More helpful hints and tips for after you have finished your Driving Lessons in Newcastle.

Opening the M1Faster, tougher, safer!  

Motorways are designed to help you get your destination as quickly and safely as possible.

However, that speed and safety comes with a price attached. Long journeys on motorways can zap your concentration and subject your vehicle to more wear and tear than the average ‘Sunday afternoon drive’.

Motorways are probably our safest roads, but when accidents happen they are usually quite severe due to the higher speeds involved. Motorway accidents often involve loss of life but this risk can be greatly minimised by following the advice given below.

This section contains general advice for motorway driving.

In addition to the main info, there is an Article ‘Motorway Madness’, first published in 2003 (Driving Magazine), which covers much of the general advice, but has some additional information about weather, speed and other matters.

The beginning

Britain’s first motorway, the Preston Bypass, was opened on December 5th 1958 by the then Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan; four hours after the opening ceremony, Harold Bradshaw earned a place in UK motoring history when he became the first recorded motorway casualty after falling from a bridge above the road.

Hot on the heels of the Preston Bypass came the M1, the first section, just over 61 miles long was opened in 1959 – this was the start of the ‘backbone’ that would bridge the great North/South divide; unintentionally, it also provided a test track for high-performance sports cars!

Motorways and you

There are few things that you need to know before setting off on a motorway journey. The first is whether or not you are actually allowed on the motorway.

Not allowed:

MI signIf you plan a Sunday afternoon walk, or a horse ride on the motorway, I’m afraid you’re out of luck… Nor will you be able to ride your motor scooter (or bike) if it engine is less than 50 cc, or go for a spree on your tractor!

Learner drivers (cars and motorcycles) are also prohibited from motorways and with motorways becoming ever more complex all new drivers should take training with a professional instructor to learn about motorway driving.

You and your car:

It’s commonsense to have a vehicle that is fit for the road; however, this becomes even more important when you are contemplating a motorway journey. Driving at higher speeds over long distances is sure to test the weakest components of your vehicle. You can guarantee that if your car is about to break down it will do so miles from anywhere on a windy wet stretch of motorway – at night!

In the same way that your car needs to be in good condition, you also need to be fit and alert. The higher speeds on motorways mean that things can happen very quickly – a moment’s lapse of concentration could have dire consequences.

More helpful hints and tips for after you have passed your Driving Test in Newcastle.

The main difference between an automatic and a manual is that you have less direct control of the car through the accelerator. In a manual car releasing the accelerator will almost always have a slowing effect on the car unless you are going downhill. This is because of an effect called ‘engine braking’ (the compression of the engine helps to hold the car back).

In an automatic, releasing the accelerator can often cause the car to shift up a gear, this removes the familiar engine braking effect and can make the car feel as if it is running away. Because of this you need to develop a habit of adjusting your speed early by ‘progressive’ braking and then using gentle acceleration to drive through the hazard situation (in this context a hazard means anything that causes you to slow down).

Controlled use of the accelerator is important whatever car you drive, manual or auto. In an automatic this is especially important. Harsh pressure on the gas pedal can cause the car to surge forward (or backward).
The one time that positive heavy acceleration can be useful is when getting away from a bank robbery – if you don’t rob banks it’s useful for overtaking.

Most automatics have a system called ‘Kick down’ for this purpose. When the accelerator is pressed to the floor the car will change down and hold a lower gear for power acceleration.

‘Park’ or ‘neutral’?

HandbrakeFrom time to time you will stop in traffic. On these occasions you need to make sure that the car is secure.

Whether driving a manual or automatic, it’s a good idea to use the handbrake to secure the car when you stop for more than a moment. This helps to prevent the car from being shunted forward if hit from behind.

In an automatic it’s even more important to use the handbrake than in a manual car; if you are hit from behind the car will try to take off! Stay in drive so that you are ready to move and apply the handbrake firmly. The footbrake is not an effective means of securing your car.

This is because your foot will lift off the brake if you are hit from behind. Using the footbrake is also anti-social and can be dangerous because brake lights can dazzle the driver behind, especially at night and in poor weather conditions.
If waiting a long time, apply the handbrake and then select neutral. This removes the chance of ‘creep’ if the handbrake is not securely applied (nobody’s perfect!). When parking use the ‘Park’ position as soon as you stop. This locks the transmission.

When to override the car’s choices

There are time when you might need to have more control over your car. Here are some examples:

driving on bendy country lanes (especially in sporty automatics)
keeping to low speed limits
descending hills
getting ready to overtake and avoiding the kick-down surge
When you choose one of the ‘manual’ gear positions you will prevent the car from changing to a gear higher than the one selected.

If you are a ‘petrolhead’, as you get to know your car, manual changes will become intuitive. If you simply use your car as a car – that is to get from A to B (now there’s a novel idea!) you might never feel the need to override the automatic changes.

Just do whatever gives you a sense of control for the type of driving you do – and if you are unsure, get some training from Experience Driving or by visiting driving lessons newcastle upon tyne.

More helpful hints and tips for after you have passed your Driving Test in Newcastle.

If you pass a UK driving test in a car with manual gears you can drive all of the types here. If your pass in one of these automatic cars you cannot drive a manual car – you need to take a separate test.

There are several different types of ‘automatic’ transmission.

‘Full’ automatics: These are what we have been talking about in this section; they have a gearbox and torque converter to transmit the power to the driving wheels.

Semi-automatics: These have a gear lever but no clutch, so you change gear as normal but the car does the clutch bit for you.

Pre-selector systems allow a gear to be selected in advance and then activated when needed by pressing a pedal.

‘Tiptronic’ (Porsche) or ‘Sensonic’ (Saab) systems allow electronic sequential gear changing through + and – buttons or lever, usually built into the steering wheel (like in racing cars!). These cars have a clutch, but it’s operated by an electronic motor rather than directly by the driver.

Constantly Variable Transmission (CVT): This old system was pioneered by DAF amongst others and came back to life in the early 90’s; it’s now often found in small ‘automatics’. Rather than ‘stepped’ gears, this type of drive is infinitely variable and is controlled by accelerator pressure and speed. CVT usually has fewer selector choices than full automatics, typically: Park; Reverse; Neutral; Drive; and Low.

Electric cars: Generally have no gearing at all – the motor (or motors) drive the wheels directly.

More helpful hints and tips for after you have passed your Driving Test in Newcastle.

The first thing you notice when getting into a car with automatic transmission is that there are only two pedals – it has no clutch. Hence the term ‘automatic’ – the car changes gear automatically without your direct intervention.

The term automatic simply refers to the gears and should not be confused with other features the car might have, such as traction control, electronic stability control, cruise control and so on – these features are also available in manual cars.

Most automatic transmission has something called a ‘torque converter’. This is complicated thing that you don’t need to know about unless you are thinking about becoming a vehicle technician – it transmits engine power to the gearbox and on to the driving wheels.

Most automatics still have gears, typically 3 or 4; some modern cars have different settings, operated by engine management wizardry. These settings allow you to choose different driving modes depending on the traffic conditions and your mood (for example, you might have a ‘sport’ setting).

Whatever automatic system the car is fitted with, all the driver has to do is stay awake, steer, brake and accelerate.

One foot or two?

Generally it’s best to use your right foot (only) when driving an automatic in normal conditions. The reasoning behind this is that it is unlikely that you will to need to brake and accelerate at the same time. Using one foot will encourage early planning through earlier release of the accelerator. This makes your passengers more comfortable – and safer.

In some automatics you might need two feet for slow speed manoeuvres; the accelerator to coax the car to move and the brake to check that movement quickly and effectively in a confined space. If you have never driven an auto before, practice two-foot low speed manoeuvring in a clear area, for example, a quiet car park, before trying to reverse into your garage, contact Experience Driving for more information or visit driving lessons newcastle upon tyne.

More helpful hints and tips for after you have passed your Driving Test in Newcastle.

In most of Europe, the norm is to drive a car with manual transmission – the automatic is still the odd one out.

Automatic transmission takes much of the physical work out of driving and leaves you with both hands on the wheel for more of the time. This should make you safer, especially if you do lots of long journeys or short trips in busy stop-start traffic.

However, there are some differences in technique required if you are going to stay safe in an ‘auto’. Having said that, some of the systems now used on upmarket automatics are very sophisticated and will get you out of trouble!

Automatics used to be less reliable, but the technology is now well established and although you may use a little more fuel*, this is offset by the fact that many drivers find driving an automatic is less stressful, so why not learn to drive an automatic with Experience Driving and find out more by visiting driving lessons newcastle upon tyne.

*Modern automatics are designed for optimum fuel efficiency and some drivers might well use less fuel in an auto than they would in an equivalent manual car, especially if they have not had training in eco-driving techniques.

More helpful hints and tips for after you have passed your Driving Test in Newcastle.

United Kingdom Driving Test Unfit For Purpose?

The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) is calling for a review of the standard driving test as research suggests that it is failing to prepare young people to drive independently.

So what are the concerns?

Nearly a third of motorists between the ages of 18 and 25 break the law within a few years of passing their test.

Statistics obtained by the RAC show that one in five people killed or seriously hurt on UK roads involved a young motorist.

So what are the views of young drivers?

Nearly 4 in 10 drivers surveyed for the ‘RAC Report on Motoring 2013’ accepted that they felt nervous about driving at night and over half of those spoken to would have like some motorway training.

In addition, over half of drivers admitted to being nervous when driving in adverse weather conditions and remarkably, only a third of drivers felt confident in their driving ability after passing their test.

RAC Technical Director David Bizley said: “What we have learnt from our research will come as a surprise to many parents. Young people agree they need more help to become confident, skilled drivers and they believe that learning more about safe driving should start at school.”

And what are the views of parents?

Three quarters of parents surveyed believe that motorway driving should be a compulsory and integral part of driver training, together with nighttime driving.

So when, if at all, will any changes be brought in?

We will keep you updated as to whether the newly formed Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency accede to the calls of the IAM. Any such review is likely to be take some considerable time and any changes to the present driving test could be months, if not years away.

For many, the required changes to the standard driving test could not come sooner and who knows how many lives will be lost needlessly in the interim.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

More helpful hints and tips for after you have passed your Driving Test in Newcastle.

Kevin Pratt, May 25 2014

You know that stat about motorways being far and away the safest roads on which to drive? Turns out it could be a lot more to do with luck than judgement.

Brake, the road safety charity, has unearthed some discomforting stats: six in 10 UK drivers indulge in risky tailgating – driving way too close to the car in front – while a similar number break the speed limit by 10mph or more on motorways and 70mph dual carriageways.

But while the majority of us ’fess up to tailgating – which can land you with a £100 on-the-spot fine – almost all of us are worried about being on the receiving end: 95% are at least occasionally concerned about vehicles too close behind them.

Safety concerns

Brake – which carried out the research with insurer Direct Line – is urging all drivers to keep at least a two-second gap between themselves and the vehicle in front, extending this to four seconds or more in wet weather or poor visibility – on all roads, not just motorways.

It says drivers should also keep within the posted speed limit at all times, including temporary and variable limits.

Brake recently backed government plans to roll out speed cameras on stretches of so-called ‘smart’ motorways. It wants ‘average speed’ cameras to be installed across the motorway network.

Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive, Brake, said: “Almost all drivers are concerned about the danger posed by other people tailgating on motorways, and yet a shockingly high proportion admits to driving too close and speeding themselves.

“There are no two ways about it: ignore the two-second rule or the speed limit on motorways and you’re putting yourself and others at risk of a horrific crash. Traffic laws are not just for other people: all drivers can help make our motorways safer and prevent needless tragedies by committing to keep your distance and stay under speed limits, including temporary lower limits.”

Simon Sheldon-Wilson, traffic management director at the Highways Agency, said: “Safety is our top priority and we are committed to continuing to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads.

“Congestion on the strategic road network is estimated to cost the economy £3 billion each year, 25% of which is caused by incidents. That’s why we remind drivers of the dangers of tailgating and support Brake’s advice to keep a safe distance from the car in front and to adhere to fixed and variable speed limits.”

M-way manoeuvres

Motorways have lower crash rates per mile travelled than other road types thanks to the way they are designed and the fact there are fewer unexpected hazards,

But when crashes happen, fatalities are more likely because of the high speeds involved. Crashes on 70mph roads are more than twice as likely to result in death as crashes on roads with lower speed limits.

Total stopping distance if you slam on the breaks at 70mph is 96m – longer than a football pitch. You’ll travel 21 metres in the second it takes for you to decide to brake and your foot hitting the pedal.

At 80mph, though, stopping distances are 27% greater than at 70mph (make that 122m rather than 96m).

And, it seems, speed kills. In the USA, states that raised limits from 65mph to 75mph saw death rates rise by 38% on the roads concerned. And in case you want to cite Germany’s no-limit autobahns as an example of motoring Elysium, note that the death rate on these roads that is 75% higher than comparable roads in the UK.

Higher speeds on motorways lead to increased fuel consumption and carbon emissions. Vehicles travelling at 80mph use 10-20% more fuel than those travelling at 70mph.

So what’s your thinking about bad driving, motorway safety and possible solutions? Let us know.

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Speeding motorists face £10,000 fines
(Les Roberts, Jun 10 2014)
Speeding motorists could find themselves slapped with a £10,000 fine as part of a government crackdown on motoring offences.

Motorway-police-speeding

The proposals before Parliament would give magistrates the power to hand out heftier fines – but there are question marks over whether this is a genuine attempt to deter drivers from breaking the speed limit or a cynical ploy to stop the appeals process.

A real speed trap?

Speed is one of the main factors in fatal road accidents and, just last month Brake, the road safety charity, called for a dramatic rise in the level of fines issued to motorists who commit the more common, yet no less dangerous, motoring offences of speeding and mobile phone use at the wheel.

And that’s exactly what the government has done by proposing a four-fold increase in the maximum fines for speeding as well as putting up the maximum fine for using a mobile while at the wheel.

The likely government reforms mean magistrates can now issue fines of up to £10,000 to motorists caught speeding on motorways, while fines for breaking the limit on dual carriageways and other roads will increase to a maximum of £4,000, as will the maximum fine for using a mobile while driving.

It should be noted that the standard fixed penalty for speeding will remain £100 plus three penalty points. You’re only going to be hit with a bigger fine if you find yourself found guilty in court.

Unlimited fines

For the first time ever, magistrates will also have the power to impose unlimited fines for more serious ‘level five’ offences such as careless driving or driving without insurance.

Jeremy Wright justice minister , said: “Financial penalties set at the right level can be an effective way of punishing criminals and deterring them from further offending. Magistrates are the cornerstone of our justice system and these changes will provide them with greater powers to deal with the day-to-day offences that impact their local communities.”

But are these penalties set at the right level to deter offenders or to deter the appeals process?

A way to repeal motorists’ appeals?

As noted, under the current rules, a general speeding allegation can be dealt with by a fixed penalty notice of a £100 fine and three penalty points on your licence.

All motorists have the right to appeal against the fixed penalty notice, but a failed appeal will see the fine increase to £1,000, or £2,500 if caught speeding on a motorway, and the number of penalty points double to six.

And it’s reasonable to assume that this would act as enough of a deterrent to any spurious appeals and seems relatively in proportion to the crime committed – speeding offences have been in decline for a number of years, and the latest Department for Transport figures show the number of fatal or serious accidents on major roads (motorways and A roads) fell by 7% in 2013, and by 4% on minor roads.

On roads with speed limits over 40mph in non-built up areas fatal accidents fell by 6% and on roads with speed limits up to and including 40mph in built up areas they fell by 5%.

Money maker?

So given that the number of fatal and serious accidents is on the decline, is this an ill-timed move from the government, or is it a way of bringing in more money from motorists?

It’s easy to be cynical when you consider magistrate fines collected (for all offences) at the end of 2012/13 reached a record high of £284 million and continued to increase during the last financial year.

One thing’s for sure, it will certainly put the brakes on the appeals process. Who in their right mind will appeal against a fixed penalty notice, no matter how convinced they are of their own innocence, if it could end in a £10,000 fine?

And while those who break the law need to bear in mind the consequences of their actions, the level of punishment also has to fit the crime.

What do you think? Do we need the higher fines to deter speeding motorists? Or are these new fines a way to deter the appeals process? Let us know…

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It is a cliché almost as old as the motor car itself, and the subject of many a sexist joke.

But the idea that women cannot park is simply untrue, according to research indicating that female drivers are more adept than men at manoeuvring into a space.
Covert surveillance of car parks across Britain has shown that while women may take longer to park, they are more likely to leave their vehicles in the middle of a bay.
The study is one of the most comprehensive ever conducted on gender driving differences, and took into account seven key components of parking styles.
Women were also found to be better at finding spaces, more accurate in lining themselves up before starting each manoeuvre, and more likely to adopt instructors’ preferred method of reversing into bays.

Men were shown to be more skilled at driving forwards into spaces and more confident overall, with fewer opting to reposition their car once in a bay.
But once all the elements were taken into account, women were ranked first with a total score of 13.4 out of 20, compared to 12.3 points achieved by men.
Neil Beeson, a professional driving instructor who devised the experiment, described the results as “surprising”.
Mr Beeson, who has recently appeared on the ITV show Last Chance Driving School, said: “In my experience men have always been the best learners and usually performed better in lessons.
“However, it’s possible that women have retained the information better. The results also appear to dispel the myth that men have better spatial awareness than women.
“It shows that us men need to give our partners more respect when it comes to parking. The facts don’t lie.”

The study was produced by the car park firm NCP, which employed a team of researchers to observe 2,500 drivers across its 700 car parks in Britain over a one-month period.
Each aspect of a person’s parking was marked and added to a final tally to produce a “parking coefficient” for the two sexes.
The first category analysed people’s ability to find spaces. Researchers found that impatience caused many men to drive too quickly around car parks, meaning they missed free bays. Meanwhile, women’s slower approach meant they were better able to notice spaces, or spot when other drivers were about to leave.
More than three quarters of women were found to excel in their so-called “pre-parking pose”, setting themselves up to pull into a space, compared to just over half of men observed.
Thirty-nine per cent of female drivers cleanly executed reversing into spaces, compared to only 28 per cent of men.
Men were much quicker at parking, taking 16 seconds on average against the 21 seconds women needed to complete the manoeuvre.
However, the extra time paid off leaving 52 per cent of women parked in the middle of each bay, compared to 25 per cent of men. This category proved particularly punishing for the men’s rating as it was the most heavily weighted in the coefficient.
But James May, the Top Gear presenter, challenged the criteria of the study, saying that parking in the centre of a bay was not always the best policy – especially if a neighbouring car was parked too close to the dividing lines.
“You have to take into consideration the cars parked next to you – you ought to be judged on how central you are to them,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
“I don’t care what gender the person is next to me, I just don’t want them to bang their door on my Porsche.”
Vicki Butler-Henderson, the racing driver and television presenter, said: “Parking in a space is obviously different to reverse parallel parking, but I’m delighted that the fairer sex has come out on top – the findings ring true from my experience.
“Women do take more time, but I know a lot of male racing drivers who win races and are incredible round a track but can’t park for toffee.”
From the figures, the study concluded that, as the average motorist parks a car 1,004 times in their lifetime, women spend 12 days of their lives parking compared to nine days for men.
The findings contradict not only popular belief but also previous research. Figures from the Driving Standards Agency  disclosed that tens of thousands more women fail their driving test on parking errors than men.
Researchers at the Ruhr University Bochum, in Germany also found that women take up to 20 seconds longer than men to park a car.
Only one fifth (18 per cent) of women questioned for the NCP study thought they were better parkers than men, and less than a third (28 per cent) believed they were better parkers than their partners.

Any thoughts?

More helpful hints and tips for after you have finished your Driving lessons in Newcastle.

Ever get bored behind the wheel?

Here’s a few facts and figures to ponder as you go…

1. The UK driving test only has a 50.2% pass rate.

2. The total road length in Great Britain was estimated to be 245,400 miles in 2012. 

If you could lay all those roads out in a straight line into space, you’d go past the Moon, which is a mere 238,855 miles from Earth.

3. There are around 35,760,901 vehicles currently on UK roads, which is roughly one car for every two people.

4. Putting all these cars, buses, vans, trucks and coaches through an MOT could cost as least £1,961,485,419.85

5. Our favourite car colour is silver. There were 7,996,383 silver cars on the roads in 2012.

6. But the highest concentration of pink cars is in Ipswich.

7. The average used car value is £8,540, according to the website usedcarexpert.co.uk, so the average value of all the cars on UK roads could be around £305,398,094,540 

8. As of the end of July, we bought 1,325,851 new cars this year.

9. If we take the best-selling Ford Fiesta for a back-of-a-fag-packet calculation, this means we’ve collectively spent around £132,578,470,745 on new cars.

10. Even if all those sales were of the UK’s cheapest car, the Dacia Sandero (£5,995), it would still total a massive £7,948,476,745. 

11. Almost one in six UK motorists have been caught speeding in the last five years. (Source:LV=.)

12.  A third of us (31%) would be happy with more toll roads if it meant cheaper car tax.

13. 92% of us consider ourselves good drivers.

14. But 65% of us admit to breaking the 70mph speed limit.

15. The number of petrol stations in the UK is at a 50-year low. There are now around 8,600 stations, down from around 37,000 in 1970.