Many of us enjoy a drink or three at the weekend and most of us would take responsibility and find an alternative way of travelling home.

Yet research has found that a lot of responsible people who would never consider drink driving are being caught out the following morning.

There is a lack of understanding as to exactly how long alcohol remains in our system and people who have consumed large quantities of alcohol the night before may still be over the limit the following morning.

It is important that we brush up on our knowledge and take responsibility for driving our cars when we are in a fit and proper state.

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Government subsidies are having a significant impact on the number of people considering a plug-in hybrid or electric car as their next purchase, a survey has revealed.

Vehicle valuation company Glass polled just under 400 motorists last month and found that 36 per cent were thinking about buying a hybrid or electric vehicle (EV). The proportion of respondents interested in purchasing a plug-in vehicle then rose to 53 per cent when they were told of the Electric Vehicle Plug-in Car Grant, which offers up to £5,000 off the price of nine new electric cars.

When asked the same question in June last year, just 0.5 per cent of respondents said they would buy an electric car, and eight per cent said they would buy a hybrid.

“This is a phenomenal increase in a very short time, and represents a fast-growing acceptance of the emergence of plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles into the mass market,” said Andy Carroll, managing director at Glass.

“It is also clear the government’s Plug-in Car Grant is making an impact on figures and could be the deciding factor for people already considering buying a plug-in hybrid or battery electric car, as well as appealing to those who would not previously have considered it.”

With Christmas behind us but paying it of looming, saving money has never been so paramount. You could consider ways of increasing your income but saving money is just as quick and effective.

For many of us driving has become a privilege not a given with fuel prices and insurance on the up.

Think before you buy. Never settle on the first quote for insurance and repairs, shop around. You may even be able to bring the cost down by bargaining with them. Companies want your business and can normally come down on the first price they quotes so there is room for manoeuvre.

Keep the car clean, free of weight and keep your speed steady. Anyone that does this should reduce their fuel consumption and also reduce the risk of an accident, which would inevitably put your insurance premiums up also.

Shop around for fuel. Garages charge different prices and they can range considerably. 5p or 10p a litre cheaper may not seem a lot, but in the long run you could save yourself a large amount of money.

Holly Harper of Britannia Driving School said: “It may be an idea to consider ditching the car if you are travelling a short distance and walk instead. You will be save yourself the cost of fuel and lose the pounds piled on over the festive period at the same time.

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US parents have been at the forefront of over protecting their precious little snowflakes for many years now.

Not only do they demand that their television be censored into next week, but they routinely check emails to see that they are not being closely monitored by a paedophile.

Now the latest craze for over protective parents is two-way cameras which will monitor teens as they drive. The camera is placed on the rear-view mirror in the centre of the windscreen. It tapes both footage of the driver and his view of the road ahead.

Dubbed DriveCam, the beast records all conversations which are taking place in the car, so that parents will know if they are distracted or having a snog.

Should a driver have an accident, violently swerve or even brake too hard, a video of what happened before and after the event is sent by the insurance company to the teenager and his parents.

Of course the idea is that the teen will drive sensibly and therefore prevent deaths on the road caused by careless and inexperienced drivers. The reality is that you get your kid used to a big brother environment and expect their parents to control their lives until they are in their sixties.

Under the Road Traffic Act removing or interfering with site equipment including traffic cones and road signs could lead to an individual being fined up to £5000 and in some cases is punishable with a 6 month prison sentence.

It may seem funny to use a traffic cone as a hat or a megaphone but the consequences of removing that cone could be tremendous. Cones are there for a reason so by removing it you could potentially cause someone to have an accident.

It is not just members of the public that should take responsibility, but workers that block the road to carry out maintenance work. They are responsible for making sure that they provide adequate and safe access for cars and pedestrians and that any temporary road marking, cones or signs are clear and properly placed.

Yet cones are not always used legitimately, many people use them selfishly in order to reserve spaces for them to park. Quiet often they do not use the space all day which prevents other road users parking there.

Emily Smith of Britannia Driving School said: “Think before you remove equipment, it will be there for a reason and by you removing it could cause more problems than you anticipate.”

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Every driver’s vision is reduced at night. It’s more difficult to see road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. It also takes time for eyes to adjust to the darkness after being in a lit building or after driving on a well-lit road. What’s more, in darkness it is harder to judge speed and distance-objects can be closer than they appear or travelling faster than first expected. That’s when things can go wrong.

Even a small quantity of alcohol can compromise your reaction times and awareness of hazards. The safest advice is to avoid it completely.

Illegal drugs should never be taken at any time. Prescription and over the-counter medication can cause drowsiness and dulled reactions-don’t drive if you’re affected.

The risk of a fatal accident for young drivers is 40% higher with one passenger, 90% higher with two, and 190% higher with three or more. Becoming distracted is a serious problem that can easily lead to you losing control-music should be kept at a safe volume too.

Research shows that 17 and 18-year-old males have around 75% more of their accidents following competition with other road users than 29-60 year-old males. The road is not the place to test yourself against others-the only place you’ll end up is in the hospital or morgue.

Inappropriate speed contributes to more than 35% of all drive accidents. Always drive at a safe speed according to the road conditions.

Emily Smith of Britannia Driving School said: “Being able to drive gives you that extra freedom where you’re not tied to bus schedules or the last train home. Unfortunately, 40% of collisions occur when it is dark. Avoid driving at times when you would usually be asleep-use other forms of transport such as rail, air, bus or coach if they are available.”

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Ever wondered why most of the road accidents occur in the night? It’s because, being behind the wheel for over three hours at night makes motorists as bad as driving under the influence of alcohol, scientists say.

Researchers at Utrecht University in the Netherlands found that the tiredness after a few hours of non-stop driving has the same effect as being over the drink-driving limit.

Even two hours of motorway driving in the dark can affect performance so severely it is the same as having a couple of drinks, they said.

It is estimated that one-fifth of all traffic accidents are due to sleepiness behind the wheel and one in three motorists admits to nodding off while driving at night, the Daily Mail reported.

A study last year by experts at Cardiff University called for newly-qualified drivers to be banned from the roads at night, a move that could save 200 lives a year in Britain and result in 1,700 fewer serious injuries. Similar schemes are already in place in New Zealand, Australia and the US.

A woman has died whilst driving her Nissan Micra down the A90 Dundee to Aberdeen road the wrong way.

The women in her 50s collided into at least four vehicles. One man is thought to be seriously injured in hospital but fortunately not in a critical condition. The other drivers aged between 39-67 years of age and were thought to have just minor injuries.

Many other vehicles had a narrow escape trying to avoid Mrs Greig and her Micra.

The road was closed in both directions for most of the day on Saturday and was reopened in the evening once police had carried out their investigations and recovered the vehicles involved in the accident.

THE number of motorists arrested for drink-driving across Gosport, Fareham and Havant over Christmas fell, police say.

Officers arrested 39 people in the area for drink-driving, drug driving or failing to provide a specimen during the festive campaign – 13 less than last year.

The number of drivers charged were 27, less than the 42 in 2009/10.

But in Portsmouth the number of arrests for drink-driving went up

from 27 last year to 35. Of those, 25 people were charged with offences, an increase of six.

In total police stopped a total of 3,984 drivers in Hampshire throughout December – up by more than 600 compared to last year.

There are a number of stresses that can arise from driving, but most can be put at bay with forward planning and calm nerving techniques.

More often than not the thought of something is a lot worse than the action itself, this does not just include driving but other things in life too.

Becoming stressed or anxious whilst driving can cause you to make poor judgements so if you begin to suffer severe anxiety it is best to pull over and have a break, providing it is safe to do so.

If you are concerned with a particular journey, why not practise the routes with family and friends so that you feel more comfortable when driving alone.

Drive safely and take your time, don’t let other drivers intimidate you. Feeling rushed or being in the wrong lane can lead to frustration and inevitably mistakes, making you feel anxious when driving.

It may be advisable to take refresher lessons should a particular incident such as road rage or a car accident affect your perception of driving. Contact us at Britannia to arrange these refresher lessons and see driving for what it really is, a link to freedom.

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