April 7, 2014
Still Teaching At The Age Of 94

Great-grandmother Laura Thomas is Britain’s oldest driving instructor at the age of 94 and has taught over 1000 learners in her 76 years as a fully qualified driver.

She argues that you are never too old to drive; she has seen big changes in cars and how busy the roads are but believes that the basics of driving haven’t changed.

She has taught grandparents, parents, children and grandchildren from the same family and none of her pupils have taken more than two attempts to pass their test. She has never advertised her services but has enjoyed a steady stream of pupils for almost 80 years. Even though she has cut back on the number of lessons she takes recently, she has no plans to quit driving.

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April 4, 2014
5 Ways To Beat Test Day Nerves

We all know what’s it like on test day! You’ve prepared and you know you can pass it but you’ve got the jitters. What do you do?

You know us better than to think we wouldn’t have an answer. Here are our 5 top tips:

1) Get organised. You can do this is by having everything prepared the night before. Have your driving licence and papers ready so you’re not worrying about these the next day – which won’t help your nerves.
2) Know the car. Will you be taking your test in a car that you have learnt in? If you’re asked to open the car bonnet do you know how?
3) Make a good impression on your examiner – you know, a smile. Of course, if you make a serious mistake you’ll still fail, it’s much better doing your test in a pleasant environment.
4) Keep your eyes on your speed. We don’t need to explain this one.
5) Don’t give up! If you feel you’ve made a big mistake, keep going. Don’t give up. Show the examiner you can recover from mistakes.

Those are our tips!

Good luck.

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April 3, 2014
What Everybody Ought To Know About Drink Driving

Recently the news reported that 80-year-old Coronation Street actress Barbara Knox had been arrested for drink driving.

The reason we bring this up is because many people, and we’re not saying Knox is one of them, lull themselves into the idea that because they’ve been driving for decades, they can push the limits.

What do we mean?

They drink one more than they should and feel that it will be okay because they’re experienced and they’re not driving far.

Or they think about the fact they’ve driven the same route for years and have never had an accident.

But there’s never an excuse. You shouldn’t get behind the wheel if you are over the limit. Of course, many of us won’t have our offences listed in the tabloids, but we risk so much more: losing our licence or causing a serious accident. And we don’t want either of those things for you.

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April 2, 2014
New ADI Grading System

The DVSA has now announced a new grading structure for driving instructors which is to come into operation on 7 April 2014. Under the new Standards Check, ADIs being assessed will be given one of the following grades:

– A grade (85% or over) – an overall high standard of instruction
– B grade (60% or over) – a sufficient level of competence
– Fail (less than 60%) – an unsatisfactory performance

If an instructor receives a fail grade, they will be given another standards check within 12 weeks, to allow them to show that their level of tuition has improved and they meet the required standard.

Until an ADI is assessed under the new system, their current grade of 4-6 remains valid. Instructors who fail three successive assessments under the Standards Check can be removed from the register.

The new structure replaces the current six grades, which is not widely understood by the general public. The move is part of a series of changes aimed at modernising the driver training industry.

The DVSA has stated that it expects all ADIs to strive to become Grade A instructors whilst, according to the DVSA, a lot of instructors are grade 4 on the current structure, which means that they have demonstrated sufficient competence to remain on the register.

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March 31, 2014
Spared Jail After Wrong-Way Drive

Katie Homer, who was spotted driving the wrong way down the M5, has been spared jail. CCTV footage showed her driving north up the southbound carriageway swerving into lorries and going round a roundabout twice.

She was given a four-month jail term, suspended for 12 months, at Wolverhampton Crown Court. She was also sentenced to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work, banned from driving for three years, and ordered to pay £200 costs.

Homer has pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol and dangerous driving at a previous hearing. The sentencing judge told her she had committed a ‘very serious driving offence’.

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March 28, 2014
How to Avoid Road Rage

With the release of a news story today detailing a woman’s filming of an aggressive road rage driver (resulting in a car crash), Britannia has decided to provide you with its list of the best tips to avoid Road Rage:

1.) Plan your journey. Try to avoid routes that will be crammed with high congestion, as this is a contributing cause of road rage. Stay to calmer roads, and you will find your attitude much more relaxed too.

2.) Play the correct music. Studies have shown that the music you play can severely affect the way that you drive. Avoid heavy metal or heavy bass, and try to play softer music whilst behind the wheel.

3.) Maintain steady breathing. When you feel the onset of Road Rage, take a step back from the situation, and breathe slowly, allowing yourself to calm down before you launch into a fury.

4.) Drive courteously. Just like many other drivers on the roads may annoy you, you could just as easily be annoying many other drivers, likely without realising it. Drive with respect to others, and they will be more likely to do the same to you.

5.) Finally remember, it is not personal. If somebody has cut you up, or caused you to swerve or brake sharply, the chances are that they have made a driving mistake, or perhaps they are just a bad driver. They almost certainly did not do it intentionally to aggravate you, so don’t take it personally.

Hopefully following these tips will help you to reduce that road rage, and stay calm in high-pressure driving situations.

Safe driving from Britannia!

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March 27, 2014
Scotland Criticises Delay In Restrictions For New Drivers

Scotland’s transport minister, Keith Brown, has hit out at the UK government over a delay in proposals to restrict driving licences for young drivers. Brown is keen to press ahead with graduated driver licensing (GDL) which would place some restrictions on young drivers; however, the Scottish government cannot introduce its own legislation as driver licensing is reserved to the UK government.

The Scottish government claimed that, despite making up just 10% of licence holders, people ages 17 to 25 account for 23% of drivers involved in road accidents causing injury. GDL puts certain restrictions on newly qualified drivers and is already enforced in Australia, New Zealand and parts of the USA. Such restrictions include a ban on driving at night, lower maximum speed limits and limiting the number of passengers in the vehicle.

Conservative MSP Alex Johnstone argued: ‘the testing process appears incapable of identifying young drivers who are most at risk of being involved in accidents’. This is because those at risk were often the most confident during the testing process and suggested more training might be the answer. He argues that the minimum driving test age should remain at 17 but that people should be able to start learning at 16, giving them the opportunity of a full year under instruction before the practical test.

Conservative MP Justin Tomlinson has introduced his Graduated Driving Licence Scheme Bill at Westminster and the first reading in the Commons is now scheduled for June 2014.

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March 26, 2014
Foreign Language Driving Tests To Be Stopped

From the 7th April learners will not be able to take their car and motorcycle theory tests with a voiceover in 1 of 19 foreign languages. They will also not be able to use interpreters on theory tests and practical tests.

The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) consulted earlier last year on a series of proposals reviewing the level of foreign language support available to candidates. More than 70% of the people who responded supported the withdrawal of foreign language voiceovers and interpreters on tests.

Many people agreed that a lack of understanding of the national language meant that some drivers may not be able to understand traffic signs, speak with traffic enforcement officers and read details of the road.

Candidates with dyslexia or other reading difficulties will still be able to take their theory test with an English or Welsh language voiceover. Candidates who are deaf or have hearing difficulties will still be able to take their theory test in British Sign Language (BSL) and take a BSL interpreter with them on their practical test.

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March 25, 2014
Posture When Driving

After startling figures were released this week revealing that 80% of Britons suffer from severe lower back pain when driving, Britannia has decided to emphasise the importance of correct posture when driving:

1.) Firstly reduce the seat to its lowest and farthest back point. Then from here, raise the height of the seat and inch it forward so that your knees and hips are level.

2.) You should be able to firmly press all of the pedals without your back leaving the seat. If you need to lean forward at all, your seat is too far back.

3.) Keep your back straight. Although many cars have a recline position for their driver’s seat, this is not the best position to use. The farther forward the better (not only for good posture, but also in the event of an accident).

4.) Adjust the head-rest and the seat-belts so both are firm, yet not too constricting. You should feel comfortable, yet safe when driving.

5.) Move the steering wheel into the optimum position. This is found when you can easily see over the top of the wheel, and can rest your wrists on the top of the wheel without it being too far down towards your legs.

If you’re going to be driving this spring, make sure that you have the correct posture, or you may regret it later!

Safe driving from Britannia!

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March 24, 2014
Short-Notice Test Cancellations

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) are to introduce a more flexible approach to the way it handles practical tests cancelled by candidates at short notice from 1st April 2014.

As it stands, candidates automatically lose their fee if they cancel or change their test without giving DVSA 3 clear working days’ notice.

From 1st April, candidates will be able to rebook their test at short notice with no charge if they can’t take their test for the following reasons:

– A medically certified illness
– A bereavement
– School exams

DVSA will also continue to offer a refund or new test date to serving members of the armed forces who are called for duty.

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