Driving Standards Agency - Driving Standards

[Stevenj214]

DSA said:

DSA aims to:

• improve road safety
• provide fair tests within an acceptable timescale and which keep to a nationwide standard
• provide a national network of test centres
• make sure high and consistent standards are used in assessing drivers and driving instructors throughout Great Britain
• promptly tell candidates their results, and arrange for driving licences to be issued automatically when this is appropriate
• provide constructive feedback at the end of each practical test
• provide value for money
• treat all customers in a polite and helpful way at all times
• run an efficient, user–friendly service to book tests
• handle enquiries and complaints promptly and efficiently
• work closely with business and trade associations to improve our services to the public

No mention of any aim to actually improve the standard of driving in this country.

Institutional failure or not within their remit?

[Stevenj214]

In fact, reading through them again, the bullet points could be condensed into:

• improve road safety
• administer driving tests

Surely the Driving Standards Agency should be responsible for more than that?

[vonhosen]

Stevenj214 said:

DSA said:

DSA aims to:

• improve road safety
• provide fair tests within an acceptable timescale and which keep to a nationwide standard
• provide a national network of test centres
• make sure high and consistent standards are used in assessing drivers and driving instructors throughout Great Britain
• promptly tell candidates their results, and arrange for driving licences to be issued automatically when this is appropriate
• provide constructive feedback at the end of each practical test
• provide value for money
• treat all customers in a polite and helpful way at all times
• run an efficient, user–friendly service to book tests
• handle enquiries and complaints promptly and efficiently
• work closely with business and trade associations to improve our services to the public

No mention of any aim to actually improve the standard of driving in this country.

Institutional failure or not within their remit?

Does that not fall under 'improve road safety' then ?

[Stevenj214]

vonhosen said:

Does that not fall under 'improve road safety' then ?

Considering that the points on how they administer specific parts of the service have been broken down in such detail, I would have thought 'improving road safety' would deserve a bit more of a breakdown.

These points are the strategic focus of the agency. Improving road safety could, and I imagine probably does, include some element of raising standards but without it being specified the actual decision makers may not feel obliged to give it as much focus as it maybe should have.

Edited to add: If someone wished to 'spin' the achievements of the DSA, they can currently achieve 10 out of 11 (91%) of their stated aims without even glancing at 'improving road safety'.

Edited by Stevenj214 on Saturday 31st December 11:40

[king arthur]

How do you measure the standard of driving if not by safety? What other measure is there that it should be judged by?

[Stevenj214]

king arthur said:

How do you measure the standard of driving if not by safety? What other measure is there that it should be judged by?

How about measures based on driving offences for one? A driving offence is not always unsafe. Would it be way out there to suggest a possible aim of the DSA could be:

• reduce the frequency of road traffic offences by providing high levels of driver education

[vonhosen]

So what was the introduction of CPC & CPD about ?
What is the modernisation of driver training programme about ?
etc etc

[R0G]

vonhosen said:

So what was the introduction of CPC & CPD about ?
What is the modernisation of driver training programme about ?
etc etc

CPC? - if you mean the driver cpc then that is not about on the road driving

I fail to see how any improvement can be made unless we have a much longer graduated licence process or compulsory post basic test training/assessment system

[king arthur]

Stevenj214 said:

How about measures based on driving offences for one? A driving offence is not always unsafe.

I can't think of any off hand, give me an example of one.

[Stevenj214]

vonhosen said:

So what was the introduction of CPC & CPD about ?

Implementation of an EU directive.

vonhosen said:

What is the modernisation of driver training programme about ?

Care to provide a link for this? Google isn't being very helpful.

[vonhosen]

R0G said:

vonhosen said:

So what was the introduction of CPC & CPD about ?
What is the modernisation of driver training programme about ?
etc etc

CPC? - if you mean the driver cpc then that is not about on the road driving

I fail to see how any improvement can be made unless we have a much longer graduated licence process or compulsory post basic test training/assessment system

SAFED ?
Defensive driving techniques ?

http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail...

[Stevenj214]

king arthur said:

Stevenj214 said:

How about measures based on driving offences for one? A driving offence is not always unsafe.

I can't think of any off hand, give me an example of one.

I was suggesting a measure of all driving offences. There is a gap between mandatory driver training and education (passing your test) and police enforcement of poor driving.

[vonhosen]

Stevenj214 said:

vonhosen said:

So what was the introduction of CPC & CPD about ?

Implementation of an EU directive.

One designed to raise standards.

Stevej214 said:

vonhosen said:

What is the modernisation of driver training programme about ?

Care to provide a link for this? Google isn't being very helpful.

http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/dsa-despatch-2011/dsa-despatch-november2011.pdf

[R0G]

vonhosen said:

SAFED ?
Defensive driving techniques ?

http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail...

They are only a very very expensive option - uptake super low

[vonhosen]

R0G said:

vonhosen said:

SAFED ?
Defensive driving techniques ?

http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail...

They are only a very very expensive option - uptake super low

But it's in CPC & CPC is the full spectrum. I'm aware of people taking those options for training.

[R0G]

vonhosen said:

But it's in CPC & CPC is the full spectrum. I'm aware of people taking those options for training.

Any aspect of on road training is not compulsory in the dcpc

It was compulsory in one of the original options for the directive but the UK rejected it

[RJP001]

Don't forget the DCPC is for driving commercially. So it's to improve the "standards" of those who already drive for a living and in general, probably already have a better standard of driving than many car users. The DCPC for LGV mainly covers securing of loads and checking for immigrants anyway rather than the driving itself.

[vonhosen]

R0G said:

vonhosen said:

But it's in CPC & CPC is the full spectrum. I'm aware of people taking those options for training.

Any aspect of on road training is not compulsory in the dcpc

It was compulsory in one of the original options for the directive but the UK rejected it

None of that alters the purpose of CPC. Everybody will have a different idea about what they could/should do, but the fact remains that CPC is about raising standards. As with anything individuals may try to circumvent it by trying to incur as little cost as possible to themselves. There's nothing new in that.

[vonhosen]

RJP001 said:

Don't forget the DCPC is for driving commercially. So it's to improve the "standards" of those who already drive for a living and in general, probably already have a better standard of driving than many car users. The DCPC for LGV mainly covers securing of loads and checking for immigrants anyway rather than the driving itself.

We see plenty of poor driving on our roads by PCV & LGV drivers. As they drive for a living (& therefore spend long periods on our roads while others are driving desks) it seems quite sensible to promote high standards in 'professional' drivers.

[MKnight702]

king arthur said:

Stevenj214 said:

How about measures based on driving offences for one? A driving offence is not always unsafe.

I can't think of any off hand, give me an example of one.

I'm pretty sure that speeding counts as an offence. Personally, I don't think that exceeding the 70mph speed limit on a clear motorway at 4am on a dry summers morning in a well maintained vehicle is by definition unsafe. Perhaps it is, perhaps the speed kills mantra is correct and if I drive at 71mph all 4 tryes will explode, the doors will fall off and I will have a heart attack, however, having happily driven at 130mph on an Autobahn I'm pretty sure all that will happen is I will use more fuel and arrive sooner.