According to a national survey, one in five teenagers admitted to drink driving and one in fourteen admitted to being intoxicated with drugs whilst behind the steering wheel. This shocking figure has moved the government in pursuing to dramatically cut down the number by cultivating ways to hinder this.

The research comprised of asking these questions to 3,118 teenagers aged 17 and 18. The study also found that a third of these teenagers have been passengers in a vehicle where the driver has been under the influence of drink or drugs.

Government figures show, on average, three teenagers aged 17 or 18 are killed or seriously injured in vehicle crashes in the UK every day!

Teenagers need to be made more aware of catastrophic consequences that can occur behind the wheel when under the influence of substances.

The statistics also stated that young men are more likely to be involved in drink-drive incidents in comparison to any other age group.

A £3 million campaign specifically aimed at young men and drink driving has now been launched after 11 months of extensive research. More time will now also be spent on how to improve the current training that Police get to tackle drink driving so they can target the matter more significantly.

Police are urging ministers for the power to undertake random breath tests on motorists in a ploy to cut the number of drink driving offences.

At present, police officers are only authorized to breathalyse motorists if a vehicle is being driven erratically or a motoring offence has been embarked.

This comes at the same time as figures analysing drink driving statistics revealed that women are now the bigger offenders with more than 50 percent of females admitting this kind of offence or being caught for this wrongdoing.

On the other hand, the Government plan to lower the drink-driving limit from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood down to 50mg.

A lower limit for drivers under 21 has been rejected because of concerns it could be deemed implicit of approval for older drivers to drink.

Hopefully this plan for random drink driving tests goes ahead and makes Britain’s road’s safer and the prison’s less full. Britannia driving School constantly employ safe driving and never condone instructors, pupils and general staff to be intoxicated with alcohol or any other substance.

For a new driver, experiencing different driving situations can sometimes be a little daunting. However, it is all about safe practice and correct procedure. One driving situation a driver will experience at least once in their life is night driving. This term refers to driving a vehicle in the late evening or night time when there is low or no daylight. Night driving can be dangerous, so it is vital you are fully prepared before commencing a journey.

The first thing to check is that you are able to see adequately. If you have, poor eyesight then ensure you are wearing your correct eye aid. Then if you are leaving a brightly lit building then make sure you allow your eyes time to adjust to the darkness of night. Guarantee that your window shield is clear both of the interior and exterior of your vehicle.

Before commencing, check to see if your car lights are all working appropriately. The headlights should work in both positions – main beam and dip. When you are travelling along a dimly lit or dark road use your high beams if there is little traffic. In a town, roads that are well lit up and main roads utilise your dipped lights.

Also do not drive if you are feeling tired in anyway, as fatigue is potentially very dangerous. We at Britannia Driving School train our learner drivers to take the correct procedures and night driving is one of the main aspects we cover.

Points are issued on a driving licence to act as a deterrent and to make the driver realise that breaking motorist laws will not be condoned. Points are very easily issued to anyone who is deemed breaking the law this is because drivers who are not law abiding are evidently putting their own and the lives of others at great danger. When points are issued, they are usually issued in 3 points or more. When a driver has received 12 points, they will automatically loose their driving licence.

Many people are not actually aware that a new driver is actually on probation for two years following the passing of the practical and theoretical driving test. Within this period, if a driver manages to collect a maximum of 6 points they will actually loose their licence and will have to retake both of their tests. We recommend that as a new driver you ensure you are law abiding and safe and these are two practices that we fully utilise through our driving lessons. For further information, please see our inside pages.

Like drunk driving using, a mobile is also a major offence, which can result in fatal consequences. The Law does not condone any use of a mobile, may this be talking or texting. Earlier this year a motorist received a custodial sentence for killing a cyclist when they were texting whilst driving. In another case a 25-year-old woman was succumbed to a four year sentence after her passenger, a small girl suffered a fatal head injury when she was again texting whilst driving. Britannia Driving school would like to remind all drivers that it is vital you do not use a mobile phone until you are safely parked and to also think whether that text or call you want to make is really worth a life and a prison sentence!

It is a pain when you receive a ticket but at the end of the day, you have to remember it is the law and you are only issued a ticket if you are illegally parked or not following specific guidelines. The parking restrictions that are in place are generally used to help the flow of traffic and keep some kind of travel control.

From now on, the tickets issued for parking illegally can be issued in a completely different way. The process of a parking attendant handing you a formal ticket could be something of the past. CCTV cameras are now being utilised to hunt drivers who stop on a yellow line even if this is only for a few minutes. The CCTV will take a Photograph and then a ticket is sent to the driver through the post.

Tailgaters are people, who drive too close to other cars, normally wanting to overtake, cause disruption or make the driver in front speed up. According to national figures, tailgaters are twice as likely to follow safe drivers who stick at the speed limit.

Tailgaters are responsible for around 10,000 road accidents per year in Britain alone! The study undertaken also revealed that 90 percent of drivers were being followed too closely when they observed the Highway Code.

The tailgaters use bullying tactics and unfortunately, their targets are usually safe drivers who are parents with small children, the elderly and disabled.

When one is tailgated, the heart rate increases and this causes stress, which is not good when driving. This stress is even more likely to cause the accident.

Tailgating has also been named as the most annoying habit on the road deeming it the worst offence especially for a safe driver.

Many accidents per year are caused by wreck less and careless driving. Drink driving is an obvious main component but many accidents are also caused by tiredness, eating whilst driving, speaking on the mobile and other activities that take drivers hundred percent concentrations off the road.

When these accidents occur, the prime thing that happens is the Emergency services are called. As it is an emergency, the services will arrive as soon as they can to the incident spot. As they are in a hurry, Police often cut lights, put their own blue flashing lights onto warn others and drive at very high speed. They also are allowed to drive through traffic and travel in the hard shoulder on motorways.

The driving the Police carry out in these situations often lead to further accidents. Although the Police drivers have been specifically trained to arrive promptly and drive appropriately, they still sometimes cause accidents.

The accidents the Police create result in whiplash, broken bones and in some cases death. Figures released by Parliament reveal that the number of car accidents involving Police have increased thirty percent in a year.

It is clear that Police drivers have to maintain a high standard due to the nature of their work. It is the responsibility of all other drivers to behave responsibly when they see or hear a emergency service approach if they do not or are caught at the wrong time when Police are responding to emergencies then there are some severe consequences. Take care when you see an emergency patrol approaching, ensuring your own safety, your passengers and fellow drivers. Drive Safe!

The BBC has recently uncovered one of the biggest driving test frauds. The scam involves fraudsters taking practical driving tests for people who have paid them up to £500 to do so. The process involves the scammer to pass himself or herself off as the person in the provisional photocard.

The DSA described the problem as a very serious one. Andy Rice head of the DSA’s fraud team said “It is quite common for these people to take up to 100, sometimes over 200 tests before they are caught and arrested”.

This is a very serious problem and potentially dangerous. With people trying to cheat the system, there are so many people who are likely to have a vehicle collision. The AA recently released a post that stated that people who hadn’t took the test themselves were 9 times more likely to have an accident, which will probably be a serious one.

Britannia Driving School will not condone any cheating people and are aware that it is vital you take and pass your own driving practical test. For further information, please see our driving information pages.

It might sound ridiculous but British inventors have just launched an idea to create petrol from household rubbish! The chemical company – Ineos stated that it had now patented a method of producing vehicle fuel from waste, such as city waste, agricultural and organic waste.

They have named the fuel – ethanol and apparently one tonne of dry waste can produce 400 litres of the energy. It might sound like a tough idea but in fact it is quite simple – the new process works by heating the waste to produce gases, then feeding the gases to bacteria, which produce ethanol that can be purified into a fuel.
The launch date for this product is set for 2010. This comes as a relief as motorists have watched petrol prices soar on an average of 133.3p per litre of diesel.

Biofuels are backed fully by the governments as one of the key conducts to decrease carbon dioxide emissions.

The invention process for this new biofuel had started 20 years ago and now is finally ready to be brought into the public market. When the fuel is made in an industrial scale, Ineos will launch the product in the United States, Canada and Europe first.
Inenos expect at least 10 per cent of North America and Europe’s petrol use to be replaced with bioethanol.

This is certainly an idea that is revolutionary that will cut fuel costs and gas emissions. It looks clear that many of us will use rubbish to fuel our vehicles in the years to come!