Bedford driving schools support new proposed drug testing laws

Drug-driving in England, Scotland and Wales could become a specific offence with a jail term and fine, under a new law expected in the Queen’s Speech.

Police have to show driving has been impaired by drugs to prosecute.

But under the plans, drivers could face up to six months in jail for driving with certain controlled drugs in your body in excess of specified limits.

Road Safety Minister Mike Penning said legislation would give police powers to “remove this blight”.

In the future, police will be equipped with handheld detection devices to test saliva at the roadside.

Offenders could face a fine of up to £5,000, a driving ban of at least 12 months as well as a prison term.

Mr Penning told BBC Breakfast it had taken so long to bring in such a law because testing had always been seen as “very complicated”.

He said in Germany, Spain and Australia this was already being done.

“What we are saying is drug-driving is blighting this country and people are being killed and seriously injured on a regular basis.

“We don’t know exactly how many because we’re not testing correctly so bring the technology through, give the police the powers and remove this blight.”

He said five different roadside saliva-testing devices were being considered at the Home Office which is expected to give approval by the end of the year.

 Gary and Natasha Groves on their campaign against drug-driving after their daughter, Lillian, was killed.

A scientific review panel is also looking at what drugs the devices would test for.

That panel has been considering a scientific case for a new offence and looking at the effect of individual drugs, such as cocaine and cannabis on driving.

The exact drugs covered by the offence and the specified limits for each will be decided following advice from the panel and public consultation.

“You’ll be tested for drink first because, that’s the natural assumption, that if a policeman thinks you’re impaired, he’ll test you for drink,” said Mr Penning.

“If you pass that and he still thinks you’re impaired, he’s actually going to take a saliva swab from you at the side of the road so we’re going to replicate what happens with drink for all the legislation going all the way through.  It’s important, not just for us, but for other families to come”

“Then we’re going to have a new piece of equipment in the station which will do exactly the same as what the drink testing does which will actually give the prosecution the evidential test to take you to court.”

Gary Groves, whose 14-year-old daughter Lillian Groves was killed outside her home in Croydon, south London, by a driver who admitted taking drugs before the accident, said the legislation was “very important”.

“It’s important, not just for us, but for other families to come,” he told Breakfast.

“Hopefully we can get this through – we’re trying to push for zero tolerance but we’ll just keep pushing and pushing.”

Lillian’s mother Natasha Groves said other parents had come forward.

“You think you are on your own but obviously there is a far wider problem, it is not just not us out there on our own. It happens all the time.”

‘Not acceptable’

Joanna Bailey, from road safety charity Brake, told BBC News: “Drink-driving’s not acceptable, it’s not acceptable to drug-drive either.”

The law is to be included in the Crime, Communications and Court Bill.

Prime Minister David Cameron said they wanted to get “drugalysers rolled out more quickly”.

Mr Cameron, who met the Groves family last year, said: “As they said at the time, it simply can’t be right that a schoolgirl like Lillian can lose her life and then we discover we don’t have the laws or the technology to punish drug-drivers properly.

“I hope now that something good can come out of their tragic loss.”

The proposed law affects motorists in England, Scotland and Wales.

Northern Ireland’s Department of the Environment said it was working towards creating an offence of driving with a “named substance in your body”.

A spokeswoman said it was currently illegal to drive in Northern Ireland whilst impaired through drink or drugs.

Your comments please

What are your views on these new changes?  If you would like to discuss this or any other issues with your local driving instructor in Bedford, visit our homepage and contact one of our Bedford driving schools.

A Driving Instructor in Biggleswade, Paul Burchell of Drive-Smart says he is “Delighted” at the success so far of his Downing Street e-petition to ban new driving instructors from taking to the road.

Currently more than 365 people across the country have backed the petition to draw a halt to the recruitment of new instructors and the total is growing daily.

As Paul says, “Of course the petition won’t please everyone, I never expected it to. The message that I am trying to get across here is simple. A learner driver is more likely to get good value and good quality instruction from a highly experienced,  and well qualified instructor than a PDI (trainee instructor) or a  novice instructor who is forced to offer lessons at £10 or £11 per hour (less than the minimum wage once running costs are taken into account).

Look, to make a comparison. Say you go into hospital for emergency surgery to save your life. Would you rather have a trainee or newly qualified doctor do it or a Consultant Surgeon? It’s your choice your life might depend upon it!

What I am concerned about is ensuring the safety of new drivers on the road and also protecting the livelihood of all current, well qualified and highly experienced instructors from the massive influx of inexperienced, newly qualified instructors who offer lessons at cut-throat rates to attract business.

For me it’s simple. “Good Driving Instruction Isn’t Cheap and Cheap Driving Instruction Isn’t Good” As the old saying goes, “If you pay Peanuts, you get Monkeys”.

To comment, please do on the BADDIA website. To sign the petition, follow this link..   http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/29335

Paul Burchell. Drive-Smart.

Bedford Driving Instructors will suffer due to high petrol prices

Campaigners against high petrol prices have taken their message to Downing Street ahead of a mass lobby of MPs later today.

FairFuelUK, representing car drivers and hauliers, presented a report to the Prime Minister calling for a cut in fuel duty this morning.

The campaigners will this afternoon gather in Westminster to protest to Parliament against sky-high fuel taxes and rising petrol pump prices.

The demonstration comes after average UK petrol prices hit a record high of 137.79p a litre.

Protestors hope that Chancellor George Osborne will stop a fuel duty increase which is planned for August in his Budget this month as well as cut the tax.

Quentin Willson of Fairfuel UK presents the report to Number 10

Presenting the document to Number 10, FairFuel UK spokesman Quentin Willson said: “The most powerful statement in the report I have just handed to the Prime Minister is that he can reduce fuel duty by 2.5p and not cost the Treasury anything because of the creation of jobs, the economic activity, the lack of welfare payment by putting people back in jobs.

“It will stimulate a whole area of the whole economy.”

The report, undertaken by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), says that even a modest cut in fuel duty of 2.5p per litre would create 180,000 new jobs.

The main findings of the report were given to Treasury Minister Chloe Smith last week by Mr Willson and FairFuel UK’s founder Peter Carroll.

Their meeting took place after separate findings showed UK drivers were paying the highest fuel taxes in Europe.

Mr Willson said: “We have shared the findings of this report with MPs and ministers.

“However, with only weeks to go to the Budget, we are concerned that the Government is not listening and not taking on board the significance of these findings.

“Families and businesses are being crushed by these cruel levels of tax – 82p on every litre we buy. It’s damaging the economy and holding back growth.”

Mr Willson went on: “The people are clamouring for the Government to look at fuel duty.

“This research shows that a cut in fuel duty won’t cost the Treasury a penny. It can cut duty and do any of the other options if it so wishes.

“So it is wrong of the Government to say it’s a choice between a fuel duty cut and other measures. It can, and should, cut fuel duty now.”

Ms Smith told Sky News that the Government “understands people’s concerns about high fuel prices.”

She said ministers had taken action to support motorists “to the tune of about £4bn”, meaning that petrol and diesel prices were 10p lower this year than they would have been under the previous Government’s policies.

Breakdown service RAC is among FairFuel UK’s supporters.

The company’s technical director, David Bizley, said: “These are dark days at Britain’s forecourts, with a record fuel price seemingly a daily event.

“The spectre of a further fuel duty increase in August is unthinkable for the millions of motorists that are having to make daily choices on what trips they take and how to afford to take them.”

If you are looking to take driving lessons in Bedford call one of our Bedford Driving Schools who will be pleased to help with your requirements.

A driving instructor in Bedford is calling on the Government to ban any new teachers saying that the industry is “over supplied”.

Paul Burchell, 54, who runs Drive-Smart based in Biggleswade, has set up a Downing Street e-petition and wants to see the register of Approved Driving Instructors (ADI) closed to new entrants.

He believes that the industry has too many instructors forcing many highly qualified and experienced teachers out of business.

He said: “In recent years, many people have been tempted into training to become driving instructors, from companies offering a lucrative career change, often following redundancy or unemployment.” Mr Burchell, who’s been an instructor for seven years, says that because there are too many the newly qualified ones cut their costs to attract business meaning that the more experienced can’t compete.

He added: “The net result is a lowering of standards in driver training.

“If the register is closed to new entrants, then eventually the number of instructors will return to a sustainable level.” To sign the petition, which needs 100,000 signatures before it’s eligible for debate in the House of Commons, go to http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/29335

By Keeley Knowles

BOS

19/2/2012

Brought to you by Driving Instructors in Bedford

Good driving instruction isn’t CHEAP. And, CHEAP driving instruction isn’t good!!

Choosing a GOOD Driving Instructor can be tricky. Here are a few tips I would encourage you to follow.  It’s not a definitive list so if you’ve got any suggestions or comments you’d like to add, please do.

Firstly. Check the telephone number you are calling.  Some companies use 0870 telephone numbers.  The cost of an 0870 telephone call may not be included in your telephone package, so will not only cost you money, but could be at a premium rate. They are used as a way of making money by the companies concerned.  These are not my words, but from Money Saving Expert.COM. As saving money these days is very important, I would encourage you to follow the link and read their advice.  http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/phones/0870-say-no

Secondly. Check out the Driving Standards Agency’s (DSA’s) web site. The DSA will NEVER recommend an individual driving instructor but their advice, in particular about un-licensed driving instruction is very worthwhile. Also, consider the DSA’s instructor grading system. There can be a huge difference in the quality of lessons between qualified instructors. It is worth following the DSA’s advice. Read it carefully.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/LearnerAndNewDrivers/LearningToDriveOrRide/DG_4022528

Thirdly. Don’t be fooled by the “Headline” price that some instructors might offer. There may be a catch. That catch might cost you more in the long run. Most Instructors will offer an “Introductory” price in order to catch your attention. There is nothing wrong with that. But you must take the longer term view.  Ask yourself and ASK THE INSTRUCTOR this question. “If I am an average learner, how much is this going to cost me in the long run”?

Fourthly. How long is a Lesson? You might find out it’s only for 45 minutes.

Fifthly. You should never be expected to “Double up” on a lesson. Your lesson should be on a one to one basis. You should not expect to see another learner driver in the car with you at any point. If you do, then you may well be being taken for a ride. Quite literately!

Sixthly. There are many time wasting techniques that a “Cheap” driving instructor might use. Just remember, you are paying for their time. This puts YOU in charge. A “Cheap” driving lesson at, shall we say £12 per hour? would be costing you 20p per minute.  If your instructor wastes your time needlessly for approx 10 minutes, (a typical “fag break”) that’s £2 of your money down the drain. Multiply this by the number of hours / lessons… How much does that cost you in the long run?

Next Week. “Spot The Difference” Comparing Good Vs. Cheap.

Call one of our Driving Instructors in Bedford for more information.

Driving schools in Bedford say Driving lessons in Bedford are to become more expensive unless fuel prices in Bedford are brought in line with other towns.

The facts speak for themselves: Local residents are getting a raw deal at the petrol pump. In and around Bedford we are forced to pay typically around 5 pence a litre more for petrol, and around 4 pence more for diesel, than drivers in nearby towns. Local drivers and businesses are not even able to shop around; at the time of writing this email, there is just one pence difference between the most expensive and the least expensive unleaded petrol price in and around Bedford. There is no justification for the difference in prices between Bedford and similar-sized towns just a few miles away.

It’s time for all of us to say enough is enough. We are not asking for special treatment. We just want fairness. Fuel bills make up a large part of many people’s weekly household budgets, and it is unacceptable that local residents here are forced to pay more to simply get to work and get around. I believe that by highlighting the indefensible unfairness of the situation facing local residents and businesses, we can shame the fuel retailers into action. They certainly should be ashamed.

Local newspaper the Times and Citizen has run a vociferous campaign on the issue, while numerous radio and television stations covered the story of my Council motion on the subject. The fuel retailers have never faced this kind of scrutiny of the unfair way they are treating local residents and businesses in Bedford Borough, and if they don’t like it, we all know that they can do the right thing and bring the prices down

ITV Anglia News covered this issue last week, and you can watch their report here: http://www.itv.com/anglia/fuel-debate76986/

I will also be reporting on the campaign on Twitter, where you can find me at www.twitter.com/davethemayor. Look out for the hash tag #fuelfairness

I intend to keep up the pressure on the fuel retailers over this intolerable situation for local drivers, and am seeking meetings with key figures in the coming days and weeks.

The more evidence I have about the unfairness of their approach, the stronger our case is. If you wish to email me with your experiences of petrol and diesel price unfairness in Bedford Borough, I would be grateful. Perhaps you work elsewhere, and notice the difference in price as you travel out of the area to your workplace? Whatever your experiences, I will be glad to receive them, as we join together to send a message loud and clear that we will no longer accept unfairness at the petrol pump in our Borough.

Dave Hodgson

Mayor of Bedford Borough

Contact one of your local Driving Instructors in Bedford for economical driving lessons

Driving Instructors in Bedford are warning drivers to take particular care with this weekends predicted snow fall.

Last year we suggested you watch this video from BBC on how to drive in ice and snow     http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12015993

With a new onslaught of freezing conditions predicted and roads becoming more treacherous, the usual advice is not to drive unless you really have to.

But if your journey really is essential make sure you know how to drive on ice and snow.

If you would like further advice on driving in adverse weather conditions or whether you should be learning to drive in such conditions, please call one of our driving instructors in Bedford who will be pleased to help.

If you thought failing your driving test the first time around was bad luck, spare a  thought for a poor man in the UK that has failed his theory test a whopping 92 times – he hasn’t even had the chance to sit his practical examination yet.