Clare Thomson keeps our 100% Pass Rate !!

Well we are just about over the first quarter of the year and we still have our 100% first time pass rate.

Clare Thomson has taken here redhill driving lessons with Jane our female driving instructor here at m & m driving school, and today in the horrible rain passed first time. Well done Clare.

Of course her learning does not stop there, Clare is looking to take the Pass Plus course with us to further her driving skills and in the process reduce her insurance.

Weather you are like Clare and started as a complete beginner or maybe you just need help to finish of your lessons, we can help you to pass your test. You might be needing check test training to help to brush up your Q & A skills ready for your check test, so what ever you need we will try to help you. You never know you might be the next name on our blog as the person to keep our first time pass rate at 100% !!

Unfortunately our yearly price increase starts 1st April

We only ever try to increase our surrey driving lessons price once each year. Last year we held our prices over to help people and encourage new pupils to join use. We had hoped to not increase our prices this early in the year, but with the cost of fuel ever increasing we have not much choice.

Don't forget we are still offering the first three lessons at half price for a beginner and a good price on block booking discounts. So weather you are looking for redhill driving lessons or say just refresher lessons then we can help you.

With female and male instructors here at m & m driving school we feel that our service is able to help all and anybody to learn to drive.

Driving tests 75 years old

The driving test is 75 years old this month, and over that time motorists have become well aware of the need for caution around learner drivers.

Provisional Marmalade, the new driver’s champion, has collaborated with Halfords to provide an innovative car insurance product that provides provisional drivers with fully comprehensive insurance on a family or friend’s car for just £3 a day. remember you can reduce your insurance by taking the pass plus course after passing your test.

More traditional insurance usually involves a hefty premium that can be thousands of pounds, and jeopardise the car owner’s no claims bonus.

The high cost has meant that learner drivers aged 17-21 have declined from 46% to 32%in recent years.

Halfords’ Diane Perry has said that high prices have put off many young drivers from taking advantage of extra practice outside of paid lessons.

High costs are not only an issue for learner drivers, weather you are taking redhill driving lessons or just passed your test the costs are still very high.

Recent research by moneysupermarket.com has shown that one in ten families are performing the criminal act of ‘fronting’, which is when a parent takes out insurance on a child’s car in the parent’s name.

Steve Sweeney, moneysupermarket.com’s head of car insurance, has said that the practice is illegal and would be classed as fraud by an insurer.

Finally £100 million to fill potholes

The cash has been allocated following the most severe winter in 30 years, amid complaints from motoring organisations over the quality of the country’s roads.

Lord Adonis, the Transport Secretary, said the money would be allocated to councils as soon as possible, to enable maintenance staff to tackle the problem.

According to one industry survey by the Asphalt Industry Alliance, four out of five councils suffered severe damage, creating a £400 million gap in their maintenance budgets.

Councils estimate it will take more than 11.5 years to tackle the backlog of repairs in England, and 15 years in Wales.

In the redhill driving lesson area alone there is holes in just about every road you drive on. People say miss them but nearly all of them are on the driving line so trying to avoid them is not easy.

The Government has been under pressure to act from motoring groups.

M6 speed camera catches 5,500 drivers in five weeks

Road safety bosses say they are stunned after a speed camera caught out more than 5,500 motorists in five weeks.

The camera, on the M6 near Carlisle, was installed to protect workers carrying out repairs and is expected to net £168,000 from fines issued so far.

A Cumbria Safety Cameras spokesman said he could not understand why so many drivers are ignoring the 50mph limit, which is clearly signposted, by having motorway lessons this should not happen to you.

Pressure group Safe Speed called the figures “disgusting”.

The camera was installed between junctions 43 and 44 of the M6 on 29 January and will stay while bridge repairs are carried out.

After taking your redhill driving lessons and passing your test with us, your next step is to either take the Pass Plus course or have motorway lessons with your instructor. Both are very important and will help you develop into a much safer driving.

Our roads are every busyer and motorways are no exception, so don't get caught out and be one of the Government's next statistics.

CRASH HELMET CONFUSION

It is reasonable to suggest that a crash helmet is a key safety feature for any cyclist, be it a motorbike or a push bike. However, recent research has shown that crash helmets could actually be very damaging to our health.

It is thought that the vibration and noise transmitted through the helmet when travelling at high speeds could cause hearing problems as well as our ability to concentrate, which is extremely important when riding a motorbike as it requires great attention to detail.

The noise at 70mph is higher than the legal limit for noise at work, which would suggest the danger it can have to a bikers hearing.

The research statistics and findings and the ongoing research is not meant to put individuals off riding or the idea of wearing a helmet but simply trying to identify the safest way to enjoy biking.

Here at m & m driving school surrey we cant teach you how to ride a motor bike but we can help you pass your test at affordable prices. Weather you want redhill driving lessons or say pass plus we can help you and offer male and female instructors.

Despite these recent findings, it is still the law in most countries to wear a motorcycle helmet. The helmet is there to absorb energy and protect the rider from head injuries upon impact. It also protects the rider from any loose debris on the roads.

Up to 36,000 cash-strapped parents are fiddling their car insurance by putting their sons or daughters down as a ’spouse’ on their motor policy.

The illegal scam, which helps families lower their car insurance premiums in the economic downturn is becoming increasingly popular, damning new insurance industry figures reveal today.

Yet most consider it just a ‘little white lie’ rather than a serious offence, and carry on with the insurance scam known to companies as ‘fronting’.

Cases of fronting have doubled in the past two years as the recession has bitten and cost-cutting drivers have sought drastic ways to reduce their premiums.

One other way to help reduce your insurance after taking your redhill driving lessons and passing your test is to take the Pass Plus scheme. This will not only take your driving skills to another level, but will also help to reduce your insurance. you will need to check with your insurance company to see if they support the scheme.

This is despite insurance fraud and uninsured drivers adding £30 to the policies of law abiding drivers.

The 36,000 parents are among more than 200,000 cash-strapped motorists committing the fraud, insurers believe.

Andrey Arshavin reveals London is driving him mad

He's complained about the congestion charge, London parking and women drivers - and now Andrey Arshavin has another reason to hate driving in the capital.
The Arsenal star has revealed he got into a prang on the road while travelling with his wife Yulia, but escaped with just a damaged bumper.
The accident happened on Monday, when manager Arsene Wenger had given his players the day off.

A cheerful Arshavin revealed: 'It was a sunny day here in London and even a small traffic accident that has happened to Yulia and me, wasn't able to spoil our spring mood.
'The second car involved got slightly scratched and my car’s bumper got damaged.
'It took us five minutes to solve this problem, we exchanged our data and left.
'Good luck on the roads!'
The 28-year-old did not reveal the identity of the other driver, or who was to blame, but he once memorably told Sportsmail: 'I would never give driving lessons to women. We are very lucky here at m & m driving school surrey as we have male and female instructors to help you with your redhill driving lessons.
'We need to build new roads for them. Why? Because you never know what to expect from a woman on the road.

'If you see a car behaving weirdly, swerving and doing strange things, before you see the driver you know it is a woman. It is always a woman.'
Arshavin has faced a culture shock on the roads since leaving Zenit St Petersburg 13 months ago.
Russians are not used to parking rules, while the congestion charge has been even more difficult to get accustomed to.
'I struggle with the parking,' he once said. 'I can’t park where I want, I’m not used to this.
'Then there’s the congestion charge. It’s not the money I object to but all the things you have to do – codes to enter, SMS messages you have to send, etc.'

Motorist caught by police driving with car bonnet up

A motorist was caught by police driving with her car bonnet wide open and peering through the tiny gap to see where she was going.

When incredulous officers pulled her over, the 53-year-old woman, who has has not been named, told them the bonnet was faulty and she was on her way to get it repaired.

The incident occurred in Weymouth, Dorset, during a county-wide “No Excuse” safety campaign to educate people about bad driving. At m & m driving school surrey we don't teach you how to drive on your redhill driving lessons with your bonnet up, what we will teach you is how to open and close the bonnet ready for your 'show me tell me' questions on your driving test.

The woman had been using a four inch gap between her dashboard and the bonnet to steer her car through the seaside town.

Police have yet to decide whether they will press charges as they continue their investigations.

Jamie Hurst keeps 100% pass rate !

Congratulations Jamie on passing your test first time yesterday with m & m driving school surrey.

Jamie first started his lessons with us last year with Jane our female instructor. Then he stopped lessons and restarted in the new year with Paul. He felt a change of instructor for restarting his redhill driving lessons might help him push on. Well he did push on and achieved his goal.

Pass Plus is the next thing for Jamie to undertake, this he will be starting next week.

If you are looking for a change of instructor then maybe we could help you with your lessons. We have male or female instructors and cover a wide area, check out our web site for areas, costs etc.

Pothole damage ‘driving car insurance claims’

Damage caused by potholes resulted in millions of pounds in car insurance claims last month. Just in the redhill driving lessons area alone you can not travel more then 100 meters without coming across a pothole.

Research from AA Insurance shows the cost of such damage saw claims of around £2.85 million over the course of February.

With this sum the equivalent of about 1,900 claims in the month, the firm points out the number of claims on such British insurance have risen by more than 600 per cent in the past three years.

However, AA Insurance director Simon Douglas states this is “just the tip of the iceberg, because it takes serious damage to make it worth an insurance claim”.

The firm points out potholes can prove particularly troublesome when driving along rural roads at night as the driver is often unaware of the pothole until after the damage has been done to their vehicle.

And car day insurance customers may also be aware of the firm’s recent research showing the typical quote for third party, fire and theft stood at

Rail boss urges driving test change

People taking their driving test should be made to answer questions about level crossings, according to a rail chief.

Ian Croucher, Network Rail chief executive, said most accidents that occur on level crossing are as a result of driver error. When giving our redhill driving lessons we will use the level crossing at reigate to teach our pupils how to approach and deal with level crossings.

And he wants driving tests to include compulsory questions in a bid to reduce the worrying 2009 figures that show 3,242 incidents were recorded at level crossings.

The numbers show that 14 collisions took place between trains and vehicles, and there were 13 deaths in total at level crossings.

Across the UK, there were 140 near misses last year, the equivalent of three per week.

Network Rail said the inclusion of level crossing safety questions in the driving test would help stamp out "crazy driving behaviour".

Mr Coucher said: "Tragically some motorists lose their lives gambling at level crossings by running red lights or dodging around barriers.

"I'm confident that lives will be saved if motorists learn how to safely use level crossings from the day they pass their test. Our campaign is raising awareness of the very real dangers of running the risk but we think more can be done to change motorists' behaviour."

Parents urged to help children prepare for driving test

Aviva research reveals that younger drivers are 17% more likely to pass their driving test the first time if they have had additional practice with their parents, conversely, one in two young drivers who only had paid redhill driving lessons took more than four attempts to pass their test. Here at m & m driving school surrey in 2009 we had a 94% first time pass rate, so far this year 2010 we are running at 100% first time pass rate !

Research also reveals that over a quarter of young drivers who did not practice driving with their parents had an accident that required an insurance claim within the first year of passing their driving test.

With young drivers accounting for more than two in five road deaths in the UK, Aviva has launched ‘The Road to Success', a new online guide which calls on parents to get involved with teaching their children to drive.

Nigel Bartram, Aviva Motoring Expert said: "We appreciate that learning to drive can be a very stressful time for young drivers and parents alike. That's why we have produced a free guide for parents to download so they can get useful tips and advice on how best to go about preparing their children for the open road.

"Our research shows that young drivers who gain valuable experience behind the wheel under the guidance of their parents are much more likely to pass their driving test first time around than those who only take paid for driving lessons.

"The more experience young drivers can accrue behind the wheel the better drivers they will be, especially if they are practising driving at night and driving in different weather conditions."

Although parents are uniquely positioned to pass on advice to their children to help better prepare them for driving, they must also be mindful that through their actions, they are also the most likely source for young drivers to pick up bad habits from.

The worst habits that children pick up from their parents include:

Looking over your shoulder to check for cars rather than using your mirror (19%)
Incorrect hand positions on the steering wheel (33%)
Coasting around corners (in manual cars) (9%)
Driving with only one hand on the wheel (32%)
Undertaking (4%)
Being abusive to other road users (16%)

Nigel continues: "Your behaviour, judgment and skills behind the wheel will have a huge influence on your teenager and it is essential that they witness you taking driving seriously. Whilst you are driving your car, as passengers, they are learning from the way you act, the decisions you make and the style in which you drive, so it's important to set a good example at all times"

VINTAGE CAR DESTROYED IN FORECOURT FIRE

A quick thinking employee saved a petrol station in Raynes Park, Wimbledon from being seriously damaged by flames.

A man from Redhill in Surrey was thought to have ignited a fuel pump and spray fuel over the petrol station forecourt. Police were called to the scene immediately as there were fears for the nearby houses and vehicles.

One unlucky resident was told that her Ford Prefect 1954 had been destroyed in the small blaze. The resident was however, just pleased that the situation was not more serious.

Fire crews from 3 local fire stations had the blaze under control almost immediately and the fuel supply was cut off by an employee as soon as they were aware of the situation.

An instructor giving redhill driving lessons said: “The employees working at the petrol station were quick to react and this meant a potentially devastating situation turning into to a minor state of affairs. However, the man in question did destroy somebody’s pride of joy – their car!”

Driving tests for mobility scooter users

Mobility scooter users in Lincolnshire may have to pass a 'fitness to drive' test before they take to the streets, in a bid to reduce accidents. Here at m & m driving school surrey we cant teach you how to drive one of these, however if it is redhill driving lessons you rerquire then please contact us to arrange your first three lessons at half price.
The scooters are not an obvious menace but to those who have experienced a pavement-based stand-off with a scooter might understand why a test might be appropriate.
Mobility scooter owner Patrick Doherty, 58, said before he got his own scooter he was almost run-down by one.
"I must admit some of them really are wicked," he said.
"Even before I had one, I was run over by one. An old lady hit me with her stick because I did not get out of the way.
"I think it's a good idea because some people tend to think that the whole pavement is theirs and people should get out of their way."
The Government scheme would also mean users have to secure appropriate insurance and properly register the vehicle.
And they could also receive training on how to best use their scooter.
Ministers are consulting over the changes which will affect up to 100,000 vehicles in a bid to reduce accidents.
But all of this will be considered during a three-month consultation.
Spokesman for the Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership Brian Burns said it was a step in the right direction for the safety of users and other pedestrians.
"I absolutely 100 per cent support these plans," he said.
"To ensure that they as a user group are safer and as much for everyone else as well.
"There seems to be a section of people who get their scooter and do not know what their responsibilities are.
"They also don't realise that they are governed by the Highway Code

Man loses licence for walking dog while driving

Paul Railton, from Annfield Plain, Stanley, was driving on a country lane at five mph holding on to the lead of his pet lurcher while it walked alongside his Nissan Navara on December 4th 2009, reports the Press Association.

Police were alerted to the incident by a concerned cyclist.

Railton pleaded guilty of breaching the Road Traffic Act on two counts at Consett Magistrates’ Court. He was fined £124 and given three penalty points.

He had already accumulated nine points for other driving offences in the past three years so he was disqualified from driving for six months under the so-called totting-up system.

Speaking after the hearing Railton said: “It is a joke. I’m not bothered. I knew I would get three points. I might save myself some money not having a car.”

Having now been disqualified from driving Paul Railton might have to retake his driving test, this is always open to the courts depending on the offence. If you do loss your licence then here m & m driving school surrey we can help you to pass your test again. We offer redhill driving lessons, reigate driving lessons and many more areas, check our web site for more information.

Government announces more incentives for ‘plugged-in’ driving

The Government has today announced more incentives to jump-start the take-up of electric vehicles, including £5 million of funding to introduce 2,430 charging points for electric vehicles in Milton Keynes and car grants.
The Milton Keynes investment is part of a £30 million fund from the new Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) for a network of electric vehicle hubs, the first three of which – Milton Keynes, London and the North East – were announced today and where 11,000 vehicle recharging points will be installed.

The idea is that the experience of these first three hubs – or ‘Plugged-In Places’ as they have been named – will inform the future development of a national charging infrastructure.

The Government is also looking at how to join the Plugged-In Places up with charging infrastructure along strategic corridors, and how to support multi-modal journeys to facilitate the wider use of electric vehicles. At this time if you wanted driving lessons redhill in an electric car then you would be out of luck as there are no redhill driving schools offering this service.

Today’s announcement was welcomed by the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) which, through its ‘Joined-Cities Plan’ is working with a number of cities to help develop a user-friendly environment for plug-in vehicles.

The ETI’s ceo, Dr David Clarke commented: “The funding from OLEV’s Plugged‑in‑Places scheme will enable a step‑change in infrastructure deployment in three of these locations – London, Milton Keynes and the North East.”

Plug-In Car Grants open to both private and business fleet buyers
Alongside the Plugged-In Places initiative, the Government has also announced that it will provide a so-called ‘Plug-In Car Grants’ worth 25 per cent of the cost of ultra-low-carbon car.