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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So the summer months have (finally) arrived, and you can’t wait to take the car for a spin with the roof down or windows open?

Whilst this may sound like a glorious idea, you must first consider the potential dangers of driving in the summer:

–          Summer weather means summer drivers. The combination of long bright days, dry roads and soaring temperatures brings about an inexplicable positive change in many people. This state of euphoria often leads to many drivers, particularly teens and younger motorists, pushing their vehicles to go further and faster than before – unsurprisingly there is a direct correlation between the temperature and the number of accidents on UK roads.

–          Higher congestion – Better weather brings those who are usually hermits throughout winter out into the open, and onto our roads. This increase in people behind the wheel leads to more difficult driving conditions, and beware mostly of drivers at holiday destinations, who may not be familiar with the roads.

–          Car trouble- High temperatures can cause any number of issues with cars, such as engine overheating and tyre blowouts. Try to plan ahead for these possibilities, and regularly check your engine coolant level.

–          Road conditions – Whilst it is refreshingly unusual to experience good driving conditions in British summertime, beware of the pitfalls. High amounts of glare on the roads and bright sunlight can obscure your vision, struggling with hay fever can cause dangers behind the wheel, fires can become more likely around dry grass and embankments, and strong heat can make you drowsy whilst driving, especially on long journeys such as going on holidays.

Summer can be the best time of year, so make the most of it, just make sure you drive sensibly and safely at all times!

Safe driving, and have a great summer, from Britannia!

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Your appointment letter will give the date and time of your driving test, it will also state the address of the driving test centre; check they are correct and as expected.

Read the reverse of the appointment letter, it has a list of things to bring with you, a suitable vehicle and both parts of your provisional driving licence, without these, no test and loss of the driving test fee. All Britannia Driving School’s cars are legal and suitable for the practical test.

Don’t arrive at the Driving Test Centre too early, just a few minutes before the test time. If the Test Centre has a car park, reverse into a bay, if it doesn’t, park on the left side of the road.

After parking you’re vehicle, make your way into the Test Centre’s waiting room and wait for the Driving Examiner. They will Check your licence and ask you to read and sign the insurance and residency declaration, and then ask you to lead the way to your vehicle.

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