Paper copies will no longer be sent out. As the DSA explains in this issue, all government departments have had to cut back and stopping the printing and distribution of the paper version is one of the things the DSA has had to do. As they also point out, this way is more environmentally friendly anyway.
The only criticism I would have is that it also seems shorter than the previous versions – it’s basically just 6 pages long.
This issue has a couple of articles about Independent Driving, but no information that hasn’t already been published via email alerts.
As autumn approaches, the Highways Agency is asking drivers to watch out for deer, particularly at dawn and dusk. Every year, people are killed or injured in road collisions with wild deer around England. There have been over 2,000 recorded deer-vehicle collisions since January 2009 on the motorway and A-road network alone.
74,000 deer-vehicle collisions each year
It is estimated that there are up to 74,000 deer-vehicle collisions every year in the UK. Most deer are killed, but thousands are left to die of injuries. Periods of highest risk are autumn and spring, and around dawn and dusk. A key to reducing the number and severity of deer-vehicle collisions is to for drivers to be ‘deer aware’. This means you should slow down and watch out when you see deer close to the road.
The DeerAware programme aims to raise public awareness of the danger of wild deer on the roads and reduce the number of collisions. New publicity material is now available, targeting local deer collision ‘hotspots’.
Read more about the DeerAware programme on DirectGov
When I’m doing the emergency stop briefing, there is a true story I always tell my pupils to hammer home the importance of speed and being able to stop promptly and in control. It is part of the “what if” scenario – things you have little control over.
A few years ago I was driving through the Cotswolds. It was slightly misty, and at the time of year when the deer seem to go nuts during the rut. I think it was on the A429 or A424. I was heading North, and there was a Ford Transit, a Ford Ka, and then me driving along. All of a sudden, a herd of deer leapt out through a gap in a hedge – there must have been more than a dozen of them – and the Transit slammed into them at close to 60mph (he wasn’t speeding or anything).
It was like a Bugs Bunny cartoon in some respects. The air just filled with deer, they were jumping everywhere in panic!
The Transit driver couldn’t really have done anything, but the thing I remember most of all was that his engine literally fell out on to the road. There was oil and water everywhere, along with injured deer. It’s that part I emphasise: the damage that could be done if you were to drive into, say, a child or other person.
Independent driving introduced into tests next Monday
Independent driving will be introduced into the British driving test next Monday (4 October).
Candidates in all main categories of test will be asked to spend around 10 minutes demonstrating their ability to drive safely without step-by-step directions from an examiner.
Road Safety Minister Mike Penning said:
“The independent driving assessment gives test candidates the chance to show they have the necessary skills to cope with the sort of traffic conditions they will face every day.
“Learning those skills from the very start of the driving process will help make new drivers safer.”
At the moment the examiner gives directions throughout the test. But during the independent drive, the candidate will have to follow traffic signs or a short series of verbal directions, or a combination of both. To help candidates understand where they are going when following verbal directions, the examiner will show a diagram. Candidates can also ask for a reminder as they drive.
DSA’s Chief Driving Examiner Trevor Wedge said:
“The aim of independent driving is to assess the candidate’s ability to drive safely whilst making decisions independently. It’s not a test of navigation and candidates won’t be failed for going off route.
”The test is being improved to help produce safer drivers, but that doesn’t mean it’s getting any harder. We know many instructors are already teaching independent driving.”
In addition, practical car test candidates will only have to complete one of the three reversing manoeuvres, instead of two at present. Other categories of test remain unchanged. The price and duration of tests also stay the same.
Well done AG, who passed with 4 driver faults this afternoon.
She’s a great driver – it’s just a shame that the little Ford Ka her parents bought her has been declared off-road because the pirate-cum-dealer who sold it to them had apparently concealed the fact that there was so much rust underneath the axle could fall off at any moment. Chances are it will cost more to repair it than the car cost in the first place.
It really is clear that Mr Kerr does not have a clue how statistics work, and cannot accept the simple fact that if he is passing more people than every other examiner, then either every other examiner is doing it all wrong… or he is. This is what I suggested in the previous post on this topic.
I also suggested that there was more to Mr Kerr’s story than meets the eye. It appears this is also true:
Jim, who worked at Glasgow’s Shieldhall Test Centre, said: “I was called in last March and told that, because my pass rate was higher than my colleagues’, I must be doing things wrong – and had to fail more people.
“I was shocked. I was probably the most experienced examiner at Shieldhall and possibly the only one not to have a disagreed decision in the quality control process.”
Jim, of Newlands, Glasgow, was so affected by the situation that he signed off sick with stress.
It isn’t clear whether “last March” is March 2010, or March 2009, but the wording seems to point to it being the latter. In other words, Mr Kerr has been dismissed after being off work for a prolonged period of time. This is standard company (any company) practice – you cannot just keep paying people when it is clear they are not capable of working.
The DSA makes it clear why he wasn’t dismissed:
A DSA spokesman said: “Mr Kerr’s dismissal was in no way linked to any variation in pass rates.
“Examiners are trained to assess all tests in strict accordance with DSA guidelines; their performance is monitored to ensure they meet the high standards required of them, but they do not have quotas.
“Every test is assessed independently and on its own merits.”
From what I can see – and putting two and two together – Mr Kerr was not happy about an internal change, thought himself better than everyone around him (he virtually says this in the interview), refused to accept the amendments to the performance monitoring system or the statistical anomalies in his own performance, and went off sick (allegedly with stress, but I suspect at least partly with a strop on).
The claim that he was told to “fail more people” is his own interpretation of something he disagreed with. As I said in the previous post on this subject, I don’t doubt for a moment that some examiners fail people just to avoid getting into any sort of disciplinary trouble and maintain an artificial variance, but the DSA sure as hell doesn’t tell them to do it!
Do driving examiners fail people deliberately?
The short answer is NO. They do not. They are not told to fail people as part of any quota.
However, there are corrupt people in all walks of life, and as I’ve explained elsewhere it is possible that some examiners – a tiny percentage – fiddle their pass rates in order to avoid being “told off” by their managers.
EDIT 30/09/2010: I’m getting hits on “examiner told to fail pupils”. Mr Kerr was NOT told to fail pupils. That was his own idiotic take on being told he was not doing his job properly by passing far more people than any other examiners were doing.
Mr Kerr appears to have gone off sick after refusing to acknowledge he was not doing his job properly and that he was passing people who were not up to standard. He was off “sick” for what looks like more than a year. His employment was terminated for THAT reason.
It is also worth noting his behaviour after the event. He apparently decided to stand outside the test centre handing out his inaccurate claims in leaflet form. He was removed and threatened with arrest if he did it again. Can you imagine what it would be like for a learner going to test having some imbecile giving that sort of thing to you?
Mr Kerr’s actions clearly show that he was not the Colossus of Sense and Reason he appears to think he is.
Well done to RT, who passed his test with 3 driver faults this morning. The examiner commented that it was “a nice drive” as he left the car – as I’ve said before, it’s nice to have that kind of feedback sometimes.
So, no more three-buses-to-get-to-Uni any more. No more getting up at 6am to get the first bus… driving sets you free!
I cannot believe how many hits I’m getting for “independent driving test routes” and “independent driving maps”. People are obviously very worried about this.
You do not need to be – whether you are an instructor or someone whose test is coming up.
On your test, the examiner is going to ask you to drive somewhere. He’ll say something like “I want you to drive to Smallsville, following the road signs” or “follow the road signs to Smallsville”.
Independent Driving – Example 2
Alternatively, he may ask you to follow a route he gives you of up to three or four separate turnings at junctions or roundabouts (I say four, but three is likely to be the absolute maximum, and some people will get away with two or even less).
He may show you a simple map like the one on the left to help you visualise the route.
It is absolutely essential that you understand you are NOT being tested on how well you remember the route.
If you ask for confirmation at each turn it doesn’t matter. Asking “was it left here?” or “am I going that way?” is not a fault – as long as you do it correctly.
If you keep stopping to ask to see the map again, or confirm the route, it doesn’t matter – as long as you do it safely and correctly. Can you see the pattern developing here?
If you go the wrong way, it doesn’t matter – as long as you do it correctly.
We’re not talking about from Nottingham to London or anything. It’ll take about 10 minutes for him to explain it and for you to do it.
What you are being tested on is how you drive when you are not artificially told which way to go – which is exactly what you will have to do the second you get in your own car after you pass your test.
You see, when your instructor (or the examiner) says “take the next turn on the left” it is a verbal cue to look in your mirrors, signal, and then carry out the turn. You won’t get this when you’re out alone, and that is why the test is being changed to include a section where you can be assessed on it. Looking at a few road signs or following a simple route is what proper driving is all about.
If a candidate has been taught properly – and this includes anyone with special needs – they will be able to do this simple part of the test without any real trouble at all. If they can’t, then they either haven’t been taught properly or are not safe enough to be allowed out on the roads (not yet, at least).
Don’t listen to any of the nonsense being put out about independent driving. It is a good idea and addresses a very real problem.
I have always made my pupils drive like they will when they get their own cars, so for me it isn’t much of change – and that is probably why I am so upbeat about it. But it shouldn’t be much of a change for other instructors, either.
The simple fact is that if it IS such a problem to some instructors, then they need to pull their fingers out instead of just whittering on about changes they don’t like!
Yes, you could say it makes the test harder, but only for people who would have been borderline passes in the first place. But as I said, if they’ve been taught properly it is just a complete non-issue.
Oh. One more thing. As I have already mentioned in this story, they are not going to be publishing driving test routes any more – and that includes the independent driving routes. It shouldn’t be a problem for anyone who teaches properly – or for anyone who can drive properly. And in any case, it would be simplicity itself to find out from your own pupils what they had to do on their tests and work things out from there.
I fully support the new independent driving element of the driving test. A lot of ADIs don’t – just as they don’t support anything else the DSA does.
I noticed on one forum yet another incoherent whinge about what’s wrong with the world and how it is all the DSA’s fault. Apparently, they don’t listen to ADIs. In full swing, the poster in question says:
Rosemary and the bloomin DSA are banging on about the new 10mins independent driving blah blah blah. Actually Rosemary– SOME ADI’S HAVING BEEN DOING THIS FOR YEARS!! ITS NOTHING NEW. DON’T CREDIT ADIS THOUGH WILL YOU? JUST AS LONG AS YOUR NAME KEEPS MAKING HEADLINE NEWS YEAH
This is exactly why the DSA apparently doesn’t listen – at least to some ADIs. It’s because they are talking crap.
This idiot misses the point entirely. Specifically:
a lot of ADIs haven’t been doing “this” for years
a lot of ADIs still aren’t doing it
no doubt, some ADIs will refuse to do it
to all of those that haven’t been doing it for years, “it” will be new
“it” hasn’t been tested for before, so anyone on test who couldn’t do “it” previously wouldn’t have been flagged as such
in the past, a huge number of substandard drivers have been taught by substandard ADIs who only taught them to pass the test and not how to drive in the real world
It’s also worth pointing out – especially in light of this further example of what ADIs often say and believe about themselves – that just saying you do something (or are good at it) doesn’t mean you actually do (or are).
There seems to be a lot of confusion about what constitutes an emergency stop (there is also a “controlled stop” in DT1).
My understanding is that the EU has stated that a controlled/emergency stop must be carried out on all driving tests, but in the UK this has been interpreted to mean any sort of stop where the candidate has to control the car to avoid hitting something. So although some tests will involve the familiar “emergency” version (1 out of every 3), the rest will incorporate pulling up behind a parked vehicle or other obstruction. In fact, this is already done, prior to the “moving off at an angle” procedure candidates are already expected to demonstrate.
In other words, nothing has changed as far as the test is concerned – the only change is the interpretation of what constitutes a “controlled stop” in order to satisfy the EU directive. Every test will involve some sort of controlled stop, just as it currently does – either a full-blown one, or a stop behind a parked car. It’s no big deal.
Of course, understanding this doesn’t allow for the chance to criticise the DSA and forums are incandescent with indignation and condemnation. I love this particular comment from one of them (all spelling and grammar left intact):
You only had to the school head missus, who when asked if schools got more for challenged pupils. Gave an answer even humphis could net believe [radio 4] she also said one hundred percent of her pupils when on to uni. But she was not questioned on that statment
The number of consumer complaints about used cars from dealers has increased, so make sure you know your rights before you buy.
New figures from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) have revealed that complaints about second hand cars bought from independent dealers continue to top the list of calls to advice service Consumer Direct, and the numbers of complaints are increasing.
The research suggests that the average cost to car owners is £425 to resolve faults that were the dealer’s obligation to correct.
Watch the video here
The video is about 2 minutes long. The DVLA also has advice in this link.
The October 2010 issue of Despatch is now available.
A few years ago I was driving through the Cotswolds. It was slightly misty, and at the time of year when the deer seem to go nuts during the rut. I think it was on the A429 or A424. I was heading North, and there was a Ford Transit, a Ford Ka, and then me driving along. All of a sudden, a herd of deer leapt out through a gap in a hedge – there must have been more than a dozen of them – and the Transit slammed into them at close to 60mph (he wasn’t speeding or anything).
Well done AG, who passed with 4 driver faults this afternoon.
My understanding is that the EU has stated that a controlled/emergency stop must be carried out on all driving tests, but in the UK this has been interpreted to mean any sort of stop where the candidate has to control the car to avoid hitting something. So although some tests will involve the familiar “emergency” version (1 out of every 3), the rest will incorporate pulling up behind a parked vehicle or other obstruction. In fact, this is already done, prior to the “moving off at an angle” procedure candidates are already expected to demonstrate.