Dinosaur Driver Training

I went to a meeting yesterday, supposedly with the echelons of the driver training industry. The movers and shakers. The people who meet with the DVSA on behalf of the driving instructor industry and put forward the view of the ADI to then discover they have not moved with the times. As a coaching business we put forward a presentation and the most resistant members of the group were an organisation purporting to be the oldest, which was reflected in their attitude and behaviour. The younger members and those who understood the psychology behind the way we do things and why, were a different audience, whose interaction of the presentation was spoiled by ungentlemanly and down right rude behaviour, from the top of an association tree and two former DSA registrars chatting amongst themselves during all presentations from guest speakers. What hope is there for a modern test and serious acceptance of road safety, if those who are supposed to support it do not actually believe it.

Introducing something new is always a challenge and that is to be expected, but if the minds of some older road safety 'professionals' are stuck in the past, how can the ADI believe that their real wishes and understanding is being presented to the ministers. A point I have today raised with my MP.

It is true making changes within the world of road safety takes time, evidence of that is the fact it took SEVEN years after announcement of a change to the driving licence for this to actually come into force. Incidentally today. Maybe that is why we are now looking at a diluted driving test. It resembles the test of years gone by, with no interest in maneuvering the car and driving out of town. So how will a pupil once passed tackle the trials of driving in built up areas, turn the car around, a skill that is essential in all drivers, it is a fact that fatal accidents happen during this move by unskilled or unpracticed drivers. So with a driving test that would be laughable in most EU countries, how will that help road safety?

On being questioned about the new driving test a spokesman for the MSA said " I wouldn't get involved with this one" so how on Earth are driving instructors supposed to get proper representation when the providers of people power, don't believe in it?

A survey by Direct Line and Brake actually identified there is a greater risk with young drivers using sat nav in the car on their own. The driving test would still require intervention from the examiner if the sat nav makes an error, how does that prepare drivers for post test capabilities. The evidence has always supported preparing pupils for post test, this is not the case when looking at the new proposals.  It is of course an easy teach for driver trainers.

Driving forward into a parking bay, reversing out of a parking bay, surely that is part of learning to drive anyway. Parking on the right. Pupils already do this on a one way street.

The new driving test is not reflective of the NDRS and totally represents a waste of tax payers money. More publications, more research, more trials, more money.

The new driving test has returned a higher pass rate. Hardly a surprise, trails involve new skills from the trainer, so refreshed, pupils who take part in trials are usually the better able learner who would have also most likely passed the old style test.

ADI's who know what is needed for safer roads and better educated young drivers, need real representation within the DFT.

.Support the ADI within the industry, don't fight them.

From a personal note, sabotage of a professional presentation is rude, disrespectful and damaging for the industry as whole. Thank you to all of the attendees at yesterdays meeting who contacted us with words of support and encouragement. It is heartening to find that there were many who did not support the poor and unprofessional behaviour of someone who is supposed to be a leading supporter and owner of a national association for ADI's.

The Dividing Line

The bridge has widened between the driving instructor fraternity and the testing agency.  Although the top four national associations have banded together to provide a voice, and this can only be commendable it still isn't reflective of the general vision that is debated in various groups who do not belong to an association of any type.

A recent survey identified that the driver trainers who took part, want to see the industry as a whole respected more by members of the public, with 60% blaming the Government for this view, 30% believe that cut price lessons are promoting poor public image, 5% believe that instructors are respected and 5% don't know.

In 2007, the then DSA announced at their Nottingham conference that as testing changed and driving instructor standards rose, the public would appreciate the professionalism and that the DSA would encourage and promote raised awareness of the crucial role ADIs hold in the future of road safety, so why did this not happen? As soon as purse strings tightened and the DSA road shows stopped any help to raise profiles disappeared, the proposed changes to the check test finally happened seven years later but where is the encouragement and support for the instructor, regardless of their role in driver training, be it teaching a novice, training a company car drive, supporting emergency services to name a few.  The stand alone statement that ADIs are doing a great job just isn't enough.  Although the majority are self-employed people the testing agency has great input to structure, with the test being an ultimate goal rather than a stepping stone.  Road safety figures so far in 2014 have bucked the previous trend of declining fatality figures, so tapping the instructor to perform better (standards check) and the modernisation of the driving test (questionable) has not had the effect anticipated, this confirms the view that attitude hasn't changed nor have inroads.

The economy has lifted, this is evident from generally raised trading levels for internet businesses despite the loss of six high street stores every week, as people turn to on line shopping they can spend without leaving the house and some are happy to pay a premium for this as it does not compare to the cost of fuel and parking expenses.

Many driving instructors are reporting an upturn in business too, as the financial outlook shows improvement, also reflected in the drink drive fatality figures then accident rates are likely to rise, can driver behaviour change, definitely, will it, not without some serious Government input and with Department for Transport PLC round the corner, who is going to lead the way where the general public listen.

A recent meeting that I chaired discussed public information films and how this really does make a difference to knowledge, because a good advert will stick in peoples minds, this meeting was attended by over sixty full licence holders, a mix of ages and experience.

Can the profile of the ADI be bought into the 21st century? Can the Government finally fulfil their promise? Or is it just on the shelf gathering dust until figures stay on an uphill trend and the EURSC step in and demand targets.  Oh no of course we want to leave the EU don't we, despite the fact that without their enforcement of the changes to safety features as a compulsory measure it wouldn't be happening.  112 in airbags from 2015, distance separators on LGV1 just to name two.

The Statistics, and the role of the instructor

After all driving instruction isn't just about the learning process it is also about responsibility post test, isn't that what the standards check is trying to achieve.  The inclusion of the ADI in the bid to contribute to vision zero is surely a worthwhile one, it's unfortunate that although this is the desire of the EU, the actual information hasn't been filtered down to those at the sharp end. So what are the latest statistics and how can we really take part.

The rise of fatal accidents on urban roads must send alarm bells ringing through road safety groups as this is the area where most engineering has taken place.  Speeding in those areas has been tackled country wide, with the introduction of average speed cameras in some villages, on major routes and past schools where there is an accident history, so what isn't working, and why not and can the new driver population contribute to the reduction of those figures.

Urban fatality rates were 34% this has risen to 42% in 2013, that is a huge and worrying change.  The vulnerable road user has always been the concern in this environment, with young teenagers having the highest fatal risk.  On questioning a group of experienced drivers most considered this group to be careless when crossing the road and distracted by technology.  While this may be the impression amongst drivers the research tells a different story.  The young teenager has always been a group for concern, going to school unaccompanied, spending more time without an adult in a peer group, this doesn't mean they are rising to the challenge of pressured behaviour, in fact the research tells a story to the contrary, in 2010 the BMJ published a report that recognised up to the age of 14 a child is unable to physically judge the speed of an approaching vehicle, as brain development cannot appreciate speed and distance at that point, so therefore is unable to quantify the risk.  When moving in a group they will follow the lead of the others, the trends suggest it is most likely to be the teenager on their own where fatal injury is most likely to take place.  There are two reasons for this.  The driver does not perceive a risk when there is a child alone as this is considered a manageable risk, the danger of manageable risk is the brain activity of the driver will switch to other risk assessments too thereby allocating less attention to the vulnerable lone person.  When the teen crosses the road in a group the driver will automatically respond, but the random unexpected behaviour of the lone pedestrian trying to assess the situation will take the road user by surprise and is most likely to result in fatal injury.

So when moving onto the young driver it is also useful to know that the same piece of research identified that an adult, considered over the age of 14, cannot judge the speed of an approaching vehicle once it is travelling at more than 50mph, although some would argue this point, it is a physical impossibility, our brain makes the assessment on fast, faster or even faster, which is why some choose an inappropriate gap in moving traffic.  All of this is of vital importance in the world of driver training.  Can the ADI really make a difference in terms of fatal accident figures, of course.  If the pupil buys into the concept which is where coaching comes in,

There is no recognisible address to the problem, despite the WHO publishing a list of considerations, the EURSC publishing a strategy that is vague and lacking in direction.  Where is the starting point, well unfortunately the only way is through thorough research starting from 1979, there are thousands of pages of data, targets and information, which do in fact result in a worthwhile plan, but the changes in the political arena interrupt this making it an arduous task for the majority.

We have lost our top slot as the safest roads to drive on in the European community, with Sweden back up there, in terms of figures, our results for 2013, although fallen from 1754 to 1713, it is a poor percentage change in comparision to other countries, particularly the new comers, in moving forward with major improvement.

Sex and the ADI

Well of course sex sells, but where does the line become crossed, it was interesting, or maybe disturbing to read that Mark Magee reports more complaints of a sexual nature from learner drivers in the last year compared to previous years.  Of course there are big question marks surrounding this, what constitutes a sexual advance, what particular word or action would be considered to be inappropriate.

It is a fact that learning to drive creates a relationship between learner and trainer, just as in any tutor role, after all we have all read the stories of teachers absconding with their pupils, in fact I knew a teacher from my school days who upped and left his family of four and went into hiding with a sixteen year old girl. Knowing the family well, it was quite a difficult time for them all, a well respected head of year turned to being a refuse collector to support them both. Does this happen within the learning to drive community, of course possibly even to that extreme.  I have met many women who married their ADI.  So when does a professional relationship become a personal one.

We would be horrified if teachers in schools were suggestive towards our children, but a trainee student is an adult, so should the same view be taken, well during some research on the learning to drive process some of the responses were quite obviously indicative of uncomfortable car situations, but is that because the young female, as they were by the far the larger group who had a story to tell, feel embarrassed or unsure of their sexuality so respond poorly in an intimate environment.  From a female point of view, if you are 'trapped' in a vehicle with a good looking male you are more likely to behave differently and try to perform better, whilst trying to appear cool and knowing and sexy.  However, in the car with a butch female, the working environment could be taken more seriously as there is no pressure to display a more adult impression than might otherwise seem necessary.  As a woman, who remembers those teenage years too clearly, nature made the decision of attraction and being mature enough to overcome that is not so easy.

This doesn't of course solve the problem.  Some of the things sited in my research were such normal everyday comments it was very difficult, even trying to find a suggestive nature, to pinpoint certain phrases as sexual.  You look nice today - I mean, really?  Do you have a boyfriend? - is that a come on, or just polite conversation to relax the student?  Your legs look nice in jeans - well I guess you could take that the wrong way. However, I fail to see any of the above statements grounds for complaint.

Other comments which could be stepping on the line or inching over included, feel how cold my hands are - which could just be someone who is kinesthetic but touching is always a no go area. I've had a row with my wife this morning, and proceeding to tell the details - why? These two comments alone saw different variations, but they all were viewed as negative by the females.  The males who took part could see no problem with any of these statements, so maybe it really is that women are vastly different from men.

The comments that were completely across the boundary included, you are gorgeous, you should have been a model - from a driving instructor? Let me help you with your seat belt - if they can't do it themselves should they be driving, falls into the personal space no go area. I am a photographer too, I can take some pictures for your portfolio they'd look great - advertising photography to impressionable females could definitely fall into the seduction scenario, innocent or not. Do you fancy meeting up when I'm not working - two single people, maybe acceptable after all there are plenty of office romances, but that is in an equal environment, the tuition car is  an unequal environment just as a school or college would be.  This could be interpreted as grooming.

It is funny that female instructors, who have their fair share of advances from male pupils, never see it necessary to complain, in fact sometimes it's flattering, who would we complain to? Our association? Would we stop the lessons, taking into account the financial environment, or is it a matter for the Police?

We all have our own idea of inappropriate behaviour, and many are quick to judge and jump in, but from an instructors point of view, and reflecting on Mr Magee's comments, are we at risk, do we need in car cameras to protect our integrity or will that make no difference at all.  Because the research clearly identifies that an offensive comment or action to one is deemed as an over reaction or not worthy of comment by others.  Would every ADI be shocked by their pupils thoughts.  Because as individuals, pass this on to the court system and there is exactly the same problem, the definition in law of sexual advance is an attempt to gain sexual favour, with the best will in the world, is that really going to happen on the back seat of a modern hatchback?  Especially when valuable working hours are lost.  Is that honestly the intention of instructors who may feel that this is the best way to break the ice, with a bit of innuendo or flattery.

As a community of instructors it is important to know what the boundaries are, despite how obvious they may appear, what the boundaries are that are expected of the executive agency that licences us and where our protection comes from.  A teenager having  a bad day can ruin someones career, what's your protection?

How do we Compare?

The desire to reduce the figure where young drivers are concerned has picked up momentum significantly in the years since the millennium, in the UK we are just starting to dip our toes into unknown territory as far as training is concerned, which means we lag behind some EU countries, Germany in particular.  So how can it be with their rigorous training the roads in Germany are not as safe as ours?

Theory test training has been viewed as a positive move, yet it appears drivers prior to 1996 studied the Highway Code in greater depth, and were more rigorous when learning road signs, Germany has taken this information on board with compulsory in class training and a steer away from multi choice practice, which we have lazily slipped into. Twelve double periods in class are a requirement, for a cat B licence.

Country roads or trunk roads training is carried out for a minimum distance of 50km in any one session and a minimum driving time of 225 minutes, with motorway driving attracting at least 135 minutes with a single journey being no shorter than 45 minutes. A minimum 90 minutes should be spent driving in the dark with half of that time on a country road. This demonstrates that there is
a good positive move towards dealing with the risk, in the UK it is country roads, an area that an instructor can choose to use for training as opposed to a compulsory requirement.

The driving test must be taken within twelve months of passing a theory test, you are required to have an eye sight certificate and have completed a first aid course. So much more rigorous than our requirements. Similar to Belgium, the pupil must enrol with a driving school, so no concerns over unpaid cancellations, there are approximately 28,000 driving schools, instructors are employed by the school this is after passing an eight month training course at a recognised training establishment, they need to be licenced to drive all classifications of vehicles regardless of the classification they plan to teach.

Training school for potential driving instructors involves a state testing system for written, oral and practical skills as well as a test of classroom and on road teaching skills, so a far reach from our system which highlights the potential for change and identifies where some of the proposals come from within the consultation document.  The EURSC consider a more formal approach to training and a serious commitment from the student to register with a school and to be bound by their terms and conditions, shows how much change could be effected in coming years.

So why have we not adopted a complete overhaul to coincide with similar training in other EU countries, cost is a major factor, we also have a high number of instructors this would mean a cull of the list, and how would that be possible when we are self employed, who would go and who would stay. The evidence is that research to date sees no dramatic improvement in road safety figures, with the UK being in the top three of best performing countries with regard to road safety and fatality figures year on year, without rigorous training, so the powers that be would struggle to justify the expense.  Change will obviously become apparent, but it will take a lot of years of input and a political party that rises above the expected to deliver serious results and keep a clear sight of the real target, zero vision borne out of zero tolerance.

Trusting the Learner

Over the last few decades there has been much research into the learner driver and their errors, their inexperience and what can be done to change their accident figures. However some recent research has identified some areas that are going to be difficult to change, which is their reaction in event of a danger.

Putting a young driver in an accident scenario in a simulator showed they may close their eyes, turn away from the risk but they do not include in their reaction the vehicle they are driving. This wasn't all drivers, but the majority, those who had to make a decision which involved the whole picture, vehicle and driver resulted in a much more lengthy reaction time. With a small time frame of just a couple of seconds to respond to an incident unfolding ahead, they were more likely to collide than avoid.

Is this a result of poor teaching, as some would have us believe, well vehicle handling and control can find some responsibility at the foot of the tutor, but inbuilt reaction is harder to control. You cannot make someone respond in a particular way in a moment of trauma. The shock and disbelief that someone else had got it wrong in the scenarios which were not the young drivers fault slowed the reaction time considerably, almost as if they were watching from a higher view point.

There is some research, not much as it has just begun, that questions young people who have been involved in a collision, either slight or with considerable vehicle damage, but not where anyone had severe injury. Their responses although varied in the description pointed to a handful of similarities. The time it took to assess and decide, the lack of natural desire to protect themselves inclusive of the vehicle and the pause for help.  So are young drivers spoon fed too much help from their tutor? Well the team behind this investigation are still questioning and searching data, as well as interviewing and following a group of new drivers who fall into specific category risk groups. This includes their class, finance and area they live, things that have previously been identified as increased risk.

In one of the groups a student was travelling in a car with their instructor when a vehicle was travelling towards them at speed on the wrong side of the road, over taking, the driver continued towards the risk, assuming the other car would move away from their path, the instructor reacted and moved the car away from the danger. Parked up afterwards the following conversation took place.

Tutor: Did you see the oncoming car?
Student: Yes
Tutor: Why did you not react, we could have been killed?
Student: But it was my right of way
Tutor: Do you believe the car that was driving towards us considered that?
Student: I don't know
Tutor: What would have happened if I hadn't moved the car away from the risk?
Student: Do you think he would have hit us?
Tutor: I don't believe we would be here for this conversation
Student: Oh

So a strange captured conversation, the student believing their priority would over ride the poor decision by the on coming driver, although the learner could see danger, they also truly thought the other driver would be the one to evade the risk rather than collide, yet for some faced with such danger a reaction to the extreme could have taken place.

The study group, which is an EU study, are trying to discover why the reactions of young drivers differ so greatly to new drivers over the age of 30. The older group, of which there are fewer participants, all responded earlier and were protective of not just themselves but the vehicle too when faced with a situation that had the potential to cause harm. The researchers do not believe this is related to tuition at all but related directly to the understanding of consequences.

A small sterile group of young drivers, who were particularly trained for ten hours dealing with consequence and risk against a group who were not still had the same reaction. This confirms some previous research carried out and published in the BMJ, where a young person is physically unable to distinguish between risk, speed and consequence, but which improves vastly over the age of 24. The variances in the group age 24 to 30 has not yet been explored.

So it seems with all the preparation and training, when faced with a real situation, not created by the young driver their responses are slower, despite in most cases the identification of risk was early. The data being accumulated from these studies is likely to continue for some time, whether it can help the future of road safety is yet to be seen. For me the most interesting study group is going to be cyclists and their behaviour.

Preaching to the Converted

Is it any wonder that less than 1% of ADI's take an active interest in the future of driving instruction or their career path, that CPD is a nasty word along with the equally unpopular business skills. The majority of driving instructors currently on the register have no up to date information or comprehension of the changes taking place.

National membership of associations is not representative of the majority, which suits the ministers because if every ADI became actively involved their hands would be tied and bowing to the majority would become a reality not a threat. Power is addictive, we all know that, human nature not nurture, adrenaline fuelled pleasure. So who is the real voice.

There is no voice, I have just been reading through a programme of an up and coming conference, which shall remain nameless. Every speaker in that list knows each other, the list of attendees, passed on is a list of familiar names, and as I know the majority I am comfortable that they also know each other. So is a conference about informing the ADI, getting the information out there and helping the World to be a better place, or is it about back slapping and secret hand shakes.

The EURSC are moving in to great change, the UK is hanging on the tails of this major upheaval, we have left it to the last gate to make changes in the UK, where other countries have embraced these moves sooner, the ultimate goal is to save lives, yet that has become diluted in a potential opportunity to market new qualifications to the ADI.  The shake up of the qualifying process, or maybe the shake down.  If the response to the consultation is as confirmed by the DFT to be a majority group of Government employees and members of the public, then the final word is out of the hands of those affected by it.

Should those who spend the majority of their time taking part in streamlining the future of the ADI and purporting to be representative be actively out there spreading the word, or is it just a case of if you're not in then close the door behind you.

When the DSA ran meetings around the country, which ADI's who have been in the industry post 2007 will know nothing of, the information was up to date, there were no fees to pay, and forecasts for the next ten years was common place, the conferences stopped because of the cost, yet the instructor who was not a member of any association could go, by invitation, and it cost nothing but time. Why are there no moves to reinstate this, particularly in this time of change? I shall tell you the answer to that in due course as the minister will be getting back to me on that one.

As tax payers, before we are ADI's, what do we get for our money, with potential charges for ADI errors, a fee for a standards check that we have to have anyway (hmm), the potential to have all elements of our qualification scrutinised and then of course there is the grading for the elite, pass or fail should be enough, then there is no need for the DSAVOSA group to publish anything, as self-employed people we are surely capable of advertising ourselves.

The converted do not need the preaching, the information or the time, the ones on the outside with their noses pressed against the glass who have no idea what the writing on the wall says, need our help more.

Consultation - Ministers reply

So, as usual I was on a mission to support the ADI, I don't believe in elitism and I do believe in fair play, so to find that the consultation extension was refused, when twelve weeks would have been more reasonable, I wrote to the Transport Minister, my MP and a couple of other ministers for good measure.

The replies were in dribs and drabs, sadly the TM didn't reply until post consultation, however the writing was on the wall for that, we just pay their wages we don't actually have any say. It was a light weight response which carefully side stepped my concerns and was the best attempt at avoiding a straight answer yet, it also confirmed the fact that they don't actually read any correspondence, someone else skim reads it and jots down some notes because at the end it suggests I reply to the consultation - arrggghh!!!

They have had 400 replies, many being from Government staff and members of the public, they have spoken to the national organisations and accepted their views, which count as one! So less than 1% of instructors have actually taken part in this. I wish I was shocked but I'm not. I am however disappointed that our TM has little interest in making sure that all ADI's were made aware of the consultation by sending the good old fashioned letter.

The results of the green paper for new drivers is due to be released in October apparently, I guess we are going to see some rushing through of the preferred ConDem route before the general election, with the driving instructor community being such a small group compared to other professions, it is a poor show that we aren't better represented in Parliament but used as sacrificial lambs for the EU charter.

To say that they are listening to the ADI associations is not as accurate as we would like to believe, if they were the extension would have been granted, as with one hand they say the associations are a voice with the other they say the voice is wrong - confused? Yep, me too.

Putting Yourself out of the Market

Marketing the second dirtiest word after CPD, if you have ever read anything driving instructor industry related, the majority say we are busy we do not need marketing hints and tips, but if that is the case why are there companies out there actively seeking to take your hard earned cash. For a serious marketing campaign you need lots of cash and a solid product, not a fistful of dollars and some lesson slots.

Why are there so many involved in marketing who are looking for a niche market to offer their services? A good marketing executive will cover all areas, yet for some the ADI is seen as an easy target, with many having no previous business experience or training in advertising or growth. If the phone isn't ringing then the only way to get noticed is to get out there and be visible, expecting someone else to take your cash on a promise is not the way forward.

When Mr Nice Guy offers to promote your business, as a salesperson they are better placed with inner knowledge of the arena, so are you being offered 'hints and tips' or has your marketing agent sat down with you and explored the statistical evidence for the product that you offer.  For example, you would expect the sales of ice to rise in the summer and slow in the winter, so the marketing agent would therefore encourage sales growth in the time when seasonal sales are higher, but promote why your ice is better than the next person. As with most things, ice sells itself, when demand is high. With driving lessons, during high season, generally January, April and September, they will sell themselves.

With lots of opportunities at the current time, with media highs and lots of news stories, isn't this a great time for your PR team, or individual, to be raising demand and earning their keep. Is your hashtag lacking or hasn't it been born. It seems from the 2013 research that agents think they know what their client needs, yet when questioned, the client had different ideas, yet chose to follow the agent because they assumed inner knowledge.

Sadly marketing agents in this research uncovered the fact that they may know their market but they do not understand their client. 17% of agents believed they had a relationship with their client, whereas only 6% of clients believed this to be the case. Pointing to the fact that the company had a greater business perspective of the transactions than the agent.

Research from earlier this year also showed that clients want results, and that marketing agents are plumping up their services with lots of fluff and clever terminology but are not cutting the mustard. 38% of clients want good value for money whereas only 27% of agents thought this to be important.

So making money without the conversation, the agent says, let me do this for you, the client bows to the salesperson, the client gets caught up in a contract that doesn't deliver, they then go from recommending their agent to advising against them, word of mouth in all industries is important.

Driving instructors are in the firing line for agent approaches, along with vets and hairdressers, yet all of these services are self promoting, given the opportunity. Marketing strategies are for bigger campaigns, a national company would definitely benefit from enhanced promotion, but a sole trader would not ever be able to justify the expense. The best promotion of your business is through Google, this can be done for free and Google will tell you how.

Insult to Driving Instructors

I have to say I'm horrified by the new IAM promotional leaflet which says all driving instructors teach to pass a test, I also think it's a bit rich considering this leaflet promotes an advanced test that you can 'fast track pass' so isn't that training to pass a test?  It's insulting to all of us who work hard at promoting road safety and train learner drivers, developing their life skills and encouraging responsibility.

They insinuate that you have no idea how to handle a car, only an IAM observer can teach that skill, because obviously nobody trains a learner to do so, but they will teach you to find out what you and your car are capable of. That wasn't my experience when I took my IAM test.

The booklet says that volunteers give up their time to train you for a test, hmm, and are highly skilled, I wonder how the driver trainers who work with a green badge view those who have an in house certificate that could have been awarded over 30 years ago?

Driver training is changing, regulations are changing, do we believe they will be heavyweight enough, the potential is there but only if run by the private sector, Government departments are cutting to the bone which in turn carries a risk for us all, the forecast for small businesses are poor with the DFT stating that sole traders are less likely to be successful as a business, with micro businesses lasting little over two years.

The potential for a new business to survive in the current economic climate is poor, however, the economy is definitely moving in the right direction with more money being spent overall. If a business survives five years then it has a great chance of being around for an extra five years, if it's limping then it's likely to run out of steam.

This isn't good news for driving instructors, particularly as the business support structure is now in place for small businesses which have 9 or more employees, as they are more likely to survive so more deserving of financial support it seems. The more established smaller companies have the advantage of recommendation, but starting from scratch right now is not an easy path.

With companies such as IAM damming our work, it only helps to crucify the sole trader.

Test Passes

It seems there is a little improvement in pass rates for part two tests over the last few months, with just over half of those who took a test passing, however, it seems that males are still dominant in the group who take the most instructor qualifying exams.

The practical driving test is still at a very low 47% overall, with males passing 1 in 2 tests and girls less than that, so there has been little improvement or change to practical driving test pass rates, and of course demand which is at an all time low.

The 17/18 age group are the majority group for taking tests and have a higher pass rate than their older counterparts. Interestingly the aged 80 group has a 100% pass rate, maybe that's because there was only one, as over a million licence holders are in the over 80 age group, they make up quite a large number of active drivers on our roads, with 3 being over the age of 100.

There are 1,000 less instructors on the register compared to a year ago, with numbers being very low at entry, over 500 new applications were refused, the number of ADI's actively taking part in CPD has risen by 1500 making the figure nearly 8,000 so it seems those who have chosen to ride out the tough economy are spending time on educational benefits for themselves.

Theory tests are still showing a majority group as 17/18 but the figures are still reasonably consistent after that age group up to the age of 27 then they start to decrease, with girls having the distinct advantage over boys for pass rates in this test.

As there are fewer applications to become an ADI, the overhaul of the system seems an expensive exercise, the DSA/VOSA or whomsoever they shall be called believe that the low pass rate is due to the training procedure, and in some cases it is, but it also in how driving instruction is packaged, many enquiries start with, I can drive so it can't be that difficult to teach someone, and some of the advertising for this is to blame for a misconception at the start. The money would be better spent on an information process superior to the one currently available.  I see PDI's on a regular basis who had no idea what to expect, their registration process started by the provider, and a lack of research on their part is evident too.  I wonder how many would have continued with the process if they had been fully aware of what it entails.

Some say the pass rate is low because the training they receive is poor, in some cases that is true, but not more than 50% which is what the figures suggest, we run a free drop in session for PDI's to ask questions and to pick up information, regardless of who their training provider is. More free services by those who can offer their time would make for a better instructor community.

As road safety figures see the best numbers we have ever seen and the fact that we are World leaders in road safety, we should be proud of the service we provide, I'm not sure that some of the proposals is for the good of the ADI, or that they will make a difference to already falling fatality rates, which was the aim when this came about in 2000.

The Pressure is on

So road safety figures have fallen to the lowest they have every been, since records began in 1926. There are around 37m driving licences in the UK that are live, so the right to drive on our roads is quite high, yet the numbers are falling year on year, this means whatever we are doing must be right?

I've had a few discussions the last couple of days with the cynics, massaging of figures, cars are safer, no money for fuel, insurance costs, the list goes on. However are we as a nation safer and more aware than in previous years. A recent survey by Central DT found that out of 300 members of the public questioned more than three quarters believed our roads to be a dangerous place, our position on the EU road safety scale is always in the top three, but only 63% thought we were higher than number five, with 4% saying we were number 27. Is it this startling contrast between reality facts and figures and perception that keeps people safe.

For young drivers we have black box technology which will increase their awareness, by rote learning, however is black box technology the future for us all? It looks as if black boxes in cars will become a compulsory requirement as the Vision Zero date comes closer, with Ecall needing tracking for it to work, and the fatigue policy rolling out tacho requirements for van drivers and company car drivers, to reduce driving hours without a break.  So maybe all drivers will become more conscientious driving by rote as the data is recorded, will this replace the SPECS cameras planned to cover the UK motorway network for 2016.

With consultations having short time spans and legislation coming in to shake up a lot of the system, the RTA reaching it's conclusion for new laws is this the Government making work for itself, is it the back office reaching out for ways to save money, because the ADI looks to be getting a lot more spending out and not any more finance coming in.

Because of the apathy amongst the majority of instructors when it comes to taking part in processes, consultations and meetings, and generally having their say, the majority of the proposals will be pushed through and we will not be able to go back.

Standards checks?

Or check tests? What really is the difference, will we as trainers notice anything we need to do differently in our everyday work, we asked for change to take place, a minority of ADI's asked for modernisation and it came dressed as the standards check. Tax payers handed over large sums of money for research, some of which will never reach publication and some went towards EU research.

So that is the stick, where is the carrot?

Well from where I am sitting we haven't had a carrot, we need better professional recognition, for road safety to be taken seriously and lives to be saved, cut price, cut throat lesson offers need to stop, all it does is undermine all of this spent money and hard work.  Cheap lessons send out the opposite message to the one we are trying to convey.

As driving instructors begin to take more training and qualifications they will also need time off to study, if the lesson prices are cut to the bone how will that be possible. So are the standards checks about road safety, really? The proposed penalty structure for the registrar? Really? Fine the ADI, as if we don't pay enough.

I have championed saving lives and have always had active involvement in trying to make our roads a safer place for our children and then their children, it has to start somewhere, but I also believe in supporting the ADI, what part of publishing ADI data, civil sanctions, and paying for check tests is about saving lives? It does of course boost revenue if every part of the service is paid for.

If the more structured approach is to do more than sort the wheat from the chaff, but really tackle road safety, then learning to drive privately with no formal instruction prior to test has to stop, otherwise it makes a mockery of dressing this up as a life saving exercise and turns it into a political one, ticking the EU directive criteria for the sake of it.

Education is the way forward, better teaching standards from ADI's has been identified as a step in the right direction, the question has to be how can we achieve this realistically, a standards check is not enough, one hour snapshot into our daily work is never going to be a clear picture, how many ADI's do not like losing paid work for this exercise, and now they may also have to fund this check. CPD really was the better option, taking part in academic qualifications, exercising the brain, learning something new, adding to our portfolios, would also save the tax payer money in the long run by cutting out the middle man.

Encouraging the majority of ADI's to take part in this consultation is hard work, some will not know, some have no internet, some have no access to the information, if you do not join the electronic age then you are left out, I think that is unfair. Technology may be the future, but if you are earning £50 for ten hours work there will be other things to pay and that won't include the broadband bill. Having to conform is the opposite to the essence of Great Britain, where we have always had freedom of choice. Despatch should still be sent out as a hard copy to instructors on the register, so then those who really do not want to take part have a choice.

Learning to drive, being in charge of a vehicle is serious stuff, it's time now for this industry to stand up and be counted and not have another consultation where less than 1% have their say. The consultation tells us what the Government want and then hold out the choices, yet we should be saying actually we do want some of this but we want this too. We do not want to get caught up in consultations of the past that have been challenged eventually because the questioning was strategically structured to obtain the required responses, we want a fair process for effective moves forward and to see the road safety figures continue to fall.

To research some of the history behind these decisions is a good move if you are not familiar with how the proposed changes came about, it spans more than ten years, so a long time coming, but politically doctored along the way.  What do you want? Do you want the proposed changes or to really have your say with ideas of your own?  Now is the time to lobby ministers before the ink is dry.

If you believe you are good at what you do then fighting for the career you would like to see evolve is the only way.

Client Centred Quality

There is a lot of predicted change in the world of driving instruction, it is making the news in the trade magazines and has generated a lot of surveys through different medias, for those who are involved in training outside of the green badge system, classroom presentations and fleet presentations the proposed changes are likely to make a difference there too.  Fleet clients are much more aware of their business needs and actively seek value for money and quality assurance. So how can quality be assured by a provider who is a sole trader?

The plans behind the streamlining of Government services, the introduction of changes to legislation which will see the phasing out of the pink badge completely as it does not fit in with quality control and will be difficult to monitor under new guidelines, will see more regular checks across the board in all departments not just driver training.  Drink drive rehabilitation courses, instructor training courses, new driver training courses will all be subject to spot checks. So will the spot light shine on the on road courses delivered by trainers, well it is believed, or may be sought, for CPC to come under deeper scrutiny, this will be achieved with the help of independent testing.

Then we come to driving instruction, the standards check, are you up to standard or does your service fall below par. Data collected from a recent survey found the majority of ADI's against radical change, with just 22% saying they thought that learning to drive needed a shake up. if that is the case then how will the 85th percentile be reached.  Well the easy way around that is for it to be 85% of those who respond to surveys or consultations, from past experience those who respond are clearly the associations representing members although not necessarily the majority view, and those who are really interested in the future of their career, voting apathy has spread across all sectors, even voting within the private sector for board members has fallen to an all time low.

Can the instructor be heard, it is possible it really is if you want it, would you like your career to be the same one it was when you qualified, would you like your career to have prospects and be a respected profession, or do you want to just have a say about how you would like change for everyone else.  A PDI survey, again difficult to encourage participation across the UK, muted that ADI's want harder qualifying exams for new entrants when they should be concentrating their efforts elsewhere. The longer someone is qualified the easier it is to see flaws in an entrance procedure, however that applies to everything, experience is key, or is it?

The favourite subject at the moment is client centred learning, and I have come across a few blogs relating to this, I was amazed to find that not one had grasped the concept. Clients do not want more or different questions, our phone is ringing more frequently with pupils complaining that they need a new instructor as their old one keeps asking at the beginning of each lesson, what do you want to do today. That most definitely is not client centred, as the instructor has a responsibility and they are being paid to fulfil a role, the clients expectations, client centred.

A life coach would never sit in front of a client and say what do you want to do today, does your dentist say what would you like me to do, the expert guides and encourages and waits for feedback. Then the client makes a choice, client centred.  Trust has to come about in a learning environment, between both parties, which is where a formal agreement is essential, signed by both parties. A client does not lose trust in their tutor a client is led like a child learning to walk and then let go to make their own footsteps. When they stumble there is someone there to reach out and stop the fall, and when those hands are no longer needed the client begins a path of their own. Client centred equals client responsibility.

CCL for learner drivers

Four weeks ago I wrote to the minister of transport, as a fully qualified life and executive coach. I did identify myself as a driver trainer, however I also passed on some of the research I am involved in.

 I am deeply concerned by the watered down approach to change within the driving instruction industry, particularly this spoon fed coaching which are words with no substance. having studied hard for my qualifications over the last few years and taken time to build a robust portfolio of clients within the executive sector as well as individual clients, I have found it quite difficult to see how coaching can be incorporated in it's purest form to help learner drivers. It was a relief to find that it has been recognised within Government that misuse of coaching has the potential to be damaging to the client, as I felt that had been over looked.

Some of the response covers the Standards document and the fact that trainers should not change their methods, just that ADI's have felt restricted within their work with clients and this encourages more listening and a better transition of the transfer of responsibility from trainer to trainee.  It also says that once the standards check comes into force instructors will be given a clearer idea of what is expected of them and this will enable them to choose more effective training.

I asked how an instructor could present coaching to a client without years of study and qualifications

'We do not want to lose what we already have and if we were to suddenly say that all ADIs had to become coaches there would be some who would become confused about what was being asked of them.  Others would try to deploy what they understood to be coaching tools and not do it well.  The result could be an overall deterioration in the quality of driver instruction.'


I asked why CCL is considered to be coaching within the driver training industry, the response was

'I can assure you that we are very aware client centred learning (CCL) is not the same as coaching. '


Although the reply was very in depth I have felt that these are very relevant to the sudden twist towards coaching for instructors, there are many other elements that were specifically asked linked to my research and understanding of the real risk within the young driver sector.

However, I am passionate about road safety, I do still work as a driving instructor, and I desperately would like to see better fatality figures for young drivers. Some of you may have seen my research and others may have read extracts from my up coming book, although not for the driving instructor industry, young drivers and road risk is touched upon. So, with this in mind I needed some answers, and today they were not just answered in full, but they satisfied my concerns.  As I am known to be cynical, as most writers are, when dealing with quotes and lengthy exchange, I feel that this response was by far one of the best I have received to date.

Moving along, it was felt that although HERMES was used as a reference which had emphasised coaching as a concept, this has been decided against, with the overall feeling being that there will be no attempt to use fully formed coaching skills, the aim is to relieve instructors of rigid approaches to training and allow more listening in the learning environment.

This appears to be quality control with the clients needs being more important and the tutor taking a guiding role. However, although this seems like a sensible approach it still doesn't tackle scientific evidence which shows that the young driver brain activity, risk, excitement etc is the controlling influence as opposed to the training environment.

Copyright A.Green 2013 - no extracts or reproduction without express consent of the author.

 

Alienating the Client

The current economic climate has bought difficulties for many businesses, large and small, established or young, so are business owners and employees in a position where they should be alienating the client?

Well one has to think not, but it does happen, on the phone through email or face to face. Many companies employ executive coaches to train staff, but how many are going for the cheapest option rather than option that delivers real results.

I experienced some evidence of coaching in the dentists chair, for the first time in 30 years I was asked what I expected from my visit and what was the end result I wished to achieve, I prompted a question to define the time frame they thought they could provide, funny really, being a life coach I could feel the lip service.  The tedious questionaire that accompanied it though demonstrated that the guiding hand of advice wasn't quite on the client wavelength, bringing into question, did the coach identify the market properly or use a method picked up on a one off course. It will be interesting to see if they deliver.

Coaching has stretched to the driver training industry, it is neither life nor executive coaching, it is teaching techniques with a coaching slant, it is dressed up as client centered learning, yet the preperation a life coach makes before embarking on sessions with their client is not even touched upon and if it was, the instructor would have to charge a much larger rate than is currently being asked. That would see the end of cheap lessons, but the years of study to even begin this journey would push away many instructors.

The knock on effect is the courses being offered, one size doesn't fit all, one course does not make a coach. Having a qualification is not enough, because being able to academically achieve does not necessarily mean you can deliver the goods, so coaches develop a portfolio to accompany their CPD, on going CPD is a must for a coach, to join many of the associations you need a consistent level of CPD to accompany your portfolio. Does the buyer search for this or just fall for a sales pitch.

Moving on to other areas of coaching, life coaching, can the coach alienate their client, well it depends, there has to be rapport in the relationship for it to move forward, but as a business person can the coach create ambience to a satisfactory level without possibly embracing the personality of the client, well a good coach can. As coaching can be offered through e-mail, Skype or telephone then rapport isn't necessarily evident, it may be there it may not. However should someone who truly embraces coaching for it's real value, believe in it and trust it's worth ever risk their business by alientating anyone in their potential market place, we would hope not.

You do not have to be a financial coach to understand your business needs to be viable and nurtured, so can client marketing work. Literacy is important, a document with poor spelling or grammer sent to clients is the first step to pushing them away, understand your market, and to do that you must understand your client base.

Too many coaches offer courses, and this is covered in regular debate on coaching forums, because they have not been able to succeed as a coach, often attending one course or picking up one qualification outside of QCF guidelines and developing a course of their own to make money. Great for the provider not so great for the client, so does this also amount to alienating the client, according to many, well yes it does.

So how do we step away from this trap, know your market, your client and your own target, have a mentor and a plan, above all be realistic. The client always gets what they pay for, but do you want your business to alienate your client base because you bought the first off the shelf coach who came your way.

Forums and Sharing

Well it seems that the ADI Forum, the supposed social interaction for driving instructors site is up and running again after a momentary collapse. So why do we use forums? Well in the case of Colin Scott or Scotty as he is known in wider circles, who runs the ADI forum it is to secure business when his is lacking, so should that be the true essence of a forum?

I don't believe so, surely it can help business, but it can also provide trust amongst members and groups of friendships are formed. Sadly those friendships are trodden on and destroyed by haphazard moderating and poor managment.  Talking to former members my blog changed from suggesting it to be an informative site, to a disappointing return.

Members have lost personal messages and contact details, and those who were seen to rival Scotty removed from any access to what is essentially their data, removal of which from the members list although requested has been refused. What a sorry affair when power stops a social networking site from being about the members and is solely about profit.

I can't see that Facebook or My Space would ever have reached such high standing, not without faults, but generally for the people, if such underhand tactics had been displayed. During it's time of inactivity Scotty tried to set up an elite forum, in the current climate, not an easy task, so as has been described to me back to the peasants for some income.

I was a member many moons ago, all of my data was witheld from me, I am still an official member with access denied, but then I did reveal that there were many registered members who actually didn't exist, could you imagine Mark Zuckerberg bothering with that? Adding pretend people to FB to make it look busy?

So maybe the ADI Forum isn't looking for the same success, the market is limited to the amount of driver trainers out there, but buyer beware, don't lose your personal data for someone elses gain.

More of this review will be available on our forums overview, covering a wide range of groups on Friday 8th March at http://www.centraladitraining.co.uk