A new app for Sprint Android users is available for just $2 a month and is thought to save lives.

The app locks your phone when you are driving over 10mph and alerts parents or spouse when it has been locked. The app determines your speed by using GPS and cell tower triangulation, the phone then automatically locks. If you were using the phone for a call or text, this will be suspended immediately.

In America cell phones are thought to contribute to 25 percent of all car accidents and parents of younger drivers in particular are welcoming this app.

It is thought the app will become available for BlackBerry users amongst other operating systems in the coming months.

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NEWCASTLE United star Nile Ranger has been arrested on suspicion of drink driving.And cops have revealed that bizarrely the Toon ace’s customised Land Rover was driven away while he was being arrested.
Northumbria Police said: “While officers were speaking to the man outside of the vehicle, the Range Rover drove off from the scene.
“Officers stopped the vehicle nearby and two further men, aged 18 and 21, were arrested for being carried by a motor vehicle taken without consent and TWOC.”
Ranger, 20, was bailed pending the results of a blood test after he was stopped by cops.
The 21-year-old man was charged with drink-driving and driving with no insurance. The 18-year-old will face no further action.
Earlier today, Ranger posted on his Twitter account: “Lifes Too Short To Worry About Things.”
He also revealed that he was going to get a new tattoo on his elbow.
The troubled striker was arrested two weeks ago on suspicion of assault after a 33-year-old was found unconscious outside a pub.
Ranger has been linked to a number of clubs after falling out with club bosses.
In May he was forced to apologise after The Sun revealed a picture of him striking a gangster pose with a replica handgun.
On Friday he posted pictures of his black and white customised Range Rover on his Twitter account.
It features the word “Ranger” on the bonnet in official Range Rover lettering.

The Court of Appeal have been handed a case where a civil servant who caused death by dangerous driving was only given a 16-month jail sentence which is thought to be too lenient.

Mr Warnock crashed into a car back in 2009 and killed the 20 year old driver instantly and seriously injured the passenger. He also found himself in hospital for a number of weeks after the accident.

One witness is claimed to have said “The noise (of the engine) was scary fast. It made me feel that something was going to happen”.  Gerry Simpson QC who is appealing the sentence on behalf of the Director of Public Prosecutions claimed that Mr Warnock was driving on the wrong side of the road before the accident occurred and this was an aggravating factor.

However, Mr Warnock’s barrister Adrian Colton told the court that he has completed the victim impact course in prison and enlisted for the restorative justice programme.

The courts reserved their decision and his barrister went on to say it’s unfortunate that on this one occasion a man of worth, and integrity made a error of judgment and acted out of character.

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Sky Sports presenter Georgie Thompson was banned from the road for 19 months yesterday after she admitted drink-driving.The glamorous ex-girlfriend of TV host Dec Donnelly was more than twice the legal limit when she was breath-tested by police last month.They pulled her over outside her flat in Chelsea, London, after they saw her hit another car as she tried to reverse park her Porsche Cayman in the early hours of August 22.Thompson, 33, pleaded guilty at West London Magistrates’ Court yesterday.The court heard police officers started to follow her car near her home at around 2.30am when they noticed the Porsche was “travelling at speed”.After witnessing the parking incident – which didn’t cause any damage to the other car – they decided to speak to the driver.The officer who approached Thompson noticed that her eyes were glazed and her speech was slurred. He decided to do a roadside breath-test.The court heard Thompson registered 76mg of alcohol per 100 millilitres.The legal limit is 35mg. Martyn Levett, defending, said Thompson, who has been with Sky Sports for 10 years, was a “hard-working, sensible and reliable person”.Fine He added: “I would like to apologise on behalf of my client.”Deputy district judge Robert Morgan-Jones told Thompson: “I give you full credit for your early guilty plea.”But he added: “I’m required to ban you from driving – and it is a relatively high reading, which means I have extended the ban.”The judge said the ban could be reduced by four months if Thompson attended a driver rehabilitation course.He also ordered Thompson to pay a £1000 fine and £100 costs.As the sentence was passed, Thompson folded her arms.When asked if she understood, she nodded her head and said: “Absolutely.”Thompson, who split from Donnelly at Easter after two years together, left the court without co

When driving a vehicle, drivers have many different signalling devices to communicate with other road users.

Indicators are amber in colour. They are located at the side of the car, two at the front and two at the back. They show your intended change of direction. You should ensure you indicate in plenty of time and cancel the signal once you have completed the manoeuvre.

Hazard lights cause all indicators on the car to flash, a driver would use their hazards to warn drivers of a hazard, whether it be your own vehicle or an obstacle in the road.

Brake lights inform other road users that you are slowing down, although brake lights are brighter than standard rear lights, you still need to pay close attention to cars slowing down.

Flashing your headlights should only be done to warn other road users of your presence. They are not there to intimidate other road users or to communicate with other drivers.

Your reverse light will be a single light or two lights at the back of the vehicle which indicates to other drivers that you are set to reverse.

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Many drivers do not anticipate a bend in the road and how this will affect their driving.

Too many drivers take a bend too fast when they need to consider how tight the bend is, will they need to reduce their speed and when will they need to do this, otherwise drivers behind will not know of their intentions.

As you drive towards a bend it is good practice to check your mirrors.

The way to approach a bend is to slow down sufficiently before the bend so you can come of the brakes as you enter the corner. You can then accelerate gently during the bend if needed. This ensures that your tyres aren’t under too much pressure and reduces the risk of skidding.

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A Shrewsbury Town footballer who was caught using a mobile phone at the wheel escaped a driving ban because he said he needed his car to get to training sessions.
Reuben Hazell, 32, who signed for Shrewsbury in June, told a court that no-one was available to chauffeur him on the 110-mile round trip from his Birmingham home to the League Two club’s Greenhous Meadow stadium.
The defender claimed special hardship, saying no family member, including his uncle, former Wolves defender Bob Hazell, or colleague could give him lifts.
Hazell already had nine points on his licence, and was handed three more for using his phone while driving, which meant he could have been handed an immediate ban.
Appearing at Oldham Magistrates Court, he admitted using a mobile phone in his car at Oldham in March.
Julie Spaven, prosecuting, told the court that a police community support officer had spotted Hazell, who was then playing for Oldham Athletic, using his mobile phone while driving his Volkswagen car.
Hazell told the court his partner worked full-time for the Crown Prosecution Service so could not drive him. And the court was told there were not any trains that ran close to the club’s ground and he could not afford to take a taxi every day.
Asked by court legal advisor Kay O’Sullivan whether he would be fired if he could not get to work, Hazell said: “I presume not, but there is no guarantee if you start missing a day of training.”
He had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing.
As well as giving Mr Hazell three points on his licence, chairman of the bench Chetana Bhatt-Shah handed the footballer a £150 fine, charged him £35 costs and imposed a £15 victims’ surcharge.

When driving you need to have continual awareness of your surroundings. By ensuring your mirrors are positioned properly, this will allow you to observe without taking your eyes of the road for more than a couple of seconds.

The brake pedal is there to help the car stop or significantly slow down, it is not to help you control speed. If you want to slow down slightly, reduce the gas or if you are travelling downhill select a lower gear to help you maintain speed.

Sitting in the driver’s seat correctly doesn’t sound too difficult yet many drivers have bad posture, by keeping an upright position you will be able to see the road clearly and have better control over the car.

Ensuring your lights are on in dark, wet or foggy conditions, but to be vigilant if using your full beams as these should only be used in remote locations with little or no light.

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WALKERS hiking up Snowdon – the highest mountain in England and Wales – were shocked to find a car, apparently driven by a Cheltenham man, parked just a few hundred yards from the summit.
Mountain rescuers yesterday branded as “dangerous” the audacity of the driver who steered the 4×4 vehicle up the 3,560ft mountain.
It is understood the Vauxhall Frontera was abandoned on Saturday morning after becoming stuck, and Cheltenham man Craig Williams has been charged following the discovery. A spokesman for North Wales Police said the charges related to driving a vehicle on common land, moorland or land which is not part of a road.
Williams, 39, of Bridgend Road, has been bailed to appear at Caernarfon Magistrates’ Court on September 16.
Llanberis Mountain Rescue said vehicles were not allowed on the mountain and that it was amazing the driver had managed to get so high.
A spokesman for Snowdonia National Park Authority added: “This sort of incident is unacceptable and shows a lack of responsibility on behalf of the individual or individuals involved.
“Along with the obvious dangers posed by this type of incident, it could cause damage to the footpath and landscape, which means added work for the footpath teams.
“In respect of the severity of the incident, the Snowdonia National Park encourage the police to take firm action against the owner of the vehicle.
When approached by the Echo last night, Mr Williams said: “You wake up one morning and you are bored and want a new challenge.
“It seems insane, doesn’t it?
“I think they are making a mountain out of a molehill.
“The intention was to drive to the top and bring it back down again.
“It looks like I’ll have to pay thousands of pounds in recovery costs.
“I can’t say a lot about what else has happened at the moment.”
Mr Williams said the incident occurred when he was on a weekend break alone.
Speaking from his home in Bridgend Road , Craig’s father, Ken Williams, 70, added: “I didn’t know anything about it until I started getting some calls today.”

Driving brings people a real sense of freedom but with it requires training, experience, patience and determination. By having lessons with a qualified instructor, you will receive the proper training, learn the requirements to pass the test and gain immense experience that you couldn’t gain through learning independently.

The more road experience you have the better, so taking additional lessons with friends of family can be beneficial as long as you are at a good standard of driving.

Learning with an instructor means you will cover many aspects of driving such as, town, countryside, dual carriageways, at night and in rainy season which you may not be confident doing with family or friends.

An instructor will be somebody that is current and up-to-date with all theory aspects. Most drivers whether you have held your licence for 20 years or not could probably do with revising the Highway Code and taking a few refresher lessons.

With an instructor you will be provided with a car which is current, reliable and fitted with dual controls. We all have moments of madness where we make silly mistakes, with the instructor’s dual controls you are safe at all times. Instructors have done extensive training which allows them to not only watch out for the driver’s techniques and errors but plan ahead to ensure all other road users and pedestrians are safe.

So why not call us at Britannia today on 0208 543 8050 and let our instructors take you on the road to freedom.

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