UK’s most car friendly cities
We thought you might be interested in some information from Oponeo. They have compiled the latest data on various car-related issues in 12 popular cities in the UK. One of the categories they researched on was road safety and, with London and Belfast at the bottom of the list, Manchester turned out to be a city with the fewest road accidents!
Their comprehensive report includes data on such topics as fuel and insurance costs, parking facilities and traffic congestion. I am positive the learners, future drivers, instructors and the rest of the audience at ADINJC will find the results informative and of interest.
Please click the link to the full report and a map with the scores as references.
We have this afternoon received the following from Jacqui Turland, Registrar –
“Further to my email of 1 September 2017, I wanted to let you know that we have yet to gain Parliamentary approval to introduce the change, but are still hopeful that we will be able to do so by late October.
Having written to all PDIs with a test booked up to 13 October, we will now been contacting all those with a test booked up to 27 October. We’ll be able to give them more options on what they can do, such as postponing their test to a later date or keeping their test date and taking the test in the current format. They’ll be advised to speak to their instructor trainer to discuss the best option for them.
We will also be contacting all those on the Official Register of Instructor Trainers.
I will, of course, update you as and when I have more clarity on an implementation date.”
With less than 3 months to go to until the driving test changes, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has today (13 September 2017) published new videos about the updated ‘show me, tell me’ driving test questions.
During the test, examiners ask candidates two vehicle safety questions – these are known as the ‘show me, tell me’ questions. Currently, both questions are asked at the start of the test, but from 4 December 2017, candidates will have to carry out the ‘show me’ question while they are driving.
DVSA Chief Driving Examiner, Lesley Young, said:
“DVSA’s priority is to help you through a lifetime of safe driving.”
“Asking a ‘show me’ question while driving will be valuable preparation for real life driving.
“With less than 3 months to go until the driving test changes, it’s important that learner drivers work with their driving instructor to make sure they can operate the in car-controls safely whilst they’re driving. Combined with practice with an instructor, these new official videos will help you learn the skills you need to do these tasks.”
The two new videos released by DVSA show how to carry out these basic safety tasks. They will prepare new drivers for regularly carrying them out after they have passed their test, helping them keep their vehicle safe to drive all-year-round.
In the new test, the examiner will ask the ‘tell me’ question (where the candidate explains how they would carry out a safety check) at the start of their test, before they start driving. They include things like explaining how they would check the oil levels for the engine or how to check the tyres are legal and safe.
Then later in the test, the candidate will be asked a ‘show me’ question while they are driving – for example, showing how to wash the windscreen and operate the wipers. The questions test whether candidates can carry out the sort of everyday basic safety tasks drivers need to be able to do while driving.
The agency has also updated its ‘DVSA official guide to learning to drive’ book to include all the new elements of the practical test. This edition will be available to buy from 18 September 2017, from www.safedrivingforlife.info/shop or most online or high street bookshops.
Chair of the steering group for national approved driving instructor associations (NASP), Carly Brookfield, said:
“Whilst in-car, on the road practice with a professional driver trainer is an important part of delivering safer drivers for life to our busy roads, we also recommend the use of supplementary learning resources such as ‘how-to’ videos from authoritative sources in driver education.
“DVSA’s new ‘show me, tell me’ and other recent videos highlighting key developments to the practical driving test are a really helpful resource for learners – not only in preparing them for the new test, but also for a life time of safe driving.”
A video showing how the full test will work from 4 December 2017 is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI08tzIfo4c
If a candidate loses, control of the car whilst answering the ‘show me’ question it will result in a serious or dangerous fault, meaning the candidate fails the test.
A ‘driving fault’ will be incurred by the candidate if they answer both the ‘show me’ and the ‘tell me’ questions incorrectly.
The four changes to the driving test are:
● increasing the independent driving part of the test to 20 minutes
● most candidates will be asked to follow directions from a sat nav
● changing the reversing manoeuvres that are tested
● answering a vehicle safety question while driving
More information about the changes is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/driving-test-changes-4-december-2017
The official DVSA guide to learning to drive book can be bought at https://www.safedrivingforlife.info/shop/product/official-dvsa-guide-learning-drive-book-book for £9.99 (see attached)
Possible Examiner strike action!
Following the announcement that the DVSA are having to delay the introduction of the ADI Part 3 test changes comes news that the PCS is balloting for strikes in DVSA which could cause disruption to driver & vehicle testing.
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) operational members at the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, including driving examiners and vehicle testing staff, are due to be balloted from 4th September until the 4th of October for industrial action in a protracted dispute over travel time arrangements, health and safety and other changes to terms and conditions.
There have been talks involving PCS and DVSA since 2015 but the union states that the DVSA and the Department for Transport still refuses to resolve the outstanding issues. Aparently these issues include the new “Sat Nav driving test” but it is not clear what the issues are that PCS has with the revised driving test.
Full details: PCS ballot for strikes in DVSA
The ADINJC is a national association run by ADIs on a not-for-profit basis. We work tirelessly to inform, represent and support our members, and to promote the interests of our profession.
This afternoon the DVSA confirmed that rumors recently circulating across social media regarding the implementation date of the new Part 3 slipping were correct.
The full DVSA blog is here, but they key point is:
We still need to gain parliamentary approval for the timing of the implementation, so the changes won’t be happening on 2 October 2017 as we previously told you.
The changes will still happen, but we’re aiming for later in October as the legislation needs to go before Parliament. We then have to wait a minimum of 21 days till we introduce the change. We’ve only had confirmation this week that we won’t be able to do this in time to meet 2 October.
Anyone with a Part 3 booked in the first two weeks of October will be contacted regarding the options available.
The new ADI part 3 test marking sheet is now also available for download, and there are no surprises, other than administration boxes, the competencies and marking structure is exactly the same as the SC1 form.
It has also been confirmed that the ADI Part 2 test will be changing on December 4th to align with the new learner test. There is no change is legislation needed to alter the Part 2 so it is expected this will take place on schedule.
The NASP statement in response to the news is listed below:
“NASP is disappointed that the implementation of the new Part 3 assessment has been delayed and that the promised deadline will be missed. The lack of notice (with only one month to go to launch) is unhelpful to trainers and candidates who have already had to get up to speed with these changes in a relatively short timescale.
NASP had previously asked DVSA to consider delaying the implementation of the changes to the Part 3 on the basis of a lack of confidence that the agency was at the point of readiness to resource the changes. It is now clear that the agency is not ready for the promised launch date.
Whilst it has been made clear throughout that the launch of the new assessment was subject to a regulatory approval process, we were not advised until today that this would cause a delay at such a late stage.
We have urged DVSA to issue a revised timetable for implementation immediately and ensure candidates and trainers have access to clear advice and support in terms of rescheduling tests booked for October and what their next steps should be. We will keep you updated.
It should be noted that this delay will not affect the introduction of the new driving test on 4 December as those changes do not require parliamentary approval.”
We will continue to keep you updated via our “Newsflash” emails of any further news.