DVSA Consultation: Improving the Car Driving Test
Response from ADINJC
Approved Driving Instructors National Joint Council
August 2016
Chairman: Lynne Barrie MA
16 Grosvenor Close, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS14 9SR
01543 256578
The ADINJC is also a member of NASP (National Associations Strategic Partnership) and fully supports their collective statement. This response expands on that statement to include ADINJC views.
ADINJC Representation:
The ADINJC currently represents approximately 7,500 ADIs and PDIs nationwide.
Gathering our views:
The ADINJC has circulated the consultation document to members via our newsflashes, emails to our member local associations and groups and in our monthly newsletters and on social media. We have also held meetings at local associations as well as our association meetings for groups. We have conducted webinars and written articles for members to view. We have invited and received many comments from our members. We have spoken to members who have taken part in the trials. As a democratic association we have listened to our members and taken a majority view.
Publication of ADINJC views and questions answered:
We agree that our response can be published and we have answered all of the relevant questions raised in the consultation.
STATEMENT:
Whilst we support the proposed changes we are most concerned that the examiner training required to introduce them will mean that fewer resources will be devoted to delivering practical driving tests: resulting in even longer waiting times. There is no point changing the test if candidates still face such lengthy waiting times.
We therefore recommend that these changes are not introduced until the average waiting time for car practical tests is below 7.4 weeks the target in the DVSA business plan 2016-17 and we expect to see the waiting time target reduced to 6 weeks in 2017-18.
Consultation Questions:
We are responding in the capacity of a large national association for driving instructors and potential driving instructors. We have 7,500 members.
- Have you taken part in the trial of the new test, in the capacity of an ADI (answers only
requested from ADIs)? Many of our members and some of our Governing Committee have taken part in the trials and we have kept in close touch with them. Those members have not made negative comments, merely ways in which it could be further enhanced. - Have you taken part in the trial of the new test, in the capacity of a learner/
accompanying driver (answers only requested from learner/newly qualified/ accompanying drivers)? Not relevant - Do you agree with the proposal to increase the independent driving section of the test
from 10 to 20 minutes? Yes, this is a welcome move because it will help a learner driver feel more comfortable to drive without an accompanying driver in the car. - Do you agree with the proposal to include the use of sat navs in the independent driving section? Yes.
- Have you any comments on the proposal to include the use of sat navs in the independent driving section? Members are happy with this and feel it is an essential part of learning to drive as a day to day navigation tool. Those on the trials said it made the test more realistic, allowed the test routes to go out further and avoided the numerous move offs in the current test. The only negative comments we received were about where they would be placed in the car.
- How often do you replace your sat nav? Not relevant
- Do you agree with the proposal to modify manoeuvres so they take place during the
natural course of the drive and augmenting them with new, realistic exercises? Yes - Have you any comments on the proposal to modify manoeuvres so they take place during the natural course of the drive and augmenting them with new, realistic exercises?
The new manoeuvres represent real life situations which should be included in any basic
driver training programme particularly as they are also core competences stipulated in the National Standard for driving cars and light vans (category B). The vast majority of members are happy with the new manoeuvres. However we have had members who are very concerned about the pull over to the right and reversing back in a line. They have concerns about the risks involved when so many learner cars will be carrying out this manoeuvre and have also said they consider it is not best practise to park facing against the flow of traffic. They also mentioned concerns about this manoeuvre in the dark on lessons. Some members had concerns about using public car parks on test and pulling forward into a bay. Their concerns were around how the public will conceive the idea. A few members mentioned that they would prefer the test to be 1 of the 6 manoeuvres so they could all be taught and just one tested. - Do you agree with the proposal to change the format of the vehicle safety questions so that one of the two questions is asked while on the move? We feel this is a sensible proposal as new drivers will need to use the auxiliary controls on the move in real life situations. In fact a few members suggested they were asked 2 on the move questions and one stationary one. We understand the examiner will ask these questions at a relevant time.
Conclusions:
This is a welcome improvement to the test to enhance new driver skills. We would also want to see these changes being introduced to the ADI Part 2 ability to drive test and to other vehicle categories. We are very encouraged by the responses from our members who have taken part in the trials.
ADINJC fully support the NASP statement that has been released. We look forward to these changes once the wait for car driving tests is reduced below 7.4 weeks.
Response from: The National Associations Strategic Partnership (NASP) (PDF)
Last month saw the release of my book, Live and Learn: A Parental Guide To Keeping Young Drivers Safe On The Road, supported by the ADI NJC. This was a project that I had had in mind for a couple of years but only recently found the time to complete. The aim of the book is to reduce young driver crash risk through informing parents about the learning-to-drive process and options that are available once students pass their tests.
Why a guidebook and why now?
There are numerous sources of parental advice on learning to drive and buying first cars on the internet but these vary in the quality of the advice that they give, are not evidence-based, and are often attached to a particular product or driving school, hence they really only exist to help sell a particular brand or to drive internet ‘traffic’ to a particular company’s webpage. They are very rarely written by anyone with real expertise in the subject and so tend to have very little to say that may affect safety outcomes or, even worse, on occasion give unsafe advice.
It was my thought that a reasonably detailed evidence and research-based guide book that explains the underlying causes of young driver crashes before it attempts to offer solutions could help to cut through the myths and half-truths surrounding the learning to drive process and young driver safety.
In just over 100 pages, Live and Learn, provides parents with advice on: choosing a driving instructor, structuring lessons, the benefits of a student-centred approach, private practice, choosing a first car, issues of ownership, insurance and telematics, as well as other new technologies available, all with the single aim of reducing crash risk. Not to sell any particular product and not to promote any particular driving school.
The benefits to ADIs
Live and Learn encourages parents to be more active in the learning-to-drive process and to pay more attention to what is happening on driving lessons. ADIs often complain that parents don’t take enough interest in what they do, or respect their skills and what they are trying to achieve – safe drivers. There is a common perception that all parents are interested in is how they can get their child through the test as cheaply and as quickly as possible. Firstly, I do not believe this to always be true, however where it is, it is important that parents can understand the potential risks that they are exposing their child to if they try to force them through a test before they are really ready.
Parents may sometimes choose a driving instructor based on price alone, because they are not able to differentiate between instructors and the different qualities and benefits on offer to them. By informing parents of the safety benefits of quality driver education, it is more likely that they will be able to make better educated decisions about driving lessons and not choose instructors on price alone.
For me, better educated parents may be more demanding on instructors, but in a way that benefits safety, rather than a negative way such as trying to force their children to test sooner. Live and Learn encourages parents to talk regularly with instructors and sit in on the back of lessons. In general, the greater the parental involvement in the learning-to-drive process the stronger both educational and safety outcomes will be.
Why recommend Live and Learn?
The ADI NJC and I sincerely hope that you will recommend Live and Learn to parents. As the author I would obviously be thrilled if you read and like the book, and hopefully there is enough useful content in there to make it a very worthwhile read for ADIs. However, the aim of the book is to advise parents; if it is to have any practical benefit then it needs to be seen by parents.
The advantage of recommending the book to parents is that it helps to reinforce that you are a thoughtful, caring and safety-focused instructor. Parents appreciate instructors who truly have the best interests of their children at heart. If you keep a copy in your car, showing it to parents may at least start a safety-based conversation. Developing discussions about safety and crash risk is far better than conversations about test-dates. If parents book lessons with you online, why not send them a link to the website? Every little extra touch adds value to your business.
There is an active Live and Learn Facebook page. On here I post useful advice, tips and videos all related to reducing young driver crash risk. Please like and share this page so that you can access great free material that can be shared with customers and parents. Of course, parents should also be encouraged to like the page so that they can see the safety tips and appreciate the great work that so many ADIs are doing to improve young driver safety on a daily basis.
Live and Learn is life-long learning
As ADIs we all recognise the benefits that life-long learning brings. Driving is a life skill. In the learning-to-drive process there are three key stakeholders; the learner, the instructor and the parents. For too long too many parents have been absent from this process due to a lack of knowledge and support to understand what it takes to learn to drive in the modern world. If we work together to change that, then we can all continue to Live and Learn for the benefit of everyone.
Lynne Barrie MA, ADI (Chairman ADI NJC) said about this book:
“Though aimed primarily at parents, Neil Snow’s evidence-led guide will be of key interest to driving instructors and road safety professionals looking to understand how a student-centred approach to driver education can improve young driver safety. An important read.”
Live and Learn: A Parental Guide To Keeping Young Drivers Safe On The Road by Neil Snow is available to buy now from www.liveandlearn-book.com priced at £9.99. ADI’s can also receive significant discounts for bulk purchases, allowing you to sell the book on to customers at profit. To see all the benefits of becoming an authorisied distributor see the information pdf.
Alternatively the book can be purchased from Amazon and is available as a paperback and on Kindle.
The Live and Learn Facebook page contains useful road safety information and videos for young drivers, parents and ADIs: https://www.facebook.com/liveandlearnbook/