As Christmas approaches, driving safely becomes more important – people are rushing around trying to buy presents, it gets dark earlier, the number of drink-drivers rises and the weather doesn’t help conditions.

Here are Britannia’s top tips for driving this Christmas:

– Give plenty of time for your journey, there will be a lot of cars on the roads and journey times will be longer.
– Don’t drive whilst tired and take regular breaks.
– Do not drink and drive, if you are going to a Christmas party and plan to drink, leave your car at home and arrange another mode of transport.
– Check your brakes and tyres before a journey as well as your anti-freeze in case of frost.
– Carry a hot flask and a blanket in case of a breakdown.
– Check traffic and weather updates for road closures and extreme weather conditions.

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Safe driving from Britannia!

Volkswagen UK and dance music act Underworld have produced a smartphone app titled ‘Play the Road’ and subtitled ‘Driving music reinvented’ – the way you drive generates the music you listen to in your car. The driving speed, engine RPM, acceleration, steering and GPS location parameter are used to generate the music in real time.

The data is collected from the Volkswagen GTI’s onboard computer and is combined with sensory data from the accelerometer, gyroscope and GPS of the smartphone.

Currently the app isn’t available for purchase, Volkswagen is using the app as a basis of a competition where drivers can enter to compose music by driving around a special course.

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Learning to drive can be an extremely daunting experience. Not only does getting behind the wheel of a car come with a great deal of responsibility, it also demands skill, and involves learning and remembering the Highway Code. This bombardment of information can be difficult for a learner driver to take in, and necessities the expertise of an experienced, calm and trustworthy driving instructor.

Driving schools provide access to experienced instructors who can teach you to be a confident and competent driver! Whether you have decided to take an intensive driving course, you require automatic driving lessons or you simply want some guidance on taking your theory test – driving schools are the answer!

Britannia Driving School is the most recognized brand of driving schools in the UK, providing a wealth of resources for learner drivers! If you are looking for driving lessons in London, Wimbledon, Guildford or Croydon then take a look at the Britannia website – https://www.britannia-driving-school.com/.

The Britannia driving instructors are polite, calm, understanding and licensed by the DSA (Driving Standards Agency). You can choose whether you would prefer a male or female instructor, and whether to learn in an automatic or manual dual-controlled car. So what are you waiting for? Make the first steps to passing your test today by contacting Britannia Driving Schools!

As much as we hate to admit it, the winter months are here. Although here at Britannia it seems like mere weeks ago we were last giving out advice for safe driving in snowy months, it is that time of year again, yet the dangers of driving in colder conditions are no less apparent.

One error many drivers make is the lack of maintenance on their vehicle in the colder months. However if you do not look after your car, especially during this period when conditions are at their harshest, then you are doing a disservice to your vehicle and in return, don’t be surprised if it fails to work when you need it most.

One of the most common errors we have seen here at Britannia is the deterioration of air-conditioning in the post-winter months. This is one issue that many drivers seem unaware of, but air-conditioning works at its best when it is in frequent and regular use – therefore it is necessary to keep using it throughout the winter too.

Although we know that a blast of cold air is the last thing you want when you step into your car on these bitterly cold mornings, try to allow just a couple of minutes a day to give your AC the TLC it requires. If you fail to do this, then the lack of use your air conditioning unit has endured throughout winter will lead to a possible failure to operate at its best performance… and probably just in time for the blazing summer of 2014.

Safe driving this winter from Britannia!

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There have been a number of accidents in recent weeks involving cyclists with a number of motorists calling cyclists to observe certain safety measures. Many cyclists have been caught breaking road laws – most notably by jumping a red light. Bystanders of the accident in which a cyclist in Croydon was killed saw the cyclist blocking the bus’s right of way. This is common behaviour among many bike commuters.

On the other hand, cyclists have raised uproar at the behaviour towards cyclists by other road users. Earlier this year, Emma Way, was convicted of driving offences after a collision with a cyclist which she then tweeted about.

One thing both arguments have in common is that much change is needed to improve the safety of cyclists on roads.

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A road safety group known as Brake have suggested that mobile phones should be turned off whilst driving, and even hands-free mobile sets should be banned from use in the car.

The controversial statement comes after an evaluation of the issue gave results implying that anyone using the phone behind the wheel, to any degree, posed a supposedly similar threat to those driving whilst intoxicated by alcohol.

It also indicated that drivers can, regardless of responsibility when driving, become involved in “horrific” accidents simply through the sheer carelessness of using a mobile device when behind the wheel.

The use of mobile phones when driving was banned over a decade ago, yet the problem persists to this day, remaining, if not growing as a threat to road users, with more drivers on UK roads now than ever before in history, and with mobile phones now much more popular than they were ten years ago.

Some even call for action to be taken as extreme as having it illegal for a river to have a mobile on their person when in the driving seat, suggesting that instead phones should be turned off and placed in the boot for the duration of the journey.

What are your thoughts on this article? Sound off in the comments section below!

Safe driving from Britannia!