We have been working with helmet mounted camera systems to see if instructor training material can be produced.

News from the DSA and the European Commission.....

The Theory Test is being extended further to include yet more questions and will still include the hazard awareness test. This takes the form of a series of video clips in which you will have to look for and identify the hazard. The earlier you spot the developing hazard, the higher your score, (unless you see it too early, see below).

We advise you not go into the Theory Test without some prior preparation. It is not always as simple as it looks. The timeframe in the video in which you click a mouse button to signify you have spotted the hazard is quite small. It is possible to spot and click on a hazard too early and so outside the timeframe programmed into the video software, and score no marks even though you spotted the hazard. The general advice given is to spot the hazard, take a breath, and then click. We recommend the multi-media products produced by Focus Multimedia

The test has been likened to a video game by some within instructor circles, and the Driving Instructors Association, (DIA) is quite critical of the testing process, citing the fact that it teaches a reactive approach to hazards rather than a pro-active approach. They also feel that the limitations of video and display technology means that it is little more than a simulation. However, research into wide-angle 3D display such as used for flight simulators is being carried out. It is telling that some very experienced driving instructors failed the Hazard Perception Test when the DSA forced them to undergo the test or face losing their licence to instruct. Most of those that passed at the second attempt merely changed their technique rather than swot up more.....

DSA Test fees have risen again, with further rises in the pipeline, mainly to generate enough cash to help with the implementation of new EC regulations as described below....

There is an EC requirement that separate braking, manoeuvring and swerving exercises be made part of the Practical Test.

DSA intend to implement the extra testing by setting up so-called "super centres" that include facilities for truck and other classes of test. We fear that if it comes in, the UK may lose many smaller training centres and riders will have to travel a lot further to take training for this extra requirement. DSA criteria mean that some riders will have a 40 mile round-trip plus test mileage and time. Nice in winter if you get the first test of the day or nice in the pouring rain....

Originally, implementation was due in 2005 and DSA asked for a 3 year delay, citing problems with implementation, mainly due to the need to find suitable testing areas. DSA have so far only opened a few of these so-called "super centres" out of the thirty or so it identified as needed. Several sites have been rejected as the traffic in nearby towns is too heavy to conduct tests in an allotted time slot. Rumour has it that DSA have been quietly asking about short-term leases on land to give them some breathing space to build up the rest of the centres required.

The trouble is that many UK agencies have a reputation for "gold-plating" EU regulations, whilst other EU members seem to quietly ignore them or implement more imaginative solutions requiring fewer resources....

It was hoped that the next review of driver licensing regulations will side-step the manoeuvring exercises by allowing DSA to implement other arrangements, however..... .

Even more trouble is brewing as now the EU want to interfere with the ages at which people can ride bikes and take Direct Access courses. This has a proposed implementation date of 2011. Both lobby and trade organisations have started to lobby hard to de-rail this nonsense. The thing that has really fired opposition is that what the EU proposes does nothing to address the issues covered in the report MAIDS (Motorcycle Accidents In Depth Study) http://maids.acembike.org/ funded by the EU! Talk about lack of joined up thinking.....

You can view the consultation document on the test changes for 2008 here: http://www.dsa.gov.uk/pdf/consult/Delivering_new_motorcycling_test_summary.pdf if you wish. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required . (File size 812k).

The view of many instructors is that the off-road braking and swerving tests will prove to be nothing more than a "jump through the hoops" type exercise with little real benefit to everyday riding. (It is a pity that the collective resources deployed to head off the new EU licencing directive were not deployed to head off these extra tests). Time spent on these exercises would be better spent on hazard awareness and defensive riding. In order for any skills to be useful, they have to be practised repeatedly and then kept in regular use. Defensive road use is a skill we all practice every day when we are out and about.

How many of us regularly practice swerving around objects or emergency braking procedures? How many of us could perform such manoeuvres under the high-stress situation that arises when a vehicle obstructs our right of way? The emergency stop has been taught and practised on training courses for many years. Yet, I find many riders, even those who are looking to become instructors, fail to perform this task properly. Why? Lack of practice is one reason. However, if they cannot perform the task in the relatively low-stress environment of a test situation, how will they perform under real emergency situations?

Having spent a lot of time in Sweden, the spiritual home of brake & swerve, I cannot say it really makes any difference to observable rider behaviour. I have observed riders going into situations without planning and dealing with it in plenty of time to avoid the need for sudden hasty manoeuvres performed under high-stress conditions. And they still ride too close to the rear of other vehicles and overtake in the face of oncoming traffic. Well, that was the equivalent of £1000 to pass their bike test well spent then....

As a single track vehicle, two wheelers do not like to be hauled off course violently or braked hard. There are too many other factors outside the direct control of riders, such as road surface, reactions of other road users and traffic densities that make braking and swerving a recipe for making a bad situation worse. More widespread adoption of ABS braking coupled with real improvements in road-user behaviour could help more. There is anecdotal evidence that BMW Motorcycles UK have had less call for breakable items on models fitted with ABS. Braking and swerving also appears to ignore the real world experience where cornering and overtaking crashes account for many fatalities.

Compulsory Daytime Lights

One thing on the European front that is causing concern is the decision by manufacturers to effectively bring in compulsory daytime lights for bikes, (along with cars). This is despite there being no evidence to support the claim that it improves road safety. Our transport minister has made noises about the UK side-stepping this but the UK has not got much of a record for telling the EU where to get off. There have been some indications that this might have been put on the back-burner a bit, but we understand several manufacturers outside of the Volvo \ SAAB camp are fitting these anyway, Audi being one, using a line of LED's...

For a very personal view on this, go here

What is more likely is that manufacturers want to cut costs and reduce the number of features that they have to cater for in different EU markets. The BMF is opposing this measure for a variety of reasons. You can read more about this in the "Lobby" section on the bmf website. The BMF find it unsatisfactory that car drivers will have what is effectively a "lights cancel switch", yet riders seem not to be deemed able to have or use such a facility. Reading between the lines, lights will automatically come on and you have to then switch them off, so most users will just leave the lights on. However, I get the feeling that it is a "lost cause", as the potential problems caused by the EU interfering in licencing and testing again may be seen as a bigger issue and so resources directed to that end.

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