Driving Lessons News Service

The DVLA has told BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat that nearly 50% of drivers banned since October 2008 have not re-taken their driving test.

It is against the law to start driving again if you are banned within the first 2 years of driving - unless you have re-sat and passed a driving test. This is a fact not known by many people when they receive their driving licence back from the courts.

This means that many young people, in particular, are driving again illegally, which is a great concern to Road Safety Groups.

Edmund King from the AA said, “It’s naive to think that all these drivers just disappear and jump on the bus, they don’t, many of them are still driving”.

Edmund continued, “I think this is a major problem, but perhaps it’s a problem that the authorities aren’t really aware about”.

Stuart Vaughan from Driving School Lessons, the driving instructor franchise specialist, said “It would make more sense for the courts to send banned drivers an advice letter, rather than their driving licence, informing them of the need to re-sit and pass their driving test”. “Their driving licence could then be sent once they had proved they had passed their test.”

The Department of Transport said there were no excuses for anyone to be driving without a valid license and those who did would face tough penalties.

Lewis Hamilton helped launch the first Mercedes-Benz driving lesson academy in Weybridge on Saturday 13th June.

In a lively question and answer interview session, the reigning Formula 1 world champion talked with youngsters about his own experience of learning to drive, before giving a precision driving display performance.

The Mercedes-Benz driving academy, which is set to revolutionise the way teenagers learn to drive by starting at a younger age, aims to coach its students to become good drivers, rather than just getting them to a level to pass their driving test.

Encouraging safer driving on the UK’s roads, the academy’s scheme has 3 modules for different age groups.

The Pre-Road module is for children aged 12 to 16, while the Provisional Licence module is for 17+ year olds and helps prepare them for their test. The Post-Test module is for those who have already passed their test.

Commenting on the launch, Peter O’Halloran, Mercedes-Benz World Marketing Director said: “Learning to drive should be like learning to play an instrument. The more practice you have the better you master it and the more confident you become.”

Peter continued, “With Mercedes-Benz, students start learning to drive at a younger age, which removes the stress of passing the actual driving test. In addition, the Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy provides young people with the skills and thought-based experiences that go beyond the requirements of just passing the test.”

“It will prepare them for the actual demands of driving on the public roads, making them better and safer drivers when they have their licence.”

The academy not only offers practical on the road tuition, it also provides off‐road practice, self‐evaluation, risk assessment and peer group discussion seminars. Parent sessions are also available to teach parents how to be the best possible in‐car advisors.

Interested readers can find out more at the Mercedes-Benz driving lesson academy website.

A learner driver in Croydon has made the news after finally passing her driving test 15 years after her first driving lesson.

According to This Is Local London, Andrea Whyte took her first lesson in 1994 and has since spent nearly £1,600 on 85 hours of driving lessons over the years.

Commenting on her success, Mrs Whyte said she had years of “poor driving instruction” with instructors who would “talk incessantly about home life and family issues, or regularly cancel lessons at the last minute”.

That was before she started lessons with instructor Andrew Bare, who, in 6 months, developed Mrs Whyte’s driving skills & confidence culminating in her pass.

Mr Bare said: “The moment Andrea got in the car with me she told me about her previous experience. “I asked her to show me her driving and I identified the main issue was with her confidence in her driving ability due to so many years of instruction, yet never being put forward for her test.”

Mrs Whyte is now looking forward to having the freedom to visit her friends and family without relying on the need for public transport.

The Sussex Safer Roads Partnership (SSRP) is offering new drivers in Sussex a free driving lesson voucher to help them stay safe on the county’s roads.

The free driving lesson voucher is available on a first come first served basis to new drivers based in Sussex that are aged between 17 and 25. Applicants must have passed their driving test within the last 3 months.

Neil Hopkins, Communications Manager for the Partnership, said: “While driving tuition covers most road types and conditions, learners aren’t permitted on motorways and don’t often get the chance to take up evening/night time tuition”.

Neil continued, “The extra lesson will cover some of these topics and so give drivers an extra skills boost.”

The driving lessons are being delivered by BSM across Sussex with the vouchers being valid for 3 months from their date of issue.

The free driving lesson vouchers can be requested by emailing Communications@SussexSaferRoads.gov.uk. One voucher is issued per driver.

New taxi drivers in Durham will now have to undergo an assessment by the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) before they are granted a licence to drive a taxi.

The assessment, set at a higher standard than the normal driving test for learner drivers, will involve DSA examiners assessing the taxi drivers ability in a ‘real’ driving environment, including special taxi manoeuvres.

The DSA’s Chief Operating Officer, Brian Gilhooley, said: “We are delighted that Durham County Council has decided to introduce this assessment as driving a taxi carries a great deal of responsibility.”

Successful taxi drivers will receive a certificate of competence which shows they can drive and carry passengers in safety and comfort.

The taxi tests are being carried out at Bishop Auckland, Darlington, Longbenton and Middlesbrough driving test centres.

Over 120 councils throughout the UK have already agreed to undertake taxi driver assessment.

The Sussex Safer Roads Partnership (SSRP) is offering new drivers in Sussex £60 cashback if they complete a Pass Plus course and a locally-run workshop.

Pass Plus is a training course for new drivers which has been compiled by the Driving Standards Agency, with help from the driving instruction industry and selected UK insurance companies - who offer cheaper car insurance for drivers who have completed Pass Plus.

The course consists of six practical training session modules which cover driving in town, in all weathers, on rural roads, at night, on dual carriageways and on motorways. New drivers can take it at any time within the first 12 month of passing their test.

There is no test at the end of Pass Plus, instead a pupil’s driving will be continually assessed with each module requiring successful completion to an achieved or exceeded standard.

Pass Plus lessons are booked through Pass Plus registered instructors, a list of which can be found on the www.passplus.org.uk website.

To qualify for the £60 cashback, new drivers in Sussex must show they have completed the course, then attend a 2 hour workshop run by the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership (SSRP).

The workshops, held at locations across Sussex, cover a range of topics including why people speed, drinking and driving, causes of crashes and defensive driving.

Emma Rogers, SSRP Communications Manager said: “Young people are a particularly vulnerable driver group in Sussex – a disproportionate number are involved in crashes, compared to the amount of young drivers actually on our roads. Many certainly have the confidence to drive well, but it’s the inexperience that lets them down”.

“If they were involved in an incident that could lead to a crash, they wouldn’t know what to do. It’s also true that young drivers, particularly males, like to show off to their girlfriends and peers, which can lead to faster driving and tragic consequences”.

Emma continues, “284 young people between 17 and 25 years were killed or seriously injured on Sussex roads in 2006. This is far too many, and if we can help by encouraging more people to attend the Pass Plus scheme and our workshop by offering £60 cashback, and getting them a bit more training both on the roads and about driving attitudes, we may well be able to prevent some of this carnage”.

For more information, readers can download the information leaflet and booking form from the www.sussexsaferroads.gov.uk website under ‘campaigns’.

A £1.5 million THINK! campaign has been launched by the Department of Tranport to remind motorists of the devastating consequences of drink driving this summer.

Warning motorists that a drink in the sun could put them behind bars, the campaign aims to crack down on the menace of drink driving over the coming months.

In addition to the campaign, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) will also be coordinating a nationwide police operation to catch the drivers who put lives in danger by getting behind the wheel after drinking.

Road Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick said, “Drink driving is not just a problem at Christmas - each summer almost 200 people don’t make it home to their families because of drink driving”.

“With warm weather and long summer evenings motorists might end up drinking when they hadn’t planned to, but that doesn’t mean we have to drive home. Use public transport or take a taxi - don’t risk everything by getting behind the wheel”.

Mr Fitzpatrick continued, “Be under no illusions, drink drivers are treated like any other criminal - they face giving blood and DNA samples and being locked in a police cell. They’ll also get a minimum 12 months driving ban, criminal record and large fine - and risk losing their job.”

Between June and September 2006, 670 people were killed or seriously injured in crashes involving drink drivers - showing that this is a year-round problem.

All 43 police forces in England and Wales will be targeting drink drivers this summer with many using new digital breath testing equipment funded by the Department for Transport.

The TV campaign, ‘Moment of Doubt’, which focuses on the consequences drink drivers face when they are caught, will be supported by advertising in pubs, radio and online.

The campaign will also continue to be supported by partners in the pub trade and drinks industry to get the message across that drinking and driving do not mix.