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DSA Opening times over the holidays announced!

admin — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 22:04:20 +0000

Find out when the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) customer service centre and driving test centres are open over Christmas and New Year.

Online services available as normal

DSA’s online services will be available throughout Christmas and the New Year at direct.gov.uk/drivingtest. You can book, check, change or cancel your:

theory test, 24 hours a day, seven days a week
practical test, between 6.00 am and midnight, seven days a week

Friday 23 December 2011

DSA is operating as usual
DSA’s customer service centre will be open from 8.00 am

Monday 26 December 2011

Monday 26 December is a public holiday, so DSA’s test centres and customer service centre will be closed
online services will be available
automated telephone lines for general information such as fees, and interactive voice recognition to change an existing practical test will be available from 6.00 am to midnight

Tuesday 27 December 2011

Tuesday 27 December is a public holiday, so DSA’s test centres and customer service centre will be closed
online services will be available
automated telephone lines for general information such as fees, and interactive voice recognition to change an existing practical test will be available from 6.00 am to midnight

Wednesday 28 December 2011

DSA’s driving test centres in England and Wales will be closed – test centres in Scotland will be open
DSA’s customer service centre will be closed
online services will be available
automated telephone lines for general information such as fees, and interactive voice recognition to change an existing practical test will be available from 6.00 am to midnight

Thursday 29 December 2011

DSA is operating as usual
DSA’s customer service centre will be open from 8.00 am

Friday 30 December 2011

DSA is operating as usual
DSA’s customer service centre will be open from 8.00 am

Monday 2 January 2012

Monday 2 January is a public holiday, so DSA’s test centres and customer service centre will be closed
online services will be available
automated telephone lines for general information such as fees, and interactive voice recognition to change an existing practical test will be available from 6.00 am to midnight

Tuesday 3 January 2012

DSA’s driving test centres in England and Wales will be open – test centres in Scotland will be closed
DSA’s customer service centre will be open from 8.00 am

Wednesday 4 January 2012

DSA is operating as usual
DSA’s customer service centre will be open from 8.00 am

Changing or cancelling a driving test without losing your fee

The quickest and easiest way to change or cancel a theory or practical driving test is online at direct.gov.uk/drivingtest.

The last date to change or cancel a test online booked for 3 January 2012 without losing your fee is 28 December.

If you change or cancel a test booked for 3 January by phone, you need to do it on or before Friday 23 December, as DSA’s customer service centre is then closed until 29 December.

Source: DSA

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Motorists warned to get insured ahead of crackdown!

admin — Tue, 24 May 2011 08:52:29 +0000

Motorists warned to get insured ahead of crackdown

Motorists are being warned to insure their vehicles ahead of a new crackdown to tackle the menace of uninsured driving.

Under the new Continuous Insurance Enforcement law – which will affect all motorists from 20 June – it is an offence to keep an uninsured vehicle, rather than just to drive when uninsured.

A national advertising campaign will be launched by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau today to raise awareness of the law.

Road Safety Minister Mike Penning said:

“Uninsured drivers are a danger on our roads, killing 160 and injuring a further 23,000 people each year, and they cost honest motorists £500 million in extra premiums. That is why we are introducing this tough new law which will leave uninsured drivers with nowhere to hide.

“Our message is clear – get insured or face a fine, court action or seeing your car seized and destroyed.”

Ashton West, Chief Executive at the Motor Insurers’ Bureau, said:

“The change in law is a stepping up of enforcement activity, so that not only those vehicles driven without insurance will be caught. Now the registered keeper must make sure that their vehicle is insured all the time.

“In order to make sure everyone is aware of the new scheme, a national awareness campaign will be shown on satellite and terrestrial TV channels.

“Around four percent of vehicles have no motor insurance at any given time, and this needs to change so that is why this new enforcement approach is so important.”

Watch the TV advert on YouTube

Under the new system:

The DVLA will work in partnership with the Motor Insurers’ Bureau to identify uninsured vehicles.
Motorists will receive a letter telling them that their vehicle appears to be uninsured and warning them that they will be fined unless they take action.
If the keeper fails to insure the vehicle they will be given a £100 fine.
If the vehicle remains uninsured – regardless of whether the fine is paid – further action will be taken. If the vehicle is on public land it could then be clamped, seized and destroyed. Alternatively court action could be taken, with the offender facing a fine of up to £1,000.
Seized vehicles would only be released when the keeper provided evidence that the registered keeper is no longer committing an offence of having no insurance and the person proposing to drive the vehicle away is insured to do so.
Vehicles with a valid Statutory Off Road Notice (SORN) will not be required to be insured.

The new law will run alongside the existing offence of using a vehicle with no insurance, which is enforced by the police. The police seize 180,000 vehicles each year for this offence, and offenders also face a £200 fixed penalty or a court fine of up to £5,000 and possible disqualification.

The DVLA’s records will be compared regularly with the Motor Insurance Database (MID) and this process will identify registered keepers of vehicles that appear to have no insurance. All drivers can check their vehicle is recorded on the MID for free – visit askMID.com.

Source: nds.coi.gov.uk 23/05/11

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Traffic lights to flash amber at night in new trial!

admin — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 23:25:41 +0000

Traffic lights could soon be left on flashing amber throughout the night so motorists can decide when to stop and go. It will mean frustrated drivers no longer have to sit at red lights during quiet periods when no other vehicles are around. Portsmouth City Council is to apply to the Department for Transport for permission to carry out the first trial of its kind in the country. If things go to plan, the new lighting rules could be implemented in Portsmouth, Hampshire, within a year. Similar systems already operate in Spain and France but motoring organisation the AA has cast doubt on whether it would work safely in the UK. Under the new rules, all the lights at a junction would be switched to flashing amber at quiet times – most likely in the middle of the night. Motorists would be expected to approach and cross with caution, rather than waiting for lights to change. The time of day at which lights would turn to flashing amber will vary, with busier junctions operating as normal later into the night. More

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Vehicle Registration Certificate becomes more secure!

admin — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 21:23:50 +0000

From 15 August 2010 all Vehicle Registration Certificates (V5C) issued by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) will have a new look. The new V5C will make it clear that it is not proof of ownership. It will provide details of where you can get advice on buying a used vehicle. More from direct.gov

Drivers supervising learners risk breaking law!

admin — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 20:01:47 +0000

Drivers are risking fines, disqualification or jail because they do not know the rules on supervising learners, according to the AA. The motoring group’s survey of 19,000 members suggested nearly a quarter did not know it was illegal to use a mobile phone while out with a learner driver. Nearly one in 10 respondents was unaware falling asleep was not allowed. The law states that somebody supervising a learner driver is effectively in control of the car. The AA said that in one case a supervisor was jailed after the learner was involved in a crash that killed two people. It said many learners benefited from time spent with more experienced drivers, but suggested short driving courses for supervisors might be needed. The AA/Populus survey suggested drivers were also breaking the law by drinking, sending text messages, or failing to wear their glasses while on practice runs with learners. Some 23% of respondents did not know they would be breaking the law by using a mobile phone while supervising a learner. And 13% were unaware of the need to wear glasses if they used them when driving themselves, while 9% did not realise that falling asleep in the passenger seat was illegal. A total of 4% of respondents who had supervised learners admitted breaking at least one of these laws. The figure rose to 22% among supervisors aged 21 to 24. More

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Parents trying to save on car insurance breaking the law!

admin — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 21:23:48 +0000

Millions of parents are said to be breaking the law in order to save money on car insurance for their children. New figures suggest that 41% of parents deliberately lie when filling out policy applications. Parents are claiming to be the main drivers on the policy, when in fact it is one of their children who is the main driver, or owner of the car. The practice known as fronting potentially offers large savings but could lead to prosecution. Research by Co-operative Insurance found that 41% of parents were actually fronting policies at the moment, and 61% would do so in the future. More

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Electric cars could lose their value massively!

admin — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 21:25:59 +0000

Glass’s one of the UK experts in calculating residual values for cars has warned that electric cars could face a residual black hole unless action is taken by the manufacturers to address customer concerns over battery life and performance. With several electric vehicles ready to hit the UK in the next few months the company is warning that residual values will be well below those of rival conventional powered vehicles. The warning comes on the back of a detailed analysis of the factors that will affect depreciation for electric cars. The company has been working closely with three of the manufacturers who will produce cars featuring in the first wave of EV launches. “After one year of ownership we would expect EV residual values to be above the segment average expressed in terms of pound values,” explains Andy Carroll, Managing Director at Glass’s. “But, if the battery is owned rather than leased, and lacks the appropriate extended warranty, the value of the typical EV will then fall dramatically until the vehicle is five years old, at which point the car will have a trade value little more than 10 per cent of the list price.” More

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Under inflated tyres hits motorists in the pocket!

admin — Thu, 27 May 2010 20:19:39 +0000

Drivers in the UK are throwing away more than £440 million pounds by driving with under-inflated tyres. The research, revealed by Michelin discovered that not only are motorists letting poor tyre pressure maintenance affect their bank balance, but more than 370 million litres of fuel are being wasted each year. This also contributes to an additional 1 million tonnes of CO2 being pumped into the atmosphere. Luckily, Michelin is coming to the rescue of drivers who are in the dark when it comes to tyre pressures. The Michelin Fill Up With Air team is taking to the road to offer free tyre checks to help improve safety and reduce vehicle CO2 emissions, while also helping motorists save cash. Michelin’s head of communications, Peter Snelling, said: ‘Based on the findings of Michelin’s 2009 campaign, if all of the cars in the UK were running on correctly inflated tyres then motorists would save a considerable amount of money and as a result, CO2 emissions would also be reduced. More

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Car buyers warned over loan deals from showrooms!

admin — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 20:17:05 +0000

People looking to buy a new car have been urged to avoid showroom finance deals, as important interest rate details are often not clearly explained by dealers. Research by Which? Car magazine revealed that essential information about car finance agreements were not adequately flagged up to car buyers in showrooms. Dealers were found to “take customers for a ride” by not telling them in clear terms how much interest they would need to pay on their motor. An undercover operation involving visits to 15 showrooms highlighted that not even one of them clearly demonstrated the total cost of the interest on a finance deal. Two-thirds did not mention the APR (annual percentage rate) and a third even failed to add it to their written quote. More

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Motorists clean their cars most often than they check the spare tyre!

admin — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 20:11:34 +0000

More than 80 per cent of UK motor insurance policyholders admitted that they have their car cleaned regularly but only 30 per cent have checked their spare tyre in the last three months, a new survey has found. Almost 20 per cent of motorists admit that they have never actually checked their spare at all, according to a new survey by fast.MAP conducted on behalf of mytyres.co.uk. The good news is that nearly half of UK car insurance customers have checked the tread depth of their tyres in the last month, which is important because worn tyres can lead to accidents that will impact upon drivers’ car insurance premiums. Spare tyres are often the most neglected part of a car and they have the potential to put motor insurance customers in an inconvenient and possibly dangerous situation if a puncture were to occur. More

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Oldest drivers ‘among safest’ its reported!

admin — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 21:04:41 +0000

Drivers aged 70 and above are among the safest on the road, according to the RAC Foundation. And the motoring charity says that licensing of the oldest drivers should focus on self-regulation, rather than on re-testing or licence restrictions. The organisation made the comments as it published a report; Maintaining safe mobility for the ageing population. It argues that most “senior car owners” self-regulate their driving, and do not drive in circumstances that make them feel uncomfortable. It added that the 3.7 million drivers born before the Second World War have a better safety record than many young drivers, and that only those aged 80 or above or driving a very limited mileage present a higher accident risk. The foundation’s report closely echoes the findings of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, which three months ago published its own report finding the oldest drivers to be among the safest. Under current laws, drivers must re-apply for a licence when they reach the age of 70 and every three years thereafter, self-certifying their fitness to stay on the roads. More

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Cost of motoring ‘up nine per cent in five months’!

admin — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 22:23:41 +0000

The cost of running a car has risen by 8.6% in just five months, new estimates suggest. And the figures, calculated by Sainsbury’s Finance, suggest that motorists are paying around a fifth (20%) more now than they were in September 2007. According to the bank, the average cost of running a car for a year now stands at approximately £2,539, compared to an estimated £2,338 five months ago. In 2007, the annual cost stood at around £2,100. Costs have been driven up by rising fuel prices – up 10% in the past five months – and an increase (11%) in the cost of car insurance. The bank added that vehicle taxation has risen by 26% over the past two and a half years. More

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Under inflated tyres hits motorists in the pocket!

Changes to vehicle tax from 1st April 2010!

admin — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 22:55:47 +0000

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, announced in 2008 a series of measures to reform vehicle tax. Some of these reforms took effect from 1 May 2009. More information, bands, and costs

’60 minute warning’ for British drivers abroad!

admin — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 22:02:52 +0000

You are most at risk just 60 minutes into your first car journey on holiday abroad. Know the local road rules, and be aware of your own fitness to drive. Foreign and Commonwealth Office research shows that driving abroad is at its most dangerous just 60 minutes into the first journey whilst on holiday. Professor Geoff Beattie, of Manchester University, has pinpointed the most dangerous point when driving abroad. The key factors that contribute to dangerous driving abroad including driver fatigue, motoring on the other side of the road, anticipating oncoming traffic and grappling with unfamiliar rented vehicles. More

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Half of women ‘have no sense of direction’!

admin — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 23:11:43 +0000

Nearly half of female car insurance customers have conceded that they have little or no sense of direction. A survey by Boxby.co.uk found that a quarter of ladies regularly get lost while driving, while more than two thirds relying on a Sat Nav to get them to their destination. More than 85 per cent of male car insurance customers, meanwhile, believe that their sense of direction is very good, with just 11 per cent seeing room for improvement. In addition, 72 per cent of males said they would rather drive around until they found their destination rather than stopping and asking for directions, something which three quarters of women find infuriating. More

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Avon and Somerset Police unveil drink drive weapon!

admin — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:48:20 +0000

Avon and Somerset Police have unveiled their new weapon against drink driving – a simulator which shows what effect alcohol has on your driving skill. Over Christmas, the police caught more than 200 people who had been drinking. Now they’re stepping up their efforts to target young people in particular. More

Aviva publishes ‘Road to success’ guide for parents!

admin — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 23:41:07 +0000

Aviva has produced a new guide for parents to help them safely guide their sons and daughters through the process of learning to drive. The guide, ‘The Road to success’, has been produced on the back of work carried out in 2009 by Aviva to understand the very poor crash and casualty statistics for newly qualified drivers. The insurer also looked in more depth at choice of first car and found that 50% of first cars were being bought for less than £500. Aviva’s Nigel Bartram said: “Our work highlights a need for better pre-driver education in secondary schools, including peer group classroom based sessions as part of the learning to drive programme, discussing all the aspects of safety and where things go wrong. “It is also clear that parents have a role to play, both in terms of building experience and choice of first car – but they need to complement rather than conflict with professional tuition. More

New road signs that collapse on impact will help to cut crash deaths!

admin — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 23:02:28 +0000

THE company behind Scotch tape and Post-it notes has created a signpost that will collapse safely if a car crashes into it. Made from glass-reinforced plastic, the post shatters on impact, minimising the damage to vehicles and protecting the occupants. About 15% of road deaths are caused by cars hitting conventional steel signposts, lampposts, trees and other street furniture. The technology was developed by 3M, the American company behind Scotch tape. It has now been sold on to Frangible Safety Posts, a business in Loughborough, Leicestershire, which plans to expand the posts’ use in the UK. The signposts have already been installed in Co Durham and Cheshire. More

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Motorway speed limits could soon be lowered!

admin — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:16:45 +0000

British motorists face permanent 60mph speed limits on up to 250 miles of the motorway network under a little-known government scheme for the introduction of ‘controlled motorways’. To be rolled out over the next five years, controlled motorway speed limits could be pushed down to 50mph and 40mph at the busiest times of the day, according to government documents. The scheme will deploy an enormous array of new technology (including average speed cameras and sensors buried in the road surface) and will usually be introduced alongside ‘hard shoulder’ running, where the hard shoulder is used as a fourth lane on very busy stretches of motorway. According to a Department for Transport report for the Secretary of State for Transport, “The controlled motorway (CM) system is designed to minimise the risk of flow breakdown and reduce accidents, thereby producing more reliable journey times.” However, it goes on to say, “Mandatory speed limits are set automatically… 60mph and 50mph speed limits are displayed on the overhead gantries to address congestion. When necessary to protect traffic from queues, 40mph limits can also be set.” More

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Conservatives ready to cut some traffic lights and turn others off at night!

admin — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:57:23 +0000

Thousands of traffic lights could be switched off at night under radical plans being drawn up by the Conservatives. Others could be stripped out completely in an attempt to cut delays and reduce carbon emissions by improving traffic flow. It is estimated that there are around 140,000 sets of traffic and pedestrian signals in Britain, with the number having increased in recent years. In London, for example, the number rose by 42 per cent over the past decade and there has been growing public anger about their proliferation across the country. At the same time the removal of some lights for example in Scarborough and Portishead in Somerset, has led to improved traffic flow without any increase in casualties. “There is a very real suspicion that thousands of traffic lights across the country are creating rather than cutting congestion,” Mrs Villiers told the Daily Telegraph. “It is time for a radical change in this country’s approach to traffic signals. I am certain that there are many sets of signals that could be removed or turned off at night without jeopardising pedestrian safety.” An array of options are being considered, including switching some lights to flashing amber at night, which means motorists should proceed with caution. Although this is commonplace on the continent, a change in the law would be needed for this to be brought into practice in Britain. The Tories are also backing plans to allow cyclists to turn left at red lights. This, the party believes, would reduce the risks faced by those on a bike. More

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Warnings of the dangers of Sat-navs!

admin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:42:51 +0000

DRIVERS are being warned to beware of the dangers associated with this year’s must-have Christmas motoring accessory as sat-nav systems top the Yuletide wish-list. Retailers say that record numbers of satellite navigation systems are currently being snapped as Christmas presents but whilst they can be a useful driving aid there are also inherent dangers. Drivers who leave the systems on display within their vehicles are tempting opportunist thieves and the consequences can be far more serious than merely a smashed window and stolen sat-nav. The sat-navs will almost always have been used to guide drivers back to their home, with the address stored in the system as a further opportunity for the thieves. In many cases by the driver returns to the vehicle to find the sat-nav system gone their home has been burgled too. The Institute of Advanced Motorists warns that such systems must be removed from view every time the vehicle is left unattended and – equally important – all traces of the fixings must also be removed otherwise thieves will know that the sat-nav is hidden within the vehicle. More

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Motorists warned that Driving Licences do expire!

admin — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:31:42 +0000

Motoring organisations have reported that most drivers believe that their new style licence is for life and that is has not been publicised that the licence actually expires after a set period and has to be renewed. The first batch of ten year photo licences was issued in July 1998 and the confusion has only just come to light as they start to expire. The DVLA figures reveal that 16,136 licences expired last year and only 11,566 drivers have renewed, 300 000 more photocard licences are due to expire by the end of this year. The new style photocard licences are not very clear showing the expiry date, the small print below the drivers name is a numbered series of dates and details. Number 4b features a date but the significance is explained only if the card is turned over where the key on the back states that 4b relates to ‘licence valid to’. More

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Classic cars are being scrapped!

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:08:52 +0000

Earlier this year the Scrappage Incentive Scheme was introduced in a bid to reduce greenhouse gases and stimulate new car sales, but in the process many classics are being part-exchanged and scrapped. Once a car is signed over to a dealer under the scheme, its future lies in the scrapyard, with no chance of a reprieve. Classic Show manager Andy Rouse explains: “While the scrappage scheme might be an effective way of stimulating new car sales it’s likely that some cars finding their way into the scheme might actually be worth more than the scrappage value offered – and not just in monetary value. It’s definitely worth anyone who’s considering using the scheme to take a close look at prices on classic car related websites first. When you look at the real environmental issue (that the scheme is ‘sold’ on), the truth is that most classic cars get driven no more than a few times a year, are absolutely cherished by their owners and kept in tip-top condition. Despite what the Government might intimate, Classic Cars today are not the cause of global warming! More

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New sign at Watford Gap to mark 50th birthday of the M1!

admin — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:59:53 +0000

The new sign, which has one arrow pointing north and another pointing south, only confirms the popular idea of the service station being an unofficial dividing point between Britain’s north and south. RoadChef, which operates the services, said the firm has erected the sign as a tourist attraction next to which people could pose for photos. A spokeswoman said: “Because of the anniversary, we’re looking at what Watford Gap means to everyone.” The company is working towards getting “Watford Gap” included in the Oxford English Dictionary as a recognised term expressing the division between north and south. More

: How times change! Click picture for more images.

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Crashes increase in changing autumn conditions!

admin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:05:18 +0000

Motorists’ failure to adapt to changing driving conditions will lead to a 15 per cent rise in accidents this month. Greasy road conditions caused by falling leaves, darker evenings and the first heavy rain of the autumn traditionally send accident rates up in October, according to vehicle management company Accident Exchange. More

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Global oil decline may hit soon!

admin — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 22:41:42 +0000

THERE is a “significant risk” that global oil production could begin to decline in the next decade, researchers have warned. A report by the UK Energy Research Council (UKERC) said worldwide production of conventional oil could “peak” and go into terminal decline before 2020 – but the Government was not facing up to the risk. Falls in production will lead to higher and more volatile prices and could encourage investment in even more polluting fossil fuels such as tar sands which “need to stay in the ground” to avoid dangerous climate change as a result of carbon emissions, the researchers said. A new report on peak oil by UKERC said there was too much geological, political and economic uncertainty to predict an exact date for a peak – which would not lead to a sudden decline but a “bumpy plateau” with a downward trend in extraction. More