New Year, new challenges - Driving Instructors Association · driving instructors have anyway. Empathy and the ability to ‘get inside someone’s head’ and find out where your

THE VOICE OF THE PROFESSIONAL DRIVING INSTRUCTOR

DrivingInstructor

ISSUE ONE 2015

What’s in store for the driver trainer world?

New Year, new challenges

Learn more about how physical and psychological conditions impact driving and how you can positively develop those pupils with diverse needs.

This course will provide the relevant knowledge and understanding needed when training people who are managing a medical condition, disability or have experienced a life-changing event. We will also be looking into vehicle adaption and how illnesses and disabilities directly affect a person’s ability to drive and in turn, understand your role, responsibility and points of referral as an ADI.

LEARN HOW TO DEVELOP DRIVERS WITH A RANGE OF SPECIFIC NEEDS

Book your place todayvisit driving.org/training or call 020 8686 8010

Includes

Driving Instructors Association

DRIVERS WITH DIVERSE NEEDS

£79DIA MEMBERS

£89NON MEMBERS

®

drive well, pay less

6 March – Walton-on-Thames 17 April – Manchester

RefreshmentsCPD Networking CertificateLunch Materials

EDITORSimon Miller

[email protected]

DESIGNMatt Russell

[email protected]

ADVERTISINGAmy Turner

020 [email protected]

CHIEF EXECUTIVECarly Brookfield

CHAIRDean Mayer

DrivingInstructor

The official monthly magazine of the Driving Instructors Association

Driving Instructor is published monthly by DIA (Int.) Ltd

Copyright © DIA (Int.) Ltd 2014

Printed by Warners Midlands plc

The views contained may not be the views of the publishers. Publication of an advertisement does not imply approval for the goods or services offered. Reproduction by any means, electronically or otherwise, in whole or part, of any material appearing in this magazine is forbidden without the express

prior permission of the publishers.

ADI helpdesk DIA membership helpdesk

Olivia has been a franchisee and a self-employed ADI. She knows how tough it is out there

[email protected] managerOlivia Baldock-Ward

[email protected] chief examiner

Mike is an industry authority with 24 years under his belt — on two wheels as well as four

Mike Frisby

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

Administration manager

Membership services administrator

Membership services administrator

Carly oversees the daily work of the Driving Instructors Association

Tina is charged with making sure everything runs smoothly

Simone deals with membership queries

Matt deals with membership enquiries and the DIA shop

Tina Sellwood

Simone Rennox

Matt Rathbone

[email protected] executiveCarly Brookfield

Helpdesk [email protected] is an experienced driving instructor and here to help with your training queries

Karen Bransgrove

Marketing [email protected] is our social media guru, helping our members find their online voice

Amy Turner

DIA MEMBERSHIPCall 020 8686 8010 | [email protected] | driving.org

DRIVING INSTRUCTORS ASSOCIATIONLeon House, 233 High Street, Croydon, CR0 9XT

Driving Instructor 03

WELCOMEHAPPY NEW YEAR

NEW YEAR and for this issue anyway, a slight change to the progamme as Kevan Chippindall-Higgin takes us though his ideas about what to do with the driving test — Carly Brookfield’s CEO report can be found in the Final Word at the back. It is certainly true that the review has exercised the minds of driver trainers and, judging from my inbox, there are many areas that could gain from a change. Kevan has suggested some interesting proposals

and I hope his views will spark some welcome debate. Also in this issue, James Whalen casts a sceptical eye on the idea that young drivers are bad drivers. The perception of the hot-headed kid behind the wheel is apparent in most minds but as James points out, it is the minority that shape this view. Indeed, as cyclists have found out, when the minority jump red-lights, all cyclists are tarred with the same brush. Speaking of image and perception issues, have you ever given a thought as to what you wear? Karen Bransgrove gets all Trinny and Susannah and casts a satorial eye over the ADI wardrobe. Like it or not, your job is very much in the public eye and your clothing can send a powerful message, not just for your business but for the profession as a whole. Happy New Year, and as always, I welcome your comments.

Simon Miller

A

26

21 INTENSIVE COMMENT

Noel Gaughan looks back over at why he started driver training and why it was better than a building site

22 DRIVING TESTREVIEW

Kevan Chippindall-Higgin talks about his ideas for the review on how to make the driving test relevant

24 NOT THE SAME BRUSH

Why it is wrong that drivers are accused of chasing compensation according to Amy Shitheringale

26 DRIVING AHEAD IN 2015

Mike Frisby takes you through the what’s waiting in 2015 from test review, licence changes and a possible change in government

06 MEMBER OF THE MONTH

We caught up with Sue Vernon who enjoys her role in helping those with diverse needs get back on the road

08 THE MONTH IN PICTURES

Pixie Lott and Land Rover, a Knobbly Racer are in the pics this month along with Maserati, Infiniti, Skoda and Mondeo

10 NEWS

Learner crash, hazard perception changes and 2014 car sales are among the topics covered this month

18 EVENT CALENDAR

Extended calendar with dates for your diary including this year’s National Standards and Parent Power CPD Days

READERS’ FEEDBACK17

Members raise topical issues of interest and respond to stories from last month’s Driving Instructor

INSTRUCTOR

22

Driving Instructor04

CONTENTS

40 WHAT NOT TO WEAR

Karen Bransgrove casts a satorial glance at why what you wear can affect you promoting and growing your business

33 TAXHELP DESK

Keith Halstead casts an eye on what bargains can still be had for the eagle-eyed driving instructor

38 ADI HELPDESK

Olivia Baldock-Ward and Karen Bransgrove help members with membership details, booking a DIA event and bus licences

45 DRIVING

The Ford Focus and Seat Leon are among the cars, while we look at how you can drive more ecologically

30 MEET THE FOGGERS

Olivia Baldock-Ward points out that at this time of year, it is not just snow and ice that poses a danger; don’t forget about fog

CHIEF EXECUTIVE REPORT66

Carly Brookfield updates DIA members on what the association was up to over the last year

47 DIAMOND COMMENT

Despite the fall in prosecutions, Mike Frisby argues that drivers are still failing, or ignoring the dangers in drink driving

34 DIATRAINING

James Whalen says young drivers are better than they are accused of as his daughter talks about passing her test

62 DIASHOP

Have you seen all the good things your mail order shop has to offer? Check out what’s available right here

3424

40 45


driving

Why did you become a driving instructor?I have always loved cars and driving and did silly things like taking an advanced driving test and going on driving experience days just for fun. I started out with an old banger and loved going to the breakers yard and getting the bits I needed to keep it going. Not sure if you can still do that now?Back in 1990, working in a specialist medical fitness to drive assessment centre as an Occupational Therapist, I conducted all the pre-drive clinical screening and knew the driver’s deficits before we got in the car. Later, as the observer in the back seat of the car during the practical driving assessment I was frustrated and wanted to get in that front seat, where the driving instructor was, and direct the assessment drive to test for my driver’s competence in the areas I knew might be weak. I was fed up of tapping the instructor on the shoulder and asking “can we turn down there?”.

What differences were there between when you started and now?I am not so scared now. At first, I often felt nauseous getting in the car — the sense of responsibility was so daunting. The level of concentration required was very tiring. At first, one lesson was shattering! Now all that is almost subconscious, and it is possible just to focus on the client’s situation and the job in hand. An amusing difference is that our profession affects us physically — we all know the problem of gaining weight from sitting all day, but my physio recently noticed I have ‘driving instructor’s shins’ — my tibialis anterior muscle is extremely well developed from holding the feet up over the duals just in case.

What was the most unusual driving/training experience you had?My first triple amputee was a soldier returned from Afghanistan. I had never met someone who had been through such trauma who was so positive. His attitude was that he was not disabled, just that he had lost three limbs and needed to get back to driving to do all the things he wanted to do, just like anyone else. He showed me a photo of himself playing on the floor with his young son at home, saying he’d told his son, ‘I am still Daddy — just a bit shorter’, and in fact, football was now an equal contest — both were stood the same height. He needed around £20,000 worth of vehicle adaptations in order to drive, but once he had learned to use them, anyone following us down the road would never have guessed anything was wrong. It gave him his life back.

What advice would you give trainers starting out?In terms of being self employed — don’t price too low just to get work, you are worth more than that. Don’t accept everything just to get work or you end up with everyone else’s cast offs. Give quality, charge for quality and word of mouth will build you a customer feed. Find what aspect you are interested in and specialise, then you have something to sell which the instructor down the road does not have.

What skills does an ADI need if they are branching out into special needs and are there any courses available?Your personality and interest is the main asset. An interest in people and good communication skills are things we hope driving instructors have anyway. Empathy and the ability to ‘get inside someone’s head’ and find out where your pupil is coming from is necessary. Once you’ve found that out, the ability to get beside them in that place and encourage and guide them forward is the key. Clients range from the “ah poor me, I can’t possibly do it” through to the “I’m OK, I don’t need you” at the point of initial referral by a third party. You need the skills to work with all attitudes.

The rest can be learned e.g. the medical background to various conditions and how to overcome many deficits by adapting the car or extending your fault identification and analysis skills when helping someone manage the driving task. My 24 years working in this field has built a vast resource of experience which I am happy to pass on to those starting out and I am delighted to be presenting the Driver with Diverse Needs course for the DIA.

What benefits can be gained from teaching special needs and what have been your greatest experiences doing so? You will not earn any more of a fortune that any other instructor but you will work with some incredible people who are the keenest pupils, because the ability to drive is essential for their independence in normal everyday life. You will have a chance to gain all those things I listed in the “what do you get out of your job” above. By specialising, you could work alongside one of the national centres offering assessments and tuition to gain experience, and onwards to further training and work in one of those centres if you discover your aptitude is indeed in this field.

Congratulations Sue

Would you like to be our member of the month? Contact us at [email protected] and

tell us why you think you should be nominated.

OUR DIA MEMBER of the month and presenter of our Drivers with Diverse Needs

course talks about being a specialised trainer

Sue Vernon


OF THE MONTHDIA MEMBER THE INTERVIEW

At first, I often felt nauseous getting in the car — the sense of responsibility was daunting

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Above The Skoda Fabio gets a street art makeover by Portuguese graffit artist Armando Gomes to highlight the colour range of the latest version of the car

Right Maserati took its Alfieri 2+2 concept car — which was created to celebrate the manufacturer’s 100th birthday — to the Detroit Motor show

Below The Lister Knobbly returns, using the original 1958 drawings from founder Brian Lister who passed away in December

PICTURESMONTH IN


Above Land Rover brought the snow, and Pixie Lott, to London as part of its Hibernot winter campaign

Bottom right The DIA’s first online AGM

Below Infiniti president Roland Kruger unveiled the Q60 concept car

Computer generated imagery (CGI) clips have replaced filmed clips in the hazard perception part of the theory test.

Although the filmed video clips that show everyday road scenes were still relevant, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) said the image quality wasn’t “as clear or defined as modern technology allows”.

The new clips show the same situations as the previous clips, but aim to look clearer on the screen and include updated vehicles, roads and surroundings so they look modern.

The DVSA trialled the updated clips to make sure that learner drivers could use them without problems and found that candidates who watched the new introduction clip about how the test works were more likely to spot the developing hazards. However, the way it works and the pass rate will remain the same.

The agency added that by using CGI clips, the DVSA could introduce clips in the future that show situations with vulnerable road users — like children, cyclists, and motorcyclists — without risk.

Driving Instructor

A 37-year-old man has died following an incident with a learner driver on a lesson in snow-hit Aberdeenshire in Scotland on 18 January 2015.

According to newspaper reports, the 37-year-old farm worker died after he was hit by a learner driver who lost control during a lesson and skidded off the rural A93 at Bridge of Gairn near Ballater,

The police confirmed that the driver of the car involved a Skoda Fabia was a “supervised learner” who had been on a lesson. A police spokesman said: “The driver lost control and struck a nearby 36-year-old male pedestrian. Regrettably the injured man sustained fatal injuries as a result and died at scene. An investigation into all the circumstances

around this collision is underway and we would encourage anyone who may have witnessed the incident to come forward.”

Councillor for the area Geva Blackett told The Aberdeen Press and Journal that she knew the driving instructor who had taken the learner driver out that day and added: “Young people need to learn what to do in snowy conditions — there’s no point in not preparing them for it.”

DIAmond chief examiner Mike Frisby said: “It is a tragic incident and our thoughts go out to the deceased’s family. Learner drivers need to learn on real roads and in real conditions and it is unfortunate that these accidents can still happen even under expert guidance.”

Man dies in learner crash

10

NEWS FOR ALL THE LATEST INDUSTRY NEWS VISIT DRIVING.ORG/NEWS

Hazard perception goes CGI

TOP STORY

The DIA is to hold a roundtable in February with the road safety minster and other driving experts as part of its drive to promote both professional driver training and increase driving standards in the UK.

Next month will see transport minster Robert Goodwill join other senior decision makers from insurance, motor manufacturers, government, road safety and driver education, as well as experts in driver behaviour, in looking at ways in which the industry can work together to develop practical ways in involving more drivers, pre and post-test, in robust and professional driver training and the continuing development of their driving skills. The discussion group will also look at the latest research into driver behaviour and how that can shape future driver training initiatives.

DIA CEO Carly Brookfield said the aim of the roundtable was to work towards ways to incentivise the British public to engage in better driver development — and more regularly — with the added challenge of a lack of a regulation to compel them to do so.

“Often stakeholders, including road safety professionals, will pin their hopes on legislation changing in order for us to see a bigger change in driving standards — i.e. the introduction of graduated licences or mandatory retesting — but the reality is, whilst we will continue to lobby strongly for such regulatory change, it will be a long time coming and won’t resolve the issues in the meantime. There are pragmatic and practical steps that we can take now and we don’t necessarily need the government to action,” she said.

Brookfield added: “We’d like to harness the power and influence of bodies, other than the regulators and law makers, marry that with the skills and expertise of driver educators and trainers and see whether we can create some working partnerships and initiatives that start having more of an impact on the nation’s driving standards, sooner rather than later and not waste time and lives on waiting for changes in the law which may not happen for a very long time.

“We are delighted to have the transport minster Robert Goodwill along, as well as other senior decision makers for this roundtable.”

DIA hosts roundtable with road safety minister

The Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) had appointed Dr Nick Reed as academy director, reporting to the CEO.

Reed joined TRL in 2004 following the completion of DPhil and post-doctoral work in the Experimental Psychology department at the University of Oxford. He has worked on some of TRL’s highest profile projects, including the training of drivers in the UK’s most sophisticated truck simulator and investigating the distraction effects of texting whilst driving. Reed is also the technical lead for the TRL-led GATEway consortium, an innovative team specifically formed to demonstrate automated vehicle technologies in Greenwich as part of Innovate UK’s £19m investment into driverless car programmes.

TRL’s CEO Rob Wallis commented: “I am delighted to promote Nick into this strategic role. Nick demonstrates the enthusiasm and commitment to academic rigour that characterises TRL’s approach to independent research and consultancy, while also recognising the importance of building a knowledge network and profile across industry, academia and international markets.”

Reed replaces Professor Neil Paulley, who retired from TRL at the end of November.

Reed appointed TRL academy director

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Smaller cars are some of the worst when it comes to meeting their official MPG figures.

Consumer motoring website HonestJohn.co.uk claimed that according to its study of over 60,000 cars, the latest small cars were failing to meet official fuel economy estimates.

The company claimed that there was intense pressure on car manufacturers to reduce the CO2 that car engines emit, and to do that they optimise their engines for EC ‘drive cycle’ laboratory tests rather than for real life.

According to HonestJohn.co.uk, the worst performing model was the 2013 Nissan Note, which missed its official economy rating by 32.3% of the EC drive cycle fuel economy result of 74.72mpg. The 2014 MINI Hatch came a close second with 32%. Finishing joint third from bottom were the 2012 Citroen DS5 and 2013 Renault Captur: both missing their ECDC averages by 29.2%.

The best-selling car of 2014, the 2013 Ford Fiesta, was the fifth worst performer achieving a real world fuel economy figure of only 67.57 MPG — 28.9% short of its official fuel economy.

The Land Rover Defender from 1984 onwards remains the best performing car for two years running achieving 106.3% of its official fuel economy (26.58 MPG).

The 2000 – 2007 Toyota Celica also exceeded expectations, achieving an average of 37.09 miles to the gallon, 3% better than its official MPG figure. The 2003 - 2010 Nissan Micra came in third; achieving 102.6% of its official fuel economy, while Volvos 2000-2008S60 and 2000-2007 V70/XC70 came in fourth and fifth with real MPG figures of 102.3% and 102.2% respectively.

On average, cars achieved 86% of their official MPG figures a decrease of 1% every year, according to the website.

Daniel Powell, managing editor of HonestJohn.co.uk, commented: “It’s no secret that car buyers are confused by official fuel economy figures.

“Indeed, HonestJohn.co.uk receives thousands of complaints about misleading fuel economy figures, which shows that many car owners are out of pocket when it comes to calculating real world fuel costs.”

Smaller cars fail fuel claims

Scotland saw drink-driving drop by nearly 20% in December compared with the same period the previous year.

With Scotland coming into line with the rest of Europe by lowering its drink-drive limit to 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood on 5 December, it appears that Scottish drivers have taken on board the message not to risk drink-driving.

In a four-week campaign over the festive period, police tested 17,504 drivers — around 625 drivers per day.

In total, 351 drivers were caught under the influence compared with 434 over the same period previously, a 19% reduction.

Police Scotland said that it detected one drink-driver per 50 tests compared with one for every 47 in 2013 and, of those caught, 20 drivers were detect between the new 50mg and the old 80mg limits.

Assistant chief constable Bernard Higgins said: “The new limit is proving a good deterrent in stopping people from drinking and driving, but it is still unacceptable that 351 people chose to ignore all the advice and warnings and get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol. They are not just risking their lives but also those of other road users and pedestrians.”

Scotland sees Christmas drink-drive drop

Top 5 performing models Real MPG Ratio1. Land Rover Defender (1984) 106.3%2. Toyota Celica (2000-2008) 103.0%3. Nissan Micra (2003-2010) 102.6%4. Volvo S60 (2000-2008) 102.3%5. Volvo V70/XC70 (2000-2007) 102.2%

Bottom 5 performing models Real MPG Ratio1. Nissan Note (2013) 67.7%2. MINI Hatch (2014) 68.0%3. Citroen DS5 (2012) 70.8%4. Renault Captur (2010) 70.8%5. Ford Fiesta (2013) 71.1%

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Last year, the UK saw the most cars registered in a year since 2004 according to Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) data.

In 2014, 2,476,435 new cars were registered in the UK, which was not only the most in a calendar year since 2004 but was the fourth-largest of all time.

Last year, the market grew 9.3% over the previous year, ahead of the EU average of 5.7% and the UK remains the second largest market in EU (behind Germany and ahead of France, Italy and Spain), and recorded second-largest growth of these top five EU markets.

According to the SMMT, every month in 2014 saw an increase, with December’s 8.7% rise marking the 34th consecutive month of growth,

while there was a huge growth for plug-in car market, which saw volumes quadruple from 3,586 in 2013 to 14,498 in 2014. Each of the 10 best-selling brands in the UK now has one in its model range.

SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: “UK new car registrations returned to pre-recession levels in 2014, as pent-up demand from the recession years combined with confidence in the economy saw consumer demand for the latest models grow consistently and strongly.

“The year was particularly strong for alternatively-fuelled vehicles as increased choice, coupled with a growing desire for reduced costs and greater efficiency, resulted in a quadrupling of plug-in car registrations over 2013.”

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has updated the information for applying for criminal record checks.

Some criminal record disclosures are taking more than three months to complete as the police are now required to review the content more closely and consider what is relevant to the position for which the disclosure is obtained. As a result, the DVSA took the decision to update the information on the process, aiming to make the procedure easier for ADIs.

If an ADI clicks on the web page

about criminal record checks they are now taken to another page on gov.uk, which explains how to obtain the check.

Instead of being told to call GB Group, an ADI can now click on the link which will take them to the GB Group website where they can fill in an online form to request an online link or paper based form to apply for their criminal record check.

In addition, the DVSA is in the process of amending the renewal reminder letter that ADIs are sent six months before the expiry of their certificate.

2014 UK car sales fourth best ever

DVSA updates criminal record check info


The DIA has proclaimed its first online AGM a great success with members logging on all over the UK from the comfort of their home or office, and without having to either travel miles at their expense, or not be able to access it at all.

DIA CEO Carly Brookfield looked back at performance in 2014 and gave us a glimpse into the future at plans for 2015 and the presentation and a recording of the webinar is online in the member’s area as well as Facebook.

Speaking after the event, Brookfield said: “Online AGMs are the norm for most professional associations across other industries and vocational areas now as members are widely geographically spread and difficult to bring in any great number to one physical location efficiently - they’re also busy working so getting them to give up time to travel to an AGM just isn’t serving their needs.

“Webinar style AGMs allow much greater connectivity with our membership, and greater interactivity as members post questions as we go and we can better manage and pick up those comments and queries.”

Online events at the DIA are rapidly becoming the go-to CPD events in the digital world with hundreds of ADIs logging on each month for webinars on a wide variety of subjects. If you haven’t had a chance to get involved as yet check out the next sessions planned by going to driving.org/events/webinars.

AGM goes back to the future

Rude drivers and mobile phone use when driving are among the top gripes of UK motorists.According to a survey from UK car leasing company Flexed.co.uk, UK drivers find that just about

any minor infraction by other road users will annoy them with a lack of courtesy through the failure to thank another driver heading the list.

Using a mobile phone while driving and driving too slowly in the middle or fast lane also annoy drivers while cyclists running red lights completes the top five.

More unusual moans collected included one driver saying: “Baby on board signs. Do they want a medal or something?” Meanwhile, another commented: “I just hate people who turn right. Stop turning right, you’re in my way.”

“It seems that our road users were itching to get something off their collective chest,” said Flexed.co.uk spokesperson Mark Hall. “And our survey certainly opened the floodgates. Our researchers tell us they have never heard so much undisguised fury.”

However, the company added that such frustrations could lead on to more serious incidents if tempers aren’t controlled.

Hall added: “It’s very easy for us to suggest that drivers take a more relaxed attitude to their motoring when they’ve been stuck in a traffic jam for the best part of an hour, but it’s something that hard-put road-users really have to take on board.”

UK drivers’ top gripes


Last year saw a 10% rise in motorcycle registrations compared with 2013 according to year-end figures.

The data from the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) saw 101,277 new motorcycles, scooters and mopeds registered during 2014, compared to 91,908 the year before. Of this year’s new registrations, over 48,000 were smaller commuter-sized machines.

In addition, the figures showed that certain styles were particularly popular. ‘Naked’ bikes were up 32% on the previous year and ‘touring’ bikes up 13%. Larger motorcycles sold well too, with an increase of 18% in the sale of models between 651cc and 1000cc.

There is also an upward trend for the number of powered two wheelers (PTWs) being used on the road. Government statistics show the number of PTWs licensed for the road has increased to 1,326,500 – the highest figure registered for 5 years, and nearly double the number on the road in 1994.

MCIA CEO Steve Kenward said: “With new registrations up 10% and Motorcycle Live attendance up by the same, we are optimistic we will see similar levels of growth for the next 12 months.

“Motorcycle Live is regarded within the industry as a barometer for the year ahead, so the increase in visitors and their tremendous response to exciting new models bodes well for sales in 2015.”

Motorbike sales rise in 2014

■ Lack of courtesy — people who don’t thank you ■ Using a mobile phone while driving ■ Driving too slowly in the middle or fast lane ■ Cyclists running red lights ■ Tractors that don’t pull over to let faster traffic past ■ Bad parking ■ Tail-gating and driving too close ■ Throwing cigarette ends out of the window ■ People who don’t indicate ■ Loud music ■ Not moving up in a traffic jam, letting other cars in ■ Not dipping headlights at night ■ Seeing other drivers picking their nose ■ Drivers who block the road when an emergency vehicle is trying to get through ■ Motorbikes filtering through a traffic jam ■ Wheel spinning ■ Dirty or unreadable licence plates ■ Spitting out of the window ■ People who keep changing lanes in traffic jams ■ Drivers who slow down to look at an accident

The top 20 annoyances about other road users

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00654_Hitachi_Advert_PR_A4.indd 1 24/11/2014 08:38


SOCIAL MEDIA

What has got you sharing, liking, tweeting, retweeting, regramming and pinning this month?

For Traffic Sign Tuesday we found this totally legit sign. Has anyone else seen this in the Brentwood area?

Thank you for all the great feedback we have received in response to Mike Frisby’s appearance on the Jeremy Vine Show, this month.

facebook.com/drivinginstructorsassociation

twitter.com/the_dia

Keep informed on all our latest events via our Events board on Pinterest. Pin them to your boards as a helpful reminder of what’s coming up.

pinterest.com/dia0323

Parents and young learner drivers themselves have been checking out the DIA on Instagram. Can your prospective clients find you online?

instagram.com/drivinginstructorsassociation

Will Routledge

FEEDBACKREADERS’

Send your comments toLeon House 233 High Street Croydon CR0 9XT

[email protected]@the_DIA

I AM WRITING to you in response to the chief executive report about the Standards Check vs Check Test and the debate over licencing. I was particularly interested in your opinion of the pink licence. This was an option that was open to me (having signed up to train with BSM) that I ended up taking. I found the experience invaluable. At the time I passed my Part 2 test I still felt overwhelmed by the amount of information I needed to take on board, and was more than a little daunted by the mountain I perceived I had to climb before feeling ready to pass my Part 3. The issue was not with lesson content or control of the pupil, but with effective use of the coaching techniques. The prospect of extending the course by 40 hours whilst also having the means to practice delivering coaching skills and techniques with live pupils was tremendously valuable. I feel that the pupils I had at the time were very appreciative of my work. I was given very positive feedback from a Survey Monkey feedback form that I emailed out. I did not hide the fact that I was not qualified, but simply told them the truth — that I had fully completed all the modules of the course and had had to prove that to the DVSA in order to obtain the pink licence but had decided to defer the final test whilst honing my skills.

I truly believe that the only reason I passed first time was due to the pink licence experience I had gained. The pupils I had whilst on the pink licence were all happy with the situation after having it explained to them. Three out of about twenty of my pupils that I acquired throughout this period decided to leave me, all the others continued to be loyal. Whether some or all would have left had I failed my first attempt at Part 3, who knows?

It is interesting having been at CPD days, during my pink licence and since qualifying, and meeting recently qualified AA instructors who did not have the option of the pink licence. They all have said that they not only found Part 3 very demanding (all needed at least 2 attempts), but that they found their first live pupils hugely challenging as well, being so different from the role-play situation with their DIT. I think that if the training process and / or licencing will be changed at all there should be some way for the trainee to be involved in coaching live pupils. Whether this is done through a ‘mentor’ system, or maybe the DIT can sit in on the lessons, there are surely many ways of doing this; the pink licence was fantastic for me.

January

March

February

03Ramside Hall Hotel and Golf ClubWe’re bringing our sell out Training Days up to Durham this year www.driving.org/events£69 for members

Tuesday

Durham National Standards Training Days

04Mercure Leeds Parkway HotelWe’re bringing these sell out PDDs to Leeds this yearwww.driving.org/events£69 for members

Wednesday

Leeds National Standards Training Day

18Novotel Nottingham East MidlandsJoin the DIA for a full day CPD event focussing on the National Standardswww.driving.org/events£69 for members

Wednesday

Nottingham National Standards Training Days

11DIA WebinarIn this special webinar, we’ll be looking at teaching drivers of an older demographicwww.driving.org/webinarFree for members

Wednesday

Teaching Older Drivers Webinar

19Novotel IpswichJoin the DIA for a full day CPD event focussing on the National Standards and the Standards Checkwww.driving.org/events£69 for members

Thursday

Ipswich National Standards Training Day

23DIA WebinarIn this webinar we are going to be weighing up the pros and cons of working as a franchisee and going it alonewww.driving.org/webinarFree to members

Monday

Franchise Matters Webinar

25Holiday InnDue to the phenomenal demand, we’re back in Portsmouth for round two www.driving.org/events£69 for members

Wednesday

Portsmouth National Standards Training Day

26St Giles HotelJoin the DIA in the South West for a full day CPD event focussing on the National Standards and the Standards Checkwww.driving.org/events£69 for members

Thursday

Heathrow National Standards Training Day

CALENDAREVENT


28DIA WebinarJoin Sue Vernon and Olivia Baldock-Ward for a webinar focussing on licensing for drivers with disabilitieswww.driving.org/webinarFree for members

Wednesday

Licensing with Disabilities Webinar

06Riverhouse BarnThe DIA presents this specially designed one-day course, which looks into the world of teaching those with disabilitieswww.driving.org/events £79 for members

Friday

Walton-On-Thames Drivers with Diverse Needs Course

09Jury’s InnJoin the DIA for a new series of roadshows focussing on the role of parentswww.driving.org/roadshowFree for members

Monday

Edinburgh Parent Power Roadshow

26DIA WebinarIn this webinar, we’ll be focussing on keeping your business on track during adverse weather conditionswww.driving.org/webinarFree to members

Monday

Business in Bad Weather Webinar

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AVAILABIL

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SOLD O

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AVAILABIL

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NEWCOURSE

May June

April

14Mercure Great Danes HotelJoin the DIA for a new series of roadshows focussing on the role of parentswww.driving.org/roadshowFree for members

Tuesday

Maidstone Parent Power Roadshow

27Booking will open shortly for our Driving through the ages conference

Monday

Spring Conference – Driving through the ages

15Park Inn Birmingham WestJoin the DIA for a new series of roadshows focussing on the role of parentswww.driving.org/roadshowFree for members

Wednesday

Birmingham Parent Power Roadshow

16Hallmark HotelBooking will open shortly for this specialist event focusing on how human behavior and personalities affect driving

Thursday

Manchester Driver Behaviour PDD

17Hallmark HotelThe DIA presents this specially designed one-day course, which looks into the world of teaching those with disabilities£79 for members

Friday

Manchester Drivers with Diverse Needs Course

02Holiday InnJoin the DIA for a new series of roadshows focussing on the role of parentswww.driving.org/roadshowFree for members

Tuesday

Portsmouth Parent Power Roadshow

12Gipsy Hill HotelJoin the DIA for a new series of roadshows focussing on the role of parentswww.driving.org/roadshowFree for members

Tuesday

Exeter Parent Power Roadshow

13Royal Cambridge HotelJoin the DIA for a new series of roadshows focussing on the role of parentswww.driving.org/roadshowFree for members

Wednesday

Cambridge Parent Power Roadshow

14Park Inn by RadissonBooking will open shortly for this specialist event focusing on how human behavior and personalities affect driving

Thursday

York Driver Behaviour PDD

For moreinformation visit

driving.org/events or call

0208 686 8010

10Ice Sheffield Join the DIA for a new series of roadshows focussing on the role of parentswww.driving.org/roadshowFree for members

Tuesday

Sheffield Parent Power Roadshow

12Holiday Inn City CentreJoin the DIA for a new series of roadshows focussing on the role of parentswww.driving.org/roadshowFree for members

Thursday

Liverpool Parent Power Roadshow

26DIA Webinar In this webinar, we’ll be honing in on how best to enhance your business through effective marketing.www.driving.org/webinarFree for members

Thursday

Marketing Matters Webinar


NEWCOURSE

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COMMENTINTENSIVE


AM SITTING here at 11pm the night before deadline day for the DIA article that I promised our editor Simon Miller. I promised him that I had already had the article written and I was doing a little touching up on it. In reality, I have

half-written two separate articles, one about lazy incompetent driving instructors who financially rip off their clients, the second about the rise in racism shown to Asian driving instructors.

Maybe because of the late hour, but my mind has wondered and I am thinking about why people become driving instructors and where has their journey taken them, surely it’s not because of the money?

It seems we do it for many and various reasons. I know my reason was a little on the selfish side. Here is my reason why I decided to join our great gang of people who try and do their best to make people safe on our congested roads.

I used to work on a building site as a pipe layer and concrete finisher. I was not great at either job and hated them with a passion but the money was good.

The last building job I did was across from a driving test centre, it was in the middle of winter and freezing as hell. I used to watch these driving instructors going past in nice warm cars and mostly they looked very happy. It started me thinking, I loved people and driving and maybe this was the perfect job for me? Sitting in a warm car would be the icing on the cake.

I searched around for instructor training and decided the best way to go was for one of the best known and by far the most expensive trainers.

I handed over my money and really enjoyed the training but on the part 3 of the test I failed twice. I was panicking because I had one more chance to pass. If I didn’t, I knew it meant going back to building work. The trainer I had for the part 3 was good but I knew I had to change him or I would definitely fail again. There was another trainer in the office that nobody seemed to rate but I knew I had to take a risk. After deciding he

was the man to help me pass my part 3, we booked in our first lesson. We arranged to meet at his house and when I got there, I rang the bell and went back to sit in the passenger side of the car. He came out and asked why I was in the car and to get myself in the house as it was cold outside and, besides, his wife had just made a lovely cake. To be honest, I thought I had made the biggest mistake of my life. How wrong was I? He asked me why I had failed twice and I explained as best as I could that I didn’t understand what the examiner was looking for. He told me to forget about the exam and just do a normal lesson — I thought he was mad — but the more we talked, the more confident I could feel myself becoming. His mantra, if you can call it that, is there is no such thing as a stupid question. It’s something that I say myself today.

My ambition was to become a franchised driving instructor, which I achieved and of which I was truly proud.

As time went by, I realised that all the money I earned was going on franchise fees and petrol. I decided to start going it alone, which was as success.

I then became ambitious and tried setting up a franchise business which failed big time forcing me to go and work for another franchise system. I had the drive to try it again but this time I decided to go the intensive driving courses route.

It was a gamble as by then I had done few intensive courses. I got lucky because at this time, busy well-healed people didn’t want to take months to learn to drive, time they did not have. I soon build up a fan base amongst my clients as I had more recommendations than I could handle. It was not only the recommendations they helped me with but also marketing and PR and to be website savvy. To this day I have not spent a penny marketing my company.

My only bit of advice to driving instructors is to listen to your clients; you never know where it will take you.

I have run out of time and Simon will go mad if I go over my word count so till next month stay safe.

INoel Gaughan runs intensivecourses.co.uk, which has gained a reputation for its celebrity trainees.He tweets at @noelgaughan

ABOUT THE WRITER

NOEL GAUGHAN WHY DID YOU BECOME A DRIVING INSTRUCTOR AND WHAT JOURNEY HAVE YOU HAD?

I realised that all the money I earned was going

on franchise feesTo be honest, I thought I had made the biggest

mistake of my life

LISTENED TO THE media pieces the DIA’s very own CEO did on Radio 4 and BBC News as part of the wider coverage in December on proposed

changes to the Driving Test with great interest. It prompted me to write to the broadcasters themselves, who didn’t really seem to grasp the real issues at play here — and the DIA seemed to be a lone voice in trying to get the real rationale for change across. I repeat some of the challenges I made to broadcasters then, to all of us now — as drivers and driver trainers. Some ADIs, amongst the wider driving population, seemed horrified that such changes may be made.

I’d urge even wider change than suggested. The simple fact is that the current test is not fit for purpose and fiddling around with a sat-nav or a turn in the road will not address the core issue.

Ask any average motorist about when they took their test. Probably at 17 or so and all they wanted was to get through that hour and a bit. Unsurprisingly and totally reasonably, the test was and still is regarded as the benchmark. The problem is that the bar is set so low; a caterpillar would bang its head passing underneath. The whole thing is regarded in exactly the same way as a really tedious GCSE exam. Get through it with a halfway decent grade and then forget all about it. This is exacerbated by the peer and/or group norm of comparing how few lessons it took to pass as well as parents, who have not had their skills looked at in 30 years, reinforcing how few lessons it took them. I have lost count of students who have passed their theory test and yet know nothing. It has fallen into the ‘pass and forget category’. Indeed, I had one chap who was really very unhappy that he was being quizzed on the Highway Code in all its aspects, and felt that I should have given him a list of questions so that he could revise only those.

Currently, if an instructor takes a pupil round and round known test routes, they will pass the test with flying colours but actually know very little about driving. There are, sadly, instructors

FOLLOWING THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE DRIVING TEST REVIEW, KEVAN CHIPPENDALL-HIGGIN SETS OUT HOW HE WOULD

CHANGE THE TEST — DESPITE RISKING PROTEST


Testing a theory

I

The problem is that the bar is set so low; a caterpillar would bang its

head passing underneath


who do this and as a result, can boast pretty good pass rates, which, in the eyes of potential customers (and their own), make them really good instructors. After a 35 minute drive around familiar roads, answering a couple of simple questions very incompletely, this person has gone from being dangerous on a motorway to being viewed as fully competent. If this was put forward as even a reality TV show, the audience would not buy into it.

What is necessary is a robust, testable or assessable syllabus followed by quite a long practical test which could go absolutely anywhere within a 40 minute radius of the test centre and cover as many varied roads and driving contexts as possible, including motorways, if available. The learner is going to drive on a motorway at some point in the next 60-70 years of life, so if it is feasible, test them on one before they are unleashed, uncontrolled on one. However, for this to work, a proper syllabus needs to be drawn up that is supported by a logbook attesting to key competences achieved and signed off as satisfactory by an approved driving instructor (ADI). This must include comprehensive theory as well a rigorous practical activity and exposure to a variety of driving conditions and contexts. I know this is something the DIA have proposed for a long while.

I would suggest the log book has to be signed off by an ADI, under test conditions, for rural, urban, fast dual carriageway/motorway and night drives prior to a long independent test which may or may not include any or all of the above. If the correctly completed logbook is not presented to the examiner, the test is abandoned there and then. In an ideal world, the candidate would be assessed by an ADI — not the one who originally signed off the logbook — at 12 and 24 months to ensure that the best practice is retained and fully embedded; again, something DIA actively lobbies for. Right now, you can pass your test and providing you are not caught, nobody bothers you until the day you die maybe 70+ years later.

There would be minimal cost to the state because all they would have to do would be to record log sheet serial numbers on the test form. This might take an extra five minutes before leaving on the test. Yes, DVLA would

have some extra work to do for a couple of years, but that would not be too onerous.

The point about this approach is that it is outcome driven. People have to achieve a certain standard prior to progression to the next stage. Ideas such as graduated driving licences (GDL) are input driven with all sorts of costly schemes within them (as well as being very complex to manage) at a time when everyone is trying to reduce public spending.

A couple of the sillier ideas are a minimum of 12 months on a novice licence before moving up to a full one. So, you pass your test, have no further requirement to do any further training or driver development, and magically 12 months on, you are now a better driver? Yes, you are gaining some useful experience over those 12 months but with little assistance or guidance with how to deal with experience or develop the skills to manage it better. And under many proposals on GDL, after dark driving and driving with passengers would be banned. So how are they able to accumulate the necessary knowledge and experience in the 12-month period before they are allowed to do those things? Apart from anything else, there are no police left to monitor this sort of stuff because automatic number plate recognition will not pick it up, so it will be ignored, much like kids texting while driving. We can’t police the driving regulations (and obvious breaches of them) we currently have, never mind ones where they are quite hard to monitor and enforce. A driver texting behind a wheel isn’t difficult to spot and it’s black and white — a passenger being a relative or friend isn’t so easy to spot, nor is whether someone should be driving after 11pm at night.

Of course, this continues to ignore the elephant in the room, namely that young drivers only make up a quarter of serious and fatal

crashes. So what about the other 75 percent? The experienced drivers? Suppose they are pass/fail assessed at licence renewal time? Suddenly, everybody has to up their game. I train instructors and without exception, none of them would pass the test as it stands today, never mind something tougher. It would also scoop up all the EU licence swaps as well as those from outside the EU, such as South Korea.

There will be always howls from all corners of the kingdom at the suggestion of tougher tests and more frequent assessments for all drivers. Fine. Keep killing an airliner load of people every nine weeks and seriously injure two aircraft loads a week. If the complainers are happy to sanction that sort of carnage, fair enough. We live in a democracy after all. Our roads are now the third most dangerous in the EU for injury accidents behind Germany and Italy. Not something to be particularly proud of.

Our roads are now the third most

dangerous in the EU for injury accidents

DON’T TAR ALL DRIVERS WITH THE SAME BRUSH OVER COMPENSATION CULTURE AND FRAUDULENT CLAIMS SAYS SPENCERS SOLICITORS’ LITIGATON MANAGER AMY SMITHERINGALE

NOT THE SAME BRUSH

better data about fraudulent or exaggerated PI claims, so that there is a stronger evidence base for policy decisions” and that “since the government has added the ABI’s figures for dishonest claims in 2013, it should explain how the figures have been arrived at and how dishonest claims have been defined.”

More important than all this, though, is that the phrase ‘compensation culture’ instantly invokes distrust of anyone seeking perfectly just redress for an injury. As the research shows, this distrust is unfounded and distracts from the real issue at hand — justice. If you are injured in a road collision that was not your fault, justice demands you are compensated. This should not be up for dispute.

We should support a system which allows those injured on our roads to seek appropriate justice.

The term ‘compensation culture’ is a divisive one, demonising those who need our help most. We need to ensure better outcomes, rehabilitation and care for injured drivers.

For those who make a living on Britain’s roads, who drive for hundreds of hours each year and whose chances of being involved in a collision are therefore magnified, road safety is of critical importance. They will draw some comfort from the knowledge that Britain has the safest roads in Europe but we must also make sure that when they do suffer an injury, they receive fair compensation and hearing.


CCORDING TO AXA chief executive Paul Evans, when drivers are involved in a collision their immediate thought is not “I want to keep costs down and fix the car”

but “how can I profit from this?”. Last month, Aviva announced that they had experienced a significant rise in crash-for-cash insurance fraud. However, this isn’t just limited to road users; if you believe what you read, Britain is suffering from an acute case of compensation culture. Politicians, journalists, even High Court judges have all waxed lyrical about this blight on our society.

I believe this could not be further from the truth and in no way reflects what Spencers Solicitors witnesses first hand. We deal with people everyday who are simply seeking recompense for a road injury they have suffered. More often than not, they come to us as a means of last resort having exhausted all their other options.

This is backed up by data which provides empirical evidence that the facts are at odds with the hype. A YouGov poll published in July of this year, showed that only 25 percent of Brits would even consider making a claim if they suffered an injury — a figure that is down four percent on last year. Data from The Work and Pensions’ Compensation Recovery Unit, which collects statistics for all personal injury claims, also makes interesting reading. It shows

If you believe what you read, Britain is suffering from an acute case of compensation culture

Athat there has actually been a three percent reduction in claims since 2012. Interestingly, the area of personal injury claims which is most targeted by the press and the politicians, road incidents, has fallen by seven percent since 2011. Claims for whiplash, often cited as the most abused personal injury claim, have also fallen by nearly a third.

Looking at the figures it is difficult to see how it can be asserted that British society is somehow obsessed with compensation claims. It seems harder still to apply the label to drivers.

A common argument put forward by bodies such as the Association of British Insurers (ABI) is that these figures do not show the levels of fraudulent claims made in the UK. According to the ABI, undetected general insurance claims fraud totals £2.1 billion a year with crash-for-cash fraud, in particular, costing £392 million a year. Just last month, Aviva claimed that crash-for-cash claims were at an all-time high, having increased by 21 percent since 2013. However, these figures are likely speculative in nature and cannot be taken as gospel.

These speculative figures create a lack of clarity with regards to the actual level of fraud in the system. The Transport Select Committee even went as far as to recognise questionable insurance figures in its recent report Driving premiums down: fraud and the cost of motor insurance. They recommended that the government needs to ensure that “there exists

As we move into a new year, we have a few interesting things to look forward to; Potential developments to the driving test which have been widely reported now, while licence changes, which are currently a hot topic as the time which was drawing near has been postponed — everything normal there then. On top of all that we have the merry-go-round of election time, which happens in May.

THIS YEAR WILL BRING A SERIES OF NEW CHALLENGES TO THE DRIVER TRAINER WORLD AS MIKE FRISBY POINTS OUT


Driving ahead in 2015

Test reviewThe driving test review, which was reported last month and which was the culmination of meetings held by theDriver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) with various stakeholders, is to look at how the driving test could be adapted to become more fit for purpose in preparing new drivers for real life driving. It will include things a driver will do day-in and day-out that they have not been trained for, such as using sat-nav. In the technological age we are in, the younger generation are more likely than the older generation to do so since mobile phones are already widely used as a means of navigating when walking somewhere — I guess its easier than having to actually interact with another person and ask where something is. In fact, this activity may increase driver risk when used in-vehicle as they are in the habit of walking and watching the screen. If transferred to the car, this could be potentially very dangerous, as would the momentary lapse in concentration caused by not knowing which direction they should be going. Where on the street you can stop to refocus for a second in a vehicle, this could be transferred to an inappropriate last minute decision to turn a corner, move off of a roundabout, or simply slow down to think, causing mayhem around them. Using sat-nav will make the test more flexible, which may result in test routes being a thing of the past as sat-navs develop the current independent driving element of the test, which has proved very positive since it’s introduction, and could be used at varying points around a test route. Therefore, it will decide the best route from the current location to the desired destination making the route the decision of the GPS.

Another proposed manoeuvre is that of moving across the road to park on the right and then moving on again from behind a vehicle. We


The driving licence has been the focus of much attention this year too as the government strive to reduce the amount of red tape there is in administration, and deregulate as many things as they can to supposedly make life simpler. But does it?

The plan for the driving licence is to remove the need to have a counterpart and simply carry a photo card. I think most of us were expecting that when the photocard was introduced first time round, yet amazingly, someone decided in an effort to get rid of the paper licence it would be good to have a plastic card and a paper licence — missed the point maybe.

The date for the counterpart to be abolished was January 2015, yet as that date approached it was rumoured that it may not happen as planned. We were advised by the DVSA before Christmas that it would probably be delayed until the end of February and, a few days after

Driving licence changes

We have clearly bred a generation of non-thinking drivers with an inability to work out what fits best in any situation

know the potential problems of having to move the front nearside of the car into the flow of oncoming traffic to gain a view, so do we advise pupils not to do it, as in our opinion it is potentially dangerous, or do we realise that pretty much every second car parked on a street is facing the wrong way? It is legal (other than for some exceptions stated in the highway code, which is also a learning opportunity), and after the test they will do it because it is ‘the norm’. Therefore is it not better for drivers to have learned about, and explored for themselves under guidance of trainers, the dangers and difficulties associated with this method of parking before they get a licence? Maybe, as a qualified driver, they will then make better decisions when parking post-test and will be less of a hazard to themselves and others. Learning to park without taking up two spaces would be more helpful too.

Car park parking; driving in and reversing out is also on the plan and I know all the ‘you must reverse into the space’ enthusiasts will have a problem with this but when you go shopping in the supermarket squeezing between your car and the one next to it with a bag full of shopping to load the car is impractical. Leaving the car at 45 degrees across the space is common as is using two spaces. My pet hate is seeing drivers drive in forwards where there is a trolley lane between the rows to make it easy to load your boot, and then they stand with their trolley at the back of their car loading it while blocking the flow of traffic.

We have clearly bred a generation of non-thinking drivers with an inability to work out what fits best in any situation. This is the overarching plan for new drivers who take the new test as will be required to take a lot more responsibility in the decision-making processes on test rather than being totally examiner-led. In years to come, we may also find that drivers who pass the driving test then gain some years driving experience, would still feel confident in their ability to pass it again. As they reflect on the knowledge and understanding they needed

to demonstrate on test, and skills they have improved since, rather than a learned systems they fell out of the habit of applying soon after passing as is currently the case, I think they will consider themselves to be beyond test standard.

So, the next step before we all get carried away with the implementation of this test, is to see if it will work. The DVSA have arranged a trial for which they require 1000 candidates to take the new test. You may have seen the notifications of this from DVSA but if not, they are looking for trainers who would be interested in providing candidates to take the new test. We notified through our e-newsletter and on the website and there are posters in the test centres where the test will be conducted. It has also been approved for licence acquisition,

which is good news for candidates that take and pass the test. Research will be carried out on its success and a consultation held before any final decision is made on implementation.

The plus side of this happening is the knock on effect to trainers who will have to be able to train more than passing the test. There are still, in my opinion, many trainers who are content to do the bare minimum to get someone to test. If the candidate has to think their way round it may just be necessary to do more than equip them to follow the examiners instructions for 40 minutes, so good news for the professional ADIs too. Everything both trainer and pupil need to know is contained in the National Standards, which will hopefully become more widely known about, as more trainers hand them out to their pupils as part of their learning journey.


we were told, a notification came out on DVSA alert that we would have to wait until June 2015. Bad news for someone who had lost their counterpart and booked a driving test for early January thinking they wouldn’t need it.

There has been much concern from ADIs about how they can check whether their pupil holds a valid licence, has points, the correct entitlement. The easiest solution is to conduct an online licence check, which can be done for free. The gov.uk website has a view driving licence facility which can be accessed, with the permission of the licence holder, at https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence. The information required for checking licence details are:

■ The driver number on the licence

■ The postcode on the licence ■ The National Insurance number

of the licence holder ■ And, you will require permission

to look up their details. The best time to discuss this with

the pupil is before they start lessons. Advise them that part of the service your company provides is a licence check to ensure the details on the DVLA database are correct, avoiding any potential problems that could delay them from taking the test. It would probably be best not to say I want to check if you have any points or are disqualified, as this will probably not start your relationship off on a positive and trusting note. Ideally, to save wasting your time and theirs, it would be better to check if there are any issues with their entitlement before you meet them on the first lesson. However, unless you are one of the ADI’s that meets the candidate (and maybe the parent, and bill payer) prior to starting their lessons, they may be, understandably, reluctant to give you a NI number when booking over the phone. As most ADIs have either a phone, or a tablet, with internet access in the car there shouldn’t be a problem accessing the details. This also applies to full licence holders undergoing developmental training, or fleet training, if licence checks are not carried out, on your behalf, by a training provider and you need to check before taking them on road.

There will, of course, be a need to check online for reasons other than points and disqualifications for some customers as the photo card licence may not show the category entitlement you need to see. For example, a client holding a full category B (car) licence that is going to train on a motorcycle will not have evidence of category A (motorcycle) provisional entitlement on the card as this would previously have been shown on the counterpart. The same would apply to a full motorcycle licence holder going on to take a car test. This also brings into question what checks the DVSA can, and will, carry out at test time. At the moment I am led to believe that they are waiting for information on how licence checks will need to be conducted from DVLA who will inform them when they have decided. It could be a difficult decision as checking when the test is booked could allow a driver to potentially have history between

In case you haven’t heard, 2015 is also election year and I’m sure the usual problems will be back again while we go through the torture of listening to how perfect the country will be if you just vote for the right candidates, and government. Maybe we will stay with the mayhem we apparently have, depending on who you listen to or we could choose to vote in the opposition who are all too aware of where the government is going wrong and are going

At least four months of 2015 will not

see any significant progress and certainly

nothing new

Government

booking and taking the test. Doing it at the beginning of the test, however, could be time consuming and will rely on the examiner being allowed, and able to, access the information. All potentially quite simple as and when the DVSA move to using tablets at test.

For now though, things remain the same, and candidates attending the driving test will still have to produce the same paperwork as they have been. Watch this space for developments; maybe it will never happen as it has been postponed to June, and may become someone else’s problem post the election.

to to make it perfect for us if we have to keep doing our part in trying to keep the road, and those who get a elect them, although why they didn’t do that last time around — maybe they think we have forgotten?

The short-term problem is purdah. This happens in March when the government and its agencies are not allowed to make any new decisions or to discuss very much with stakeholders such as ADIs for fear of compromising the election process.

There are problems associated with an election whatever side you favour. During, and after, the election there is the period of time where not a lot happens and we wait around for decisions to be made on plans that have been put in limbo. If the current government returns, there is at least a feeling that current thinking will progress, although as we have seen all too often continuity can be lacking even with a change of minister in the same party which generally happens as the cabinet have a reshuffle. However, if we get another party voted in, there will inevitably be bigger change as they try to put their own ideas in place and don’t want to be seen to continue with the ideas of the last government even if the outcome produces the same result.

The result for us, the voter is that at least four months of 2015 will not see any significant progress and certainly nothing new, so we have to keep doing our part in trying to keep the road, and those who get a licence to use it as safe as we can.

Not that the DIA is sitting idly by. While the politicians pitch, we will be — and indeed have been — engaging with other stakeholders and decision-makers in car insurance, motor manufacturing, road safety groups and other driver trainer organisations. To this end, we will be hosting a roundtable with the road safety minster Robert Goodwill and other experts in February in our continued aim to educate road users in good practice and show that it is not necessarily the government that should be making the first move.

Parents are an important audience for ADIs, both as a key decision-maker and influencer on younger pupils - and a license holder themselves.

Book your place todayvisit driving.org/roadshow or call 020 8686 8010

Parent PowerRoadshow 2015

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In our latest roadshow series, we’ll look at how trainers can engage more actively with parents and carers, and involve them more productively in the learning process.

From tips and techniques on opening up direct lines of communication with parents, to designing and delivering accompanied practice courses, as well as bringing in additional income – we’ll focus on harnessing that parent power.

The DIA is proud to offer the most extensive range of roadshows around the UK, totally free of charge.

LTHOUGH LIGHTER days are just around the corner, winter is still here with its dark days coupled with long evenings sat in front of the fire. Many

people would have had lots of extra journeys out in the car visiting relatives and friends during the holiday periods just gone —although if you were lucky, you were Skyping the relatives and doing your shopping online.

Despite the longer days coming, there are still winter hazards to face. Snow and ice are the real showstopping figureheads of the season, the household names that everyone has heard of. But ultimately we don’t see them as often as we might think from looking at festive Christmas cards. The range of conditions we face on the roads at this time of year is quite diverse. So we are all aware of the dangers of ice and snow, which has admittedly become more commonplace in recent years: we know to increase our stopping distance, allow extra time for journeys, take extra equipment in case we get stuck and ultimately deciding whether we really need to make that journey at all. But how many of us give consideration to driving in fog? Perhaps we are not as well equipped to deal with the difficult conditions this weather presents as we like to think we are.

Fog can be dangerous and even fatal, where visibility has been seriously reduced. Mix this with drivers who are lacking in fundamental knowledge and harbouring questionable attitudes towards not only towards their own safety, but also towards the safety of their fellow motorists, and you have a recipe for disaster.

So what are the basics when driving in foggy conditions? Fog can be very disorientating. The very nature of fog means it travels and drifts around, so one minute you are driving along in nice clear conditions, the next your vision is severely compromised. Before you know it, it is clear again. Drivers frequently get it wrong when driving in fog; they get a false sense of security from driving too close to the vehicle in front. This is a bad idea for obvious reasons when the driving conditions are good, let alone when neither driver can see more than a few feet ahead. You have to consider the notion in fog that you might be too close to the vehicle in front if you

IT’S NOT JUST ICE AND SNOW THAT DRIVERS FACE AT THIS TIME OF YEAR – OLIVIA BALDOCK-WARD LOOKS AT HOW TO DEAL WITH FOGGY CONDITIONS


A

Meet the foggers

Snow and ice are the real showstopping

figureheads of the season

can see it at all, so you have to be able to allow the suitable amount of space and time (give yourself extra journey time so you can drive at a more relaxed pace and not feel pressured) for the conditions.

People often assume that you only need to be able to stop within the visible amount of road on a country lane, but the rule counts just as much on a nice straight road in foggy conditions.

Another failing drivers often have is driving very close to, or sometimes right on top of, the centre line. They think that by being able to follow where the line is taking them, it gives them clear way to follow the road ahead.

Obviously this is a very risky road position not just for them, but for any unsuspecting vehicle coming from the opposite direction that won’t expect to see them there, or worse, be able to see them at all.

We are advised to carry out a combination of daily and weekly checks on our vehicles that handily form the mnemonic Powdery:

PETROL (OR DIESEL) Have you got enough fuel in the tank for your journey? Running out is inconvenient at the best of times, but pretty awful at the worst of times.


OIL Your engine is under more stress in extreme weather conditions – it’s important to take care of your car.

WATER This includes coolant and screenwash. Windscreens get grubby very quickly in wintry conditions.

DAMAGE Say your car got swiped while it was parked, how long would it before you noticed the damage?

ELECTRICS This includes bulbs and warning lights on the dashboard.

RUBBER Wiper blades need to be cleaned and checked frequently as they are exposed to the elements therefore eventually go brittle and crack, not helping vision. Tyres need to be checked regularly to ensure that they are road legal and that they haven’t sustained damage from things like nails or other debris.

YOURSELFAre you fit to drive? Driving while tired or suffering from that cold that’s been going around is often likened to drink driving, but getting behind the wheel when your reactions are slowed and you’re not capable of concentrating on the road could be deadly.

Don’t forget to set the demister controls before you start your journey so you can avoid fiddling around with them on the move.

As fog drifts around, you may find yourself alternating between dipped headlights and fog lights as needed. It may sound obvious, but make sure you change your lights depending on the conditions. Not only do you run the risk of dazzling other road users with your fog lights once the fog has cleared, but you would also be contravening the Highway Code. This also applies when you are sitting in traffic. Turn off fog lights temporarily once the following traffic has seen you to avoid dazzling them (this advice goes for brake lights in any weather conditions, but especially at night). Do avoid using main beam lights in remote areas when fog is really bad as it will not only dazzle oncoming traffic, but the fog will reflect back in the driver’s eyes and make vision worse despite what some may think.

Junctions can be hazardous areas at the best of times, but in foggy conditions, even more so. Make good use of your other senses rather than just being reliant upon your sight. Open the windows, turn off the radio and turn down the fan so that you can hear approaching traffic. This is not to be relied upon completely as cyclists and electric cars are pretty much silent, but it does help you to some degree when emerging. Using the horn as you near the junction will alert traffic to your presence, and could possibly avoid a collision.

Make good use of reflective studs where vision is restricted on major roads. These can help guide you to where you should be, providing you know what the colours mean, of course. The same goes for road markings and lines on the road as mentioned earlier, just be careful not to drive right on top of them. They may be all you can see just a few feet in front of you, so now may be the time to familiarise yourself with the Highway Code if you have any doubts.

Avoid using main beam lights in remote

areas when fog is really bad

SAVING YOU TIME, SAVING YOU HASSLE, SAVING YOUR SANITY

Quarterly direct debit options are available. For non-VAT-registered sole traders VAT-registered or Ltd companies (price on application).Excluding ROI. Terms and conditions apply Prices correct at time of going to press.

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HELPDESKBUSINESS

Black Friday is the Friday following Thanksgiving Day in the United States (the fourth Thursday of November). Since the early 2000s, it has been regarded as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season in the US, and most major retailers open very early and offer promotional sales. The craze came to the UK this year with a vengeance. But there are still serious bargains in the New Year sales.

The sight of shoppers fighting in stores is unpleasant. Moreover, the increase in online sales and orders as a result of the surge in demand over ‘Black Friday’ Christmas offers clearly put a huge amount of pressure on the ability for retailers to deliver. The sheer volume of orders presented a series of logistical challenges resulting in severe delivery delays. Amazon recorded 5.5 million orders on Black Friday, an average of 64 items every second. As a result the Amazon Prime service which normally gives next day delivery, was under great strain. Fortunately, there are still great deals in retail stores. Some are seeking to recover market share post Christmas after losing ground last year to competitors, especially the supermarket chains.

So keep on looking out for the bargains!

Oil prices started sliding in June last year due to numerous factors. There was growth in US production, sputtering demand from Europe and China, Mideast violence that threatened to disrupt supplies and never did, and then we had a big reduction in price from Saudi Arabia for its biggest customers. It appears that the world’s largest oil exporter would rather defend its market share than prop up prices. But will it mean cheaper petrol and diesel at the pumps? Well, it has already led to significant decrease. Petrol prices in the UK had fallen from a high of about 131.11p per litre in the summer to 119.83p at the end of 2014 - a decline of about 9%. Diesel dropped from 136.22p to 124.79p. But why don’t we see a drop which mirrors the drop in price of world oil? Because it is taxes which account for the bulk of UK prices.

About £810m was spent online on Black Friday - 50% more than expected. This was followed by a further £660m spent on Manic Monday. But January promises to be equally hectic.

You may have seen recent headlines concerning world oil prices tumbling. In fact it has dropped by almost a half since June 2014. But don’t hold your breath when it comes to seeing a similar drop in prices at the pumps.

Fixed rate mortgages look very good at the moment. If you are taking on a new mortgage or are coming to the end of a discount period on an existing mortgage, it is seriously worth considering taking out a fixed rate product. The banks appear to be back in force in offering some very attractive deals, and with an expectation that interest rates may increase in the next two years, it wouldn’t be a bad decision to lock in. In general terms, a big deposit will get you a 2-year fix below 2% interest rate, a five-year fix below 3% or a 10-year fix at 3.49%. These rates are seriously good.

The lowest five-year fix that I’ve come across if you have a 40% deposit is now at 2.48%. Mortgage rates have been driven down by a combination of elements: low inflation, a fresh bout of Eurozone fears, the belief that economic growth will slow down, and the heat coming out of the property market, especially in London. So shop around, there’s plenty of good deals in the market at the moment.

With expectations of a rise in Bank Base Rate in 2015, homeowners have an opportunity to lock into some very cheap mortgages

TIME TO LOCK INTO A FIXED RATE MORTGAGE?

DON’T WORRY ABOUT MISSING BLACK FRIDAY. STORES ARE STILL GIVING AMAZING DEALS IN THE JANUARY SALES.

WHY IS THE OIL PRICE SO LOW, AND IS IT GOING TO AFFECT THE PRICE AT THE PUMPS?

Keith Halstead MA (Oxon) FCA has been a partner in the chartered accountancy profession for over 20 years. He is responsible for a wide range of owner managed businesses, including driving instructors and many self-employed individuals running their own businesses, advising them on tax and business matters as well as personal financial planning. He currently heads up the DIA Tax Service for members.


Send your questions to [email protected] HELP?

Young Drivers – YOUNG DRIVERS ARE BAD DRIVERS — THE DATA SAYS SO, OR DOES IT? JAMES WHALEN EXAMINES THE EVIDENCE

HEN READING THE statistics regarding young drivers, especially in the manner in which they are presented, it is easy to start to believe that the current

training/testing regime is failing. A brief overview of the often quoted statistics will be given below before a different interpretation of the results is given and a case study of a young driver is presented. This will hopefully provide a more balanced view of the situation regarding the new, young drivers on our roads.

Every year, usually in September as it takes some time to verify the data, the Department for Transport releases its annual report regarding reported road casualties for the previous year.

below, made using data presented in the 2013 Annual Report (DfT, 2014), shows the high number of incidents in which young drivers are involved and how it begins to dramatically decline around the age of 25.

Unfortunately, due to the fact the scale changes (initially a two year interval, then five, ten and an interval for those 70 and over) across the table in the DfT report it gives the false impression that there is a rise in incidents during middle age.

The true pattern, and this is common across all nations that record these type of reports, is that there is a decline that begins in the mid-twenties and continues, although much more gradually after the age of thirty, until there is a slight increase in old age (but nowhere near the levels observed in young drivers).

WThese data are simple counts of the

numbers of injury collisions reported to the police. Although they have some weaknesses (e.g. not all incidents become known to the police) due to the fact that there are many incidents each year (the total number of casualties in 2013 was 183,670 (DfT, 2014)) and the same method of collecting and organising the data has been used for a long time reliable trends can be picked out from the results.

One of these trends that has become a well known issue is the fact the young drivers are involved in more collisions than they should be when compared to other age groups. In 2013, the 17-to-24 age group were involved in 18 percent of injury collisions despite representing 10 percent of the licence holders. The graph

FEATURETRAINING


Are they as bad as their image?

35000

20000

30000

15000

Under17

70 and over

17-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 50-5935-39 60-6940-49

25000

10000

0

5000

DRIVING.ORG/TRAININGDRIVING.ORG/TRAINING

Insurance companies point to the fact that young drivers are much more likely to make a catastrophic claim than older drivers (ABI, 2012). Usually £500,000 is used as the figure to class a claim as a catastrophic one so these are incidents that are very serious in nature and are likely to involve long term care. Young drivers are also more likely to have claims relating to multiple casualties than older age groups – this is the reason that some countries now ban young drivers from carrying young passengers as removing the peer pressure risk factor has shown to be successful.

A statistic that is often used when highlighting that young drivers are involved in more collisions than they should be is that one-

in-five are involved in an injury collision during their first year of driving. It is important to note that this statistic also means that four-out-of-five young drivers (or 80 percent) are not involved in an injury collision. Looking at the data in this manner shows young drivers in a more positive light and points to the fact that a minority of young drivers are making life difficult for their peers. When considering the more serious collisions it would be an even smaller minority accounting for the over-representation of young drivers involved in catastrophic claims.

As with all skills, driving performance will improve with experience. In an analysis of Stats 19 data (the annual reports produced by the Dft referred to earlier) Maycock (2002)

found that this accident liability for all drivers reduces by 3.6 for male drivers and 2.7 for female drivers after the first year of driving. Interestingly, he found that the most dramatic reduction in liability (2.3 for males and 1.9 for females) occurred during the first six months of driving.

This result shows that for male drivers 64 percent of the first year’s improvement in performance occurred during the first six months of the year (the corresponding figure for female drivers is 70 percent). It is felt that once a driver has gained 1000 miles of on-road experience their skills and safety are equivalent to drivers with three or more year’s experience (Box and Wengraf, 2013).

WHEN THE TIME came to teach my own daughter, Rachael, to drive in late 2012, I was well aware of the information presented above due to my background in driver behaviour. If possible, I wanted to ensure that I was able to get her past the most risky stage of learning to drive before she passed her test. In order to achieve this I ensured that two performance goals were met: 1) all aspects of the DVSA National Driving Standard had been properly covered and 2) she had covered at least 1000 miles before attempting her test. A log of all of her driving, a portion of which is displayed below (Table 1), was kept to ensure that these goals were met.

Case Study

Looking at the data in this manner shows young drivers in a more positive light


FEATURETRAINING


As research has shown the importance of gaining private

practice, I encourage all my

pupils to gain extra experience

Day Start Finish Purpose Odometer Start Odometer Finish Miles

Tues 11/12 17:10 17:40 Home from school, MSPSL, Advance Info

36046 36052 6

Wed 12/12 22:15 22:35 Home from school 36092 36098 6

Thrs 13/12 21:45 22:30 School to Tipton then home

36129 36140 11

Sat 15/12 20:30 21:30 To Pattingham & back to deliver presents

36318 36334 16

Mon 17/12 19:15 19:55 To Tesco & back to get groceries

36384 36392 8

Wed 19/12 18:20 20:05 Matt to Tony’s & junctions lesson

36468 36483 15

Fri 21/12 18:00 19:00 From George’s, roundabouts & meeting

46460 46467 7

Sat 22/12 07:30 9:30 To Tesco & back to get groceries

46467 46475 8

Sat 22/12 PM Christmas cards & presents deliveries

46475 46583 48

Mon 24/12 PM To Roy’s to deliver card & adequate clearance

36711 36714 3

Wed 26/12 PM To Dudley Argos to collect Sue’s Kindle case

36714 36722 8

Thurs 27/12 20:20 20:55 To Priestfield to collect Sue from tram stop

36734 36739 5

Fri 28/12 17:10 To Clive’s in Wombourne via Himley on return

36828 36841 13

Sat 29/12 11:00 To Sutton Coldfield & return to meet Spencers

36841 36874 33

Sat 29/12 17:10 To Pattingham & return

36874 36891 17

Mon 31/12 11:15 11:35 To city centre 36935 36938 3

TO GIVE A different view of a young person’s experiences the following is a short section written by Rachael regarding learning to drive:

Learning to drive was hard for me as there was a lot to take in and I thought it would be a lot easier than it was. At times I found it frustrating and others rewarding. I really wanted to learn to drive and succeed though still finding it scary. Luckily I practised hard and passed my test with a lot of help from my dad (instructor) to get me through. When I passed my test I was still a learner having a piece of paper that said I could drive and it didn’t make me as good as a person who has had that piece of paper for twenty years. I came to realise that experience meant a lot more; I was not magical driving without mistakes and no one was there to correct me. This is why I have chosen to continue my training through to advanced driving. I’ve learned a lot more from that but I still have a long way to go. The extra skills that I had gained earlier were transferable to help me pass my C1 category test. Although it helped, I still had to concentrate to drive safely and learn a tremendous amount to pass the test as driving the van was very different to driving a car. This experience has taught me to respect driving as not every vehicle is as easy to drive as a car, other drivers need respect on the road. I believe I’m very lucky as I’ve had a good experience and have managed to keep a good attitude to go with it. A few of my friends have not been as lucky as me. One of my friend’s instructor never taught her the bay park as she did not need it for her test (along with many other things) and I have found that their knowledge is a lot less than mine and this comes across when I am out in their cars when they are driving.

Rachael Whalen

As research has shown the importance of gaining private practice, I encourage all my pupils to gain extra experience. This policy has proved to be the correct one to adopt as statistics from my pupil data who I have taught from scratch reveals that 83 percent of the pupils who have private practice pass first time whereas 63 percent of the pupils who do not have private practice pass first time. Pupils who have private practice also have fewer lessons (with = 47, without = 52) and commit fewer faults on their tests (with = 3.4, without = 4.7). One month before her practical test, Rachael was insured to drive the family car using a temporary learner driver insurance policy. By having the experience of driving a different car, without dual controls and an ADI present (her mother always accompanied her whilst she drove the family car), and with different passengers, Rachael experienced two different learning regimes during her time as a provisional licence holder.

Rachael passed her test early in April 2013 (on her first attempt with no driver faults) and has had a successful start to her driving career. As she is planning to become a paramedic she has recently gained her C1 licence (also on her first attempt with no driver faults) and is close to being ready for an advanced test. I also taught my son to drive using the same approach but am unable to comment on the outcome as he passed his driving test (on his first attempt with two driver faults) in early

December 2014 and has not been insured to drive a car since. He also had extra experience due to passing his CBT and riding a moped whilst he was 16. He has been receiving professional motorcycle training since October in order to obtain an A1 licence. Therefore there will be some transfer of learning across the two types of vehicle that will be difficult for me to quantify.

To those instructors who have not had the experience of teaching their own children to drive, the two most interesting things I have learnt from it are: 1) Even though you will treat your child the same as you would other pupils be prepared to bite your tongue because they will talk back to you (and even completely disagree with your judgement) in a way that normal pupils won’t; and 2) seeing a driver develop post-test will give you a better understanding of why new drivers can be so vulnerable when gaining experience.

DRIVING.ORG/TRAINING

When I passed my test, I was still a learner with a piece of paper that said I could drive


ReferencesABI (2012) Improving the Safety of Young Drivers, Association of British Insurers, London, available from https://www.abi.org.uk, accessed 03/01/2015Box, E. and Wenograf, I. (2013) Young Driver Safety: Solutions to an age-old problem, RAC Foundation, London, available from http://www.racfoundation.org/research/safety, accessed 03/01/2015DfT (2014) Reported Road Casualties Great Britain: 2013 Annual Report,Department for Transport, LondonMaycock, G. (2002) Estimating the effects of Age and Experience on accident liability using STATS 19 data, in Behavioural Research in Road Safety: 12th Seminar, Department for Transport, London

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Q

QQ

I WOULD LIKE to become a bus driving instructor. I hold a fully category D licence. How do I do this?

HOW DO I book for DIA events? I WANT TO CHANGE my details on the DIA members’ site, how can I do this?

To become a PCV instructor; visit the website: safedrivingforlife.info click on ‘Instructors and trainers’ then ‘I want to become an instructor or trainer’ select the option relevant to you.

We have had several calls on the help desk regarding bookings of our events on Eventbrite via www.driving.org. These events have been very popular and we have seen many bookings coming in on a daily basis. If you book your event yourself it is very straightforward and the system will request your name, address, mobile number, email, membership number (if applicable) and ADI number. Please be sure to enter all your details in to the system correctly as we produce a delegate list and CPD certificates based on the information you provide.

Once online payment has been processed you should immediately receive confirmation via email. Should this not be the case please visit your spam or junk boxes to see if it has been filtered in to one of these areas by mistake. If you do not receive confirmation and you have checked the possible filters, please call the help desk and we will verify your email and resend you the confirmation.

If you are having difficulties booking online and you need some assistance in this regard please do not hesitate to call us and we will go through the booking process with you on the telephone.

I am sure many of you are aware that you can change your details and amend your profile by logging in to the members area at www.driving.org. You can also sign the code of conduct and enter the relevant details for ‘find a driving instructor’ which will enable the general public and ADI’s/PDI’s looking for further training to search our database via their postcode.

We are, in some cases, missing important information on profiles and in particular ADI/PDI numbers. If you get a moment to look at your profile, can I please ask you to update this information. Alternatively you can email us at [email protected].

The events are very popular and we have seen many bookings

coming in on a daily basis


A

QMY AIRBAG WARNING light has recently come on. I have taken my car to the garage and they said there is a fault and a part needs changing. They have also advised me that if there were to be a crash, the airbag may not deploy. They have ordered the part in and my car is booked in for tomorrow morning. Should I continue with my lessons in the meantime? I only have two booked in that I would need to rebook.

If the garage has advised the airbag may not deploy, I’d say no to lessons today and avoid driving the car. This may sound a bit ‘belt and braces’ and possibly be judged as a little extreme, but say you were involved in an incident; whether it was your fault or not, and especially on a driving lesson with a paying customer, if you and/or the driver were worse off because the airbag didn’t deploy, where would that leave you personally and professionally? Having this knowledge and advice from the garage may also have an affect on your motor insurance as well.

If you only have two lessons booked in, call them and explain and rebook them with a sweetener perhaps. Maybe some extra time for the inconvenience of cancelling short notice, or a free post-test hour, whether it be Pass Plus or anything else to benefit the pupil?

I know you didn’t mention any tests today, but an examiner won’t take a car on test if the airbag warning light is illuminated.

If you use business terms and conditions, this should all be covered in there about the procedure for short notice cancellations, so both parties know what the score is.

If you don’t currently use them, get some in place without delay. These can help you with disputes and all sorts of situations. DIA members can purchase a pad of carbonated ready-made business terms and conditions, underwritten by solicitors, from the DIA shop driving.org/shop for just a small fee of £12.80. Or just give us a call to get yours ordered today.

Send your questions toLeon House, 233 High Street, Croydon CR0 9XT

[email protected]

Need help?

An examiner won’t take a car on test if the airbag warning

light is illuminated

KAREN BRANSGROVE EXAMINES HOW WHAT YOU WEAR COULD AFFECT YOUR BUSINESS

What not to wear!


VER THE YEARS I have visited many driving test centres and training events and it never ceases to amaze how much variety there is in terms of what driving

instructors choose to wear for work.Many years ago, when I worked on a franchise

with the AA, there were policies in place regarding what was, and was not, acceptable to wear during working hours; I particularly remember no jeans being one of the examples. This was early on in my career and I remember feeling the branding of this company was strong and professional, which is one of the reasons I chose to sign up with this particular driving school. I had numerous meetings with other driving schools and my first impression from many of the owners, or representatives trying to sell their franchises, was of a scruffy individual with jeans, t-shirt and trainers. Needless to say it did not inspire me to join their organisation.

Coming from a recruitment background, I was always aware of how much first impressions count in terms of appearance and how you present yourself. Moving into the world of driving tuition, I did not change my view on this. In fact having started my own driving school following a year with the AA, it felt even more important to create a professional environment and brand of my own. On more than one occasion, I have seen a branded new car, with flashy new decals advertising a wonderfully bright and shiney driving school, only to be disappointed and let down by my fellow colleagues when they present themselves in less than appropriate dress to bring their student to test.

It seems such a shame to stop the branding at car level; why not continue this branding into other areas including how we present ourselves personally, along with our websites, emails, paperwork, etc? These are all equally important and necessary. When instructors moan about not having enough work, perhaps a business overhaul and a new marketing strategy could be long overdue? Working as a sole trader it is sometimes easy to fall into bad habits as it can be a lonely place being a self-employed instructor — there is no feedback from other work colleagues and good working practices and procedures are not automatically put in place.

It goes without saying that being clean, neat and tidy is the basic requirement. However, what we wear and how we present ourselves also speaks volumes in terms of how we run our business. I personally rarely wear jeans to work (maybe something to do with the AA policies

O

It seems such a shame to stop the

branding at car level

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still ringing in my head) and, if I did, they would be dark jeans that still managed to look smart and presentable in most situations. As a driver trainer, it is worth bearing in mind that we may be invited in to a client’s home to meet the parents or spouse to discuss lessons and training. These people can be professionals in their own right and, more importantly, are often the ones paying for lessons; therefore first impressions and professionalism are imperative. Being too casual may not give you the desired image or impression that many of us have worked so hard to achieve as driver trainers, having all the qualifications, grades and certificates will not help you if you do not look the part.

I am not saying we all have to wear a shirt, blouse, tie, or suit but we do need to consider what is acceptable. Being in the car all day can give your clothes a hard time, being too casual is therefore the easy option and it is easy to fall in to the trap of wearing big logoed t-shirts, trainers, jeans or shorts; all very comfortable, but are they really appropriate and professional? Would you really want your son or daughter getting in the car with an instructor who has tight shorts on with a t-shirt saying “I’m too sexy for this car” on the front? It’s not difficult to look presentable and professional without going over the top — smart casual trousers or a skirt with a polo top or blouse can be a good start.

In last month’s helpdesk section, I discussed footwear and what is considered suitable for driving. Some boots, shoes and trainers have thick soles, which are inflexible and can prove difficult to achieve the correct pressure needed on the pedals and clutch control. High heels and flip-flops can equally cause problems with heels catching on mats and giving limited ankle movement. It is probably fair to say that over time we can adapt better to inappropriate footwear, however, this does not make it a good thing and it is important to set a good example as instructors in terms of what is suitable when driving. It’s no good telling our students not to wear flip-flops and then doing the opposite and wearing them just because it’s a hot day.

Branding a driving school doesn’t have to be expensive there are many companies offering discounts if you buy leaflets, business cards, or promotion products. Often these companies also offer polo shirts, fleeces and sweatshirts with logo options. Sometimes it is easier to have a branded item to wear as standard, taking the thought process out of what to wear on a daily basis.

Creating a good impression is the first step to having a successful business and creating your own brand will mean you are remembered amid the sea of other instructors looking for new business and reliable clients who take you and your brand seriously.

It’s not difficult to look presentable and professional without going over the top

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FORDFOCUS

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MERCEDESA; B; AND E

ON THE ROAD

PRODUCTREVIEW

Ford takes the eco-route with its revamp of the third-generation of the Focus

Has the French manufacturer succeeded and hit the purple patch with its small car?

Karen Bransgrove took a trip down to Brooklands for the Mercedes media day

Our instructor fell in love with Volkswagen’s Spanish subsidiary model

Amy Turner looks at some of the latest driving-related gadgets and gimmicks

Gearbox

Engine size

How many doors does the car have?

Training category – L is for learners, F suitable for fleet

Insurance group – rated from 1-50

VED band

Fuel consumption – miles per gallon

List price

Our pick of model – usually includes a/c and Bluetooth

Euro NCAP crash safety rating

CO2 emissions – useful on a company scheme

What spare wheel comes as standard?

Look out throughout Show Me, Tell Me for helpful little boxes containing useful information

Our traffic light verdicts help guide your choice

Have a think

Recommended

Steer clear

48 ECO DRIVINGFEATURE

Even though petrol prices are going down, it is still good practice to drive in a manner that will save you money on the road

50 RIDERFEATURE

Mike Frisby points out that bike instructors are not exempt from raising their standards

DIAMOND COMMENT47

Last Christmas saw a drop in drink driving but Mike Frisby argues that drivers are still unaware or ignore the inherent risks when having a tipple


REVIEWS

Stats key

Verdict

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S LONG AGO as 1872 we realised that drinking and driving was not a good thing and in the 1872 licensing act, it became an offence to be drunk in charge.

You could have been fined up to 40 shillings, which over 140 years ago seems pretty serious money, or sent to prison for up to one month for being in charge of a carriage, horse, cattle or a steam engine. Later, in the 1925 criminal justice act it became “an offence to be found drunk in charge of any mechanically propelled vehicle on any highway or other public place”. The fine for doing so had increased to a maximum of £50 and the prison sentence was a maximum of four months. At this stage a ban from driving was also introduced, a minimum period of 12 months.

At the time, the test of whether a driver was over the limit and breaking the law was taken by deciding if you had control of your vehicle, and drink drive limits were not introduced for another 42 years in 1967. Strange then that we are celebrating 50 years since the introduction of drink drive limits, but it was in fact in 1965 that the government announced it was preparing to introduce drink drive limits. The reason for the introduction, unsurprisingly, was a rising number of deaths caused by drink driving, a total of 1,640 that year. The decision followed a study in 1964 by the US public health service and the Licensed Beverage Industries of New York on accidents, alcohol and risk in which it was found that a drivers risk of being involved in a crash rises sharply when their blood alcohol content rises to 80mg of alcohol

per 100 ml of blood. It was interesting that this was where the limit was set — perhaps it would have made a little more sense to choose something lower than the level the driver becomes a risk?

Although we have made steady progress since then in lowering drink-related deaths when driving, we have also seen the overall annual numbers in all categories decrease, so have we really made progress in this area. The figures since 2010 have been fairly stable and in 2012 there were 230 deaths, which, in my opinion, shows a continued lack of understanding or a disregard about the risks involved in drink-driving.

More shockingly is the significantly high number of drivers still being caught at a time when it is absolutely unnecessary to drink and drive with so many alternative options of transport, or people willing to give lifts. Local authorities are claiming to name and shame motorists caught on their websites, however, there is information about where and when motorists were caught and the offence but the names are not highlighted as much as most of us would want them to be.

Scotland have taken positive steps by reducing the limit as have other European countries but England is standing firm in allowing drink driving — strange, but another show of how serious the government truly is about road safety. It has been suggested that new drivers should be subject to lower limits, however like so many ideas plucked from goodness knows where, this surely just sends confusing messages about drinking and driving. It suggests that as you get more experienced you are able to handle more drink and will surely just encourage drivers to try to get closer to that limit. It was interesting to see the IAM asking for Scotland to consider lower penalties for drivers caught marginally over the limit —why? It is interesting that this came from an organisation apparently so keen on improving road safety. The same could be argued on any limit set and an option that will allow the driver to weigh-up their options and make choices based on the level of fine they can afford.

I for one would be happy to have a very much reduced limit, if not nil, in the true interests of making a difference. Trying to gauge if you are okay to drive is nonsense and well outside the ability of most of us, particularly at the time when a driver is trying to make the decision which is generally after the first one or two. If we stand by our beliefs and let motorists know they truly will not get away with it and, if caught, there won’t be a website full of lawyers advertising how you can escape a ban. Perhaps we could instead ensure they know that they may not be able to avoid killing someone, possibly themselves?

A

MIKE FRISBY ASKS WHY — WITH ALL THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE ABOUT RISK — DO PEOPLE STILL DRINK-DRIVE

DIAMONDCOMMENT

Trying to gauge if you are okay to drive

is nonsense


Alphonse Kablan

Advanced Test

Shirazali Lakha

Daniel Ison

Special Test

Gene-Wei Ho

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE, WHO HAVE RECENTLY PASSED A DIAMOND TEST

Advanced Test

James White

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Brian McGuirk

Sarah Landragin

HE CAR INDUSTRY is currently working towards a mandatory target of 130g/km CO2, which is being phased in from this year to 2015. Emissions from vans will be reduced to 147g CO2/km in 2020 from

181.4g in 2010 and a mandatory target of 175g in 2017. Cars and vans together account for around 15% of EU CO2 emissions, including emissions from fuel supply.

Eco-driving is a driving style that is both ecological and economical — it is a combination of safe and defensive driving. This combination of driving styles encourages drivers to use their vehicle in an environmentally efficient way to improve road safety, reduce fuel consumption and lower greenhouse gas emissions, something as driver trainers we should all be very aware as well as teaching and it is something the DIA knows about as DIAmond was the first advanced test to examine eco-driving.

Obviously, the choice of vehicle can and does make an enormous difference when it comes to fuel consumption and C02 emissions but for most of us, adopting an eco-friendly style of driving will have a positive impact both financially and on the environment.

The benefits of environmentally efficient driving, is that it reduces the use and demand for non-renewable fuels, greenhouse gas emissions, helps to improve the overall air quality and reduces ambient noise levels. The benefits also include an increase in the life of your engine, tyres, brake pads, plus savings in maintenance and fuel bills.

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DESPITE FUEL PRICES GOING DOWN, THERE IS STILL ROOM FOR EFFICIENT DRIVING SAYS KAREN BRANSGROVE

ECO-DRIVING

Driving InstructorDriving Instructor48


There are several ways to help reduce the amount of CO2 being pumped into the atmosphere and, at the same time, save you time and money through lower fuel consumption. The changes can be small such as making sure your fuel cap is secure to more beneficial changes such as better route planning.

Anticipate – By looking well ahead and anticipating — scanning the road well ahead and easing off the gas in good time — it is possible to avoiding harsh and late braking, which will immediately save fuel. By keeping the car moving, albeit very slowly, this conserves the vehicle’s kinetic energy, which in turn saves fuel and reduces CO2.

Drive smoothly – Using the steering, transmission and brakes in a smooth manner rather than harsh, last minute braking allows the car to decelerate using engine braking, not only is it more comfortable for you and your passengers but it is more efficient due to energy loss. Using the cars momentum i.e. travelling down hill with no gas can save a considerable amount of fuel.

Following distance – Driving with an appropriate distance between you and the car in front is not only safer but has the potential to be more efficient as it avoids sudden and late braking. The better your forward visibility and planning, the more time you will have to anticipate sudden changes.

Speed – The faster you go, the greater the fuel consumption and pollution you will create. Driving at 70mph uses up to 9 percent more fuel than at 60mph and up to 15 percent more than at 50mph. Driving at a steady speed and using cruise control where appropriate during the course of your journey will help to keep fuel consumption to the minimum. Sudden and abrupt variations in speed eats up lots of fuel and gives off lots of C02 emissions. Coasting (putting the clutch down too early causing the car to free wheel) uses more fuel than easing off the accelerator pedal whilst remaining in gear.

Traffic calming measures - Braking sharply, accelerating, then braking sharply again for the next traffic calming hump will consume a lot more fuel than gentle riding the humps at a steady pace. A constant speed of approximately 15-20 mph is the most beneficial however, common sense will need to prevail as some humps can be very severe.

Stop start systems - An idling vehicle gives off much more pollution than one that is moving. Fuel is only partially combusted when idling because the engine is not operating at its peak temperature. This leads to the build-up of fuel residues on cylinder walls that can damage engine components and increase fuel consumption. If your vehicle is going to be stopped for more than thirty seconds, and it is safe to do so, shift to neutral and switch off your engine. This is one of the main reasons hybrid vehicles and stop start options on cars get such good fuel economy in urban driving.

Gears – Being in the correct gear is very important if you are trying to save fuel, in some cases cruising in third gear can be 25 percent less efficient than cruising in a higher gear. Changing into the highest appropriate gear as soon as you can and block changing where appropriate is more preferable than changing up and down through each gear. Keeping the engine in a low gear longer than necessary consumes large amounts of fuel.

Try to keep your engine running at its most efficient level, for the majority of engines this is between 2,000 and 3,000 revs per minute. As a guide you should shift up a gear when the engine is revving at around 2,500 rpm for petrol engines and 2,000 rpm in a diesel car. Correctly matching engine speed and road speed, plus using the gears in the most cost effective way, will reduce fuel consumption and also reduce wear and tear on the engine and gearbox.

Many 4-wheel drive and AWD vehicles also come with high and low transmission ranges. Low range increases engine RPM and fuel consumption, it is better to use a higher gear choice when practical. The added friction of drive components in 4-wheel drive mode greatly increases fuel consumption.

Sun Roofs - Some sunroof styles are better than others. The worst offenders are the ones that tilt and slide to the outside on top of the roof. When open, these sunroofs can significantly increase aerodynamic drag. Driving with the windows up at higher speeds will also minimise aerodynamic drag and where possible it is best to use the flow-through ventilation instead.

Air Conditioning and Electrical Equipment – These should be used wisely and switched off if not necessary. You will also consume less fuel if you decrease the use of electrical and mechanical equipment such as the window defrost function, heater-blower, electric heated seats, mirrors, windows and music systems etc.

Parking – Try to find a spot in the least-congested area and reverse in so that your car is facing outward into the road or flow of traffic. Not having to back out, stop, and then move forward is a simple but extremely important fuel saver. Whenever possible, park on a down slope as the car will use less energy when you leave.

I am sure for may of us the above information is very obvious, however, on doing this research I certainly found it was beneficial to be reminded of some of the money saving tips you can easily put in to place when driving for business or leisure. After a busy Christmas and New Year I am sure most of us would appreciate a few money saving tips.

For lots of information on the best green car guide and reviews in all categories visit www.greencarguide.co.uk.

So what can you do to improve your fuel efficiency?

Driving Instructor

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ALTHOUGH ATTENTION HAS BEEN ON DRIVER TRAINERS, IT DOESN’T MEAN BIKE INSTRUCTORS ARE EXEMPT FROM RAISING THEIR STANDARDS AS MIKE FRISBY EXPLAINS

MAINTAINING STANDARDS

Undoubtedly, any changes will have an impact on trainers to

deliver a quality product

HILE THE MAIN focus for change and improvement seems to be on driver trainers and training — with the Standards Check, the test review and modernising driver training — and post test attention still aimed predominantly at new drivers, many motorcycle trainers are keeping their heads down hoping they

are not the next target. Well, the bad news, or good, depending on your viewpoint is that it is already here for you.

There has been strong focus on the motorcycle test over the past six years since it changed to the mod 1 and 2 test and is still under review to try to make it more user-friendly. Unfortunately, that was probably a contributory factor in the declining number of tests and has affected many motorcycle training schools that are struggling or going out of business.

However, despite the apparent downturn in training, it would appear that approved training bodies (ATBs) that are proactively trying to maintain their standards or even exceed them, are being viewed as the go to companies for those seeking motorcycle training. The reality is that customers who have money to spend on training are likely to look for a more professional company to train them so they get the best value for money. Therefore, those selling themselves cheaply probably aren’t getting their fair share of the trade and what they are getting is not paying the bills.

Recent reports have indicated a healthy rise in newly registered motorcycles. At the time of writing, the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) reported that for the eleventh month in a row that the industry has seen a rise in new registrations.

Nearly a third of all new powered-two–wheelers sold this year have been scooters. 29,614 have been registered since the beginning of January; likely to have been bought for commuter use.

Among motorcycles, the ‘naked’ style remains popular, with new registrations 32 percent up on the same time last year.

Touring bikes too have increased 12 percent, with sales of larger bikes between 651cc and 1000cc up 18.8 percent and bikes over 1000cc up 13.8 percent.

Attendances were 10 percent up at the MCIA’s flagship show, Motorcycle Live, which took place last November at the NEC. Motorcycle Live attendances are generally seen by manufacturers as a barometer of success for the coming year, so 2015 looks like being equally promising.

Steve Kenward, CEO of the Motorcycle Industry Association was delighted with the news: “The more motorcycles on UK roads, the better. They save time and money, take up less space on the road and to park and small motorcycles meet ultra low emission requirements. The MICA is working with police and government to make sure roads get safer for motorcyclists, who can make a valuable contribution to keeping traffic


moving on UK roads.”If motorcycles sales are on the increase, surely so are riders who

require training?The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) are currently

conducting a review of Compulsory Basic training (CBT). SPA Future Thinking were commissioned to carry out research and a number of ATBs, and members of the public who had received training, were surveyed. The results have been compiled and a report written – Learners’ and trainers’ perceptions of motorcycle compulsory basic training. The full report can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/compulsory-basic-training-learners-and-trainers-perceptions

Undoubtedly, any changes will have an impact on trainers to deliver a quality product. Certainly, one area we would all like to see addressed is the monitoring of ATBs to run CBT as per the regulations and not cut corners as many have done over the years. Better public awareness of what to expect on CBT, and the dangers customers can face from poor training standards, would be welcomed from those who are doing the job correctly.

The next step must surely be to look at bringing motorcycle trainers and driver trainers in line through the current National Standards. The DVSA introduced the standards in 2011, which apply to motorcycle and driver trainers as well as drivers and riders. It is vital that trainers are not only working to the national standards for training, and training motorcyclists to the national standards for riders, but are also ensuring they maintain their own riding standards.

The time to start thinking about what is to come is now. Many trainers wait for news that things are changing before they act instead of being

Many trainers wait for news that things are changing before they act instead of being ahead of the gameahead of the game. The areas to consider are not only training and riding skills but also how your business is run. Looking after customers is essential to ensure they become a longer term customer who chooses to stay with you for more than a CBT and, of course, they will feel more inclined to recommend you if they had a good experience. To achieve, this all your staff, training and admin, need to work actively to ensure the customer likes you enough to return.

Some simple business plans can help you make your business work well, so why not take a look at your current business and see if it is where you want it to be. Quite simply, if you want a different result at the end of next year, work out what needs to change to achieve it. Things to bear in mind when deciding are: don’t wait for the DVSA to tell you when you have to make changes as a trainer; and, don’t wait for them to tell you how you can improve your business. We have what we have at the moment as far as the motorcycle test process is concerned and, with some positive and clever marketing, you will be able to get more customers on a bike, training with you. After all, less people are learning to drive at 17 as they see the rising costs of running a car as a barrier, so surely if there is the option of cheaper transport?


FORD FOCUS AFTER A FACELIFT INSIDE AND OUT, FORD’S FLAGSHIP CAR TAKES THE ECO-ROUTE WITH ITS 1L ENGINE

HIS YEAR IS a big year for Ford with new models for the Mondeo [review next issue] and S-Max while the UK will also see the introduction of a right-hand drive

version of the iconic US car, the Ford Mustang. Kicking off these changes is the Ford Focus.

It could be said that the Focus Mark One kick-started the revival in Ford and changed the perception of the company into one that produced driver cars.

So it was with keen interest that I went down to Kent to jump into the face-lifted third-generation model.

The face-lift sees a lower, wider stance with S-Max type headlights and a slimmer

chrome grille while the rear lights and rear spoiler are streamlined.

The face-lift extends to the interior, which has been entirely redesigned and has come with what appears to be an enormous dashboard, more of which in a minute.

The test car came with SYNC 2, Ford’s connectivity system that featured a high-resolution, eight-inch colour touch screen and advanced voice control of audio, navigation, climate control and mobile phones. The navigation system also offered a split-screen display with detailed intersections, spoken street names, 3D highway junction and landmark views, and the Michelin guide.

Drivers are able to issue simpler “one-shot”

navigation destinations, and to ask the system to “play” a desired artist. Simply pushing the voice control button and saying “I’m hungry” will bring up a list of local restaurants, which you can then get directions to via the navigation system.

Another offering is Perpendicular Parking, a hands-free parking technology that helps drivers reverse into spaces alongside other cars as well as Active Park Assist that, at the push of a button, uses ultrasonic sensors to locate parking spaces and steer the vehicle while the driver controls the accelerator and brake. The addition of two new sensors to the rear of the Focus enables Perpendicular Parking to operate in the same way.

1.3 LT VCDi A 6 5 99 L£12,585 74.3Aveo

Alfa Romeo Chic Italian an acquired taste – reliability woes a thing of the past (hopefully)alfaromeo.co.uk

Audi Premium comes at a premium, but A1 is a classy little effort.audi.co.uk

BMW BMW a strong brand, but 1 Series packaging makes it a tough sellbmw.co.uk

Chevrolet Budget brand reminds you that you get what you pay forchevrolet.co.uk

TwinAir Sprint A 9 3 98 L£14,150 67.3Mito

1.2 TFSI SE C 9 5 118 L£14,410 55.4A1

1.4 TFSI SE D 16 5 123 F£19,825 53.3A3

116d ED A 15 5 99 F£21,095 74.31 Series

FORD REFOCUSES ITS FLAGSHIP

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Other driving aids included Active Braking and Active City Stop to cut down crashes while Adaptive Cruise Control technology to enable drivers to maintain a set distance from the vehicle ahead even when the vehicle is travelling more slowly than the set cruise speed.

While these driving aids are helpful, I continue to be concerned that these aids eventually hinder the driver rather than help especially the younger driver if they start to expect the car to do it all for them.

However, one option that I am sure parents would love is the MyKey system that can restrict the top speed, reduce the maximum volume of the audio system, and can disable it altogether if driver and passengers are not using safety belts. The system can also prevent the driver from deactivating safety technologies.

Another ‘aid’ that was annoying was the lane assist. On the test route of small country lanes where crossing the central line was frequent, it was like having to constantly fight the car as it attempted to nudge you back towards the left hand side of the lane — after half an hour or so of this, the off button was quickly found.

The three-cyclinder engine is an increasingly popular choice among the city cars such as the Toyota Aygo so it was a daring choice two years

ago when Ford chose the Focus as the first for its 1l EcoBoost engine and the range has also seen the introduction of a 1.5l version with a six-speed automatic gearbox.

Needless to say nowadays, the handling was crisp and firm, taking you exactly where you pointed it in a comfortable but not staid way while noise didn’t impose too much with a fairly good suppression system.

The engine gave as good as it could in a smooth manner but I found there was a lack of sharp acceleration in the entry model that I drove.

This is not a problem if you are pottering about town doing the shopping, but for me, I value the ability to move quickly into space and out of danger and I just don’t think the 1l has it in it. And this is not just a problem for Ford. In the chase for good emission ratings, manufacturers are using turbo technology to counter the loss of power with these smaller engines. But the turbos have to be good. Unfortunately, in this model, I just didn’t think turbo helped make up the shortfall. The more powerful 1.5l EcoBoost on the other hand did.

Inside, the cabin was comfortable if not quite reaching the specs of its competitors but there was as weird illusion going on when faced with

that dash. Speaking to other drivers, it was agreed that the car felt bigger because of the dash even though it patently was a small family car but fortunately it was an illusion that was quickly overcome.

In addition, the over-the-shoulder vision was limited and from the passenger seat, views of the speedometer were also limited which could be an issue for the driver trainer.

The cabin also provided good headroom and the back can comfortably fit a coupe of adults and the boot, while not great, is still functional enough.

All in all the Focus maintains the reputation developed with the first models in 1998 and it will not be a great surprise if it continues to be a UK best seller, nor if this latest incarnation continues to be a driver instructor favourite.

However, and I hesitate to describe it thus, but there was something missing in the overall driving experience. Yes it is a great handling car. For all its eco-credentials, it is still a nice car to drive but, for me, that is the problem — it is nice. The previous models had a bit of oomph, a bit of fun, a bit of teenage rebellion about them. Dare I say it? The Focus seems to have grown up a bit and entered adulthood, being more refined, in less of a rush and part of me regrets that.

Internal visibility

Passenger comfort

Economy

Value

5

5

£17,295

B

1.0-litre ecoboost engine

61.4mpg

1.0i VTR+ A 4 5 99 L£9,795 65.7C1

Citroen New DS-branded cars are really worth a lookcitroen.co.uk

Fiat Style over substance masks occasional genuine highlightfiat.co.uk

DStyle e-HDi A 15 3 98 L£15,280 76.3DS3

Easy 0.9 TwinAir A 8 5 99 L£10,750 67.3Panda

1.2 S C 6 3 113 L£11,360 58.9500

Dacia Unashamedly budget branddacia.co.uk

Laureate 1.5 dCi D 11 5 130 L£12,995 56.5Duster

Laureate 1.2 16v E 11 2 137 L£7,995 47.9Sandero

The Focus seems to have grown up a bit and

entered adulthood

Score

Stats


Honda Practical family cars, slightly staid image for driving instructors honda.co.uk

Hyundai Up-and-coming manufacturer offers some attractive modelshyundai.co.uk

1.2 S-T D 13 5 123 L£12,690 53.3Jazz

1.6 i-DTec SE A 15 5 94 F£19,575 78.5Civic

1.0 Blue A 9 5 99 L£9,345 67.3i10

Zetec 1.0 B 11 5 109 F£17,795 58.9Focus

Zetec 1.0 Eco A 11 5 99 L£14,345 65.7Fiesta

Ford People wonder why Fords are so popular. It’s because they’re (mostly) so goodford.co.uk

Easy 1.3 Multijet A 13 5 90 L£14,000 80.7Punto

PEUGEOT 108 HAS THE FRENCH MANUFACTURER SUCCEEDED WITH THIS SMALL CAR COMPETITOR?

HIS NEW PEUGEOT 108 is trying very hard to be young and hip, with the higher end models offering an optional fabric roof electrically operated as standard,

various funky car colours and colour-coded options on trims, etc.

I started off determined not to like this small car as it had a less than sturdy feel to it with rather flimsy doors and an unrefined engine at lower speeds. However, having driven the Peugeot around a fair bit over the last week, including a decent amount of motorway driving it has grown on me somewhat.

In fact, the 108 coped very well on the

motorway, it felt safe and robust for a small car and of course it is very economical with a 5-gear manual gearbox, producing only 99g/km of CO2 emissions. The brochure states these lighter more compact petrol engines owe their efficiency to optimised combustion and reduced friction.

Around town the 108 feels a little lumpy especially in first and second gear, however, I am used to driving a diesel so it became a lot smoother as the week progressed. All said and done this model is easy to drive, visibility is good, albeit I personally prefer not to have tinted windows as the image from behind appears a bit on the dark side for me. Reversing is made

easier with a reversing camera, although in all honesty, I didn’t really use it much as I prefer to look out the back and there really isn’t much of a behind to worry about as it’s such a small car. I guess it may be a more useful feature for bay parking in tight spots or where the lighting is poor for example.

I liked the dashboard and controls they were easy to use including a 7” touch screen and DAB digital radio, there is also a Bluetooth option and steering wheel controls. The air conditioning and heating system were extremely quiet and effective with simple digital higher and lower options. As with many small cars the dashboard does not particularly have the best visibility for an

PEUGEOT’S PURPLE PATCH?

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driving


1.1 CRDi Blue A 5 5 84 L£11,795 88.3i20

1.4 Active E 7 5 139 F£15,705 47.1i30

1.3 TS C 9 5 115 L£10,995 56.52

Mazda Reliable cars for the brand unconscious: highly underratedmazda.co.uk

1 1.6 CRDi A 12 5 97 F£16,295 76.3Ceed

2 1.0 A 5 5 99 L£9,845 67.3Picanto

1 1.1 CRDi A 3 5 85 L£11,895 88.3Rio

Kia Korean car maker might even be a little bit coolkia.co.uk

1.6D Tamura C 18 5 115 F£17,495 65.73

instructor in the passenger seat who is keeping an eye on speed, a supplementary speedo would have to be a definite consideration. Other features include a speed limiter allowing you to programme a maximum speed limit which cannot be exceeded (not something I made use of), plus hill assist, tyre pressure sensors and

electronic stability program.I did utilise the boot once or twice which was

much more spacious than I anticipated with ample room available, particularly when the rear bench seats were folded neatly way. The tinted windows on this occasion were useful as they helped to disguise anything stored in the back.

From £8,245 for a very basic model with 3-doors, I would personally look for a more robust driving instructor car with a higher specification.

However, for around town and for economy reasons I think this is quite a competitive little car.

Internal visibility

Passenger comfort

Economy

Value

5pd Manual

5

£12,795

A

1 litre

62mpg

Score

Stats

I would personally look for a more robust driving instructor car


One D 13 3 127 L£13,460 52.3Hatch

Mini New Mini due later this year. Will look the same as the current onemini.co.uk

Nissan Micra not the default choice it once was, facelift promisingnissan.co.uk

Peugeot Has lost its way in recent years, but 208’s got charmpeugeot.co.uk

1.2 DIG-S Visia A 8 5 99 L£11,480 65.7Micra

Allure 1.0 A 3 5 99 L£10,145 65.7107

B180 CDI SE B 15 5 108 F£22,430 64.2B-Class

Mercedes Expensive, but you gets what you pays formercedes-benz.co.uk

A180 SE D 18 5 128 L£20,370 51.4A-Class

HE NEW AERODYNAMICALLY efficient B Class looks very neat and compact but is surprising roomy once you get inside. I like the solid feel to the car, everything feels well made

and safe. The interior’s design is straightforward with nothing really fancy to confuse the eye and the controls are all easily to access and understand.

The leather interior is really attractive, I loved the feel of the steering wheel and the seat is very comfortable, an important feature if you are spending long hours in the car teaching or travelling from A to B. The model I drove was an automatic transmission which coped well in all the around town situations I found myself in, unfortunately I did not experience speeds in excess of 40MPH. The B class does benefit from a suite of blue efficiency economy-boosting measures, which combine to ensure the new engines are up to 26% more economical than previous models.

This B Class is definitely best suited to the ADI/PDI market, however, it is not the most cost effective option on the market at just over £30,000. You would certainly be making a statement with this car and the high quality comfort and safety aspects are certainly appealing.

Internal visibility

Passenger comfort

Economy

Value

7 Automatic

5

£30,175

B

2 litre

56.5mpg

Score

Stats

KAREN BRANSGROVE TAKES A LOOK AT THE HIGHER END OF THE MARKET WITH THREE MERCS ON TEST

B Class - B 220 CDI 4 MATIC Sport Cirrus white paint with black artico leather interior7G-DCT Seven speed automatic transmission

MAKING A MARK AT THE MERC HQ

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driving

A warm welcome awaited me at Mercedes-Benz media driving day. Having checked in and helped myself to some very nice bacon sandwiches and coffee, I was given a choice of cars to test drive aimed at various budgets and style preferences. It was a difficult choice, so I based my decision on three designs each giving very different specifications and headed for the open road.


Expression+ TCe B 10 5 105 L£12,995 62.7Clio

Seat Struggles to assert itself within the VW group. Sporty imageseat.co.uk

Renault Formerly stylish French car maker showing promise once againrenault.co.uk

Dynamique 1.2 C 9 3 119 L£10,550 55.4Twingo

Expression+ dCi B 16 5 90 F£19,145 80.7Megane

Ecomotive 1.0 A 1 5 95 L£9,625 68.9Mii

S 1.2 TDI A 7 5 92 L£13,935 80.7Ibiza

Active 1.0 VTi A 6 5 99 L£12,495 65.7208

Active e-HDi B 16 5 108 F£18,865 68.9308

AVING DRIVEN THE B Class first, this next car was a completely different kettle of fish. To start with it felt like a large car, and it is, there is loads of room at the back and I imagine all passengers would sit more

than comfortably in this car. To be honest I felt like I was sitting in a very comfy leather armchair at home, almost too comfy as you may forget to actually drive.

Again, all the controls and interior are high quality and the car feels sturdy and safe. There are loads of extras, however, in my short time driving this car it was impossible to try all the gadgets out, but I imagine there are some neat features particularly with regard to communication and in-car entertainment which comes at a cost of £2,100.

This is the first time I have driven a hybrid car, which cuts in and out of electric mode depending on the charge and car’s performance level. I have to say it is a little disconcerting when you are not used to driving a very quiet car in electric mode and at one point I thought it

had cut out on me completely, which of course it hadn’t. When sailing along in the car park, a pedestrian was oblivious to my movement as the car was so exceptionally quiet but internally, it feels incredibly smooth and the comfort levels are definitely high.

A high-end car ideal for those who like comfort and luxury, I imagine a long journey would seem a breeze in this car.

HIS CAR IS a lot of fun, it is priced almost on a par with the BlueTEC Hybrid at approximately £46,000 however, they are both very different cars. This car sounds good, feels good and looks great. It is

sporty with different driving options in automatic and semi-automatic modes. I have since learned that the interior leather is artificial but you would never guess as the quality is again very good and of a high standard. Internally, there are lots of other sporty features such as sports pedals, rubber studs and a AMG performance steering wheel to name a few. To the exterior there is an AMG sports exhaust system, perforated front brake discs, black beltline strips and privacy glass, plus lots of other really cool extras.

The A45 certainly does not feel as comfortable as the other luxury Mercedes cars, this, however, is not the point.

Driving this car feels like a proper driving experience, of course it depends on what you’re looking for in a car but I feel the balance of design, performance and comfort in this car is a wining combination, I loved it.

Internal visibility

Passenger comfort

Economy

Value

7 Automatic

5

£46,480

B

2 Litre hybrid

68.9mpg

Score

Stats

Internal visibility

Passenger comfort

Economy

Value

& Automatic

5

£45,745

G

2 litre

40.9mpg

Score

Stats

E300 BlueTEC Hybrid SE SaloonCavansite blue metallic paint with crystal grey leather interior 7G-Tronic plus seven speed automatic transmission

A45 AMG 4MATICCirrus white paint with black dinamica mircofibre/artico artificial leather with red contrast stitching interior AMG speedshift DCT seven speed automatic transmission

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DipDI, DSA ADI (Car)


TR 1.33 VVT-i D 8 5 125 F£17,145 52.3Auris

TR 1.0 VVT-i C 4 5 111 L£12,820 58.9Yaris

Ice 1.0 VVT-i A 3 5 99 L£10,290 65.7Aygo

Toyota Serious image is spot on, but excellent reliability and built to lasttoyota.co.uk

Suzuki What to say? The Swift is an oft-overlooked little gemsuzuki.co.uk

1.2 SZ3 C 9 5 116 L£12,999 56.5Swift

SE 1.2 TSI D 9 5 121 L£12,150 54.3Fabia

Skoda The jokes are on us, Skodas are pretty goodskoda.co.uk

SE 1.0 GreenTech A 1 5 96 L£9,490 68.9Citigo

ON THE ROADSEAT LEON 1.6TDI

It was a very easy and comfortable car

HAVE DRIVEN A variety of vehicles over the years in one shape or form, some more comfortable than others and most having at least one or two

redeeming features. Some cars take a bit of getting used to as there can often be lots of fancy features, buttons and controls to get used to, however, this was not the case with the Seat Leon I have been driving this week.

This has been the first time I have driven a Seat and I was really impressed by the specification and feel of the car. For starters, it was a very easy and comfortable car to drive,

albeit slightly on the firm side. The gears are smooth and the controls are all easy to manage and get to grips with quickly. There is a good feeling of space and visibility with great handling at both lower and higher speeds. My own car is a diesel but this particular make and model did not immediately appear to be a diesel, nor did it sound like one.

The SE Technology I was given to test drive was the 5-door version, again there was a great feeling of space and the boot had an impressive storage capacity. When you start the engine during the day there is an automatic activation of lights. This safety feature offers maximum

Karen Bransgrove

Score

OUR INSTRUCTOR FELL IN LOVE WITH THE VOLKSWAGEN’S SPANISH SUBSIDIARY MODEL

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driving

visibility, for both you and other drivers. Other features include full LED headlights which are maintenance free and illuminate the road ahead putting very little strain on the eye, while intelligent sensors avoid dazzling oncoming traffic. The alloy wheels and sunroof are also nice extras, which give the car an attractive kerb appeal.

In terms of this car being suitable as a training vehicle, I think it would cope well in most learner driver situations as well as an experienced drive on motorways and at higher speeds. The legroom is more than adequate and the visibility from mirrors and in reversing situations is more than sufficient. The navigation system is of a very good standard and would be a great teaching aid as it is clear and easy to use with a quick reference view on the dash to verify your current position in terms of street name and direction.

Finally, I personally like the style and shape of this car, the interior design is simple with dark practical colouring, which looks neat and tidy and I am sure hardwearing. I would definitely consider this car as a training vehicle as it’s a good all rounder with some great features.

Driving Instructor

Exclusiv 1.2 C 6 5 119 L£13,735 55.4Corsa

Vauxhall Plodding British manufacturer has loyal followingvauxhall.co.uk

D2 SE A 20 5 94 F£21,595 78.5V40

Volvo Semi-premium Swedish brand with great safety imagevolvocars.com/uk

SE 1.4 TSI D 14 5 123 F£19,885 53.3Golf

Match 1.2 D 5 5 128 L£13,540 51.4Polo

Move Bluemotion A 1 5 95 L£10,070 68.9Up

Volkswagen Solid, reliable and German. Expensive too, but probably worth itvolkswagen.co.uk

Exclusiv 1.3 CDTi B 9 5 104 F£19,045 72.4Astra

59

General manager, CA Cars

The better is a 1.6 litre 110bhp diesel engine

HE THIRD GENERATION Seat Leon hit UK roads in January 2013 and has won great praise including many ‘Car of the Year’ awards. Due to the shared

Volkswagen group technology and design it has classy looks, a spacious interior and superb build quality, but it is much more affordable than others within the group such as the VW Golf and Audi A3.

The re-designed Leon has the lightweight Volkwagen MQB chassis, great infotainment unit with easy to use features and an improved diesel engine with better fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions. It has good all-round visibility for a larger car and handles well. With safety as a focus, the Seat Leon also carries the maximum five-star Euro NCAP crash safety rating.

Opt for the mid range SE model and it comes with air conditioning, electric heated door mirrors and windows, rake and reach adjustable steering wheel, drivers’ seat height adjuster, 5” touchscreen with bluetooth and CD player and alloy wheels. A Technology Pack can be added on the SE model upwards which includes Sat Nav, and DAB digital radio. It comes with an inflation kit as standard, but you can upgrade to a space saver spare wheel for minimal cost. It is also one of a handful of cars that when teaching you can see the speedometer from the

passenger side. There are two efficient 1.6 diesel engines —

the better is a 1.6-litre 110bhp diesel engine with a fantastic combined fuel consumption of 85.6 mpg and emits just a tax-friendly 87g/km of CO2 available on the SE model upwards and the other is a 1.6-litre 105hp with the respective 74.3 mpg and 99g/km CO2.

Contract prices on the Leon start from as little as £74.99 + VAT per week on a fully maintained contract. For more advice call to speak to one of the CA Cars team members to see how the figures work out for you.

CA Cars, The Driving Instructor Specialist was established in 1986 and is the longest established and one of the UK’s largest independent suppliers of dual controlled contract hire vehicles to Driving Instructors. Also available are ex-contract dualled controlled cars for sale at trade prices & short term hire car from 1 day.

ClaraGibson

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AMY TURNER TAKES A LOOK AT SOME OF THE LATEST DRIVING-RELATED PRODUCTS

Product reviews & giveaways

driving

As you drive, your seat belt can become slack and improperly positioned, reducing effectiveness and encouraging poor posture. SHOFT seeks to improve your posture and helps reduce potential back problems, by keeping your spine properly aligned with your seat’s lumbar support. This is small palm-sized product made of soft material that fits over the top of your vehicle seat belt tongue. It has a built in ‘brake pad’ made of GRIPtene that engages the seat belt when you buckle up and remove the slack by tugging up on the diagonal section of the seat belt.

Price: £24.99Available at www.shoft.co.uk

SHOFT

Reader GiveawayTo win a SHOFT, email [email protected] with your name and membership number.


This retro-looking driving book is actually a secret car storage box. With a magnetic lock, this box can be kept in your vehicle to keep your satnav, money and any other valuables out of sight. This super strong construction also in-car camouflaged, so all your personal belongings stay incognito. With the look and feel of an actual book, this is the perfect gift for vintage car and book lovers alike. This ‘novel’ product — pun definitely intended — is designed by Luckies of London and available through the Parkinson’s UK shop.

Price: £12.95Available through Parkinson’s UK shop - 0844 415 7863www.shop.parkinsons.org.uk

In-Car-Nito Secret Storage box

Handmade in the UK by the Blue Badge Company and Parkinson’s UK, this new design is hologram safe to protect the new blue badges, being released this year. This is a stylish, and compact way to protect, store and display a disabled parking permit. This wallet not only protects your blue badge but also complies with Department of Transport guidelines. This new design also comes with a timer clock that shows your time of arrival. All wallets are made in Bristol, providing jobs and training for those with limited work options, such as those with domestic responsibilities or disabilities.

Price: £15.50Available at: Parkinson’s UK shop - 0844 415 7863 www.shop.parkinsons.org.uk

Blue Badge Display Wallet

Reader GiveawayTo win a Blue Badge Display Wallet, email [email protected] with your name and membership number.

Reader GiveawayTo win a In-Car-Nito secret storage box,email [email protected] with your name and membership number.


Offer ends 28/02/15Subject to availability

The Official DSA Theory Test for Approved Driving Instructors

ORDER CODE

1020

ONLY £16.00DIA Members only

Everything you need to know to pass your approved driving instructor multiple choice theory test - the ONLY software revision tool for PC and Mac.

Official revision questions- these questions are very similar to the questions you will get on the actual test and cover the same topics. A clear step by step approach and user-friendly design to make your revision really simple and easy and with the clear progress tracking you can see how your getting on. Essential information on becoming a driving instructor and help planning your career is included. Select specific topics to answer questions on and see how much you’ve learnt making your revision customisable. This is the only software to include DSA official case studies on every topic for complete test preparation. There is also unlimited access to mock test and lots of extras included.

THIS MONTH’S DIA MEMBER OFFER

SHOPINSTRUCTOR

ONLY£16


Many now believe this book to be the leading book on the use of coaching and client centred approaches in driver education. Written by Ian Edwards, an international consultant in driver education and training, it looks at how to use coaching approaches to develop not only driving performance but also the driver’s ability to self-evaluate and develop themselves.

Members: £9.50Non-members: £12.99

CAN DRIVERS REALLY TEACH THEMSELVES

PRODUCT CODE

0143

1

2

1

Driving – the essential skills is the official government-published companion for drivers from the Driving Standards Agency, the people behind the practical and theory driving tests.


THE OFFICIAL DSA GUIDE TO DRIVING – THE ESSENTIAL SKILLSNEW 2015 EDITION

ORDER CODE

0119

2

Our new guide examines the key standards for driving, as well as driver and rider training in the UK, focuses on the core competencies of driver training (assessed under the Standards Check), and looks at client centred learning in detail — the foundation stone for the effective delivery of driver education.


THE DIA ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE NATIONAL STANDARDS AND THE STANDARDS CHECK

ORDER CODE

0134

3

3

DRIVING.ORG/SHOP | 020 8686 8010

2015EDITION

Standard (blood alcohol level .08 to .15)Members £55.00Non-members £58.00Order Code 1035

DIA Drug Simulation GogglesMembers £58.00Non-members £61.00Order Code 1033

Twilight (blood alcohol level .10 to .17)Members £55.00Non-members £58.00Order Code 1037

DIA Snooze Goggles

Members £58.00Non-members £61.00Order Code 1034

Vision impairment goggles

PRODUCT DIRECTORY VISIT DRIVING.ORG/SHOP | CALL 020 8686 8010


Large diary refill 2015


Diaries | New look cover, same great diary

Compact diary refill 2015


Large appointment diary 2015 (215x270mm)Members £13.30Non-members £15.80Order Code 0100

Compact appointment diary 2015 (160x240mm)Members £12.30Non-members £14.80Order Code 0145

Know Your Traffic Signs


Highway Code – Northern IrelandMembers £1.99Non-members £2.50Order Code 0129

Hazard Ahead


Learn Driving in 3D


Can Drivers Really Teach ThemselvesMembers: £9.50Non-members: £12.99Order Code 0143

How 2 Become A Driving InstructorMembers £15.00Non-members £17.00Order Code 0142

Adults Learning (Open University) – 5th editionMembers £22.99Non-members £24.99Order Code 0112

Official DSA Guide to Learning to DriveMembers £8.99Non-members £9.99Order Code 0125

Official DSA Theory Test for Motorcyclists 2012Members £11.99Non-members £12.99Order Code 0130

Practical Business Skills for Driving InstructorsMembers £15.99Non-members £19.99Order Code 0155

Official DSA Guide to Learning to RideMembers £6.99Non-members £7.99Order Code 0126

Official DSA Theory Test 2013Members £14.50Non-members £14.99Order Code 0148

How to Pass the ADI ExamsMembers £15.99Non-members £19.99Order Code 0113

Highway Code – English


Driving Instructor’s HandbookMembers £11.75Non-members £19.99Order Code 0115

The Motor Car Mechanical PrinciplesMembers £6.00Non-members £6.99Order Code 0154

Books

Practical Teaching Skills for Driving InstructorsMembers £15.99Non-members £19.99Order Code 0121

The DIA essential guide to the National Standards and the Standards CheckMembers: £15.00Non-members: £20.00Order Code 0134

Roadcraft


Riding The Essential SkillsMembers £12.50Non-members £12.99Order Code 0117

Driving The Essential SkillsMembers £12.99Non-members £14.99Order Code 0119

Motorcycle Roadcraft


Clutch demonstrator


Occupational driver assessment pad (25)Members £4.75Non-members £6.65Order Code 5025

Driving assessment report pad (25)Members £4.75Non-members £6.65Order Code 1008

Colourfile Professional 3– coilboundMembers £45.95Non-members £49.95Order Code 1047

Colourfile Professional Plus – coilboundMembers £45.95Non-members £49.95Order Code 1051

Colour lesson recap pads (2 x 50)Members £11.95Non-members £13.95Order Code 1031

Mag board


Show Me, Tell Me pad (50)Members £5.95Non-members £6.95Order Code 1030

Colourfile Professional 3 – ring binderMembers £52.00Non-members £56.00Order Code 1048

Colourfile Professional Plus – ring binderMembers £52.00Non-members £56.00Order Code 1052

Mock theory test papers (20 per pad)Members £6.00Non-members £8.99Product Code 1009

Five-pad bundle of mock theory test papersMembers £24.95Non-members £39.95Product Code 1010

Responding to emergency vehicles (50)Members £5.95Non-members £6.95Order Code 1032

Reversing demonstrator


In-car resources


HOW TO ORDERYou can order shop goods from us via our website at driving.org/shop or over the phone by calling us on 020 8686 8010

You’ll need to have your credit/debit card details handy and your membership number available to make use of our special member prices. If you’d like to pay by cheque, get in touch and we’ll post you an order form that you can fill out and return to the office. Postage costs £4 per order, so get the best value by ordering more items in one go. We aim to despatch items to you the next day, but do allow up to five working days for delivery. UK and NI only.

DIAmond Advanced Test DVDMembers £10.20Non-members £15.35Order Code 5020

Drive – the DVD


DVDs

PHOTOCOMING

SOON

Small convex blind spot mirror 50mmMembers £1.70Non-members £2.80Order Code 2998

ADI magnetic sign 180mmMembers £4.85Non-members £5.90Order Code 3003

Full magnetic L-plates (pair)Members £6.95Non-members £7.80Order Code 3005

DIA magnetic sign 150mm

Members £2.80Order Code 3010

Supplementary mirror 110x50mmMembers £2.85Non-members £3.90Order Code 2999

DIA magnetic sign 180mm


No Smoking sticker

Members 52pNon-members 52pOrder Code 3999

Supplementary mirror 150x60mmMembers £2.90Non-members £3.95Order Code 3000

DIA aero roof sign (personalised) with roof film

Members from £116.50Order Code 3020

DIA magnetic door panels 203x610mm (personalised pair)


Roof film for standard roof sign


DIA roof sign (personalised) with roof film


Full Magnectic Blanking Plates (Pair)Members: £2.50Non-members: £3.50Order Code 3007

Suction cup ADI badge holderMembers £2.05Non-members £2.40Order Code 3014

ADI magnetic sign 150mmMembers £2.80Non-members £3.85Order Code 3002

Pass Plus magnetic sign


DIA heavy-duty roof ‘L’


Car accessories

PHOTOCOMING

SOON

PHOTOCOMING

SOON

PHOTOCOMING

SOON

PHOTOCOMING

SOON

Official DSA Biker Pack


DSA Complete Theory Test Kit 2012Members £18.40Non-members £20.40Order Code 1025

Driving Test Success 2013 DVD-ROMMembers £8.20Non-members £10.20Order Code 1022

DSA Theory Test for Approved InstructorsMembers £16.00Non-members £19.99Product Code 1020

Computer resources

DIA A6 notepad (50 sheets)Members £1.00Non-members £1.30Order Code 1800

DIA appointment & progress cards (100)


DIA instructor’s standard terms & conditions (25)


DIA A6 notepads – pack of 5 (50 sheets per pad)Members £4.60Non-members £5.90Order Code 1805

Business items

DIA instructor’s clipboardMembers £4.99Non-members £6.20Order Code 2013

DIA appointment cards (250)


DIA appointment cards (500)


DIA client record cards (50)


DIA Business Bundle

Members: £29.00Order Code 2028

PDI Part 1 Starter Bundle

Members: £65.00Non-members: £80.00Order Code 0131

DIA appointment & progress cards (50)


DIAmond Advanced Instructor roof sign (personalised)


PHOTOCOMING

SOON


APPY NEW YEAR to you all. Whilst the majority of the UK is going cold turkey for the month of January, we’re intoxicated instead by the excitement of a year ahead full of new projects and new opportunities - as well as continuing to support our

members in their drive to build on their professional expertise and success this year too, and in their most important role, developing better drivers for our roads. More on our plans for 2015 in my next column.

Focussing on last year, 2014 was a good year in terms of hitting the goals we’d set the previous year. Some key highlights that stand out for me are:

We have great plans in store for this year and will take you through them next month.

As always we want to hear your inputs on how we can do all of what we do better — and also start doing new things for you. Keep in touch and lets smash 2015 together.

The provision of over 50 CPD and training events for ADIs across the UKThe big drive since taking over the reins of DIA was to make CPD accessible to more ADIs. We’ve put on more free events than any other ADI association with over 30 roadshow events and the start of our new twice monthly webinars. Where time and travel is an issue, our online events have allowed instructors to develop their knowledge and skills from the comfort of their own home or office. Our National Standard days were incredibly well received. We’re now into our second round of these events across the UK and, again, they are a sell-out. Our accompanying book was also really popular, going into a second print run almost immediately. Although the quality of content and the expertise of our team are critical factors in the success of our CPD provision, we know cost is also a factor. Since 2012, we’ve actually lowered the cost of our CPD resources and we remain the most competitive in terms of cost and quality of provision. In 2015, our calendar of events gets even larger with new one day courses in teaching drivers with diverse needs, business development, coaching and driver behavior.

Lobbying and representation We’ve made huge leaps in terms of representing the industry where it often matters more - educating the public and policy makers as to what needs to change in terms driving standards and driver education. In 2014, we were delighted to be asked to join a select government advisory group on Road Safety Delivery and we are the only driver training group (or ADI association) to sit on this panel. We are now involved in a multitude of consultations and advisory groups and enjoy strategic partnerships with key bodies across road safety, education and transport who help us promote our aims and professional

members. It also means we can have direct access and influence on key stakeholders, rather than rely on third party lobbying groups who I rarely hear say or do much to represent driver trainers particularly. Media-wise we’ve also been able to have some high profile positive influence too with DIA frequently speaking across the print and broadcast media on a range of driver training and motoring issues. The plan is do more of the same, bigger and better in 2015 and we are working to involve more members in that work with our recent drive to recruit regional spokespeople.

The rise in calls to our ADI Helpdesk Now some may see this as a worrying trend; more people calling for help? But we see this as really positive, more members engaged with this service than ever in 2014. We’ve helped solve business management and legal issues, DVSA complaints and queries, pupil disputes as well as guiding people on their professional development. Members really value this service and the feedback has been fantastic with ADIs crediting us with everything from helping them get their Grade A to helping them develop new business. Our team is made up of a range professionals with qualified skills across training and development, driver training, regulation, legal, finance, HR, IT, business administration and development so we always have someone somewhere who either has the answers — or will happily go away and find the right ones.

Steady and growing membership With numbers remaining steady at over 11,000 individual members, and with over 20,000 users of our services, we remain the largest driver and rider trainer association by a large margin in the UK. In 2014, new member numbers have grown, and leavers decreased - with the majority of any exiting members leaving the industry altogether or retiring. More members (and non members) are engaging with more services too, and we see better levels of interaction with the ADI community than ever before. With the plans we have for 2015, we’re optimistic about seeing even further growth.

REPORTCHIEF EXECUTIVE

Carly is the chief executive and head of membership services at the DIA. Carly has over 16 years experience in senior business development roles across a range of industries including government agencies, financial services, medical and education.

ABOUT THE WRITER

Tweet your thoughts @the_DIA #agm

DIA DEVELOPMENTS - A REPORT FROM OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE CARLY BROOKFIELD

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Unlimited Learner SupplyOn average RED Instructors get one new pupil each week.

Quality Pre-Paid PupilsMore than 80% of our customers pre-pay. This means we collect the lesson fees on your behalf. It also means you don’t have to worry about not getting paid, haggling over prices or no-shows.

Premium Hourly RateWe believe in delivering quality and value for our customers, not cheap lessons. We operate the critically acclaimed Road Brain Trainer and offer it free to all our pupils.

Outstanding Business SupportWe train you to be become even more effective at managing your own business. We have an Instructor Services team with over 200 years of industry experience. Many members of the team are ADIs.

National and Local MarketingWe advertise on Google and other leading search engines, as well as using social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, in order to attract new business for you.

We have partnerships with TESCO, Halfords, RAC, NUS and many more.

You’ll receive free marketing materials such as leaflets, posters and business cards.

New YearNew franchise: £89 pw.*New Renault Clio: £71 pw.**

Driving you Forward

*No gimmicks here! You pay nothing until we’ve delivered 5 pre-paid pupils.

**No gimmicks here either. The price is for a new 5 door Diesel Renault Clio on a 30,000 miles per annum fully maintained contract and includes VAT. Prices are exclusive to RED.

Other options are available.

For full details and to find out more:Call us now on 0800 688 8054 Email [email protected] visit reddrivingschool.com/join-red

See how we are driving down the cost of quality insurance call

Free Phone 0800 1695598Or apply online @ www.llschemes.co.uk/thedriver/

Lloyd Latchford Schemes Limited are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Registered in England No. 5988054.

Sunset Court, High Street, Princes Risborough, Bucks, HP27 0AX Email: [email protected]

www.facebook.com/lloydlatchford

Award winning broker trading for over 35 years.

A New Years resolutionworth keeping!

Isn’t it time to try an

insurer with over 35 years

experience who provides

an affordable, quality

driving tuition insurance.

New Year, new challenges - Driving Instructors Association · driving instructors have anyway. Empathy and the ability to ‘get inside someone’s head’ and find out where your

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