INSTRUCTORS now shunning estate

And the unexpected snow created further problems as the troublemakers made snowballs with stones inside to cause maximum damage.

Les Stonnell of LADDSA

 

Les Stonnell, of Luton And District Driving Schools Association (LADDSA), said: “Last week one instructor had his window smashed. We’ve had eggs thrown at cars. Another driving instructor was doing a manoeuvre and some kids opened the door and shouted abuse and started banging on the windows.

Every school holiday sees youngsters aged eight to 15 out on the streets pummelling motorists with stones and missiles in that area. And the latest craze for the youths is to lay in the road, putting their own lives at risk.

The problems are making learners reluctant to drive in Farley Hill in case they are targeted. And instructors are beginning to avoid the area to prevent their vehicles being damaged.

A Beds Police spokeswoman said: “It’s obviously very dangerous for people learning to drive, other motorists on the roads and the young people themselves. We will be out in that area and will deal with any young people doing this robustly.”

Source: Bedford Today website by Laura Kempsell

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AFTER FIVE years’ planning, the Driving Standards Agency today announces its ‘eco-safe’ driving campaign: instructors will begin teaching new techniques that will eventually allow examiners to judge the environmental impact of a student’s driving. At the end of the test, students will be told how they can better cut vehicle emissions, save fuel and save money.

Paul Helbing, a driving instructor of 26 years, said that he was going to teach me a new way of driving.

Mr Helbing told me to drive in my normal style. What he did not know was that I can barely drive, let alone with style.

I stall at roundabouts, I rev to high heaven on hill starts, and I have trouble steering in a straight line.

“Well,” Mr Helbing said after 20 minutes of my efforts, as he wiped the sweat from his brow, “we can all improve.” “You won’t take away my licence, will you?” I asked nervously.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think I can,” Mr Helbing replied. “But I’m going to teach you eco-safe driving. With the emphasis on safe. Safety should never be compromised.”

It is a canny campaign. “People tend to look on saving money as the be-all and end-all, especially in the current climate,” said Bob Millard, an assistant chief driving examiner involved in planning the campaign. “You use less fuel, you save the environment, but you also save cash, and that’s something that people really latch on to.”

Trials have shown that drivers use an average of 8 per cent less fuel with eco-safe methods. Newly qualified drivers can save up to 15 per cent.

Focusing on learner drivers provides instructors with a clean slate to work on, Mr Millard said.

Some of the principles of eco-safe driving go against everything an experienced driver may take for granted, said Mr Helbing said: “Brakes used to be so inefficient, you needed to use gears to slow down. The new saying is: ‘Gears are for going; brakes are for slowing’. You should only change your gears when absolutely necessary.”

Mr Helbing has been known to change from fifth gear to first in one swoop of the stick.

Eco-safe driving also advocates judging gaps when approaching roundabouts and junctions, taking your foot off the accelerator and rolling through them without stopping. “If you’re looking for ways to save fuel, you’ll see the hazards well in advance and it makes you a safer driver,” Mr Millard said.

As I attempted another 20-minute drive, this time using eco-safe techniques, Mr Helbing’s hands hovered over the steering wheel. I jumped a red light, went round a country corner in fifth gear, and stalled as I turned into a parking space. Nevertheless, it felt better — smoother, easier and safer.

An eco-calculator on the dashboard showed that I had used 1.49 litres of fuel, half a litre less than my first 20-minute drive. The DSA official in the back seat felt only slightly nauseous. And Mr Helbing did not even break into a sweat.

Source: The Times Online website Hannah Fletcher

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DRIVING instructors from Wellingborough and Rushden are flocking to Kettering to teach learners on the town’s streets in preparation for the opening of a new test centre.

  Example of a Multi Purpose Test Centre, picture from DSA

Kettering’s current driving test centre in Station Road is due to stop car tests on September 18 and end its motorcycle tests and shut its doors for good on September 26. Wellingborough’s driving test centre is also due to shut on September 18.

However, the new £122,000 driving test ‘supercentre‘ in Orion Way, Kettering, will not open for car and motorcycle testing until September 29.

The closure of the Wellingborough centre will mean learner drivers having to pay more because they will not be able to travel to Kettering and have a meaningful lesson in just one hour.

There are concerns that roads in Kettering will be packed with learner drivers because all the tests in the north of the county will be taken in the town from that date.

Pam Newman, of Pam’s Driving School in Wellingborough, has been a driving instructor for six years and has been teaching learners in Wellingborough for two years.

She said: “We are going to have to take learners to Kettering. The old saying that a driver who can drive can pass their test in any town in the country is a load of rubbish.

“Unfortunately it’s going to mean more money for the pupils. I have got people living in Raunds, Rushden and Irchester and you can’t just do an hour-long lesson, you can’t get over to Kettering and back from the other side of Wellingborough in an hour.”

Helen Ridsdel, of Helen’s Driving School, has been teaching learners in Wellingborough for two-and-a-half years and took part in a protest by the town’s instructors to save Wellingborough test centre.

She said: “We are going to have to bring learner drivers over to Kettering.

“We are going to try to be sensible about it and teach them the basics in Wellingborough and bring them to Kettering when they are getting ready for their tests.

“We have got learners who have tests booked for October at the new test centre who we are already bringing over to Kettering.

“I think there could be a problem. People moan about learners already and there will be even more coming over.”

Source: Northants. Evening Telegraph website

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FAMILIES struggling to cope with the credit crunch have started to cut back on the classic 17th birthday gift of driving lessons.

 Picture DirectGov

Figures from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency show that there were 52,000 fewer applications for provisional driving licences this year compared with the same period last year - an 8 per cent fall.

It is the first time this decade that the number of people learning to drive has fallen. From 2000 until the end of 2007, the number of applications rose year on year by an average of 3 per cent. But thousands of families looking to reduce non-essential spending are no longer willing to pay for lessons - the average cost of learning to drive is now £1,500.

The AA said the number of people taking lessons at its driving schools mirrored the DVLA statistics. ‘We think people might be reaching 17 and thinking about the rising cost of fuel and insurance and deciding to wait,’ said AA spokesman Ian Crowder. Both the number of people taking tests and the percentage passing first time had fallen, he added.

 Picture DirectGov

The sharp fall in the number of learner drivers comes against a backdrop of rising fuel, food, council tax and mortgage costs, which have added £145 a month to the average household’s bills, according to figures from uSwitch.com. Its latest findings show that people now have less money in their pockets than at any point since 1997. Soaring insurance premiums for newly qualified drivers have also added to the financial burden of keeping a car.

There is mounting evidence that more and more drivers, not just learners, are staying off the road. Last week the RAC Foundation said that road congestion had eased by 12 per cent in the past year, significantly cutting journey times.

Source: The Guardian Observer website by Lisa Bachelor 

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GETTING a car sounds great, but what does it actually involve and is it worth the money?.

Some people dream of the freedom a driver’s licence and the purchase of a car can bring, while others just can’t be bothered! If, however, you are the former, here are the facts to face up to when thinking of buying a car.

Lessons

Many of you will have passed your test already. For those of you who haven’t, the standard theory test fee is £30. You can take practice tests for free via the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) website www.dsa.gov.uk. Practical driving lessons with a qualified instructor cost between £24 and £30 an hour. People who pass their driving test have had, on average, 45 hours of professional lessons and 22 hours of private practice, according to Government statistics.

Insurance

The price of insuring your car depends on the size of the model of car you drive, your age, your existing road record, how long you have been driving, what sort of job you have and whether you keep your car in the garage. It also depends on the type of policy you get, whether it be third party, fire and theft or comprehensive.

MOT

All vehicles, with the exception of new vehicles, must be taken for an MOT inspection every year to ensure they meet with the minimum environmental and road-safety standards. New vehicles are required to have their first MOT after three years from the date of registration. An MOT inspection can be done at registered garages throughout the UK, and you will need the pass certificate to be able to get insurance and car tax.

Tax

The amount of tax payable on your car is calculated based on engine size or CO2 emissions, depending on the age of the car. Tax will be about £120 per year depending on the type of vehicle, and breakdown cover will work out about another £100 a year.

Petrol

Petrol costs are on the rise due to economic conditions and the price of oil.

Parking

Check out your university’s parking facilities and parking in the area where you live. Some places charge for permits and require evidence of residence or enrolment.

Stolen goods

Remember not to tempt thieves by leaving valuables in a place where someone can see them, like the back seat. Fitting your car with an alarm is a deterrent if someone does break in, and don’t create an opportunity by leaving any windows open or the car unlocked.

Driving under the influence

You may want to offer lifts to friends in return for petrol costs, or volunteer to be the designated driver on outings, but be careful. If you are tempted to drink – or take other substances – when you’re out with friends, driving under the influence is a serious crime. According to the Department for Transport, driving under the influence of alcohol caused 14,350 casualties and 540 deaths (17 per cent of all road deaths) in 2006. The legal limit in the UK is 80mg per 100ml of blood, with ministers looking at reducing it to 50mg in line with EU regulations. Don’t drink and drive!

Web watch

Directgov

Government information about owning a car www.direct.gov.uk/en/motoring/ owningavehicle/index.htm

National Youth Agency website

Head to the sport, leisure and travel section for guidance and advice www.youthinformation.com

The RAC

Explanation of the costs of running a car can be found on the rac website www.rac.co.uk/web/know-how/owning-a-car

Source: Excerpt from The Independent website by Megan Haddow

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Learner drivers have been banned from using council-run car parks in Gosport to practise their manoeuvres, for fear they could run over children.

Driving instructors face being fined up to £65 if caught teaching students how to park their cars in Gosport.

The ban has been in force for years, but council officers have only recently launched a campaign to stamp it out.

Furious instructors – who also cannot use private car parks – say their students could fail their driving tests, as they have nowhere to practise pulling in to bays, which is an essential part of the exam.

Steven Bonnick, of Platinum School of Motoring, Gosport, said some instructors were having to sneak into car parks behind the council’s back.

‘I think they are being really over the top and I can’t understand it. They aren’t losing any revenue, we are just trying to teach people how to drive,’ he said.

‘I use the council car parks every day and we aren’t in anybody’s way, we always pick a quiet corner.

‘There’s nowhere else we can do it and at the moment we are having to practise when there aren’t any council officers around.

‘This just seems like really petty bureaucracy to me.’

Gosport is the only council locally that bans driving instructors from its car parks.

Portsmouth, Havant and Fareham have no such ban.

Colin O’Connell, of the Driving Instructors Association, said: ‘I feel very sorry for the driving instructors.

‘If people can’t practise this it will be harder for them to pass their test.’

Gosport council spokeswoman Brenda Brooker said driving instructors had been banned from its car parks due to the possibility of youngsters getting knocked over – despite there being no record of such an incident.

‘We launched a high-profile campaign to try and warn them not to use the car parks before kids broke up from school,’ she said.

‘This is because of health and safety and the fact there could be lots of youngsters in the car parks over the summer.’

But deputy council leader Peter Chegwyn, who is in charge of car parks, did not agree with the ban. He said: ‘I don’t have any problem with learner drivers practising in our car parks and I’ve not had any complaints about it.’

Source: The News Portsmouth website, by Rob Dabrowski

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TRANSPORT minister Jim Fitzpatrick has defended the ongoing closures of town centre driving test centres, saying relocating them raised the standard of driving lessons.

MPTC building (side-view). (Picture from DSA website)

Mr Fitzpatrick told MPs there were a number of driving instructors who spent their time taking learners round the test course rather than teaching them how to drive.

Test centres which were a longer drive away would prevent this from happening, he said.

The Driving Standards Agency has been forced to relocate several centres to out-of-town locations to accommodate a stricter motorcycle test imposed by Europe.

Celia Barlow right, (picture from her website)

During Commons question time, Labour’s Celia Barlow (Hove), said the closure of centres in Brighton and Hove would force inexperienced drivers on to the A23 dual carriageway to access the new Burgess Hill centre.

Mr Fitzpatrick replied: “You raise the question of the travel and the journey of people who want to sit their driving test to test centres.

“We do know that there are some ADIs - approved driving instructors - who spend a lot of time with their trainees on the actual test course.

“What we are trying to do is say that’s not what they ought to be doing. Not teaching people how to pass the test, they are supposed to be teaching people to drive.

“The fact that there will be slightly longer distances for some people to travel - although for the majority of people it will still be within 45 minutes - that is a matter of fact and what we are trying to do however is to improve the centres which will be DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) compliant, that will be better for staff and better for examiners.

“And certainly in terms of what we want to achieve as an objective is to cut the number of people that are being killed and injured which is why we are revising the whole of the exam course.”

Source: The Argus Lite website

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A WOMAN has finally passed her driving test 27 years and 450 lessons after she first took to the road.

Teresa Clarke, a 62-year-old grandmother and mother-of-two, had her first lesson in 1981 shortly before American president Ronald Reagan was shot and Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer.

Since then she has been through 20 driving instructors, spent £15,000 in fees and had 450 hours of tuition. Despite all the work she failed 12 tests, cancelled a further 35 and had 50 mock exams.

But it was 13th time lucky when thanks to the help of her stepson, who runs a driving school, she finally was allowed to ditch her L-plates last month.

“It took a long time for it to sink in when I was told I had passed,” said Mrs Clarke, of Wroxham, Norfolk. “I was so happy I kissed the woman instructor.”

Mrs Clarke, a former shop assistant who is 5ft tall and has to sit on a cushion to reach the steering wheel, admits that she was a hopeless learner because she found it very difficult to concentrate for long periods of time.

She was such a disaster that many instructors refused to carry on teaching her after a few lessons - either too scared or too frustrated to continue.

Her last unsuccessful driving instructor was so fed up he told her to give up because she would never pass her test.

But then Richard Minkler, her stepson from her first marriage, stepped in and offered her his best instructor. It proved an inspired move and finally after some firm words Mrs Clarke, who has two grandchildren, finally passed her test - albeit in an automatic car.

She was given 56 hours instruction in a two week intensive course and told to give up coffee and tea to aid her concentration.

She said: “I was little upset after I failed my first couple of tests - but I never really got disheartened.

“I was very persistent and I always knew I would pass one day. Now my dream has come true and I am just delighted.

“I used to fail my tests on all sorts of different things although my main problem was my lack of concentration.

“I used to have at least three cups of strong Italian coffee every day and when I stopped it really improved my driving by helping me to concentrate.”

“My previous one three years ago ended up refusing to teach me anymore after I failed my test with him.

“He just said, ‘I am awfully sorry, but you are no good. You will never pass’. His comments upset me and I am delighted to have proved him wrong.”

Mrs Clarke’s husband Richard, 61, a training centre administrator said he was “relieved” that she had finally passed.

He added: “There’s been so many times that Teresa has been close to passing. There has been a certain tension involved in this.”

Her instructor, Patrick Beasley, said he had to be “very firm” with his extraordinary student because of her “poor concentration”.

But he said he was delighted when she passed. “She went absolutely bananas,” he said. “I had to calm her down and the examiner was quite worried about her.”

Source: The Telegraph website, 09/07/08

Comments please from driving instructors and driving schools who are BADDIA (Bedford and District Driving Instructors Association) members giving driving lessons, Pass Plus, advanced lessons, automatic lessons, disabled lessons, towing lessons, refresher courses, motorway lessons, fleet training in preparation for driving tests or driver improvement in the Bedford area.

Important update from Les Stonnell. : - 

Update on the Luton instructor whose car was stolen last week the car it is an older model blue Vauxhall Corsa the number plate has been changed and police are looking for KM O5 LKK Please could all instructors keep a look out for this if seen immediately call 999 with the location and direction of travel UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES APPROACH OR TRY TO BLOCK THE VEHCLE IN AS THE OCCUPANTS MAY BE ARMED  These people are wanted by the police for a few offences and are in general very nasty and dangerous characters so the sooner they are caught the safer everyone is 

Regards  Les Stonnell

LADDSA

Source: e-mail 07/07/08

CLICK HERE to view original blog. 

Comments please from driving instructors and driving schools who are BADDIA (Bedford and District Driving Instructors Association) members giving driving lessons, Pass Plus, advanced lessons, automatic lessons, disabled lessons, towing lessons, refresher courses, motorway lessons, fleet training in preparation for driving tests or driver improvement in the Bedford area.

GRIDLOCK on Cambridge roads is hitting the city’s businesses in the pocket.

Motorists have been slowed to a crawl by road works in and around the city, with the respite of the school holidays still weeks away.

The Hills Road bridge is currently down to a single lane during off-peak hours while a guided bus underpass is constructed - leaving jams stretching as far back as Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

Works are being carried out on Horningsea Road and in Cottenham, while resurfacing and the construction of a new park and ride site on the A10 has also caused delays.

The city’s driving instructors are among the worst hit, and other businesses are feeling the pinch too - while there are fears shoppers might shun Cambridge because of tailbacks.

Lola Craft, chair of the Cambridge Association of Approved Driving Instructors (CAADI), said her members were taking a pay cut or working longer hours.

Ms Craft said: “It’s impossible to get anywhere with all these main arterial roads out of Cambridge blocked.

“It means people are paying for me to sit in traffic with them and I can’t make them do that.”

Ms Craft said she had been forced to turn down enquiries from Waterbeach and from students at Hills Road College because of the traffic problems.

She said: “Why are they doing all these works at the same time? It just shows a lack of planning. Some of us are wondering how much more we can take.”

John Bridge, chairman of Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce, said: “It’s difficult for companies trying to deliver or pick goods up, and people are losing money because they have to put aside more time to get places. There hasn’t been enough coordination or communication, and it’s causing a lot of frustration.”

Sid Couzens, chairman of the Cambridge Licenced Taxi Owners’ Association, said: “Our takings have gone down because if you’re sitting in traffic you’re not earning as much as you should. And it costs customers more to get places as well.”

A Cambridgeshire County Council spokesman said: “Road works tend to happen when the weather is better because that’s when you get more done, and you get lighter traffic towards the school holidays as well.

“They are planned to be some distance from each other and we put details of all works on our website.”

Source: Cambridgeshire News website, by Chris Havergal

Comments please from driving instructors and driving schools who are BADDIA (Bedford and District Driving Instructors Association) members giving driving lessons, Pass Plus, advanced lessons, automatic lessons, disabled lessons, towing lessons, refresher courses, motorway lessons, fleet training in preparation for driving tests or driver improvement in the Bedford area.