Archive for September, 2009
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
Customers of two of Britain’s biggest mobile networks can now get the latest news from the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) straight to their mobile phone – free of charge.
The DSA is already using the popular microblogging site Twitter to keep almost 700 subscribers – or ‘followers’ – updated via the internet.
Now O2 and Vodafone are allowing customers to receive Twitter messages, known as ‘tweets’, as free text messages to their mobiles.
It means you can get latest DSA news wherever you are and at the times which suit you.
The DSA have so far used Twitter to highlight upcoming changes to the Theory Test, the introduction of Driver CPC, the new Enhanced Rider Scheme campaign, to give advice on test bookings and to advertise their attendance at various shows and events.
Set up your mobile phone
To receive this service, you’ll need to subscribe to Twitter at twitter.com. Then when you’ve created your account, head to your account settings on the Twitter website, and activate your mobile phone. All you need to do then is:
(more…)
Tags: Driving Standards Agency, DSA, Mobile phones, O2, Texting, Twitter, Vodafone, Websites
Posted in Industry News | No Comments »
Sunday, September 27th, 2009
The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has warned that high energy drinks used by high mileage drivers to keep them going could lead to increased weariness behind the wheel.
An alert for those driving under caffeine intoxication has been issued by the US National Safety Commission (NSC). The warning is similar to those associated with driving under the influence of alcohol.
Research has shown that drivers can experience serious lapses in concentration and slower reaction times as caffeinated drinks begin to wear off as early as an hour after drinking. Symptoms such as irritability, irregular or rapid heartbeat, nervousness, muscle twitching and rambling speech can be caused by excessive caffeine consumption.
IAM Director of Policy and Research, Neil Greig said: “Energy drinks are good as a quick fix, but they’re no substitute for regular breaks. Having a high-caffeine drink is a one-off hit – you can’t repeat it, as this type of drink does not produce the same effect in a couple of hours’ time.”
On long drives, the IAM advises you to avoid fatigue when driving by:
- Stopping overnight on long-haul journeys
- Sharing the driving with someone else – don’t do it all yourself if you don’t have to
- Stop for a break every two hours
- Find a safe place to stop if you start to feel tired while driving, don’t rely on air con or an open window
- Only get back behind the wheel when you feel properly refreshed
Remember, tiredness can be a killer as it affects concentration and reaction times.
Tags: Caffeine, Driver fatigue, Driving, Energy drinks, Fatigue, IAM, Institute of Advanced Motorists, Red Bull, Tiredness
Posted in Industry News, Road Safety | 1 Comment »
Saturday, September 26th, 2009
The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has launched its own video sharing channel on YouTube.
YouTube is the world’s largest video sharing service with over 100 million videos viewed every day. The DSA will be using the site to publish official road safety videos.
DSA’s Director of Strategy & Performance, Nick Carter said: “Using YouTube will let DSA reach a wider audience than ever before – we want to talk to our audiences on the platforms we know they use.
“By putting our videos on YouTube, we’re catering for the growing number of people whose first choice to find information is to go online.”
Video content from the DSA channel can be embedded directly into visitors own websites or blogs, used in forums, shared by email, and linked through social networking sites such as Facebook.
The channel can be viewed at youtube.com/dsagov and is being used to post videos which offer advice to road users as well as test candidates.
(more…)
Tags: Are you ready?, Driving Standards Agency, DSA, Facebook, Youtube
Posted in Industry News, Road Safety | No Comments »
Friday, September 25th, 2009
An ECOlogical driving test was launched on 1st September 2009. The test is designed to assess the driver’s fuel economy and accident avoidance skills.
This new test is set to become a vocational test and is being closely watched by Whitehall.
The voluntary 90-minute test provides a Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC). Drivers will pass if they demonstrate a high level of safe, defensive and environmentally friendly driving. The Eco-Advanced Driving Test costs £160 and will test drivers on most types of road situation.
Drivers who are successful could benefit from:
- fuel consumption savings up to 15% below the vehicle’s official average
- reduced risk of incidents and reduced vehicle wear and tear by up to 60%
- maximum vehicle insurance discounts
(more…)
Tags: ADINJC, Advanced driving test, Approved Driving Instructors National Joint Council, Certificate of Professional Competence, DERF, Driver CPC, Driver Education Research Foundation, Driving Tests, DSA, ECOlogical driving test, Fuel efficiency, Fuel efficient driving, Fuel prices, Peter Russell, SAFED
Posted in Industry News, Insurance, Road Safety | No Comments »
Thursday, September 24th, 2009
The Driving Standards Agency has amended the rules regarding the display of tax discs when a candidate takes their driving test. Previously, if the tax disc displayed in the vehicle had expired the candidate was ineligible to take their driving test.
Following a change in the law regarding the display of car tax discs, there is now a 5 day period of grace given to vehicle owners to allow them to buy their tax discs online, providing they have applied for a new disc before the old one expires.
Colin Maddock, Head of DSA Chief Executive’s Private Office confirms that “examiners have been given an instruction to take a driving test on any vehicle if the tax disc is up to five days out of date. They will not ask to see proof that a tax disc has been ordered online”.
Tags: Department for Transport, Driving instructor, Driving Law, Driving Standards Agency, Driving Tests, DSA, DVLA, Tax disc, Vehicle Excise Duty, Vehicle tax
Posted in Driving Law, Industry News | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
The new information pack for ADI’s is now being distributed to newly qualified driving instructors. The pack has been produced by the DSA following feedback from experienced ADI’s on what they would have liked when they started out on their new career as a driving instructor.
The new pack contains cards, leaflets and booklets full of information about their new career. It has among other things, useful information about check tests, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and a DVD for L test candidates – Are you ready?
Charles Morton, Registrar of Approved Driving Instructors for DSA, said: “We have listened to feedback from ADIs, which indicated that when they first qualified, they would have found a pack like this useful, as it contains information about how to make the most of their new career and help their pupils.
“The pack is designed to be glove box-sized so that ADIs can have it readily to hand. They will also be able to add any ‘pull-out-and-keep’ brochures we publish in Despatch magazine, and there is room for them to insert their own useful information.”
Although all new ADI’s will be sent the pack, those who registered within the last six months will have to request a pack to be sent to them. At the moment, ADI’s who qualified longer than 6 months ago will not be able to request the pack. ADI’s will have to wait and see if the DSA makes the pack readily available to those already qualified.
If you are eligible, you may obtain a pack by emailing adireg@dsa.gsi.gov.uk or writing to: DSA, The Axis Building, 112 Upper Parliament Street, Nottingham, NG1 6LP.
For information or advice on becoming a driving instructor, visit www.laticsdrivertraining.com or our sister company which provides ADI Training & Development www.activedrivingsolutions.com
Tags: ADI Information Pack, ADI Training, Approved Driving Instructor, Continual Professional Development, CPD, Driving instructor, Driving Standards Agency, DSA, Information pack
Posted in Industry News | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009
Campaign materials are now available for October’s tyre safety month, which focuses on tread depth and will encourage drivers to check and replace any illegal tyres on their vehicle.
The campaign is organised by TyreSafe, a non commercial organisation responsible for raising awareness of the dangers of defective and worn tyres and is backed by RoadSafe. It uses the theme of a ‘life saver in your pocket’ and gives motorists advice on how to check to see if their tyres may be illegal, simply by using a 20p coin.
Tyres are the only part of the vehicle which are in contact with the road. Safety in acceleration, braking, steering and cornering all depend on a relatively small area of road contact. It is therefore of paramount importance that tyres are well maintained and that their tyre tread depth is above the legal limit to maximise performance and safety. By law, car tyres must have a minimum of 1.6mm of tread in a continuous band throughout the central three-quarters of the tread width and round the entire circumference of the tyre.
The driver of the vehicle is responsible for making sure their tyres are legal and in a roadworthy condition. The penalty for driving with an illegal tyre is a fine of up to £2,500 and three penalty points per tyre. This could cost your licence, or worse still a life.
To check your tread, simply insert a 20p coin into your tyre’s tread grooves. If you are able to see the inside rim of the coin, the tyre tread may be worn close to the legal limit.
Click here to download your campaign materials
Tags: Checking tyres, Illegal tyres, Roadsafe, Tyre safety month, Tyresafe
Posted in Events, Road Safety | 2 Comments »
Monday, September 21st, 2009
After much recent pressure from within the professional driver coaching industry, the DSA have made an important amendment to their driving test marking guidelines.
It seems to be a little known fact that a driver taking their driving test will not be faulted for simply failing to adopt the ‘pull-push’ steering technique. In truth, this has been the case for over 20 years, but the ‘pull-push’ method has become so ingrained within the industry that many driving instructors still vehemently insist on its use.
A new paragraph has appeared in the latest amendments to the DT1 (DSA Examiners Guidance Notes) with regard to ‘control’. You can access the full document here.
“To ensure uniformity, when conducting car or vocational tests and ADI qualifying examinations, only assess the candidate’s ability to control the vehicle and do not consider it as a fault if, for example, they do not hold the steering wheel at ten to two or quarter to three or if they cross their hands when turning the steering wheel. The assessment should be based on whether the steering is smooth, safe and under control.” (Crown Copyright)
(more…)
Tags: ADI, ADI Training, crossing hands, Driver Coaching, Driving Standards Agency, DSA, dt1, Part 3, Practical driving test, Pull push, steering technique
Posted in Coaching, Industry News | 7 Comments »
Thursday, September 10th, 2009
From today (10 September 2009), 18-year-olds will be permitted to drive lorries. Until now, the minimum LGV driving age was 21, but this has been lowered across the European Union to try and encourage more young people into the haulage industry.
BBC Radio 1’s newsbeat reports the story of Adam, an 18-year-old who works for his father’s waste company. Until now he’s been helping out, knowing that it would probably be a while before he got to drive the lorries himself. But today, he took his first lesson in an LGV.
Adam said: “I was over the moon that I could do it. It’s just better money, it’s just better everything. It means more responsibility.”
He says the lessons are hard: “They make you reverse into really tight gaps, it’s quite nerve-wracking. You’ve got to drive around narrow streets, you feel a bit worried about what you’re doing. But it’s all good.”
(more…)
Tags: Claire Wilmot, Drive lorry at 18, Driver CPC, Driving Lessons, European Union, Freight Transport Association, Latics, Latics Driver Training, LGV Training, Young drivers
Posted in Driving Law, Industry News, Road Safety | 9 Comments »
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009
From 28th September 2009, case-study style questions will be introduced into the Driving Theory Test for learner drivers and riders.
The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) have introduced this change as one of the early initiatives following the results of their Learning to Drive Consultation, published earlier this year (see this blog entry for a summary of the consultation).
The Theory Test will remain in its present two-part format, with 50 multiple choice questions followed by the Hazard Perception Test.
The time permitted, the pass marks and the cost of the theory test remain unchanged.
The case study element will be included in the multiple choice part of the theory test, and it will ask five questions, some of which will be multiple choice, others multiple response, based around a single scenario that learner drivers and riders may encounter when driving on the road.
An example of one of the case study questions can be found here.
The main purpose of the case study questions is to help bring the theoretical element to life for novice drivers and riders.
As part of the same initiative, the DSA are aiming to introduce an abridged version of the theory test in October 2009. Those eligible to take this test must have successfully completed the voluntary ‘Pre-Driver Qualification in Safe Road use’, which was introduced in January 2009 by the DSA and currently available in 10 locations across England and Scotland.
The consultation for the adbridged Theory Test ended on 20th July (read the full consultation document here), but the results are yet to be announced. Make sure you visit the Latics Driver Training Blog regularly for updates, or better still, why not subscribe for instant email notification? Just enter your email address on the blog homepage and hit ‘subscribe’.
Tags: Abridged theory test, Case study, Changes to the driving test, Consultations, Driving Standards Agency, Driving Tests, DSA, Hazard Perception Test, HPT, Motorcyle News, Theory test, Theory test changes, Young drivers
Posted in Industry News | 11 Comments »
