AI Solutions: Driving Examiner Working Practices

AI Solutions: Driving Examiner Working Practices: So driving examiners made the news, well at least another media hit on a Facebook share. Only 700 tests cancelled in Northampton, I...

Driving Examiner Working Practices

So driving examiners made the news, well at least another media hit on a Facebook share. Only 700 tests cancelled in Northampton, I expected it to be far more. To be honest I don't see a rally of support from any quarters, and in days gone by and definitely if I was in charge I'd sack them all and start again. Harsh? Hardly, we all have a job to do, it pays the bills and for some it pays the bills of the owner of the company. Driving tests are a public service and as such it is only fair to expect that service to go ahead without foot stamping of the employees. As a business owner, and driving instructors are just that, a turnover of income is required to make a living. Keep cancelling tests and instructors lose business and money. It also messes up the diaries and ruins the enthusiasm of the student. So surely there can be no sympathy from the very people that need this service.

Well surprisingly there is some.

Is the sympathy from the instructor community who befriend the examiner for favour, or is it in a misguided belief that if they show anything other than support their students will be treated unfairly. So should the examiner have the support of the tutor, the tax payer, the government, the union, the media, the student?

Starting with the union as that's the easy one. Of course. Pay your fee and have your voice heard, over the last few years unions have crept in the back door and although they do not have the clout of previous years they do have some power. I'm not anti union, I totally support having a voice particularly for the minorities, but I don't support mob rule. Not every examiner belongs to a union so now we have a disturbed working practice. Those who belong strike, or follow the mood of the moment and work to rule. I mean seriously? I pay tax, in bucket loads, and for that I expect something in return. I require my bins to be emptied, my streets to be swept and my driving examiners to turn up for work. Otherwise the money saved for non-paid strike days goes into paying for something else, possibly something I don't actually want, like a new bronze statue in a town centre, or similar. So work to rule equals payment but not service, hmm, nice one - not.

The tax payer, well I have covered that a little, but tax is always a sore subject, we would willingly all have a rise if the NHS and education system were organised properly and run well, would we willingly pay more for a driving test examiner, probably not. Some of that is because many tax payers do not appreciate the importance of good driver training, because driving is often seen as a right. So theoretically they cannot expect any support here.

The Government, well lets hope they would not be supportive of strike action or work to rule, we pay these people to run the country and if something is not working change it. Privatisation has to be the way forward, it's come up so many times it makes me dizzy, yet heel dragging by the back office is a joke. Tenders from other parts of Europe take some negotiating but it could be the step of support for a revised test.

The media. I have some experience here. To sell newspapers it must be good or at least interesting, this is not new news so it is serious straw clutching to revive this old story, and statistics may be cool to the researcher but they are boring as hell for some, trust me, as researcher in a previous life, I've seen plenty of glazed eyes during my number quoting. So how can the media be rallied as an ally, personally I think that's an uphill battle.

The student. They spend a wheelbarrow of money preparing themselves to hit the road, alone, so scary stuff, and manage to negotiate this shared space with inexperience, crossed fingers and in some cases closed eyes. The build up is fretful for some, not so much for others, but test day is a moment that most people can recall regardless of how long ago it was. So to stand outside the test centre excited, scared, stressed, clutching a provisional licence in anticipation of it being upgraded to a full one to be told, sorry your examiner doesn't like his 8 - 4 Monday to Friday job, carrying out 7/8 tests a day, so your test is cancelled. You only have to wait another 12 weeks until you can take it now. So you will need some more lessons, more test preparation, you have to pay for today anyway as this is how your instructor makes a living and this is not their fault, you can claim your expenses of course, it will only take eight weeks for a cheque, yes cheque, you can't pay for your test with one but you do have to receive one for your trouble. Just don't forget to cash it. Sympathetic? I think anyone can answer that.

The tutor. Now we are on tricky ground. Many examiners were tutors too and there is a belief, I have no idea how true, that a driving instructor would become an examiner if their business was unsuccessful, and to be fair in that case I understand the work to rule. To exchange being self employed for a regular job in an industry that is familiar, it must be very difficult to adjust to the demands of the government, to do more work than they anticipated when signing on the dotted line. Shame really. The tutor is torn here. They feel an obligation to support the examiner during these trying times, they also have serious ear ache from their students, who is after all a priority far greater as they pay their wages, about why they have an email on the day of the test saying due to unforeseen circumstances (unforeseen is stretching the truth, they are on work to rule) their test has been rescheduled for the week the ADI is on holiday, but it's okay you can rearrange this but it will mean a longer wait. The ADI is then left hanging for the money that the student will claim back, find a last minute cancellation and spend the claim on their phone bill ringing around to find someone else to take them, as surely it must be the instructors fault they were let down in the first place. I struggle to see this being a win win ever for the instructor as they are in direct firing line, and for every student that smiles and says it's okay it's not your fault, their will be two who secretly think it is.

91% voted in favour of strike action. That is pretty good, they must be really hacked off. They earn the same as an EO in the civil service, so not bottom of the barrel, and from my days of civil service experience, which was CA then CO, to get to EO was hard work, so not a bad pay rate to go in at. You need to be patient and tolerant, sit in a car all day, have a clear disclosure and barring, be a safe driver, have no academic qualifications, be able to write a report and see seven clients a day for an average of 40 minutes at a time. Wow sounds horrific.

AI Solutions: Ribena vs Tesco ??

AI Solutions: Ribena vs Tesco ??: Well the consumer has spoken, surely. After all isn't Tesco essentially a shop that supplies goods that people want to buy, or i...

Ribena vs Tesco ??

Well the consumer has spoken, surely. After all isn't Tesco essentially a shop that supplies goods that people want to buy, or is it now Big Brother, deciding what we should and shouldn't eat, of course there could be rather different reasons for their latest attempt at free advertising.

Controversy has surrounded Tesco since the beginning of 2015, when a pre-tax loss of £6.38 bn was recorded, which is not the headlines one would want. So now they have marched on with banning products to save our children's teeth? Stop childhood obesity? Seriously? If only I had realised it was that easy when I studied nutrition.

There are of course more simple explanations. Cartons provide less profit.

Hitting the headlines, however misguided the effort is, you seriously wouldn't want to be in charge of media relations right now, is important for someone suffering the blow of the massive cut in share value.

Tesco Extra stores thrive on the confectionery market, so plenty of sugar there. With confectionery in abundance. So really what can this type of media headlining do for the company? Get support from anti-sugar campaigners, or encourage the public in by stopping the supply of a brand that everyone in the UK has known for all of their lives.

My understanding of a store is it stocks items you want to buy, otherwise what is the point.

Of course there are two risks with this announcement, after all they could have just stopped selling them and said nothing. Ribena sales will rise, Tesco profits will stumble further than before as we all head off to Sainsbury's and Asda who are selling the items we want to buy.

Net Mum's are talking about babies having Ribena, well in the 1980's our children had - shock horror - Baby Ribena, Rosehip syrup and a teaspoon of sugar in their formula. How did they survive, this is of course the gym bunny generation right now. They also have better teeth.

We need sugar in our diet.

We need moderation too.

Tesco will not save the world by dictating to us.

Sedentary animals live longer, that's a worry for the powers that be if we continue to graze our way through the food cupboards.

AI Solutions: Dinosaur Driver Training

AI Solutions: 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 me...

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.

Changes to the Driving Test

There's a whisper, it is only a whisper that once the trials are completed it is unlikely implementation will take place. As there will be a consultation it is unlikely to find enough support unless it is not well advertised. If 100 people take part and they can all be DFT staff and 60 say yes it will be approved. However it is likely the press will run with this story more prolifically because it sells newspapers, with voting on line making it easy to take part it may cause more of a furore than previous voting efforts.  Of course this in expected to be a 2017 vote thereby clashing with the more popular referendum of whether the UK remains in the EU.

The DFT announced cuts of £545m, the fact that nearly the same amount is being taken from business, innovation and skills is bad news for the small business owner, directly in conflict with the Tort party declaring they are the supporter of small businesses. As these cuts will be spread across all DFT departments rather than one target area, the DVSA will come in line for yet more trimming, this may affect the decision to train more examiners for the new test, or just be the inroad to privatisation of the driving test.

Although there is a tweak to the manoeuvres in the new test it hardly reflects real driving. if you cannot drive through one bay and park in another, or reverse into a bay directly behind you. Although the statement is that killing someone while reversing at slow speed is unlikely and therefore the manoeuvres lose importance, surely it's about demonstrating skill in both directions. To take turn in the road from the test seems a little strange. The original manoeuvre was introduced to the test because of the missed observations and associated risk when performing this, in today's traffic this is still something that needs to be learned. There have been several fatal accidents in recent years, one involved a grandmother with her two grandchildren in the car, she turned the car around without sufficient observations and a van drove straight into the side of her car, she suffered serious injuries and the children were killed. Mistakes do happen but this is a common way to turn the car around in built up areas.

If the UK leaves the EU the pressure to tackle road death is relieved and along with that the compulsory conformity.  If we stay then there will be an intention to enforce mandatory road safety changes, but the Government will want to weigh up the cost, as they are looking to make cuts across all public services of £4.5 bn.