Motorway Rule That Fines Driver Automatically

New Motorway Rule That Fines Driver Automatically

358

New legislation will give police authority to automatically fine drivers breaking smart motorway rules.

Home Office has introduced new legislation in June that penalises drivers who ignore smart motorway lane closures.

Drivers breaking the rules can expect an automatic fine of £100 and three points on their driving licence.

Current Motorway Driving Rules?

Automated cameras can open and close smart motorway lanes at any time – drivers see this in action when the hard shoulder opens up to ease congestion.

If the lane is closed, gantry signs above the smart motorway show a big red ‘X’. These signs also show variable speed limits.

Driving in a closed motorway or dual carriageway lane is illegal. But as a smart motorway lane can open and close at any time.

What’s changing?

Highways England has issued 180,000 warning letters to drivers ignoring smart motorway lane closures since the beginning of 2017.

From 10 June 2019, the law has changed so that police can use cameras to automatically catch drivers breaking the rules – hitting them with a £100 fine and three penalty points.

However, Highways England says that the new cameras won’t be operational until later in the summer.

Do red ‘X’ signs improve safety on motorways?

A March RAC survey revealed that over eight in 10 drivers (84 per cent) have seen a red ‘X’ sign on the motorway – and 99 per cent of those know that it means the lane is closed.

But 23 per cent of drivers admitted to disregarding the rule – either “occasionally accidentally” (19 per cent), “often accidentally” (one per cent) or “occasionally on purpose” (three per cent).

The RAC went on to say that red ‘X’ signs “are paramount in safety terms as any stricken driver who has not managed to reach an SOS area is at tremendous risk of being involved in a collision with vehicles that ignore them.”

With new rules in place when driving on Motorway, drivers  should take extra care and move to an open lane when a red ‘X’ sign is showing, keeping to the speed limits on the gantries and signs.

Do you think the rule change will make drivers take extra care on motorways? Let us know in the comments below.

New DVLA figures suggest motorists are missing out on millions

British motorists could have missed out on savings of nearly £5 million last year by not going online to apply for or renew driving licence, according to new DVLA figures published on 27th June 2019.

Online driving licence applications now account for nearly 4 out of 5 provisional driving licence applications and around half of all driving licence renewals – an increase of around 10% over the last 3 years. A provisional licence costs £43 when applying by post, but only £34 online, with renewals costing £17 by post and £14 online.

But some drivers missed out on the savings last year with more than 1.2 million drivers posting their applications to DVLA.

DVLA Chief Executive Julie Lennard said:

Each year, more and more people are choosing to use our online services and it is always cheaper and quicker to renew your driving licence on GOV.UK. It’s also the quickest way for those who have lost or misplaced their licence to apply for a replacement.

Notes to editors:

1.   Drivers who apply online should only use GOV.UK so they can be sure of dealing with DVLA directly and paying the lowest price for services that carry a fee.

2.   By using GOV.UK when applying for services online, motorists can also ensure they avoid using third party websites. Such sites will often charge an additional fee for services that are free - or cost significantly less - on GOV.UK. Websites such as these are not connected with the DVLA in any way.

3.   Customers can apply for a provisional licence online with DVLA on GOV.UK

4.   Customers can find out more about renewing their driving licence and renew it online with DVLA on GOV.UK

5.   If they are aged 70 or over, customers can renew their driving licence online with DVLA for free on GOV.UK

6.   It’s free to renew a driving licence at the age of 70 or older, irrespective of the route chosen.

Driving test: Hardest and easiest places to pass

Driving test: Hardest and easiest places to pass

AGE

About 45% of drivers pass their driving test first time, while some others need more than 30 attempts. But does it matter where in Britain you take your test?

Every three months, pass rate data is published on all driving test centres in England, Scotland and Wales. The rates vary from below 30% to more than 80%.

According to the latest stats - for April to December 2018 - Britain's highest pass rate and lowest pass rate are listed below.  Driving test centres with highest pass rate were in Inveraray, in Argyll and Bute, where 83.3% of learner drivers passed their test..

Top places with highest pass rate

	Test centre	Number of tests Apr-Dec 2018	Pass rate %
1	Inveraray	53	84.9
2	Mallaig	18	83.3
3	Gairloch	24	83.3
4	Pitlochry	93	78.5
5	Isle of Mull	18	77.8

Source: DVSA

The lowest, meanwhile, is the Pavilion test centre in north Birmingham, at 29.6%.

Top places with lowest pass rate

	Test centre	Number of tests Apr-Dec 2018	Pass rate %
1	Birmingham (The Pavilion)	2,338	29.6
2	Birmingham (South Yardley)	6,916	32.3
3	Speke (Liverpool)	4,858	32.6
4	Enfield (Bancroft Way)	67	32.8
5	Erith (London)	4,710	33.5

-

Source: DVSA

At first glance, it appears pass rates are generally higher in rural areas and lower in busy cities. This might sound obvious: less traffic and fewer hazards. But driving instructors say it may be more complex than this.

In Pitlochry, Perthshire, the pass rate there is 78.5%. It is one of the highest in the country, although the test centre is small with an average of 11 learners sitting the exam each month.

Is the high pass rate because of the rural setting? a driving instructor in 2016 after quitting her job running a restaurant

"Definitely through the winter it's an easier place to pass," said one driving instructor . "It's very quiet. But in the summer, it's worse than driving in the centre of London .

"Because these are a tourist town, the place is heaving. And driving through the main street is like running the gauntlet. People are not really engaging their brains, they are on holiday. People go out in the middle of the road taking pictures. There are lots of tourists who are driving. They don't know where they are going. It can be incredibly hazardous."

In more rural test centres, the hazards are "different" - for example bad parking, narrower roads, tractors and cyclists.

"Interestingly, a couple of people who I have taught say driving in Pitlochry is 10 times harder than in Glasgow," she said. "In Glasgow they are following the person in front, whereas in Pitlochry there are not as many traffic lights, so at the junction the pupil has to make the decision themselves."

Almost 400 miles away, Belvedere test centre in south-east London is near the other end of the scale. It has a pass rate of just 33.8%.

August last year was particularly bad, when only 28.5% of the 403 candidates managed to ditch the L-plates.

Driving Instructor  from Belvedere, believes "people simply go to the test too soon".ho was born in Poland, now teaches people to drive in south-east London

"Here we have a very large mix of many nationalities and some people's beliefs of standards are not the same," . "You have to make sure you're at a good enough standard of driving to pass the test."

Meanwhile, one instructor from Birmingham - where pass rates are below average at all test centres and as low as 29% at one - said he did not think "the standard of instruction in Birmingham is very good".

He blamed the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency's checks - instructors are required to deliver a lesson under observation every four years - for being not rigorous enough.

And the instructor - who did not want to be named - said he believed "50% of the instructors in the area should not be teaching".

Many do not care about getting students through the test, he said, but "are doing it purely for the money".

DVSA-approved driving instructor registrar Jacqui Turland said it monitors "the performance and standard of instruction".

"Where instructors are bringing candidates to test at an unsatisfactory level, our enforcement managers will investigate and help educate them, in order to achieve best practice."

According to the AA Driving School, although the highest pass rates tend to be in rural areas and the lowest in urban areas, the difference should not be solely attributed to the type of traffic.

There are "probably other social factors that may be playing a part in the pass-rate disparity", it said.

your first attempt at the driving test, you're more likely to fail. On the second attempt, your likelihood of passing goes up. But after that, the pass rate drops with every attempt you take.

So are learner drivers flocking to rural Scottish areas, in an effort to boost their chances?

The DVSA doesn't believe so.

"All candidates are assessed to the same level and the result of their test is entirely dependent on their performance on the day," said chief driving examiner Mark Winn said. "It's essential that all drivers demonstrate they have the right skills, knowledge and attitude to drive safely.

"The driver testing and training regime tests candidates' ability to drive safely and responsibly as well as making sure they know the theory behind safe driving."

---

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.