A new survey has revealed that many drivers believe that drink driving is still acceptable.

The poll, conducted by the AA and Populus, a professional research agency, that questioned 19, 589 adults, suggests that as many as seven per cent of drivers consider themselves more than capable of operating a car without any problems after having several drinks – despite over 200,000 people injured or killed on UK roads per year (2011), with around 250 of these related to alcohol-related accidents .

Roughly 32% of fatal car crashes are also said to have involved an intoxicated person.

Over one in ten drivers in Wales consider it “normal” behaviour to drive home after a few drinks, whereas those in London are most likely to admit being drunk behind the wheel.

Around five per cent of over-65’s still maintained the relatively old-fashioned belief that a capable driver would still be able to drive correctly – despite the hindrance of having alcohol in the system.

Evidence has shown that even the smallest amount of alcohol in the system can lead to cognitive impairments such as a delayed reaction time and a decreased ability to multi-task – an essential part of driving.

So if you’re going out tonight, it’s time to make a choice: drive and stick to soft drinks, or leave the car at home.

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Driveways are the most expensive parking spaces in the country, according to Europcar.

Motorists are spending 11% of their monthly income on motoring and ownership costs, but 66% of them are using their vehicles for less than an hour a day, trying to cut down their usage as much as they can.

The results show motorists who can’t imagine life without a vehicle but are being forced to avoid driving as much as they can.  More than half of those questioned said that public transport couldn’t replace their car.

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If you’re going to be having driving lessons, you want to ensure that you are having them legally. Here are the top tips for driving lessons from the DSA:

–          Paying anybody to teach you to drive is regarded as a driving lesson – it is therefore illegal for anyone to accept money to teach you to drive unless they are an ADI or a trainee driving instructor, as these are regulate by the DSA. These can be easily recognised – An ADI will display a green badge on the front of their car, a trainee instructor will display a pink one.

–          Friends and/or relatives are also allowed to teach you to drive, provided they do not accept money for this. However to be legally allowed to teach someone to drive, you must:

– Be 21 years of age or over.

– Be in possession of the correct license for the vehicle they are teaching you in.

– Have owned a driving license for 3 years or more.

–          If you are found to be driving without this aforementioned correct supervision, you are liable for fines of up to £1,000, and you will get 3 to 6 penalty points on your provisional license – not the best start to your driving experience.

–          It is also illegal for any driving instructor – DSA regulated or not – to use a mobile phone whilst supervising you.

–          You must prominently display ‘L’ plates on both the front and rear end of your vehicle. This is a ‘D’ plate in Wales.

Follow this advice, and hopefully your lessons will go by without a hitch.

Safe driving from Britannia!

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The Department of Transport (DFT) has just announced the creation of a single agency which will bring together the testing and standards services that are currently provided by the DSA and the Vehicle Operator Services Agency (VOSA)

The reforms announced today are an outcome of the recent Motoring Service Strategy consultation and are designed to offer motorists and businesses better and more convenient services whilst ensuring that road safety and first class customer service remain a top priority. The changes should not impact on the continued provision of services to the public or the progress of the ongoing reform programmes.

Simon Bush of Britannia Driving School said: “DSA services should continue as normal so there should be no need for concern in terms of accessing services”

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The DSA (Driving Standards Agency) has given approval for more Halfords based test centres to begin work in June.

The driving tests will be available in Ashton-under-Lyne, Hemel Hempstead and Bromsgrove on restricted days of the week.

The change is part of an initiative by the government to provide test centres in areas that don’t have them. As well as branches of Halfords, tests are taking place at Nottingham Trent University and Salford fire station.

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Are you planning to start driving? Are you looking forward to getting behind the wheel and passing your test, and finally removing those ‘L’ plates for good? First things first; before you become a full time professional driver, you’re going to have to learn the theory. And that includes passing the theory test.

To start yourself on the way towards this, you will first need a Provisional licence. This is only valid from your 17^th birthday onwards, although you can apply for it three months in advance. From this point you will be able to book driving lessons and take your Theory Test. Many people think of the Theory test as being less important than the practical driving test; however it is necessary to pass the Theory before you will be allowed to apply for the Practical Driving test.

To give you a little information on this, the Theory test is comprised of two parts: The Theory Test, and the Hazard perception Test. Here we will go into detail on the first part:

The Theory test takes place on a computer screen, and consists of 50 questions – however don’t worry about your spelling, grammar or punctuation – they are all multiple choice questions. You will be shown a short tutorial to ensure you understand what to do and given a few practice questions to prepare yourself.

Each question will have a driving related query, and a list of potential answers, of which one or more may be correct – you will be advised how many correct answers are available in each question. You will have 57 minutes to complete all 50 questions – a little over a minute for each question. A successful Theory test will have a minimum of 43 correct answers, which equates to 86%.

If you are unsure of a question, we would advise you to “Flag” the question and move on, and return to it later.  You will be shown how to “Flag” an answer in the tutorial. You will also be able to review your answers in a variety of ways – you can review all answers, all flagged answers, and all incomplete answers (i.e. which questions have not had enough answers selected).

Always ensure that there are 50 complete questions- if there are less, use the review feature to find the incomplete question, and do your best to answer it. An incomplete answer will be marked as incorrect, so if you have absolutely no idea, you might as well take a guess!

Try to relax. Don’t worry about failing, it is not the end of the world, however you will have to pay for your re-take, which will become available three days after your failed attempt.

Most importantly, ensure you have revised properly for your Theory test. A little preparation goes a long way… so good luck!

Stay tuned for next time… The Dreaded Theory Test- Part 2: The Hazard Perception Test!

Traffic calming measures are used to slow down traffic in order to make the road safer for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians.

Reduce speed when approaching these road humps, chicanes and narrowing in the road. Allow cyclist and motorcyclists to pass through traffic-calming measures. Drive slowly throughout a traffic-calming zone.

If directed by a traffic sign give way to oncoming traffic. Don’t overtake moving vehicles in a traffic-calming zone.

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Don’t put your address into your satnav, says Simon of Britannia Driving School. Thieves have begun targeting vehicles in long-stay car parks and using the satnav details to rob the owners’ homes while they’re away.

Simon said: “Criminals are targeting long-term car parks, knowing that it could be hours before a driver misses their stolen car. We urge people to use a postcode some distance from home, rather than their actual address and mark it as a ‘harbour.”

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Ever feel nervous getting behind the wheel? Are there some areas in your day to day driving that you lack confidence in, or some situations that you pray never occur whilst you’re driving? You are not alone.  The refresher course was designed with people just like yourself in mind.

Whether its hill starts that you feel awkward on, or if you avoid reverse parking at any cost, or any other number of issues with your driving, the refresher course can help you. Even if you don’t feel that there are any specific issues, but just feel that your driving skills have grown a little rusty over time, and you would like that feeling of being a new driver with all your skills fresh in your mind, the refresher course is perfect for you.

Maybe over the years you have picked up one or two bad habits as a motorist? Don’t worry, this happens to all of us, and that’s exactly what this type of course is aimed at curbing. Perhaps you often make it halfway to work before realising you’re not wearing a seatbelt, or occasionally manoeuvre a junction without indicating? These courses will help to eradicate any flaws in your driving, and help to encourage that discipline you used to have as a younger driver.

However, don’t feel that refresher courses are only for older drivers who have lost their touch behind the wheel; statistically, the drivers most at risk of an accident on the road are the younger drivers who have recently passed their tests, possibly due to a combination of inexperience and overconfidence.

Whilst we here at Britannia understand that after finally getting your pink licence, the last thing you will want to do is to have an instructor in the passenger seat again, we cannot recommend enough the value of refresher courses for newly qualified drivers. These have been proven to dramatically reduce the risk of accidents by helping to push your driving ability far beyond that of the average “Pass” rate that you have always strived towards, and to get you to the level of an experienced, responsible driver in no time, by brushing up on your skills learnt in your lessons, and honing them to a perfect degree. If this is not enough of an incentive for you, then bear in mind that refresher courses and Pass Plus schemes can contribute to lower insurance premiums in the future.

Whatever your reason for considering a refresher course, just remember; surely it cannot hurt to ever be a better driver?

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Drink driving offenders will now have to pass a medical before they are allowed to drive again, says the Department for Transport.

Current rules have a loophole, where although drivers need to take a medical before getting a new driving licence, they are allowed to drive as soon as they have applied for their licence.

Road safety minister Stephen Hammond said: “These changes will tighten up the law on drink driving and will mean that the most dangerous offenders will have to prove they are no longer dependent on alcohol before they are allowed to get back behind the wheel.”

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