Whilst many learner drivers may enjoy the experience of learning to drive, it is inevitable that they will eventually find themselves yearning for the upcoming finale – the practical driving test.

Most drivers see the Theory test simply as a barrier to overcome before reaching the practical test, and so the Practical test is undeniably the ultimate aim of learning to drive. And while everyone has a different experience of their driving lessons, as they approach the final exam, many pupils may start to experience the nerves associated with the pending test, bringing about the most important question: Am I ready for my Driving Test?

Firstly consider how many lessons you have had. Most people will recommend 30 to 40 hours of Professional Driving Lessons before reaching test standard – although this will differ from person to person, it should be used as a rough guide. No matter how confident you feel behind the wheel, if you have only spent a couple of hours driving a car, then you may want to question whether you really have the experience required to face any potential outcome on your driving test.

Also seek your instructor’s guidance – most good instructors will advise you when they think you are ready to face the test, and they will also let you know if they think you are booking this prematurely – after all, if you fail a test, it will look bad on their record. So consult with your instructor before booking your exam, to make sure that they think you are good enough with your manoeuvres and your general driving skills to pass your Practical Test.

Safe driving from Britannia!

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It is a well known fact that pets look like their owners but according to research, people do look like their cars.

The study was carried out by researchers at the University of Vienna. They found that people could associate owners with the front of their vehicles. This follows similar research that says people perceive faces in the front of vehicles – known as pareidolia.

The study was based on 30 black and white photos of car owners and the front of their cars. The only prerequisite was that the cars would have had to be bought by the owners themselves. The researchers then placed the real owner among images of several others who didn’t own the car, and they asked 160 participants to identify who was most likely to own the car on a scale of one to six. (most to least likely).

They found that people would assign particular traits to people and, more often than not, guessed correctly.

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There are plans to bring in a 20mph speed limit in the Wandsworth borough. A consultation is currently underway in Balham and Tooting to see if the 30,000 residents support the introduction of 20mph speed limits in the their neighbourhoods. There have also been trials in the West Putney and Dover House Road area.

It has been argued that the introduction of a 20mph speed limit would make streets safer, more inclusive, quieter and more forgiving. Fewer collisions occur when the top speed is 20mph, and those that do have significantly lower chances of resulting in fatal or serious outcomes.

Islington became the first borough to introduce the blanket limit of 20mph in order to reduce accidents, congestion and pollution. It now seems that many boroughs will be following suit.

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As the weather gets wetter, driving through water is about to become more of reality for many of us. Whether it is flooded roads around suburban areas, or rivers that have burst their banks, it is essential to know how to handle this situation when you are faced with it.

Firstly, if there has been a particularly heavy rainfall and you expect there to be water on the roads, then remember that a little preparation can go a long way. Plan your route thoroughly, so as to avoid any areas that are at risk of being flooded, and try to stick to higher level grounds as much as possible, even if this means taking a longer route around.

Also make sure to prepare yourself and your car as much as possible – pack your car for the eventuality of being stranded overnight. This included blankets, Wellington boots (in case of the need to walk through shallow water) as well as a spare phone with a fully-charged battery, as well as an additional in-car charger so that you can call the emergency services in the worst-case scenarios.

When faced with a high volume of water on a road, always reduce your speed to as low as possible, and make sure to never enter any water that seems to be flowing, under any circumstances. This is known as aquaplaning, and will reduce your tyres grip with the road, resulting in less control over your vehicle, and a potentially dangerous outcome.

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That time of year has rolled around again – the Autumn has approached without warning, bringing with it the synonymous wet weather and hazardous driving conditions. Most important of these is to recognise that as the summer draws to a close, the “back-to-school” period will soon be back in full swing, and so you will have to adjust your driving style accordingly.

Most importantly is to remember that there will be a sudden abundance of children around the roads again, specifically around the times of 8am-9am and 2.30pm-4pm – and so if you will be driving in these peak periods, take this into account, especially if you will be driving near a school.

Make sure you are aware that there will be a sudden influx of cars on the roads as parents re-adjust to the school run – if this will conflict with your commute, then it may be wise to consider taking an alternative route to avoid the congestion.

Also bear the weather in mind – autumn leaves make for a peaceful, melancholy image, but they can play havoc with driving conditions. Be aware of wet leaves on the ground which can make roads slippy and dangerous, as well as accommodating for the increasingly wet weather conditions.

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According to a survey carried out, 52% of drivers admit to being middle lane hogs, a year after new laws were brought in to stop it.

Young drivers are the most likely to admit to this habit with 41% admitting to sticking in lane two. They were also least likely to be able to correctly identify lane 1 as the ‘cruising lane’ with 1 in 10 believing this to be the ‘lorry lane’ and 5% believing it to be the ‘acceleration/deceleration lane’.

The confusion over correct motorway etiquette, particularly amongst young drivers, is unsurprising given that there is no requirement for new drivers to take motorway lessons. In fact, of those surveyed, 51% taught themselves to drive on motorways only 10% had a motorway lesson with a driving instructor after passing their test.

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Paper tax discs are due to be abolished from 1^st October and be replaced by electronic records, however, many drivers are at risk of fines because they have had insufficient warning of this by the government.

Fewer than half of drivers are aware of the changes, which prevent the discs being passed to new owners when cars are sold. Under the new rules, car sellers must tell the DVLA immediately of the change of ownership, and the new owner must register to pay tax before driving the car away.

Drivers do not need to do anything until their disc is due for renewal. At that point, you will receive a renewal notice to pay online, by phone or in the Post Office. The new system also allows drivers to set up a direct debit.

Under the new system, the police only require number plates to identify those breaching the rules. The online database would include every car’s tax status next to the registration number. Drivers will be watched by cameras on the roads and inspectors armed with access to the database.

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Whilst there is a lot of material published online in regards to ensuring your driving is safe, and that your vehicle is fully prepared for any journey and to cope with any possible weather conditions, very little has been mentioned about the safety of the driver and passengers inside the car.

For example, seat belts are now a legal requirement for any person inside a moving car- however statistics show that even now, far fewer passengers use them than they should. The humble seat-belt, whilst not exceptionally comfortable, is one of the key features that will keep you safe inside a car in the event of a collision.

Air bags are another vital feature to ensure your car is equipped with – should the worst happen and your car strikes an exterior object such as another car at speed, the air bags in your car could mean the difference between life and death.

However it is not only the in-built features of the car that will keep you safe – it is also the behaviour of those inside. A vast number of motor accidents are caused by drivers being distracted from the roads, whether it is just for a split second by a mobile phone, or by in-car activities involving another passenger or any other in-car distraction, and this is why it is always important for the driver especially to keep their full attention on the road at all times, and for their passengers to respect this.

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Scientists at the University of Birmingham examining swabs from safety seats found an average of 100 potentially dangerous bacteria and fungi in each square centimetre whilst a toilet only contained half that number. The germs found included E. coli and Salmonella.

The study demonstrated that our cars contain more potentially hazardous bacterial and fungal species than anywhere in our homes. It was also revealed that almost half of us drive vehicles which are full of clutter with one in 10 Brits having had an accident or near miss due to the mess in their car.

The top 10 items of clutter found in the average family car as follows: a broken ice-scraper, a box of tissues, a torch (working or broken), an A-Z map, an old blanket, a toolkit, chamois leather, chocolate bar wrappers, an out of date map and an old phone charger.

Around one in five motorists tidy the inside of their car just once a year, typically prompted by an imminent visit to the garage. Due to the clutter and rubbish contained in cars, they can play host to a number of potentially harmful bacterial species. Most people would not dream of using their home as a dumping ground for rubbish as they do with their car which is why our cars contain more germs than our homes.

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