Category - World

The Lennox Herald reports that driving instructors in Dumbarton engaged in a protest convoy on Monday because the Dumbarton Test Centre might be closed down. It seems to be the latest fad up in Scotland: protesting about test centre closures.

Just for the record, if Dumbarton does close then tests will be conducted out of Anniesland, Glasgow. Dumbarton is a phenomenal 10 miles away from the Anniesland centre. At least the Cumnock one was nearly 20 miles. Well, 16 anyway.

Incidentally, the Dumbarton postal address goes “c/o The Benefits Agency”, so you get an idea of what the physical set up must be. The Anniesland one has its own shopfront (well, two neighbouring shopfronts).

In actual fact, the DSA lease ran out on its previous premises and it is not taking bookings until new premises are found. The DSA said:

DSA plans to continue to provide driving tests in Dumbarton. There are no plans to transfer testing provision to Anniesland or elsewhere.

Testing in Dumbarton has been operating three days a week on a trial basis, but this will be reviewed and can be increased if there is sufficient demand for more days.

Candidates can still book tests slots in Dumbarton for the days when testing is taking place.

So it appears to be a protest over nothing. However, simple black and white factual statements like this never bothered ADIs before, so why start now? Various instructors have said:

We can’t let the crack widen… It’s going to take pressure from us and the public to get the Dumbarton test centre secured.

As I work part-time I don’t know if it would be a viable option to travel to Anniesland.

It’s going to mean double lessons all the time for learners in order to cover travel. With fuel prices increasing as well, all these rising costs are going to be passed on to pupils.

As far as I’m concerned just now it’s shut.

It speaks for itself, doesn’t it?

I recently wrote about the launch of the MB Academy in America – we already have one here in the UK. In spite of what Mercedes-Benz might claim (they cynically tried to suggest it is specifically targeted at “distracted driving” in America, even though their plans for launch must have predated the current American crusade against distracted driving by a year), it is aimed at wealthy people. The course is expensive – way beyond the means of normal people.

So I now see that there is one in Canada, as reported in the Montreal Gazette .

I won’t repeat everything I’ve said about the MB Academy. I’ll just quote a few things from that article:

…put through your paces by some of the most experienced and capable driving instructors in the country, you get to do it in all manner of new Mercedes-Benz vehicles, from high-performance AMG models to Smart Cars in a dozen-strong fleet…

…Mastering Performance day event on a racetrack…

Skids are intimidating,.. So we’re going to force you to skid…

After a remarkable demonstration of car control that in Kok’s race-experienced hands saw a 400-horsepower Mercedes in a continuous 34-foot circular skid, he pronounced the slippery surface to be “the same consistency of about three inches of snow.”

Apart from being a blast, particularly on the clay surface and in the big horsepower Benz, these exercises really demonstrated the effectiveness of the Mercedes Electronic Stability Program (ESP).

The content isn’t quite what you’d get on 99.9% of driving lessons around the world. Let’s face it, it’s about fast Mercedes-Benz cars and showing off to people who respond to that sort of thing.

It’s ironic when you consider that last article I posted about teens killing themselves. Somehow, showing off in a 400hp Merc isn’t the way I’d get the right message across.

It also perhaps explains why I see a lot of Mercs cutting me and everyone else up as I conduct my driving lessons each day.

Here’s a new slant on the story I posted about the changes to the Irish Driving Test a few days ago. This is from IrishCentral, and involves the views of an American living in Ireland.

This American (known as “The Yank”) says:

The new Irish law requires that the trainee take 12 one-hour lessons with a minimum of two weeks between each lesson. That means it will be a minimum of six months before someone can even take their test. Oh, and the lessons cost about €30-€35 per hour, which means the trainee driver must pay €360-€420 ($500-$590) before they can take their driving test.

To me, the only bad thing I can see here is that 12 hours is not nearly enough if pupils end up with a licence out of it. As I mentioned in that last post about this, there is absolutely no mention anywhere that people will likely not pass their tests after 12 hours (the Irish system was weak before and there is the strong suggestion here that it still is). Over in the UK, virtually no one would pass after just 12 hours – not unless their parents were driving instructors and their “private practice” hid the fact that they’d been getting good tuition behind the scenes.

However, The Yank sees things somewhat differently. He says:

This law is an insult to parents because it implies that they don’t impart sufficient safety instruction to their children despite the fact they obviously want their children to take care of themselves and their cars.

I’m sorry, but it is people like this who – as part of a larger group, not as individuals - are absolutely and completely responsible for the problems with young drivers killing themselves and others in cars. They are the absolute cause of the idiocy with which many youngsters take to the roads.

The Yank mentions his own driving lessons from his parents, completely ignoring the different licensing system in America – which is currently the subject of major legislative debate in every state. He ignores the mass of data confirming that the teen death rate (not to mention that among the “expert” older drivers) in America is deplorably high as a result of this system, which can put 14 year olds on the roads in some states.

He continues:

Back when I was a teenager I knew plenty of young drivers (all boys) who passed Driver’s Ed without any problem, but still drove like lunatics. It wasn’t that they didn’t know how to be safe, it was they didn’t want to be safe.

Yes. We have that same problem – and it’s caused by people who want a licence to be a right (as it currently is in America) instead of a privilege. But another much more significant factor – which the Americans are slowly waking up to – is that if you are going to try and show off to your mates and girlfriends, having the basic skills to handle the car tends to make the chances of a fatal crash considerably less. This training didn’t previously happen in Ireland, and still doesn’t in the USA. The death rate is largely result of being able to get a licence and drive unsupervised without adequate skills training.

The Yank fails to appreciate that those boys he mentions actually didn’t know how to be safe. They just thought they did.

He also says:

The law may indeed have some merit as it applies to young drivers. However, it seems pretty silly that it also applies to those who take up driving after the age of 25. And it is downright ludicrous that it applies to licensed drivers who move to Ireland from outside the EU and a handful of other countries.

That means that any American or Canadian moving here after next week will have to go through this process as if they’re a 17-year-old just learning how to handle a car.

I guess by this he means that Americans moving to Ireland will have to pay for lessons, and he doesn’t like it. But what’s that comment about over-25s? I think I made the point above – new drivers need to have the right skills, and that applies to any age group. Attitude, though, is predominantly (but not exclusively) a teen issue.

And again he continues to miss the point:

What makes this requirement farcical is that an American or Canadian can actually move here and drive for 12 months without an Irish license on an International Driving Permit.

Yes. That applies in all EU states – the idea is that the 12 months allows temporary visitiors to get around, or gives longer term visitors ample time and opportunity to get a proper licence (I think a similar rule applies in the US). It is the system WE – in the EU – use, so get used to it. The only reason it perhaps didn’t apply in Ireland until recently is because of the aforementioned lax system they had.

The sooner mandatory lessons and fixed training periods are introduced elsewhere, the better it will be. Then, parents will have to start doing their jobs properly to prevent little Jonny or Casey developing an attitude problem in the first place.

EDIT: The Yank might also want to look at this link. Not quite the same as what he claims his driving teen-hood was like, is it?

Most of us were behind the wheel at age 16 driving at all hours of the day and night with as many of our friends in our vehicle as we could fit. The radio was blaring with the cassette player playing our favorite ’80s songs and we took to the streets like we owned them.

I can remember fitting 17 friends into my Mom’s station wagon and driving to Taco Bell after gymnastics practice. The thought of worrying if everyone had their seat belt on wasn’t on my mind or my passenger’s. Those days are gone and I don’t know about you, but I’m so glad they are.

That’s the reality over in the US. Not what The Yank claims.

New driving regulations come into force in the Irish Republic on April 4th. The Irish Times reports that instructors think the system is “unworkable”.

I’m no authority on the Irish learner driving system and can only go on what I’ve been told by my Irish pupils. Apparently, until recently you didn’t really have to do much in order to get out on the roads and drive for the rest of your life, and you had almost no fear of being pulled over (this is what I’ve been told, remember – not necessarily a statement of fact). However, Ireland is also influenced by Brussels (being an EU member state) just like Britain is, and the previous state of affairs was a long way away from what the EU is aiming towards. So they’ve been improving things and getting much tougher with illegal driving over the last couple of years.

The new Irish system is as follows (from the Irish Times):

From April 4th, those applying for their first driving licence will be required to complete 12 hours of tuition with an approved driving instructor before they can sit the test.

Under the new rules, a driver will receive a logbook when they sign up for lessons. The instructor will be required to sign the logbook to confirm the student has completed each lesson.

The RSA says learner drivers must successfully complete the 12 hours of driver training over a six month period with an average of one lesson every two weeks before they can sit the test. In order to get the maximum benefit from the lessons, the RSA recommends learners complete at least three hours of practice with a fully-qualified sponsor in between lessons.

Now, just as Ireland is subject to the same regulations as other EU member states like Britain, so its instructors appear to be just as opposed to any – ANY – change, just like ours are in the UK.

It seems that the argument is over the amount of time allocated – there is a syllabus that has to be covered and it would appear that instructors are claiming that it will take 75 hours to cover it. This cause célèbre has been taken up by the Irish Driving Instructors Association (IDIA).

It’s like there is a parallel universe outside the UK, isn’t it? The names are just a bit different, that’s all. But otherwise, it’s following a clear script.

To counter this, the RSA is pointing out that the system is very simple and learners are expected to do private practice as well as the lessons. All the instructor has to do is certify that the lesson has been completed – not that the learner is fully competent on the topic.

The RSA also points out, however, that learners do not have to take more than the 12 hours. But my thinking there is that they won’t pass the test if they aren’t good enough, so it doesn’t matter. They’ll have to make sure they ARE good enough.

Irish Insurance Federation (IIF) public affairs spokesman Niall Doyle said the federation had been calling for compulsory basic training for more than a decade.

“We need learner drivers trained as a matter of law and we’ll get much better drivers as a consequence,” he said.

But as usual, there is an organisation to oppose that sort of sensible thinking!

The Independent (Ireland) reports the same story from a slightly different angle. It covers the points mentioned above, but the concerns being raised appear to be a confusing mix of how much it will cost to do the 12 hours, that 12 hours isn’t enough, that no one can be forced to do more than 12 hours, that parents being involved is not what instructors want, and so on.

Already, a price war looks set to break out with discounts being offered on the set of 12 hours in order to capture the market (will they never learn?) Aviva is offering free insurance to learners if they sign up with their school.

The one thing that isn’t mentioned anywhere is that failing the Irish driving test is still possible. It is, isn’t it? Surely.

And finally, the same story covered by RTE suggests that there is union involvement (as if the IDIA wasn’t close enough).

The GMB union says it has grave misgivings about the scheme, particularly the role of the sponsor driver who supervises the learner.

It says the sponsor, who will be typically an adult relative or friend with at least two years driving experience, will not be qualified and may pass on bad habits to the learner.

The union says it believes that all lessons should be delivered by a professional instructor.

It also criticised the RSA for its lack of consultation and communication with instructors.

Remember what I said about parallel universes?

This is a worrying story – reported in both DriveOn and MotorTrend.

Mercedes-Benz is opening a driving school in the US for teenagers, so that they can learn to drive in a Mercedes. DriveOn sets the scene:

Already, we take pity on some of the world’s most admired cars — the hard braking, the skidding tires, the reckless disregard they will endure from gum-snapping teens. They are sure to text every detail about how they gave their instructors whiplash with sudden stops or jolted them by driving over curbs.

Does that sound like it fits in with the current American concerns over distracted driving? It simply glorifies reckless behaviour. DriveOn also mentions the likely prohibitive pricing, meaning that only those who can afford it will be able to take advantage. Indeed, the same story covered in Edmunds Inside Line reveals what could be a cynical tie-in with this problem:

The German automaker told Inside Line that a key component of the program will be to reduce driver distraction.

Yeah, right! Like Mercedes-Benz hasn’t been planning this from way before the time when the distracted driving issue hit the American media. Prices are likely to be anywhere from $500 for a single day up to more than $3,000 for a three-day course. It’s hard to find out what American driving instructors charge, but everything points to it having several fewer zeroes at the end than this! MotorTrend makes it clear what it’s really about:

In news that’s sure to excite teens and parents from the Hamptons to Beverly Hills, and wealthy suburbs from coast-to-coast…

It also points out that a similar “academy” already exists in the UK. Does this mean, therefore, that the UK version doesn’t deal with distracted driving? After all, the UK one was set up over a year ago – also well before America started identifying distraction as a real problem for them

MotorTrend also reports the idiotic claim that this UK “academy” raised the first-time pass rate from 43% to 79%. It did no such thing! Automobile Magazine also reports this complete and utter nonsense:

A similar program in the UK has been offered for several years, and proved effective in increasing the first-time license exam pass rate from 43 to 79 percent.

Raised it in relation to what? In relation to whom? My first time pass rate over the last 20 tests is above 80%, yet it is clear that the “academy” is deliberately hinting that only it can do it, and that its course is directly responsible.

Such schools are elitist. Only the wealthy can afford them – the Americans are clear on that even before it starts trading. There’s nothing wrong with this of course – but just come clean and admit it. Don’t start making stupid claims about philanthropic ideals.

It is a business aimed at the wealthy. Nothing it teaches is missing from the syllabus any other driving instructor has at their disposal. Nothing it does is better than the what the typical good instructor teaches. That’s all there is to it.

This is a scary story from the Derry Journal. A female instructor was conducting a lesson when her car was attacked by a lunatic.

Police are appealing for witnesses. No one was hurt and no damage was done.

I must say that the police statement and the witness statement look like descriptions of two completely different incidents:

A PSNI spokesperson said: “Police in Derry received a report of rowdy nuisance in the Duke Street area on Friday March 18.

“Around 8pm a male, who appeared to be intoxicated, hit the window of a parked red Volkswagen car twice. Two people were in the car at the time. Anyone with information can contact police on 0845 600 8000.”

A female driving instructor was left shaken after her car was attacked by a member of the public while giving a lesson on Duke Street on Friday.

The woman, who did not want to be named, said the incident left her “shaking with fear” and added that she will never return to the area after dark.

“I was at the beginning of a lesson near the test centre when I noticed a man near the walkway beside the river Foyle staring at us. When he started to make his way towards the car I knew that something wasn’t right. I told the learner driver to lock the doors and it was then that the man started to try and smash the driver’s side window in.”

The woman said that the man appeared intoxicated and explained that if it had not been for the intervention of a couple passing by the man would have continued with his assault.

“I was shaking with fear – his eyes were sticking out of his head – he must have been drunk or on drugs.

“A man and woman were walking past the driving centre and thankfully chased him away.”

She added: “I would call on all other driving instructors to be vigilant and exercise common sense when taking lessons there – especially when it’s dark.”

See what I mean?

I wrote recently about how Montana (USA) had rejected a bill to make texting while driving illegal. It’s impossible to fathom the logic used to come to the effective conclusion that texting while driving is OK.

Arizona seems to experiencing a similar problem. They have three bills under consideration:

• banning texting while driving
• booster seats for children under 8 mandatory
• transporting children in open beds of trucks prohibited

You’d think logic and commonsense would make these a foregone conclusion, wouldn’t you? Well, the votes are surprisingly close and there is a lot of debate on that last one. They are not foregone conclusions at all.