When you are driving you need to be alert all the time. Unfortunately, one of the things we see happening, time and time again, is that people lose focus after they have been driving for some time. It’s always better to be a confident driver than a nervous driver. A confident driver is ready and prepared for situations.

If you become a driver that looses their concentration after a while though, then is when accidents happen. We need to be alert and prepared. One must remember to look at their blind spots, use the right lights, change lanes effectively and be able to deal with other unruly road drivers. When you come across another road user who is acting irrational, ie. wanting to race you, remember it’s never worth it. It is best to stay calm and let them go on their way. If you think they are a hazard to other road users, then you should call the police when you are in a safe and convenient place.

Most of us can get a little relaxed when we are stuck in rush-hour traffic and exercising our use of clutch control. But remember that motorcyclists can come up by the side of you. So when you move off remember to check your mirrors. There could be an ambulance or police car that needs to get through. If so, stay calm and look where the place to move is.

Remember to always be alert when driving.

The Olympic lanes between Heathrow and London officially opened today, causing delays and confusion.

Many other Olympic lanes in and around London are marked up and ready to use but have yet to be opened. With drivers facing £130 fines, drivers were battling to get out of the lanes on the A4 and the A40 despite the restrictions yet to come into force.

With athletes, their trainers, families and equipment due to start arriving in London today in preparation for the Games, buses and other forms of transport need quick and easy access.

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A young woman known as Lauren Smee, aged just 21 lost her life when she followed sat nav directions which took her the wrong way down a dual-carriageway.

Her grieving mother said she had only held her licence for three months and as a new driver there is so much to think about when on the roads. She said: “Sat navs are a help to youngsters on the road who don’t know where they are going but young drivers have so much to think about. She believed she was doing the right thing and didn’t question it.”

A Sussex police officer followed the route Lauren had used and since then the Highway Agency has improved signage at the junction for clarity. However, the officer stated that Lauren had driven past several no entry signs and it’s likely to have been due to a lack of familiarity and a lapse in concentration.

Laurens mother Penny Smee said: “I think the use of sat navs should be included in some way in driving lessons. Young people need to be taught how to use them safely.”

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Do you remember what the road signs mean? It may have been a while since you have taken your test and as such, you may forget what the road signs  are telling you to do. Road signs are there for our benefit so it is important to pay attention to them. They let us know when there is a dead end, if we are approaching a sharp bend, they inform us about speed limits and speed bumps.

It’s easy to forget the road signs though. It’s best to continually ask yourself what they mean. You can do this when you are driving, just look at the road signs and say out what they are telling you to do. When you get home take a look over your High Way Code book again. This is the bible for the road and something you should hang onto throughout your driving career. Spend time looking over it when you can.

Knowing what the road signs mean will make you feel more confident when you come to drive. This is always a good thing.

Halfords could be the new place to sit driving tests along with fire stations, leisure centres and universities. It’s all under plans to provide a more local service to candidates.

Tests will still continue to be conducted by Driving Standards Agency examiners and most test centres will remain open.

Mike Penning the transport minister said “there has been real progress with Halfords and Mantra.”
With test routes needing to be identified and working agreements to be finalised the changes will not happen yet, but in the future we could see tests being sat at the premises of many different organisations.

Glasgow, Kettering, Manchester, Watford and Worcestershire are set to be the trial locations possibly later this year.

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Most of us are great drivers. We make sure we stick to the speed limits, we wear our seat belts, we make sure that we know our car well and as such, become safe drivers. This creates a safe driving environment for everyone else on the road and we can all enjoy our driving experience.

There is no doubt though that there is a lack of safety amongst younger drivers. Just look at the stats. We need to know how to combat this. I believe that teens learn by example. No, you can’t always be looking at how your teen drives. Yes, sometimes no matter how hard you try they will do whatever they want. This is something we have to accept. But we can teach by example.

When you have your teens in the car make a point of letting them know the importance of sticking to the speed limit. Avoid losing your temper and becoming a ratty driver. If they see you doing these things it’s likely to have an effect on them.

Teaching your children about responsible driving is important and something that we can all do.

Teen icon Justin Bieber was caught by police driving at speeds of 80mph in a 60mph zone.

A former LAPD employee who was an eyewitness said “Bieber was driving like a maniac. He was weaving in and out of traffic…I would have arrested him for reckless driving.”

Bieber told cops he was trying to escape from paparazzi, the second time he was pulled over that day, a car carrying photographers were also pulled over for speeding. He was driving his Fisker Karma Hybrid at the time, as the name suggests maybe it was Karma for the paps that were following him and causing him grief.

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Research has shown that an ever increasing gap in the market has allowed companies to produce car manuals that can be viewed on Pc’s.

The manuals will include the top 50 most popular cars, which will cover a large variety of how to and maintenance tips and videos to help customers to maintain their beloved cars.
 
The online manuals will be widely available once mass produced and will include cars such as the Mini and Ford Fiesta.

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With reduced budgets some of us are looking to go on vacation at home this year. Whilst we may feel a bit gutted that the Algarve and the Bahamas may be out of reach this year,  don’t despair.

There are so many great things to see in the UK. Of course there are the major cities, Leeds, Liverpool and London. But then there are places we might not think about going to. What about Edinburgh or Dublin? You can get to these cities relatively cheaply by flying on local airlines like, Flybe, Jet2 and EasyJet. Going on sites like Airbnb or Googling cheap hotels, you should be able to find some good deals.

Then there are other beautiful places like St Ives, Blackpool and Stratford upon Avon. Sure, the weather may not be great but there is plenty of other things to see and do. Taking the time to visit the sites of Britsol and the rich history in Oxford is a lot of fun.

If you are planning on driving to these cities, take the time to plan your route. Check how much parking will be at your hotel. See if the car park is safe and secure too. You may want to have a look at taking a train or coach to certain place. Booking trains in advance work out to  be cheaper, and sometimes a lot cheaper, then booking them on the day.

We wish you happy summer travels!

There are plans for a new magnetic plate similar to that of the “L” or “P” plate to be introduced to the Highway Code and it will display a black “F”.

It would be used to show drivers on the roads, cars that are following a funeral procession. More often than not when family and friends are following a hearse and the family cars other road users do not know who is with the procession and who is not.

We all want to show our respect but it’s hard to know who belongs in the line up, this is an easy solution that would hopefully take away any further stress to the bereaved.

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