Many happy returns to the practical driving test, which celebrates its 80th birthday today!

Compulsory driving tests originally began in the UK on March 16th, 1935, following the implementation of the Road Traffic Act one year earlier.

However the driving test has undergone many changes in its lifetime – with many more elements being introduced, such as Independent Driving, the Bay Parking manoeuvre, and even the Driving Theory Test back in 1996, and the Hazard Perception Element in 2002.

Now with the Practical Driving Test having turned 80 years old, many are calling for revolutionary changes in the requirements of the test to avoid the “carnage” of the high numbers of young people’s deaths on UK roads.

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Safe driving from Britannia!

On the whole the new drug-driving laws that have now come into force have been welcomed as a reform that is well overdue. Officers can now test for drugs like cocaine and cannabis at the roadside with a new “drugalyser” while they can request samples for other illegal substances at a police station.

However, the new laws have been criticised for being unnecessarily wide. Drug-drivers usually fall into two very different – illegal and legal – camps. The first includes those who consume banned narcotics and the second comprises those motorists on authorised, tried and tested medication.

Critics have called separate laws to be introduced – one tough law for criminals who choose to drive while high on illegal substances, then a separate, more sympathetic one for those who have little or no choice but to take the legal medication supplied to them by registered health professionals.

Understandably, the new drug-driving laws are a cause for concern to patients with life-threatening illnesses who have little or no support from family, friends or hospital transport services. These patients have to drive themselves to or from cancer and transplant wards for life-saving medication. With the penalties including a minimum 12-month driving ban, a criminal record, a fine of up to £5,000 or up to six months in prison and the consequences of those penalties including job loss, shame of having a criminal record and increased car insurance costs, this law clearly doesn’t take into consideration innocent patients.

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The Driving Standards Agency introduced a new section to the driving test back in 2010 – That of the Independent Driving.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean that you get to go for a drive without your examiner in the car. Rather, you will be required to drive for a period of approximately ten minutes without following step-by-step instructions from your examiner. Typically, the examiner will ask you to follow a set of directions such as “Follow the signs for …” and you will be expected to follow this direction without being reminded by your examiner.

However this is not as scary as it sounds. Often in nervous conditions, you may forget details, so you are allowed to ask your examiner for a reminder of the route to follow. Also, if you do happen to take a wrong turn, this will not necessarily result in a fail – If the manoeuvre is undertaken in a safe and responsible manner, you should not be penalised.

Safe driving from Britannia!

A recent report has revealed that almost 3000 learner drivers have been involved in some sort of collision on their tests. Whilst this may be the worst case scenario to occur during a driving test, there are in fact many other reasons why candidates will fail the test.

These include observation, where the examiner thinks that the learner is not paying enough attention to the road. A cursory glance is not enough, you need to be seen to scrutinise the roads to show good observation.

Another reason for failing is failing to use the mirrors well enough. These should be used regularly and should help you decide how to drive, so use them before making any manoeuvre or changing gear so you are fully aware of what is happening around you at all times.

Other reasons include bad positioning, poor use of signals, and moving away safely. But are there any we might have missed? Let us know in the comments below!

Safe driving from Britannia!

Drivers in England will get 10 minutes’ grace before being fined if they stay too long in council-owned car parking spaces, the government has announced.

The changes are expected to come in within weeks and will apply to all on-street and off-street council parking spots. Other measures in the Deregulation Bill include a right for residents and local firms to demand their council reviews parking in their area.

The motive behind this new change is that for too long parking rules have made law-abiding motorists have felt like criminals, causing significant damage to shops and business. Over-zealous parking enforcement undermines our town centres and costs councils more in the long term.

Councils will also be given more guidance that they cannot use parking fines to make a profit.

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The driving test is, for many, one of the more nerve-racking experiences of our lives. There is just so much to remember – Seat-belt, Gears, Handbrake, Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre – the whole process can be really daunting.

With so much to remember, it is no surprise that on occasions more often than you would think, some items are forgotten – Particularly the essential items that are needed to take the test in the first place.

Yes, the documents needed to sit the test are amongst the highest ranking things forgotten during the test. Some people are simply just not aware of what is needed to take the Theory and Practical tests. For your Theory, you will need both parts of your driving license – The photocard and the Paper counterpart. Without both halves of the whole, you will not be able to sit the test.

If you have the old-style paper license, then you will need a signed driving license and a valid passport.

If you have misplaced either of these, be sure to apply for a replacement license well in advance – as it can take 15 days for the replacement to arrive, so you may need to rearrange your test.

Safe driving from Britannia!

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A Mercedes left in a multi-storey car park for three years has finally been removed after racking up more than £14,000 in parking tickets. The car had been sitting in the Broadway Plaza sheltered parking area in Birmingham city centre for so long a two inch layer of dust covered the car.

The black Mercedes C-class was discovered to be unlocked, and the company who own the car park, APCOA, found the logbook which gave the name of a driver from Coventry. APCOA charges £13 a day per parking space, which means the owner was facing a possible £14,235 bill for taking up the spot.

All attempts to get in touch with the owner failed and it was also found that the back axle is damaged, meaning the car, worth around £40,000 new, could not be driven away. Last Wednesday APCOA finally towed the car away after being granted permission from Birmingham City Council.

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It may have come as a surprise to some people when David Cameron revealed that he hasn’t driven a car in four and a half years. He is not allowed to drive for security reasons.

The declaration of war in 1939 was the event that changed ministers’ travel habits. Before this, only the home secretary was allocated a police car. As for other ministers, they had to provide their own or take public transport. As the country went to war, it was decided that six 20-horsepower Austin chauffer-driven cars should be permanently at the disposal of the War Cabinet.

The official government car service then came into being in 1946. Today, the car used by prime ministers is a rather James Bond-like Jaguar. The leader of the opposition is the only MP entitled to an official chauffer-driven government car who isn’t a minister. All former prime ministers are entitled to one as is the prime minister’s spouse, since the days of Cherie Blair. Samantha Cameron, it was reported, requested a female driver instead, as she was more comfortable with a woman taking her children to school.

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