Monthly Archives: November 2015

November 30, 2015
Failing By Driving Onto Motorway

A learner driver has failed their test after taking a wrong turn and ending up on the motorway.

The incident that occurred on last week was revealed by Hampshire Police on social media. They stated that officers had assisted a driver on a driving test who took a wrong turn off a roundabout and ended up on the M27. The driving test was abandoned and the student failed.

Police also told of two other drivers who were stopped on the motorway on the same day. One was handed a ticket after being caught using an iPad during rush hour. The other was stopped when officers spotted him watching YouTube with his smartphone balanced on his knee.

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November 27, 2015
Getting Over Failing The Driving Test

We are all only human – We are prone to making mistakes in our day to day life, and it is no different when it comes to driving. Ask yourself honestly how many mistakes you make when you are behind the wheel, and you will know this is true.

Unfortunately the same goes for the driving test – Some of us just won’t pass on the first attempt – And that’s not a problem. The trick is to not let it get you down – Just bounce back and learn from your mistakes, and hopefully pass on your next attempt.

Driving can be tricky – Some of us take more attempts than others. It’s very hard to get something 100% right on your first attempt – Just think of your failed tests as practice for the one successful one.

Good luck on your driving test from Britannia!

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November 26, 2015
Further Examiner Strikes

Some driving examiners are planning to take strike action at various times from Tuesday 1st December until Friday 4th December 2015.

Some driving examiners who are members of the Public and Commercial Service (PCS) union are planning to take strike action.

PCS has planned action at various times from Tuesday 1st December until Friday 4th December 2015.

DVSA is doing all it can to make sure that tests go ahead as planned. Not all examiners are union members, and many test centres are expected to be operating as normal.

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November 25, 2015
Doctors to report to DVLA on fitness to drive

Doctors will be obliged under new guidelines to report patients who continue to drive even though they are not medically fit to do so. Elderly drivers are expected to be among those particularly affected as a result of the draft guidance from the General Medical Council (GMC), which described the issue as “difficult territory” for doctors.

The guidance states that GPs have to tell the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) if a patient is driving against medical advice.

As it stands doctors do not need a patient’s consent to inform the DVLA, which is legally responsible for deciding whether a person is medically fit to drive, when a patient has continued driving in such instances.

The strengthened advice obliging them to do so is part of a public consultation on the GMC’s core guidance on confidentiality. It aims to help doctors balance their legal and ethical duties of confidentiality with wider public protection responsibilities.

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November 24, 2015
Driving in the Rain

Being a driver in the UK means that we are all used to a variety of weather conditions – From scorching summers with the roofs down, to the cold and snowy conditions in the winter , we do experience both extremes of weather.

Unfortunately driving in the rain is a part of this as well. It is necessary for all drivers to become used to being behind the wheel in wet and windy conditions as you will undoubtedly have to face this at some point in your life. Always make sure to keep a spare umbrella in your boot or back seat, and get to know how to turn your windscreen wipers on and off – You will need to use them at some point!

Safe driving from Britannia!

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November 23, 2015
Road Safety Week

This week has been termed Road Safety Week, with a campaign being launched to ‘Drive Less, Live More’. Each year Road Safety Week has a different theme and this year it is about encouraging drivers to consider how and when they travel, paying particular attention to those unnecessary journeys when, even though more convenient, taking the car is unnecessary. Motorists are being asked to ditch some of those drives and give walking, cycling, or public transport a go wherever possible.

Figures show that two-thirds of trips are made by car, including four in ten trips of less than two miles. Average walking trips per person have decreased by 27% since 1995. A quarter of adults in England are obese, with the cost to the NHS of people being overweight is estimated at £4.2 billion a year. Incorporating activity such as walking and cycling into everyday life is effective for losing weight.

In 2013, 1770 people were killed and 22,377 people seriously injured on UK roads. The vast majority of casualties are attributable to driver error. On average a family can save £642 a year by swapping a car-based school run for waking or cycling. Also, 22% of UK greenhouse gas emissions come from road transport.

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November 20, 2015
Advanced Driver Training

You have finally accomplished it – You have passed the driving test! After a long time taking driving lessons and gruelling advice from your instructor and examiner, you are finally allowed on the roads on your own – It’s perfect, right?

Wrong. A startling figure of younger and inexperienced drivers are killed or injured in road accidents, particularly within the first year of driving. How can you avoid this? By more driver training of course. The Pass Plus course is designed with new drivers in mind, in order to help improve your road sense after passing your test to reduce the likelihood of an accident.

Get some more training behind the wheel, and you will be glad you did.

Safe driving from Britannia!

 

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November 19, 2015
UPDATE: Driving Examiner Strikes

There is the potential for strike action by some driving examiners on Thursday 19th and Friday 20th November 2015. The DVSA wants all instructors and their pupils to turn up for their driving test despite this.

DVSA is doing all it can to make sure that tests go ahead as planned and recommends that you turn up for your test. You’ll get details of your new appointment within 5 to 10 working days.

You can claim out-of-pocket expenses if your test is cancelled, but you must have turned up for you test to do this. If you don’t turn up for your test, you’ll have to rebook your own test and you won’t be able to claim out of pocket expenses.

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November 18, 2015
Your Reaction Age

A new test has been developed that tests your reaction age. The online game gives you a driving age from 18 to ‘a very, very old person’ based on your ability to perform an emergency stop.

The game was created by London-based start-up Justpark.com, which matches drivers with spare car parking spaces.

It places a player behind a virtual steering wheel as they begin to drive down a road. They are asked to strike a key on their keyboard as quickly as possible to perform an ‘emergency stop’ when a red stop sign appears on the screen. The driving age is then swiftly displayed on the screen.

The results are based on the results of a survey of 2,000 people aged 18 and over who were asked to play the game. The reaction time was plotted against their age. The predicted age is the age that most closely matched the age of people with that reaction time.

The company behind the game found left-handed people had better reactions times than their right-handed peers, and men were very marginally faster on the ‘brakes’ than women. Drivers who get behind the wheel at least once a week reacted more swiftly than less regular motorists, while heavy drivers who consume between 31 and 40 units of alcohol a week had slower reaction times than occasional drinkers. People who reported drinking between one and five coffees or teas a day were more alert during the test than those who avoided caffeine.

You can try out the test here.

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November 17, 2015
The Dangers of Teen Driving

Finally being able to drive your own car can be an exciting prospect for many – For this reason, many newly qualified drivers are those who have taken their lessons and passed their test as soon as they possibly could, meaning that they are around the age of 17 or 18 in many cases.

Whilst this may be give great sense of freedom for younger drivers, it is essential to be aware of the dangers regarding teenage drivers. A recent study has identified that the main problems with teenage drivers are drivers drinking alcohol when behind the wheel, texting on their phones whilst driving, failing to wear seat belts, driving at irresponsibly high speeds, and riding with teenage passengers.

If you are a teenage driver, or if you even know one, make sure not to engage in this risky behaviour, or you could end up losing a lot more than your license.

Safe driving from Britannia!

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