Anyone who is not familiar with the way the British and residents of her former dominions drive will be shocked to see that they drive on the left-hand side of the road.  This is extremely surprising for Americans who have never been exposed to this before.  This left-hand driving side rule of the road has been in effect for decades and seeing vehicles with the steering wheel on the right-hand side of the car will be very confusing.

Driving on the left-hand side of the road dates back to when people travelled by foot and by the horse and cart in feudal societies.  The sword hand of most men was the right hand, thereby keeping the weapon between themselves and any potential opponent or enemy that was walking towards you.  The same went for jousting knights and their lances.  No one went unarmed during those violent times.

Some of this thinking changed when Napoleon Bonaparte took over as self-proclaimed emperor in Revolutionary France.  Napoleon was left-handed so he naturally made his army march on the right, once again keeping his weaponry between him and his enemy.  Because of Napoleon, any French colonized territory – and pretty much the rest of the world – took to travelling on the right-hand side of the road, while the United Kingdom and her followers continued to travel on the left.  The United States adopted the right hand driving system in an effort to show the rest of the world that they no longer followed British tradition.

New laws come into effect from Monday the 17th August 2008 meaning those motorists who kill while using a mobile phone will face prison. Currently drivers who kill can walk away from court with a £5,000 fine and points on their licence, but under the new laws, careless or distracted drivers could be given a custodial sentence of up to five years.

These penalties apply to those who were “avoidably distracted” and by this it is meant for example, using a mobile phone, drinking or eating at the wheel, adjusting a car stereo or applying make-up. The Ministry of Justice claims that 150 motorists will be jailed every year under the “death by careless” offence. Further legislation includes jailing those motorists who drive uninsured, or who are unlicensed and they can expect a two year custodial sentence as well.

Drivers who kill through carelessness will no longer be able to walk away from court with just a fine.

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.

When you get ready to go out at night and need to drive, you should always make sure that both you and your car are prepared for the outing.  You need to make sure that you will be able to see adequately to drive and you may find that as you age you may need night time driving glasses.   Always allow your eyes to adjust to the darkness if you leave a brightly-lit building.  And it’s a good idea to make sure your windshield is clear on the inside of your car and the outside to cut any glare that may occur from passing vehicles in the other lane. 

The biggest priority of a night time driver is to make sure the lights on his or her car work properly.  Headlights, taillights, parking lights and turn signals should all be in good working condition.  Make sure that the headlights work in both positions – main beam and dip.  Use the proper settings on your lights when driving to help you see better.  Dimly lit or dark roads with little traffic can be traversed using your high beams.  When driving in town or on roads that are lit, use the dipped setting.  Always remember to dim your lights when on the bright setting to oncoming traffic so as not to blind the other motorists.

If you feel yourself getting tired while you are driving at night, stop the vehicle, get out, and take a break.  Fatigue can cause you to fall asleep at the wheel and if this happens you could get involved in an accident, potentially a fatal one.

With insurance companies getting tougher with drivers who have points on their licence from hand-held mobile phone offences has to be an excellent development. The insurer Allianz believes that you are a more dangerous driver if you have points from using a hand held ‘phone than for a routine speeding offence, described by them as a “dangerous and needless act”.

If you are one of those who persist with this dangerous practice, you can expect fine, points on their licence, in addition to an increase in the insurance premium when you renew.  Amazingly 185,000 drivers were caught using hand held phones in 2007 but in spite of the increase in the penalties now a doubled fine, from £30 to £60, with three penalty points, the offence continues. There has never been a better time to invest in a Bluetooth hands-free kit, which are widely available at less than £30 which is less than half the cost of the fine if you are caught.

Remember that hands free conversations are still a distraction and you should always tell callers that you are driving, and find somewhere legal, safe and convenient to pull over. Drive safely.

When driving a vehicle you are not only taking your own life into your hands, but also the lives of your passengers and of other drivers with whom you share the road.  If someone would happen to perish due to negligence on your part while you were behind the wheel, you could be charged with Corporate manslaughter.  While this is considered a misdemeanour charge, the action still carries severe penalties and the weight of guilt that you will have to bear for the rest of your life.  The term “vehicular manslaughter” is often used in accidental death cases where the defendant is being prosecuted for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and usually includes a lesser infraction such as driving on a suspended or without a license, and a charge of negligence.

Offences such as corporate manslaughter does not usually require the perpetrator of the crime to have criminal intent.  In other words, they did not premeditate the crime; it was due to their negligence instead.  For this reason, operating a motor vehicle of any sort while under the influence of illegal drugs, prescription drugs that could cause drowsiness and alcohol carry very stiff penalties which include fines, loss of driving privileges and jail time.

In common with many countries in the Sub-Sahara regions of Africa, Malawi suffers from a lack of clean drinkable water in certain parts of the country, but help is at hand through the good offices of Bill Plant. The fastest growing National Driving School has donated money to Pump Aid which specialises in bringing water to those most in need.

Pump Aid have been around for well over 11 years and during that time they have successfully supplied and installed “Elephant” pumps which are simple devices that once installed, require little maintenance easily carried out by the local population themselves.

The initial donation made by the Bill Plant School of Motoring is seen by them as an initial signal, heralding the start of a long association with Pump Aid, which will save and improve the lives of tens of thousands of Africans.

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.