August 19, 2015
Teach Driving In Schools

A petition has been launched not to lower the legal age of driving but to ensure school children are taught about driving from a younger age.

Adding driving to the school curriculum could save 400 lives every year on the UK’s roads. The petition is supported by major motoring organisations including the Association of British Insurers, the RAC, Institute of Advanced Motorists and the Driving Instructor’s Association.

The scheme’s supporters say providing lessons in the classroom and practical driving courses would help save the lives of the most vulnerable group of drivers.

Another benefit of the scheme would be to cut the number of deaths of young people travelling in cars driven by other young people aged 17 to 24. A quarter of all road deaths in the UK involve drivers or passengers aged 15 to 19.

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August 17, 2015
Theory Test Cost Dropped

The cost of car and motorcycle theory tests will drop from £25 to £23 for tests taken from 1 October 2015.

Theory test fees for other types of vehicle will also be reduced at the same time.

The changes apply to theory tests taken from 1 October 2015. You can now book tests for this date onwards.

You’ll have to pay the old fee if you choose a test date before 1 October 2015.

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July 30, 2015
Passed on 36th Attempt

A learner driver did not pass his driving test under their 36th attempt. The learner finally passed at Sutton Coldfield five years after their first attempt, spending £2,232 in fees.

The driver failed their first ten attempts in Kingstanding, then tried once in Kings Heath. They then went back to Kingstanding for another 12 unsuccessful efforts, before switching back to Kingstanding, Sutton Coldfield and South Yardley. The motorists was finally successful in 2013.

However this is not the record for highest number of failing driving test. A learner in Stoke failed 36 times.

The learner from Birmingham almost passed on their second attempt but racked up a serious fault leading to an automatic fail. If it were not for that mistake, they would have avoided their 33 subsequent tests.

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July 29, 2015
Blame The Parents For Bad Habits

Experts say aggressive or impatient driving can rub off on youngsters, who may go on to mimic the behaviour as motorists themselves. The Kids in the Car campaign, backed by the Scottish Government and Road Safety Scotland, is reminding parents to pass on good habits.

According to retired police traffic sergeant and psychologist Bill Carcary, children are automatically programmed to mimic the actions of people who are important to them. Unfortunately young developing children do not have the skills to distinguish between good or bad driving habits and will reflect this behaviour in later life.

Parents will wrongly assume their children somehow remain unaffected by such behaviours as gesturing, shouting or simply speeding. To create better drivers for tomorrow we need to look at how we drive today.

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July 13, 2015
Dangerous driving faults

There were 1,426 dangerous faults in Huddersfield last year from 7,312 tests. Instructors in the area believe that this could be due to the fact that the area has difficult roads with all of the test routes including steep hills.

Instructors in the area see this statistic as a sign of the difficulty of tests in the area and that learners end up as better drivers.

Only three test centres produced worse results than Huddersfield – Luton, Wood Green in London and Darwen in Blackburn.

The kind of mistakes that can land you with a dangerous fault include not observing properly at junctions, unsafe steering and not using your mirrors to change direction – or a combination of these as it is possible to get more than one dangerous fault on the same test.

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June 3, 2015
Why are some test centres tougher than others?

It is 80 years since driving tests became compulsory for all new drivers in Britain, but why does it matter where you take the test?

Every learner driver goes through the same motions when going for their test. The nerves, ensuring you have the right documents, your last run through with your instructor before you go into the test centre. Pass and you are greeted with freedom, career prospects and that rewarding pink licence that you can show off. Fail and you have to wait just that bit longer for that rewarding moment, and the pressure of the day can even put people off trying again.

In recent years the number of people requiring 3, 4, 5 or even more tests in order to pass seems to be increasing and a lot attribute it to the test getting hard. But with some test centres boasting pass rates well in excess of that national average, does it matter where you take your test? In short, the answer is no since the DVSA states that examiners are regularly assessed to ensure tests are consistent across the country.

However, the case is more complicated than this. Learners in rural areas are effectively learning test routes in a fairly predictable environment. That way, there will be no nasty surprises. The opposite is the case in major cities as the situation is constantly changing with multiple hazards. Figures show that the lowest pass rate was in Belvedere in London with a pass rate of just 32.2% whilst the highest pass rate is in Isle of Mull, off the coast of Scotland with an 80% pass rate.

Shona from Britannia Driving School says ‘Driving tests in London are harder but this gives pupils a more varied experience, providing them with the skills to tackle all kinds of situations. The driving tests used by our pupils have pass rates above the national average and are the highest rates in the London area.’

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May 21, 2015
Boy Racers Handed Ban and Fine

A pair of reckless boy racers who hit 110mph on the North Circular have been banned from the roads and told to pay more than £3,000.

The boys from Leyton and Ilford went head to head in a 50mph zone from Beckton to Ilford in East London. Whilst racing, they failed to notice police vehicles had infiltrated their group.

At a hearing at Stratford Magistrates’ Court, one of the boys was banned from driving for four years whilst his specialist racing car was taken off him. He was also fined £2,000 on admitting road racing on a public highway and driving without due care and attention at excess speed. The other driver had already pleaded guilty to the same charge and was banned for three years, as well as being fined £1,200.

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May 13, 2015
Taking the Driving Test

Before you attempt a practical test you will need to pass the theory test, which costs £25 and can be booked online, and have taken enough lessons to get you to test standard. The DVSA currently recommends 47 hours, this can be more or less depending on the individual and the programme on lessons.

Next, you need to think of where and when you want to book your test for. It is best to speak to your instructor regarding these details as they will be able to advise you on the test centre and time that best suits your needs. The test centre with the best record is Gairloch, a small village in the Scottish Highlands, with a 93.8% pass rate. On the other end of the scale, Belvedere test centre in London is the worst with a 30% pass rate. It is generally harder to pass in London than rural areas, however, the test centres used by our instructors generally have higher pass rates than the national average.

When it comes to actually booking your test, it is a common misconception that there is a ‘test cancellation list’. This is not the case and services claiming to find you a test cancellation are generally a scam and should be avoided. You can either book yourself either online or by calling the DVSA. Alternatively, you can use our fast track driving test service where our bookings team can find you an earlier test date.

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May 4, 2015
Provisional Licence Facts

The first step to gaining a full UK licence is to apply for a provisional licence. This can be done either online (which costs £34) or by posting off the hard copy form, which can be obtained from the Post Office, to the DVLA (which costs £43). In Great Britain, you have to be at least 15 years, nine months old to apply for a provisional licence but you can’t start taking lessons or attempt your theory test until you are at least 17.

Once you have applied to the DVLA, you will receive your provisional licence through the post. This currently comes in the form of a photocard and paper counterpart but from June 2015, learners will receive only the photocard as the counterpart is phased out.

To get your provisional driving licence you must meet the minimum age and eyesight requirements and live in Great Britain.

The photocard is only valid for 10 years, however. Most learners pass before the provisional expires. However, if you do leave a long gap in your lessons or don’t take lessons on your provisional, you will need to renew it after 10 years. You will get a reminder to renew from the DVLA. This again can either be done online (at a cost of £14) or by post (at a cost of £17).

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April 22, 2015
Counterpart abolition update

From 8th June 2015, DVLA will no longer issue the paper counterpart to the photocard driving lessons. This means from that date, existing paper counterparts will no longer be valid and the DVSA is advising drivers to destroy their counterpart after this date. Drivers who hold a paper only driving licence (issued in 1998) remain valid and should not be destroyed.

The abolition of the counterpart campaign materials provide targeted messages to specific customer segments, notably, hiring a vehicle and professional driving such as for driving instructors.

The additional information contains advice for individuals and business who currently check the counterpart of their employees or customers. The materials also offer advice to people who may need to provide evidence of their record after 8 June 2015.

The communication toolkit is available online.

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