Not renewing your driver’s licence or informing the DVLA of any changes can be very costly. Drivers can face fines of up to £1000 if they fail to update their licence.

Most photo card licences are usually valid for 10 years and there is a legal requirement for drivers to renew their licence and their photograph. Letters will normally be sent out to drivers to notify them that their licence is due to expire but it’s our duty as drivers to ensure we keep everything up-to-date.

It is thought that more than two million drivers fail to do this. This could be due to research that found nearly a fifth of drivers interviewed didn’t know that their licence even had an expiry date.

You will find the expiry date on your licence under 4b.

Victoria Ford from the DVLA said: “Appearance can change and it is important that photo-card licences are updated every 10 years to ensure the police and other enforcement agencies have the best possible photograph to help them correctly identify whether a driving licence is being used fraudulently.”

As drivers, we also have a duty to inform the DVLA of any changes to our name, address or health.

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Susan Noble, 29 has been sentenced to three years in jail after she crashed into a man on the A19 whilst texting a friend.

Alexandru Braninschi, 25 was standing by the stationary vehicle whilst the wheel was being changed, when Noble’s car ploughed into him, resulting in his death.

Police secured evidence that Noble was using her mobile phone texting a friend at the time of the incident. Noble pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving at Teesside Crown Court.

Not only was she jailed, but disqualified from driving for six years and will be required to sit an extended driving test.

Traffic Sgt John Lumbard said: “As well as leaving one man dead, the collision has left a family grieving for their loss and a young woman with the knowledge that she is responsible for his untimely death.”

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We were all shocked to learn of the most recent ruling regarding the fact that the price of women’s car insurance was set to double.

Although figures highlight the fact that women are safer drivers and get in much less motor accidents than men, why is the price of women’s car insurance increasing?

The insurance companies have had to comply with the European Court of Justice, which states that gender should not be used to discriminate in prices.

So what should women drivers do? Get the best deal possible. Yes, we mean it, just because your insurance is going up, it doesn’t mean you should give up on finding the best deal possible. There are still savings to be made!
– Shop around on the internet, there are plenty of good sites that compare prices
– Think about going for the Pass Plus course

Our advice is don’t give up, keep looking!

Janice Dunlop did her good deed for the day when she allowed two people to shelter in her car after they were involved in a car accident.

Mrs Dunlop narrowly avoided the accident herself, after a lorry overturned on the A27. Two other cars were involved in the collision.

The pair appeared to be ok and Mrs Dunlop allowed them to sit in her car. When the paramedics arrived, the pair complained of neck pain and the decision was made to cut the roof off the undamaged car to rescue them safely.

Mrs Dunlop said: The emergency services took a long time trying to see whether they could get the couple out any other way…when the top came off I couldn’t look, I hid my eyes, it was a very loved car in our family.”

A spokesman for the South East Ambulance Service said: “Paramedics explored every opportunity to get them out of the vehicle….we can only apologise to Mrs Dunlop for the inconvenience of that.”

Mrs Dunlop now hopes and prays that the insurers will replace the car.

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Hello all, we hope you are having a great start to the New Year. We can’t quite believe we are in 2013 already.

If one of your New Year’s resolutions was to learn to drive, we are the people who can help you with that!

Simply get in touch and we will get your lesson booked. Our instructors take the time to get to know you and the way you prefer to learn. We are encouraging and we like to watch our pupils grow in confidence.

So, if you’ve had dreams of going on a road trip from London to Brighton or from London to Manchester, let’s make it happen! Book your driving lesson today.

Michael Crapo, a US senator was stopped by police when he drove through a red light.

He was found to be over the legal drink drive limit and admitted to drinking two or three vodka tonics before getting in his car.

He pleaded guilty at a court in the state of Virginia, had his driving licence suspended for one year, was made to pay a fine equating to about £150 and must attend an alcohol safety course.

He apologised to his constituents and asked for their forgiveness, he also said: “I am grateful, truly grateful, that no-one was injured.”

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Transport for London (Tfl) wants to double its spending on improving London’s roads as they say that 80% of journeys each day in the capital are made using roads.

The business plan would see investment rise to £3.8bn, including money spend on cycling safety, allowing bus passengers to pay using their debit or credit card, doubling tracks on the tram link and Docklands Light Railway and making more than 28 tube station step-free by 2020.

However, the money for this will not only come from the government but from above-inflation public transport fares.

Labour London Assembly Transport spokesperson Val Shawcross said: “…we have already seen fates go up above inflation for the last five years. The mayor needs to realise that Londoners re struggling, it is time he reined these inflation-busting fares in.”

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If you took a break over the Christmas period from having driving lessons because you were just too busy, and you are keen to get back into the flow of things, get in touch and book your next lesson.

You only get better by practising. And if you only have bad memories of your last driving test remember, we have all had bad days, it doesn’t mean we give up, in actual fact it means that we should carry on.

It’s well worth you looking over your theory work as well. Remind yourself of the road signs and speed limits, impress your driving instructor and ask him how to check for water and oil levels on his vehicle.

All these things will ensure you get closer to passing your driving test.

Good luck!

A charity in New Zealand wants to show the public just how smart their rescue dogs are by teaching them how to drive.

A video shows how Monty the giant schnauzer is strapped into the car (with a human in the passenger seat) and can control the pedals, gears and steering wheel.

The rescue centre use simple terms like ‘A’ for accelerator and after around 7 weeks in the classroom practicing on model cars, the dogs take to the road.

Monty was given up by his owners as they said he was too difficult to control, but the centre have shown that discipline, time and a lot of dedication can be all these animals need.

The charity want more rescue dogs to be adopted and thought it would be easier if the public knew how intelligent they were.

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Hi all, we just wanted to wish you a really happy New Year from the team at Britannia Driving School.

2012 was quite a year! Let’s hope that 2013 is filled with wonderful surprises.

If it was your New Year’s resolution to learn how to drive, well, you’ve come to the right place. We are here to help. Our team of highly trained and qualified driving instructors will be happy to teach you how to become a safe and confident driver.

You can get a kick start by getting your copy of The Highway Code and start becoming familiar with road signs and speed limits. When it comes to driving, you can’t revise and prepare too much.

We look forward to hearing you!