CHILDREN DRIVE YOU TO DISTRACTION

We can all become distracted when driving, with mobile phones, sat navs, eating and drinking. However, statistics show that the most distracting of all is passengers, in particular children.

Drivers with children are encouraged to plan their journey and to ensure that children are adequately catered for before setting off.

It is not only the little passengers that can cause drivers to lose attention on the road but adult passengers as well.

Drivers require a noise and distraction free environment when driving. Making sure that all in car gadgets are programmed and working and that passengers have all they require for the journey will minimise the risk of an accident.

We often get asked when taking their redhill driving lessons weather or not their friend can come and sit in the back of their lesson, this is just not helpful when you are trying to concentrate.

Three Lessons half price*

At m & m driving school surrey we offer the best tuition possible to help you pass your test first time. Last year we had a 94% first time pass rate, this is some thing we are very proud of and we are aiming to try and beat this figure this year!

If you are looking to start your driving lessons surrey then as a beginner we can offer you the first three lessons at half price for a beginner* this will help you to get started and spread the cost too.

Your redhill driving lessons can be during the day, evenings or Saturday mornings, so there should be a time to suit most people. we have male and female instructors and if you are nervous we can help with that too. So contact us either by e-mail through are web site or call us direct and we will arrange you first lesson.

MORDEN TEST CENTRE SLAMS THE BREAKS ON CON ARTIST

A DSA (Driving Standards Agency) examiner at Morden Test Centre alerted the police to a 35 year old who regularly took practical driving tests for other people.

Gageen Preet Singh who took payment of up to £3000 from individuals wanting him to impersonate them on test would wear wigs and disguises in order to trick examiners. Unfortunately his disguise on this occasion led to him being sentenced to a 12-month prison sentence at Guilford Crown Court.

Mr Singh is thought to have taken over 100 fraudulent tests, many of which he failed. He even sat exams whilst disqualified for drink driving.

Officers found around £55,000 in Mr Singh’s property thought to be from the scams, this money along with his car is to be forfeited.

It is worrying to think that if this examiner had not informed the police, thousands of potentially dangerous and unqualified drivers would be on the roads. Even more worrying is that Mr Singh could not pass the practical test despite taking it hundreds of times.

Here at m & m driving school surrey we use reigate test center, so we have not seen Mr Singh, but be assured if we had seen any body or had any person contact us for redhill driving lessons that was not as they seemed, we would contact the DSA and report them.

Now, in-car driving coach that reminds you to keep your eyes on the road

Cell phones, music players, and a numerous other gadgets in cars pose a constant problem - distraction for the drivers. But soon, in-car coach could solve this problem.

Professor Linda Ng Boyle from University of Washington has developed an in-car driving coach, an electronic device that reminds you to keep your eyes on the road if it finds your vision wandering away from the road.

The coach uses an eye tracker to monitor drivers’ gaze. This is because where we look is normaly where we tend to steer. When taking your redhill driving lessons this is one of the early things we work on as it helps to be on the correct side of the road !!

“By providing continual feedback, drivers may be more likely to learn from their mistakes and put their eyes back on the road,” said Boyle.

In the study, the high-risk drivers’ longest glances tended to be between 2 1/2 seconds and 3 seconds. They also had the shortest time to collision, a measure of how long until they could crash.

After the drive, a trip report summarized what the driver did right and wrong.

The coach decreased the length of high-risk drivers’ glances by an average of 0.4 seconds and the feedback also increased the high-risk drivers’ time to collision by roughly 8 seconds.

“I think that drivers are coachable,” Boyle said.

“The worst drivers can benefit the most, because we can change their behavior the most dramatically. We can also reinforce the good behavior for safer drivers,” she added.

HOUSEHOLD SEWAGE RUNS VW BEETLE

A two-litre VW Beetle convertible with top speeds of 114pmh now runs on human excrement.

UK engineers have established the bio bug which runs on methane gas generated by human excrement. Household sewage is processed by anaerobic digestion at sewage works, which in turn generates enough energy to power the vehicle.

It is hoped that energy will also be generated through treating general household food waste. Don't worry we wont be running our cars on sewage, so your redhill driving lessons wont need to come with air fresheners !!

The methane tanks are found in the boot of the Beetle and the car cleverly converts back to petrol when the methane tanks run out. The car does use unleaded petrol until the engine is up to temperature but swiftly converts to methane.

This new green motoring idea is thought to out shine electric models and is thought to be one of the most sustainable cars around.

Jane of m and m driving school surrey said: “It is amazing that this prototype could soon become reality with millions of drivers recycling energy to power their cars whilst reducing CO2 emissions. I just hope that the cars come with an air freshener!”

DRIVING AT THE CORRECT SPEED

Speed limits are implemented to not only reduce accidents but to keep traffic moving smoothly.

The general speed limits for cars and motorcyclists are:

30mph in a build-up area with street lighting

60mph on a single carriageway

70mph on a dual carriage way or motorway

However, the speed limit is not the same for all vehicles, cars towing trailers or caravans, buses, coaches and good vehicles all have varying speed limits to abide by.

You will find in some instances that the speed limit is temporarily changed. Take for example on a motorway, generally if there has been an accident, the speed limit can be reduced to 40 or 50mph.

Surprisingly there are not only maximum speed limits but occasionally while you are taking your redhill driving lessons you will find minimum speed limits as well. Driving to slowly can be just as dangerous as driving too fast. By holding other drivers up you may encourage them to overtake dangerously or cause tailbacks affecting thousands of motorists.

When acknowledging speed limits, it is also important to take in to consideration the road conditions and weather conditions. Driving down a country lane with a speed limit of 60mph is not appropriate if it is icy of raining heavily.

Drivers urged to be aware of foreign driving laws

People taking driving holidays abroad this year have been urged to brush on the local road laws before travelling.

There are many small but significant discrepancies in driving laws across Europe, so motorists who do not do their homework could unintentionally break the law, according to Skoda.

The Czech car manufacturer has therefore teamed up with the RAC to produce a handy guide to educate drivers on these differences.

For instance, in France, Italy and Germany the legal blood-alcohol limit is just 50mg per 100 ml of blood, while using a GPS system that shows the locations of speed cameras is illegal in Germany.

“Driving abroad should be an enjoyable experience and our aim is to provide travel information to our customers so that they have one less thing to worry about,” said John Bower, head of aftersales at Skoda UK.

Britain may soon be following the lead show by France, Italy and Germany when it comes to drink driving.

The North Review recently recommended lowering the legal limit to 50mg, a suggestion backed by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.