Posts Tagged ‘Driving Tests’
Thursday, August 13th, 2009
It’s always great to get positive feedback from our customers. When Rachel Richardson passed her driving test at the first attempt yesterday, she was so pleased that she just felt compelled to send us an email.
“I felt the need to write after completing my training today with Keith in his Fiat Punto, I have passed first time at the Rochdale test centre today and feel I couldn’t have done this without his superb teaching skills. Keith is everything you would want in an instructor, I have found him to be very patient and teaches at a level that is easy to understand and follow. As a nervous driver on my first lesson with Keith, he easily calmed me down and gave me the confidence I was lacking. I am so happy I chose Latics and that you directed me to this instructor and will be recommending you to my friends. Please pass on my sincere thanks to Keith.”
Thanks for your email Rachel and congratulations! (And well done to you too, Keith!) 
Look out for updates to our website coming soon – our ‘Recent Passes’ page will be updated with photographs of all our students who’ve recently passed, and we’ll also be launching our ‘Pupil of the Month’ feature.
Tags: Driving Lessons, Driving School Ashton under Lyne, Driving School Chadderton, Driving School Failsworth, Driving School Lees, Driving School Oldham, Driving School Rochdale, Driving School Royton, Driving School Saddleworth, Driving Tests, Latics Driver Training, Practical driving test
Posted in Latics News | No Comments »
Thursday, July 30th, 2009
If you haven’t already heard from your other sources of information, the DSA booking systems will be closed from 5.15pm on Thursday July 30th until 8.00am on Tuesday August 4th (approximate times) for essential IT maintenance on their operational systems.
All online services to book or amend practical tests and other instructor services including updating your contact details, applying for registration, renewing your certificate and ordering Pass Plus packs will be unavailable. The Contact Centre will be offering a limited service between 8am and 6pm on Friday 31st July.
For any enquiries, please call the DSA on 0300 200 11 22.
Theory Test services will be available as normal.
(more…)
Tags: Driving Tests, DSA, Practical driving test, Websites
Posted in Events, Industry News | No Comments »
Thursday, July 30th, 2009
Show Me, Tell Me
Recent statistics released by Comma Oil show that 13% of candidates taking their practical driving test fail the vehicle safety checks element.
The ‘show me, tell me’ questions were added to the practical driving test in 2003 and ask candidates to show or tell the examiner how to carry out basic maintenance checks such as checking the headlights and tail lights are working.
Statistics show that the number of driving test candidates failing the vehicle safety checks element has increased from 9.89% in January 2008, to 12.85% in March 2009. The figure peaked in July 2008 at 13.71%, with 21,814 incorrect responses.
To download a FREE complete set of ‘show me tell me’ vehicle safety check questions and comprehensive recommended answers, click here.
Tags: Driving Tests, DSA, Practical driving test, Safety Check Questions, Show Me Tell Me
Posted in Industry News | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009
Make sure your driving test car is clean!
There are many reasons that driving tests get cancelled, but this one really takes the biscuit!
Learner driver, Jack Hyde had his test cancelled when the driving test examiner refused to conduct the test due to his car being too dirty. The teenager alleges that he had only cleaned the car that same morning having returned from France the night before, and that there were only a few croissant crumbs on the passenger seat and a dog biscuit in the footwell.
Jack, from Wallingford in Oxfordshire, said: ‘As soon as the examiner opened the passenger door he said: ‘I can’t take you out in this’. I couldn’t believe it.
‘He said he came to work in suit trousers and expected to sit on a tidy seat. He could have at least given us five minutes to clean it, but there was just no negotiation. It wasn’t even particularly dirty. There were old stains that you get in any car, but they wouldn’t come off on anyone’s clothes.
‘I know I may not have passed, but it has ruined my summer because it’s a big thing to be able to drive.’”
It certainly wasn’t third time lucky for Jack as his previous two tests had also been cancelled due to examiner illness and standing water from heavy rain.
See the photos and full news story here
Tags: Cars, Clean cars, Driving examiner, Driving Tests, Practical driving test
Posted in Industry News, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Saturday, April 25th, 2009
Road Safety Consultation
Following the recent publication of the results of the DSA’s Learning to Drive Consultation comes the Government’s latest document seeking views on the vision, targets and measures for improving road safety in Great Britain beyond 2010.
“Making Britain’s Roads Safer” is the title of the consultation document, and we would urge you all to get involved and make your opinions known. The full document and related research articles can be found here. The closing date for this consultation is 14th July 2009.
The key challenges for the new strategy are as follows:
- reducing the number of road deaths, which have fallen at a slower rate than serious injuries;
- pedestrian and cyclist casualties in our towns and cities – particularly in deprived communities;
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Tags: Consultations, crash avoidance systems, Crash statistics, Dangerous driving, Department for Transport, DfT, Drinking and driving, Driving Law, Driving Tests, Drug driving, DSA, Making Britain's Roads Safer, Motorcyle News, Road casualties, Road deaths, Road Safety, Rural roads, Speed cameras, Speed limits, Speeding, Think
Posted in Cars, Driving Law, Industry News, Road Safety | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 21st, 2009
Results of the DSA Learning to Drive Consultation
On 7th May 2008, the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) issued a Consultation Paper setting out wide-ranged proposals intended to make Britain’s roads safer by getting newly qualified drivers to cope with the challenges of driving unsupervised in today’s modern driving conditions. The Government’s preferred approach to achieving this is through education and incentives, encouraging young people to participate in more effective and efficient learning.
The four key elements of the proposed programme were:
- An improved learning process
- Improved driving tests
- Better information about driving instructors and improved driving instructor training
- Further options for qualifications and learning
Today (21st April 2009), the DSA published its report on this consultation. Having read the document this evening, I have listed the main changes that will happen, changes that may happen and proposals that have been rejected or indefinitely postponed.
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Tags: 3D driving test, Abridged theory test, Changes to the driving test, Consultations, Driving Law, Driving Lessons, Driving Test changes, Driving Tests, DSA, Independent driving, Latics Driver Training, Learning to drive, Learning to drive syllabus, Motorcyle News, Pass plus, Practical driving test, Pre-driver qualification, Road Safety, Supervising drivers, Theory test, Van driver qualification
Posted in Driving Law, Industry News, Road Safety, Uncategorized | 9 Comments »
Thursday, April 16th, 2009
The DSA has outlined several possible changes to the way people learn to drive. This is currently under scrutiny following the publication of the DSA’s ‘Learning to Drive’ consultation document, the outcome of which should be released shortly.
Possible changes include:
Changes to the marking scheme
Currently the driving test marking sheet simply records faults committed by the pupil during the test, which seems to be seen by most as a very negative approach. The DSA are therefore considering implementing a more competency-based scheme, whereby the pupil will be marked on a list of key skills, according to how well they deal with particular situations which arise during the driving test.
Changes to the set manoeuvres
In an effort to make the manoeuvres more closely relate to those required in everyday driving situations, the DSA are considering introducing an element of choice to the candidate. For example, the examiner may pull the pupil over at the side of the road and then ask them to turn the vehicle around using a method of their choice.
Independent driving
This proposed element has been undergoing a test phase at various test centres around the country to see how effective it can be. The idea is that the examiner would ask the pupil to follow the direction signs towards a particular place / landmark until asked to pull over. Latics would welcome the introduction of such an element – in our experience people struggle to find their way around once they’ve passed their driving tests, since they have only ever been directed where to go by their driving instructor.
It may be some time before the DSA implement these changes (if at all), but all Latics instructors will be encouraged to integrate the above elements into their training courses from May 2009.
Tags: Driving Tests, DSA, Independent driving
Posted in Industry News, Latics News | No Comments »
Thursday, March 26th, 2009
The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has rather controversially confirmed its new test fee structure for 2009/10 following a public consultation in October last year, raising test fees yet again. This latest round of fee increases comes at a time when recession is hitting the UK hard, and has provoked outrage amongst driving instructors, motoring organisations and even MP’s.
The above-inflation fee increases will apply to theory and practical driving tests booked on or after 30 March 2009. Fees relating to the Approved Driving Instructor scheme will increase from 24 April 2009.
General fee increases include:
|
Current fee |
New fee |
| Car theory test |
£30.00 |
£31.00 |
| Car practical test |
£56.50 |
£62.00 |
| Motorcycle theory test |
£30.00 |
£31.00 |
| Motorcycle practical test * |
£80.00 |
£90.50 |
* (in October 2009)
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Tags: ADI Training, Driving Tests, DSA, Motorcyle News
Posted in Driving Law, Industry News | No Comments »
Friday, February 20th, 2009
Following a lengthy joint investigation by the DSA and Police, Mohamed Ahmed Hameed, 37 of Luton was today sentenced by Luton Crown Court to 15 months imprisonment for carrying out over 40 theory test impersonations over an 18 month period.
He was joined in court by four of the candidates he falsely represented – Sobhi El Husseini 37 of Maida Vale, Mohamed Zaatari 32 of west London, Omar Benlfekir 35 of Croydon and Aziz Hassan 28 of West London. They were convicted on conspiracy charges and sentenced to two months imprisonment each.
(more…)
Tags: Driving Tests, DSA
Posted in Driving Law, Industry News | No Comments »
Friday, January 23rd, 2009
Martin Bowyer was sentenced yesterday at Stoke Crown Court for duping learner drivers out of thousands of pounds by pretending to be an approved driving instructor.
Bowyer, 48 of Leek, Staffordshire, advertised his illegal services in his wife’s hairdressing shop, had a top box on his vehicle and dual controls inside his car. He misled unwitting candidates into believing he was a qualified driving instructor, one of whom was a close family friend.
(more…)
Tags: Driving Law, Driving Tests, DSA, Illegal Driving Instructor
Posted in Driving Law, Industry News | 1 Comment »
