Towing a caravan or trailer is no more difficult than driving solo as long as you remember that you are aware of the additional length, you have something at the back! There is no earthly reason why your caravan or trailer should not dutifully follow your car but it is important to remember you will need to allow more time and space to stop safely, overtake and corner.

When turning, you will need to turn later and harder than you usually would as the caravan or trailer does not follow the exact path of your car.

When applying your brakes you should remember that the distance needed may increase by 20 percent, depending on the road conditions. You should never slam on your brakes, to do so can cause the trailer to jack-knife, always allow more distance than normal from the vehicle in front.

Occasionally a caravan or trailer can become instable or “snake and this is often due to bad loading or excessive speed. Not always though, snaking can occur due to air from passing lorries or coaches. Pitching or vertical instability may occur should you hit a pothole if you suffer either of these brake gently slowing down by gradually by easing off the accelerator.

It is a sad fact that young males between the ages of 17 and 20 years of age are ten times more likely to be killed or injured than their older counterparts, so what can we do about it? In spite of the individual attention and training that they will have received from one the team qualified instructors at the Bill Plant School of Motoring, once they have successfully passed their two part driving test they are out of the Driving School’s hands.

Once a new driver is qualified they should seriously consider enrolling on a pass plus course which will not just make them better drivers, but will in most cases qualify them for lower insurance premiums, itself a tremendous bonus. Government is considering legislation to reform the driving test and safety organisations such as “Brake” advocate a provisional period after the test restricting the new driver to day time driving and not carrying passengers. Until reform is brought in the statistics will unfortunately continue.

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.

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.

As soaring fuel prices continue to hit the headlines there can be no motorist who is not interested in saving this precious commodity. Here at the Bill Plant School of Motoring, we have vast experience in driving and want to share our knowledge on techniques you can use to save fuel.

Do you really need to use your car today? If the journey is short, less than two miles for instance, the engine is at its most inefficient and will use more fuel, walking to your destination in these circumstances could be an option. Take the most direct route and go at off-peak times if possible to save fuel and time, sitting in congestion means you are often doing zero miles per litre. Check your tyre pressures this reduces wear and helps fuel economy.

At Bill Plant our qualified driving instructors always emphasise keeping within the speed limit, this is the law after all, but for instance travelling at 56 mph uses 25 per cent less fuel than 70mph and a smoother driving style can bring significant fuel saving. Reduce your drag by removing roof racks when not in use and drive with your windows up. Fuel has never been more expensive, save it!

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.

What is not in doubt is that modern cars are structurally far superior to models widely available in years previously, but the width of the pillars to achieve this has grown, in particular the one that divides the windscreen and the side windows, known as the “A” pillar, the downside is that his pillar obstructs the vision of thousands of drivers.

Your Bill Plant qualified driving instructor will have made you aware of the potential restriction the “A” pillar may cause in your ability to scan the road ahead. As a reminder to all drivers you should make sure that nothing is hidden from view by the pillar before making a manoeuvre as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists are easy to “lose” in the space behind this. Make sure you take time to look around the pillar, not just take a quick “snap-shot” look which could allow a cyclist to be hidden from view.

Never forget that good all round vision is essential to safe driving, vital in fact and remember that as a driver of a motor vehicle, the onus is on you to ensure that nothing is there.