Have you made plans for New Year’s Eve, getting dressed up, meeting up with friends, having a few drinks…it sounds great! How are you getting home?

Many drivers admit to driving whilst drunk on New Year’s Eve and it is considered the deadliest day for alcohol related fatalities.

So what can you do to ensure you have a good evening and get home in one piece:

• Plan your journey, it sounds simple but having a clear plan of how you are getting home is the smart thing to do.
• Check public transport information or pre-book a taxi.
• Never ride as a passenger in a car driven by someone who has been drinking.
• If you encounter an impaired driver on the road, contact the police.
• Be a good host if you are having a party and offer guests alcohol-free drinks.
• Arrange meeting points for friends and family don’t rely on mobile phones.
• Most importantly DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE.

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Ann and Paul Goodrich both in their mid fifties tragically lost their lives on Christmas day after their car left the road and hit trees on the B3349 Odiham Road.

They had been travelling to visit their son, daughter and grandson when the accident occurred.

Their family were devastated when they heard the news and asked that they be left in peace to grieve at this sad time.

They did say: “We thank the emergency services, family support officer and hospital staff for their compassionate care and attention.”

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Well that’s Christmas over for another year. The year has gone so very fast indeed.

However, there’s still some more gatherings to go yet. Oh, and of course, there’s New Years. New Years is usually a time when some of us like to open a bottle of wine or pop a bottle of champagne. We might do a little dance and a sing, we’re heading into a new year!

As much as we want you to have fun, we want you to be safe too. So when you’re celebrating the rest of the holidays please think about transportation. If you are going to drink, how are you getting home?

See if you can get a lift from someone, try and arrange for a taxi, or you could sleep over at your friend’s house and use public transport the next day.

The thing to remember is that there are always options. Please don’t ever risk drink driving, we have seen what can happen.

Enjoy the rest of your holidays !

Today, The Met office has warned it will be very wet in the north of England and Scotland.

Dorset, Devon, Cornwall are the places at the greatest Risk and its advised to stay indoors.

Icy conditions were developed overnight and its very difficult to drive in these bad conditions.

Earlier Simon Bush, of Britannia Driving School recommends people in these areas to stay indoors, “During these bad conditions, I would recommend people to stay indoors and enjoy the rest of the boxing day with their loved ones”

If you’ve been affected by these conditions, we would love to hear from you.

A very merry Christmas to everyone. We hope that you’re having a fabulous day with your loved ones. Whatever you’re doing to celebrate your day we hope that it is a great one and you have a lot fun!

It’s hard to believe that a year has passed and here we are, at the Christmas table. We hope that no matter what type of year you’ve had, whether it’s been filled with trials or lots of fun, that you can take a moment to enjoy your day.

We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who has used Britannia Driving school. We’ve enjoyed teaching and we look forward to teaching more pupils in the future.

Enjoy your day!

Vera Baxter, an assistant head teacher didn’t set a very good example when she chose fashion over safety.

Baxter, ploughed into a Mercedes and narrowly avoided other vehicles when her Ugg boots became trapped under the brake pedal.

She said: “I suppose it was a freak accident – as I put my boot across the prong of the pedal it caught in the seams….I can’t tell you how terrifying it was.”

She was arrested and charged with dangerous driving after Judge Steiger said: “It was the defendant’s choice of footwear that made her unable to control the vehicle when the crisis arose.

She received a four month driving ban and was fined £350.

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Five children aged just 11 have been banned from driving by courts in the past three years and a 12 year old banned for life.

This is shocking since, they are more than five years away from legally being allowed to drive, yet have been convicted for stealing cars, dangerous driving, causing injury or damaging property in the stolen vehicle.

Despite being under 17 and not holding a provisional driving licence, they can still receive points and bans and when they do acquire a licence any further convictions will likely lead to heavier sentences.

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Study after study shows that many people are concerned when driving in the dark, there are more crashes – particularly on motorway – when there it’s night time.

Driving in the dark can seem a little overwhelming, however, to not drive in the dark because you fear it, is a great shame. Particularly now when it starts getting dark so early in the day. If you are someone who is affected by night time driving, there are many options you have to help build up your confidence and ensure you are a safe night time driver.

Firstly, seek a qualified driving instructor who can spend some time with you teaching you how to drive in the evenings. Ask to be taken on motorways and dual carriageways to help build up your confidence.

If you have a driving instructor, ask him about which lights to use and when. Or, you can do this yourself by looking through The Highway Code. It’s very important that you use the right lights.

Go somewhere quiet and practice your driving there, you may want to go with a friend for an extra bit of support.

Kay Nolan, 45 has been warned she may face a jail sentence after she knocked down a man and dog resulting in their death.

Nolan had pulled over moments earlier to type a text but only sent it once she set off again.

She hit Stuart Mather, 60 and he was then tragically struck again by a driver in a Vauxhall Astra which was behind Nolan.

Nolan was initially charged with causing death by dangerous driving but after talks with the victim’s family and showing sincere remorse, the Crown Prosecution Service accepted her guilty plea to the lesser charge of causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving.

She will be sentenced next month.

What are your thoughts on this article? Send your views to Britannia Driving School by using the comments link below:

Christmas is a great holiday. I know we all can get a little overwhelmed sometimes with buying presents and such, but it’s a great to meet with the family and shared some beautiful moments.

With the festive season though comes a lot of parties which is all fine and good. However, it’s also the case that during this period the number of drink driving offences goes up.

Meeting friends for drinks is always good and it’s very tempting to want to drive home afterwards, but it’s never ever worth the risk. Make use of public transport. If there will be a few of you, see how much a taxi will cost and book it ahead. Jumping on a bus is better than jumping in your car and risking your own life and others around you.

We hope you have a great Christmas.