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.
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%
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that “examiners have been given an instruction to take a driving test on any vehicle if the tax disc is up to five days out of date.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”.
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.
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)
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.”
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’.
How many times have you tried calling the DSA, gone through their tedious menu system and eventually received a helpful message telling you that all the DSA advisers are busy and that you should call back later? Really frustrating, isn’t it? Especially when it’s the 5th time you’ve called.
Well, the DSA have now offered these helpful instructions on the best way for ADIs to contact them.
When you call the DSA’s contact centre, make sure you use the fast track and callbackassist. It’s easy and will save you time (and money)!
1. Call 0300 200 1122 and dial one of these options:
All theory tests – dial 11.
Practical test enquiry and booking (including ADIs) – dial 25.
2. If they don’t answer your call after 60 seconds you will be offered callback assist. This will save your place in the queue so you can hang up and get on with your day.
3. You will need to confirm the number you want them to call you back on. It can be a landline or mobile, and it doesn’t have to be the number you’re calling from at the time.
4. Speak your name and hang up when you’re told to.
As soon as you reach the front of the queue they will call you back. And don’t worry if you’re on the phone, as they will try three times.
If your number’s been engaged and you haven’t heard back from them within 30 minutes from the moment you hung up, you will need to go back to step one.
Business quiet? Fancy a bit of variety in your job? Interested in expanding your skill-set and training people to drive other types of vehicle? Then you need to hurry!
Good quality minibus and lorry drivers (including ambulance drivers) are needed throughout the UK, so demand for training is still high. It’s always good to have an additional string to your bow, so if you’re interested in becoming a minibus, small lorry or ambulance driver trainer, read on!
If you passed your car driving test before 1997 and want to supervise learners in some other categories of vehicle, you only have until April 2010 to get the necessary new qualification.
A £2.3m advertising campaign launched last week to warn of the risks of driving whilst under the influence of drugs has received a mixed reception from the British public and road safety experts.
The television advert warns motorists that police can spot the involuntary signs of someone being under the influence of drugs if they are stopped. These signs include severely dilated or constricted pupils. The advert shows a car carrying several young people with their eyes enlarged, adding: “Your eyes will give you away.”
Young men aged between 17 and 29 are thought to be most likely to drive while on illegal drugs. Indeed, a recent survey in Scotland suggested that 81% of clubbers have driven whilst under the influence of illegal drugs.
The Department for Transport (DfT) estimates that as many as one in five drivers or motorcyclists killed in road accidents may have an impairing drug (legal or illegal) in their system. Transport Secretary Lord Adonis said in a recent interview, “Whatever one’s views on drug taking, we’ve got to make it absolutely socially unacceptable to drive while under the influence of drugs, because it can kill.”
The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has launched its own video sharing channel on YouTube.
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.
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.
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.
It seems to be a little known fact that a driver taking their driving test will 
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.
From 28th September 2009, case-study style questions will be introduced into the Driving Theory Test for learner drivers and riders.
How many times have you tried calling the DSA, gone through their tedious menu system and eventually received a helpful message telling you that all the DSA advisers are busy and that you should call back later? Really frustrating, isn’t it? Especially when it’s the 5th time you’ve called.
Good quality minibus and lorry drivers (including ambulance drivers) are needed throughout the UK, so demand for training is still high. It’s always good to have an additional string to your bow, so if you’re interested in becoming a minibus, small lorry or ambulance driver trainer, read on!
