AI Solutions: What is Right?

AI Solutions: What is Right?: Who decides? Yes on the young driver wagon again, probably because I feel they get a raw deal. Insurance or lack of choice is the sub...

What is Right?

Who decides?

Yes on the young driver wagon again, probably because I feel they get a raw deal. Insurance or lack of choice is the subject, heard it before? So what is the solution, because nobody has yet been able to answer it.  If you ran an insurance company and wanted to make money, which group would you target, the ones who have an older family member to fund their insurance outlay, or the older driver just as likely to have a knock in their car, more likely to trade a cash settlement over an insurance claim.

The young driver may have a disproportionate amount of accidents, but still the figure is small, with 1754 fatalities in the UK last year, half were vulnerable road users, over 70's were more likely to have been drinking than under 25's then we have motorcyclists and the over 45's complacent drivers. If you shuffle through the figures the number of under 25's killed as a driver is minimal. So why are they picking up the bill, because it's easy.

Uninsured drivers cost us more as a country, but with such little policing on our roads who is going to invest any money stopping these people, every day I meet unlicensed drivers on our roads, they believe they can drive and often have a licence from another country, or have been driving on a provisional licence for years, somehow working the pedals and levers makes a driver, if only!

The change to the RTA which means compulsory surrender of old style licences, which must have been implemented by 2030, should see the end of provisional car drivers, of an age that doesn't attract attention, skilled through self teaching, so coaching at it's best, Socrates would be so proud, however, the reality is, we will not enforce this law prior to 2030, so at the last fence, maybe there will be nobody left alive by then who has the pre-photocard licence, or at least on the road.

If a provisional licence was valid for a limited time, like CBT or theory then it may crack down on the cruisers, the uninsured, the fact that an insurance company doesn't ask to see a licence unless there is an accident, says it all, lets take your money and if you need ours then we will check the small print for a get out.

So where does the black box come in, well if the EU have their way, and invariably they do, we will all have black boxes in the future, this will no doubt see an increase in personal injury claims, because the too scared to claim crew, who were injured but won't make a fuss, will find that no win no fee is on their side immediately, with evidence.

I have investigated black boxes, their worth, the evidence the carrot, oops I mean stick and I will blog in detail just what the future holds for anyone who wants to drive in the coming years - watch this space.

AI Solutions: Instructor Training

AI Solutions: Instructor Training: Is it here to stay, will the current methods change or are we looking at a real transformation? If the current system stays, which i...

Instructor Training

Is it here to stay, will the current methods change or are we looking at a real transformation?

If the current system stays, which is the cheapest option for the tax payer, there will be a sigh of relief from those who have invested their efforts providing training. The driving instructors we have on our roads are mainly doing a good job, of course there are those who flout the system, after all I saw pass plus certificates for sale! Are the few bad apples enough to warrant an overhaul that is a great expense to the tax payer, because right now it feels like this Government is selling us out.

The ConDems will use tax payers money to change the system, then the back office will put delivery of this service out to private tender, meaning the tax payer cannot recoup their losses. This has nothing to do with us providing a better, more efficient, professional service and everything to do with passing the buck.

The DVLA are seeing 6700 redundancies as part of a rolling programme, the DSA have the potential to be next, if the entry process is academic then the responsibility will eventually fall under the umbrella of the STA, however, even with the opportunity to save money by making examiners redundant there will still need to be some form of accrediting agency, so a slimmer, trimmer DSA who can train examiners for the private sector, for a fee. Total business sense. The modern Government, also known as Arvato, want every public service to be run privately and make a profit. Things sound so simple on paper.

The changes that have been put forward surely cannot be supported by the three key players, the DIA, MSA and NJC, if their responses to the consultation, closing today, support a change in instructor training then it hasn't been investigated deeply enough, of course with the short time frame that would not be easy, there is of course still potential to block these changes.

There are not many ADI's that wouldn't like to see an improved entry process, possibly teaching a live pupil as opposed to the nerve wracking, unrealistic version currently on offer, to display a level of CPD, regardless of how dirty that word has become, and serious professional attitude.

The advantages of change -

A more academic entry system
No abuse of the pink badge
Trainees with a recognised qualification


The dis-advantages of change

Likely to be monopolised by the big boys
No on road experience of pink badge
The less academic will fall at the first fence
The cost to the tax payer


I'm not adverse to change, but this is not change for the better, the wrapping is pretty but the box is empty.

AI Solutions: The Morning After the Night Before

AI Solutions: The Morning After the Night Before: The morning after campaign planned to be run during September and October, hopes to catch the at home drinker leaving for work on Monda...

The Morning After the Night Before

The morning after campaign planned to be run during September and October, hopes to catch the at home drinker leaving for work on Monday morning, still a beer over the limit, that's a vote winner for sure. With young drivers shrugging their shoulders and giving in to black boxes and restricting themselves, by choice, to be allowed the freedom to drive, their activities for drinking and driving seem to be less, if the report by ACPO is an accurate account of what is happening on our roads.

The statistics show that drink drive figures are falling, and of course they will, it has little to do with attitude amongst older drivers, who are significantly more complacent when it comes to having 'just one' before setting off in the car, and more to do with our economy. Any statistician worth their salt will see a pattern in the country's economy and drink drive figures.

Poor economy encourages us in to the pub, supermarket, garden party or barbeque, drown our sorrows? Cheap deals? More gatherings and less entertainment? Who knows what really motivates us despite many surveys and teems of research not one has actually hit it on the head, partially due to the fact that most drinkers do not think they are prone to having too many, although chocoholics tend to have the same outlook of denial too.

If drink drivers over 60 have the least amount of drink related accidents is that due to driving at a time of day which incurs less risk or does it mean that group are more educated when it comes to the risk.  If the equivalent group of marginal speeders are to be used as a comparison, age is not the factor we are led to believe, it is down to attitude, personal experience and personal history. An older driver may appreciate consequence more, may be less concerned by the risk or have already been penalised for drink driving at a younger age. There is also the potential for an older driver to be travelling at an earlier hour than a younger driver.

The younger driver who drinks has fallen by 50%, as it has in other groups, however in the last couple of years our financial recovery has been on an upward slant, regardless of how small, with 2013 appearing to see the better rise in the economy, we must enjoy this short relief, before the purse strings are tightened to within an inch of their life, ready for the private tender auction.

Statistics can also make small figures look huge. Four percent of motorcyclists killed were over the legal limit, however with motorcyclists representing just about 1% of traffic, that's not exactly a big numerical statement. With less drink related accidents happening between 6am and 1pm, is the campaign really going to make a big difference. As an educational experiment maybe, but saving lives, I don't see it knocking the nail on the head.

For me the biggest shock was how many over 70's, predominantly male, who were over the limit. The essence of the campaign appears to target the younger driver, meaning under 30, yet if the summer campaign is anything to go by then it is unlikely to really enforce what seems to be a clear message, why have any legal limit at all, move into the suggested zero tolerance, it'd save a huge amount of money just from less campaign advertising, and man power which will free up sparse resources to spend on the areas where figures have been rising year on year, cyclists and the vulnerable road user.

A young driver is more likely to be pulled over at the side of the road, for multiple reasons, they display a driving error that is more evident, they will be trying harder to stay within the limit, which in itself attracts attention and their auto pilot driving skills are less perfect than an older driver. Yet even with this, the figures show a consistent fall in this group of abusers of the law.

AI Solutions: Insult to Driving Instructors

AI Solutions: 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 th...