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.

LONDON BOROUGH OF RICHMOND UPON THAMES​We have instructors providing driving lesson in the Richmond upon Thames in southwest London. We can provide fully qualified instructors either side of the iconic river Thames. We can also book short notice driving tests in these following areas.

• Barnes
• Barnes Bridge
• Kew
• ​Mortlake
• ​North Sheen
• ​Richmond

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 in west London 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 in West London. 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.

​Read our Frequently Asked Questions

#baddriver #worstdriver #drivinghabits #drivinghates #topten

WHAT MAKES OUR DRIVING LESSON BETTER

​What does Pass Mee driving lessons have to offer in your local area of west London:

• DVSA certified and approved driving instructors with DBS checks,
• A wide range of automatic and manual driving lessons and courses in west London,
• Affordable driving lesson prices with an aim of helping you to pass in fewer lessons and driving tests,
• Friendly, patient instructors teaching you to drive in a clean and modern dual controlled car,
• One on one driving lessons in west London with personalised tuition,
• Door to door pick up and drop off service for our learners in west London,
• Help and support leading up to and passing your driving test in west London.

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!.

See our top ten driving test fails in London

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