br />
fashioned and entirely in keeping with the<br />
modern demands placed on an ADI. NASP<br />
agreed it seemed dated, and the DVSA was<br />
concerned about the quality of training some<br />
new PDIs were receiving. Unfortunately the<br />
current situation meant it was impossible to<br />
do anything about it: any reforms of the<br />
system had been placed on the backburner as<br />
the DVSA sought to tackle test waiting times.<br />
TIP initiative<br />
The DVSA’s Test Information Programme<br />
(TIP) was reaping some benefits: it was<br />
becoming clear that a small number of ADIs<br />
were bringing learners to test who were not<br />
up to the standard, with Lynne Barrie saying<br />
that there were some ADIs with a 90 per cent<br />
test failure rate. These instructors were now<br />
being identified, and would receive a<br />
Standards Check.<br />
However, NASP still believed that the<br />
timing for bringing in TIP was poor, given<br />
L-test waiting times. While it was easy for<br />
the DVSA to say learners shouldn’t have a<br />
test unless they were clearly ready to pass, it<br />
was difficult to convince a pupil to cancel a<br />
test when they knew the waiting time at<br />
their local DTC was as high as five months.<br />
The DVSA has tweaked the parameters on<br />
the TIP after pressure from NASP, and fewer<br />
ADIs were now falling into the ‘concern’<br />
category over their pupils’ L-test<br />
performance. The number of ADIs in this<br />
category had fallen from 10,000 – a quarter<br />
of the Register – to 4,000. NASP would<br />
continue to keep a sharp eye on how TIP was<br />
working.<br />
Testing and training reforms<br />
There was a certain amount of frustration<br />
creeping in to NASP’s conversations with the<br />
DVSA over reforms to its tests and processes.<br />
Continued on page 16<br />
NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023 15
News: NASP Q&A<br />
Continued from page 15<br />
The usual refrain that legislation was<br />
required to alter, for instance, Parts 1, 2 and 3<br />
of ADI qualifying seemed a little weak - in<br />
Carly Brookfield’s words, “we’re getting sick<br />
of the excuses for not making qualifying<br />
better aligned with the Standards Check and<br />
the client-centred learning that is expected.”<br />
There was still too much emphasis in the<br />
Part 3 exam on fault spotting: “This is not<br />
coaching, or client-centred learning.”<br />
Mike Yeoman suggested that what was<br />
needed was a fresh look at the L-test – “to<br />
move it away from a fault-based assessment,<br />
which it is at the moment, to a more<br />
expansive drive in which candidates can gain<br />
marks by handling situations well.”<br />
Lynne Barrie agreed that the current test<br />
“doesn’t always bring out the best elements<br />
of your pupil’s ability.”<br />
Trainee licences<br />
NASP has raised the issue of trainee<br />
licences being extended, as accessing Part 3<br />
tests was becoming difficult. From the start<br />
of Part 1, trainees have two years to book<br />
their Part 3 test, but while that timeframe<br />
was fair in normal circumstances, with fewer<br />
Part 3s available now, some trainees are<br />
starting to struggle to find a test before their<br />
two-year qualification period expired.<br />
So far the DVSA has not intimated it would<br />
relax this timeframe, but NASP would keep<br />
pushing for it.<br />
Changes to the qualification system<br />
Looking ahead to how the system could be<br />
reformed in the future, it was suggested that<br />
the DVSA may not be the best organisation<br />
to run the training and monitoring process of<br />
ADIs. “Perhaps it should simply focus on<br />
testing,” was one suggestion, “and leave<br />
professional qualifications and subsequent<br />
assessments to outside bodies.”<br />
On examiner quality, the DVSA is aware<br />
that some of its examiners are not of the<br />
standard required and it is looking into the<br />
issue – in some areas, “different standards<br />
seem to be being applied on tests.”<br />
Pass Plus - future initiatives?<br />
One questioner asked whether Pass Plus<br />
could be made mandatory – or is it now<br />
out-dated?<br />
With learners now allowed on motorways<br />
and fewer insurance companies recognising<br />
Pass Plus with lower premiums, it seemed<br />
unlikely that Pass Plus would become<br />
mandatory.<br />
However, a DIA-led project called<br />
Milestones could lead to major changes in the<br />
“Mike Yeoman suggested that what was needed was a fresh look at<br />
the L-test – ‘to move it away from a fault-based assessment, which<br />
it is at the moment, to a more expansive drive in which<br />
candidates can gain marks by handling situations well.’<br />
Lynne Barrie agreed that the current test ‘doesn’t always bring out<br />
the best elements of your pupil’s ability.’<br />
way people learned to drive, said Carly<br />
Brookfield. Milestones was a modular<br />
programme in which learners worked through<br />
a pre-planned curriculum in stages, in a<br />
graduated learning process. This would then<br />
be followed by an L-test, and rounded off by a<br />
post-test module.<br />
The DVSA is awaiting results from the trial,<br />
to gauge its effectiveness.<br />
Digital dilemma<br />
Returning to L-test bookings, could the<br />
DVSA create its own app to counter the bots,<br />
asked one ADI? Carly said that the DVSA was<br />
not digitally proficient enough to do so; it’s<br />
booking system was creaking at the knees<br />
already, and she wondered what had<br />
happened to Loveday Ryder’s promise on<br />
taking over at the agency, of securing<br />
funding for a comprehensive overhaul of its IT<br />
systems. The need to build a booking system<br />
that works for ADIs and pupils was a priority.<br />
SEN in theory test centres<br />
Another questioner asked if NASP could<br />
press the DVSA to allow learners with SEN to<br />
access theory test centres before their test,<br />
to familiarise themselves with the lay-out<br />
and format prior to a test. Some pupils with<br />
SEN struggle to adapt to new settings and<br />
environments.<br />
Mike Yeomans said work was underway to<br />
do something on this: “I know the DVSA is<br />
working on a video explaining the theory test<br />
process, but that work has been held up by<br />
the focus on L-test waiting times.”<br />
B + E tests<br />
The removal of B + E testing still rankled<br />
with some on the Q&A, and it was suggested<br />
that the DfT now had its beady eye on D1 and<br />
C1 testing too. NASP had lobbied hard to<br />
prevent the removal of B + E testing, and had<br />
then worked to create the ‘Safe towing’<br />
accreditation, but there were still major<br />
concerns that the loss of B+ E testing could<br />
create road safety issues in the future.<br />
It was particularly frustrating that B + E<br />
tests had been sacrificed to provide extra<br />
LGV test slots, but the alleged demand for<br />
these appears to have been over-estimated.<br />
Test imposters<br />
The increase in people taking driving and<br />
theory tests on behalf of others was a<br />
concern, said NASP. It was suggested that<br />
people guilty of such frauds be blocked out of<br />
the booking system for a period, as they were<br />
clearly exhibiting risky behaviour in this<br />
regard which would possibly be carried over<br />
into their driving at a later stage.<br />
“People who make bad choices to commit<br />
an L-test fraud are likely to make bad choices<br />
on the road, too.”<br />
Driver training syllabus<br />
One questioner asked if NASP agreed with<br />
the current driver training syllabus? Not<br />
everything, which was why NASP is<br />
constantly pushing the DVSA to make<br />
improvements and would continue to do so.<br />
Improving driver standards and road safety<br />
was a constant fight that NASP would<br />
continue to lead.<br />
Sharing TIP data<br />
There was concern that ADIs’ TIP data<br />
could be published by the DVSA at some<br />
point in the future, in an attempt to help the<br />
public identify the best-performing ADIs.<br />
Lynne Barrie pointed out that many ADIs had<br />
concerns over such data being released<br />
without their consent; if an ADI wanted to<br />
publicise their L-test results, that was for<br />
them, but not all wanted to do so, particularly<br />
those ADIs who specialisied in training more<br />
challenging pupils.<br />
Finally, the panel was asked why it had not<br />
simply rejected the TIP initiative when it was<br />
first brought in? NASP had pushed back<br />
against the DVSA’s plans, but it had felt like a<br />
fait accompli when it was introduced as it had<br />
the backing of the Government. It was felt<br />
that TIP would help protect the public from<br />
poor-performing ADIs. “We will have to show<br />
that TIP is providing a lot of bad data before<br />
the DVSA would contemplate scrapping it,”<br />
was the verdict.<br />
However, NASP was getting results on TIP:<br />
Mike Yeomans pointed out that it was<br />
pressure from NASP that had forced the<br />
DVSA to adjust the parameters under which<br />
ADIs were classed as a cause for concern.<br />
16 NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023
For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com<br />
Shock tactics won’t make young<br />
people drive safely, survey finds<br />
ADIs who use shock tactics to get over the<br />
dangers of reckless driving to their pupils are<br />
probably wasting their time, a new survey<br />
has found, as it does little to improve safety<br />
and may actually make things worse.<br />
The study, carried out by Dr Elizabeth Box,<br />
research director at the RAC Foundation,<br />
found such approaches can prompt defensive<br />
or even hostile reactions, particularly among<br />
young men. They are also likely to experience<br />
optimism bias about their own capabilities<br />
and the scale of their risk exposure.<br />
The study found that, rather than stating<br />
the dangers, a more interactive approach is<br />
better, where the facts about road safety are<br />
shared and young participants are<br />
encouraged to come to their own conclusions<br />
about what good driving behaviour looks like.<br />
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC<br />
Foundation, said: “In a world where young<br />
drivers are bombarded with numerous<br />
influences, we must harness the power of<br />
evidence-based interventions, behavioural<br />
theories, and psychological insights to create<br />
programmes that resonate with their needs<br />
and the realities they face.<br />
“This report underscores the importance<br />
of moving beyond traditional approaches,<br />
such as ‘shock and tell’ testimonial events,<br />
which may yield strong reactions but often<br />
fail to leave a lasting impact.”<br />
Dr Box’s report, Empowering Young Drivers<br />
with Road Safety Education, found that<br />
improving road safety was best by using<br />
interventions based on research evidence<br />
and behavioural theory rather than intuition<br />
and personal knowledge. Road safety<br />
education needs to be subtle and<br />
sympathetic to the physiological changes<br />
young brains are going through, and young<br />
people’s attitudes to risk.<br />
Her research included a project called<br />
DriveFit which consisted of a 40-minute film<br />
followed by a 45-minute online workshop<br />
two weeks later.<br />
The film features expert guests in a talk<br />
show-style format offering information,<br />
demonstrations and tips about how young<br />
drivers can understand the implications of<br />
risky driving behaviour such as speeding,<br />
tiredness, mobile phone use and intoxication.<br />
The workshops then allow young people to<br />
discuss the film and extract relevant learning<br />
for their own personal situations.<br />
Steve Gooding added: “The findings<br />
presented echo a growing consensus that<br />
“This report underscores the<br />
importance of moving beyond<br />
traditional approaches, such<br />
as ‘shock and tell’ testimonial<br />
events, which may yield strong<br />
reactions but often fail to leave<br />
a lasting impact.”<br />
our approach to road safety education must<br />
evolve. It is not enough to impart information<br />
about risks; we must also empower young<br />
and pre-drivers with cognitive skills, hazard<br />
perception abilities, and the capacity to make<br />
safe choices in the face of distractions, peer<br />
influence, and fatigue.<br />
“The DriveFit intervention case study<br />
included in the report, which recently<br />
received a Prince Michael International Road<br />
Safety Award, demonstrates that thoughtful<br />
design and assessment can yield positive<br />
results. While the improvements may be<br />
modest, they represent the important<br />
incremental steps that lead us towards safer<br />
outcomes for this at-risk group.”<br />
Let’s talk about speed, says Brake as deaths rise<br />
Road safety charity Brake has called for a<br />
national conversation on speeding in the way<br />
people did about drink-driving after DfT<br />
statistics revealed a 10% increase on road<br />
deaths in 2022.<br />
Crucially, road deaths caused by drivers<br />
exceeding the speed limt were up by 20%.<br />
Brake made its call as the UK marked<br />
National Road Safety Week in November. Its<br />
own survey found that while overwhelmingly<br />
drivers supported local speed limits, a third<br />
admitted speeding and 40% said they<br />
thought going over the speed limit “by just a<br />
bit” was okay.<br />
While there has been controversy over<br />
speed limits being reduced from 30mph to<br />
20mph in built-up areas in Wales, two-fifths<br />
agreed with the lower limit.<br />
Ross Moorlock, interim CEO at Brake, said:<br />
“Road death is sudden. It’s traumatic. It<br />
sends shockwaves across families, schools,<br />
workplaces and communities. This year, we<br />
have already supported more than 1,500<br />
people affected by road crashes through our<br />
National Road Victim Service.<br />
“Today, five people will be killed on our<br />
roads. And tomorrow, another five won’t<br />
make it home to their families. And so on, and<br />
so on, until we all say ‘Enough!’ and start<br />
taking responsibility for each other’s safety<br />
on the road.<br />
“The speed we choose to drive at can<br />
mean the difference between life and death.<br />
Our speed dictates whether we can stop in<br />
time to avoid a crash, and the force of impact<br />
if we can’t stop. This Road Safety Week,<br />
whoever you are, and however you travel, I<br />
urge you to join the conversation and talk<br />
about speed. Please talk to as many people<br />
as you can to find out why, when five people<br />
die on our roads every day, so many of us<br />
still choose to drive too fast.”<br />
The charity wants a national conversation<br />
on speed, to raise awareness of the dangers<br />
of excessive and inappropriate speed, and<br />
challenge drivers who people still think it is<br />
acceptable to drive faster than the limit.<br />
NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023 17
Towards your CPD: L-test data<br />
Steering a path through<br />
the TIP minefield<br />
Understanding the ADI Driving<br />
Test Data Report, which is<br />
available to all ADIs by clicking<br />
on the link at the end of this<br />
article, forms an essential part<br />
of our CPD, but only if what is<br />
being recorded is understood.<br />
Steve Garrod takes a closer look<br />
The first thing to say on your L-test data<br />
report is that like a lot of things in life, some<br />
headings are easier to interpret than others.<br />
For example, ‘Use of Mirrors’ before<br />
‘signalling’, ‘changing direction’ and ‘changing<br />
speed’ can be easier to understand than<br />
‘Steering’.<br />
It is important to point out, however, that it<br />
is making effective observation rather than<br />
looking at the mirrors that is marked, and<br />
changing speed means accelerating as well<br />
as slowing down. Changing direction is often<br />
marked when candidates are moving back to<br />
the left after passing a bus or a delivery van<br />
which is about to, or in the process of, moving<br />
off, as well as checking to the right before<br />
passing them.<br />
The reason for using ‘Steering’ as an<br />
example is because it was the subject that<br />
brought up more questions than any other<br />
heading at a recent Standards Check<br />
workshop. Steering can be quite difficult to<br />
interpret unless present at an end-of-test<br />
debrief. ‘Steering’ could mean not steering<br />
correctly at junctions, eg understeering or<br />
oversteering (not steering enough and<br />
maybe entering a side road on the wrong side<br />
of the road, or steering too much and having<br />
problems with straightening up having<br />
turned).<br />
But ‘steering’ can also be mixed up with<br />
‘Meeting Traffic’ or ‘Adequate clearance’. For<br />
example, if a candidate leaves it late to steer<br />
around a parked vehicle having given way to<br />
an oncoming vehicle, then this is marked as a<br />
steering fault. If you are conducting a mock<br />
test, then think about how you would debrief<br />
the fault. “You left it late to steer around the<br />
parked vehicle, causing you to steer onto the<br />
other side of the road due the lack of<br />
available space to turn’. When teaching we<br />
like to see our clients steer on a shallow angle<br />
past a parked vehicle wherever possible to<br />
reduce the amount of space needed on the<br />
opposite side of the road.<br />
Steering can also mean clipping or<br />
mounting the kerb or pavement when<br />
turning left or pulling up by the side of the<br />
road. From a teaching point of view, you could<br />
ask how to avoid this fault and the answer<br />
would normally be to steer later, when<br />
turning left, or straightening up earlier when<br />
pulling up next to the kerb.<br />
Interestingly, when pulling up, if the<br />
pavement is mounted but the fault is<br />
corrected and the car comes to rest with all<br />
four wheels on the road, then this is a<br />
steering fault, but if a wheel is left on the<br />
kerb, then this is marked as ‘Position for<br />
normal stops’<br />
Steering can also be marked when<br />
cornering – for example, if a driver is too<br />
close to a kerb or too near the centre of the<br />
road. It can be mistaken for road positioning,<br />
but if the position was correct upon entering<br />
the bend, then you need to ask yourself how<br />
the fault could be corrected. If a solid white<br />
line crossed or straddled, then a fault would<br />
be recorded under ‘Road markings.’<br />
Likewise, when turning right, if a driver<br />
goes past their point of turn, which is often<br />
caused by focusing on oncoming traffic and<br />
steering late, this is marked as a steering<br />
fault.<br />
Sometimes it can be tricky to assess a<br />
steering fault if a candidate approaches a<br />
junction too quickly. If it results in entering<br />
the side road on the wrong side of the road,<br />
then it could be marked as ‘steering’ as the<br />
effect of the fault was to steer onto the<br />
wrong side of the road, even though the<br />
cause of the fault was the speed on approach.<br />
18 NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023
For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com<br />
It is one of those situations where if one of<br />
these faults has already been marked as a<br />
serious fault, then the other fault may be<br />
marked.<br />
Contrary to belief, the method of steering<br />
is not marked unless it causes a problem. So,<br />
if someone crosses their hands while<br />
steering it is only marked if there is a problem.<br />
It may not be how we like to see someone<br />
steer, and it should be pointed out to the pupil<br />
why we teach the ‘Pull Push’ method, as it is<br />
considered to be a safer and more efficient<br />
method of steering. In much the same way as<br />
we teach ‘Handbrake, then neutral’ when<br />
coming to rest. It encourages the driver to<br />
stop before selecting neutral, but so long as<br />
we have come to rest, selecting neutral<br />
before applying the handbrake is not a fault.<br />
As for myself, I always encourage my learners<br />
to come to rest, then take a deep breath<br />
before saying ‘Hhhhhhaaaaaandbrake’!<br />
Another heading that can cause confusion<br />
is ‘Controlled stop’. It is only the stop itself is<br />
marked, either not quick enough or not<br />
keeping the vehicle under control. Failing to<br />
check blind spots correctly after the stop is<br />
marked under ‘Move off safely’ and not under<br />
the Controlled stop.<br />
Other control faults are Accelerator. This is<br />
not often marked but generally refers to<br />
erratic use, such as not accelerating<br />
smoothly, of failing to come off the<br />
accelerator when changing gear. If the engine<br />
“Contrary to belief, the method<br />
of steering is not marked unless<br />
it causes a problem. So, if<br />
someone crosses their hands<br />
while steering it is only marked<br />
if there is a problem....”<br />
is revved at a pedestrian crossing, then it is<br />
marked under ‘Pedestrian crossings’, and if<br />
used too harshly then it could be recorded as<br />
a fault under ‘Eco safe Control’ or use of<br />
speed. This is the same for a ‘Footbrake’ fault.<br />
Late braking is marked in the ‘Eco safe<br />
planning’ box, then as a footbrake fault after<br />
that. Other footbrake faults could be stopping<br />
too short of a Give Way line, meaning the view<br />
into the new road is restricted.<br />
Clutch faults are rare because coasting is<br />
recorded under ‘gears’ as the gears are not<br />
properly engaged. Clutch faults are usually<br />
recorded for not pressing it down sufficiently<br />
when stopping, and subsequently stalling.<br />
A gear fault, particularly changing to a<br />
lower gear, is associated with lack of forward<br />
planning, especially when going up a steep<br />
hill. Allowing the engine to labour often leads<br />
to a rushed gear change and subsequent<br />
incorrect gear selections, such as 4th gear<br />
instead of 2nd gear.<br />
Driving in too low a gear for too long with<br />
the engine over-revving could be an Eco safe<br />
fault, and then a gear fault.<br />
The <strong>final</strong> heading in this section is<br />
‘Handbrake’. This could be for not applying it<br />
properly when coming to rest and allowing<br />
the car to roll backwards, or applying it when<br />
not fully at rest. It can be marked if it is left on<br />
having moved off, although this fault would<br />
initially be recorded under ‘Moving off<br />
control’.<br />
I hope this has helped to demystify how<br />
some of the faults are recorded, but it is no<br />
substitute for either going out on a test or<br />
listening to the end-of-test debrief.<br />
Below you’ll find the link for your form. I<br />
wish you all a very happy festive or holiday<br />
period and we’ll be ready to go in the New<br />
Year!<br />
Click on this panel<br />
to go to your TIP<br />
data<br />
NEWSLINK ■ DECEMBER 2023 19
Towards your CPD<br />
Car fires: A<br />
burning issue<br />
Why do cars catch fire? Tom<br />
Harrington takes a look at the<br />
reasons behind car fires, how<br />
they can be prevented and<br />
whether having more electric<br />
vehicles on the road will make<br />
the problem better -or worse<br />
How likely is your car to catch fire while you’re<br />
driving it?<br />
It’s the stuff of nightmares – seeing smoke<br />
or flames appear as you are inside a moving<br />
vehicle. Thankfully, it’s not very likely.<br />
Despite the number of combustible<br />
materials that comprise a vehicle, most<br />
drivers won’t ever experience a spontaneous<br />
vehicle fire, and modern manufacturing has<br />
meant that vehicle fires on the road have<br />
dropped significantly in the past couple of<br />
decades.<br />
Even so, a report into car fires in Ireland<br />
found that Irish fire brigades attended over<br />
2,300 vehicle fires in 2019, and the AA<br />
reported 1 or 2 vehicle fires a week affecting<br />
traffic on Ireland’s main routes between June<br />
2020 and June 2021. Not all of these turn into<br />
fully-fledged fires – some are stopped<br />
quickly, and others are false alarms.<br />
A Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) spokesman told<br />
us that “quite often steam from a car’s<br />
radiator or dust from the safety airbags can<br />
be mistaken for smoke.”<br />
That said, better safe than sorry – you<br />
should treat any steam or smoke as a<br />
potential fire until you’ve confirmed it’s not.<br />
Causes of car fires<br />
Arson: The biggest cause of vehicle fires<br />
attended by fire brigades is arson or<br />
vandalism of parked vehicles. Dublin Fire<br />
Brigade has said that most of the car fires<br />
they attended in 2020 were due to arson,<br />
echoing comments made by by James Long,<br />
an Irish lecturer and President of the Society<br />
of Automotive Forensic Engineers, who said<br />
most fires he has investigated have had a<br />
deliberate cause.<br />
Figures for the UK show that around half of<br />
all vehicle fires between 2015 and 2020 were<br />
“deliberate”, and that’s before you count<br />
accidental fires caused by human activity.<br />
Spontaneous fire: This would be the kind<br />
of fire that would have most instructors<br />
worried: could my car burst into flames?<br />
While obviously a big problem, it’s<br />
relatively rare for a vehicle to catch fire while<br />
you’re driving ‘spontaneously’, although they<br />
do happen. A study by the US National Fire<br />
Prevention Association found that the most<br />
common cause of ‘highway fires’ – nondeliberate<br />
vehicle fires on the road or at the<br />
roadside – was mechanical faults, accounting<br />
for around half the highway fires in the US<br />
between 2013 and 2017. Electrical faults<br />
caused another fifth. With improvements in<br />
manufacturing and tighter regulations on<br />
roadworthiness, though, this type of fire is<br />
getting rarer – the US study shows they have<br />
dropped by 80% between 1980 and 2019.<br />
20 NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023
For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com<br />
Collisions: Fires can also result from<br />
collisions, especially if the vehicle is badly<br />
damaged and fuel leaks on to hot<br />
components. DFB say that this is also,<br />
thankfully, rare: “Modern car design takes<br />
into account collisions, and as such, [they are]<br />
designed to prevent fire following a collision.”<br />
The data from the US showed that only 4%<br />
of car fires on the roads were caused by<br />
collisions, but those tend to be serious –<br />
two-thirds of deaths associated with car<br />
fires happened when there had been a<br />
collision first.<br />
Batteries (for EVs): While electric vehicles<br />
do not run the risk of fuel leaks, there is still a<br />
combustion risk from lithium-ion batteries,<br />
especially at hot temperatures. Fires caused<br />
by or affecting the battery of an EV may need<br />
different treatment, and a damaged battery<br />
could reignite hours later if it retained a<br />
charge.<br />
Tyres: Tyres can also catch fire and are<br />
particularly hard to put out. Poorly inflated<br />
tyres rubbing against a solid surface on the<br />
chassis can reach ignition temperatures, or a<br />
failed brake lock system can cause heat too.<br />
Surprising other causes: James Long<br />
identified some surprising causes of vehicle<br />
fires, too. For instance, those slovenly drivers<br />
who throw a cigarette stub out of their<br />
window can get their just desserts if it is<br />
sucked back in as the vehicle moves and may<br />
smoulder in the backseat without a driver<br />
noticing. This form of instant justice has<br />
become less likely in recent years, however,<br />
with flame-retardant seat covers a legal<br />
obligation for manufacturers, but it could<br />
cause a problem if there were papers or some<br />
other flammable material on the back seat.<br />
Another odd one comes from fallen<br />
autumn leaves or branches under a vehicle in<br />
a parking spot, which can be drawn into a<br />
vehicle’s catalytic convertor as the driver<br />
starts the engine. Similarly, debris on the<br />
roadway can get caught in wheels or axles<br />
and cause friction fires – this can be a cause<br />
of truck fires, according to the Australian<br />
Road Transport Suppliers Association.<br />
Can a parked car catch fire?<br />
An extremely rare but possible cause of a<br />
fire in a parked vehicle is refracted sunlight<br />
from a reflective object – a non-tinted<br />
pocket mirror left on a seat, for example, or in<br />
a really unusual case, a bottle of water. This is<br />
unlikely to develop into a full fire, given that<br />
seat covers must be flame-retardant, but<br />
could burn holes in upholstery if left<br />
unchecked. Particularly true if the object that<br />
channels the light into a flame is sat on<br />
combustible materials.<br />
What do I do if my car catches fire or I see<br />
smoke while driving?<br />
Stop, pull into a safe place, get all<br />
passengers out of the vehicle and call the<br />
emergency services. As James Long points<br />
out, “the electrical system can get<br />
compromised in a fire and that could affect<br />
your central locking”, so you don’t want to<br />
delay leaving the vehicle.<br />
If it’s safe, you could use an extinguisher to<br />
tackle a small external fire, but don’t put<br />
yourself at risk – as DFB remind us, “a car<br />
can be replaced, you can’t”.<br />
Long also advises against opening the<br />
bonnet if smoke is coming out, as you could<br />
inadvertently make matters worse by<br />
introducing more oxygen to the flames.<br />
Step away from the live lanes once you get<br />
out of the car, and get behind a crash barrier<br />
if there is one because other drivers may not<br />
see you with smoke or flames in their line of<br />
vision.<br />
Stay well away from the vehicle – both<br />
DFB and James Long cite toxic chemicals as a<br />
risk to those near car fires, especially if the<br />
refrigerant or other fuels start to burn, and<br />
there is a danger of injury from smoke<br />
inhalation.<br />
One thing that is unlikely to happen is the<br />
Hollywood-style explosion; rather “tyres can<br />
pop, and boot/bonnet struts can fire off like<br />
missiles”.<br />
It’s a good idea to get as far as you can<br />
away from the vehicle, as there have been<br />
recorded cases of gas springs shooting from<br />
the car.<br />
If you can see or smell fuel after a collision,<br />
it’s best to err on the side of caution and<br />
move away from the vehicle too.<br />
It’s also worth telling the emergency<br />
services what type of vehicle it is from the<br />
offset and if you were carrying any<br />
flammable cargo that would require different<br />
treatment.<br />
A fire in an electric vehicle usually needs<br />
more water than an ICE one, and their<br />
An apology<br />
In the November<br />
issue, we neglected<br />
to acknowledge<br />
Tom Harrington as<br />
the author of the<br />
piece we published<br />
on colour blindness.<br />
Apologies, and glad<br />
to put that oversight<br />
right in this issue.<br />
batteries need careful treatment, as they<br />
have been known to suddenly reignite hours<br />
later. (See next page for more)<br />
How do you prevent a car fire?<br />
Keeping on top of your vehicle’s<br />
maintenance and getting it serviced regularly<br />
is the best way to avoid a spontaneous fire,<br />
given that around two-in-three roadside fires<br />
are caused by mechanical or electric faults.<br />
Never ignore a warning light on your<br />
dashboard; if your vehicle is part of a product<br />
recall, don’t wait to return it. You might avoid<br />
some short-term inconvenience, but it could<br />
result in a much larger problem or even<br />
serious injury if a fire broke out.<br />
The older your vehicle is, the more<br />
important it is to keep on top of your<br />
maintenance.<br />
In the US, roughly three-quarters of the<br />
fires attributed to faults in 2017 involved cars<br />
that were at least ten years old. Also, some<br />
faults develop over time rather than<br />
suddenly, especially if caused by fraying<br />
electrical wires, insulation or rubbing of fuel<br />
lines.<br />
This means a regular service might catch<br />
the issue before it catches fire. The AA offers<br />
an approved car service from trusted garages<br />
around the country.<br />
Hybrids – the worst offenders<br />
A recent study by US insurer, Auto<br />
Insurance EZ found that hybrid cars had the<br />
worst fire record, while EVs were the least<br />
likely type of car to catch fire.<br />
Hybrid cars had 3,474.5 fires per 100,000<br />
sale; petrol cars had 1,529.9 fires per 100,000<br />
sales and EVs had just 25.1 fires per 100,000<br />
sales.<br />
The primary cause of fires in EVs are<br />
batteries, according to AutoinsuranceEZ.<br />
There were 82,000 Hyundai Kona EVs in a<br />
fire risk recall in the US because of the<br />
battery.<br />
Continued on page 22<br />
NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023 21
Towards your CPD<br />
Continued from page 21<br />
In the US a major recall of the Chevrolet<br />
Volt EV entailed 70,000 vehicles. And what<br />
about hybrid recalls because of battery<br />
problems? There were 27,600 Chrysler<br />
Pacifica vehicles recalled because of fire risk.<br />
And there have been a total of 4,500 vehicles<br />
recalled for batteries being a fire risk among<br />
the following ranges: the BMW 530e,<br />
xDrive30e, Mini Cooper Countryman AII4 SE,<br />
i8, 330e, 745Le xDrive and X5xDrive45e.<br />
Electric car fires<br />
So, although EVs catch fire far less<br />
frequently than hybrid or petrol cars when<br />
they do, it’s a different type of fire due to<br />
lithium-ion batteries, AutoinsuranceEZ<br />
reported. EV fires are significantly harder to<br />
put out, and firefighters need special training<br />
to do so. This is because the lithium-ion<br />
batteries are essentially a fuel source so the<br />
fire can burn for hours and be very difficult for<br />
firefighters to cool down.<br />
Over-charging and high temperatures are<br />
risks for lithium-ion battery fires.<br />
Tips to prevent battery fires in EV vehicles<br />
One of the main triggers for battery fires is<br />
high temperatures. This is of great<br />
importance in countries like Australia, with<br />
extreme summer temperatures. If an EV<br />
battery is exposed to extreme temperatures<br />
– 50 deg C + – then exothermic reactions<br />
On <strong>December</strong> 7, 2022,<br />
several electric vehicles<br />
being transported by<br />
truck went up in flames<br />
on the M1.<br />
can get triggered and generate more heat.<br />
Also, charging at high temperatures can lead<br />
to a gas generation that can ultimately lead to<br />
the car catching fire.<br />
It is advised to avoid parking in direct<br />
sunlight or leaving your EV in hot<br />
surroundings. Keep batteries in cool, dry<br />
areas with adequate ventilation.<br />
Don’t overcharge: The EV should be<br />
unplugged before the battery is at full<br />
capacity. It is also dangerous for battery<br />
health to leave it completely drained.<br />
Batteries should be charged when they are<br />
between 20-80 per cent capacity.<br />
Damage from the road: Potholes, rocks, or<br />
other debris from the road can be very<br />
dangerous for batteries, with side impacts or<br />
underside punctures posing a great threat.<br />
Damaged batteries should be taken<br />
immediately to a qualified electrician.<br />
Let the EV cool down: Don’t start charging<br />
as soon as the car stops because the<br />
lithium-ion battery is very hot. Let the<br />
system cool down before you plug it in.<br />
Finally: The story goes that a motorist<br />
whose car caught fire, ran to a house and<br />
asked an elderly lady for some water to put<br />
out the fire. The lady replied – “Hot or cold”?<br />
Never leave your Chevy Volt parked upside down ...<br />
Much of the debate around electric vehicles<br />
catching fire stems from 2012, when US<br />
crash investigators were left baffled after<br />
two unattended Chevy Volts caught fire and<br />
burned down garages within weeks of each<br />
other.<br />
A little history is in order. At the time the<br />
NHTSA was putting the Chevy Volt through<br />
crash simulations. In one test, a Volt was<br />
subjected to a side impact and a simulated<br />
roll. The Volt was then placed outside in an<br />
inverted position with a fully charged<br />
battery. Though it is standard practice to<br />
remove the energy in the form of gasoline<br />
from a test vehicle, the Volt was left fully<br />
charged in the inverted position. Days later,<br />
the Volt battery caught fire.<br />
The NHTSA then ordered three batteries<br />
from Chevrolet. They began a series of<br />
impact tests on the independent batteries<br />
outside of the vehicles. The first battery<br />
produced no thermal action. The second and<br />
third caught fire. A report was released to the<br />
public and within weeks two garage fires<br />
were reported simultaneously, one in<br />
Connecticut and one in North Carolina. It<br />
would be reported months later after a<br />
thorough investigation that neither of the<br />
Volts nor the EVSEs was deemed responsible<br />
for the fires, but the media damage was done<br />
and the narrative began that EVs are<br />
susceptible to catch fire.<br />
So, which vehicle is more likely to catch<br />
fire, and are their fires equal? Maybe the<br />
closest we have to an answer is data<br />
provided by Steven Risser, senior leader for<br />
Battelle, a non-profit research and<br />
development firm, and one of the leading<br />
experts on the risk of fires in electric<br />
vehicles.<br />
Steven said: “The propensity and severity<br />
of fires and explosions from lithium-ion<br />
battery systems are somewhat comparable<br />
to or perhaps slightly less than those for<br />
gasoline or diesel fuels, according to an<br />
in-depth investigation in 2017.”<br />
Tesla claims that gasoline powered cars<br />
are about 11 times more likely to catch fire<br />
than one of its cars, and it can back that stat<br />
up: its 500,000 EVs produced globally have<br />
covered accumulative 10 billion EV miles, and<br />
according to Elon Musk, there have been just<br />
five fires per billion miles for Tesla. Most Tesla<br />
fires occur after high-speed violent crashes.<br />
It’s also worth noting that the number of<br />
Tesla fires have been reduced since it added<br />
additional metal plating to protect the<br />
battery. Steven Risser added that a little<br />
more data is needed but for the time being, it<br />
appears that time and data are tracking in<br />
EVs’ favour.<br />
When so-called legacy manufacturers<br />
reach a point where their profits depend on<br />
EV sales, then maybe we will get the rest of<br />
the data that EV enthusiasts suspect: that<br />
this has been ‘fake news’ from the start.<br />
22 NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023
For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com<br />
Navigating the digital roads: A guide for ADIs on<br />
getting social media to work in your favour<br />
As members of the Motor Schools<br />
Association of Great Britain (MSA GB), we<br />
recognise the importance of embracing<br />
digital platforms to educate our students,<br />
elevate our profiles, and stay abreast of<br />
industry updates, including valuable insights<br />
from MSA GB.<br />
The power of social media for ADIs<br />
Social media has become a dynamic tool<br />
for driving instructors to engage with their<br />
students, showcase their expertise, and keep<br />
up with industry trends. Here’s how you can<br />
lever social media to drive success in your<br />
driving instructor business:<br />
1. Educate Your students<br />
- Share informative and visually appealing<br />
content, such as road safety tips, driving<br />
techniques, and updates on driving<br />
regulations.<br />
- Create short video clips demonstrating<br />
common driving scenarios or providing<br />
tutorials on specific manoeuvres.<br />
2. Raise Your profile<br />
- Showcase your achievements,<br />
certifications, and positive reviews to build<br />
trust with potential students.<br />
- Share success stories and testimonials<br />
from satisfied students to demonstrate your<br />
teaching prowess.<br />
3. Stay informed with industry news<br />
- Follow MSA GB on social media platforms<br />
to stay updated on the latest industry news,<br />
regulations, and educational resources.<br />
- Engage in discussions with fellow<br />
instructors, exchanging insights and best<br />
practices.<br />
4. Promote special offers and discounts<br />
- Use social media to announce<br />
promotions, discounts, or package deals to<br />
attract new students.<br />
- Encourage current students to share<br />
your posts, expanding your reach within their<br />
social networks.<br />
5. Interactive learning opportunities<br />
- Host live Q&A sessions, allowing<br />
potential and current students to ask<br />
questions directly.<br />
- Run polls or quizzes to keep your<br />
audience engaged and test their knowledge<br />
of road rules.<br />
6. Consistent branding<br />
- Maintain a cohesive brand image across<br />
all social media platforms, including a<br />
professional profile picture, a concise bio, and<br />
consistent messaging.<br />
- Use branded visuals and colours to<br />
create a sand trustworthy online presence.<br />
Tips for social media success<br />
1. Choose the Right Platforms:<br />
Select platforms that align with your<br />
target audience. Instagram and Facebook are<br />
popular choices for visual content, while<br />
Twitter is excellent for real-time updates.<br />
Share informative<br />
and visually<br />
appealing content in<br />
your online<br />
activities, such as<br />
road safety tips,<br />
driving techniques,<br />
and updates on<br />
driving regulations.<br />
2. Content calendar:<br />
Plan your posts in advance using a content<br />
calendar. This ensures a consistent flow of<br />
valuable information and prevents sporadic<br />
updates.<br />
3. Engage with your audience:<br />
Respond promptly to comments and<br />
messages. Engaging with your audience<br />
builds a sense of community and trust.<br />
4. Hashtags:<br />
Research and use relevant hashtags to<br />
increase the visibility of your posts. This can<br />
attract potential students interested in<br />
learning to drive.<br />
5. Analytics:<br />
Monitor the performance of your posts<br />
using analytics tools provided by social media<br />
platforms. Adjust your strategy based on<br />
what resonates most with your audience.<br />
By incorporating social media into your<br />
driving instructor business, you not only<br />
enhance your teaching capabilities but also<br />
contribute to the broader community of<br />
driving instructors.<br />
Stay connected, stay informed, and drive<br />
success through the digital avenues available<br />
to us.<br />
NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023 23
Members’ section<br />
MSA GB Annual Conference 2024<br />
It’s a case of all roads lead to Telford as we head to Shropshire<br />
for the MSA GB Annual Conference 2024.<br />
To be held from March 22-23 at the stunning Telford Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort<br />
in Shropshire, it promises to be the ideal mix of information, debate, advice,<br />
education, networking and fun, as the MSA GB membership comes<br />
together to learn more about, and discuss, the big issues of the day.<br />
We are in the middle of confirming our keynote presenters, but we can<br />
guarantee an exciting and knowledgeable roster of high-profile names from<br />
the DVSA and driver training and road safety communities.<br />
Bookings are open now. Just click on the link below to book. See the price list<br />
below, with day, day/night and full weekend packages available.<br />
We have endeavoured to keep our prices as low as possible while providing a high-quality<br />
weekend, and the Telford Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort has more than enough to keep nondelegate<br />
partners happy, with a superb swimming pool and spa, golf and other attractions<br />
on site, as well as having the beautiful Severn Valley and iconic UNESCO World Heritage Site<br />
of Ironbridge Gorge on its doorstep. Even better, we have arranged a special MSA GB<br />
Conference discount on all spa treatments and golf fees!<br />
Please note: All prices below are EARLY BIRD prices, and will be held until January 20.<br />
After that date, some prices may rise.<br />
https://msagb.com/msa-gb-national-conference/<br />
Full Conference packages<br />
Two nights’ accommodation and breakfast, Friday & Saturday<br />
evening meals, Saturday lunch, Conference delegate ticket<br />
Single booking:<br />
£275<br />
Couple sharing (with non-delegate ticket):<br />
£385<br />
* Non delegates receive lunch<br />
on the Saturday<br />
Telford Hotel,<br />
Spa & Golf<br />
Resort<br />
One-day Conference packages<br />
One night’s accommodation and breakfast, Friday OR Saturday<br />
evening meals, Saturday lunch; Conference delegate ticket<br />
Single booking:<br />
£165<br />
Couple sharing (with non-delegate ticket):<br />
£235<br />
Conference day delegate<br />
* Non delegates receive lunch<br />
on the Saturday<br />
Conference delegate ticket for Saturday Booked after January 20<br />
If booked before<br />
£49<br />
January 20 ...<br />
£59<br />
Thinking of bringing<br />
the family?<br />
There are other options available during<br />
Saturday should you wish to make this a<br />
family weekend and bring the children.<br />
You can find full details at:<br />
https://msagb.com/msa-gb-nationalconference/<br />
24 NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023
For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com<br />
Congratulations, James!<br />
Congratulations to James Waller, who<br />
was the winner of the MSA GB’s recent<br />
prize draw to win an AlcoSense<br />
Breathalyser.<br />
James said: “I was really shocked but<br />
pleased to get the call from Peter Harvey<br />
saying that I had won. I’ve only ever won one<br />
other prize draw, so it was a great surprise to<br />
have won this time.’<br />
James joined MSA GB after seeing several<br />
positive reviews on a local ADI forum. He was<br />
initially just looking for public liability<br />
insurance, but over time has come to enjoy<br />
the many other benefits associated with MSA<br />
GB membership, including our extensive<br />
driver training programme, news round-ups,<br />
<strong>Newslink</strong> and the exclusive content on the<br />
MSA GB App.<br />
James has had his own driver training<br />
business since 2016, and since 2021 has<br />
worked full-time as an emergency response<br />
driving instructor for the Norfolk Fire and<br />
Rescue Service.<br />
Prior to that, he was a police officer for 22<br />
years, where he spent 10 years as a driving<br />
instructor for the Norfolk Constabulary.<br />
AlcoSense: Every ADI should have one handy<br />
Peter Harvey<br />
I would like to offer my congratulation to<br />
James Waller on being the winner of our prize<br />
draw for a breathalyser kindly donated by<br />
AlcoSense.<br />
When the one I was asked to try arrived, it<br />
was well packaged, includes the required<br />
batteries, five mouthpieces and full<br />
instructions. The Excel version is very easy to<br />
use, with a simple menu, and can be adjusted<br />
to suit the country you are in depending on the<br />
legal limit there.<br />
Once set up, the breathalyser gives a very<br />
clear reading in traffic light colours, making it<br />
easy to follow.<br />
Green, as you would expect, tells you you<br />
are okay to drive.<br />
Amber advises you that alcohol is present<br />
but you are below the limit you entered at set<br />
up – though it is so important to check what<br />
the limit is in the country you use it.<br />
Red is pretty self-explanatory – Don’t<br />
drive.<br />
The set is very compact, about the same<br />
size as a mobile phone but a little deeper. It is<br />
ideal for eliminating any concerns you may<br />
have the morning after – or for your pupils.<br />
The Excel model costs around £100 and can<br />
be viewed: https://alcosense.co.uk/<br />
alcosense/alcosense-excel.html<br />
There are several other options available<br />
ranging from single use kits for around £6 up<br />
to £250, Now we are all getting back into<br />
travelling, one of these may be an ideal gift for<br />
someone you know.<br />
Even better, go through the MSA GB<br />
website at https://msagb.com/members/<br />
member-discounts/<br />
to secure your member discount.<br />
Get 10p off every litre of fuel with<br />
special MSA GB deal<br />
The cost-of-living crisis is putting many<br />
ADIs under considerable financial pressure,<br />
and nowhere is it felt more than through<br />
the rising cost of fuel.<br />
So to help alleviate some of the burden<br />
on our members, we’re thrilled to<br />
announce a brand-new partnership with<br />
Fuel Card Services.<br />
A fuel card from MSA GB partner, Fuel<br />
Card Services can provide huge benefits to<br />
businesses that use vehicles on a daily<br />
basis:<br />
n Cutting fuel costs - save up to 10p per<br />
litre and get a consistent price.<br />
n Increased security - fuel cards are a<br />
safer alternative to carrying cash and<br />
eliminate fraud.<br />
n Streamline admin - HMRC compliant<br />
invoices, no receipts, one neat invoice and<br />
a dedicated account manager.<br />
n Tighter control of business expenses<br />
- view transactions and reports online 24/7.<br />
n Increased flexibility for refuelling<br />
across a huge network.<br />
n Fleet convenience - a quick and<br />
convenient way for fleets to refuel.<br />
There are a range of fuel cards available<br />
on the market and for your business to<br />
truly benefit from investing in fuel cards,<br />
you need to choose the right one for your<br />
businesses’ requirements.<br />
FUEL CARD SERVICES offers a large<br />
choice of networks from leading brands,<br />
such as BP, Shell, Esso and UK Fuels, so<br />
you can decide which networks you wish<br />
to include on your business account.<br />
Fuel Card Services and MSA GB are<br />
helping to deliver cost savings to<br />
members throughout the country.<br />
For more details and to obtain a fuel<br />
card through MSA GB, go to our website at<br />
https://msagb.com/members/<br />
member-discounts/<br />
NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023 25
Members’ section<br />
MSA GB launches new partnership with insurer to<br />
keep you on the road when things go wrong<br />
MSA GB partners with AI<br />
Insurance Solutions Limited<br />
to provide members with dual<br />
control cars for when things<br />
don’t quite go to plan.<br />
A critical service to driving instructors is the<br />
provision of a dual-controlled replacement<br />
vehicle for non-fault and fault accidents.<br />
But in recent months we have had several<br />
calls from MSA GB members across the<br />
country who have been let down by their<br />
insurance company not being able to supply a<br />
dual-controlled vehicle when they have had<br />
an accident.<br />
They report that they are usually offered a<br />
replacement vehicle but not one with dual<br />
controls – which isn’t a lot of good when<br />
running a driving school.<br />
MSA GB steps in<br />
Understanding the stress and the<br />
detriment to your business this can cause,<br />
we are pleased to announce that we have<br />
formed an exclusive agreement with AI<br />
Solutions Ltd to supply a replacement vehicle<br />
to you should the need arise.<br />
This means that MSA GB members will be<br />
able to obtain both a replacement manual or<br />
automatic dual-controlled car for both fault<br />
and non-fault accidents, without the need to<br />
buy an extra insurance policy to cover the risk.<br />
The cost of using this new service is zero.<br />
You don’t need to register or buy an<br />
insurance policy.<br />
If you need to use the service the cost of<br />
your replacement vehicle will be charged<br />
either to their insurance policy or yours,<br />
depending entirely on who is at fault.<br />
Additionally, if the vehicle needs to be<br />
recovered, this also will be charged to the<br />
appropriate insurer.<br />
However, we must stress that this does<br />
not impose any restrictions on where you get<br />
your vehicle repaired.<br />
The FCA states under ‘treating customers<br />
fairly’ that - ‘a policy-holder does not have to<br />
use the services of their broker or insurer but<br />
can access any service they choose without<br />
their instructor insurance policy being<br />
invalidated.’<br />
So, in the event of an accident you simply<br />
need to contact The AI Insurance Solutions<br />
Emergency (AIIS) assistance line on 01945<br />
425211. AIIS will then inform your insurer and<br />
organise for your replacement dual controlled<br />
car to be delivered to your chosen location as<br />
soon as possible.<br />
If your vehicle is drivable and legal<br />
post-event, then it is best to arrange a<br />
delivery to the body repairer at an agreed<br />
time. If the vehicle, however, is not drivable,<br />
then AI Solutions will ensure that it is<br />
delivered to the most convenient location for<br />
you.<br />
Sadly, statistically, road traffic crashes do<br />
happen, and we cannot prevent you from<br />
being involved in one.<br />
However, with this new agreement we<br />
hope to ensure that any impact to MSA GB<br />
members is kept to a minimum.<br />
How it<br />
works...<br />
n A prompt and<br />
courteous reporting<br />
process 24 hours a day<br />
n To be taken to a safe<br />
place/home if your car<br />
is not drivable<br />
n A replacement dual<br />
controlled car on same<br />
day as accident<br />
reported, if before 2pm<br />
(in Scotland, this may<br />
take up to 24hrs)<br />
n The vehicle will be of<br />
a similar size<br />
n Regular updates on<br />
your vehicle’s repair<br />
26 NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023
For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com<br />
FAQs on the new membership service<br />
Q: How do I use the service?<br />
A: You just call AIIS’s emergency<br />
assistance number on 01945 425211.<br />
Q: What will the service cost me?<br />
A: Just the cost of a call.<br />
Q: Should I notify my insurance company?<br />
A: Absolutely, although AIIS will also talk to<br />
them to confirm hire provision and, where<br />
appropriate, details of the repairer.<br />
Q: What if my vehicle is not drivable?<br />
A: AIIS will recover the vehicle to safe<br />
storage and get you home or to a<br />
nominated location.<br />
Q: Is this an insurance product that I need<br />
to purchase?<br />
A: No, the service is provided to you on a<br />
no-cost basis.<br />
Q: What if my vehicle is drivable?<br />
A: AIIS can arrange for an estimate to<br />
completed and deliver the car to the<br />
repairer to ensure that you are mobile<br />
throughout the process and that there is<br />
no loss of income.<br />
Emergency crash protocol: What to do if you are involved in a crash<br />
In the event of a crash, call 01945 425211 to use the AIIS offer<br />
More MSA GB membership offers<br />
and discounts - see pg 38-39<br />
NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023 27
Members’ section<br />
New membership service: Find My Local<br />
MSA GB Instructor directory launched<br />
Cut through the competition<br />
by advertising your skills on<br />
MSA GB’s own ADI directory<br />
With the DVSA (https://tinyurl.com/<br />
4b3t9a9e) reporting a 24 per cent increase in<br />
the number of new driving instructor<br />
registrations in 2022/2023, compared to<br />
2020/2021, our industry is set to become<br />
even more competitive as driving instructors<br />
do battle to gain the attention of those<br />
wanting to learn to drive.<br />
To help MSA GB members cut through the<br />
industry noise and raise their profile, we’re<br />
delighted to announce the launch of our<br />
online ‘Find My Local MSA GB Instructor’<br />
directory, which will be proudly displayed on<br />
the MSA GB home page and on the MSA GB<br />
App.<br />
Once live, this new directory will be easily<br />
accessible by the public, who can use our<br />
simple search engine to source a driving<br />
instructor in their local area, who suits their<br />
learning needs.<br />
For MSA GB members it couldn’t be simpler<br />
to input your details and make sure you stand<br />
out from the crowd. We’ve included several<br />
opportunities for you to highlight any special<br />
skills or teaching experience that you may<br />
have, for example teaching pupils with<br />
disabilities or those who are particularly<br />
anxious drivers.<br />
To upload your profile onto the MSA GB<br />
directory, all you need to do is:<br />
n Log into the Member Area<br />
n Look to the left of the page and scroll<br />
down until you see three blue arrow tabs.<br />
n Click on the tab - ‘Add Directory listing’<br />
n You will then be taken to the following<br />
page:<br />
n Input your details and upload your photo<br />
(adding your photo is optional)<br />
n Once you’ve inputted all your details,<br />
check that all your information is correct<br />
n Tick the box if you agree to share your<br />
details on the website. Please note if you do<br />
not tick the box your details will not appear<br />
on the on the Find My Local MSA GB<br />
Instructor directory.<br />
n Click submit – and your done!<br />
This is just one of the many fantastic<br />
benefits that MSA GB members get to enjoy<br />
with their membership, which also includes:<br />
n PI & PL Insurance cover totalling £10<br />
million.<br />
n Legal & Technical Advice<br />
n Member Representation<br />
n Access to a wealth of exclusive<br />
information and downloadable resources<br />
n Member Discounts<br />
n Our monthly digital industry magazine<br />
- <strong>Newslink</strong><br />
n Comprehensive driving school cover.<br />
We hope registering is a straightforward<br />
process, but if you need any assistance, or<br />
have any queries, don’t hesitate to contact<br />
our membership team on info@msagb.com<br />
or 01787 221 020<br />
28 NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023
ADI groups and associations<br />
MSA GB is proud of its long-standing links with many local ADI<br />
groups around the country. Many are small, dedicated to driver<br />
training in one city, town or even focused on a sole DTC, but all<br />
work tirelessly to improve the work of being an ADI. This can<br />
be in representing ADIs’ interests and views to your DVSA area<br />
manager, offering an ADI’s voice to local authorities and town<br />
planners, or by simply providing a network within which ADIs can<br />
find help and advice from their fellow instructors. After all, for<br />
For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com<br />
many ADIs working as sole traders, being a driving instructor can<br />
be a lonely task: local ADI groups help stop it feeling quite so much<br />
that it’s ‘you against the world.’<br />
From this issue onwards <strong>Newslink</strong> will be publishing a list of local<br />
ADI groups and associations. We will only publish those groups<br />
who let us know they are happy to be included in our list, however,<br />
so if you would like to see your details here, please contact Peter<br />
Harvey at peter.harveymbe@msagb.com<br />
Aberdeen and District Driving Schools<br />
Association<br />
Secretary: Derek Young<br />
T: 07732 379396<br />
E: derekyoungcreel@aol.com<br />
Meets quarterly February (AGM), May,<br />
August and November.<br />
Cost £35 per annum<br />
Angus Driving Instructors Association<br />
Secretary: Frances Matthew<br />
T: 07703 664522<br />
E; francesmatthew@hotmail.co.uk<br />
This group holds six meeting per year<br />
(usually one week after the Scottish<br />
committee meeting)<br />
Cost £20 per year.<br />
Aylesbury Vale Driving Instructors<br />
Association<br />
Chairman: Sue Pusey<br />
T: 07780 606868<br />
E: AVDIA@btinternet.com<br />
Meetings are first Wednesday of every<br />
month at Church of the Holy Spirit,<br />
Camborne Avenue, Aylesbury, HP21 7UE.<br />
7.30pm start.<br />
Guest speaker every other month,<br />
refreshments provided.<br />
Annual fee £30. First meeting free as try<br />
before you buy.<br />
Birmingham Approved Driving Instructors<br />
Contact: Dave Allen<br />
T: 07939 627493<br />
E: Daveallen1999@googlemail.com<br />
Cornwall Association of Approved Driving<br />
Instructors (CAADI)<br />
Secretary: Rachael Lloyd-Phillips<br />
E: rachael@oneandallsom.co.uk<br />
This group meets via Zoom on the 3rd<br />
Monday every other month at 7.30pm.<br />
City of Dunfermline and District ADIs<br />
Secretary: Gail Pilch<br />
T: 07817 661450<br />
E: dunfermlineadisecretary@outlook.com<br />
Meetings are bi-monthly, at<br />
Dunfermline Northern Bowling Club, Dewar<br />
Street,<br />
Dunfermline KY12 8AD<br />
Glasgow & District Driving Instructors<br />
Association<br />
Contact: Bryan Phillips<br />
T: 07989 339 646<br />
E: bryan.phillips@hotmail.co.uk<br />
Meet on the last Sunday of the month,<br />
once every quarter, at<br />
The Fort Theatre, Kenmuir Ave,<br />
Bishopbriggs, Glasgow, G64 2DW.<br />
Joining fee: £15 per year<br />
Hinckley & District Driver Trainers<br />
Association (HDDTA)<br />
Chairman: Barrie Pates<br />
T: 07914 408 739<br />
E: haddta@yahoo.com<br />
Hull and East Riding Driving Instructors<br />
(HERDI)<br />
Contact: Andrew<br />
T: 07754542993<br />
E: herdi.rsa@gmail.com<br />
Lanark Driving Instructors<br />
Secretary: Sandra Smillie<br />
T: 07975 147150<br />
Meet quarterly from March which is our<br />
AGM<br />
South Warwickshire Association<br />
of ADIs (SWAADI)<br />
Contact: Andy Thomas<br />
T: 01926 717230 / 07900 673634<br />
E: artommo@hotmail.com<br />
We meet at 8.30pm every third Monday of<br />
the month except August and <strong>December</strong><br />
(no meetings) at The Windmill Inn,<br />
Tachbrook Rd, Leamington Spa CV31 3DD,<br />
Rolls and snacks are available for a small<br />
charge and membership is £25 a year and<br />
includes a monthly newsletter and addition<br />
to a WhatsApp group for local issues/<br />
traffic updates, etc.<br />
Swindon Driving Instructors Association<br />
(Swindon DIA)<br />
Contact: Sandra Jill Richens<br />
T: 07795 006015<br />
E: SJRichens@btinternet.com<br />
Taunton Association Driving Instructors<br />
See Facebook page – search ‘Taunton ADI<br />
& PDI Forum’<br />
Wirral Association of Professional Driving<br />
Instructors (APDI)<br />
Chairman: Brian Murray<br />
T: 07810 094332<br />
Secretary: Richard Gillmore<br />
T: 07790 193138<br />
E: wirral-apdi@hotmail.co.uk<br />
W: wirralinstructors.co.uk<br />
Meet monthly on the first Thursday of the<br />
month (except January and August)<br />
at Heswall FC, Brimstage Road, Heswall,<br />
Wirral CH60 1XG<br />
Further information and to join, please visit<br />
the website.<br />
Why join a local association?<br />
Local news, local input – a local voice...<br />
If you want to see your local ADI group listed in this index,<br />
contact Peter Harvey on peterharveymbe@msagb.com<br />
NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023 29
Area news<br />
Great conference leaves us in the know<br />
on EVs, tax, disabled drivers and DVSA<br />
Arthur Mynott<br />
MSA GB<br />
West Coast & Wales<br />
The MSA GB West Coast & Wales Area 4<br />
Conference and AGM took place at the<br />
Gloucester Robinswood Hotel, Gloucester on<br />
Thursday, 6th November, and our audience of<br />
ADIs were treated to a wide range of excellent<br />
presenters relevant to our industry.<br />
The day started with a welcoming speech<br />
from yours truly, and then I introduced our<br />
first speaker, Matt Cleevely from Cleevely<br />
Electric Vehicles, a local garage company<br />
which kindly supplied a couple of EVs for test<br />
drives on the day.<br />
Matt was a mine of information on electric<br />
cars, their servicing, repair and the many<br />
different makes and models. He discussed<br />
many of the myths surrounding these<br />
vehicles, answering lots of questions from<br />
the audience. He was so enthusiastic about it<br />
even I was almost inclined to buy one!<br />
This was followed by a presentation from<br />
Alan Gott of FBTC Accountancy Services, the<br />
MSA GB recommended accountants. I had<br />
met Alan earlier this year and asked if he<br />
would like to come to our event to talk about<br />
‘Making Tax Digital’, so the seed was sown.<br />
Alan introduced himself by saying he was<br />
from FBTC but was going to talk about<br />
making tax digital, and not his company. He<br />
said that he was a Geordie through and<br />
through but had left his cloth cap at home,<br />
and he was a self-confessed ‘tax nerd’!<br />
Alan explained how Making Tax Digital<br />
would affect us as driving instructors when it<br />
eventually comes in, such as submitting<br />
quarterly accounts as well as annual<br />
accounts, the fines you would get for not<br />
doing so on time plus the apps and software<br />
you would need to do this.<br />
He explained everything we needed to<br />
know in easy-to-understand terms and<br />
answered lots and lots of questions from the<br />
audience. It was a shame when I had to ask<br />
him to finish because of time restraints but<br />
he and his colleague Jason stayed for the rest<br />
of the day to enjoy the other speakers, and<br />
were on hand to answer more questions.<br />
After a short refreshment break our next<br />
speaker was Haydn Jenkins from Disability<br />
Driving Instructors. Many of you will have<br />
heard about this excellent organisation,<br />
which offers driving lessons to people who<br />
are mildly or severely disabled, are hearing<br />
impaired or suffer from other cognitive<br />
disabilities.<br />
Haydn showed us a host of pictures of the<br />
various driving aids available to disabled<br />
drivers, such as the hand accelerator/brake<br />
control and the ‘lollipop’ control on the<br />
steering wheel, among others.<br />
I was intrigued by the fact that there are no<br />
wires on the lollipop; it was connected via<br />
Bluetooth to a panel behind the dashboard,<br />
the wonders of modern technology.<br />
Haydn closed his presentation by showing<br />
a video of a woman with no arms driving and<br />
steering her car with her legs.<br />
Disability Driving Instructors is always on<br />
the look-out for new instructors throughout<br />
the country as its aim is to provide a suitably<br />
qualified instructor within a radius of 40-50<br />
miles from any disabled driver. If you are<br />
interested in finding more about them then<br />
please contact me on my details below, and I<br />
will pass on your details.<br />
AGM<br />
Following Haydn’s presentation, we held<br />
our AGM which was conducted by MSA GB<br />
National Chairman Mike Yeomans. The Area<br />
Committee were elected to their previous<br />
positions.<br />
Following the AGM we held a minute’s<br />
silence in memory of Clive Snook, the former<br />
MSA GB Western Chairman and long-<br />
30 NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023
For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com<br />
Arthur Mynott makes a<br />
presentation to Colin Lilly<br />
in recognition of his hard<br />
work for the MSA GB<br />
standing committee member who passed<br />
away recently (see November <strong>Newslink</strong>), and<br />
also for the late Lou Walsh, the Hampshirebased<br />
ADI and prolific fundraiser for BBC’s<br />
Children in Need.<br />
This was immediately followed by a<br />
presentation to Colin Lilly to mark his many<br />
years as Chairman in the previous MSA<br />
Western area, along with flowers delivered to<br />
his home for his wife, Rosemary (see panel).<br />
Peter Harvey and Loveday Ryder<br />
After a delicious two-course buffet lunch<br />
we resumed the afternoon’s activities with a<br />
presentation from Peter Harvey MBE. Peter<br />
gave an update as to what is going on in our<br />
industry, any changes we need to be aware of<br />
and any links that would be of use to us.<br />
This was immediately followed by the DVSA<br />
Chief Executive Loveday Ryder appearing via<br />
a video link. We originally had the DVSA<br />
driver training policy adviser, John Sheridan<br />
booked to attend but he had to withdraw<br />
owing to the DVSA switching all senior<br />
examiners to conduct driving tests in order to<br />
bring the waiting times down.<br />
Loveday couldn’t attend in person due to<br />
other commitments that day but asked if she<br />
could appear via video link, which was set up<br />
by Peter Harvey, Mike Yeomans and I. We<br />
were all ready to go when the time arrived,<br />
with the use of two laptops, a projector and<br />
screen, and it went ahead without a hitch.<br />
Loveday spoke about, among other things,<br />
why the reduction in waiting time for tests<br />
hasn’t been as quick as she predicted at our<br />
conference last year. Her aim is still to reduce<br />
the average waiting time to seven weeks.<br />
The failure to hit this target was blamed on,<br />
in varying degrees, strike action, sickness<br />
and a change in the public’s test-buying<br />
habits since the pandemic. Now senior<br />
examiners who held a testing warrant card<br />
were delivering driving tests the waiting<br />
times were starting to come down at various<br />
locations throughout the country, and she<br />
was optimistic that this would continue over<br />
the coming months.<br />
Afterwards, Loveday was happy to answer<br />
an array of questions from the audience, who<br />
were very appreciative for her presentation<br />
that day.<br />
I ended the day by thanking all the<br />
speakers for the day, the hotel for the use of<br />
their facilities and the delicious buffet, and<br />
wished everyone a safe journey home.<br />
When I <strong>final</strong>ly got home, I sat down on my<br />
sofa and went ‘PHEW’, relieved that<br />
everything had gone well, and then opened a<br />
deserved can of cider – what else for a West<br />
Country boy!<br />
Get in touch<br />
Arthur Mynott<br />
arthur.mynott@msagb.com<br />
07989852274<br />
An editor’s thanks<br />
Colin Lilly<br />
Editor<br />
MSA GB <strong>Newslink</strong><br />
As Arthur mentions in his article left, I<br />
received some gifts at the recent<br />
Conference to mark my time with MSA GB<br />
in the Western region.<br />
I did not anticipate the gifts, as I stood<br />
down as Chairman during the time when<br />
Covid was disrupting so many of our<br />
normal proceedings.<br />
I was proud to serve for 30 years as<br />
Regional Chairman of the MSA GB<br />
Western Region. I am a proud West<br />
Countryman and have always been keen<br />
to promote both road safety and the<br />
careers and work of driving instructors.<br />
Becoming Editor of <strong>Newslink</strong> has been<br />
an excellent opportunity to pursue the<br />
latter and further my writing as a regional<br />
editor for 30 years.<br />
My wife Rosemary, who has supported<br />
me throughout this time, was very<br />
grateful for the flowers and I greatly<br />
appreciated the presentation of the wine<br />
carafe at the meeting. Of course, I must<br />
express my gratitude to the regional<br />
committee members over the years, and<br />
members across the region.<br />
Thank you, everyone!<br />
NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023 31
Area News<br />
The tech is catching up at pace but<br />
it can’t replace the driver just yet<br />
Janet<br />
Stewart<br />
London & the<br />
South East<br />
Blind spot lights<br />
MSA GB Area 3’s conference and AGM took<br />
place on 12th November, and while it was a<br />
little disappointing that a few people who had<br />
booked on failed to attend, it was still a very<br />
worthwhile and informative event.<br />
It was led by our Chairman, Tom Kwok, with<br />
his usual enthusiasm. He went through the<br />
five top reasons for failure of the Standards<br />
Check. Briefly, they are as follows:<br />
Failure to adapt the lesson plan. When<br />
appropriate the lesson plan needs to be<br />
changed to help the pupil work towards their<br />
learning goals. Commonly, the ADI will try to<br />
stick to the plan, ignoring faults, change the<br />
plan when it is not necessary to do so or not<br />
discuss changing the plan with the pupil.<br />
Inappropriate teaching style. This could be<br />
giving unnecessary briefings, not matching<br />
the Q & A to the pupil’s ability, or failing to<br />
notice that the pupil is not comfortable with<br />
the teaching style.<br />
Failing to encourage the pupil to take<br />
responsibility for their own learning. There<br />
must be a client-centred approach, with the<br />
pupil analysing mistakes with the help of<br />
appropriate Q & A.<br />
The instructor needs to listen carefully to<br />
the pupil’s answers.<br />
Appropriate feedback. The pupil should be<br />
given appropriate and timely feedback, not<br />
ignoring faults that do not relate to the lesson<br />
plan. Where possible feedback should be<br />
given at the time and on the move, not<br />
retrospectively.<br />
Adequate feedback on safety-critical<br />
incidents. The ADI must not overlook or<br />
ignore a safety-critical incident. Such<br />
incidents must be analysed in depth ensuring<br />
the pupil’s understanding.<br />
The situation should be replicated as soon<br />
as possible to ensure learning has taken<br />
place.<br />
After Tom’s presentation, MSA GB National<br />
Chairman Mike Yeomans delivered a very<br />
interesting presentation on Advanced Driver<br />
Assistance Systems (ADAS).<br />
I am sure that I am not alone in having a car<br />
that is capable of doing far more than I am<br />
aware of. Many of us pick up a new car and<br />
don’t go much beyond checking where the<br />
headlamp control (and the high beam) is, and<br />
what sort of speeds the windscreen wipers<br />
can manage.<br />
We then struggle to set up our phones and<br />
spend a frustrating time trying to programme<br />
in our favourite radio stations.<br />
Or is it just me?<br />
One of the most common systems in cars<br />
is a collision avoidance sensor. When the<br />
vehicle is getting too close to, say, the one in<br />
front, many cars will now come up with a<br />
warning on the dashboard, possibly sound an<br />
alarm and then brake on the driver’s behalf.<br />
This is really helpful in unexpected situations<br />
but can be very disconcerting for a learner<br />
who has not been told about this in advance.<br />
Adaptive cruise control is a bit ‘marmite’. If<br />
the car has to slow down for any reason the<br />
car will then accelerate back up to the set<br />
speed and it will often do this very quickly,<br />
taking the driver unawares.<br />
However, it will enable the driver to keep to<br />
a safe distance on a motorway and, coupled<br />
with lane keep assist, is leading to a reduction<br />
in rear end shunts.<br />
Some cars now have a blind spot light in<br />
the corner of the door mirror. This will<br />
activate when another vehicle is in the blind<br />
spot, giving a warning of encroachment that<br />
the driver may not have seen. This is<br />
particularly useful at night when the light<br />
coming on is more noticeable. One of the<br />
latest systems is fatigue detection. A sensor<br />
notices when the driver’s eyes seem to be<br />
drooping or lacking movement, indicating<br />
lack of attention.<br />
Park assist is now quite common and can,<br />
on some vehicles, be activated by phone.<br />
Auto-park is the only adaptation not<br />
currently permitted on driving tests. We are<br />
also moving towards interactive traffic lights;<br />
connectivity will tell the car that the lights are<br />
going to change.<br />
It should be borne in mind that these<br />
systems act as a ‘smart co-pilot’,<br />
complementing but are not replacing the<br />
skills of the driver. From April 2024 all<br />
European cars will have to have Intelligent<br />
32 NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023
For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com<br />
“Advanced Driver Assistance<br />
Systems act as a ‘smart co-pilot’,<br />
complementing – but not<br />
replacing – the skills of the driver”<br />
Speed limit recognition<br />
Speed Awareness, so that the car will<br />
respond to speed limits.<br />
It is my understanding that the driver will<br />
be able to override this.<br />
For more information go to https://<br />
adashub.co.uk. It gives a clear and concise<br />
over-view and explanation of all these<br />
technologies.<br />
Peter Harvey<br />
Peter Harvey, MSA GB National Vice-<br />
Chairman, addressed the subject of ADIs and<br />
the DVSA and where we seem to be as 2023<br />
draws to a close. First, he talked about the<br />
sorts of complaints that are made about<br />
ADIs, starting with a reminder: you must not<br />
use a tablet or mobile phone for conducting a<br />
mock test and certainly not for any other<br />
reason! The driving test examiner is in a<br />
different relationship vis-à-vis a learner and<br />
is not supervising and, therefore, can use a<br />
tablet for marking.<br />
Touching the pupil and bad language are<br />
obviously unacceptable. It is easy to forget<br />
how much harm social media can do. Having a<br />
few drinks can end up on Facebook. The<br />
public will complain to the DVSA, noticing<br />
that, for example, the ADI was seen drinking<br />
coffee while on a lesson. Our colleagues will<br />
tell learners to complain about an experience<br />
they have had with another instructor. Eyes<br />
and ears are everywhere these days and we<br />
need to be totally professional at all times.<br />
In the event of a complaint the ADI will be<br />
interviewed and required to give a full<br />
explanation of the event. If the ADI is<br />
convicted of anything, they should tell the<br />
DVSA straight away, and explain and<br />
apologise. Do not wait for them to come to<br />
you.<br />
DVSA are now checking that your green or<br />
pink certificate remains in the window until<br />
the car is safely parked in the test centre car<br />
park and the ADI has left the vehicle. Some<br />
ADIs who intend to remove their badge<br />
before the test are taking it out too early.<br />
An ADI may fail a Standards Check twice<br />
and get a third attempt, but no more than<br />
that.<br />
The DVSA’s TIP (Test Information<br />
Programme) criteria that may trigger a<br />
Standards Check have been amended and<br />
the five indicators are:<br />
n Average number of driving faults being<br />
six or more.<br />
n Average number of serious faults per<br />
test being 0.55% or above<br />
n Physical action taken by the examiner<br />
being above 10% of all tests<br />
n Pass rate less than 55%<br />
n Fewer than five L-tests per year.<br />
About 4,200 ADIs are hitting these trigger<br />
points. ADIs can check their own status by<br />
going to https://tinyurl.com/yvw4mtml.<br />
The data analysis is available immediately and<br />
it is an automatic system.<br />
The future<br />
Peter then went on to talk about the future<br />
and what we might expect to see from the<br />
DVSA. Will the number of normal stops on a<br />
test be reduced to one? Will there be more –<br />
possibly the entire test – conducted on the<br />
sat nav? Should the frequency of the<br />
emergency stop be reduced to one in seven?<br />
What about the future of the 20mph speed<br />
limit, already introduced in Wales and<br />
possibly going to be introduced in Scotland?<br />
How about a limit of 25mph?<br />
Other issues in the melting pot are how<br />
long a learner should have to wait after failing<br />
a test before they can re-apply; should it be<br />
28 days? The current marking system is fault<br />
based with the examiner deciding on the<br />
seriousness of the fault. Should a more<br />
holistic view be taken, with positive rather<br />
than negative marking?<br />
Most test centres are in areas of high<br />
“It is easy to forget how much<br />
harm social media can do ...<br />
eyes and ears are everywhere<br />
these days and we need to be<br />
totally professional at all<br />
times...”<br />
population density. Should there be more<br />
scope for driving on rural roads? What about<br />
commentary driving?<br />
If a driving test is cancelled by the DVSA a<br />
pupil may claim two hours for the hire of the<br />
car (but not for tuition) and, where<br />
appropriate, loss of half a day’s salary.<br />
It was also stressed how the MSA GB<br />
Chairman sits on NASP (the National<br />
Associations Strategic Partnership)<br />
committee along with the heads of the DIA<br />
and ADINJC. They have regular meetings with<br />
DVSA, and frank and open discussions do<br />
take place.<br />
If we, as ADIs, want something to change,<br />
we need to speak up and let our<br />
representatives know what we would like<br />
them to put forward.<br />
The afternoon/early evening concluded<br />
with the first Area 3 AGM for which, in the<br />
absence of the Secretary, I also took the<br />
minutes.<br />
I ended up with nine pages of notes to<br />
type up – no sympathy expected!<br />
NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023 33
Area News<br />
Scotland AGM: Another Great Meeting<br />
Brian<br />
Thomson<br />
MSA GB Scotland<br />
When around 70 people congregate at Castle<br />
Cary Hotel for a Sunday morning meeting it<br />
can only mean one thing: Yes, it’s MSA GB<br />
Scotland’s training and AGM.<br />
The event actually starts on the Saturday<br />
afternoon with committee members<br />
gathering to discuss, plan and set up what we<br />
can in preparation for the members and some<br />
non-members (not for long though) arriving<br />
the next day, eager to hear what’s going on<br />
in our industry, and what changes are<br />
heading our way.<br />
The doors open to attendees at 9am for a<br />
prompt 9.30am start, and it’s great to see<br />
people arriving well before then just to get<br />
‘booked in’ and meet other members for a<br />
good catch-up.<br />
On arrival, it’s collect your named lanyard<br />
from Jean Harvey’s table – she’s got finding<br />
your badge down to a seamless art ... it’s all<br />
down to laying them out alphabetically! –<br />
collect a conference pack containing flyers<br />
from meeting sponsors, the agenda for the<br />
day and some goodies from MSA, get your<br />
name marked off the attendance sheet and<br />
you’re free to go and find a table.<br />
Theme for the table names this year was<br />
classic cars, Anglias, Cortinas, etc.<br />
The meeting itself was opened bang on<br />
time by the Scottish chairman Steven Porter,<br />
who offered everyone a warm welcome and<br />
ran through what the day was to hold.<br />
First up was Stuart Lochrie of Bright<br />
Coaching, who offered what was just the first<br />
in a number of excellent presentations. He<br />
had the audience doing their morning<br />
exercises and explaining various coaching<br />
techniques available.<br />
Next up was Carol Mackie from AI<br />
Insurance solutions Ltd. Her presentation<br />
was very much from the heart as far as what<br />
she could and would do to assist MSA GB<br />
members with any issues regarding obtaining<br />
a replacement dual controlled car if their own<br />
was off the road after an accident.<br />
After a break the audience were treated to<br />
the training duo of Kev and Tracey Field from<br />
Confident Drivers. Again they had the room<br />
involved in discussions, questions, and even<br />
re-inventing the wheel as we know it.<br />
Just before the break for lunch,<br />
presentations were put on hold to allow the<br />
Annual General Meeting to take place. Steven<br />
Porter read out his chairman’s report for the<br />
year before handing over to Mike Yeomans,<br />
(MSA GB National Chairman), to preside over<br />
the nominations of the Scottish committee<br />
for the next 12 months.<br />
Steven Porter was voted in as chairman for<br />
another year, with Bryan Phillips voted in as<br />
deputy chairman and as editor.<br />
I will take on the roles of secretary and<br />
treasurer.<br />
One of my duties was to read out a note<br />
from Shelagh Oakes who informed the<br />
committee that she would be retiring and<br />
giving up her membership of the MSA GB<br />
after 34 years.<br />
Peter Hearn, DVSA<br />
After a hearty lunch it was the turn of<br />
Peter Hearn, who is the DVSA’s Area<br />
Operations Manager North. The audience had<br />
plenty of questions for him, with information<br />
“After a break the audience were<br />
treated to the training duo of Kev<br />
and Tracey Field from Confident<br />
Drivers... they had the room<br />
involved in discussions, with<br />
plenty of questions...”<br />
34 NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023
For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com<br />
Above, Carol Mackie<br />
Top, from left, Bryan Phillips;<br />
Stuart Lochrie using Judge<br />
Dredd in his presentation;<br />
and discussions in the room<br />
From left, Malcolm Smith,<br />
ADI Enforcement, Peter Hearn<br />
and Peter Harvey<br />
on the new Highway Code and test waiting<br />
times among them. Between Peter and the<br />
other Peter (Harvey) they kept the<br />
discussions going with a bit of humour and<br />
lots of audience involvement.<br />
This was followed by Peter Harvey MBE,<br />
who gave the room some insights into what<br />
has changed recently – and what could be<br />
changing in the future.<br />
Peter finished off his presentation with an<br />
emotional thank you to MSA GB members for<br />
a gift of an Edinburgh stay and attendance to<br />
the Military Tattoo for him and Jean, to mark<br />
him standing down as National Chairman.<br />
He handed the close of the day over the<br />
deputy chairman, Bryan Phillips ,who gave<br />
thanks for all attending and wished everyone<br />
a safe journey home.<br />
Steven Porter<br />
makes a point<br />
– or kicks off<br />
the Karaoke...<br />
NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023 35
Area News<br />
Great conference proves the need<br />
for ADIs to get together<br />
John Lomas<br />
MSA GB<br />
West Coast<br />
& Wales<br />
It was great to attend the MSA GB West<br />
Coast & Wales conference in Gloucester<br />
last month. It attracted a reasonable<br />
audience and as you will have read in<br />
Arthur’s report on page 30, those present<br />
were able to hear a series of great<br />
presentations, including Matt Cleevely<br />
from Cleevely Electric Motors, Alan Gott<br />
from FBTC and Haydn Jenkins from<br />
Disability Driving Instructors.<br />
As ever, the highlight of these events<br />
tends to be the interaction with the DVSA,<br />
and after Peter Harvey had brought us up<br />
to date on the latest news, Loveday Ryder<br />
joined us by video link.<br />
Ms Ryder apologised for the absence of<br />
DVSA representatives but at the same<br />
time, I think most people there appreciated<br />
that what ADIs want at the moment is<br />
everything possible to be done in order to<br />
bring the waiting lists down to a more<br />
acceptable time gap.<br />
It was lovely to watch Arthur Mynott<br />
make a belated presentation to Colin Lilly in<br />
recognition of his long service to the West<br />
Country Region including being its<br />
Chairman previously.<br />
At the AGM all officers for the area were<br />
returned to office without challenge, but I<br />
should remind everyone that none of us<br />
are getting any younger, so do please<br />
consider whether you might have<br />
something to offer in the future.<br />
With such a large area committee<br />
meetings are held over Zoom so do not<br />
involve the travel which they used to.<br />
If you have any thoughts and opinions<br />
you want brought forward you can also<br />
contact me to get them included in my<br />
column in <strong>Newslink</strong>.<br />
If you decide you might like to get<br />
involved on the committee, feel free to<br />
contact any existing committee member<br />
for a chat.<br />
I understand that there were at least<br />
four instructors who became new<br />
members at the meeting. Welcome to the<br />
association and I hope we will see you at<br />
future meetings in your local area.<br />
Accessibility<br />
Overall I thought our hosts, Gloucester<br />
Robinswood Best Western Hotel, did a great<br />
job, though with one slight criticism: there<br />
was no internal lift access down to the<br />
conference room or up to the dining room.<br />
As you know I am a mobility scooter user<br />
now, though I can still get about on my own<br />
two feet with care – and a stick – so could<br />
manage the stairs, and someone was good<br />
enough to carry my folded walker for the<br />
initial entry and <strong>final</strong> egress. The ramped<br />
access to the different levels was,<br />
according to the information I got from<br />
reception, outside the building and the<br />
weather was not really conducive for such<br />
use<br />
I have definitely been to MSA meetings in<br />
the past where attendees were using<br />
wheelchairs of varying types so they could<br />
have been disadvantaged by the<br />
arrangements. I’ve mentioned my<br />
difficulties to a Disability Access<br />
campaigning group in Gloucester, and<br />
hopefully the hotel will take note.<br />
Beware of highwaymen employed by<br />
councils, etc<br />
I return now to a topic which I have raised<br />
previously: vehicles carried on recovery<br />
transporters being charged by ANPR<br />
systems, who clocked the number plate<br />
but – obviously – didn’t have a note that<br />
Christmas Quiz!<br />
There are only two related questions to ask, but they may act as a trigger to an interesting<br />
conversation with a pupil. These could be learning aids – it’s all about getting them thinking!<br />
1) In the UK, on a two-way road, where is it a legal requirement to drive on the right?<br />
2) Do you know of anywhere, on a two-way road, where it is advisable to keep to the right?<br />
Put your thinking caps on, and if you can come up with any places in your local area, let me know at<br />
the email address on the facing page. I’ll give you the answer I know of in january’s <strong>Newslink</strong>.<br />
36 NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023
For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com<br />
the user had paid the necessary fee to<br />
enter the zone/cross the bridge, etc.<br />
My previous experience was on the<br />
Thames Crossing but now I have seen a<br />
photo and newspaper article about it<br />
happening in the CAZ in Bristol.<br />
So another word of warning; if your<br />
vehicle has to be recovered insist that the<br />
recovery driver either tapes over the<br />
registration plate or removes it and puts it<br />
in the car.<br />
Hopefully nobody has received a<br />
speeding fine due to the ANPR anomaly,<br />
but how many have had to appeal and<br />
prove that they weren’t driving at that<br />
particular time and place?<br />
If it was one of you, how long would it<br />
take to prove to the registrar that it is an<br />
unwarranted charge and should not be held<br />
against your record?<br />
Editor’s note: see end of article<br />
Tyre safety<br />
Have a look at the photo at the top of the<br />
facing page: (no, not mine, the tyre!)<br />
When I saw this picture of a sockingly<br />
bald tyre on Facebook I thought you might<br />
be able to use it as a teaching aid when<br />
talking to pupils about tyre safety.<br />
It isn’t a picture from a British<br />
contributor; rather it comes from a road<br />
safety site in Zambia, called Traffic Desk.<br />
I have found it quite interesting because<br />
it’s a country that drives on the left and its<br />
signage is a mixture of UK-style ones with<br />
some local or international additions. The<br />
authorities also sometimes put up the<br />
sorts of hand-drawn diagrams of<br />
procedures which are very much like the<br />
ones many of us do (or did in my case).<br />
The only good news to come out of the<br />
pic is it’s almost good enough to check<br />
your parting by!<br />
Editor’s note: At MSA GB we’ve never<br />
heard of a car on a recovery vehicle<br />
receiving a speeding ticket, but with so<br />
much reliance on ‘intelligent’ technology,<br />
which at times we all know can be pretty<br />
dumb, it isn’t out of the realms of<br />
possibility.<br />
Therefore, as a reminder, if you do<br />
receive a Notice of Intended Prosecution<br />
(NIP), you can always ask to see<br />
photographic evidence of your<br />
misdemeanour. Hopefully, even the most<br />
stringent applier of the highway rules will<br />
agree you can’t get a ticket when your<br />
car is on the back of a trailer!<br />
Tragic tale of four wasted lives<br />
proves need for us to keep the<br />
focus on young drivers’ safety<br />
Bob Page<br />
MSA GB London & the South East<br />
Hello folks. I don’t know about you but I found<br />
myself profoundly affected by the death last<br />
month of the four teenage boys in<br />
Snowdonia, after they were involved in a car<br />
crash (see below for more details)<br />
Although I know nothing of the details,<br />
which I’m sure will all come out at the inquest,<br />
their deaths after the car they were travelling<br />
in crashed makes me think of my<br />
responsibilities as a driver trainer.<br />
Travelling home from a successful test I,<br />
and I’m sure many others, take time to stress<br />
to my new driver the need to avoid overconfidence,<br />
especially when carrying<br />
passengers. Bravado can kill.<br />
I feel the DVSA also does its bit with the<br />
Theory Test and Show me - Tell me<br />
components of the L-test, and also including<br />
more rural routes on driving tests, but at the<br />
risk of taking to my favourite soap box I do<br />
think that the Government could do more to<br />
get these messages out to the public via the<br />
media.<br />
Lets face it, during the 70s we were<br />
constantly being bombarded by positive road<br />
safety messages, and drink-driving,<br />
clunk-click every trip, etc, adverts. Why can’t<br />
we see similar ads now?<br />
As I say, I have no idea if my assessment of<br />
this tragic crash is correct but I hope it makes<br />
all of us even more aware of our responsibility<br />
for the future of our trainees.<br />
RIP boys.<br />
Young boys killed were ‘thriving in life’<br />
The tragic news that the bodies of four young<br />
men from Shrewsbury – Jevon Hirst, Harvey<br />
Owen, Wilf Fitchett and Hugo Morris – had<br />
been discovered after the car they were<br />
travelling in crashed on an isolated road in<br />
Gwynedd, north Wales, will have sent a shiver<br />
down the spine of parents everywhere.<br />
It is believed their silver Ford Fiesta plunged<br />
off a windy country road and overturned in a<br />
flooded ditch. It was not known exactly when<br />
the fatal crash took place, but brutal weather<br />
in the area around the time the boys<br />
disappeared may have played a factor.<br />
So too could inexperience: the driver will<br />
have been only a handful of weeks from<br />
passing his test, and it is likely that he had not<br />
encountered such poor weather conditions<br />
before, nor the challenges associated with<br />
navigating narrow, winding rural roads.<br />
For ADIs the tragedy was a salutary<br />
reminder of the responsibility we carry to<br />
ensure not only are our charges prepared for<br />
the L-test, but they are prepared for posttest<br />
driving, too.<br />
MSA GB said: “Too many young people are<br />
involved in serious incidents in the two years<br />
immediately after passing their test. Often the<br />
factors involved include inexperience, as they<br />
encounter conditions that their training could<br />
never replicate, as well as an inability to handle<br />
distractions.”<br />
Tributes have been paid to all four, with<br />
them all being described as charming,<br />
creative, funny and gentle souls who felt<br />
empathy for others.<br />
If any good can come out of the deaths, it<br />
has to be that all ADIs use their fate as a<br />
reminder to their young charges, that they are<br />
not invincible and must always be aware that<br />
crashes such as this can be just around the<br />
corner.<br />
Left, the four young victims: RIP<br />
NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023 37
Members’ discounts<br />
Members’ discounts and benefits<br />
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<br />
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<br />
bottom of the page to allow you to obtain your special discounts.<br />
Please note, non-members will be required to join the association first. Terms and conditions apply<br />
Access to a replacement dual<br />
control car after a crash<br />
EXCLUSIVE DEAL FOR MSA GB MEMBERS<br />
MSA GB has partnered with AI Insurance Solutions Limited to provide members with a<br />
replacement dual controlled car when things don’t quite go to plan.<br />
If you lose your dual-controlled tuition car in a crash, MSA GB’s new partnership with AI<br />
Insurance Solutions Ltd will have you back on the road and teaching in no time.<br />
Our exclusive agreement with AI Solutions Ltd will supply a replacement vehicle to you<br />
should the need arise – at no cost. Contact The AI Insurance Solutions Emergency (AIIS)<br />
assistance line on 01945 425211 for more details, or see pg 26.<br />
Ford updates special<br />
members’ offer<br />
Ford has partnered with MSA GB to offer exclusive<br />
discounts on all car and commercial Ford vehicles.<br />
Take a look at the Ford website www.ford.co.uk<br />
for vehicle and specification information. See the<br />
Members’ Benefits page on the MSA GB website<br />
and follow the Ford link for more details..<br />
Please note these discounts are only available to<br />
MSA GB members and their immediate family if they<br />
are members who pay annually.<br />
ACCOUNTANCY<br />
MSA GB’s Recommended<br />
Accountancy Service, FBTC<br />
offers a specialist service for<br />
ADIs. It has been established<br />
over 20 years ago and covers the<br />
whole of the UK. The team takes pride in<br />
providing unlimited advice and support to ensure<br />
the completion of your tax return is hassle free,<br />
giving you peace of mind.<br />
MSA GB OFFER:: FBTC will prepare you for<br />
Making Tax Digital and will be providing HMRC<br />
compliant software to all clients very soon.<br />
Join now to receive three months free.<br />
ADVANCE DRIVING<br />
AND RIDING<br />
As the UK’s largest road safety<br />
charity, IAM RoadSmart is<br />
proud to partner with the<br />
Motor Schools Association<br />
GB. Working together to promote and<br />
enhance motorists skills on our roads.<br />
MSA GB OFFER:: Get 10% off Advanced courses;<br />
visit www.iamroadsmart.com/course and<br />
use the code MSA10 at the checkout or call<br />
0300 303 1134 to book.<br />
BREATHALYSER KITS<br />
Protect yourself and your pupils with a<br />
personal breathalyser. We’ve teamed up with<br />
AlcoSense, the award-winning range of<br />
personal breathalysers, to offer an exclusive<br />
discount to all MSA GB members. A personal<br />
breathalyser takes the guesswork out of<br />
whether there’s residual alcohol in your<br />
system (or that of your learner driver pupil)<br />
the morning after the night before.<br />
MSA GB OFFER:: 10% off any AlcoSense product<br />
(excluding single-use disposables) – from the<br />
entry-level Lite 2 (£44.99) to the top-ofthe-range<br />
Ultra (£249.00).<br />
CAR AIR FRESHENERS / CANDLES<br />
Mandles’ handmade scented collections use<br />
quality ingredients to ensure superior scent<br />
throw from all its candles and<br />
diffusers. Check our our website<br />
for further details.<br />
MSA GB OFFER:: Special discount<br />
of 20% on all car air fresheners<br />
and refills.<br />
CARD PAYMENTS<br />
MSA GB and SumUp believe<br />
in supporting motor vehicle<br />
trainers of all shapes and sizes.<br />
Together we are on a mission to<br />
ease the operational workload of<br />
our members by providing them with the ability<br />
to take card payments on-the-go or in their<br />
respective training centres. SumUp readers<br />
are durable and user-friendly. Their paperless<br />
onboarding is quick and efficient. Moreover,<br />
their offer comes with no monthly subscription,<br />
no contractual agreement, no support fees,<br />
no hidden fees – just the one-off cost for the<br />
reader coupled with lowest on the market<br />
transaction fee.<br />
DISABILITY AIDS<br />
Driving shouldn’t just be a<br />
privilege for people without<br />
disabilities; it should be<br />
accessible for all and there’s never been an easier<br />
time to make this the case! MSA GB members<br />
can take advantage of BAS’s Driving Instructor<br />
Packages which include a range of adaptations at<br />
a discounted price, suitable for teaching disabled<br />
learner drivers.<br />
MSA GB OFFER:: Special Driving Instructor<br />
Packages for MSA GB members.<br />
FUEL CARDS<br />
Save up to 10p per litre of fuel with Fuel Card<br />
Services. Fuel Card Services offers a large<br />
choice of networks from leading brands, such<br />
as BP, Shell, Esso and UK Fuels so you can<br />
decide which networks you wish to include on<br />
your business account.<br />
MSA GB OFFER:: An MSA GB fuel card will save<br />
you up to 10p per litre.<br />
HEALTH / FINANCE COVER<br />
The Motor Schools Association of Great<br />
Britain has agreed with HMCA to<br />
offer discounted rates for medical<br />
plans, dental plan, hospital cash<br />
plans, personal accident plan,<br />
travel plan, income protection<br />
and vehicle breakdown products.<br />
MSA GB OFFER:: HMCA only offer<br />
medical plans to membership groups<br />
and can offer up to a 40% discount off the<br />
underwriter’s standard rates. This is a<br />
comprehensive plan which provides generous<br />
cash benefits for surgery and other charges.<br />
To get the full story of the<br />
discounts available, see<br />
www.msagb.com<br />
38 NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023
For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com<br />
PUPIL INSURANCE<br />
Join the Collingwood<br />
Instructor Programme and<br />
refer your pupils for learner<br />
insurance.<br />
MSA GB OFFER:: MSA GB OFFER:: £50 for<br />
your first referral and £20 for all additional<br />
referrals.<br />
PSYCHOLOGY TRAINING<br />
Confident Drivers has the only<br />
website created especially for<br />
drivers offering eight different<br />
psychological techniques<br />
commonly used to reduce stress and nerves.<br />
MSA GB OFFER:: One month free on a monthly<br />
subscription plan using coupon code.<br />
PUPIL SOURCING<br />
Go Roadie provides students<br />
when they need them, with all<br />
the details you need before you<br />
accept. Control your own pricing,<br />
discounts and set your availability<br />
to suit you. Full diary? No cost!<br />
MSA GB OFFER:: Introductory offer of 50% off<br />
the first three students they accept.<br />
QUICKBOOKS<br />
50% Discount on two<br />
packages for MSA GB<br />
members<br />
Quickbooks is offering an online<br />
50% discount for MSA GB members on two of<br />
their premium accounting packages.<br />
Essentials Package For small businesses<br />
working with suppliers. Manage VAT and<br />
Income Tax with up to three users.<br />
Plus For businesses managing projects,<br />
stock, VAT, and Income Tax. Up to five users.<br />
The packages are contract-free throughout<br />
with no cancellation fee. This exclusive<br />
member offer can only be secured by<br />
contacting our MSA GB representative at<br />
Quickbooks - Ollie Nobes, on: 07723 507 026<br />
or email: Ollie_Nobes@intuit.com quoting:<br />
**MSAGB**<br />
To get the full story of the<br />
discounts available, see<br />
www.msagb.com<br />
Membership offer<br />
Welcome, new ADIs<br />
We’ve a special introductory offer for you!<br />
Congratulations on passing your<br />
Part 3 and becoming an ADI.<br />
There’s an exciting career<br />
open to you from today,<br />
one that’s alive with<br />
possibilities as you build<br />
your skills, your client base<br />
and your income.<br />
But for all the excitement,<br />
it can also be challenging;<br />
who can you turn to if you’re<br />
struggling to get over key driver<br />
training issues to a pupil? Where can<br />
you go to soak up advice from more<br />
experienced ADIs? Who will help you if you<br />
are caught up in a dispute with the DVSA? If<br />
the worst happens, who can you turn to for<br />
help, advice and to fight your corner?<br />
The answer is the Motor Schools<br />
Association of Great Britain – MSA GB for<br />
short.<br />
We are the most senior association<br />
representing driving instructors in Great<br />
Britain. Establised in 1935 when the first<br />
driving test was introduced, MSA GB has<br />
been working tirelessly ever since on<br />
behalf of ordinary rank and file ADIs.<br />
We represent your interests and your<br />
views in the corridors of power, holding<br />
regular meetings with senior officials<br />
from the DVSA and the Department for<br />
Transport to make sure the ADIs’ voice is<br />
heard.<br />
SPECIAL OFFER<br />
Join MSA GB today!<br />
SPECIAL OFFER: Join for just £60 with your<br />
PI & PL insurance included immediately!<br />
No joining fee - saving you £25<br />
Call 01787 221020 quoting discount code<br />
<strong>Newslink</strong>, or join online at www.msagb.com<br />
We’d like you to<br />
join us<br />
We’re there to support you<br />
every step of the way.<br />
Our office-based staff are<br />
there, five days a week,<br />
from 9am-5pm, ready to<br />
answer your call and help<br />
you in any way.<br />
In addition our network of<br />
experienced office holders and<br />
regional officers can offer advice over<br />
the phone or by email.<br />
But membership of the MSA GB doesn’t<br />
just mean we’re there for you if you’re<br />
in trouble. We also offer a nationwide<br />
network of regular meetings, seminars and<br />
training events, an Annual Conference, and<br />
a chance to participate in MSA GB affairs<br />
through our democratic structure<br />
In addition, you’ll get a free link to our<br />
membership magazine <strong>Newslink</strong> every<br />
month, with all the latest news, views,<br />
comment and advice you’ll need to become<br />
a successful driving instructor.<br />
You’ll also automatically receive<br />
professional indemnity insurance worth up<br />
to £5m and £10m public liability insurance<br />
free of charge.<br />
This is essential legal protection covering<br />
you against legal claims ariving from your<br />
tuition.<br />
NEWSLINK n DECEMBER 2023 39