Scarlett's Driving School. Ex Goggle Box Star Scarlett Moffatt apparently opens up a driving schools for bad drivers. This must be a must watch for people wanting to pass their driving test. Starting on BBC ONE on Monday the 13th of February at 20:30, so expect some mild to bad language. Interestingly Scarlett failed her driving test no less than 13 times and originally started her driving lessons at the age of just 17. Finally passed her driving test aged 32 yrs of age. Oh so that is probably why she is doing this show. So this new show will document her struggles at passing her driving test and include many other new and beginner drivers who have also struggled to pass their driviging tests. Sounds like fun and we could probably learn a thing or two about the process, trial and tribulations of passing your driving test. Be sure to check out the first episode and we shall also be reporting on our viewpoint of this new show.

​Should be fun, click on image below to find out more

The series follows new and beginner drivers on their journey to passing their driving tests. Like Scarlett, after years and years of lessons and many driving test failures, can they finally pass their driving test under the added pressure of being filmed. Stay tuned to find out....

If you are deemed not to be incontrol of your car by taking one hand off the wheel this could be marked down by your examiner a minor fault on your driving test and if you do this repeatedly or make enough other mistakes you could fail. If you make 16 or more minor faults, you will fail your driving test.

Whilst the above acts or gestures are unlikely to get you slapped with a driving fine here are the most common reasons to get fined whilst driving.

1. Speed Limit Offences,
2. Car Insurance - Having no insurance or including being disquallifed for driving,
3. Driver Identity - Failure to provide or prove your identity,
4. Under the influence - either drigs or alcohol or failing to provide a specimen of blood, breath or urine,
5. Other motoring offences - surround safety including vehicle in unsafe condition, using mobile phone and also failure to stop after an accident,
6. Vehicle tax and registration,
7. Failure to adhere to the rules of the road (not speeding),
8. Driving Licence,
9. Dangerous driving- including driving without notifying the DVLA of any disabillities or medical issues which may make your driving licence invalid.

Although we recommend you don't drive in wintry conditions. We appreciate there maybe times you might have to drive.  And also times you many get caught out by wintry weather conditions. Either way we have collated a list of top winter driving tips and helpful advice when driving in wintry conditions:

1. Check the weather forecast,
2. Plan your route and avoid routes that may involve hills and minor B-roads,
3. Give yourself more time to get to your destination,
4. Carry twp large bags of cat litter in the boot and use as balast over the rear wheels. Additionally if you do get stuck in snow you can use the cat litter to help get traction by sprinkling it over the snow,
5. Carry an emergency breakdown kit,
6. Invest in a winter driving kit, this may include scraper, de-icer, torch, spare batteries, shovel, blanket, gloves and snow chains.
7. Check the grip on your tyres and or use winter tyres and in extreme circumstance use snow chains
8. Bring snacks and water,
9. Bring appropriate clothing should you need to leave your car incase of breakdown,
10. Ensure you check your car for roadworthiness,
11. Clear all ice and snow from car windscreen, bonnet, and roof,
12. Ensure radiator water has coolant and windscreen washer fluid has de-icer.
13. Familiarise yourself on how to use your gog lights and in car heating system.
14. Give yourself extra distance to the car in front and adjust your driving speed to reflect the road conditions, 
15. Use a higher gear when driving in snow and ice as you would when driving uphill.

As you will notice many of our winter driving tips are all about being prepared. Remember if you don't need to drive don't. If you do need to drive in wintry conditions you need to prepare for every potential eventuality.

Stay Safe This Winter

Fancy a £2,500 fine for driving with snow on the roof of you car. This comes under bullet point 10 and 11. Make sure your care is road worth and will not represent danger to other drivers. This could come under the careless driving laws and could land you a fine and points on your driving licence. 

#winter #winterdriving #winterdrivertips #drivinginsnow #badweatherdriving #snowdrivingtips #drivinginsnow 

A recent news article reported that you could get fine for driving your car for wearing excesive winter clothing. While this is true and you could be stopped for driving in atire that could prevent you from operating your vehicle without hinderance. I would assume that this would require some obscene amount of winter clothing for you to be actually fined,

Whilst this is actually correct, this can also be assumed in the opposite weather conditions.

So driving in a bikini and flip flops could equally land you with a driving penalty or fine.

It is just worth being a bit mindful of dressing correctly whilst driving what ever the weather.

​#fines #Cold #Driving #weather #appropriatelydressed #fittodrive #winterdriving

You can read the full news article below

HOW DO MEDICAL CONDITIONS, DRUGS OR ALCOHOL IMPEDE ON DRIVING?

Driving a car involves quite a complex and rapidly repeating cycle of movements for the body and mind including thoughts that requires a certain level of knowledge, skill and the ability to interact simultaneously with both the vehicle they are driving and the external environment, conditions and other external inputs that may affect the vehicle.

Information about the environment is via the visual and auditory senses of the driver and is operated on by many cognitive processes (including short- and long-term memory, experience and judgement) to affect the decision making for the driving hazards or potential driving hazards in real time. The decisions of the driver are enacted by the musculoskeletal system through the nervous system, which acts on the controls of the vehicle and its relation to the road and other road users.

The total process of driving is coordinated by many complex interactions involving driver behaviour, strategic and tactical abilities, and driver personality and experience. In the face of illness or disability, adaptive strategies are very important for maintaining a safe driving environment. This is very true in the case of cognitive impairments such as dementia.

Safe driving requires the involvement of the following from the driver:

• vision - eyes
• visuospatial perception
• hearing - sound - ears
• attention and concentration
• memory - experience and recollections
• insight and understanding
• judgement
• adaptive strategies
• good reaction time - physical well being
• planning and organisation
• ability to self-monitor
• sensation - which may be obscured by medication, drugs or alcohol
• muscle power and control - which can reduce over time
• coordination - which is weakened by drugs, alcohol, health and age

Given these many requirements, it follows that many body systems in a driver need to be functional for safe driving – and fitness, injury or disease may affect any one or more of these abilities that enable basic and safe driving.

This includes impairment from alcohol or drugs, illness and well-being. In fact, age and fitness can also impede one's ability to drive safely. 

Driving for long periods of time reduces your alert levels and makes you complacent. Falling asleep at the wheel is obviously a major issue if you are driving. But very seldom do people put together a bad night's sleep, a busy week at the office or overcoming a cold or other illness as reasons that they may end up in a road accident whilst driving.

​At Pass Mee driving school we would always recommend taking at least a 10-minute break for every hour  you are driving.

If you are driving long distances make sure you have plenty of fluids as this will help with concentration levels and also ensure you take regular toilet breaks.

​If you have not driven for a while or have any underlying health condition or have recently been ill, we would recommend you halve this and take a break very 30 mins or less.

What are the best tunes to listen to whilst driving? Well, a lot of this comes down to personal preference including style of music or personal favourites. And this also comes down to sometimes mood, weather and traffic. You can't be listening to some types of music when stuck in traffic or can you? Some songs or tracks could be deemed as a little less safe, such as Bohemian Rhapsody, especially if you are acting out the famous Waynes World scene. But saying that music can also help you when driving.

Anyway, regardless of any favouritism and or potential health and safety issues here are the top ten best tunes to drive to:

1. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
2. Born in the USA – Bruce Springsteen
3. Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd
4. Walk This Way – Aerosmith & Run DMC
5. Don't Stop Believin' - Journey
6. Living on a Prayer – Bon Jovi
7. Footloose – Kenny Loggins
8. Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
9. Born to be Wild – Steppenwolf
10. Driving Home for Christmas - Chris Rea

Whether you are a driver, pedestrian or cyclist we all have a few bad habits. However, there are quite a few bad habits exhibited by road users that consistently make our blood boil. Here are the ten common or uncommon driving mistakes, driving failures or driving faux pas witnessed on our local roads or streets daily that apparently peak our hatred of road users.

It is unclear whether these following driving indiscretions are based on a blunder, etiquette, manners, or conduct. 

These are the top 10 worst driving habits observed for new and experienced drivers on the road today. These on road driving bad practices are listed in no particular order:

1. Failure to signal left or right when making a turn
2. Driving too close to the car in front
3. Playing music too loud
4. Parking too far away from the curb or at an angle in a parking bay
5. Speeding or accelerating too quickly
6. Pulling into the road and stopping when the path is not clear to turn right
7. Being on the phone, texting and generally using a mobile phone whist driving
8. Jumping or failing to stop at red lights or zebra crossings
9. Driving too close to cyclists
10. Driving through puddles and splashing pedestrians

WHAT ARE YOUR WORST DRIVING HABITS OR THE ONES YOU HAVE WITNESSED OR HATE TO SEE?
Leave us a comment about bad driving below

#baddriver #worstdriver #drivinghabits #drivinghates #topten

We have the top ten learning to drive essentials, such as the highway code 2022 edition, learning to drive books, driving theory tests, helpful videos and driver training material. Including the ultimate birthday gifts and Christmas presents for new, beginner and learner drivers in west London. Some of these items in our online shop are must have gifts for experienced drivers including driving instructors.

​TOP TEN CHRISTMAS PRESTENTS TO BUY SOMEONE LEARNING TO DRIVE

Covering essential learning material, winter essentials, security and safety related driving gifts for all types of drivers.

​#toptenthings #top10driving #christmasgiftsfordrivers #learnerdrivergifts #xmaspresents #christmasgiftsfordrivers

Question: What is the most common reason for failing a driving test in West London?

Answer: The most common reason most people fail their driving test is the lack of observation. i.e.  not checking your mirrors, not checking over their shoulder, not looking in the direction of turning, looking to late, not checking wing or central mirror when approaching a junction, junction. and failure to look over their shoulder when making a reverse manoeuvre.
​
Advice: Check, check and look again, don't just glance move your head so the examiner can see and notice what you are doing, make it obvious!.

#faq #faqs #drivingfaqs #drivingfacts #London

What is good is that it helps to promote a more open dialogue between driving instructors and their new students.  I have heard stories of driving instructors deliberately holding back beginner drivers from taking their test because the student believes they are just after their money. 

This could not be further from the truth and these figures would help to support this.

However this does not take into account new drivers nerves and general nervousness when driving someone you either don't know and or you have never driven with before.

I remember this well over a year after my driving test the nerves I felt when driving people around, especially friends and family members. I suppose the fear of being judged for being a bad driver waa the issue. But I do remember these nerves, which are obviously not helpful. And I suspect this is possibly why so many people fail their first driving tests. And there are several useful tips and tricks our driving instructors use to try to combat these "Test Nerves".