When learning to drive, one of the main things people discuss is the topic of driving instructors – How to choose the right instructor, how many lessons to have, when to book the Theory and Practical Tests – But one point many often overlook is the subject of learning to drive with private practice.

Even  professional bodies such as the DVLA highly recommend supplementing your professional driving lessons with some private lessons, as this helps to get the best of both worlds in your experience of learning to drive. But there are some thing to look out for:

Firstly always make sure that your private practice is legal – You can’t just jump into a friend or family members car and start driving! You need to have correct learner insurance on any vehicle before being allowed to drive it, and you will also need to sit with another driver in the passenger seat who is 21 or older with a minimum of 3 years driving experience.

Safe driving from Britannia!

An unmarked police car crashed into a market stall in South London during a police chase following an armed robbery at the nearby post office on Tuesday morning.

The black Citroen hit a stallholder and then smashed through a vegan food stand at Surrey Street Market in Croydon just after 9.10am.

Flying Squad officers were called at 9.10am to reports of an armed robbery at the Post Office in Croydon High Street. A police officer jumped out of the car to chase the suspected armed robbers on foot. The car then carried on moving, hitting the flower seller before crashing in the Vegan food stall.

53-year-old flower seller Russell Smith was treated by the London Ambulance Service after suffering cuts to his knees. The two staff of the Vegan stall were both in the tent of the stall at the time and got knocked to the ground and did not sustain any injuries. Grace Magecha who runs the vegan stall described how the car was going fairly fast and so she and her colleague didnt have time to move out of the way.

She estimated about £500 worth of equipment was wrecked and said she does not know when they will be able to reopen. Co-owner Greg Kirby noted how the incident was ‘all a bit farcical’ as not only did the police car crash into their stall but one officer ran past them and dropped his gun.

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Drivers are losing out over £40 million year as a result of changes to the way road tax is collected.

The reforms that came into effect last autumn meant the end of the tax disc since motorists are no longer obliged to carry proof of taxation on their windscreens. It is the DVLA’s new policy of automatically cancelling any remaining VED when a car is registered to a new owner that is proving to be the most significant change.

Under the old system, when a vehicle changed hands the new owner would be allowed to benefit from any outstanding tax. Cars were often sold second-hand on the basis they were taxed until October, for example, adding to their value.

Since 1 October 2014, however, sellers automatically have any full months’ tax refunded by the DVLA. Meanwhile, buyers are obliged to tax the vehicle from the start of the month in which it is purchased. This is the system that is resulting in the ghost tax because if, for example, a car is sold on the 10^th of the month in which its tax is due to run out, the seller gets no refund – and they will have lost around 20 days’ worth of VED. The buyer, on the other hand, will be forced to pay for 10 days of VED they do not need.

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Parallel parking can be one of the trickiest manoeuvres to master, especially as a young or learner driver. So here at Britannia, we have decided to give you a helping hand with this. We’re nice like that.

– Firstly, always start practising in a safe place, where you are unlikely to damage your own car (or worse, anyone else’s!) Try a nice open space and manoeuvre between two cones, until you are happy enough with your skill to take it into the real world.

– Use your mirrors. We can’t stress this enough. Use your mirrors! Check for the traffic behind you, as this will put off your concentration during the parking, as well as your distance between the other cars.

– Watch other cars around the parking space. Judging on how close the other cars are parked to the pavement will inform how close you yourself should get safely.

What other tips do you have for a nervous parallel parker? Sound off in the comments below!

Motorists in Britain could save up to £84 a year if they turned off their engines when stationery or drove in the right gear.

A survey found that younger drivers are typically better at driving efficiently, with 17-24-year-olds found to be the most eco-savvy behind the wheel whilst over half of those aged over 65 admitted they didn’t use techniques that may save more fuel.

The research also found that Londoners are the most eco-friendly, with drivers in the capital willing to walk two miles before using their vehicle. Meanwhile 60% of drivers said their priority when getting into the car is thinking about the route rather than how to drive in the most economical way.

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Many drivers on UK roads are quite open to the fact that they have picked up some bad driving habits – But not until now has it become clear how costly these bad habits can be.

Bad techniques when behind the wheel – such as over-revving and using the wrong gear – Are said to be costing drivers up to an extra £700 million per year in fuel costs, according to a new survey.

But fear not, this money can easily be saved by practising a few simple changes in your motoring – Simply ensuring that you do not leave the car engine running when waiting to pick someone up, or even just turning off the air conditioning can have a massive impact on your expenses.

Do you have any other tips for good driving habits? Let us know below!

Safe driving from Britannia!

Four out of the 48 self-driving cars on public roads in California have been involved in accidents in the last eight months. Out of these four, three belonged to Google, the fourth to parts supplier Delphi.

Both firms denied any fault with Google stating that accidents had been in the form of rear-end collisions from other drivers. They continued by saying that safety is their highest priority. Since the start of the self-driving programme six years ago, a million miles has been covered without a single accident on both motorways and city roads.

Delphi stated that in regards to the accident involving their model, its vehicle was hit while stationary at a crossroads and was in manual driving mode at the time.

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