Going “pot holing” is a pastime that is enjoyed by thousands of people who enjoy going underground in passages and caves. However, if we are a driver of a motor vehicle in the UK in 2008 many more of us are also pot holing, but few of us are enjoying this.

Media reports are telling us of the increasing number of pot holes that are appearing on our roads today indeed motorists in the UK are more than twice as likely to suffer damage to their cars as their American counterparts because of poorly maintained roads.

Hitting a pot hole, even at a slow speed can cause suspension damage and accelerated wear to the front tyres, it is estimated that suspension damage costs motorists an average of £285.39 which is something that we can all do without.

If you’re car has been damaged by a deep rut or a cavernous tear in the tarmac, you could seek compensation from the authority responsible for the maintenance of the road rather than digging deep into their own pockets.

The Bill Plant Driving School promotes safe driving in the UK.

On the 31st January 2008, it became twenty five years since the law changed to make it compulsory to wear seat belts in the front of cars and seventeen years to wear them in the back. All students enrolling for driving lessons at the Bill Plant School; of motoring are made familiar with all aspects of safety when driving a motor vehicle, particularly the benefits of seat belt wearing in motor vehicles.

It may come as a surprise that recently released figures indicate that although we now routinely belt up in the front, many are not using seat belt when in the rear of a car, as many as one third of passengers. Drivers are reminded that it is their responsibility to ensure that all passengers must wear a seat belt; failure to do so can result in the driver being £500.00. Advice on the use of seat belts can be found on page 19in the Highway Code.

Continuing their 21st century approach to bringing the very best to the students who have enrolled with the national driving school Bill Plant, everyone can now benefit from the Hazard Perception Test available at the school’s website. The free Hazard Perception Test is easy to access and is already proving to be a tremendous help to those new drivers who will be soon taking their two part driving test.

The clips are shown on video and you will see a situation when driving that will involve other road users, all of this is shown from the driver’s viewpoint.  During the video a number of clips show a hazard, or in some cases a situation will develop which will cause the driver to change and you will need to identify these as well as the hazards. There are 14 video clips each of which is around one minute long allowing the new driver to practice and to understand potential hazards which will be encountered on the road and also in the theory part of the driving test.

It’s not always that easy to know where to start when learning to drive. For any learner driver it can be confusing to know what you need to get started. That’s just one of the reasons we provided an informative driving school website to help you every step of the way.

All topics are covered from your provisional driving licence application to more advanced driver training. For those looking for a career change Bill Plant may just have the answer for you, the website gives great advice on becoming a qualified driving instructor.

 The Driving Test

The Bill Plant Website also provides information about theory tests and the hazard perception test. Questions and example tests are available all just a mouse click away. For those about to embark on that all important practical test you can find out what to expect on the day and learn valuable information on those manoeuvres.

 Passing The Driving Test

Ok, so you have just passed your driving test. Help! Now what ? It’s OK, don’t panic, the Bill Plant Driving School will continue to help you even when you have passed your test. With Pass Plus and Motorway Driving Lessons as well as offering valuable information on the UK Driving Law you can be confident Bill Plant will not let you down.

Information regarding the speed limit that apply to roads in the UK is clearly set out in the Highway Code and is something that is part of the tuition that every student enrolling with Bill Plant is familiar with.

However, reader enquiries in the popular press often ask, are there any guidelines for the police to follow when placing their mobile cameras close to signs which indicate a change in the limit? Well the short answer to this is no, because the police can issue fixed penalty notices for exceeding the limit anywhere within the boundaries and frequently do so as drivers exiting a limit, are prone to accelerate prematurely, so be warned and remember that the speed limit exists all the way between the road signs indicating the mandatory top speed.

It is that time of year, dark mornings and evenings when motorists’ seem to get worked up about the use of brake lights when stationary, perhaps at a road junction or in a queue of traffic. With the higher intensity that is need to attract oncoming vehicles that the one in front is braking, plus the addition now of one place higher up on the car or van, these have a tendency to dazzle the car behind when they too are close and stationary also.

The use of the foot brake is two-fold in these circumstances, to warn the vehicles coming up from behind and to hold the car stationary. Many safety experts consider that the foot should be kept on the brake until such time as the driver of the oncoming vehicle has taken on board the fact that you are stationary and then the handbrake applied and the footbrake released. If however you have had to pull up just beyond a bend in the road, it is wise to put your hazard flashers on as well.

Driving lessons are available from Bill Plant Driving School.

Further demonstrating the forward thinking of our driving school, Bill Plant has now published the Highway Code in full as an addition to the already comprehensive web site, considered to be further evidence that this driving school offers its students the best from their offices throughout the UK.

All students will be familiar with the Highway Code, but what better than to look up that important piece of advice which can be accessed literally at the click of the mouse. The format for the Highway Code is simple with the introductory page divided into 24 main categories, as an example section 103 to 158: General rules, techniques and advice for all drivers and riders.

The online publication is comprehensive and fully covers the Department for Transport’s current printed version, although in the case of any court proceedings, whether civil or criminal, is the only one which should be replied upon.

The start of the new year brings many challenges and people often consider their resolutions in terms of where they work and how they can make their life much more rewarding. The ability to be your own boss and be able to have flexibility in working the hours you want maybe just a dream for most. Have you ever considered becoming a Driving Instructor ? Working in such a job gives you the freedom you have been looking for and the additional reassurance that you will always have the necessary skills to have a job for a lifetime.

A driving instructor job is not restricted to age groups or people from a particular walk of life, it is a job that offers too many benefits to list and real prospects for immediate career advancement. The ability to earn in excess of £400 per week mustbe an incentive for most. The Bill Plant Driving Instructor College provides a real learning experience and driving courses that are tailored to suit you, giving the most individual tuition possible today.

Bill Plant Ltd does not stop at driver training it even offers you a job after qualifying. Why not become a driving instructor today ?

It’s a frightening fact but more people are killed when at work each year than in the wars. The UK have gone to great lengths to do something about this problem which is why the law has responded with the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act which here at Bill Plant Driving School we feel it is important for you to be aware of.

The legislation itself seems to be a great improvement on that of the past and makes it easier for companies who are simply not taking care to make sure their driver’s are safe to be convicted more easily.

Basically, companies out there that have good safety policies should not live in fear of the new law. But let’s face it as a company how many times do you review your safety policies and are you really confident that you have the necessary procedures in place to make your staff safe?

Here is where Bill Plant can help you.  Look at our Occupational Road Risk Management section in the Fleetcraft section of the driving school website. The reduction of driving accidents through fleet operation training has already been proven.

Protection of your company is essential and the backup from experienced consultants is paramount. Corporate driver training is not just the phrase of the moment it can potentially be life saving.

It still comes as a surprise to many that about 33% of accidents involve motorists who are at work, and amazingly commercial vehicles just account for 10% of the total UK vehicle population! A third of all road accidents involve someone who is working and they account for somewhere in the region of 20 deaths and 250 serious injuries every week, costing business an estimated £3 billion per year.

Many employers consider that as long as their company vehicle has a current MOT, is taxed and fully insured and the driver has a current full driving licence their responsibility has ended! Not so, current health and safety legislation applies to work activities involved in driving. It seems that 75% of companies have not carried out an occupational road risk management strategy and these companies are clearly failing to provide the necessary and appropriate duty of care for their employees.