The cost of starting to drive has been identified as a potential cause for putting new and younger drivers off getting behind the wheel, a new study suggests.

The rising costs of driving lessons, car insurance, tax, MOT, and of course the purchase of a car all combine to a hefty sum, one which experts suggest are likely to result in a reduced incentive for younger drivers to take to the roads.

Ways to prevent this are available, however – if you opt for a smaller car to begin with, this is likely to cost less to purchase and to insure. Also, make sure you shop around for your insurance – the premium one provider offers you may be available at a significantly cheaper rate elsewhere, so spend some time looking before jumping at the first quote you see.

Additional driving courses such as the Pass Plus are also good ways to help reduce the cost of Insurance, as is adding an older, more qualified and “safer” driver to your policy – as long as the person who drives the car most is listed as the “named” driver, to prevent the possibility of being penalised for Insurance fraud – which could end up far more costly than an expensive premium.

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Many drivers, particularly those of a younger generation, are facing a new threat whilst behind the wheel – that of the distraction of technology.

Whilst elder drivers may have only had to deal with a limited number of friends and family in the passenger seats, it seems that drivers in more recent years have a whole new social circle to contend with when driving, via their mobile phones and social networking.

It is often reported how dangerous it can be to use your phone when driving, as this is likely to distract your attention and put yourself and others in danger, however this is mostly related to being on a phone-call or texting when behind the wheel. The more recent reality is that people with Smart phones are actually much more likely to spend longer on sites such as Facebook and Twitter than they do calling or texting any more – meaning that social networking whilst driving has become a much more dangerous threat.

When you are behind the wheel, you are responsible for the lives of not only yourself and your passengers, but other road users and even pedestrians around you. Using your mobile phone, be it for calling, texting, or social networking, will distract you and therefore make you dangerous to be on the road.

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With many mobile companies such as Samsung having introduced smart watches and Apple set to join the race with the iWatch, this poses a new problem for traffic law. Are these smartwatches legal to use when driving?

The introduction of iPads saw traffic regulators needing to adapt to this new technology and it is currently an offence to use an iPad or a similar tablet behind the wheel. What does this mean for the iWatch and similar devices? The iWatch, and similarly the Samsung Gear 2, allow the user to send and receive messages, make calls and surf the web much like smartphones. Therefore, it has the same uses as a handheld mobile phone.

The Department for Transport has confirmed that being caught using such devices will carry the same penalty as using a mobile phone. This means that being caught behind the wheel unsafely operating a smartwatch could carry a fixed penalty notice of £100 and three penalty points. In more serious cases, it could be taken to court where drivers face disqualification and a maximum £1,000 fine.

However, it is currently legal to use hands-free phones and sat-navs when driving – both functions that the smartwatches are capable of. Therefore, an officer could be hard pressed to tell if it’s being used illegally. The law does state, however, that if police think you’re distracted and not in control of your vehicle they can still stop and penalise motorists.

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A motorist has been pictured driving on a motorway with an iPad in front of the wheel. The picture was posted of Nichaila Flower, 24, from Trowbridge, Wiltshire, on Facebook by her half-sister Liffe Pritchard with the caption ‘On the M4 and she’s on her iPad’.

Pritchard later claimed that this was a joke and that the pair were stuck in traffic; however, another user commented that the speedometer could clearly be viewed in the photograph showing a speed between 70mph and 80mph.

Use of hand-held phones and similar devices, such as iPads, whilst driving is illegal, even when stopped at traffic lights or stuck in traffic. A recent study showed that the effect of using smartphones is worse on driver’s reactions than those who had reached the legal limit of alcohol or had taken cannabis.

Those caught using a device while driving or riding a motorcycle face an automatic fixed-penalty notice of three points on their licence and a fine of £100.

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A recent survey has shown that the number of women found guilty of drink-driving has almost doubled in the last few years.

Figures from 1998 suggest that women accounted for approximately 9% of the total drink-driving population – however the study in 2012 has dramatically revealed that the figure has rocketed to an astounding 17%, almost twice as high as the previous amount.

Almost two-thirds of those questioned also admitted to not being aware of the legal drink-drive limit on UK roads – whilst almost all of those quizzed claimed to be able to drink more alcohol than the “average woman”, considering themselves less of a risk to drive under the influence of alcohol that other females.

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An 18-year-old has been disqualified for drink driving less than 3 months after passing his test.

Alexander Picken, from Walsall in the West Midlands, was found to have 55mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath where the legal limit is 35mg/100ml. He had been driving after midnight when his vehicle struck a kerb and travelled along the pavement before colliding with a wall, causing damage.

He admitted to drinking a pint of lager and a shot of sambuca 15 minutes before getting behind the wheel but had not believed that he was over the limit.

Picken pleaded guilty to driving over the limit at Walsall Magistrates Court and was disqualified from driving for 15 months.

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Whilst many learner drivers may enjoy the experience of learning to drive, it is inevitable that they will eventually find themselves yearning for the upcoming finale – the practical driving test.

Most drivers see the Theory test simply as a barrier to overcome before reaching the practical test, and so the Practical test is undeniably the ultimate aim of learning to drive. And while everyone has a different experience of their driving lessons, as they approach the final exam, many pupils may start to experience the nerves associated with the pending test, bringing about the most important question: Am I ready for my Driving Test?

Firstly consider how many lessons you have had. Most people will recommend 30 to 40 hours of Professional Driving Lessons before reaching test standard – although this will differ from person to person, it should be used as a rough guide. No matter how confident you feel behind the wheel, if you have only spent a couple of hours driving a car, then you may want to question whether you really have the experience required to face any potential outcome on your driving test.

Also seek your instructor’s guidance – most good instructors will advise you when they think you are ready to face the test, and they will also let you know if they think you are booking this prematurely – after all, if you fail a test, it will look bad on their record. So consult with your instructor before booking your exam, to make sure that they think you are good enough with your manoeuvres and your general driving skills to pass your Practical Test.

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It is a well known fact that pets look like their owners but according to research, people do look like their cars.

The study was carried out by researchers at the University of Vienna. They found that people could associate owners with the front of their vehicles. This follows similar research that says people perceive faces in the front of vehicles – known as pareidolia.

The study was based on 30 black and white photos of car owners and the front of their cars. The only prerequisite was that the cars would have had to be bought by the owners themselves. The researchers then placed the real owner among images of several others who didn’t own the car, and they asked 160 participants to identify who was most likely to own the car on a scale of one to six. (most to least likely).

They found that people would assign particular traits to people and, more often than not, guessed correctly.

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There are plans to bring in a 20mph speed limit in the Wandsworth borough. A consultation is currently underway in Balham and Tooting to see if the 30,000 residents support the introduction of 20mph speed limits in the their neighbourhoods. There have also been trials in the West Putney and Dover House Road area.

It has been argued that the introduction of a 20mph speed limit would make streets safer, more inclusive, quieter and more forgiving. Fewer collisions occur when the top speed is 20mph, and those that do have significantly lower chances of resulting in fatal or serious outcomes.

Islington became the first borough to introduce the blanket limit of 20mph in order to reduce accidents, congestion and pollution. It now seems that many boroughs will be following suit.

What are your thoughts on a blanket 20mph speed limit? Send your views to Britannia Driving School by using the comments link below:

As the weather gets wetter, driving through water is about to become more of reality for many of us. Whether it is flooded roads around suburban areas, or rivers that have burst their banks, it is essential to know how to handle this situation when you are faced with it.

Firstly, if there has been a particularly heavy rainfall and you expect there to be water on the roads, then remember that a little preparation can go a long way. Plan your route thoroughly, so as to avoid any areas that are at risk of being flooded, and try to stick to higher level grounds as much as possible, even if this means taking a longer route around.

Also make sure to prepare yourself and your car as much as possible – pack your car for the eventuality of being stranded overnight. This included blankets, Wellington boots (in case of the need to walk through shallow water) as well as a spare phone with a fully-charged battery, as well as an additional in-car charger so that you can call the emergency services in the worst-case scenarios.

When faced with a high volume of water on a road, always reduce your speed to as low as possible, and make sure to never enter any water that seems to be flowing, under any circumstances. This is known as aquaplaning, and will reduce your tyres grip with the road, resulting in less control over your vehicle, and a potentially dangerous outcome.

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