An email alert from the DSA advises of improvements to its online services.
It’s nice to see that you can now order Pass Plus refill packs online, and deal with your registration/re-registration likewise. You now also get email confirmations of any transactions.
DSA advice on the driver’s fitness to drive:
Rule 98
Driving when you are tired greatly increases your risk of collision. To minimise this risk
- make sure you are fit to drive. Do not begin a journey if you are tired. Get a good night’s sleep before embarking on a long journey
- avoid undertaking long journeys between midnight and 6 am, when natural alertness is at a minimum
- plan your journey to take sufficient breaks. A minimum break of at least 15 minutes after every two hours of driving is recommended
- if you feel at all sleepy, stop in a safe place. Do not stop on the hard shoulder of a motorway
- the most effective ways to counter sleepiness are to drink, for example, two cups of caffeinated coffee and to take a short nap (at least 15 minutes)
I’ve been covering that today on a motorway Pass Plus session.
This is an old post. DSA is now DVSA.
An email alert from the DSA about loading and towing:
Vehicle towing and loading. As a driver
- you MUST NOT tow more than your licence permits. If you passed a car test after 1 Jan 1997 you are restricted on the weight of trailer you can tow
- you MUST NOT overload your vehicle or trailer. You should not tow a weight greater than that recommended by the manufacturer of your vehicle
- you MUST secure your load and it MUST NOT stick out dangerously. Make sure any heavy or sharp objects and any animals are secured safely. If there is a collision, they might hit someone inside the vehicle and cause serious injury
- you should properly distribute the weight in your caravan or trailer with heavy items mainly over the axle(s) and ensure a downward load on the tow ball. Manufacturer’s recommended weight and tow ball load should not be exceeded. This should avoid the possibility of swerving or snaking and going out of control. If this does happen, ease off the accelerator and reduce speed gently to regain control
- carrying a load or pulling a trailer may require you to adjust the headlights
- In the event of a breakdown, be aware that towing a vehicle on a tow rope is potentially dangerous. You should consider professional recovery.
All drivers should carefully check their licences to see what they’re allowed to tow. And even then, consider a few lessons from a qualified instructor.
An email alerts from the DSA on the subject of parking at night:
Rule 248
You MUST NOT park on a road at night facing against the direction of the traffic flow unless in a recognised parking space.
Laws CUR reg 101 & RVLR reg 24
Not a lot of people know that!
An email alert from the DSA concerning motorway lanes and use:
Rule 265
The right-hand lane of a motorway with three or more lanes MUST NOT be used (except in prescribed circumstances) if you are driving
- any vehicle drawing a trailer
- a goods vehicle with a maximum laden weight exceeding 3.5 tonnes but not exceeding 7.5 tonnes, which is required to be fitted with a speed limiter
- a goods vehicle with a maximum laden weight exceeding 7.5 tonnes
- a passenger vehicle with a maximum laden weight exceeding 7.5 tonnes constructed or adapted to carry more than eight seated passengers in addition to the driver
- a passenger vehicle with a maximum laden weight not exceeding 7.5 tonnes which is constructed or adapted to carry more than eight seated passengers in addition to the driver, which is required to be fitted with a speed limiter.
Another one that not a lot of people know about.
A DSA email alert advises on the use of hazard warning lights:
Rule 116
Hazard warning lights. These may be used when your vehicle is stationary, to warn that it is temporarily obstructing traffic. Never use them as an excuse for dangerous or illegal parking. You MUST NOT use hazard warning lights while driving or being towed unless you are on a motorway or unrestricted dual carriageway and you need to warn drivers behind you of a hazard or obstruction ahead. Only use them for long enough to ensure that your warning has been observed. Law RVLR reg 27
Notice how there’s no mention of BMW X5s and Audis. Drivers of those vehicles are not allowed to stop on yellow lines to go to the shops, either!
An email alert from the DSA advises that the listed vehicles will not be accepted for test unless you can produce a letter proving that remedial work under the manufacturer’s recall has been carried out.
The full details of which vehicles are involved are given in the embedded link, here. The following vehicles are affected:
All vehicles registered between 2000 and 2004 with registrations W, X, Y, 01, 51, 02, 52, 03, 53, and 04 are potentially affected.
It was only announced a few days ago that this recall was taking place, and any responsibility for the problems which arise from it are down to whoever supplied the faulty airbags which are at the bottom of the whole issue. The DSA is not to blame, and it has responded quickly – and quite correctly – to the situation. If a fault is deemed serious enough to warrant a recall, and if it involves airbags or brakes, the DSA would be on dangerous ground if it allowed tests to go ahead, irrespective of how many have unknowingly gone ahead since 2000/2004.
I notice on certain forums that the usual people have already got their daggers buried up to the hilt in the DSA’s ribs over this. Judging by what they’re saying, these ADIs just don’t have a clue about recalls and the legal situation with regards the DSA conducting tests in vehicles with proven faults. They think they do, of course. But they don’t.
An email alert from the DSA urges candidates to attend tests as normal in spite of the pending strike action of 5 April.
Remember that a previous strike was called off, so anyone who cancelled their test did so needlessly. And the last strike passed totally unnoticed at my test centre – all examiners were working normally.
Not all examiners are stupid enough to be members of PCS. Of those that are, they’re not all THAT stupid that they get involved in strike action. Therefore, many tests will go ahead normally.
An email alert from the DSA announces that from April next year, the Check Test will be changing to operate to the guidelines in the National Standard For Driver And Rider Training document. The new system will also require that people conduct a real lesson with a real pupil – no role play option.
As you can imagine, out in Instructor Land this has set the cat among the pigeons – and that’s before they’ve even cottoned on to the fact that this is where client-centred learning (CCL) comes into it. I’m also dying to see how those instructors who miraculously cannot conjure up a pupil to coincide with their Check Test (and yet who are always apparently fully booked in between times) get round the “no role-play” issue.
An email alert from the DSA notes that from 8 March 2013, people who have only had epileptic seizures while asleep could be considered for a licence after only 1 year instead of the previous 3 years.
Similarly, those whose seizures have not affected consciousness appear to be able to apply for a licence while they are still having these seizures.
I’m not sure what the reasoning is. If it’s medical then I will accept it. Anything else and I’ll have reservations.