Learn Driving on motorways: what you to know

Learner drivers on motorways: what you to know

How the rules work

Any Motorway Lessons learner drivers take are voluntary. They must be taken with an approved driving instructor – so there’ll be no learners driving on motorways with mum or dad in the passenger seat.

The car they’re driving must have dual-controls and must display L plates.

Driving instructors will only take learner drivers on the motorway when they have the right skills and experience to drive in a high-speed environment. Learner drivers would  already have practiced  driving on dual carriageways, so this will be a natural progression.

Driving instructors are highly-skilled and have experience  training people to drive safely. They’ll be sitting next to their pupil in their driving school car and for their own safety, they’re very unlikely to take anyone who is not ready onto the motorway.

What motorway lessons include

During motorway lessons, learner drivers will be trained on:

·         how to join and leave the motorway, overtake and use lanes correctly

·         using smart motorways correctly

·         driving at high speed in motorway conditions

·         motorway-specific traffic signs

·         what to do if a vehicle breaks down on a motorway

DVSA  think it’s much safer for learners to be accompanied by a professional driving instructor,  the first time they go on a motorway, rather than just to drive onto the motorway for the first time after they pass their test without any prior experience.

Motorway driving lessons will help prepare learners for a lifetime of safe driving and will:

·         give them broader driving experience before taking their driving test

·         give them more practice driving on a variety of roads and at higher speeds

·         improve their confidence to drive on the motorway unsupervised after passing their driving test

That last point is particularly important. Research with new drivers has shown that some avoid using motorways because they lack confidence to use them. This means they spend more time driving on rural roads.

In fact, 80% of all young driver deaths happen on rural roads (just 4% are on motorways). These can be more challenging because of sharp bends, hidden dips, blind summits and concealed entrances.

But this isn’t just about building learner drivers’ confidence. It will also have benefits for everyone travelling on the motorway.

Improving road safety

We know it’s frustrating and unsafe when drivers:

·         Hog the middle lane

·         Sit in your blind spot

·         Tailgate

·         overtake and then cut back in too quickly

It is hoped  that by teaching the next generation of drivers good lane discipline and how to interact with all vehicles – including lorries and coaches - we can make the motorways safer and more efficient for everyone.

Also it should contribute to a reduction in the number of young drivers being killed on rural roads.

Road casualties devastate families and communities. Collisions also cost the economy an estimated £16.3 billion a year, and they add pressure on the NHS and our emergency services.

How you can help

It is hoped all drivers will  treat learner drivers how you’d like to be treated, be patient and considerate of them, and remember what The Highway Code says.

Rule 217
Learners and inexperienced drivers may not be so skillful at anticipating and responding to events. Be particularly patient with learner drivers and young drivers.

Most drivers do that already, but if everyone follows this advice, we can make a big difference and help make our motorways safer.

Driverless cars to be tested in UK

Business secretary, Vince Cable, sits in a driverless car.

Driverless cars are to be tested in Bristol, Coventry, Milton Keynes  and the London borough of Greenwich and those locations in trials will put the UK at the forefront of automated vehicle technology.

Government funding of £19m will allow three separate trials to take place: one in Bristol, one in Greenwich and one split between Coventry and Milton Keynes. The trials, lasting from 18 to 36 months, will test different aspects of self-driving technology. All will take place away from public roads, though each is aimed at making automated vehicles on Britain’s roads a reality.

The trials will use semi-autonomous cars that can drive themselves for periods of the time with a human driver behind the wheel, as well as lightweight self-driving pods designed for low-speed shuttle services. The three projects will be linked by an external monitor who will coordinate all the data.

The Greenwich trials – named the Gateway project – will involve self-driving shuttles being tested on closed roads and in simulation facilities. The project is led by the TRL with contributions from the Royal College of Art, Imperial College London and the University of Greenwich along with General Motors, the AA and RAC.

“These shuttles are a relatively mature technology, so our trials will be more about how to manage participants and the vehicles, to get us towards these vehicles being a real proposition for public roads,” Reed said.

Gateway will also test cars that can drop off passengers then park themselves. The vehicles will then return on command, similar to concepts shown off by Audi and other carmakers.

The Bristol trials – named the Venturer project – will involve tests investigating legal and insurance issues, as well as public reaction to self-driving cars.

well as public reaction to self-driving cars.

The Venturer project will be led by project management group Atkins Highways & Transportation. Also involved will be the Bristol robotics lab at the University of Bristol and insurance company Axa.

Driverless vehicles could change the way we move around cities. Photograph: Alamy

The question of who pays in the event of a crash involving a driverless car is seen as one of the major barriers to letting self-driving cars loose on highways.

The trials in Milton Keynes and Coventry will be run by a consortium named UK Autodrive. Arup is to lead this project with Jaguar Land Rover and Ford contributing. The project will focus on car-to-car and car-to-road communication and the infrastructure required.

The government has made clear its support of the automated vehicle industry. “The UK is a world leader in the development of driverless technology,” said business secretary Vince Cable. “This not only puts us at the forefront of this transformational technology but also opens up new opportunities for our economy and society.”

Full Report on :   http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jan/01/driverless-cars-tested-uk-bristol-coventry-milton-keynes-greenwich

Black drivers are more likely to be stopped by police

                                   Stopwatch estimates five million unrecorded stops in one year.

Millions of cars are pulled over by the police every year without being officially recorded – and black drivers are significantly more likely to be targeted, figures reveal.

Although there is no official available data on the number of vehicle stops, researchers from Stopwatch, a coalition of academics and legal experts which monitors the use of stop-and-search powers by the police, used figures from the British Crime Survey to estimate that around 10% of adults in England and Wales are stopped in a vehicle by police each year.

"We estimate that there were approximately 5.5 million vehicle stops in 2010-11, approximately five million of which did not involve a search and therefore were not covered by the recording requirement," said a Stopwatch briefing document.

Research commissioned by the group based on British Crime Survey data between 2008 and 2011 also found that black people had reported higher levels of car stops  in the past year than white people and that "the disproportionality could not be explained by any other social or demographic factors". Rachel Taylor of the legal firm Fisher Meredith, who is a member of Stopwatch, said the practice of stopping cars without recording the incident using section 163 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 was alarming. It allowed officers to circumvent the conditions of reasonable suspicion that the driver is carrying an unauthorised weapon or drugs.

"This throws the power wide open to abuse, and research indicates that there are very high levels of racial disproportionality in its use," she said.

For full Story Visit : http://www.theguardian.com/law/2014/feb/02/black-drivers-stopped-police

Google is under pressure to close private sites that charge

 

 

 

Google is under pressure to close private sites that charge :

      ·          £85 for driving licence ( driving )renewals that cost £24.50 at the Post Office,

      ·         £29 to apply for "Ehics" (European health insurance cards) that are issued free by the NHS;

      ·         £172 for UK passports that should cost £72.50.

      For full story visit  :  

        http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/jan/30/tax-return-passport-health-copycat-websites

Driving licence records to go online

DVLA to launch a system that will allow insurers to check driving licence records online, making deception and mistakes less frequent. 

Also Insurance premiums for motorists may be cut by up to £15 a year after the government announced that all driving licence records were being put online as part of my lisence project .

The searchable database for individuals and companies to check speeding endorsements and other details could also bring down the cost of car hire.

Currently insurers are unable to check licence details when they sell policies, and so have to "price in" the risk that drivers either lie to them about endorsements to get a lower quote, or simply make a mistake.

But a system due to be launched by the DVLA in March will allow them to access the information through the gov.uk website using an individual's licence number, national insurance number and postcode.

The Association of British Insurers has estimated that honest motorists could save £15 on their premiums thanks to the data being put online.

Car hire companies will also have their administration burden reduced through being able to check drivers' details online rather than by phone.

The paper counterpart to the driving licence card is due to be phased out by 2015, and there will be an assisted service for those who find it difficult to use the internet.

Queen Street Mill in Burnley gets Grade I-listed status

Queen Street Mill in Burnley, has frequently been used for film and TV shows, is recognised as last working steam powered cotton mill in the world.

The Queen Street Mill in Burnley Lancashire, which gets Grade I listing in the new year. Photograph: Alamy

A magnificent survivor from the age of steam will greet the new year as a Grade I-listed building, its importance finally recognised as the last working steam powered cotton mill in the world.

The giant Victorian steam engine of Queen Street Mill in Burnley Lancashire, was originally named Prudence; steam engines of the time were often affectionately christened. The engine, still running after 120 years, was renamed Peace in 1918 in honour of the fallen soldiers of the first world war, who included many former mill workers.

For Full story Visit

http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2013/dec/25/victorian-queen-street-mill-grade-i-listed-status

Motoring Laws You May Have Broken Without Knowing them

Legislation to make driving under the influence of drugs as a specific offence has been welcomed after it was announced in last week's Queen's speech. It's already widely known that driving after taking banned drugs such as cannabis or cocaine is illegal but did you know that patients on prescription drugs also face prosecution if their driving is impaired by medication?

To stay on the right side of the law, a modern driver needs to be fully aware of the catalogue of potential motoring offences that they might be committing, and  this list seems to be growing by the day.Here are 10 examples of less common offences that might catch you out:

Warning fellow oncoming motorists
Warning other drivers of a police speed trap could land you with a fine of up to £500. A 64-year-old male motorist from Grimsby helped a fellow driver avoid a potential prosecution and was hit with a fine and costs totalling £440 by magistrates.

Dirty number plate
Number plates that obscure the registration details can lead to a £1,000 fine.

Beeping your horn
Sounding your horn while stationary is illegal, unless to warn a moving vehicle of danger. In fact, you can't use your horn on a residential street from 11.30pm till 7am in any circumstances.

Changing a CD
...or, sipping a hot drink, eating food or doing your make-up while driving could be considered careless or even dangerous.

Pulling over to take a mobile phone call
You may still be considered by police to be 'driving' and therefore breaking the law if the engine is running, even if you are parked at the kerbside. Be safe: park up and switch off or use a hands-free phone.

Playing loud music
Playing loud music, especially with your car windows down, could be regarded as causing a distraction for either yourself or other road users.

Cradling a baby in your arms
As a passenger, holding a baby while the car is moving, even if you are wearing a seatbelt, is unlawful and the driver is responsible. All children must have a 'restraint', such as a booster seat or baby seat, until their 12th birthday or reaching 135cm tall. Travelling in a taxi is an exception.

Road rage
Being abusive or making rude hand gestures to a fellow road user or pedestrian can be judged inconsiderate, careless driving 

'Morning after' drink-drivers
Convictions of motorists who are over the alcohol limit from the previous night are on the rise. Some people who stop drinking alcohol at midnight may still be above legal limits for driving at 4pm the next day - 16 hours later - depending on the amount consumed.

Even beyond these less well-known laws there are numerous motoring myths that can land you in trouble. Inaccurate but commonly-held beliefs, such as the 'two-week leeway for changing a tax disc' or the 10% speed limit discretion, often get motorists fines or points on their driving licence, which can in turn lead to an outright ban via the totting-up system.

Solicitor Natali Farrell of Just Motor Law said: "It is useful for motorists to refresh themselves of the law by re-reading the Highway Code to avoid some of the myths.''

"Knowing the law can help a motorist avoid breaking it. Some offences are less clear-cut than say, speeding, and open to interpretation, which means there may be scope to challenge on several grounds."