September 14th, 2008 Administrator
Families struggling to cope with the credit crunch have started to cut back on the classic 17th birthday gift of driving lessons.
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.
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.
From : Guardian website
Bedford driving school Txt-Drive will be bringing a price comparison feature to the Txt-Drive Blog so pupils can see how competitive Txt-Drive is compared to other local and national driving schools and driving instructors. Txt-Drive will also have some case studies of past pupils who learnt to drive with Txt-Drive’s driving instructor to find out just how much they paid for driving lessons to reach the standard required to pass their driving test.
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September 14th, 2008 Administrator
Txt-Drive is pleased to announce that it can now be found on Facebook®.
Driving school Txt-Drive is Bedford’s FIRST driving school to be present on Facebook®.
We would encourage those of you wanting to learn to drive in Bedford, Bedfordshire and surrounding areas to support Txt-Drive and become ‘Fans’.
Txt-Drive will regularly place SPECIAL PROMOTIONS on the Txt-Drive Page on Facebook®. These promotions will be FREE books & DVD’s – (very useful in practising for the Theory & Hazzard Perception tests) – to discounts on Pass Plus, HALF PRICE driving lessons and even FREE driving lessons for you and your friends!!!
To take advantage of Txt-Drive’s SPECIAL PROMOTIONS you must be a fan of Txt-Drive on Facebook®.
To vist the Txt-Drive Page on Facebook® and become a Fan please click the link the link below :
Facebook is a registered trademark of Facebook®, Inc.
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September 13th, 2008 Administrator
The recent news of the toilet closure at the Bedford Driving Test Centre made it onto TV and Radio last week.
Bedford & District Driving Instructors Association’s (BADDIA) Chairman Paul Burchell and BADDIA Secretary Pat Zanghi were interviewed for BBC’s Look East and ITV’s Anglia News.
The closure of the Bedford Driving Test Centre was also featured on BBC 3 Counties Radio and Bedford’s Chiltern Radio.
Click here for the ITV Anglia News feature.
Click here for the BBC Look East feature.
Click here for the BBC 3 Counties Radio show.
Txt-Drive’s driving instructor is a member of BADDIA & fully supports the work that BADDIA is doing with regards to this toilet closure.
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September 13th, 2008 Administrator
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.
From : Times Online
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September 4th, 2008 Administrator
The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) is being asked by an AM why it appears “harder” to pass tests in north Wales than other parts of the country.
Chris Franks, who represents South Wales Central, said figures from the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) showed “significant” variations in pass rates.
The pass rate in Rhyl, Denbighshire, is 35%, compared to 63% in Lampeter, Ceredigion. Waiting times also vary.
The DSA said social and economic factors could influence pass rates.
According to DSA figures, the average pass rate for Wales is 49% – 5% more than in England.
In 2007-2008, the pass rate for Mold, Flintshire, was 38%, in Colwyn Bay, Conwy, it was 39% and in Rhyl as low as 35%. However, the pass rates in Holyhead and Pwllheli are above 50%.
Further south in Ceredigion, the figure was 63% in Lampeter and 54% in Aberystwyth, while Cardigan recorded a 58% pass rate.
In Cardiff, Newport and Swansea, the pass rates topped 50%.
Plaid Cymru AM Mr Franks said: “The figures from the DSA show a considerable discrepancy between the pass rates for drivers in parts of Wales.
“It does appear much harder to pass a driving test in north Wales than, for instance, in parts of west Wales.
“I will be writing to the DSA to find out if there are any local reasons for such a significant difference in pass rates across Wales.
“I’m sure learner drivers would expect to be treated the same wherever they take their test.”
He added: “Waiting times for driving tests also vary considerably which might suggest that there are not enough examiners in some areas.
“For instance, there is a wait of three months in Llanelli but half that time in Cardiff or Newport.”
A DSA spokeswoman said examiners were highly trained but said that socio-economic factors could influence pass rates.
She said: “The wealthier the town/area, the more likely people are able to invest more money on lessons and will have more opportunities for private practice and access to family vehicles etc.
“It would be highly improbable that every test centre would return the same pass rate country-wide.”
She said that all the centres in the areas highlighted by Mr Franks were within the DSA target of nine weeks for waiting times.
Don Bartley, who runs Acorn School of Motoring in Mold, said: “Every instructor around here will tell you that the pass rate is very low and we’re all worried about it.
“None of us know the reason why but for example this morning I took a girl for a test in Chester because she’d failed twice in Mold and she sailed through.”
Mr Bartley also said that the waiting list was higher in Mold, which he believed was due to a closure of a test centre in Wrexham last year.
Stella Carrington, of the Independent Driving Centre in Rhyl, said: “Rhyl’s also been classed a deprived area – I don’t know whether that might have something to do with it.”
From : BBC website
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