Our soggy little island seems to have a penchant for roundabouts. Mini roundabouts, standard issue roundabouts, or roundabouts with motorway junctions. In Swindon, there’s the Magic Roundabout, a standard sized roundabout with five mini roundabouts. Milton Keynes has them in abundance, and Skelmersdale eschewed traffic lights in favour of roundabouts at junctions. This is why roundabout training is a must for new drivers.
Whatever you say about smart motorways, they are a necessary evil in getting us from A to B. On a bog-standard motorway in United Kingdom, the speed limit is 70 mph for cars and 60 mph for PCVs and HGVs. If one section of motorway is designated as a Smart Motorway, the speed limit varies from the default 60 or 70 miles per hour. Speed limits are adjusted in accordance to traffic flows. This is a process known as Active Traffic Management.
From the 01 March 2017, the Department for Transport will introduce stiffer penalties for anyone caught phoning whilst driving, without a hands-free kit. Before then, the penalty for using a mobile phone without a hands-free kit was three penalty points and a £100 fine. From the 01 March, that will be doubled to six penalty points and a £200 fine. Continue reading “The Cost of Phoning and Driving? £200”
In South Africa, the Department of Basic Education has taken steps to improve road safety among its 55 million citizens. From the start of the 2017-18 academic year, driving lessons will be added to the South African high school curriculum. The reasoning behind this is the country’s high rate of road traffic accidents. 50 people a day are killed on their roads. Continue reading “Driving Lessons for South African Pupils?”
The United Kingdom has 2,173 miles of motorway. At present, none of them are open to learner drivers. After passing their driving test, motorway driving is covered as part of the Pass Plus scheme. From 2018, subject to a consultation, this could change.
It is hard to imagine a time before the driving test came about in 1934. Or at least a time before we even had driving licences. The UK’s first driving licences were administered in 1903, under the Motor Car Act which was enacted that year. By the late 1920s, accidents on the road reached frightening levels. With safety a major issue (7,000 deaths from road accidents in 1931), The Highway Code was first published. It has been an ever-present in the bestseller list since its first edition, 85 years ago.
Continue reading “A History of the Driving Test: Infographic”
Learning to drive is a rite of passage, regardless of whether you’re doing it as soon as you turn 17 or you’ve left it a bit later. Driving is an important life skill and will enable you to be more independent and flexible, as well as opening up more opportunities in terms of employment not just in driving jobs and jobs where driving is a compulsory requirement, but for jobs in locations not well served by public transport. If you are looking to learn to drive, it is always best to go to a professional driving school to learn, and make use of a driving instructors experience not just at driving, but at passing the test.
Tests of all kinds are intimidating and with a practical test such as a driving test you need to think on your feet and react the circumstances around you. There are also various ‘hoops’ to jump through such as manoeuvres and emergency stops. A professional driving instructor from one of the many Gillingham driving schools will be best placed to show you how to carry out these tasks and drive in a manner that is conducive to passing the test itself.
There has been a theory section as part of the driving test for over a decade now, and it was introduced to ensure that drivers had knowledge of all of the different road systems, road signs and driving procedures. On a driving test there is next to no chance of an examiner being able to see a driver in every possible scenario, often because of the area and the length of time that the test takes. In the same way, it is often the case that your driving instructor cannot show you every aspect of driving that you might run into in your area no matter how many driving lessons you have. The theory test is designed to ensure that everyone that takes their driving test has the same level of knowledge.
Continue reading “Theory test tips – how to pass your theory test”
Driving is very much considered a life skill these days, as no matter what sort of public transport system is set up, the ability to drive is always going to mean that you are more independent, more able to run to your own schedule and follow your own plans unrestricted by other people’s timetables. It can also enhance your employment potential; some jobs have a driving license as an essential or desirable attribute in the job description, and the ability to drive means you are not constrained to certain locations, you can work in any area accessible by road.
When you take driving lessons, you shouldn’t expect to take 10 lessons, your test, and pass first time. Driving tests are more complex these days, and the road system is becoming more congested. It will take as long as it takes and your driving instructor will be the person best experienced to know when you are ready. It can be intimidating learning to drive, but here’s what to expect when taking driving lessons in Gillingham:
Your driving instructor won’t just throw you onto a dual carriage way shouting instructions – in fact you shouldn’t expect to do too much on your first lesson. If you rush to get onto the road and have an accident or bad experience, it can put you off for life, so a good instructor will start you somewhere quiet.
Like it or not, and probably not, there is a theory test to pass and it doesn’t matter how good of a driver you are, you will still need to pass this test. The theory test will help you drive more safely as well as pass your test, so it is well worth studying for sooner rather than later.
Whilst being a safe driver is important, you will need to learn the manoeuvres in order to pass the test, as well as in order to be able to park the car when you stop!
Everyone learns at different rates and if you’re not ready even after 20 hours, you shouldn’t feel under pressure to take your test. Taking your test can be expensive and so if you take it too soon and fail, it will be money badly spent as you will just need more lessons before you take your test. Failing your test can also knock your confidence and make it harder to pass the next time.
Even if it’s not the first time. Whether or not you pass your test is as much about what happens on the day as anything else, so if you don’t pass first time it doesn’t mean you’re a bad driver and you shouldn’t give up.
