Home - Diary Of An ADI

Why?

18/06/2010

I was on a lesson with a pupil a couple of days ago. She’s an older woman and it’s taken a long time to get her to where she is, and she’s still nowhere near test-ready. It isn’t her fault (or mine), but she just learns things very slowly, then has trouble remembering them. If you didn’t know her, you’d say she is just very lazy – she’ll happily go into a junction or a roundabout without even trying to engage her brain. (I should point out that she has come along enormously since we first started, so she’s getting there – but it’s not easy going).

Anyway, we were looking at the reverse around a corner exercise. Without going into minute detail, the way I have taught her to do it is to reverse back to the turning point, then to steer around (keeping the kerb in the same place in the mirror), then straighten up when the car is parallel with the minor road’s kerb line. It’s taken many months to get to this point – she simply could not steer in the right direction when needed (or even steer at all as the kerb approached the rear wheel), and that includes all of the different methods I’ve tried in getting her to follow the kerb line.

Last lesson, as is often the case on her lessons, we’d done this and after several attempts she could do it right. So this week the idea was to see if she could remember how to do it.

Try #1: We pulled up near the kerb, did all the checks, then started to reverse back to the turning point. After about 10 metres, I stopped the car:

Where are we going?

[Grins] I don’t know.

Can you see the kerb in the mirror?

[Grins] No.

Well, why are we still going backwards? [Open door and point down the road we’re supposed to be turning into, which is now almost in front of us]

[Grins] Well, I couldn’t see the kerb when I first stopped – I hadn’t gone far enough forward.

[Expletives removed]

Try #2: She positioned it properly this time. We reversed to the point of turn and did all the checks. She turned the wheel about one turn (which is OK), paused for a moment, then took it to full lock (which isn’t OK). As the kerb flew towards us (relatively speaking), she started taking off small amounts of steering to try and control it. We hit the kerb almost immediately.

Why did we hit the kerb?

[Grins] I didn’t steer the right way.

No, your steering was fine and you were trying to do the right thing. How much turn do you usually need to start with for a corner like this?

One turn.

[Expletives removed]

Try #3: She did it perfectly.

Why the hell [word changed from the one I actually used] didn’t you do it like that the first time?

Bear in mind that I get on with this pupil really well, and we have a good laugh – which we were doing during this manoeuvre – so don’t take the above out of context or too literally.

When you get one like this, though, it can be really frustrating and demoralising. And that’s true for both the pupil and the instructor. When we first started this manoeuvre (and all of the others), she simply could not steer the right way. On the one hand, identifying the problem was easy – she consistently steered in exactly the opposite way required whenever she went into reverse. On the other hand, fixing it was a nightmare. I could get her to tell me which way she was going to steer, but the instant we went ‘live’ she’d steer the wrong way again. Even now, occasionally she’ll do it wrong if she isn’t thinking.

A few years ago I had a young lad who I thought would never make it. He just couldn’t control the clutch and I couldn’t seem to do anything to fix it – and I’d tried lots of different ideas. Then, one day, we ended up in a cul-de-sac near his house. It was one of those roads which has a circular space at the end with houses arrayed around it, but I had an idea. We spent around forty minutes just going backwards and forwards in a continuous ‘turn in the road’ fashion. From that moment on he became a great driver and passed his test easily.

So – even if it kills me – I will teach her to drive properly!

EDIT 20/06/2010: We had another lesson yesterday – here’s a specific example of the problems I am dealing with.

We were driving along, and I said “at the end of the road, turn left”. Now, bear in mind she has had around 60 hours of lessons. I had to tell her to check her mirrors and indicate. Then – as we didn’t appear to be slowing at all – I had to dual her at the junction, because she hadn’t looked for any traffic on the major road. The picture below shows where we ended up (red arrow), compared with where we should have been.

End Of The Road

I pulled her over and asked why she had done it. At first, she said she didn’t know. But I pushed harder, explaining that it was important to find out why it went wrong and this is what she said:

Well, to be honest, I got a bit confused because I didn’t realise that it was the end of the road.

I mean, what do you do with someone like this?

(Hint: Anyone who is similarly confused, the white dashed lines, kerb on the opposite side, and the big thing – usually known as a “house” – are a bit of a give away).

Vuvuzela Storm

15/06/2010

DOAADI

General

I must admit, I wondered what the bloody noise was when I watched the first World Cup match on TV last week.

Vuvuzela – With Moron Attached

Over the years, I’ve gotten used to silly noises at International football matches on TV. It used to be an artefact of the satellite technology, or the way the microphones were placed when a match was to be broadcast via satellite. Annoying buzzing, humming, or constant whining.

Then, of course, you have to allow for the apparently normal behaviour of people from different cultures. It might seem strange to us, but in other countries it is perfectly acceptable to attend a football match and spend the full 90 minutes banging a drum or blowing a trumpet. Over here, we just ban anything that might get thrown on the pitch or be used to stab someone by some Neanderthal, but in countries like Brazil taking enough equipment to furnish the brass and percussion sections of an orchestra is almost compulsory; and let’s not forget Spain and Italy (well, most of Europe, actually), where you are allowed to take high explosives into the ground and throw them at the players or use them to set fire to the stands.

And so it seems that in South Africa people are born with vuvuzelas for brains.

The BBC spent most of last week egging the locals on to blow the damned things (and do tribal dances, of course) for its kitsch breakfast bulletins. I guess it was cute and very ethnic. But some things can get very old very quickly indeed.

The vuvuzela is one of them.

The noise is completely ruining TV coverage, and it has to rate as one of the most annoying types of noise, because it is constant. It became annoying after about 2 minutes of the opening match, and it has got worse ever since. And it seems that – ~~according to Sky~~, and other sources – they are looking for ways to cut out the noise of the things. The organisers have refused to ban them in situ according to the arch-instigators at the BBC.

It’s hard to imagine the kind of impaired mentality required to stand there for the whole match blowing the damned things (‘juvenile’ springs to mind). I’m not sure how they work – I’ll be generous and assume that there is a reed or something that generates the sound, but if it turned out that you blow them like trumpets (which requires ten times the effort) then the situation is much worse.

But I mentioned the BBC and its childish efforts to get the South African locals to behave in stereotypical ways before the first match, last week. The organisers are also surely at fault for coming up with a stereotypical, and highly annoying, gimmick to show up their country.

EDIT 16/06/2010: A reader has contacted me with this advice – it seems the noise of those damned horns is driving everyone mad. He suggests a way of reducing the effect:

Essentially, the idea is to use the equaliser on your audio out device (TV/Amp/PC etc) to cut/reduce the 300hz range.

He also provides a link to a site which discusses the problem (on Samsung TVs) and one to a YouTube video which goes into some technical detail.

I have an LG, and unfortunately it doesn’t have an equaliser as such, but you can mess with the bass and treble to create different profiles, and there are various pre-defined profiles. Based on the reader’s suggestion I have tried it and it does work – it certainly makes the noise less intrusive. The Music profile works best on my LG. If you don’t have equalisation settings, try dropping the bass level right down and bringing the treble up.

Thanks for that, Neil.

Reverse Around A Corner

15/06/2010

DOAADI

ADI

Someone found the blog based on this search term and “how to do it”.

Reversing around a corner can be quite easy, but for a lot of people – to start with, anyway – their brains are hardwired to have a problem with which way to steer. Somehow, the brain decides everything is in reverse when you go backwards. It may be to do with the fact that the front of the car swings right when you steer left, and vice versa, or it might be deeper than that. It’s different for everyone.

Reverse Round Corner Graphic

One demonstration I do is to move the car forward using my dual-clutch and ask the pupil to steer towards the kerb. They steer left. Then I quickly move into reverse and ask them to steer towards the kerb again – and a lot of them automatically steer right, hesitate, twitch right and then left, and so on. Even a slight hesitation is enough to point to where the problem might be. I reckon 80% or more of my pupils initially react this way.

If you get them to look out of the back window and then steer towards the kerb, the vast majority can do it correctly… instantly (though you get the occasional one whose brain still tries to compensate and can get it wrong – I have one at the moment, who is dyspraxic).

I sometimes demonstrate driving around a corner forwards and keeping something lined up with the kerb as they steer (the wiper blade edge, the tax disc, or whatever). Then I demonstrate going backwards, using the mirror as if it was the windscreen to steer around and keep the kerb in a fixed position.

Obviously, they need to practice – and they need to stop frequently to think about what to do. If they drop into autopilot, the brain takes over and does it wrong again. Of course, you have to get correct observations in at some point, but that’s easier once they can steer.

Everyone is different, and the fun of the job is finding a method that works. And the satisfaction comes from seeing them gradually develop a natural procedure for something they simply couldn’t do when they first tried it.

Legionnaire’s Disease And ADIs

14/06/2010

DOAADI

ADI

I’ve edited this story as of 21/7/2012.

Here’s an interesting story from the BBC yesterday. It reports:

Windscreen wiper water may be the cause of 20% of cases of Legionnaires’ Disease in England and Wales, the Health Protection Agency says.

…adding screen-wash kills the bacteria and could save lives, the Agency advised.

I think it is important to put it in perspective and look at the HPA (Health Protection Agency) report. It says:

A preliminary HPA study, published in the European Journal of Epidemiology, has found an association between not using screen wash in wiper fluid and the risk of contracting Legionnaires’ disease.

Further studies are now required to further explore this finding, and to determine whether the use of screen wash in wiper fluid could play a role in preventing this disease. The HPA is exploring ways of taking this forward with partner organisations.

Note the word ‘preliminary’. The BBC hasn’t. And also note the fact that it is only as a result of looking at the lifestyles of 75 patients who contracted Legionnaire’s. Definitely something worth looking into, but not conclusive at this stage by any means.

I’ve always used screen-wash in my car – not because of Legionnaire’s Disease, but because if you don’t you can’t bloody see properly. But it makes you think. When I was younger I used to just use water sometimes, and during summer the nozzles would block up with algae!

I can remember having to poke out the nozzles and digging out green stuff, but this was back in the days of cars you could service yourself without having to spend a fortune on parts.

Mind you, the cold weather over the 2009 and 2010 winters has also had a bit of a shout about how much screen-wash I use, because it also acts as an antifreeze, and I hate it when my nozzles freeze up. I used to use something called Clearalex, which you can get in bulk on eBay (or get ripped off by the sachet for elsewhere), but I found it left white streaks when it dried. Nowadays I make my own using concentrated suractants and isopropyl alcohol.

For big insect splats, I used to use Tar & Insect Remover from Wilkinsons – which they used to sell for 49p for a 750ml hand spray. Again, I now make my own. For the inside (general cleaning – not insect splats), I use my own formula detergent, white vinegar, or Autoglym Fast Glass, as required.

EDIT 16/06/2010: This story is being picked up on the various forums where – as we know – experts on every subject on earth reside (i.e. every ADI is an expert on every subject).

…makes you think doesnt (sic) it, is it just a ploy from the manufacturers to get you to buy windscreen wash fluid.

I have never Heard such scaremongering tactics ever. Legionnaire`s disease from car screen wash whatever next. I use water On its own does the job for me.

It [legionnaires] lives in the bacteria of stale water.

I will not be adding screen wash fluid because of some scaremongering. I once heard a news report entitled the dangers of your shower head. complete rubbish in my opinion I will take my chances and just use water I am not paying for something I don`t need Or want.

I tell You what I will not wash my windscreen now due to the worry of getting legionnaire`s disease I will drive around with is so dirty In cannot see through it. that should be safer

I smell “screenwash” marketers about

tap water in the uk has chorides (sic) in it to prevent it from going stagnant. in a closed system like a car screen wash, it would take months for the stuff to evaporate off to a level that would allow bacteria to breed.

I’ve said many times before that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing (and many driving instructors sure do have very little knowledge of the subjects they think they’re experts in) – but the guy in green wins the award for having literally no knowledge and no sense.

As the HPA said in its article:

Legionnaires’ disease, caused by the legionella bacteria, is commonly linked to water systems such as air conditioning units, showers and fountains, where water is given off in a fine spray.

In another article, unconnected with the findings concerning car washer bottles, it explains:

The majority of cases are reported as single (isolated) cases but outbreaks can occur. All ages can be affected but the disease mainly affects people over 50 years of age, and generally men more than women. Smokers and the immunocompromised are at a higher risk…

The bacteria are widely distributed in the environment. They can live in all types of water including both natural sources such as rivers and streams, and artificial water sources such as water towers associated with cooling systems, hot and cold water systems and spa pools. They only become a risk to health when the temperature allows the legionellae to grow rapidly, such as in water systems which are not properly designed, installed and/or maintained.

Control and prevention of the disease is through treatment of the source of the infection, i.e. by treating the contaminated water systems, and good design and maintenance to prevent growth in the first place.

So, the bacteria are there all the time. The disease isn’t easily caught, and it isn’t easily spread – it needs certain conditions to trigger an outbreak, and it is certain vulnerable groups who usually succumb.

The original study was reported in the European Journal Of Epidemiology. Not the Screen-wash Manufacturers’ Weekly.

FACT: They DID find the bug in some car wash bottles. There IS an apparent skew in cases of the disease towards those who are professional drivers. But ADIs know best, eh?

EDIT 22/06/2010: Better late than never, the Daily Mail has now picked up the story.

The water in windscreen wash bottles might seem innocuous enough – but in fact it’s linked to about a fifth of cases of the deadly Legionnaires’ disease, the health Protection agency warned last week.

Mmmmm. I don’t think that’s quite what the HPA said, but it’s typical Mail reporting, i.e. “wrong”. But seeing as the HPA didn’t really say much other than that more studies were needed, the Mail saw a burning need to fill out the issue with some scaremongering about other diseases.

It lays into warm-air hand dryers, shower heads, mobile phones…

…mobiles harbour more bacteria than a lavatory seat, the sole of a shoe or a door handle…

…communion cups, childrens’ sandpits, make-up testers, and ATM machines (cashpoints)…

Little wonder that ATMs are one of the biggest culprits for leaving you bed-bound.

What the Mail fails to understand is that everything is contaminated to some extent. Just because someone comes out and says it doesn’t change anything.

EDIT 08/07/2010: Someone found this post on the search term “car air conditioning and legionnaires”.

There’s no suggestion that car air-conditioning has anything at all to do with this. All the aircon does is blows air through a sealed heat exchanger which has a refrigerant running through it. Hot air goes in, cold air comes out.

There is a by product of this, and that is condensed moisture from the warm air drips down on to the road (look at how much water pools under there if you park with the engine running and the aircon on).

I think people might be getting confused with the water cooling towers which are used in aircon systems in buildings. These can be a major problem in outbreaks of legionnaires. The aircon in your car is similar to the one which powers your refrigerator at home, and is nothing like the ones in large buildings.

Independent Driving Explained

09/06/2010

DOAADI

DSA

The press (and certain sections of this industry) – either through ignorance, or hidden agendas of their own – have really got it in for the Independent Driving initiative due to be introduced on October this year. I initially wrote about it here, then added to it here, and then more recently here (after the DSA responded to newspaper misinformation).

The DSA has just sent out another email explaining what Independent Driving is all about:

Independent driving explained

From 4 October 2010, learner drivers will be tested on independent driving as part of the practical driving test.

During their test, candidates will have to drive for about 10 minutes, either following a series of directions, following traffic signs, or a combination of both.

To help candidates understand where they’re going, the examiner may show them a diagram.

It doesn’t matter if candidates don’t remember every direction, or if they go the wrong way – that can happen to the most experienced drivers.

[ link to a video news report about Independent Driving]

Pass rates

Some newspapers have claimed that independent driving would lead to a fall in the driving test pass rate. This claim is based on early research where conditions did not reflect the eventual design of the new element of the test.

Subsequent trials with a larger number of participants and more closely reflecting the conditions in the planned new test showed no significant fall in the pass rate.

Length of driving tests and test fees

The length of driving tests and test fees will not change when independent driving is introduced in October. Driving test fees can be found at direct.gov.uk/drivingtestfees.

Categories of tests

All categories of practical driving test will include around 10 minutes of independent driving.

For approved driving instructor (ADI) qualifying tests, this will be in the part two (driving ability) test.

Manoeuvres

From October, car test candidates (category B) will have to complete one reversing manoeuvre rather than two. The manoeuvre will be selected at random by the examiner from:

turning in the road

reversing around a corner

reverse parking (either on the road, or into a bay)

An emergency stop exercise will still be conducted on one in three tests.

Manoeuvres in all other categories of tests will not be changed. Candidates for the ADI part two (driving ability) test will still have to complete all the manoeuvres.

Special needs

DSA already has procedures to identify special needs and disabilities when tests are booked online or over the phone. The examiner then knows which type of special needs the candidate has so reasonable adjustment can be made.

For independent driving this could be asking the candidate which method they prefer for the section – in other words, following signs, or a series of directions (a maximum of three) which are supported by a diagram approved by the British Dyslexia Association. In some cases this will be shortened to just two directions.

DSA recognise there are many ways of developing perfectly road-safe coping strategies in order to navigate from A to B and is satisfied that examiners will manage the situation accordingly. Independent driving is a significant road safety addition to the practical driving test but will not prevent candidates from holding a licence.

DSA is determined that no member of society should suffer detriment due to any change we introduce.

People who don’t speak English

Driving examiners are very experienced at dealing with candidates who speak little or no English and they’ll be able to manage the situation accordingly.

For example, sometimes this will include writing place names so it is clear to candidates where they are being asked to drive to. To help all candidates, when asked to follow a series of verbal directions the examiner can show a diagram, so that they can picture the route they’ve been asked to take.

Just as currently, the candidate can have an interpreter along with them on their test if they wish. Since 6 April 2010 ADIs have been able to act as an interpreter for their own pupils.

Routes, directions and sat navs

If the candidate goes off-route during the independent driving section, the examiner will get the candidate back on route and continue with the independent driving section wherever possible. The test won’t be terminated.

If the candidate looks like taking a wrong turning, the examiner will control the situation as they do now and preferably step in before the candidate goes off route. If that’s not possible, the examiner will help the candidate get back on route as soon as possible by guiding them with normal directions.

Independent driving is not a test of the candidate’s orientation skills. If the candidate goes off route, but does not commit a fault, there’s nothing to assess. Any faults that did occur would be assessed under the circumstances at the time – as usual. There is no change to assessment.

[ Link to download an official Independent Driving route diagram]

There will be times when, due to poor or obscured signage, the examiner may have to intervene. If this happens the examiner would say, ‘There are no signs here. Just continue ahead please’ and then, ‘Now, carry on following the signs to ……’

If the candidate asks for a reminder of the directions, the examiner will be happy to confirm them. Driving independently means making your own decisions and, just like when driving with friends, this includes deciding when it’s safe and appropriate to ask for confirmation on where you’re going.

Independent driving is designed to test the learner’s ability to drive unsupervised and make decisions without guidance and in unfamiliar contexts. DSA is therefore taking the opportunity to review the appropriateness of current route publication practices.

The independent driving section of the test is approximately 10 minutes when you will be asked to drive making your own decisions. A sat nav gives directions in much the same way as the driver trainer, or the examiner, so it’s not appropriate to use for independent driving.

Guidance and paperwork

The DL25 driving test report form will not be changed when independent driving is introduced, as there is no change to assessment.

ADIs sometimes refer to a document called the DT1. This contains internal operational guidance for driving examiners in the conduct of driving tests. An updated version will be published on DSA’s corporate website at the beginning of October.

This addresses every concern – real or contrived – that I have seen written or heard said, either on forums or at meetings. But I’m sure the usual stirrers won’t let it drop or give Independent Driving a chance.

2012 Crackpots

08/06/2010

DOAADI

General, Movies & TV

While I was on the Mars Rover/NASA/JPL site looking at those dust devil clips, I noticed a Google Ad. It linked to ~~this site~~ (it’s now dead).

For anyone who doesn’t know, 2012 was a film released last year – IMDb summarises the plot as follows:

Dr. Adrian Helmsley, part of a worldwide geophysical team investigating the effect on the earth of radiation from unprecedented solar storms, learns that the earth’s core is heating up. He warns U.S. President Thomas Wilson that the crust of the earth is becoming unstable and that without proper preparations for saving a fraction of the world’s population, the entire race is doomed. Meanwhile, writer Jackson Curtis stumbles on the same information. While the world’s leaders race to build “arks” to escape the impending cataclysm, Curtis struggles to find a way to save his family. Meanwhile, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes of unprecedented strength wreak havoc around the world. Written by Jim Beaver

When the geologist Dr. Adrian Helmsley and his team discover that the core of Earth is heating due to solar radiation, he advises the North American President about his findings. The American Govern collects money from the worldwide leaders to build arks to save them with necessary people to rebuild civilization. Meanwhile, the unsuccessful writer Jackson Curtis discloses that the world is near to end and tries to save his son and his daughter from the tragic end. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Geophysicist Adrian Helmsley officially visits India’s Dr. Satnam Tsurutani, his pretty wife, Aparna, and their son. From thence, he is led to the world’s deepest copper mine, where he finds evidence that the Earth’s crust is heating up faster than expected. He quickly collects evidence, and presents it before the President of the United States. Expecting the news to hit leading media, he is instead stunned when he learns that the powers-that-be have no intention of publicizing this catastrophe, and are intent on saving wealthy families that can shell out a billion Euros per family on four mammoth arks – without realizing that if the Earth is indeed headed for the prophetic self-destruction on 21 December 2012 – how can arks and it’s wealthy inhabitants survive?

As an aside, there are definite similarities to Ben Elton’s storyline in “Stark”. But 2012 also makes reference to the Mayan calendar (which predicts the end of the world on 21 December 2012) and other related stuff. Basically, the film is another Dan Brown/Da Vinci Code type of affair. Pure fiction, but dragging in fact and pseudo-fact.

Back to ~~this link~~ (it’s now dead), though. On its homepage, it says:

For Immediate Release: This is not another “sky is falling” warning like y2k… It’s not some made up event by conspiracy theorist (sic). And it’s certainly not something dreamt up for a Hollywood movie…

“2012 Is Real”

And Mainstream Media Does Not Want You To Know About It…

Why all the capitals, colours, and superfluous punctuation? Well, I guess the type of person most likely to be attracted to this sort of thing understands things better if it looks like it is made out of glitter and raffia glued to big pieces of cardboard. And, incidentally, the Y2K thing never happened because a lot of people worked to make sure it didn’t – if they hadn’t, there would have been problems.

I like the testimonial on the homepage:

“This information is beyond incredible! I was worried that I was going to get another book about 2012 that was hard to understand with the lack of evidence. Instead I received a package that blew my mind away with highly researched material that simply hasn’t been discussed before. James Sayer is the one guy who knows his stuff about the coming events in 2012. Even if you don’t believe in 2012 I still recommend everyone read this…

John Dale
Wiltshire, UK

I hope that’s not his real name. No one could be that stupid, could they? But if his ringing endorsement makes you think there might be something to all of this, the bottom of the homepage says:

You’re just moments from…

The real truth about Goverment Coverups, Swine Flu Pandemics and known natural disasters that are headed our way…and how people with power are not telling you everything they know…

Learning how you can help turn what many believe to be the darkest period in history into the most enlightened. Could universal racial harmony really be achievable?

The truth about the Sibylline Books and the end of the world. And how so much faith has been put in texts that turn out to be a fraud…

Discovering the massive “phantom” that’s hiding right behind the sun. Is it Niburu? Planet X? Something else entirely? And how will this change your survival plan?

An multi-pronged survival plan. Will it be Adam and Eve all over again? If so… do you have what it takes to start over for humanity?

The I-Ching Prophecies… Mayan calendars… Hopi Indians teachings… Aztec calendars… On what subjects are they in sync? This might blow your mind!

Unearthing the truth about “The Fifth Age Of Man” and whether 2012 is an ending… or a much needed new beginning for us all.

Realizing “The Age Of Aquarius” isn’t merely a Hippie anthem, but a time in history we’re already in. And how does this coincide with “The Age Of Completion”?

Discovering how you’ll deal with simple things like drinkable water… breathable air… even going to the bathroom in 2012. It may not be pretty… but you’ll have to know this stuff!

If there was an award for how many different – and completely separate – themes you could mix together at once, this guy would win hands down. But it gets better.

2012 Countdown Logo

If you head on past the first page, even more crackpot claims are made – and you find that Christianity is involved in this, too. The author seems to believe every single story he’s ever heard, and has woven them into this unifying theory of his. It becomes clear that he has a series of books and CDs/DVDs – these are apparently worth $259.80.

Go to the third page to sign up, and you discover you are getting a real bargain: only $49.95 – a saving of $20.03 on the normal price of $69.99! Oh yes – this is for instant and unlimited download access to the entire package (you aren’t actually getting the books or CDs/DVDs).

The one thing burning in my mind is this: if 22 December 2012 is going to be the shittiest day on record, and if this guy is expecting to get the keys to the executive washroom in heaven, valhalla, or whatever paradise he thinks is out there, why doesn’t he give this stuff away instead of selling it? I mean, what will be the point of money if we all end up back in the Stone Age?

General Election: Aftermath IV

08/06/2010

DOAADI

General

Well, our new Mickey Mouse “government” has got a few people worried with its proposed plans to cut the deficit.

When you hear “your lives will never be the same again” and “these cuts will hit everyone”, you don’t automatically assume you are listening to an election manifesto, do you? That’s because you aren’t – and you weren’t told any of this before you wasted your vote on getting a joke-government into power.

But the best one has to be what I just heard on a BBC News bulletin. You can read more here – Public To Have A Say On Cuts.

The Treasury is to ask for the public’s views on which functions the government should perform and which could be done by other bodies to save money…

David Cameron said on Monday the country must prepare itself for painful and unavoidable cuts which will affect “our whole way of life”.

The Conservative-Lib Dem coalition government has already outlined plans for £6.2bn of cuts this financial year and is preparing for the Budget on 22 June and a departmental spending review in the autumn.

This gives me flashbacks to “brainstorming sessions” and flipcharts when I was in the rat race. Where if you had 100 people, you were assured of having 150 different ideas on a subject (140+ of which were totally ridiculous), and you’d come up with a diluted single idea that you had to pretend everyone agreed with, but they didn’t really.

Labour’s response to this was:

Labour says the government is wrong to focus on cuts not growth.

And this is exactly what I said in an earlier post. Labour is absolutely right – the growth in deficit is an automatic result of going into recession, and the reduction is an automatic result of moving out of recession. So you focus on moving out of it.

Rest assured that in spite of the wording of ministerial rhetoric, you don’t make £6.2bn savings by stopping a handful of ministers having long lunches. You tend to have to get some of the 55 million inhabitants of this country to chip in a few pennies, too.

All of this is having a disastrous effect on the pound, as well.

Parents Defrauding Insurance Companies

06/06/2010

DOAADI

ADI

A reader suggested a post on this article on the BBC website. It covers a growing issue with parents lying to insurance companies to get lower premiums for their children.

New figures suggest that 41% of parents deliberately lie when filling out policy applications.

Parents are claiming to be the main drivers on the policy, when in fact it is one of their children who is the main driver, or owner of the car.

The practice known as fronting potentially offers large savings but could lead to prosecution.

I must admit that the figure of £4,000 mentioned in the article for a 17-year old really does seem excessive for a bog-standard car. I’m not disputing the insurance company assessments, but let me explain what I mean.

You’ll know from previous posts that I don’t have a lot of time for anyone who drives a pratmobile. I think parents who let 17-year olds have them are virtually the sole reason the standard of driving on our roads today is becoming so poor. When some idiot chav wipes themselves (or anyone else) out, it is their parents who are largely to blame for never having said “no” when it mattered.

Now, over the years a lot of my pupils who’ve passed (or, in many cases, have got a car while they’ve been learning with me) have told me about the prices they have been quoted. Apart from one lad whose dad was paying £8,000 a year for his insurance (honestly – and it went up to £10,000 while he was still learning with me) for an absolute top-of-the-range Mini Cooper which could probably have made it to the moon and back if you accelerated too hard, the highest I have heard of was nearly £2,000 – but anywhere from £1,000 and upwards.

Insurance Companies

However, most of them finally managed to get cover for as little as £600! Yes, it was “fully comp” and in their own names. In many other cases, they have been added to their parents policies, and annual premiums of a couple of hundred have risen to around that same figure – but still well under £1,000 – with the added bonus of an active no claims arrangement for when they went solo with their insurance. I have a list of insurance companies who I know have provided reasonable quotes in the past (not all of those in the graphic above, although Zurich have cropped up several times as being cheap), and suggest my pupils include them when they are looking for insurance cover.

The cars we we’re talking about were Fiestas, Clios, Saxos, Puntos, Skodas, and so on. Admittedly, certain adornments can turn a lot of these into pratmobiles (wide exhausts, blue lights, tinted windows, and so on), but the actual cars involved were bog-standard.

A figure of, say, £1,000 sounds like a lot. But if you pay it monthly you’re only looking at a little over £80 a month – and anyone who is working really ought to be able to manage that for few years until the no claims brings it down, which happens quite quickly once you get into driving. Fair enough, if you’re 17, then having to wait until you’re 25 for the insurance companies to calm down and drop your premiums might seem like forever, but time passes very quickly. But after all, if they can afford £200+ a month on driving lessons, £80 a month after that to keep a car running is peanuts.

Someone being quoted £4,000 is probably not going to be driving a bog-standard car, I would suggest – certainly in many cases. So what do they expect? It will most likely be a full-on pratmobile. Or, if they are students, full-on student-like behaviour and living in areas the police are afraid of venturing into are going to affect the issue, as well. So why buy them a brand new car (typically a pratmobile) to take into areas where it is almost guaranteed to get broken into, stolen, or damaged? Believe me, one trip through a student area and you wouldn’t believe what they are driving sometimes (or how they drive them).

I know this sounds harsh, but then 41% of people lying is a huge proportion of a very large number, so what I am suggesting must be true in many cases.

The one thing the parents need to realise is that if they lie then they are simply not covered – and that includes them as well as their little darlings. And the bottom line is that if you can’t afford something then you don’t have it… that’s something we seem to have forgotten these days.

I’m sure many parents are genuinely not aware that what they are doing is illegal – a few months ago I found out one of my pupils had been out with her mum to do her first private-practice session, and I was horrified to discover her mum had said that because they were doing it at night and on an industrial estate they didn’t need to get insurance! She’s covered now, but it’s amazing how the minds of some people work.

But many of them know exactly what they are doing, and letting a chavvy 17-year old loose in a pratmobile isn’t likely to stay secret for long. After all, that’s why their premiums are so high to begin with.