October 15, 2015
Van Bullies Pupil On Test

An appalling video shows the moment a white van man tried to bully and intimidate a learner driver – as she was taking her driving test.

The footage, taken on Monday morning in west Edinburgh, shows the learner driver travelling within the speed limit in a residential area when the van races up behind her.

Forced to slow down, he repeatedly pulls up close to her rear bumper in an apparent attempt to intimidate her into breaking the limit – meaning she would fail her test. Then, when the learner stops to allow oncoming traffic with the right of way to pass, he throws up his hands, accelerates sharply, honks his horn and revs his engine whilst shouting at the clearly marked driving school car.

During the test the driving centre examiner reportedly told the candidate, ‘ignore the man in the van, he is completely in the wrong’ and she went on to pass the driving test.

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October 7, 2015
Test Waiting Times

The DVSA has apologised for the increase in waiting times for driving tests. Certain areas have seen a substantial increase in waiting times for tests and a number of driving instructors have complained to the DVSA.

The DVSA said that were three reasons for the increase:

The economic recovery – more people are taking driving lessons again

More examiners retiring

There has been a surge in people in their 20s taking tests, after leaving it longer to learn to drive

There were 407,000 car driving test between January and March 2015, a 5.2% increase on the same period last year with demand increasing. The DVSA said that it had forecasted the increase in demand and also knew that there were a number of examiners retiring and began recruitment in October 2014, with further campaigns in March and October this year.

Various options have been considered to deal with the increase in demand such as the involvement of the private sector and examiners taking a photograph of the driver as soon as they have passed, so their licence can be processed quickly.

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September 28, 2015
Driving From The Age of 11?

Young drivers account for almost a quarter of all road accidents so why does one company put children behind the wheel of a car from the age of 11?

A lot of drivers would most likely be apprehensive about the idea of even letting anyone between the ages of 10 and 16 get near the steering wheel of their car. However, there are a number of programmes across the country offering off-road training for children aged 11-16.

A former off-road instructor in Leeds argues that the issue with the current UK driving test is that it contains no motorway tuition, no lessons how to drive on country roads, overtake safely, night time tuition. Essentially, if you’re lucky on your test and you have no upsets, after 40 minutes you are given free rein on the road, including country lanes and motorways.

The driving test is indeed outdated. There are plans to add a sat nav into the independent drive and other changes. However, major changes need to be made. For example, there ought to be a mixed amount of tuition, with hours of driving at night, on the motorway, rural roads and also some element of monitoring after you pass your test also.

In addition to this, giving youngsters early experience of driving is the best way to improve our roads. There are calls to see driving on the national curriculum.

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September 24, 2015
14 Facts If You’ve Ever Failed Your Driving Test

If you’ve ever failed your driving test (especially if you have more than once) the following facts will most likely apply to you:

1. You think every examiner is out to get you.

2. You seem to be spending all your money on retests and driving lessons.

3. It’s always other road users’ fault.

4. Your eyesight becomes blurry.

5. You completely forget how to drive on test.

6. You don’t tell your friends, family or work when your next test is.

7. You wish people would stop saying ‘you’ll do better next time’.

8. You start to resent the friends with driving licences.

9. You grit your teeth when accepting lifts from others.

10. You watch other people’s driving like a hawk.

11. And then you realise they’ve already picked up bad habits since passing.

12. You feel embarrassed taking public transport.

13. You feel even more embarrassed when you have to show your green licence as ID.

14. You give up believing you’ll pass before your start your test.

As disheartening as it is to fail your test, the key is perseverance and staying calm despite the nerves.

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September 17, 2015
Britain’s Best Young Driver

Car mad Robbie Robertshaw has been named one of Britain’s best young drivers – three years before he can officially take to the highway.

The 14-year-old proved himself a wiz at the annual Young Driver Challenge, where tests included navigating tight chicanes, an obstacle course and, that most dreaded of all motoring tasks, parallel parking.

He came second in the competition’s 14-16 category despite the fact everyone else was quite a lot taller than him. It was a proud moment for the former go-karter as his love for cars, wheels and motoring dates back more than a decade.

Robbie has dreams of owning his own bus company, which is how he fell into driving in the first place. His dad, 44-year-old railways project manager, said that they were looking for a bus driving experience for his 11th birthday. They couldn’t find one but came across Young Driver so bought him a driving lesson.

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September 9, 2015
Opinion Split Over New Test

32 test centres have been selected across the country where volunteer learners can take part in the trial test which involves changes to the independent driving section as well as the manoeuvres section of the driving test.

Learners taking part in the trial will be able to use satnavs in the independent driving section of the test, which will increase the length of this section from 10 minutes to around 20 minutes.

In a recent poll, 52% believe satnav driving tests were a good idea and 48% believed they weren’t.

Critics of the recent test say that learners should be very competent before becoming reliant on a satnav because they can be very off-putting. However, supporters of the test have argued that a lot of pupils make mistakes on the independent drive because they forget the directions and the satnav is a bit more useful and tries to modernise the test. People who have had the satnav test have been going on longer drives on faster roads and changing speed limits.

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September 7, 2015
Essex Instructor’s Elbow Broken In Road Rage Incident

Instructor Chris Barnett had taken Connor George out for his fourth lesson. As 17-year-old novice Conner George struggles to pull away at a busy junction, the driver of a white Range Rover beeps impatiently from behind.

Moments later the range rover pulls up in front of him and despite the instructor repeatedly saying that he was being video-recorded, the furious driver and passenger shout obscenities at him.

The lesson was Connor’s first experience of heavy traffic in Braintree, Essex. After the lights at a busy junction turn green, he struggles to pull away and has to be guided through the routine by his instructor, Barnett, causing a delay of 20 seconds.

Barnett waves dismissively through the window as the angry driver honks his horn. But after they turn a corner, the vehicle overtakes them and stops suddenly in front of them, forcing Barnett to slam on the dual brakes.

The driver gets out and confronts Barnett through the open passenger window. The driver is heard shouting obscenities as the whole episode is caught on camera. Meanwhile the passenger gets out of the Range Rover to join in the abuse. As Barnett tries to open the door, one of the men slams it hard on his left elbow, breaking it.

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September 3, 2015
Airlifted To Hospital On First Lesson

A teenager who was about to have her first driving lesson was airlifted to hospital after her instructor’s car was in a crash with a lorry.

The 17-year-old and the instructor, whose car was stationary at the time, were both hospitalised but police said their injuries were not life-threatening.

The accident happened yesterday afternoon on the road that links Cargo to Kingmoor on the northern edge of Carlisle. The teenage was flown to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle by the Great North Air Ambulance’s Pride of Cumbria helicopter. Her driving instructor, from the city-based Danny’s School of Motoring, was taken to the Cumberland Infirmary with suspected neck and chest injuries.

The school’s owner Danny Daniels, 55, said after the accident that he had spoken to the instructor involved and that he was not badly injured. Apparently, they were sitting in the car at the side of the road and the car was station. It was her first driving lesson – she had literally just turned 17 and the lesson was a birthday present. She had just taken off her seat belt as they were just about to swap seats when the collision happened.

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September 2, 2015
Research by telling youngsters driving test included texting

We all know how dangerous it can be to use your mobile phone while behind the wheel, but a new video aims to make it even clearer.

The footage recorded the moment young drivers were told the Government had changed the rules and they needed to prove they could text and drive to pass their test.

The shocked youngsters were surprised by the request with many expressing how odd it was.

But what was more astounding was how bad their driving became when they attempted the task.

In the film entitled: “The Impossible texting and driving test” Belgium-based safety group Responsible Young Drivers makes its point loud and clear.

The “instructor” tells the drivers: “You must prove you’re able to use your mobile phone while driving.”

One of the youngsters looks down the whole time, another crashes into cone and the other throws the driver from his chair.

The test took place on a racing track.

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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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