The Public and Commercial Services Union voted in favour of strike action and an overtime ban.

General secretary Mark Serwotka said: “These cuts, which will see loyal civil and public servants lose tens of thousands of pounds if they are forced out of a job, are more about crude politicking than making savings.

“We have suggested ways in which the Government can make these savings whilst protecting the rights of existing members, yet it seems intent on penalising the people who keep this country running.”

Changes to redundancy and compensation agreements will see staff lose entitlements and redundancy pay.  Further strike dates may be finalised when the union’s national executive committee meet next week.

Candidates with driving tests booked for either the 8th or 9th March should contact the DSA on 0300 200 1122 for further guidance.

The company which was founded in 1992 has 22 instructor training colleges throughout the UK.  LVG also offers accountancy services to driving instructors under the FBTC brand and publishes the driving instruction industry magazine ‘ADI News’.

Red Driving School recently featured on ITV’s Tonight Programme, ‘How to Blow Your Redundancy’, during which it was alleged that they were making false claims about earning potential as a Red driving instructor.

LVG’s instructor training division (formerly known as ‘The Instructor College’), has been responsible for training thousands of potential driving instructors, but with the Part 3 pass rate at only 28%, many will not have qualified.

The number of Approved Driving Instructors on the Driving Standards Agency Register has increased dramatically from 29,000 in 1999 to over 43,000 in 2008. The number of ADI’s currently on the Register is unknown.

For further information on the Administration of LVG Ltd, click here.

Following vehicle recall notices issued by Toyota and Peugeot Citroen, the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has announced conditions for allowing affected vehicles on the driving test.

Recall notices affect the following vehicles with the specified build dates:

Toyota
AYGO (Feb 2005 – Aug 2009)
iQ (Nov 2008 – Nov 2009) – already considered unsuitable for test.
Yaris (Nov 2005 – Sep 2009)
Auris (Oct 2006 – 5 Jan 2010)
Corolla (Oct 2006 – Dec 2009)
Verso (Feb 2009 – 5 Jan 2010)
Avensis (Nov 2008 – Dec 2009)
RAV4 (Nov 2005 – Nov 2009)

Peugeot 107 (Feb 2005 – Aug 2009)

Citroen C1 (Feb 2005 – Aug 2009)

In total, Toyota and Peugeot Citroen are recalling around 320,000 UK-basedvehicles. As yet, VIN number ranges have not been released.

Using these cars on the driving test

If one of the vehicles affected is presented for test, it will only be conducted if either:

• the vehicle has a manual transmission gearbox and is fitted with dual controls to help the examiner control the car in the unlikely event of a failure
• documentation is supplied to show that the remedial work has been carried out – this will usually be in the form of the Toyota or Peugeot Citroen recall letter stamped by the respective dealer and containing written confirmation

Candidates who cannot proceed with their test should contact DSA customer services to arrange for their test to be rebooked once the remedial work has been done.

As there has been no prior warning of this action, if the test is not conducted the fee will be refunded or a free retest given on the first occasion that a specific vehicle is presented for test. Customers can ring DSA customer service on 0300 200 1122.

Coaching is not just a case of asking questions (which instructors do already as part of their everyday teaching).  It is about asking questions which raise the awareness and responsibility from within the coachee.  There are many tools that instructors can use from within the coaching toolbox and the effects of using coaching with learners can be quite profound.

Sir John Whitmore & Ged Wilmot

To date, there has been little information available about coaching specifically for driving instructors. Last year, the University of East London ran its pilot course – a Postgraduate qualification in ‘Coaching for Driver Development’ in which a handful of the best professional driver trainers and coaches from all aspects of the driving world were invited to attend.  I was fortunate enough to be one of the delegates invited to attend that course, along with my good friend and colleague Kathy Higgins of Insight2Drive. We have recognised that courses and workshops for driving instructors are few and far between and so we have developed a one day coaching course specifically designed for Approved Driving Instructors.

The one day ‘Practical Coaching Techniques for Driving Instructors’ interactive workshop offers driving instructors essential information which can be incorporated into the everyday work of an ADI.  The content will include basic principles and benefits of using coaching in driver training, what makes a good coach, and lots of practical coaching techniques.  There are two workshop dates currently available, Monday 22nd February 2010 in Oldham and Thursday 18th March 2010 in Liverpool.

Both courses will be run by me (Ged Wilmot), Claire Wilmot and Kathy Higgins. Having a wealth of driver coaching experience, we are excited to be able to offer such a course to ADI’s throughout the North West of England.

The course fee is £139, which includes lunch and refreshments. Spaces are limited and going fast, so you’ll need to act quickly!

If you would like further information about the course, please contact Claire Wilmot on 07956 104160 or complete the contact form on the Active Driving Solutions website.

This is resulting in the need for all provisional test candidates to take their theory test pass certificate information with them to the driving test centre for the examiner’s inspection before conducting the practical test.

Driving tests have been refused and cancelled as a result of a candidate not having these documents for inspection, despite the request to do so in the practical test application literature.  For full details on what you need to take with you to the test centre, click here. This video gives you full information on the practical driving test:

Please ensure you take the correct documentation with you!

Photo: Ford

Car manufacturer Ford is introducing innovative new seatbelts that inflate like airbags to give extra protection to passengers in the event of a collision.

Ford is fitting the back seats of vehicles with belts that inflate automatically during a crash.

Ford will be fitting the new seatbelts into the new Ford Explorer 4 x 4 which goes into production in 2010.  Experts say the new technology will be particularly effective at preventing broken ribs, internal damage and bruising.

Inflating over the shoulder and torso in a mere 40 milliseconds, a cylindrical airbag stretches from the buckle to the shoulder and fits inside a pocket in the belt.

Sensors calculate the severity of a crash impact and inflate the belts with compressed gas, stored below the seat.  The airbag breaks through the fabric of the belt and spreads the force of the impact over an area five times larger than a traditional belt.  The seatbelt helps to keep the passenger in the safest seating position and reduces pressure on the chest as well as controlling head and neck movement.

Vice-president of safety engineering at Ford, Sue Cischke said, ‘Ford’s rear inflatable seatbelt technology will enhance safety for rear seat passengers of all ages, especially for young children who are more vulnerable in crashes.’

The inflatable belts work like conventional seatbelts and are safe for everyday use along with a child seat or booster seat.

In testing, more than 90 per cent of people said they were similar to or more comfortable than traditional belts.

A meeting was held at DSA’s Headquarters with ADI representative organisations on 24^th September 2009. At the meeting, the DSA responded to the objections raised by ADI’s and ADI organisations to the original proposal of making it mandatory for supervising drivers to accompany candidates on all driving tests.

DSA Chief Executive Rosemary Thew explained that the DSA had reflected on the points raised.  Chief Operating Manager Brian Gilhooley read out the following statement:

“The proposal that candidates should be required to take an observer with them on their practical car driving test from October 2010 has generated a great deal of debate. DSA has received comments from a variety of stakeholders and has met with the ADI Consultative Groups and the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS). We have listened carefully to all the views expressed. We remain convinced that an observer sitting in on test will enhance the learning process, which, in turn, will provide road safety benefits. We recognise, however, that there are valid reasons why an approach based on education and incentivisation might be preferable to mandating through regulation at this stage.

“So this is the approach we suggest: at the start of the test, driving examiners will ask all candidates if they would like their driving instructor (or another observer, such as a parent, guardian or friend who has taught the candidate to drive) to sit in on their test. The examiner will then ask the candidate if they would like their instructor be present for the test result and debrief. This will allow candidates to take advantage of the opportunities available to support their ongoing learning and development, but will leave the final decision with them.

“From the feedback received on this issue we also recognise that a full review of the minimum test vehicle (MTV) for Cat B tests should be carried out. However, a mandatory change to the MTV would be a long process and we want you to work with us on this. In the meantime, we will seek to develop a set of guidelines to help to deal with the health and safety issues raised by some of the vehicles now in use. This will ensure that we can continue to maintain the integrity of the test through quality assurance and check testing.

“We want to work in partnership with the driver training profession to help candidates get the most from their training and from their practical test experience. We want candidates to understand that driving instructors and driving examiners are professional experts working together to help them to be safe and responsible drivers with the overall aim of improving road safety.

“We hope that you will work with us to support and promote this approach by encouraging your members to always:

• observe their pupils’ tests

• listen to the examiner’s debrief, to help inform their pupils’ ongoing learning and development

• display their ADI badge on test.

“We would value your response to this proposal. The choice remains with the candidate and this will be explained to them in all correspondence relating to their driving test. We know that many ADIs already accompany candidates and make themselves available for the debrief. Displaying the ADI badge will still be voluntary.”

At Latics, we already encourage our instructors accompany their pupils on test if the pupil wishes them to.  The assessment nature of the driving test at the moment means that candidates normally only get feedback on what went wrong on their test from the examiner whether they pass or fail .  Hearing from the instructor what they did well on the test goes a long way to restoring confidence for when they drive for the first time on the road alone.

According to the Romford & Havering Post, Cara cruised through her driving test first time with only five minor driving faults, observed by two examiners from the Hornchurch Test Centre.

She was presented with her driving test pass certificate and was so pleased that she immediately phoned family and friends to tell them her fantastic news. But Cara’s celebrations were short-lived when examiners contacted her four hours later to tell her that the pass certificate was invalid because the examiner had made a mistake during the test.

“I got home chuffed to bits as I’ve wanted to do this for years, only to be told I had failed,” said Cara, who has spent more than £600 on lessons and tests. “I drove exactly how I was instructed, but the examiner had only done one manoeuvre and forgotten to do a second one. Now I’m being penalised and have failed the test.”

The DSA have told Cara she can re-sit the exam free of charge, but she is still in shock. She said: “I want to know how two examiners could let me walk away for four hours without realising they had messed up.  I could have been out on the road illegally.”

After exhausting all her options, including seeking legal advice, Cara has conceded that she will inevitably have to retake her driving test. “No one expects to have to sit their driving test after passing it.  It was nerve-wracking enough the first time, but doing it again is going to be a nightmare,” she admitted.

A spokesman for the DSA said: “We apologise for what was a genuine mistake.  The examiner missed out one of the manoeuvres, which made the test illegal. We have offered a free re-test and will bring someone in especially for this so the candidate is not waiting weeks. We would like her to get in touch as soon as possible. We are very sorry and understand how disappointed she must be.”

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:

• text the code that Twitter gives you to 86444 – you’ll get a confirmation text message back to say that your phone has been activated
• update your profile settings on the web to select the times you want to receive text messages from Twitter – for example, you could turn them off between 8.00 pm and 8.00 am
• text ‘ON DSAgovuk’ to 86444 to turn on texts for DSA’s tweets – you’ll get a text back to confirm it’s done

It really is as simple as that. If you want to stop getting text alerts at any time, just text ‘OFF’ to 86444.

O2 and Vodafone customers can send tweets from their phone too, for the same cost as a normal text message.

At the moment customers of other mobile phone networks cannot receive tweets on their phone as text messages.

Disclaimer: Twitter doesn’t charge anything for text messaging, but standard text messaging rates or bundles may apply from your network. Please check with your network provider if you’re not sure how this affects you. The  DSA cannot be held responsible for any costs incurred by using Twitter on your mobile phone.

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.