There appears to be an alarming new trend emerging whereby drivers are taking to the road without having passed their driving test, as according to the results of a recent study, 13% of drivers in Britain know someone who is getting behind the wheel without passing their test.The survey was carried out by car insurance price comparison website, GoCompare.com, which found that 20% of those who hadn’t taken their driving test revealed they hadn’t done so because they couldn’t afford to.In figures released by the Department of Transport, between April and August of this year fewer than 640,000 driving tests were taken, signalling a significant fall of 5% in the number of driving tests being taken during this period compared to the exact time frame last year.The huge rise in the cost of motoring, including spiralling fuel and car insurance costs, has been blamed for deterring drivers from taking their driving test. Young drivers are also being worst hit by the hike in car insurance with annual cover for a 20 year old male costing over £4,000 according to figures from the second quarter of 2011.Car insurance price comparison website, GoCompare.com, described the practice of not taking a driving test as a “shocking new trend” with one in eight people estimated to know someone who is currently driving without a valid licence.

A pensioner from Aldershot has been banned from driving after racially abusing another driver. Mr Fitzpatrick aged 65 was found guilty of racially aggravated harassment.

Witnesses told courts that Mr Fitzpatrick has been constantly braking in front of the victim causing him to keep breaking. When the other driver finally overtook using the bus lane, Mr Fitzpatrick decided to follow him. Both drivers came to a stop and Mr Fitzpatrick was heard racially abusing the driver, threatening to kill him and grapping his car keys off him.

Madeleine Di Matteo, defending Fitzpatrick stated that he was the sole carer of his ex-wife who is very unwell and not mobile, he was using his ex-wife’s mobility car at the time of the incident and by banning him from driving, her quality of life would be severely impacted.

However, Mr Fitzpatrick has history of four similar offences, one only taking place in February this year. Based on this he incurred a £230 fine, £100 in costs and has been banned from driving for 12 months.

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A woman who caused another woman’s death by careless driving has walked free from court.

Ms Olayemi originally from Nigeria crashed her car into a bus shelter, killing a devoted mum aged 44 and injuring her nine-year –old son.

Olayemi has only held her driving licence from 2009 and passed on the fourth attempt. There were nine people at the bus stop that day and the outcome of her driving could have been very different.

Miss Scott’s family and neighbours of Ms Olayemi are outraged at the Judge’s decision, after he imposed a 12 month community order with 240 hours unpaid work and a 12 month driving ban. Miss Scott’s father said “life is worth crap”. She was also given 60 hour unpaid work when she was sentenced for stealing clothes the day she was charged.

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The new iPhone 4S is making it possible for motorists to legally text while driving in Iowa. The Department of Public Safety says Iowa’s ban on texting while driving does not apply to Siri, Apple’s new virtual assistant.Features like Siri or any of the similar voice-command applications let users tell their phone what to text. Captain Mike Winter is with the Iowa State Patrol.“We do have a law banning texting while driving, however if you do have a handheld electronic device that’s voice operated and hands-free, which allows you to either write, read or sent a text message without using either hand, you can use that device in your vehicle,” Winter explained.Motorists so be aware, however, once they pick up the phone to check spelling or dictation, they’re no longer hands-free and in violation of the ban. An exemption to the texting ban notes sending a text message through voice command is allowed, so long as you only touch the phone to turn that feature on and off.“As long as you’re hands-free, you’re okay,” Winter said. “There’s an exemption in the law which lets you activate or deactivate a feature or function on that kind of device.” Motorists caught texting while driving in Iowa can face a $30 fine, but with court costs added, the full bill could be $100.

Rubbernecking describes the act of gazing at something of interest. In the driving sense rubbernecking refers to drivers slowing down to view a traffic accident or something unusual.

Research has shown that rubbernecking can in turn contribute to other road traffic accidents. It can also cause huge delays as traffic flow is affected. Drivers will then often find that once they have passed the accident the road is clear and many drivers then take this opportunity to speed in order to make up time. This of course is something else resulting from rubbernecking that could lead to an accident.

It is human nature to be curious so it is not just drivers who want to view the aftermath of an accident but also tourists who are interested in sights that are new or unusual. However, it’s a dangerous act and its often disrespectful especially if the accident involved a fatality.

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UK motorists have been advised to keep an eye on their acceleration and power when driving during the winter months.

Simon Elstow, head of training with driver training specialist IAM Drive & Survive, has come up with a few tips to ensure people stay safe while on the roads, including maintaining a safe speed when the road is slippery, wet and cold.

He also suggested being aware of how a car applies power to the road, as the wheels of front-wheel drive vehicles spin more easily in bad weather.

“Power and acceleration are no good without control. This is especially true when drivers are faced with cold, wet and slippery conditions,” Mr Elstow remarked, adding that people should think twice about whether they really need to make their journey before setting off in icy conditions.

This comes after the new Toyota Yaris gained the top five-star rating in Euro NCAP crash testing for all-round safety performance, so motorists may want to consider investing in one if they think they’ll be doing a lot of driving in bad weather.

You here of a pile-up on the motorway and normally our first thoughts are why do drivers not keep a big enough distance between them and the cars in front but what happened on Friday 4th November was a tragic incident which resulted in 7 people losing their life.

The 34-vehicle pile-up left 51 people injured and seven people dead and is thought to be the work collision on British roads since 1991. Mr Craker, who was involved in the pile-up commented on the road conditions and said “It was like someone turned out the lights. I have never seen anything like it. It was like a wall of pitch black fog…there was one car in front of us, then suddenly it was black and the car disappeared. We might as well have been blindfolded”

The pile-up involved so many vehicles including heavy duty vehicles which led to a fireball on the carriageway, this made it incredibly difficult for the emergency services and other individuals to help. But the bravery that members of the public showed was inspiring, with less impacted drivers and passengers pulling people out of burning vehicles and taking them to safety.

The police are doing their best to understand the accident and to hold accountable anyone that may have contributed to the awful road conditions that day. Taunton Rugby Club had held a bonfire and fireworks event nearby and it is thought the smoke from this played a huge part in the fog that engulfed the M25. It was however, also dark and wet on the road. The important thing is how can we stop anything like this happening again? It is important these innocent people did not lose their lives in vain, but for now we have to let the police carry out their investigations.

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Recent research amongst 17-25 year olds found that learning to drive was perceived as better value for money than getting a degree.

More than 30% of respondents said learning to drive offered the best value for money, with around 25% saying a deposit for a house was important and 18% who opted for a degree. Buying a car, travelling and being fashionable were also important.

Could the younger generation be right? With university fees sky high and the housing market so unstable, learning to drive could be seen as the best value for money. It could in turn increase job opportunities, as holding a driving licence is often required, it also allows individuals freedom and independence.

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Car insurance provider, Esure, estimate that 2.7 million drivers on UK roads are putting themselves and other road users in danger by driving with bad eyesight.According to insurer Esure who carried out the study, 2.7 million drivers admitted they’d probably fail their driving test if they were to take it again because of their poor eyesight, with 50% of those questioned by the insurer revealing their eyesight had deteriorated since the time they’d first taken their driving test.The insurance provider discovered that the number of drivers banned from the roads as a result of poor eyesight in 2009 stood at just over 4,000 which is a significant jump of over 50% compared to just three years previously when 1,597 drivers were banned in 2006 as a result of poor eyesight.42% of respondents who took part in the Esure study revealed they squint in order to read road signs, while 28% even ask their passenger to read the signs out for them. Despite the shocking admissions, 43% of those polled said they felt confident they’d be able to pass the distance reading aspect of the driving test if they were re-tested.Another 24% of drivers who took part in the Esure poll admitted to getting behind the wheel without wearing their prescription glasses.Insurance experts believe the results of the study are extremely worrying as driving with poor eyesight can lead to an increase in accidents, and a rise in the cost of insurance premiums for those involved in any claims.

Death by dangerous driving is a recognised crime and the consequence is a jail sentence, but what about victims that are seriously injured.

Under proposals being discussed in the next parliamentary session, the new offence ‘causing serious injury by dangerous driving’ will allow judges to impose tougher sentences, anywhere up to five years imprisonment.

Victims of dangerous drivers, their families, along with road safety groups and MPs have all had a lot to say on the matter and their experiences have directly informed the changes.

Dangerous drivers need to realise the damage they cause to those around them, five people died on our roads each day last year, all drivers need to take action and be responsible drivers.

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