Is Driving Test Doing its Job

www.afzal-driving-lessons.co.uk

www.afzal-driving-lessons.co.uk

Is Driving Test Doing its Job

According a survey by GEM Motoring Assist 9 out of 10 drivers want  L- test  t be graduated Driver Licencing (GDL).

It is believed that GDL add all important Intermediate elements between learner driver and full licence holder, and allows new drivers to build up their skills and experience over a period of time.

Where versions of GDL are already in place, the reduction in young and novice driver collisions have been remarkable. For example research from TRL show that 16-year old drivers in USA who learned to drive through GDL system 15 years ago had 37% fewer crashes than those who followed other systems.

Many other organisation, public health bodies and research institutes believe a graduated driver licencing system should be implemented across the UK, including key components such as minimum learning period of 12 months,automatic driving disqualification for any driving offence for 2 years after passing the test.

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.

Learner Drivers to be allowed on Motorways

Learner Drivers to be allowed on motorways

Government is considering plans under which learner drivers will be able to take driving lessons on motorways before passing their driving test.

Learner drivers would need to be accompanied by an approved driving instructor and in a car fitted with dual controls.

These changes will allow learner drivers to:

• get broader driving experience before taking their driving test
• get training on how to join and leave the motorway, overtake and use lanes correctly
• practice driving at higher speeds
• put their theoretical knowledge into practice

 

Ultimately this should lead better prepared drivers and reduction in road accidents.

Do you need motorway driving lessons if so visit   www.afzalschoolofmotoring.com  and send text message to book your driving lessons with afzal school of motoring.

Cyclist Killed on Road

 Another Cyclist Killed on Road 

83 years old cyclist who suffered serious head injuries in a fall from his bike after striking a path hole has died. Roger Hamer of Manchester road, Ramsbottom died at Salford Royal hospital, Manchester.

Hamer who was not wearing a helmet, was treated by paramedics at the scene before being taken to hospital. Police said there was no evidence that another driving vehicle was involved.

Earlier in March, Surrey resident Ralph Brazier, 52 of Thames Ditton, suffered fatal injuries when he rode over deep path hole on a busy road in Weybridge.

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Do we take driving while drowsy seriously enough? 

Driving when you are drowsy can be as dangerous as having a few drinks, says the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.    A survey of 1000 drivers in UK by Brake, the road safety charity, found that one in eight drivers had nodded off for up to 30 seconds. Drowsiness, like alcohol, makes you less alert, slows your reaction times and it means you are more likely to have an accident even if you don’t actually fall asleep. About one in five crashes, in which a person is killed involves a drowsy driver.
Driving while drowsy usually occurs at high speeds, is most common in men between 16 and 24 years of age and occurs most often between 11pm and 8am. The car typically veers off the road and the driver isn’t alert enough to brake.

What can we Do ?

When tired you are bit too relaxed about driving. Shift workers, people on medications that cause sleepiness and anyone who is sleep deprived, as a new parent, should realise that they could be drowsy drivers.

There are obvious symptoms of tiredness such as yawning, but other big clues include, unable to recall the last few miles, missing road signs, drifting out of your lane, getting too close to the car in front or finding it hard to maintain your speed and needing more effort to keep your head up. If you do feel sleepy you should pull over immediately or, if you’re on a motorway, as soon as it is safe to do so.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents says that two cups of caffeinated coffee and a 15-minute nap is the most effective way to stop feeling sleepy. Turning on the radio, opening the window or asking a passenger to say something interesting won’t wake you up sufficiently.
Driving is best done during normal waking hours; in particular, avoid driving between midnight and 6am, when you are naturally sleepy. Plan your journey so that you have a break for 15 minutes every two hours – ideally getting out of the car – avoiding long drive after you have worked a full day. If your drive is monotonous, especially if its on a motorway driving, it is even more important to get a good night’s sleep (around seven hours). Whenever possible, avoid driving alone and, if on a long trip, try to share the driving.

Government unlikely to end motorway fuel rip-off

 Signs to help drivers compare the cost of motorway fuel have been in the pipeline for two years. But ministers still can’t say when the scheme will be up and running.

Drivers continue to face sky-high motorway fuel prices because the government is dragging its heels on plans to increase competition between service stations.

Investigation carried out by Office of  Fair Trading  in 2013 found that fuel prices were typically 7.5p a litre more for petrol and 8.3p more for diesel on motorways.

The watchdog recommended that a network of signs which compared fuel prices at all the service stations  should be placed on upcoming sections of motorway.This would enable drivers to use the best-value retailer, and the competition would help force prices down and make driving cheaper.

At present, service stations can get away with charging higher prices for fuel as well as for other amenities, because drivers are unable to shop around for cheaper deals.

The OFT’s suggestion was initially welcomed by ministers, with David Cameron announcing in May 2013 that he had ordered the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Highways Agency to begin work on developing a network of signs.But more than two years later, Britain still awaits its first motorway fuel price sign.

Meanwhile, Figures published by the AA at the end of July showed that while the average price for both petrol and diesel was 116.6p a litre, costs on the motorway were more than 10p a litre higher. Service-station diesel cost as much as 127.9p a litre while petrol cost 125.9p a litre at the time the research was carried out.

The government now appears to have changed its tune and is going back on what it clearly stated about a national roll-out in last year’s Autumn Statement and Motorists needing to buy fuel on the motorway continue to be forced to pay over the odds for no apparently good reasons, instead of seeing how these signs work in practice and whether drivers find them a benefit.

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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