Worst driving seen on driving test – examiner wins case

A driving examiner who sued for damages after claiming he was hurt by the worst learner driver he had ever seen has won his case.

Andrew Carmichael alleged he suffered whiplash after driving test candidate Lisa Connolly slammed on her brakes in rush-hour traffic two years ago.

He told the Court of Session in Edinburgh he recorded 14 faults during Miss Connolly’s test.

Judge Lady Clark ruled insurers NIG were liable for Mr Carmichael’s injury.

West Lothian-based Mr Carmichael, 35, had raised a £15,000 damages action, but will have to wait until a future court hearing to find out how much money, if any, he is to be awarded.

NIG Insurance was the company which insured the instructor’s Vauxhall Corsa being driven by Ms Connolly.

Delivering her opinion, Lady Clark told the court she was satisfied that Mr Carmichael was a highly qualified professional instructor and examiner who was a “reliable and accurate” witness in this case.

The judge said: “I consider Miss Connolly’s standard of driving fell below the required standard of care for a driver.

“In my opinion, her driving was plainly careless. She seemed unable to drive with due care and attention.

“I think Miss Connolly and her driving, as described by the pursuer (Mr Carmichael), would be memorable.”

Mr Carmichael, who is involved in two subsequent accidents over which actions have also been raised, made no comment as he left court.

Miss Connolly failed the test in Edinburgh in December 2006 after making a series of mistakes, five of which Mr Carmichael considered “serious” and another one “dangerous”.

The examiner said Miss Connolly had used her left foot to brake severely on a number of occasions, the last of which caused a following vehicle to take action to avoid a collision.

Mr Carmichael, a driving instructor and examiner for more than 12 years, said he had been thrown forward and back in his seat, leaving him with a sore shoulder, chest and back. He also felt pins and needles down an arm.

He told the court that Miss Connolly had mounted a pavement during the test, and what was supposed to have been a three-point turn became a “nine-point turn”.

His GP later diagnosed a whiplash injury and he was off work for several weeks.

When asked by Arabella Tait, counsel for the insurers, whether the incident was the worst he had experienced in 12 years of having learner drivers at the wheel, Mr Carmichael replied “Yes it was”.

Miss Connolly, who had about 30 lessons before sitting the test, denied mounting the pavement and claimed Mr Carmichael had been hurt during an emergency stop, but admitted she had been “very, very nervous” during her test.

From : BBC website

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Motorway lights to be switched off at night despite safety warnings

Motorway lighting is to be switched off in parts of Britain to reduce carbon emissions, despite warnings from police and scientists that the move would affect safety.

The Highways Agency confirmed it would go ahead with plans to turn off lighting on some stretches of motorway between midnight and 5am, and claimed the move would also reduce light pollution of the night sky.

It said the changes would take place at “a small number of locations” around England as early as March and that it was already choosing which sites would be suitable.

The move follows that of nine councils which have already switched off some street lights or plan to do so to save money.

However the changes could have significant safety implications, according to the latest research published in the scientific journal, the Cochrane Library. It found that street lighting reduced the number of fatal crashes by 77 per cent and other collisions by between 32 and 55 per cent.

This contradicts research used by the Highways Agency which estimated that street lighting reduced the risk of crashes by only 10 per cent.

The Cochrane study will also have implications for a number of local authorities which have either started switching lights off at night or are considering doing so. They include West Sussex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Essex, Torfaen and Ceredigion.

One authority, Powys, has already decided to switch lights back on following a review of the initiative.

Lancashire County Council, which owns the M65, has proposed switching off lights at all times of day, except for those at junctions, in order to save £65,000 a year and reduce carbon emissions by 300 tonnes. The move was sharply criticised by Lancashire Police which said it would be “a retrograde step in relation to motorway safety”.

A spokeswoman for he Highways Agency refused to disclose which areas were being considered or explain how the agency could fulfil its promise to carry out a risk assessment of each site within a matter of weeks.

Neil Greig, assistant director of the IAM Motoring Trust, said more research into the effects of the changes was needed and that the Highways Agency needed to be “more innovative” in its plans. “Why not use roadstuds that charge up in daylight and glow at night or generate energy through wind or solar power in more remote areas?”

He added that good white lining and top quality reflective signs would be needed in areas where lights were switched off.

By Alastair Jamieson

From : Telegraph website

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Txt-Drive pupils passes driving test in Bedford

Loreana, from Bedford, passed her practical driving test at the Bedford Driving Test Centre today.

This was her first attempt at the driving test and she passed gaining only 4 minor marks. On her driving test she was asked to do a left reverse and also a turn in the road – she did not get any faults whilst doing these two manoeuvres.

She started to learn with another Bedford driving instructor, but did not feel she was making as much progress as she would have liked. Loreana then started taking driving lessons with Txt-Drive instead.

After her driving test Loreana said “My driving experience with Txt-Drive was great! The lessons were tailored to my needs (i.e. lots of parallel parking practise) ans Chris made things really easy to understand! I got there in the end….thank you!”

Loreana had some difficulties with some manoeuvres, however extra focus in the lessons was given to this area. She worked extremely hard and this shows – as she made NO faults on her manoeuvres!

Txt-Drive has had many pupils that started with another driving school or driving instructor and then switch to take driving lessons with Txt-Drive. This is not a problem and Txt-Drive can easily accommodate these pupils, as Txt-Drive did with Loreana.

To book driving lessons in Bedford with the Txt-Drive driving school please call : 0800 8600 983. You could pass your driving test and be on the road VERY soon! Contact Txt-Drive by texting DRIVE to 80039 (standard text message rate). 

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Driving while suffering from flu raises risk of a road accidents

Driving while suffering from flu increases the risk of a road accident, as much as two glasses of whisky, according to a British new study.

Using a driving simulator, researchers found that people who drove with heavy colds or the flu took 10 per cent longer to react than healthy drivers.

This caused them to travel up to two extra metres at 60 mph before they started to break.

The drivers “under the influenza” were also less aware of hazards on the road if they were feeling ill, the study found.

Road safety experts warned that the effects could be compounded by cold remedies, which can cause drowsiness, and by drinking alcohol.

Department for Transport figures show that there were at least 93 fatal accidents on Britain’s roads in 2007 for which illness or disability was a contributing factor.

The study compared the reaction times of 60 volunteers suffering from a cold or the flu with those of 50 healthy drivers.

Having a headache or suffering from premenstrual tension also impaired drivers’ abilities, but not as much as the flu, the study, carried out by the firm PCP in York, on behalf of Lloyds TSB Insurance, found.

Jo Stagg, from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said: “If you are not well enough to undertake your journey you could be putting yourself and other people on the road at risk.

“We know that illnesses can impair driving ability as they can slow reactions, reduce observation and even limit the ability to make good judgements.

“Drivers who are feeling ill should also exercise care with the medicines they use, for instance cough syrups which can cause drowsiness, and always read the label.”

Experiments by the Australian Academy of Science have shown that drinking two units of alcohol, the equivalent of two glasses of whisky, can impair reaction times by 10 per cent. The legal drink-drive limit is 80mg per 100 millilitres of blood, although the Department of Health warns that this cannot easily be translated into units of alcohol.

From : Telegraph website

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Diesel cars ‘take decades to become cost effective’

Diesel cars can take decades to provide their owners with financial benefits, according to new research.

The fuel has long been seen as more cost effective than petrol because it provides more miles to the gallon.

But having previously been less expensive than petrol it now costs about 12p a litre more.

The pump price, combined with the higher cost of the initial purchase of a diesel vehicle, means it can take many years for switching to diesel to pay off for low mileage drivers.

According to research by car experts Parker’s a BMW 318 diesel could take 28 years to recoup the extra cost.

Buying a diesel Mini could take the driver up to seven years to break even. A Ford Mondeo diesel could take six years.

Diesel is up to 30 per cent more fuel efficient than petrol and produces less environmentally harmful carbon dioxide.

The government has encouraged people to buy diesel models through its road tax policy and more than half the new cars sold every year in the UK now run on diesel.

Until the middle of the 1990s diesel was cheaper to buy than petrol but it is now significantly more expensive.

A diesel car to buy costs on average £1,400 more than the equivalent petrol model.

AA president Edmund King said: ‘Buying a diesel is not an automatic switch to cut-price motoring. For many low-mileage drivers buying a diesel is a false economy.”

From : Telegraph website

When learning to drive it may be worth considering the type of car you will be driving once you have passed your driving test. If you will drive a car with petrol engine after your driving test then you would be better off taking your driving lessons in a car with a petrol engine. However if you think you are likely to drive a car with a diesel engine after your driving test then you may want to take your driving lessons in a car that has a diesel engine. This is just one factor you will have to decide on when looking for a driving school or driving instructor to give you driving lessons.

Txt-Drive use a new BMW Mini One (1.4 petrol engine) to provide driving lessons in Bedford. To start your driving lessons in Bedford & surrounding areas then call 0800 8600 983 (FREEPHONE). 

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