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!

Have you made plans for New Year’s Eve, getting dressed up, meeting up with friends, having a few drinks…it sounds great! How are you getting home?

Many drivers admit to driving whilst drunk on New Year’s Eve and it is considered the deadliest day for alcohol related fatalities.

So what can you do to ensure you have a good evening and get home in one piece:

• Plan your journey, it sounds simple but having a clear plan of how you are getting home is the smart thing to do.
• Check public transport information or pre-book a taxi.
• Never ride as a passenger in a car driven by someone who has been drinking.
• If you encounter an impaired driver on the road, contact the police.
• Be a good host if you are having a party and offer guests alcohol-free drinks.
• Arrange meeting points for friends and family don’t rely on mobile phones.
• Most importantly DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE.

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Ann and Paul Goodrich both in their mid fifties tragically lost their lives on Christmas day after their car left the road and hit trees on the B3349 Odiham Road.

They had been travelling to visit their son, daughter and grandson when the accident occurred.

Their family were devastated when they heard the news and asked that they be left in peace to grieve at this sad time.

They did say: “We thank the emergency services, family support officer and hospital staff for their compassionate care and attention.”

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Well that’s Christmas over for another year. The year has gone so very fast indeed.

However, there’s still some more gatherings to go yet. Oh, and of course, there’s New Years. New Years is usually a time when some of us like to open a bottle of wine or pop a bottle of champagne. We might do a little dance and a sing, we’re heading into a new year!

As much as we want you to have fun, we want you to be safe too. So when you’re celebrating the rest of the holidays please think about transportation. If you are going to drink, how are you getting home?

See if you can get a lift from someone, try and arrange for a taxi, or you could sleep over at your friend’s house and use public transport the next day.

The thing to remember is that there are always options. Please don’t ever risk drink driving, we have seen what can happen.

Enjoy the rest of your holidays !

Today, The Met office has warned it will be very wet in the north of England and Scotland.

Dorset, Devon, Cornwall are the places at the greatest Risk and its advised to stay indoors.

Icy conditions were developed overnight and its very difficult to drive in these bad conditions.

Earlier Simon Bush, of Britannia Driving School recommends people in these areas to stay indoors, “During these bad conditions, I would recommend people to stay indoors and enjoy the rest of the boxing day with their loved ones”

If you’ve been affected by these conditions, we would love to hear from you.

A very merry Christmas to everyone. We hope that you’re having a fabulous day with your loved ones. Whatever you’re doing to celebrate your day we hope that it is a great one and you have a lot fun!

It’s hard to believe that a year has passed and here we are, at the Christmas table. We hope that no matter what type of year you’ve had, whether it’s been filled with trials or lots of fun, that you can take a moment to enjoy your day.

We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who has used Britannia Driving school. We’ve enjoyed teaching and we look forward to teaching more pupils in the future.

Enjoy your day!