Bill Plant Driving School has developed over the last 6 years to become one of the top driving schools in the UK, with instructors situated in nearly all major urban centres in the England. Bill Plant’s philosophy is to give every new learner an instructor who knows the area inside out. Whether it be in a small village in Northampton or a large conurbation like London, Bill Plant aims to ensure that every pupil has an instructor who is freindly, professional and who knows the local area very well.

One of the areas in the UK that has a full coverage of instructors is West Yorkshire. Currently, Bill Plant has instructors that are based in the cities of Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield, as well as smaller towns like Castleford, Knottingley, Ossett, Halifax and Dewsbury.

If you live in West Yorkshire, and are thinking of learning to drive, then Bill Plant has an instuctor in your area. Call the freephone number and take advantage of the free first lesson that is offered to every new pupil.

You will have received careful and skilful tuition from your qualified driving instructor on the correct use of your indicators notifying your intentions to turn or overtake when driving your vehicle, but are there times when it is not necessary or desirable to use indicators?

August bodies such as the Institute of Advance Motorists, RoSPA and Police Driving Instructors support straight forward common sense in the use if indicators. What is the point of signalling if there is no one to signal to? However, we should never forget that pedestrians and cyclist is a road user as well. For instance pedestrian crossings are often sited near the entrance and exits to roundabouts and vehicle positioning may not give a pedestrian a clue about your intentions. The road may be clear of cars, but a turning vehicle can pose a danger to a pedestrian or cyclist who may not have been seen. Remember that pedestrians have the right of way at most road junctions.

By the time we reach our sixties and seventies, most of us have been driving for at least forty years.  We will have built up a lifetime of driving experience which will give us the honour of being able to say that we get into fewer accidents.  Unfortunately, most people at this stage of life are also experiencing a variety of effects, both physical and mental, that are caused by aging.  The question then becomes, “is age an issue when driving?”

People in their sixties and seventies will notice that their senses are not as sharp as they used to be.  They fade gradually and most people won’t even notice it until someone points it out to them.  Drivers must be able to read a license plate number at 67 feet, the length of a cricket pitch.  If corrective lenses are needed to accomplish this, then they should be worn when driving.  Some eye problems, like cataracts or glaucoma, may end a driving career completely.

Arthritis and general stiffness of the body restricts your range of motion, making it difficult for a person to move, see over their shoulder, shift gears or even just turn the steering wheel.  Some older drivers may need special devices and accessories from their doctor to help them.  Also, older drivers should always check with their doctors about the prescription medicine they take to ensure it won’t effect their driving.

Older drivers who wish to continue driving after the age of seventy will need to renew their driving license every three years.

It’s that time of year again when hundreds of families will soon be setting off to enjoy a week’s UK holiday break. But before the camping, theme parks and beach picnics can begin you need to get in the car and travel for hours to get there. Of course we all know that’s when the real fun can begin, you have heard it many times and we bet that you will have said it yourself at some time, “Are we there yet?”

The best tip is to keep them occupied because bored kids tend to make more noise, distracting the driver. Take with you some things to occupy the children such as pencils or books, electronic games are great if the volume is muted! Play some games such as spotting number plates or the first to spot a certain colour of car, but importantly take frequent breaks, it is recommended that this should be around every two hours.

Try to ensure that the temperature is kept down, if you have air conditioning this is great, children should be strapped in and make sure that you have the child locks engaged, you do not want the door flying open on a motorway! Above all drive safely and enjoy your well deserved holiday.

One of the most important documents a person can possess is their driver’s license.  It not only serves as a representation of your authority to operate a motor vehicle, it also serves as a photo identification to prove that you are who you say you are.  Photocard driver licenses include your photograph, which is updated every ten years, what type of vehicle you are licensed to drive, your name and address, and a number that has been assigned specifically to you.  An additional paper counterpart to the photocard license lists any endorsements or penalties you may have.

If you are interested in obtaining your provisional driver’s license and you have never had one, you can apply for it at your local post office.  The cost is £45. 00 and if you are from overseas, you will need to present your passport to the clerk so that they can verify your identity.  If you are a current resident of the country and are applying for your license, you will be required to attend and pass both classroom and practical driving classes before you will be issued your full license after passing a test.

Some people may need to renew their driver’s license even before the ten-year mark because of medical conditions.  Once you reach the age of seventy, you are required to renew it every three years.  Commercial drivers may need to renew their licenses at more frequent intervals because of the special nature of the vehicles they operate.  If you have a change of address, there is a way to notify the licensing bureau and having it updated by mailing in the information.  Your post office carries all of the booklets and forms necessary for you to get and obtain your driver’s license.

When you are about to take driving lessons there are many things to be considered, foremost is the need for the security of a major national company. Equally though, what is required also is that the Driving School should be local to your particular area so that you can be collected near to your home or work. Fortunately for the ever increasing numbers of people who are now taking driving lessons, the Bill Plant Driving School fit these requirements.

An example of this has to be the Bill Plant operation for those who wish to learn to drive in Birmingham, which is one of the most comprehensive in this vast conurbation. Even if you have never sat behind the wheel of a car before, the Bill Plant fully qualified driving instructor will put you at your ease and collect you from your chosen locality, whether this is from diverse points such as Aston to Cradley Heath or eastwards to Chelmsley Wood. Relax; learning to drive in Birmingham and taking the two part driving test at one of the six Birmingham Driving Test Centres is taken care of through sympathetic and understanding coaching by the Bill Plant Birmingham Driving School, you will soon be a qualified driver.

The Hazard Perception test is part of the theory portion of your written driver’s exam.  This exam will test how well you can identify potential hazards and reaction time.  You must score at least 44 on the test in order to pass it.  Your score is based on how quickly you identify the hazard in the short video clip that you will be shown.  There are fifteen hazards to find over fourteen clips.  Yes, that means one clip has two hazards that must be properly identified.

During this test, you will sit down at a computer screen that will play a short tutorial telling you how to take the test.  You are allowed to repeat the tutorial if necessary.  When you start the test you will be presented with a freeze frame of the ‘road’ you will be travelling.  Examine the road carefully and when it starts to move, click on your mouse when you identify a developing hazard.  A red flag will appear across the bottom of the screen to alert you that your choice was registered.  Be forewarned that a clip could contain more than one potential hazard.  You want to identify and click on the hazard that will materialize into something dangerous involving other drivers.

The score on this test is based on how quickly you recognize the developing hazard and click on the mouse.  The time frame for selection is from the earliest point the hazard could be recognized through the time your ‘vehicle’ arrives at it and takes evasive action.  This time frame is divided into five equal sections and the sooner you identify the hazard, the higher you score.

We have discussed it before but we make no excuses for raising it again, that is the need to save both fuel and importantly, money. With the ever increasing cost of oil and subsequently petrol and diesel fuel, the need to try to save this precious commodity is paramount and we; at the Bill Plant Driving School offer some handy tips to try to achieve this.

Reduce weight in the car; do not carry unnecessary heavy items and that can mean not keeping your tank full all the time. Keep your tyres inflated to the maximum recommended pressure, do not drive with the windows open, this causes drag it is better to use air conditioning on a hot day but this uses fuel too. Avoid excessive use of the brakes, anticipate approaching traffic lights and junctions, braking turns fuel into waste heat. Keep the revs down; try to get into as high a gear as quickly possible. Keep a really light right foot and plan your journey before hand, a third of city traffic is estimated to be lost or looking for an address. Use motorways as much as possible, the most efficient way to run a vehicle. Lastly, we know this will hurt, consider you car as a luxury item.

The Bill Plant Driving School is in the top five in the UK and is recognised as being at the forefront when it comes to innovation in its approach as a driving school, offering many online services which help those who are learning to drive, including free Online Theory Test and the all important Highway Code online.

No matter if you have never sat behind the wheel of a car before Bill Plant will take you one step closer to passing that important driving test, whether this is at the Handsworth test centre Sheffield, or maybe you will be taking your driving test at Middlewood Road in Sheffield, we are sure that when you decided to take driving lessons in Sheffield you were relieved to find the Bill Plant Driving School. Their renowned approach of local driving lessons offering regional experience goes a long way when learning to drive in Sheffield. Collecting you within your local area whether this is Abbeydale or Tinsley, to name but two in the whole of the Sheffield area conurbation means that you will not be pitched into the hurly burly of Sheffield city centre traffic and your driving lessons in Sheffield will be pitched at the right level for you.

Whether you are taking the car out for the first time since passing your theoretical and practical driving test, or you have been driving for some time, there are some practical tips that will keep you and other road users safe.

Check your speedometer regularly, especially when coming off high speed roads, modern cars are so powerful and comfortable they give drivers little sensation of their speed, so many drivers find themselves exceeding the speed limit without realising it. Check the speed limits, too many drivers who have been caught speeding, complain that they thought the road had a higher speed limit. A good suggestion would be to use third gear when in a thirty mph limit.

What has been known is that exceeding the speed limit makes little difference to your arrival time. The time it takes to complete a journey is determined much more by your average speed during the whole journey, rather than the maximum speed you achieve for part of it, better to be late “than dead on time”.