LATEST NEWS

13/05/2008 : New Driving Test Questions from July 1

07/05/2008 : Learning to Drive Public Consultation - Have your say!

28/03/2008 : DSA Head Quarters – New Contact Details

20/03/2008 : DRIVING EXAMINER STRIKE – CANDIDATES TO ATTEND TESTS

15/02/2008 : NEW INSTRUCTOR DATABASE WEBSITE LAUNCHED

TOP STORY

GOVERNMENT PUTS VOTES AHEAD OF YOUNG LIVES IN IGNORING TRANSPORT COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS

The Driving Instructors Association has described the Government's consultation paper on Learning to Drive, released this morning by Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly, as a 'catastrophic missed opportunity'and a 'gross dereliction of duty' in ignoring the recommendations made in last year's Transport Committee Report on Novice Drivers which will ‘almost certainly result in the death of more young people on our roads'.

In the wake of disproportionate and rapidly worsening casualty statistics among young drivers, rather than follow the recommendations made by the Transport Committee in radically overhauling the training process, the Government has chosen instead to focus on revamping the driving test - already one of the toughest in the world. In doing so the DIA believes the Government has put electoral concerns ahead of road safety and shamefully failed to grasp the nettle in reducing the appalling level of teenage casualties on our roads.

Chief among the recommendations in the Transport Committee report was a 12-month minimum learning period with a logbook-based syllabus requiring the input of a qualified driving instructor, and a series of post-test restrictions placed on novice drivers, such as a zero alcohol limit and a prohibition on carrying passengers during hours of darkness.
Instead, in a monumental act of hubris in the face of prevailing wisdom from road safety campaigners, the Government has said that it is not persuaded by the case for regulated learning and post-test restrictions.

In the executive summary to the consultation it writes: "We have looked at the merits of limiting the way learners can learn, or placing restrictions on drivers who have just passed their test. We think that an approach based on education and incentivisation will work better than one based on regulation and restriction."
Rejecting the overwhelming case for mandatory lessons with a qualified instructor, it says: "Learners are free to choose how they learn, whether that is with family and friends or with a registered driving instructor. We do not intend to change this."

Yet perversely, in the same document, the Government goes on to make the case for tightening up the qualification process for instructors and introducing a blatantly unfair star rating system to help pupils in choosing an instructor.

Stephen Picton, Editor of Driving Instructor, said: "By ignoring the recommendations of the Transport Committee and placing the emphasis on reforming the testing rather than the training process for learner drivers, this increasingly lame Government is placing popular decision making before lives. The consultation paper represents a catastrophic missed opportunity and a gross dereliction of duty by a Government desperate not to lose any more votes, which will almost certainly result in the deaths of more young people on our roads."

An open letter to DSA Chief Executive

An open letter to DSA Chief Executive Rosemary
Thew from DIA Chief Executive Eddie Barnaville

DEAR ROSEMARY, We wish to protest in the strongest possible terms on behalf of our members about the DSA's recent announcement that it is increasing the cost of the ADI registration fee by £100 - a completely unjustifiable 50 per cent increase which, as noted in your Response to Consultation Report, was overwhelmingly rejected by ADIs. Raising the cost of an ADI licence to £300 would be bad enough in view of the flagrantly poor service provided by the DSA to instructors, but considering the £2 million profit made by the Agency over the past ten years (as shown in its annual accounts), it is particularly abhorrent. More >>>

Driving examiner strike - Candidates to attend tests

The Driving Standards Agency is urging all driving test candidates booked to take a test on Thursday 24 April to turn up regardless of the threat of strike action by examiners who are members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union. The strike is part of the national PCS action.

Driving Standards Agency’s Chief Executive Rosemary Thew said: “Not all examiners are members of the PCS union and even if they are, we cannot be sure that they will not turn up for work. We therefore want candidates to attend so that practical tests can be delivered if possible. Theory tests are not affected and will be taking place as planned.”

If no examiner is available for a test, a new date will automatically be re-booked by DSA and the candidate will be sent an out of pocket expenses form along with details of the new test. If candidates fail to turn up they will not be able to claim out of pocket expenses if their tests are cancelled and they will need to re-book their own tests.

“Candidates who turn up but are unable to take their tests because of industrial action will not have to contact DSA to re-book," said Ms Thew. "They should hear from us with a new date within five to ten working days. We apologise for the inconvenience this will cause."

www.direct.gov.uk . Further details about out of pocket expenses are available on DSA’s website on www.dsa.gov.uk .

VAUXHALL CORSA RECALL

Vauxhall is recalling a number of new model Corsa D cars because of a potential problem with the steering. Quality control has shown that the intermediate shaft of the steering might not be according to specification. If this were to break the vehicle would no longer be steerable.

The DSA has issued a Central Operations Branch Notice which says that tests using these cars should only be conducted if the vehicle is fitted with dual controls (to help the examiner control a car in the unlikely event of a failure) or if documentation is supplied to show that the remedial work has been carried out.      More >>>