July 24th, 2010 Administrator
The British School of Motoring is celebrating 100 years of lessons today.
To celebrate its centenary, BSM has put together 10 things you probably never knew about learning to drive.
See if you knew any of the following:
• BSM began providing driving lessons from 1910, but it took 25 years for the driving test to be introduced in 1935.
• The average amount of driving tuition today is 52 hours. In 1935 it would have been in single figures for some.
• There were no test centres in 1935, so you had to arrange to meet the examiner somewhere like a post office, train station or town hall.
• Candidates no longer had to demonstrate hand signals in driving tests from 1975.
• In 1934, an hour’s lesson with BSM cost 50p.
• The first edition of the Highway Code was introduced in 1931.
• From 2003, instructors had to start teaching basic vehicle checks as ‘show me, tell me’ vehicle safety questions were added to the beginning of the driving test.
• The minimum driving age of 17 was set in 1930.
• In 1975-76, 48% of British residents aged 17 and over held a licence. This grew to 57% in 1985-86 and 69% in 1995-97. By 2006 it had grown slightly to 72 per cent but dipped back to 71% in 2007.
• Shetland has the highest test pass rate in the UK with 66%. At 28%, Wood Green in London has the lowest. Overal, the UK pass rate is 44%.
From : Whatcar?
Bedford driving school Txt-Drive, which uses fully qualified driving instructors in Bedford, give driving lessons in Bedford and charge from just £12.00 per hour. Driving lessons are in the new BMW Mini.
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July 19th, 2010 Administrator
MINI will make an entry-level model that’s smaller, cheaper and more efficient than any since BMW took over the brand.*
The new city car concept will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2011. It will be based on the current MINI hatchback, but shortened and possibly with only two seats.
Little is known about the concept at present, though MINI sources have confirmed its existence. An intelligent three-seat layout like that of Gordon Murray’s T.25 city car could get the go-ahead.
It will have a front-engined, front-wheel drive (FF) layout, the same as the current MINI’s. The Smart Fortwo, which could be its main two-seat rival, uses a rear-engined arrangement.
The reason MINI will stick with a FF architecture is to keep costs down; cost is the main stumbling block when developing a city car. As one source told Autocar: “it’s one thing making a good looking small car but it’s another thing making money on it.”
Adhering to stringent EU crash protection regulations are a particularly significant factor in small car development costs as well.
Power will come from a small petrol engine, possibly three- or even two-cylinder, with exceptionally low fuel consumption.
It’s likely the new MINI city car will appear in showrooms by the start of 2012, with prices beginning below £10,000.
From : Yahoo!
Bedford driving instructors from the Bedford driving school Txt-Drive use the BMW Mini cars to give driving lessons. Each new BMW Mini is kitted out with alloy wheels, air conditioning, He-Man dual controls, parking markers, blind spot mirrors, fully adjustable seats & steering wheel. The BMW Minis also have the recognisable Txt-Drive graphics and roof top box.
Learn to drive in a BMW Mini in Bedford with fully qualified driving instructors. Call 0800 8600 983 (FREEPHONE) to book a driving lesson in Bedford. Our driving school prices are extrememly competitive & start at just £12.00 per hour. Low cost driving lessons with driving instructors in Bedford.
* and it will still probably be bigger than the Fiat 500!!! Haha! 
Posted in BMW Mini, Bedford, Driving, Driving Instructors, Driving Lessons, Special Offers, Txt-Drive | No Comments »
July 16th, 2010 Administrator
Medical checks, driving evaluations and better public transport could all help older drivers stay safe on our roads.
The RAC report on motoring, out this week, highlights strong support from 84% of older motorists for refresher driving courses. With over three-quarters of 70-year-olds driving for over 30 years, and 86% having no additional driver training or assessment since passing their test, the driving needs of elderly motorists must be reviewed. Whether this translates into regular medical checks and refresher courses for all drivers, or when the driver reaches a certain age, the debate must be led by both government and society and any changes must be based on hard evidence.
Statistics show that, although older motorists have no more accidents each year than other drivers over 25, they are more likely to be the cause of an accident. Our research reveals that seven out of 10 of Britain’s motorists are concerned about older people driving on the roads today. And with over 3 million older motorists on the road – set to double to over 6 million in the next 20 years – that is a large number of drivers to worry about. Indeed, around two thirds of British motorists support compulsory medical checks and driving evaluations for the elderly.
So, government needs to consider initiatives to help the older generation to continue to drive safely. Perhaps we can learn from our European counterparts? In Spain, a driving licence is valid for only five years when the holder is aged 45 to 70, and two years from 70 on. A person over the age of 70 is asked to present a medical certificate at each renewal. In France, once aged 75, you must pass a medical test every two years to retain your licence. Much stricter than the UK’s current rules, where motorists at the age of 70 get their driving licence renewed for 3 years with a self-declaration of fitness.
Improving the quality of our roads would also go a long way to ensuring older motorists’ confidence: 14% of older drivers lack confidence on driving on damaged roads with potholes. This means nearly 500,000 older drivers are having difficulties on our roads today. Improving public transport links and networks to ease the mobility of older people would also help, as our research shows half of all older motorists would use their car less if public transport were better. Government needs to make better provisions for managing and repairing the roads, as well as provide viable transport alternatives.
The challenge for society is to ensure that older generations are competent drivers, and we need to have a serious debate about the practicalities and benefits of refresher courses, compulsory medical testing and driving evaluations.
From : Guardian website
Posted in Driving, Driving Lessons, Driving Tests, Road Safety | No Comments »
May 31st, 2010 Administrator
Bekki, a Sharnbrook Upper School student, passed her driving test FIRST TIME with Txt-Drive driving school in Bedford.
She passed in May 2010 & made just 5 minor faults during the driving test.
Bekki joined Txt-Drive for driving lessons after she left another driving school (which also uses BMW Minis). She had failed 2 driving tests with her old driving instructor from her old driving school & had lost all confidence. Her friend Dan (who had passed with Txt-Drive) recommended that she had driving lessons with Txt-Drive driving school.
Bekki contacted Txt-Drive & booked herself in for some driving lessons with driving instructor Chris Deverell. Just a few weeks later she had passed her driving test on her FIRST ATTEMPT with Txt-Drive & got just 5 minors (considerably better than her last 2 driving tests with her old driving school).
Bekki wrote to say : ”I would definitely recommend Txt-Drive driving school after coming from a different driving school (which also used BMW Minis). I can say that Txt-Drive is by far the best!! Thank you so much Chris : )”
To book driving lessons with Txt-Drive driving school in Bedford call 0800 8600 983 (FREEPHONE) or request a FREE call back from a FULLY QUALIFIED Txt-Drive driving instructor via www.txt-drive.co.uk
Posted in BMW Mini, Bedford, Driving, Driving Instructors, Driving Lessons, Driving Tests, Txt-Drive | No Comments »
May 31st, 2010 Administrator
Karl passed his driving test on his FIRST ATTEMPT with Txt-Drive driving school.
Karl passed in May 2010 after having driving lessons with Txt-Drive driving instructor Chris Deverell in Bedford.
He made just 10 minors during the 40 minute driving test in Bedford.
Straight after his driving test in Bedford Karl said : “Test passed & was particularly due to very good instruction. Very happy!! Thanks Txt-Drive”
Karl had previously failed 2 driving tests many years ago with another driving school – so was very happy he passed first time with Txt-Drive.
If you want driving lessons in a BMW Mini or would like to learn to drive in a BMW Mini then Txt-Drive driving school in Bedford is your answer. Txt-Drive driving school uses FULLY QUALIFIED driving instructors in new BMW Minis for their driving lessons. You can book your first driving lesson with a Txt-Drive driving instructor by calling 0800 8600 983 (FREEPHONE) or text DRIVE 80039 (standard text rate) or request a FREE call back from a driving instructor via www.txt-drive.co.uk n
Posted in BMW Mini, Bedford, Driving, Driving Instructors, Driving Lessons, Driving Tests, Txt-Drive | No Comments »