Monthly Archives: November 2010

November 16, 2010
New hybrid aims to keep pace with carmaker’s rivals

Not wanting to get left behind in the race to develop hybrid cars, Nissan Motor Co. on Tuesday unveiled the environment-friendly version of its Fuga sedan.

Known as the Infiniti M in North America and Europe, Nissan’s first foray into mass-produced hybrid vehicles will go on sale in Japan on November 2 with a price tag of Y5.8 million (€51,410), the company announced at a press conference at its headquarters in Yokohama, south of Tokyo.

Nissan has not announced the release date in the US or Europe, although it is understood it will be in the early part of next year.

At 19 km per liter, the new Fuga is capable of double the mileage of the conventional gasoline-engine version, which was first released in November 2009. It will be substantially more expensive than the conventional sedan, however, which retails for Y4.3 million (€38,117).

Toshiyuki Shiga, Nissan’s chief operating officer, told reporters at the launch that the company expects to sell 200 units a year in Japan but substantially more than that in the US, where the Infiniti has already proved popular.

Comments(0)

November 15, 2010
USING HAND SIGNALS AS A DRIVER

We are all used to having electronic signals such as an indicator and hazard lights to warn other drivers and pedestrians of our next move. Yet hand signals were used prior to the invention of the car, for those on horse and cart.

From time to time we may have to use hand signals in order to pre-warn others of our intentions.

Authorised persons, such as police officers use hand signals in order to monitor and divert traffic normally if an accident has occurred or it a set of lights are out on a very busy road. However, they would normally replace a faulty set of lights with temporary traffic lights.

Motorcyclists, cyclists and potentially a car that has difficulty with their lights would use hand and arm signals in order to let other traffic know what they intend to do.

Holding your palm out flat and raising your arm up and down would indicate that the driver intends to slow down or stop.

Holding your hand out to the right indicates that you are going to move in to the right or are turning right.

Holding your hand out to the left indicates that you are going to move in to the left or are turning left. However, for somebody driving a car this signal would not be seen, therefore you would hold your hand out to the right and make circular motions with your hand.

A lollypop lady/man also uses arm signals alongside their stop sign/pole. If they hold the pole across their body it acts as a barrier to prevent children from crossing the road. Holding it with the stop sign touching the ground means cars should carry on as normal as nobody is waiting to cross. Holding the sign out towards the road is meant to signal for cars to prepare to stop. The lollypop lady/man will then enter the road holding the stop sign up-right in order to stop any traffic travelling over the crossing.

What are your thoughts on this article? Send your views to Britannia Driving School by using the comments link below:

Comments(0)

November 12, 2010
EMERGENCY VEHICLES OBSTRUCTED BY SELFISH INDIVIDUALS

There have been a number of reported cases involving emergency vehicles being blocked in both by accident and on purpose and ambulances being damaged by members of the public.

In Merseyside on pensioner being transported to hospital died when gang members obstructed the ambulance by lying on the bonnet and banging the sides of the vehicle. The patient suffered from a massive heart attack.

Another patient died shortly after arriving at hospital when he was held up for more than 10 minutes by his neighbour. The ambulance crew had parked their ambulance on a shared driveway. The neighbour then moved her car to load her dogs into the boot, which blocked the ambulance in. She did not move her vehicle for up to 10 minutes after being asked the first time. When her case went to court, her defence was that visitors shouldn’t park on the shared driveway but on the road instead. She went on to say that she got irritated when she couldn’t get out.

No matter where you are in the world, the emergency services carry out an incredibly important job. Any emergency vehicle comes at a price and the vehicle and its contents are extremely valuable. However, one woman in Australia decided to set two ambulances alight causing significant damage to them both, along with stealing another ambulance from the station and setting it on fire nearby.

Finally when a taxi driver found his car to be blocked in, he took matters into his own hands. The man jumped into the ambulance and moved the vehicle down the road in order to retrieve his own vehicle before driving off. The paramedics were attending to a one-month-old baby at the time and were preparing to take them into hospital. Not only was the man liable for obstructing an emergency worker to carry out their duties, but also taking a vehicle without consent.

Emily Smith of Britannia Driving School said: “We all understand the frustration when we are held up or blocked in by another vehicle. Yet we must remember that one day the police, paramedics or fire fighters may be attending to somebody we know or even ourselves. They carry out a job where a matter of minutes could make all the difference. Please remember to be patient!”

What are your thoughts on this article? Send your views to Britannia Driving School by using the comments link below:

Comments(0)

November 11, 2010
Driver towed 10 in caravan from Stoke to Gwynedd

A motorist who towed a caravan carrying three women and seven children has been banned from driving for two years.

Sameer Mirzar, 46, of Stoke-on-Trent, drove the 10.5ft x 6ft (3m x 1.8m) caravan for about 100 miles (160km) for a picnic in Llanberis, Gwynedd.

Mirzar, who admitted dangerous driving, was stopped after other drivers saw the curtains moving.

North Wales Police told Caernarfon magistrates court it was “totally irresponsible behaviour”.

Mirzar, an airline worker, was stopped by traffic police after being spotted towing the red and white caravan.

The children inside were aged between five and 14.

The driver, from Saudi Arabia, pleaded ignorance of the law and highway code, adding that he would never put his family in a dangerous position.

He was halted on the A4244 after being seen by other motorists on the A55.

Sgt Ifan Jones told the court: “It was totally irresponsible behaviour and could have had disastrous consequences.

“The consequences of this caravan overturning or being involved in a collision are unimaginable. It was risking the lives of innocent people unnecessarily”.

Mirzar was banned from driving for two years and must retake his test.

He was fined £900 with £215 costs.

Comments(0)

November 10, 2010
ABILITY VS MEMORY WHEN TAKING THE THEORY TEST

The DSA (Driving Standards Agency) are looking to change the theory test and the material available to help prepare for it.

The DSA have already made changes to the way individuals obtain their full driving licence, by introducing the Independent Driving section to the practical test. Now they are looking to make the theory test more about understanding the material rather than just memorising it.

Of course the material available at present including the multiple choice questions and answers published beforehand which can be found online and books and DVDs will still be in circulation. However, there is no guarantee that these questions will be of any relevance when the changes come into effect.

The old material is set to be filtered out and changed in September next year however, the new format for the test will not take place until early 2012.

Holly Harper of Britannia Driving School said: “The driving test celebrated 75 years earlier this year and it is thought that it hasn’t changed much since the first person took it all those years ago. The DSA are introducing these new methods of testing in order to test drivers on their ability and understanding as opposed to how good their memory is.”

What are your thoughts on this article? Send your views to Britannia Driving School by using the comments link below:

Comments(0)

November 9, 2010
Plain-clothes traffic wardens trapping motorists

Plainclothed traffic wardens in unmarked cars are being used to issue parking fines, trapping unsuspecting motorists.

A London council has been using the covert tactics despite the Parking and Traffic Appeals service overturning fines issued by non-uniformed officers.
Merton council is spending more than £4,000 a month on privately hired cars for traffic wardens in a move they claim is “normal practice”.

However, the Parking and Traffic Appeals Service called the methods “underhand”.
The tactics came to light following a complaint from one motorist – Derek Anderson, 54, who was issued with a £60 fine after stopping outside Raynes Park station, South London.

As he went to buy a permit two wardens pulled up behind his car in their unmarked vehicle and issued Mr Anderson with a fine.

The driver, who was not wearing a traffic warden uniform, inspected Mr Anderson’s tax disc before instructing his uniformed colleague issued a fine.

Mr Anderson, who thought the inspectors were rogue wardens, complained to the council but was told they did not have to wear uniforms as long as they were driving and didn’t issue the ticket.

He contacted the Parking and Traffic Appeals Service who overturned the penalty.
Joanne Oxlade, of the independent body, said she considered the tactics “underhand” but the council said unmarked cars were used for their officers’ “personal safety”.

Comments(0)

November 8, 2010
UK HAS SAFEST ROADS IN THE WORLD

Traffic safety data has put the UK on top, showing that statistically we have the lowest level of fatalities per 100,000 of the population.

However, it is important to consider other factors that could contribute to the way this leader board is devised:

The number of drivers on the road

Level of car ownership

Kilometres travelled

Developing countries

Goods vehicles are not as prominent in the UK as in other countries

Our fatalities only starting to fall during our economic crisis, with lower levels of traffic on the road and the type of driving we did when hit hard by the recession. So our claim to the safest roads in the world is due to our economic failures as opposed to really trying to improve our roads and the drivers on them.

If we put as much effort into making our roads safe as other countries did we could achieve remarkable results.

However, whatever way you look at it, the number of fatalities on UK roads has fallen and this is a good thing for all.

What are your thoughts on this article? Send your views to Britannia Driving School by using the comments link below:

Comments(0)

November 5, 2010
LEARNING TO DRIVE IN NORWAY

You would think that learning to drive no matter where you are in the world would be much the same. However, cost, tests, safety and driving laws vary from country to country.

In Norway you must be at least 18 years of age in order to drive a car. Before you are allowed to practice on a learners licence you must first complete a four day training course which covers, general advice, what to do if you or others were involved in a car accident, including how to administer first aid and the basic rules of the road.

In the UK you are allowed to practice as long as you are supervised by somebody that has held their licence for three years and is over 21 years of age. However, in Norway the supervising driver must be over 25 years of age and hold a clean licence for no less than five years.

Whereas in the UK when you pass your practical test you are issued with a Full UK Driving Licence, in Norway you are given a trial licence for the first two years. If you lose your licence in these two years you will have to retake all the tests again. This is similar to the UK laws, whereby you can lose your licence in the first two years if you clock up 6 or more penalty points.

In the UK if you build up 12 or more penalty points within a period of three years, you will be liable to be disqualified. In Norway the limit is 8 penalty points however, most traffic violations result in two points on your licence instead of the three issued to UK citizens.

The cost of learning to drive in Norway is astronomical, with costs of up to £2500 in order to get your driving licence.

Emily Smith of Britannia Driving School said: “Interestingly one security feature in place on the Norwegian driving licences is Ivar Aasen’s poem Nordmannen which is engraved on the back in minuscule writing.”

“What are your thoughts on this article? Send your views to Britannia Driving School by using the comments link below:

Comments(0)

November 4, 2010
Rising fuel costs forcing us to change driving habits

Two-thirds of Britons have been forced to change their driving habits because of higher fuel prices.

This has emerged in a study by comparison site moneysupermarket.com, which asked its users whether higher fuel prices were forcing them to change their driving habits.

The results found that 65% admitted that rising costs had taken their toll.

More than half of people had reduced the amount of time they spent behind the wheel, and nearly one in 10 claimed to have stopped driving because of the costs.

One-third of motorists said they were sticking to their usual driving habits, however, because they could just about still afford it.

Steve Sweeney, head of car insurance at moneysupermarket, said: “We’re all looking at ways to lower our everyday outgoings and getting behind the wheel is a real drain on finances.

Comments(0)

November 3, 2010
EXAGGERATED RISKS OR DANGEROUS DRIVING SPEEDS

Anti-speeding campaigns used by the Government give information regarding our speed and the chances of killing a pedestrian if we were travelling at that speed.

The governments Think! Campaign claims that if a pedestrian is hit by a car that is travelling at 30mph there is a 20% chance of them being killed. If a car is travelling at 40mph the chance of them dying increases to 80%.

However, the Department for Transport have suggested that these probabilities are not true, could it be that the government is using scare tactics to slow driver’s speeds.

Research has shown that the probability of a pedestrian being killed is more like 7% at speeds of 30mph and 31% at 40mph.

The government’s statistics are thought to be old, whereas current statistics include factors such as improved medical care and response times and newer and safer car designs.

Holly Harper of Britannia Driving School said: “No matter what the statistics are, 30mph speed limits are there to protect pedestrians. Could you live with yourself, if the person you hit was in the 31%, I know I couldn’t!”

What are your thoughts on this article? Send your views to Britannia Driving School by using the comments link below:

Comments(0)