The cost of the Driving Theory Test is set to fall this October, with the price due to be slashed from the current cost of £32 to just £25 – with plans to reduce the price by a further £2 one year later.

After negotiations were held between the DVLA and the Theory Test providers, the agency was pleased to announce that learner drivers would be the ones to feel the benefits of the cut in the cost.

Theory tests for vehicles other than cars will also fall – with trainees for lorry’s, buses, and trainee Driving Instructors to reap the rewards of cheaper theory tests.

However the government has been keen to point out that the drop in price would not result in a compromise of the quality of the Theory test, reassuring learner drivers that the content of the test would not change.

They have also made a point to let all learner drivers know that the price of the Practical Driving Test is set to remain the same, until further notice.

What are your thoughts on this article? Are you looking forward to a cheaper theory test?

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Safe driving from Britannia!

The UK drink drive limit is 35mg per 100ml of breath or 80mg in 100ml of blood. Sadly, many young drivers are still drink-driving despite the many drink-drive campaigns launched by the Department of Transport.

So why are people still risking their lives by drink-driving? Perhaps they don’t realise how badly their driving can be affected by being only a little over the legal alcohol limit.

Another problem could be the fact that having a drink drive limit is possibly not the answer to reducing the number of accidents caused by drink-driving. It is difficult to work out how many units are in a drink. Further, alcohol affects people in different ways depending on age, gender, tiredness and so someone may be under the legal limit but the alcohol may still significantly impair their ability to drive.

Further, to be safe, drivers should ensure they are completely sober before driving – including the following day. Most arrests for drink-driving are made the morning after driving and so the morning after is as serious as the day of drinking.

The solution to reducing the number of accidents is if drivers do not drink a single drop of alcohol, if you know you will be driving. Also, leave a significant length of time between drinking and driving – if you had alcohol the night before, do not even contemplate driving the morning after. Perhaps the law must be changed to enforce a complete ban on drinking alcohol before getting in the driver’s seat but for now motorists need to act responsibly.

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Whilst most learner drivers are itching to get behind the wheel of their own car and take to the roads, many still seem to underestimate the importance of the Theory Test, with first time fail rates seemingly on the rise.

It is important to remember that to be a fully qualified driver on UK roads requires an extensive knowledge of theoretical driving just as much as being a capable operator of a motor vehicle.

Also, without passing the Theory Test, you would not be able to progress onto your Practical test at all, so it may be a good idea to start revising this in advance of beginning your lessons.

Luckily for you budding drivers out there, Britannia is on hand to help. With our Online Video Guide and Online Mock Test, you can be sure that you are fully equipped with all of the necessary tools to pass your Theory test and to get you that one step closer to being behind a wheel of your own car!

Safe driving from Britannia!

Unsuspecting movie-goers were treated to a shocking advert intended to raise awareness of the dangers of texting whilst driving this week, as the film fans were caught off-guard by a hi-tech advertisement campaign.

The ingenious marketing ploy by Volkswagen has left many viewers in shock and awe after it’s ground-breaking and innovative strategy, which involved hi-jacking the viewers mobile phones without their consent, and involving them indirectly into the advert itself.

As the unsuspecting cinema-goers filed into the movie theatre, they were unaware that the room had secretly been bugged with a location-based broadcaster, that can send a text message to anyone within a certain proximity without the need for their phone number.

Suddenly the advert began – showing, from a first-person perspective, a person entering a vehicle, starting the ignition, and heading off along a straight road.

Then, without warning, the advanced gadgetry sent a text message to every person sitting in the theatre, causing all of the movie-goers to pull out their mobile phones simultaneously -and thereby distracting their attention from the on-screen road ahead.

This split second was all that it took – as the audiences attention was diverted momentarily to their handheld device, the advert, timed with military-style precision, showed the vehicle suddenly swerve dramatically off the road and plummet head-first into a roadside tree, shattering the windscreen and leaving the car decimated in a thick cloud of white smoke, with the chilling message:

“Mobile use is now the leading cause of death behind the wheel. A reminder to keep your eyes on the road.”

The advert certainly caught viewers attention – and highlighted the fact of the dangers of using a mobile whilst driving.

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Safe driving from Britannia!

Technology is being developed for driverless cars either side of the Atlantic, and the UK government has been pushed to draw up laws by Google’s drive to see its cars legally used on the roads in California.

Ministers have admitted that the current Highway Code and rules of the road are inadequate for the new generation of driverless cars.

Last month Google unveiled its ‘hands-free’ self-driving bubble car, which has no steering wheel, brake or accelerator pedals. It is made up of buttons for start, pull over and emergency stop and a computer screen showing your route.

Science minister David Willetts is currently in talks with the Department for Transport about rewriting the law to allow cars on to UK highways without anyone in the driving seat.

The British version, currently being developed in Oxford, has so far clocked up less miles than the Google version and so it needs the opportunity to be tested on a wide range of environments. It is for this reason that new regulations must be drawn up.

Williets has said that the government’s infrastructure plan commits to reviewing the law to ‘ensure there is a clear and appropriate regime for the testing of driverless cars that supports the world’s car companies to come and hand test them here’.

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Calls have been made for greater enforcement to reduce excessive speeding on motorways rather than increasing fines.

Maximum fines imposed by magistrates in England and Wales are set to rise sharply in an effort to crack down on offenders.

The government’s proposals could see the highest fine for speeding on the motorway increase from £2,500 to £10,000.

But it has been argued that the current maximum fine is already a strong enough deterrent for the majority of drivers.

This comes after stealth cameras being introduced on the motorways in order to prevent speeding.

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Although one of the main points of modern motoring is the task of maintaining safe driving, this is the real world, and so we much accept that accidents can and do happen often. In a lifelong career of driving, you are likely to experience at least one accident whilst in the car, and so it is good to ensure that you are fully prepared for what to do in this incident.

– Stop the car. Regardless of how small you think the collision was, or if you think no-one is watching, you are morally and legally obliged to stop your car immediately in the first safe location after the site of the accident. Failure to stop is an offence. Also remember to turn on your Hazard lights as soon as you are stopped.

– Call any emergency services necessary. If you or your passengers are injured, or any other road user or pedestrian, then you must call an ambulance immediately. Likewise, if the accident requires Police attention (such as if the road has become blocked) then Police must be called immediately.

– Your are legally obliged to provide any party involved in the accident your name and address, and they are obliged to provide theirs to you. But remember not to accept responsibility for the accident at this time – this could hinder any claim you may need to make at a later date. If the other party is not present (such as hitting a parked car) then you must leave your details on the windscreen.

– Report the accident to the Police. This must be done within 24 hours of the accident, or as soon as possible if you need to make a claim against the other party involved.

– Collect any information you can. Giving your name and contact details to the other parties involved is a must, but it is also recommended to acquire as much evidence from the site of the incident as possible – make notes of the details of the accident, such as how and when the accident happened, which cars were involved, the weather and road conditions, and also try to get some photographic evidence of the accident to back up your claims. If you can also get the contact details of a witness to support you, that would be a great help.

With the right amount of safe driving when behind the wheel, you can minimise the chance of an accident occurring when driving. However in the unfortunate event that you are involved in an incident, at least now you will be well prepared with how to handle the situation.

Safe driving from Britannia!

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