Everyone has mixed opinions on driving examiners, this will normally be down to their own experiences when up on test.

Despite some views that examiners don’t know what they are doing, they must complete an extensive process in order to become an examiner.

First they must have held their full licence for no less than 4 years and must have no more than three points on their licence.

If their application is successful they will be required to take a learner theory test yet must score considerably better than the pass rate for learners. They must then complete a practical driving test normally covering a specific route of around 25 miles. They like a learner must not receive any serious faults. They then go on to complete a training course to become a DE (Driving Examiner).

Driving examiners are civil servants employed by the (DSA) Driving Standards Agency and are the only people authorised to issue an individual with a full driving licence.

DSA test centres can be found right across the country with examiners taking anywhere up to 35 tests per week. Anyone waiting for a test date will agree that waiting times are dreadful at present. This is typically down to the bad weather we have experienced meaning a large number of tests have had to be rescheduled.

Emily Smith of Britannia Driving School said: “Examiners are trained and employed when there is a demand for them, so hopefully we will see more of them and shorter waiting times very soon.”

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When it comes to legislative changes in the motoring sector, the year ahead is likely to be the most trying for car buyers – especially those who plan on purchasing a new car. Their purchases will be subject to an emissions tax, which the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) believes will not work as intended.

Naamsa in August issued a statement in which it said it accepts the principle of environmental taxes to improve air quality and safeguard the environment in South Africa.

“The purported purpose of the CO2 new car tax regime is intended to send a strong signal to consumers, producers and importers of new vehicles in South Africa specifically to influence consumer behaviour in favour of more fuel efficient, less carbon emitting vehicles and, in the process, to improve ambient air quality in the country,” Naamsa said.

However, the organization believes that the tax regime as currently structured “will fail to achieve the intended objective”.

Drivers are being advised to brace themselves for what experts are expecting to be the “worst ever pothole season”.

Last year, British motorists paid out £320m in repairs to everything from wheels and tyres to suspension failure. “That figure could pale into insignificance” said Emily Smith of Britannia Driving School.

Emily Smith added:”The roads are going to deteriorate incredibly quickly over the coming months. Giving the severity and earlier than normal arrival of harsh wintry conditions, everything is pointing towards a miserable period for drivers”

Anyone can report road defects using Potholes.co.uk, which has contact details for councils across the UK.

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Drugs and alcohol don’t go with driving. You’ll end up being involved in serious accidents and having to deal with, bereaved families and people carrying injuries for life. There are also a lot of other disastrous effects-going to court, losing your driving licence, higher insurance, and social stigma if you hurt someone else while driving.

The law is constantly changing, with increasing pressure to reduce the legal limit, particularly for younger drivers.

The legal limit for drivers is 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. But you can’t tell exactly how much drink that is, because how you deal with the alcohol will depend on a random selection of factors like the type of drink, body weight, and metabolism, gender, age and food consumption.

It’s impossible to work out whether you’re near the limit or just over it. So don’t drink and drive under any circumstances.

Emily Smith of Britannia Driving School said: “Drink or drugs, the law makes no distinction. Section 4 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 clearly states: A person who, when driving or attempting to drive a mechanically propelled vehicle on a road or a public place, is unfit to drive through drink or drugs is guilty of an offence. It’s that simple”

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Police warned drivers that they would be vigilant over the Christmas period and that anyone caught drink driving will have to pay the price.

In Southport two men were stopped by police for drink driving on December 17th and will spend Christmas Day serving a prison sentence.

One man was stopped by police when he narrowly avoided a group of pedestrians. Yet the driver did not seem to notice and continued driving. When pulled over by police, he smelt of alcohol and could not speak coherently leading police officers to believe he was under the influence of alcohol. He was found to be two and a half times over the drink drive limit.

This particular individual does not seem to learn from his mistakes and this will be his second Christmas behind bars. Due to this the judge served him a sentence of 16 weeks in prison.

Drink driving is a dangerous thing to do and you’re not only playing with your life but the lives of others. Think before you drink and drive!

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Police in Northampton are warning driving instructors to ensure their belongings are safe during driving lessons after two jackets were stolen from the back of instructors’ vehicles.

It is thought the large amount of cash generally carried by instructors could make them targets for opportunistic thieves.

Emily Smith of Britannia Driving School said: “We would advise instructors to keep a minimum cash float and drop cash of at home if it builds up during the day, also to lock their cars and to put the header board in the car booth if their vehicles is going to be out of sight for more than a few seconds.” 

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When you receive penalty points on your driving licence, they will stay there for four years after you are convicted.

This is the case for most offences however, death by dangerous driving while under the influence of drink or drugs and death by dangerous driving and failing to provide a specimen for analysis will result in the endorsements staying on your licence for eleven years.

The endorsements will appear on the paper counterpart. When they are due to expire, you can send your licence to the DVLA and they will exchange your licence. The fee for this is normally £17.50.

You can drive in this period when your licence is with the DVLA unless you have been disqualified or have had your licence removed due to a medical condition.

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Once you have a Full UK Driving Licence that does not mean it is valid for life. Most driving licences are valid for 50 years yet you must renew them every 10 years.

The licence is valid until the date shown on the front of your licence (normally under section 4b). It is important that you know when you’re driving licence expires as failing to renew it will mean the licence is invalid and that you are driving illegally. This can result in a fine of up to £1000, between three and six penalty points and in some cases your car being seized and crushed.

It is very simple to renew your licence and can be done online or by completing a D1 form (normally the DVLA will send you a renewal pack prior to the licence expiring) however, it is your responsibility to know when it expires. There is a fee of £20 and the licence is normally returned to you with your up-dated photo three weeks later. You can continue to drive in this period however.

It may be necessary to up-date your licence before 10 years if your appearance has changed significantly.

The fee for renewing your licence is considerably more for those that have been disqualified, costing anywhere between £65 and £90.

Emily Smith of Britannia Driving School said: “Be vigilant when it comes to driving legally; check your licence, as if you let it expire for more than two years you may be required to take your test again.”

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Nearly all driving tests in Shropshire were cancelled this week due to the freezing weather, officials say.

Only four of the 155 scheduled tests at Shrewsbury, Telford, Whitchurch and Ludlow driving centres went ahead, the Driving Standards Agency said.

Conditions on the roads in the county were so poor that only Oswestry managed to carry out some tests on Monday and Tuesday, the agency added.

The freezing weather has closed airports and schools across England.

Some places have experienced slightly warmer temperatures on Friday, but the Met Office still has warnings in place for icy roads in many areas

Watch your speed, don’t travel too fast that you risk losing control, equally don’t travel too slow that you lose momentum, particularly if you are going uphill.

Avoid high revs, if you skid avoid using the brake, take your foot off the pedals and steer.

Stick to the main roads, these are more likely to have been gritted. You will also find more cars are travelling on these roads stopping the snow from settling properly. If possible try to stick to bus routes as the council are more likely to grit or salt these routes.

If you need to travel on the motorway choose the clearest lane and don’t sit too close to the cars in front. Snow and ice can triple your normal stopping distance.

If you encounter falling snow use dipped headlights or fog lights to make yourself visible to both vehicles and pedestrians.

Make sure if you do travel, that your number plate is clearly visible and that your lights are not covered with snow. In the case of an emergency keep warm and keep the car stocked with essentials such as food, water and blankets.

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