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.

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!

Our new fast ‘pass in a week’ crash course means that customers can now start their lessons on a Monday and pass on the Friday!

Although these courses are referred to as ‘crash courses’, rest assured, we will not be teaching you to crash!  Quite the opposite.  Lessons taken intensively mean that with little time to forget in between lessons, learning is much quicker.

In fact, latest Government research found that of all successful test candidates, the average number of hours taken with an instructor was 47 and the average time taken to pass the test was 13 months!  With our pass in a week crash course, the cost will be much lower than taking weekly lessons.

Our all-inclusive ‘pass in a week’ crash course is being offered at an introductory price of just £599, which means that compared to taking lessons weekly, you could save hundreds of pounds.  Although the majority of our customers pass in less hours than the national average, based on the national average figures, you could save over £400 with our ‘pass in a week’ crash course!

We’re also so confident that the vast majority of our customers taking the ‘pass in a week’ crash course will achieve a pass at the end of the week that we guarantee to pay for your next test if you are unfortunate enough not to pass on the first attempt!

Places on the ‘pass in a week’ crash course are limited so to avoid disappointment, we recommend that you ring us on 0161 345 3452 or contact us through our website asking for an application form.

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.”

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

The test is targeting over 20 million UK business and vocational car and van drivers.  Eco-qualified drivers will be attractive to employers who wish to reduce their business vehicle running costs. A major supermarket chain is already “keenly interested” and many more employers are expected to demand that their work drivers be Eco Certified. It’s highly likely that vehicle insurers will encourage companies, or at least ‘risk sensitive’ businesses, to employ Ecoqualified drivers.

The £160 test cost “will be amortised in weeks to then be permanently profitable for all successful candidates”, say test creators the Approved Driving Instructors National Joint Council (ADINJC) and Driver Education Research Foundation (DERF).  DERF Director Peter Russell adds: “Successful candidates will be the top 10% of Britain’s business drivers. The test could spread abroad.”

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”.

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 20^th 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’.