The DSA (Driving Standards Agency) has announced that elements of dangerous goods training for LGV drivers can be counted as part of their Driver CPC periodic training. Driver CPC is a new qualification which will affect all LGV drivers from 9th September 2009. All drivers will be required to complete 35 hours of periodic professional training within consecutive five year periods.

Are you an LGV candidate? How you will be affected by these changes? What are your thoughts on the DSA Proposal? Send your views to Britannia Driving School by using the comments link below:

Insurer Aviva has sold British School of Motoring (BSM) to German holding firm Arques Industries AG.

The company did not mention the purchase price but gross assets of the driving school business totalled £36m as at December 2008.

Aviva acquired BSM, which operates a franchised network of around 2,700 driving instructors, as part of its purchase of RAC in 2005.More than one in seven British drivers are thought to pass their test with BSM, which conducts more than four million lessons each year and signs up 130,000 new drivers annually. The company, which employs more than 600 people across Britain in 96 local centres and its Bristol head office, says that someone passes a driving test with it every two minutes.

An 11% increase in under 25’s failing breath tests over the Christmas period shows the battle against drunk driving is never-ending.
Figures released by the Association of Chief Police Officers show that of the 48,214 under 25s who were breathalysed during December 2,709 tested positive, failed to provide or refused a breath test. During the previous year’s 43,144 under 25s were breathalysed, of whom 2,182 tested positive.
During the festive campaign, police forces also conducted 481 field impairment tests, which are used to detect if drivers are under the influence of drugs. More than 28 per cent of those tested were arrested.
Kevin Clinton, RoSPA head of road safety, said: “The figures from the Christmas campaign show that the battle against drunk driving is never-ending. After 25 years of drink-drive campaigns, it is disappointing.”
 

Do you know of anybody that has been the victim of drink driving? What are your thoughts on this article? Send your views to Britannia Driving School by using the comments link below:

Tyres are very important for safe travel in your care, we have outlined some tips below on how to keep you tyres in the best condition which will make them last longer and help you save money.
• Check your tyres at least once a month to see the tread depth, ensure they are at least 1.6mm this can be measured using a simple tread depth tool available at car accessory stores.
• If you ever have a tyre that has got a puncture larger then ¼ of an inch never have it repaired as this could easy cause a blow out and cause you to lose control at any time.
• Ensure your tyres are correctly inflated and to the correct pressure, a tyre can lose upto half of its tyre pressure and still not appear to be flat so it’s important you check it on a gauge.
• When you do check your tyre pressures ensure you do this in cold weather and wait around three hours after you have drove anywhere.
• Don’t speed up / slow down or turn faster than required as this puts more strain on the tyres.

If you follow these basic tips, it will ensure you get the most out of your tyres and might even save you some money along the way.

Defensive driving prepares you for unexpected situations, if you master defensive driving you will improve your driving skills, learn to make calculated decisions and anticipate the potential risks when driving.

As a driver you must learn to anticipate hazardous situations you are about to enter, and avoid risks while driving vehicles in normal as well as adverse conditions. 3 top tips for defensive driving are:

1. Be Alert – make sure you are focused on driving, check your mirrors, look ahead not just the car in front see if you are entering a potential hazardous situation and react early.
2. Be Cool, Be Calm – If a driver cuts you up, beeps their horn, overtakes in an aggressive manner – let them. Keep calm and defensive.
3.  Wear Your Seatbelt – Don’t underestimate the importance of wearing your seatbelt, no matter how short the journey is as the saying goes it’s better to be safe than sorry.