AI Solutions: It's all about the money?

AI Solutions: It's all about the money?: Now that bought a few tuneful lines to mind, thanks Meja, but it seems that is the motivation behind everything, finance, chasing the dollar...

It's all about the money?

Now that bought a few tuneful lines to mind, thanks Meja, but it seems that is the motivation behind everything, finance, chasing the dollar, pound, euro, of course we do not want to fall backwards into dependency and financial crutches drifting into depression and austerity measures determined by others, but for some reason the human side is missing from the research and reports that follow any investigation into road safety.  Are you practicing your career as a driver educator to save lives, or to save public money, or just because it's what you do for a living?

Graduated driving licences, have a solid background in road safety, yet that isn't strictly speaking true, in Australia the system is under review and when you take into account that in Australia there are 2 people per square kilometre of land compared to the UK which has 256 people per square kilometre of land, you would expect these restrictions to have some impact. When an area is more densely populated GDL systems are less effective according to the EU. So could this extreme shake up which is going to cost the tax payer far more than they save be worth it.

Although the EU refer to the implementation of the GDE matrix in Norway it is also noted that the studies will not be conclusive for some time to come, if ever, as in an evolving world anything can change, this is clear when we have a quickly advancing introduction to the driverless car. Although post test training compulsory or otherwise is shown to have an influence on risky behaviour, there is scientific evidence to suggest that the maturing mind and storage of information in the brain would result in this outcome anyway, hence practice makes perfect.

Night time restriction is one of the more popular points amongst road safety professionals, but, this carries a risk in itself, GDL requires night time driver training to be part of the learning process, yet as time passes without practice this skill will diminish and in some be forgotten, if the novice new driver is to have the training and then be denied night time driving for a probationary period that skill will be lost.

As far as land mass goes, the UK has exceptional figures for road fatalities amongst the under 25's, being the 22nd largest population in the world we are clearly doing something right, whereas for a country like Australia that has been using the GDL system for sometime to revise the probationary period with a view to extending it, then that points to it being less effective than they had wished. With road fatalities falling across the world, this is more about economy than it is about education, particularly as in some of those countries you can buy a driving licence at the corner shop.

Public information films have a proven track record for being effective when tackling various behaviour, this applies to all EU countries, the young girl who was reconstructed after hitting a tree is one that many people remember and had a very positive effect on speed in built up areas for sometime, however the generation now to be guided with good education are of an age that hasn't seen this.  Advertising is expensive, and a hearty campaign would be likely to see the cost exceed the saving, which again begs the question is this about the preservation of life, or money.

The root of the problem frequently sees a finger pointed towards the trainer, and in countries outside of the EU that have effective train the trainer courses in place, road death and education has improved.  So are we starting at the bottom and working up or should we be at the top working down. The test for all new drivers is the ultimate point, where they are then able to have an easier life in terms of mobility, the UK driving test was deemed fit for purpose by the EURSC and covers more bases in the time frame than many other countries, with Sweden having a similar testing process. With these two countries always vying for top spot in the road safety charts then surely we should be looking to other countries to find what element there system presents. Interestingly if we were outside of the EU looking in, we would still be doing well, research says figures would continue to fall as the UK becomes more heavily populated and road space a greater premium. So are we taking part in a compulsory task or is it a necessary one.

AI Solutions: Client Centered Finger Crossing

AI Solutions: Client Centered Finger Crossing: Well, I'm a little confused by the CCL debate, what is Client Centered Learning and why has it caused such defensiveness amongst...

Client Centered Finger Crossing

Well, I'm a little confused by the CCL debate, what is Client Centered Learning and why has it caused such defensiveness amongst trainers, after all hymn sheet and all surely springs to mind.  My concerns are that everyone is so wrapped up in defending how they deliver CCL that the actual reasoning behind it is lost. You only have to browse half a dozen forums to see that it is a battle of wills, my interpretation of CCL is better than the next person? How can that be? CCL has nothing to do with coaching and everything to do with value for money and equality.

So lets break it down, client, be it learner or full licence holder, the person paying for a professional service. In 2007 I attended a DSA conference which covered the subject of raising the profile of the driving instructor, and along with this the carrot or is that stick, was that the ADI would see a raise in income as the profession generated better respect amongst members of the public. So why is the instructor not viewed highly by the public?

The client, the paying customer, who is always right, demands more for their money than ever before. I read somewhere that CCL is being described as quality control, well in this case yes it is, the minister says we have to provide value for money.

Which leads to centered, a place of activity or influence, to focus or bring together, so really it depends if it is a verb which the title implies or a noun. Mentally or emotionally balanced. So by allowing the client to be the centre of the session it reduces the dictatorial methods that some employ, which in an ideal world is a good move, but what about the real world, it is impossible to monitor output, so it can be do as I say not as I do, surely.

Learning, knowledge acquired by systematic study, so following a syllabus, which is where the standards document comes in and the TRL report which describes the syllabus released by the DSA as 'no justification for rolling out the new syllabus in terms of road safety'.

So why is post test training not encouraged by the DSA when the DFTand F have commissioned an expensive report using tax payers money.  Research and trials in these scenarios are an expensive way of trying to show justification for money spent preparing a document for common guidance.  Recently an examiner encouraged my pupil to take up Pass Plus singing the praises of a confidence booster recommended in their own car, a remark I wholly approved of, yet my following test passes elsewhere did not mention it.

The research behind the learning to drive process clearly points out that if students could not drive until the age of 24 then the road safety figures would be greatly improved, but there has not been a single government brave enough to adopt this.  The greater amount of fatalities on our roads as a group are cyclists would that surely be a better starting point, as many cyclists are drivers or become one, yet there is no compulsory road safety procedure aimed at this group.  If road safety is really the key why are we not tackling the UK problem as opposed to the EU one?

When you look at the tiny study group used for the research, all with willing volunteers, about half of the pupils dropped out of the study, was that because the process was just too client centered for comfort? With pupils asking to be taught as per the school curriculum process rather than feeling uncomfortable with answering questions that they consider themselves to be ignorant about, even in the intimate environment of a car with no friends present, at an age when the pupil is self conscious and acutely aware of their areas of ignorance. We moved away from bullying at the school gate yet we are prepared to put these teenagers on the spot, regardless of how you view your questioning technique, be it soft, encouraging or demanding.

As every instructor has a differing view on CCL, and employs different methods of instruction, how can ADI's as a group unite on common ground, because having a couple of expensive documents published isn't enough to save lives.

AI Solutions: Speed of the Future

AI Solutions: Speed of the Future: I thought I'd squeeze a quick blog in before I take a break from work to recharge my batteries, after having my hands tied by an...

Speed of the Future

I thought I'd squeeze a quick blog in before I take a break from work to recharge my batteries, after having my hands tied by an ailing laptop and with so much going on in the world of driver training. Having rescued my book from the abyss of cyber space, it's time to knuckle down and do my best for my new deadline, which I plan to do in the sun.

I was surprised to find that the document relating to compulsory speed limiters hasn't been published in it's entirety yet as this is something motor manufacturers surely will have doubts about.  When you buy your next Ferrari would you like to have the potential to travel at excess speed and hear the roar or are you content with your 70 MPH maximum speed.  This does however bow to the EU request for all countries to not exceed 80 MPH as a top speed on their motorway network, particularly in Germany where it is believed the autobahn will be limited to eighty, and will be a step towards the reduction of road fatality that keeps them far out of the running for top slot in safer roads.

From an driving instructor point of view it will make little impact on me in my day to day instruction and general driving, but it does raise a question as far as the lower limits are concerned, the urban roads attracts the most speeding so how will that be tackled? Is it a possibility that black box technology will be compulsory.  ISA, Intelligent Speed Adaption, is definitely an EU baby, with heavy goods vehicles having speed limiters and now automatic distance separators, with their maximum speed now being limited to 52 as opposed to the former 56 MPH supposedly to fall in line with the new limit on motorways for lorries, buses and coaches which was supposed to see the light of day earlier this year.

The UK have decided that it is too much of an imposition at the moment, but maybe that is because we have a general election coming, is it because we may leave Europe, or is it because it will become compulsory anyway and that way the UK can hold their hands up high and say it was against their wishes? Who knows, it is very difficult to second guess politics.

The news reporting that a minimum driving age of 18 is likely, is hardly new news, yet as NI have reduced theirs to 16 and a half for beginning the process and some American states allowing drivers on the road at just 15, is it likely the UK will place the age at a higher level. I have to say that when the minimum compulsory school leaving age was introduced with the current year ten being the first in this grouping, a conference headed by the DSA announced that this was a real possibility for the two to coincide.

Of course this leads to the DSA and test centre managers, one of our local DTAM's has decided to give a talk at a local association meeting regarding the standards check, this is because a member approached  them regarding their advice on taking a standards check course for £390, I mean wow, that's an expensive course regardless of the subject, so it seems some political decisions make sense after all, when the ADI is being protected by their governing body.

There is a lot of shuffling behind closed doors and we just see the fluttering papers that make it through the gap.

AI Solutions: Creating a Coaching Persona

AI Solutions: Creating a Coaching Persona: Coaching again, it seems driving instructors are being fed a diet of take my course, and with it we will give you an excellent lesson...

Creating a Coaching Persona

Coaching again, it seems driving instructors are being fed a diet of take my course, and with it we will give you an excellent lesson in how to be self righteous and rude. Today I find myself ashamed to have been a member of the Tri Coaching group on Facebook, they are pack hunters on the social network, and as with most packs find solace in their association with each other. Fortunately their membership represents a tiny group of instructors who appear to have bought an expensive course in bad manners.

I challenge everyone who was involved in that 'debate' to meet with me and repeat their comments to my face, because for me, although it has identified that Mr Hooper and his cronies approve of bullying on line and therefore only reiterated the blog that was published, I see not a coach of any description meaning the BTEC didn't actually teach a thing. Moving on.

So what is the role of a coach? When coaching for life it helps many who are looking for direction in their future, how they wish to be portrayed within the workplace or their social circles.  Although I specialise as a bereavement coach I also help those who have reached a plateau in their everyday. Financial coaching is where it all began and expanded into other areas. Interestingly it became an experiment for driver training, although there is now a study comparing the difference between the countries that have a sterile group who are being taught as a syllabus only, and those who are taking part in an experiment that involves no teacher involvement, only a safety net.

In the 1970's a similar piece of research was carried out in a field with the keys in the hand of a novice driver, they pursued trial and error to the end and had better understanding of the foot hand control coordination, but, the taught learner who developed from never having driven to competence had more respect for the vehicle and the risk.

So based on this why do we have coaching in driver training? We don't. The novice starts at the beginning with tutoring, as a profession we have to provide value for money, their is no representation of this in a self taught environment. Also the consumer has an expectation and as a service provider that is what is expected, having spoken to trading standards there is a requirement within law to do what it says on the tin, although I am not sure how we would do that as everyone delivers something different. The changes to the grading system will of course mean that we will comply with the legalities associated with trading as a business and product or sale.

Government departments are all expected to comply with the changes that took place in 2011, VOSA/DSA etc provide a service paid for by the public, so anyone falling under their remit will have to provide good value for money, with so many services being privatised this will make monitoring much easier.