VIP Olympic lanes are for athletes and their families only, even in severe gridlock. The lanes leading up to Blackwall Tunnel will not be opened to the public under any circumstances.

TFL’s director of borough partnerships Alex Williams said: “Blackwall Tunnel is a critical link…we have done refurbishment and have more police on standby so if someone’s broken down they will be removed as soon as possible.”

Many roads approaching the tunnel will have VIP lanes and the Olympic Route Network is due to be put in place two days before the games begin.

Painters from across the country will be helping with this huge process.

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Downing Street has disclosed that the union flag will sit alongside the European flag on British driving licences. The new licences are hoped to be phased in from 2015.

Other countries have symbols, for instance Belgians have a bear on their licence. It is thought that the British people will welcome the change with a No 10 spokesman saying “People in this country are proud of our national symbol.”

There is some hesitation on having the symbol on all licences, with Northern Ireland drivers possible being exempt from having the symbol on their licence.

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So you’ve passed your test got your car and ready to hit the road. You have your eyes sent on the white cliffs of dover the castles of Scotland, venturing through the Safari park and going down to Bournmouth. How exciting. It’s certainly the type of things we did when we first got our car.

There’s a few things you need to remember though when doing long distant travelling, here are a few. Get to know your car, do you know how to change a wheel and check the water levels? Get to know what buttons are where. Where is the indicator? Are you familiar with your fog lights? Do you have a note of your insurance company’s number as well your recovery company? It’s always good to be prepared for any situation. Should you break down, ensure you’ve got a blanket in the back of the car to keep you warm.

It’s worth planning your journey. These days it is so easy, all you have to print off a route map via google and have someone talk you through it, or use a satnav. If you are going to use a satnav, ensure you have a holder so that the satnav doesn’t drop when you are driving. Have it in a position so you can see it clearly but make sure it doesn’t obstruct your view.

With these simple things your driving should be a treat.

Angelique Griffin, 25 of Massachusetts, appeared in court after being arrested for drink driving, resulting in the passenger of her car dying.

The local stripper had been drinking that night and claimed she didn’t want to drive but friends had persuaded her as she was the least drunk, so she escorted Mr Renard home.

A security camera picked up the crash, when the passenger side of the car smashed into the back of a parked truck. Mr Renard, 19, died at the scene.

Griffin, told the courts that she was crashed because Mr Renard was trying to fondle her as she drove. However, Mr Renard’s family disputed that claim.

In court, a coven of witches came to support Ms Griffin, with her uncle, a self-professed warlock, threatening to ‘hex’ anyone who tried to ‘harm’ his niece. He said: “I call upon everything in the heavens and hells to both protect her and to strike down anyone who would capitalize on this tragedy for their own gain.”

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Once you’ve passed you may be able to drive but the learning never stops. We always have to keep ourselves clued up. We need to be aware of the roads, road signs, our cars and changes in the law.

It’s well worth keeping a copy of the highway code and glancing at it every so often and seeing if you have forgotten anything. Things like country road signs, speed limits, new laws, which lights to use and how to best navigate country roads, are all things that the highway code covers. When you are out on the roads you can practice these things as well. Remember that when you drive it’s best to always be in a calm state of mind. Of course, this is always easier said than done when you’re late picking up the kids and running to a dentist appointment. But you can, just by taking a few seconds to take deep breaths, help stay calm and improve your driving experience.

A lot of people tend to lose focus after driving for a while, thinking that they don’t need to be as cautious. Whilst it’s great to be confident you have to make sure you are a safe driver. Stick to the speed limits, don’t ever use your phone whilst driving and make sure you always wear a seatbelt. If you have young children be sure to get the correct seating for them so they are as safe as possible.

There are lots of other things you can do too: never throw litter outside your car, keep your tires pumped to the correct levels, remember to always check your blind spots, stick to the speed limits.

Around this time last year, women in Saudi Arabia protested against the ban on women driving. In the past year, many women have lost jobs, friends, social standing and reputations along with being imprisoned and receiving death threats.

Najla Hariri, 45 decided in May 2011 to take to the roads herself rather than relying on male relatives to ferry her around. Manal al-Sharif, 33a divorced mother heard about Hariri via Facebook and decided to risk driving, even posting a video on YouTube. Both are founders of the movement ‘Women2Drive’.

Campaigners asked women to not only apply for their licence and to drive but asked men to support their female relatives and sit in the car as a passenger.

They have posted a letter to King Abdullah with 600 signatures asking for the ban to be lifted. They say: “Our initiative is not aimed at violating laws… but we hope that our country will be a supportive community for women, where men and women are treated equally.”

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Two students from Warwick University were stopped by police when they were caught speeding in excess of 120mph down the A9 in April.

The pair were in separate hire cars and claimed they were trying to reach the mosque in time for Friday prayers.

One of the students Mr Mubarak said” I didn’t feel the speed. I didn’t see the speedometer.” His co-accused Safiullah had just completed a five year law degree.

Both were fined £500 each and banned from driving for a year.

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It’s high time our roads had some attention. With pot-holes showing in more places than we would like and damaged roads in need of repair, our roads need some much needed TLC. But that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.

People would have to pay more on repairing the cars due to the damage caused on the roads. Shall we take it as a step taken in the forward direction or backwards? The proposal to cut the road maintenance budget has brought sharp criticism from all the corners. Margaret Hodge, the committee’s chairman, said: “The department does not fully understand what impact it will have on the state of the UK’s roads. My committee is concerned that short-term budget cutting could prove counter-productive, costing more in the long term as a result of the increased vehicle damage and the higher cost of repairing the more severe road damage”.

These are tough times! The financial crises has resulted in many families having to deal with a reduced budget. They cannot afford to bear any such expenses. The increasing fuel prices have already put people under huge pressure. The less the amount of money spent on maintaining the roads, the worst the condition would be. It is a simple calculation to make. It is going to affect the garage bills directly. You cannot expect vehicles to perform to the best of standards when the roads are nor properly kept. There is going to be a long hard debate before we can find a concrete solution to it.

When people fail the driving test they blame someone else. Blame for not passing the driving test can fall on: (a) the driving examiner (b) the driving instructor.

You and only you are responsible for passing the driving test. By being responsible for passing, you are also responsible for failing.

There are many stories about driving examiners. Learners see them as figures of authority, as individuals who have a power to alter the course of their future in just a few minutes. Some learners perceive them as frightening individuals who somehow get pleasure out of failing learner drivers.

It’s all too easy to blame the examiner for not passing us rather than having to admit that we were not good enough on the day.

The decision whether you pass or fail does rest with just one person and not with a set of scientific measurements. But blaming examiners for not passing you does not help you in any positive way at all.

If you failed, it is your fault. By taking responsibility for yourself, you take the power away from the examiner in your mind. By removing their power, you lower your anxiety about them. Start to think about examiners in a different way from now on.

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Did you have a good Bank Holiday weekend? We hope that you did. There was many a reason to celebrate, get merry and have a drink or two.

The events held for the Queen’s Jubliee were wonderful and so many people enjoyed them. We want to talk about the theme of celebration. We all love to celebrate (so we should!), after working hard we want to enjoy ourselves.

The problem comes though when we want to celebrate and forget to be responsible. One of the ways people do this is getting into their car and driving after celebrating. If you are having friends over  and they have drove, suggest taking a taxi back home. Or try and arrange a car pool, so that one person is sober and is able to take everyone home. You could also invite people to sleep over. It’s better to crash out on the floor for the night rather than crashing your car and causing an injury to yourself and other drivers.

We want you to celebrate, but we also urge you to be responsible. If you are going to drink leave the keys at home!