LATEST NEWS

19/08/2008 : DRIVER CPC FOR BUS AND COACH INDUSTRY

15/07/2008 : EXAMINER STRIKE TOMORROW

08/07/2008 : FUEL PROTEST - SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

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

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

On 7 May Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly announced the publication of the Government consultation paper, Learning to Drive. This document and the responses to it will form the basis of what is widely expected to be the biggest reform of the driver training and testing system in the UK since the introduction of the L test.

The working practices of all professional driving instructors in the UK are likely to be directly affected. As those at the sharp end of administering government road safety policy to learner drivers, it is essential that driving instructors’ views are taken into account.

Those views are more likely to be heard if presented to the Government as a unified industry voice. That’s why we want you to send your responses to the document to the DIA so that we, as the largest professional association of driving instructors in the UK, can present your views to the Government in a way that ensures that those views will be listened to.

To view the consultation document, go to http://www.dsa.gov.uk/consultation or call the DSA helpline on 0300 200 1122 to request a copy. Then email your responses to us at consultation@driving.org or send them to: Consultation Response, Safety House, Beddington Farm Road, Croydon CR0 4XZ.

The deadline for your responses is 5pm on Friday 5 September 2008. Remember, this is likely to be the only chance you get to have a say in your future as a professional driving instructor.

TOP STORY

DSA Press release

SATURDAY DRIVING TESTS

The Driving Standards Agency is writing to learner driver candidates who have booked practical tests on a Saturday since November 2005, to offer a refund for overpayment of fees caused by accidental overcharging and to apologise for the error.

We are taking this action because of an error in regulations made on 1 November 2005 which had the unintended consequence of removing the differential between normal weekday hours and Saturday charges for taking a test. The refund offered is the premium paid for a Saturday test, currently £10.50 for a car test. An amending regulation has now been laid in Parliament to reinstate in law the intended differential in fees.

The Agency is obliged to recover administrative costs through fees, including the extra costs of Saturday operation, for example in overtime. Tests booked from 7 July onwards will be charged at the intended Saturday rate of £67.00

The Driving Standards Agency apologises for the error and is contacting all those affected, but customers can speak direct to the Agency's advisers by calling (0191) 201 4098 between 9am and 5pm if they want information in the meantime. DSA believes around 270,000 candidates will be affected. Read More

THE GOVERNMENT has ignored calls for a minimum learner period

THE GOVERNMENT has ignored calls for a minimum learner period and mandatory lessons with an ADI in favour of a radical overhaul of the driving test and tighter regulations for instructors, including the introduction of a star rating system based on pass rates.

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 acknowledged as one of the toughest in the world.

The proposals are part of a consultation document, Learning to Drive, which was released last week by Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly.

The document, which was widely trailed as being the most fundamental shake-up of the learner driver process since the test was introduced, took most of the media by surprise in ignoring many of the key recommendations in last year’s Transport Committee report into novice drivers, such as a minimum one-year logbook-based system of training, mandatory lessons with an ADI and post-test restrictions.

Instead, despite 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.”

Instead of a logbook, the Government is proposing a syllabus booklet intended for both instructors and accompanying drivers which could be signed off (presumably by either) to demonstrate test readiness.

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 star-rating system to help pupils in choosing an instructor based on their pass rates.

The proposals appeared to take even the DSA by surprise. A high-ranking source within the Agency, who did not wish to be named, described the consultation paper as very disappointing.

In brief, the proposals include:

An improved driving test requiring the driver to demonstrate independent driving skills, with the option of modular assessment.
A new foundation course on safe road use for schools and colleges
A new training syllabus for instructors and accompanying drivers
New opportunities for voluntary post-test training to be developed alongside insurance companies
A star rating system for driving instructors based on pass rates and training
A review of ADI training and testing.

Stephen Picton, Editor of Driving Instructor, said: Whilst we accept that an overhaul of the driving test is long overdue and welcome any attempt to introduce road safety into the school curriculum and to increase the level of professionalism in the driver training industry, these things alone will not halt the dreadful casualty figures among novice drivers.

Sadly, by ignoring the recommendations of last years Transport Committee report 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.