The DSA have announced the following changes to this service.

From 24th June candidates who book or change their practical driving tests using this service must provide an email address at which to receive their driving test confirmation details.

The DSA have stated that they will no longer send out such booking confirmations by post.

The DSA’s announcement can be found here

Comments please from driving instructors and driving schools who are BADDIA (Bedford and District Driving Instructors Association) members giving driving lessons, Pass Plus, a2om BTEC in Driving Science, advanced lessons, automatic lessons, disabled lessons, towing lessons, refresher courses, motorway lessons, fleet training, instructor training, in preparation for driving tests or driver improvement in the Bedford area

A recent report by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) focuses on Legionnaires Disease Risk for Drivers and a simple step to reduce that risk.

The Guardian newspaper and the BBC, among others have reported on the HPA’s findings following their recent research.

The HPA’s finding show that using Screen Wash in the Windscreen Washer Reservoir of vehicles, as directed by the Screenwash manufacturers, can dramatically reduce the risk of Legionnaires Disease being contracted.

Some of the media reports can be found here and here

We hope that sharing this important information proves useful for people. It certainly appears, from the HPA’s research, that this simple step can greatly reduce the risk of falling ill with an ailment that none of us would wish to contract.

Comments please from driving instructors and driving schools who are BADDIA (Bedford and District Driving Instructors Association) members giving driving lessons, Pass Plus, a2om BTEC in Driving Science, advanced lessons, automatic lessons, disabled lessons, towing lessons, refresher courses, motorway lessons, fleet training, instructor training, in preparation for driving tests or driver improvement in the Bedford area

Major road safety milestone as driving test clocks up 75 years of success

The British driving test marks three-quarters of a century of helping keep people safe on the road when it turns 75 on Tuesday 1 June.

The first car and driving licences were introduced in Britain in 1903. But it was not until 1 June 1935 – amid rising numbers of deaths as the popularity of the car increased – that a compulsory driving test was introduced.

The first driver to pass was Mr J Beene and within a year, the number of deaths on the road had fallen by 1,000.

In 1934, 7,343 people were killed on the roads and there were 1.5 million cars. The latest figures show there were 2,538 deaths on the roads in 2008 when there were around 34 million cars.

Road Safety Minister Mike Penning said: “The driving test is not just a rite of passage, it has helped save thousands of lives on our roads.

“The test and the learning needed to pass it are a vital part of giving drivers the skills they need to drive efficiently and safely.

“High standards of driver training and assessment are an essential contribution to helping Britain’s roads remain among the safest in the world.”

Trevor Wedge, Chief Driving Examiner at the Driving Standards Agency, said: “The driving test still retains some of the original elements included in 1935, such as turning in the road and reversing, but it is updated regularly. We continue to make sure that the test properly prepares drivers for the demands of modern roads.

“This year will see the introduction of independent driving into the test, to help candidates demonstrate their ability to drive without step-by-step instruction. We believe that this added element will lead to better and safer drivers.”

Facts and figures:

• the test became compulsory on 1 June 1935, after being introduced on a voluntary basis on 16 March the same year
•  the test was suspended during World War II and the Suez Crisis – examiners were put in charge of fuel rationing instead until 1975, candidates still had to demonstrate hand signals
• the theory test was introduced in July 1996

Drving Instructors in Bedford would like to wish the Driving Test a Happy 75th Birthday!

Bedford and District Driving Instructors thought that the following article would be of Interest for Learner Drivers working toward passing their tests.

The article is from GMTV and covers items such as average pass rates by geographical area, average number of hours to prepare for the practical test and the importance of being discriminating in the selection of  Driving Instructor to best suite the individual Learner Driver.

The article, in full, can be found here

Comments please from driving instructors and driving schools who are BADDIA (Bedford and District Driving Instructors Association) members giving driving lessons, Pass Plus, a2om BTEC in Driving Science, advanced lessons, automatic lessons, disabled lessons, towing lessons, refresher courses, motorway lessons, fleet training, instructor training, in preparation for driving tests or driver improvement in the Bedford area

New way to access information about theory and practical driving tests for several categories of vehicle.

The launch of this mechanism by the Driving Standards Agency gives driving test candidates, for several categories of vehicle, the opportunity to obtain information about the nature of the theory and practical tests that they are going to undertake and more besides.

A visit to the site here will reveal many pieces of video footage providing relevant information that is applicable to tests such as those for Cars, Motorcycles, Large Goods Vehicles and Passenger Carrying Vehicles.

Motorcyclists may particularly wish to visit the site to obtain the latest information about the DSA test.

Professional drivers of PCV and LGV categories may also benefit e.g. from information about the relevant theory test and the case studies that are introduced by the DSA.  It may also be beneficial for such drivers to keep an eye on the site when considering their CPC obligations as the DSA may start to make information about the scheme, or aspects of it, available via this channel.

Driving Instructors at BADDIA advise that the following will be of particular interest to Learner Drivers:

‘Official DSA car theory test – Are you ready?’

‘Case studies in the driving theory test’

‘Official DSA car practical test – Are you ready?’

‘Official DSA pass plus – Are you ready?

 

The Driving Standards Agency have issued their own press release about the launch of this latest channel of communication here

 

Comments please from driving instructors and driving schools who are BADDIA (Bedford and District Driving Instructors Association) members giving driving lessons, Pass Plus, a2om BTEC in Driving Science, advanced lessons, automatic lessons, disabled lessons, towing lessons, refresher courses, motorway lessons, fleet training, instructor training, in preparation for driving tests or driver improvement in the Bedford area

 

The British School of Motoring have announced a partnership with Fiat that will see learner drivers practicing in 500s and Grande Puntos.

 Photo from Verdict on Cars website

Fiat will provide 14,000 cars to BSM, the majority of which will be Fiat 500s. The partnership also includes a special offer for BSM learner drivers who will be given a £500 discount off a new Fiat after they have passed the practical driving test.

The driving school hopes the trendy Fiats will boost the popularity of its courses, but it comes as a blow to Vauxhall, who had a long standing supply deal with BSM.

‘This fantastic new agreement puts an award-winning car alongside the best-known driving school in the UK, and I am delighted we are involved in it,’ said Andrew Humberstone, managing director of Fiat UK. ‘It puts us right where we want to be – in the High Streets of Britain’s towns and cities.’

Source: Based on article from Verdict on Cars website

Comments please from driving instructors and driving schools who are BADDIA (Bedford and District Driving Instructors Association) members giving driving lessons, Pass Plus, a2om BTEC in Driving Science, advanced lessons, automatic lessons, disabled lessons, towing lessons, refresher courses, motorway lessons, fleet training, instructor training, in preparation for driving tests or driver improvement in the Bedford area.

PEOPLE who passed a car driving test before 1997 and want to supervise learners in some other categories of vehicle have until April 2010 to get the necessary new qualification.

The new rules apply to those who obtained their car licence before 1997 and who supervise learners in small lorries (category C1), minibuses (D1) or vehicle plus trailer combinations (C1+E or D1+E).

They have until 6 April next year to meet the relevant medical standards and pass the appropriate driving test if they want to continue supervising learners in those vehicles.

Drivers who passed before 1997 were given so-called “grandfather rights” to drive small lorries and minibuses. They will be able to continue driving these vehicles but will only be able to give tuition in them if they pass the test for the relevant category before 6 April 2010.

But drivers who do not pass the relevant driving test before then will have to wait three years from the date they do pass until they can supervise learner drivers.

Most instructors who provide professional training in driving small lorries and minibuses will not be affected by the change as they have already passed a driving test in a larger vehicle.

But a minority with ‘grandfather rights’ have been supervising learners without having the appropriate pass themselves.

Trevor Wedge, Great Britain’s Chief Driving Examiner, said: “In the interests of road safety, it is important that learners are supervised by people who have proved themselves capable of driving the vehicle in question.

“It was never the intention to allow learner drivers to be supervised on public roads unless they were with people who had proven experience of driving those vehicles.”

Here is a letter from DSA which clarifies the situation: -

14th July 2009

 Clarification of the rules for holders of pre-1997 category B licences who may supervise learners driving in category C1 (medium size lorry), C1 +E, D1 (minibus) or category D1 +E vehicles.

 Dear Sir/Madam,    

 I am writing to you to inform you about the clarification of rules for people who may supervise learners driving category C1 (medium size lorry), C1 +E, D1 (minibus) and D1 +E category vehicles on a pre-1997 B category licence with implied entitlements.  We intended to clarify the definition of the accompanying or supervisor term.

 Learner drivers should not drive a vehicle on public roads unless they are supervised by a qualified driver.  The supervisor or accompanying driver must hold a full licence for the category of vehicle being driven.  They must also have held that licence for the relevant period of time – usually three years.  In our view, implied rights entitlements do not meet these criteria because of the restrictions attaching to the licence and the higher medical standards requirements.  Also, there are road safety issues involved where a person who has never passed the relevant driving test acts as the supervisor for a leaner driver in a category C1, D1 and vehicle plus trailer combinations.

 We intend to change the legislation from 6 April 2010, to clarify the requirements for supervising drivers in respect of these categories.

 These changes will not affect a person’s existing entitlement to drive C1, D1 & vehicle plus trailer combinations.  But they will prevent anyone from acting as a supervising driver in such vehicle categories if they only hold pre-1997 licence category B. 

 Persons,  particularly those in the driver training industry – who currently rely on implied rights entitlements and want to continue to supervise drivers in C1, D1 and vehicle plus trailer combinations, will need to pass the relevant driving test(s) and meet the  higher medical standards required by drivers of larger vehicles before 6 April 2010.

 If they pass the relevant driving test(s) and meet the appropriate medical standards after the legislation is clarified, they will have to wait until they have held their new entitlement for three years before they can act as the supervising driver.

 However, if they have passed a driving test for one category of vocational licence and have held that licence for a period of three years, they will only have to wait a period of one year from the date they pass the practical driving test for another category of vocational vehicle before they can supervise a learner driver in that category of vehicle.  The table below gives further details:

Column 1                                                      Column 2

(Licence held for three years)                      (Licence held for one year)

C1                                                                   D1

C1 +E                                                             D1 +E

D1                                                                   C1

D1 +E                                                             C1 +E

This letter is part of a communications strategy designed to ensure that those affected by this change will be made aware of it well in advance.  We have also produced a poster that announces the change to the regulation.  If you require any copies to distribute or exhibit in your premises please contact us at the email address:  Robin.thomas@dsa.gsi.gov.uk

If you have any enquiries about the above please ring customer service enquiries on 0300200 1122.

Yours faithfully

Georgia Georgiou

Marketing Manager

Source: DSA website and letter

 

 

 

 

BEING DEAF presents a range of problems and so a Norwich man who wears hearing aids has made sure learning to drive is not one of them by setting up a sign-language supported driving school.

Graham Briggs started the British Sign Language driving school in 2007 and since then it has gone from strength to strength, with seven deaf people having passed their tests with him and three more currently on the books.

Instructions are given in sign language above the dashboard so that the students can see them in their peripheral vision and do not have to take their eyes off the road, and the signs to be used are agreed before the lesson begins. Mr Briggs also uses pictures to give instructions about car positioning and manoeuvres.

If the situation starts to become dangerous, he signals for the student to bring the car to a halt and then explains what was going wrong in sign language.

He said: “Because I have always been hard of hearing and had hearing aids since I can remember, I can understand some of the problems they have when they are learning to drive, and so I wanted to give something back. It’s nice to have someone who can have some empathy with you.”

One of his students, Donna Vallis, 23, who has been profoundly deaf since birth, said: “I wanted to learn to drive so I could have some independence and go wherever I want. Sometimes if the roads are really busy I find it hard to concentrate and get a bit scared, but because Graham can sign it makes things so much easier.”

Miss Vallis, who lives in Rotary House for the Deaf on King Street, has been learning to drive for three-and-a-half-years, and while Mr Briggs feels she would be more than ready to take her practical test, she is unable to do so yet because she has not passed her theory test, having taken it more than 10 times.

Mr Briggs said: “The theory test is particularly difficult for deaf people whose first language is sign language. Donna is fine with the hazard perception section, but the multiple choice questions pose a problem because of the terminology used within the test, and the ambiguity of some of the words. She finds it very frustrating because she is an excellent driver.”

Miss Vallis uses the Highway Code, which has been released in British Sign Language, and a game on her Nintendo DS, and hopes to pass the theory test soon so she can take her practical test, when an examiner will use similar signs to those she has been taught.

For more information about the driving school, visit http://www.bsldriving.com/deaf_aware.html.

Last week, the Norfolk Deaf Association held an event at The Forum, Norwich, to raise awareness about the problems deaf people can face in society and the ways they can overcome them.

To see a video of Miss Vallis’ driving lesson, visit the Evening News website at www.eveningnews24.co.uk

Source: Norwich Evening News website

Comments please from driving instructors and driving schools who are BADDIA (Bedford and District Driving Instructors Association) members giving driving lessons, Pass Plus, a2om BTEC in Driving Science, advanced lessons, automatic lessons, disabled lessons, towing lessons, refresher courses, motorway lessons, fleet training, instructor training, in preparation for driving tests or driver improvement in the Bedford area.

MALE drivers are more likely to speed compared with women, according to a Huddersfield charity.

Research released today by road safety charity Brake and Direct Line Car Insurance finds one in three male drivers, compared with one in seven female drivers, admitted they drive at 35mph or faster in 30mph zones every day or several times a week.

The gender gap is said to be even larger on rural roads.

One in five male drivers, compared with one in 16 female drivers, said they drive faster than 60mph on country roads every day or several times a week.

Joanne Dixon is a manager at Lindley driving school Laugh and Pass who employ only female driving instructors.

She told the Examiner she thought competent driving was down to the individual and it was hard to pigeon-hole the different sexes.

Joanne said: “I have noticed that women tend to be more cautious and don’t tend to be as confident drivers.

“Men seem more willing to take risks and don’t see the potential dangers as much as a woman would.

“Statistics suggest that drivers only spend 25% of their journey concentrating on the task in hand.

“Both sexes could improve their driving and their safety from further advanced driving lessons.”

Phillip Lockwood, a Huddersfield BSM driving instructor with 42 years experience said ‘generally speaking men do tend to speed more than ladies’.

He added: “With new drivers I think it’s more of an even split.

“There seem to be more and more ladies, especially of the younger generation, breaking speed limits.

“I think a lot of it may be to do with TV programs such as Top Gear and peer pressure.”

Last week, the Government announced it was considering plans to reduce the speed limit on rural roads to 50mph.

Many local authorities are already reducing speed limits to 40mph or 50mph on country roads after accidents from head-on collisions, often on bends or brows.

Tim Coats, professor of emergency medicine at the University of Leicester, said: “The Government is clearly right to target its campaigns at men.

When it comes to driving on motorways, the survey also found that men are nearly three times more likely to speed.

One in five male drivers, compared with one in 14 female drivers, say they drive faster than 80mph on motorways every day or several times a week.

Source: The Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 03/04/09 by Katie Grant

Comments please from driving instructors and driving schools who are BADDIA (Bedford and District Driving Instructors Association) members giving driving lessons, Pass Plus, a2om BTEC in Driving Science, advanced lessons, automatic lessons, disabled lessons, towing lessons, refresher courses, motorway lessons, fleet training, instructor training, in preparation for driving tests or driver improvement in the Bedford area.

UNSCRUPULOUS driving Instructor schools are taking advantage of people who have been made redundant by promising new recruits they will earn great money from being an instructor at a time when learner numbers are falling.

A survey by the Alliance of Sector Skills Council Scotland collected data from a range of industries to assess how trade was holding up and how they foresaw the recession impacting on business.

GoSkills, the council representing passenger transport, which covers bus, rail, taxi and aviation industries, and also driving instructors and schools, reported a fall in demand from new learners: “Driving instructors have been reporting a downturn in business. This would normally happen after Christmas but has been particularly marked for this period last quarter of 2008.”Among the key indicators are reports from the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) that test centre figures are down 5%. More worryingly, GoSkills warned that an increase in redundancies could see new instructors flooding the industry and chasing fewer learners.

Richard Wheater from GoSkills said: “The driving instructor’s job is sometimes seen as a soft option and people are a little bit misinformed about it when they see the adverts on TV.

“You see the salaries that can potentially be earned, so yes, it’s a risk.”

One of the UK’s fastest growing driving schools, Red, which also trains instructors, told the Sunday Herald it had seen a “surge” in interest during the past 12 months. It is due publish official figures tomorrow.

There are 40,000 driving instructors in the UK, 3,000 of them in Scotland.

Barbara Trafford, managing director of the ADI Federation, said the market is already “saturated”. She said: “There’s always been a trend for people training as driving instructors, but what’s worrying me now with the credit crisis is that there are a lot of people, perhaps with redundancy money, who are looking to see if they can earn money elsewhere. Unfortunately, the adverts are not quite true, because we are saturated. We are not looking for more driving instructors.”

She claimed the situation in Scotland was particularly dire because recruits were especially vulnerable to “hard-sell” tactics. Someone who attends an interview in England and is persuaded to sign up to a financial agreement, typically a loan starting at around £3000 to cover training costs, would be entitled to withdraw within a fixed period of time but candidates in Scotland have no “cooling-off” period, she said.

Tied into a contract and faced with high-interest repayments on their loans, they are dismayed to discover there is no guarantee of qualifying, let alone earning the promised high salaries.

Trafford said: “It’s been going on for 10 years or more, but it does seem to be increasing and becoming an industry in its own right. It’s not one that anyone in our industry agrees with, because we believe people are sucked into it, they’re given the hard sell, they’re signing on, and then they’re not getting what they thought they would be, and they end up unsuccessful at the end.

“I had someone ring me the other day and say they promised they would give me a job of 40 hours a week’. I said, well, did you get that in writing’ and they said, no, they said they couldn’t put it in writing’. I wonder why. That is what they’re being told – and it’s wrong.”

Aeneas MacRitchie has 40 years’ experience as an instructor, examiner, and, until last year, as an instructor trainer and now represents the Driving Instructors Scottish Council in meetings with the DSA.

He said: “If I said 50% of my business came from the companies we’re speaking about, which advertise nationally on television, radio etc, that would be an understatement. What these people found was that they were spending their money, and when they came to part three they were getting a week’s intensive training which was grossly inefficient – far too much knowledge to take in too short a period of time.

“And as a result they would then contact someone like myself. I would take them out and their knowledge was very limited and they were having to fork out additional money to me.”

Source: Sunday Herald website, By Helen McArdle

Comments please from driving instructors and driving schools who are BADDIA (Bedford and District Driving Instructors Association) members giving driving lessons, Pass Plus, a2om BTEC in Driving Science, advanced lessons, automatic lessons, disabled lessons, towing lessons, refresher courses, motorway lessons, fleet training, instructor training, in preparation for driving tests or driver improvement in the Bedford area.