August 4, 2015
Is An Intensive Driving Course Right For You?

This is a difficult question to answer and it differs between people.

We have seen a general change from people having one lesson per week over a few months to people booking an intensive course whereby they have intensive lessons over a few weeks.

Some of the common reasons people choose to have an intensive driving course is that they have a new job that requires them to drive, they’ve moved away from their family and need to be able to get back, or they are needing to get on the road before moving to university.

One the things we’ve noticed that people really enjoy with intensive lessons is how quickly they see their progress develop in a matter of days. All of a sudden things begin to click, you remember how to safely pull-up and pull-off, the mirror-signal-manoeuvre becomes common knowledge and you find it easy to turn corners.

You can test-drive (excuse the pun!) an intensive driving course to see if it’s right for you, after you’ve had your first few lessons, you could book in for two 3-4 hour lessons and see how you get on.

Safe driving from Britannia!

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August 3, 2015
Caught Driving The Wrong Way In Leeds.

A driver has been caught on camera driving the wrong way on a busy motorway in Leeds.

The image taken by West Yorkshire Police shows the motorist driving the wrong way on the M621 near junction four at Hunslet on Saturday evening.

The force’s Roads Policing Unit posted the photo on social media shortly before 21:00 BST after the incident.

Officers said the driver was reported for dangerous driving.

Police Tweeted: “M621 J4. Driver decided he didn’t want to wait and decided to drive the wrong way. Reported for dangerous driving.”

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July 31, 2015
How To Pass Your Theory Test

Some people seem to just ace tests and if you’re one of them – I’m sadly not – I must admit to being very jealous!

One thing we’re asked by a lot of our pupils is the best way to prepare for their theory test, unfortunately, we don’t have a magic bullet.

If you’re like me, then it’s a case of: revise, revise, revise.

The theory test involves 50 multiple choice questions randomly chosen from a total of over 1000. In order to pass the test you need to get 43 questions correct.

I know this sounds overwhelming to begin with, but the fact that 1000’s of people have passed shows you that it is possible to pass your theory test.

We recommend taking mock tests to get your practice in. Mark down which questions you’re getting wrong. Write the question out and write down the right answer. A good thing to try and do is really try and understand the question and think about what the correct answer is. Don’t just try and memorise the answer, but ask yourself, “why is this the correct answer?”

It really is worth the practice.

Safe driving from Britannia!

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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 28, 2015
How to Master Steering

One of the key aspects to learning to operate a car proficiently is the ability to master the steering wheel – While this sounds like a simple task, there might actually be more to this task than meets the eye.

Studies have shown that whatever you are looking at whilst driving will draw you in – So if you are staring at one fixed point on the road (i.e. another car), you will be more likely to hit it!

We recommend to keep your eyes straight ahead of you – And to continually move your gaze around – This will give you the best view of everything that is happening around your car, as well as score you extra brownie points with your examiner on your driving test!

Safe driving from Britannia!

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July 27, 2015
96 And Still Driving

Harold Veazy from Melton, Leicestershire, is 96 and is determined to keep on driving until he’s 100. He is the first pensioner to feature in a new documentary, 100 Year Old Drivers Ride Again.

The programme gets behind the wheel with some of Britain’s oldest drivers to find out why they still drive. However, the trip out with the cameras was not without incident for Harold, who was last year named Leicestershire’s oldest athlete and who works out at the leisure centre three times a week.

Viewers saw him narrowly miss colliding with an articulated lorry at the junction of Mill Street and Burton Street in the town. When asked how he felt about the incident, Harold said he felt stupid.

Harold will be 97 in September and recently got his licence renewed for a further 3 years. He says he prefers driving today compared with the time when he passed his test as cars are more comfortable. He says this is due to sat-navs and heaters.

Harold learnt to drive in the 1930s and argues that if God thinks he is okay to drive at 100 then he will drive at 100. Drivers older than 70 must renew their licence every three years, but they do not have to take a driving or medical exam.

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July 25, 2015
Hazard Routines – What to Know

In modern-day driving, there are plenty of hazards to watch out for – From children and animals stepping out unexpectedly in front of your car, to those drivers who don’t seem to observe any rules of the road and cause you to react suddenly – We’ve all been there!

When approaching a hazard, it is best to know what to do ahead of time – But if a hazard is unexpected, how can we do this?

The best way is to have a Hazard Routine – A pre-planned process to follow when approaching any hazard. Everyone knows about Mirror-Signal-Manoeuvre – But if you also append this with Position-Speed-Look-Assess-Decide-Act – You have your Hazard Routine all ready!

Safe driving from Britannia!

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July 24, 2015
Drowsy Driving Dangers

After passing your driving test, you are likely going to want to be driving as much as possible – With friends, with family, on road trips during summer days and on nights on, so that you get to experience all conditions of driving.

But beware – When driving this often, especially at night time, it is likely that you will feel tired at some point behind the wheel. This can be incredibly dangerous, particularly if you are travelling long distances or on a motorway – As when driving at 60 mph, falling asleep for just one second will mean your car moves around 30 metres under no control at all!

Make sure to take a break whenever you start to feel drowsy when driving – Otherwise you are putting yourself and others in danger.

Safe driving from Britannia!

 

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July 22, 2015
UK Licences Most Useful

UK licences, along with French licences, carry the most weight globally according to recent research.

UK drivers are able to drive with their UK licence in Sweden, Italy and Spain without having to take any further steps. In Finland, Japan, Hong Kong and New Zealand, a British licence is nearly as useful, being valid for 12 months. After that, the licence will need to be exchanged but this can be done without taking any kind of test. The same applies in Russia and Canada, although a switch to a local licence is necessary after only six months.

German driving licences are almost as powerful as those of British and French nationals and are the third most accepted around the world, according to the research. They are followed by those held by motorists in Sweden, then Belgium, Finland, Italy and Spain.

However, there are minor road laws that Brits should be aware of. Italian law requires all motorists to carry a reflective jacket in their vehicle together with a warning triangle in case of a breakdown. In Spain, motorists are asked to carry a spare pair of glasses if they routinely wear them. Swedish laws require that drivers must always have their headlights switched on and set to a dipped beam, even in the daytime.

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