July 8, 2014
Ambulance Drivers to Take Driving Lessons

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Many drivers are well aware of the presence of emergency vehicles on the road. With their flashing blue and red lights, and screeching sirens wailing from half way down the road, we are taught as driving pupils to notice these from as far off as possible, and to allow them to pass wherever is possible.

If only they were just as cautious.

Ambulance bosses at East Midlands Ambulance Service have decided to draft in a series of driving instructors to train their ambulance drivers in the skill of driving, after a recent amount of road traffic accidents involving the vehicles.

In the year running up to April 5th, over 400 incidents were recorded of ambulances colliding with other vehicles – however even this figure was down from 462 the previous year. The cost of these mishaps totalled over £400,000.

In light of these shocking figures, a team of skilled driving instructors has been called in to help improve the skill of those behind the wheel of ambulances, to reduce the number of collisions, and to reduce the bill of funding repairs to other vehicles.

A review of the situation revealed that the most common flaw was ambulance drivers leaving the hand-brake off – followed closely by clipping wing mirrors, bumping into parked cars, and poor reversing technique.

Whilst it is true that ambulance drivers are often required to drive in high-risk situations, it is surely a great idea to help improve the amount of accidents caused by these vehicles.

What are your thoughts on this article? Sound off in the comments section below!

Safe driving from Britannia!

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July 7, 2014
Driving Test Superstitions

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Many learners are resorting to various rituals in the hope they pass their practical test. One particular student’s mother cracked an egg on every tyre before the test whilst another pupil spent the last lesson prior to the test parking up and standing on drain covers every time she spotted them in pairs.

These rituals may seem far-fetched but both students passed.

A driving instructor has been reported to make sure his cuddly monkey toy is safely strapped in for every test. He also gets his pupils to book tests in the morning.

Other anecdotes include a pupil wearing the same T-shirt on her test that she wore when she gave birth to her daughter.

With the number of first-time passes falling, the message is ‘if at first you don’t succeed, try again’. One 24-year-old pupil even took 24 attempts before passing her test and was one of either Britons who have racked-up at least 20 tests by the end of 2013 according to the DVSA.

In the end, it is good driving that will ensure a learner passes. However, if superstitions ease the nerves, then this can’t be harmless.

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

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July 4, 2014
Intensive Courses: Are They For Me?

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The debate is ongoing as to the nature of an intensive driving course – many people argue that it is much more beneficial to experience all of one’s driving tutorship in one large block, whereas others will contest that this puts too much strain on the learner and is not as efficient as a steady stream of individual lessons over a prolonged period of time.

So how do we know who is right? Should you go for the “normal” route of learning to drive, or should you take an Intensive Driving Course and get it all over and done with faster?

The truth is, it depends entirely on the learner. Some pupils will enjoy the idea of one large block of learning, and find that they will absorb information better when it comes at a much faster rate. However this style of learning is really only suited to those who can pick up information fast, and can handle high pressure situations – if you would not consider yourself one of these, then perhaps an Intensive Course is not for you.

On the other hand, many people find it more beneficial to take their time to learn to drive, as this allows them to learn at their own pace, over a series of driving lessons. If you are not in a particular rush to get behind the wheel, and would like to learn in a more relaxed manner, then the traditional route of driving lessons may well be the better choice for you.

Safe driving from Britannia!

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July 3, 2014
When To Take Your Lessons

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It is very common for learners to be fitting their lessons into a schedule around school or work. The result of this is that learners will tend to take their lessons at the same time each day and even the same days each week.

This is not the productive way to take lessons since you must get used to all driving conditions to prepare you for the road. Over the course of the day, there are a number of different conditions – quiet roads in the early morning, the rush hour commute, steady daytime traffic, the evening rush-hour and night-time.

It is important to experience all these conditions before going for your practical test. In particular, tests take place during the day and so only having lessons in the evenings will not prepare you for the conditions when you take your test. Even if you work during the week, most driving instructors work weekends and so you should be able to take a lesson in the weekend in addition to your evening lessons during the week.

If you can experience as many conditions as possible once taking your lessons, you will become a much more confident driver once you pass.

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

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July 2, 2014
Limits For New Drivers

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Older, experienced drivers do fear getting into a car with a newly qualified young driver, gritting their teeth and clutching at the sides of their seat. Is this a fair criticism of young drivers?

A poll of more than 2000 adults found that 68% supported some form of ‘graduated licensing’ for young drivers in their first year of driving. The type of restrictions backed by those who were polled included limitations on the number of passengers they could carry and restrictions on driving between midnight and 5am.

Almost one in eight of all injuries and deaths on the roads involved a driver aged 17 to 19 despite the fact the age group only represents one in 60 of all licensed drivers. This explains the reasoning behind placing some restriction on their driving to improve their safety.

However, is this a good idea? There are risky drivers of all ages, is it really fair to curtail the freedom of young drivers? Do restrictions really help young drivers learn safety on the road?

Send your views to Britannia Driving School by using the comments link below:

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July 1, 2014
The Worst First Lesson Ever

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Here at Britannia we like to see all driving students succeed. We encourage and praise them when they do well, and we help them to move past any minor mistakes they may make, helping them on their journey to become better drivers, and not to focus on their errors.

However sometimes, exceptions do have to be made.

Luckily this was not a student of Britannia Driving School, but rather a peer from across the pond – a USA Driving pupil, on their FIRST DRIVING LESSON, who managed to roll the car onto its roof.

In a similar fashion to last summer, when we wrote about the Worst Driving Test Ever, this pupil will most likely be hanging their head in shame after somehow flipping the car upside down during their first hour behind the wheel. The student, from Waltham, Massachusetts, lost control of the vehicle in a residential area, hit a tree, and simultaneously performed an unintentional aerial U-turn, leaving the car stranded on its roof until Police arrived at the scene.

Luckily the pupil and his instructor escaped unharmed – but he may still be several lessons away from passing his test.

Your first lesson may not have gone too well, with you probably stalling, or even scraping the bumper against the kerb – but take solace in the fact that it could have gone much worse.

Safe driving from Britannia!

What are your thoughts on this article? Do you know someone who has experienced a worse driving lesson than this?

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June 30, 2014
Changes In Driving Test Statistics

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The DVSA has released statistics regarding the driving theory and practical tests for the January-March 2014 period. From the statistics, a number of trends can be deduced.

The total number of practical tests have been on a downward medium-trend from the period of 2007/08; an important factor that is potentially influencing this is the generally increasing practical test pass rates, hence fewer candidates taking retests. However, in this quarter the pass rate has decreased to 46.9% and the number of practical tests taken has increased which can be attributed to, as well as the lower pass rate, to the fact that there was an unusually low number of tests taken in the same period last year due to the severe weather.

In addition, the pass rate for the theory tests have decreased, standing at 50.5% which is 19% lower than last year’s pass rate in the same period. This may be affected by the withdrawal of voice-overs and translators for foreign language tests from April 2014 resulting in a surge of less well prepared candidates taking their test.

Previously, the economic recession from 2008 had discouraged some people from taking the theory and practical tests; however, the increase in test number suggests that the economic conditions are no longer a limiting factor.

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

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June 26, 2014
Penalty Points Before Passing The Test

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Almost 54,000 of learner drivers already have penalty points for speeding and going through red lights before they pass their test with the majority being for driving too fast. Other reasons include not having any insurance or driving carelessly.

A third of people believe driving instructors or the person accompanying learners should be responsible if learners are penalised, with more than one in ten believing that it is these individuals that should take the points – despite this practice being illegal.

It is understandable that learners should make mistakes along the way but picking up bad habits such as speeding or jumping lights before even passing a driving test is not a good way to start and these individuals should be made aware of the consequences of their actions.

One in three people do not realise that they can get points while learning to drive and 40% don’t know that if they accumulate six points in their first two years of driving they will lose their licence.

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

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June 25, 2014
Your Driving Test Result

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You’ll pass your practical test if you make:

– 15 or fewer driving faults
– No serious or dangerous faults

Once the driving test has ended, the examiner will ask whether you want to call your instructor over. The examiner will then tell you whether you passed or fail your test and give you some feedback on how you did during the test.

There are 3 types of faults that could be marked during your test:

-A dangerous fault – this would involve actual danger to you, the examiner, the public or property
– A serious fault – this could potentially become dangerous
– A driving fault – this is not potentially dangerous, but if you make the same fault throughout your test it could become a serious fault

If you pass your test, the examiner will give you a pass certificate and will immediately take your provisional licence to get your full licence sent out to you automatically. You do not need to wait for your full licence to arrive before driving; you can drive straight after passing your test.

If you don’t pass, you will have to wait another 10 working days before you can take another test.

Let us know your driving test experiences and thoughts by using the comments link below

Good luck from Britannia!

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June 24, 2014
Driving Test Worries

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Many learner drivers may be worrying about their driving test – indeed, many do say that the driving test is one of the most nerve-racking experiences of one’s life, and this additional pressure can significantly exacerbate the already stressful process of learning to drive.

Here are our top tips for handling Driving Test Worries:

– Take your test when your instructor says that you are ready. Your instructor is a professional, and will very likely be able to recognise the differences between a novice driver and someone who is ready to pass their test. Also, they have nothing to gain by you taking your test prematurely, so trust their judgement when they say you are ready, and take this as a boost of confidence.

– Take your Theory earlier rather than later. Learning the Theory is a vital part of learning to drive, and so by brushing up on your theory well in advance of your Practical test, you are giving yourself an additional advantage when it comes to applying this knowledge in the hands-on driving world. Also, your theory lasts for 2 years, so it is not likely to expire before you take your driving test for the first time.

– Tell your instructor what you want to do. Whilst it is good advice to trust an instructor’s judgement, you can by all means request different activities in your driving lesson (you are paying for them, after all!) If you feel like a certain manoeuvre needs more practice, rather than simply reiterating your general driving, let your instructor know that you want to practice this more.

– Finally, relax! If you or your instructor think you are good enough to pass your test, there is probably a good reason for that. Stay calm, so that you are in the same state of mind as you would be on one of your lessons, and everything should go smoothly.

Do you have any more tips for learner drivers when it comes to taking their driving test?

Sound off in the comments section below!

Good luck from Britannia!

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