For many drivers it’s all too easy to be blasé about mobile phone use when in charge of a vehicle. It seems that our 24/7 attachment to our smartphones today has at least something to do with it, while drivers getting away with mobile use may also lull them into a false sense a security.Read more
As a business, we take the protection of our pupils’ information incredibly seriously, but we also understand that there is plenty of confusing information out there in relation to data protection, and how it applies to businesses such as ours. Because of this, we thought that we’d share with fellow driving schools the long, short and the basics of data protection in plain English.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the public body responsible for ensuring businesses meet their obligations in terms of data protection. They enforce the Data Protection Act 1998, which applies to living individuals’ data which is stored either digitally or physically on paper.
There are eight core principals to the Data Protection Act, which state that personal data must be:
“1. Fairly and lawfully processed;
2. Processed for specified purposes;
3. Adequate, relevant and not excessive;
4. Accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date;
5. Not kept for longer than is necessary;
6. Processed in line with the rights of the individual;
7. Kept secure; and
8. Not transferred to countries outside the European Economic Area unless the information is adequately protected”.
1. You must let your pupils know what information you’re holding and what it will be used for.
2. You must hold the data securely (see our section on this further down).
3. The data you hold must be kept up to date.
4. Once you no longer have any need for the data, it must be destroyed (such as when a pupil passes).
5. You must ensure access to the information is only given to those who need it.
6. Where CCTV is in use, it must not record any details (e.g. it must be faced towards your desk, rather than behind it).
7. You must train your staff on their data protection responsibilities.
You may have heard that some small businesses need to notify the ICO about their data processing. Driving instructors do not fall into this category, and you don’t need to register.
Should a pupil request to see their information, you are legally obliged to provide them with a copy.
Breaches of data protection are taken seriously and can be deemed a criminal offence, the punishments for which ranges up to a £5,000 fine.
Cloud storage offers just about the most robust protection you could find – over and above storing files on your hard drive (which could, in all likelihood, be stolen should your premises by burgled). But you must choose a premium provider (free providers simply won’t offer the same level of security as the paid options). You must also ensure that any cloud provider is going to store your data in the UK (as outlined in the Data Protection Act).
Alternatively, you should follow good data practice when storing it in-house namely:
– Keeping all paper files locked away in a robust filing cabinet when not in use
– Using anti-virus on your computers
– Installing a firewall for your IT system
– Ensuring that staff change their passwords regularly, that they do not share passwords, and that passwords contain at least one capitalised letter, a number and a non-alphabetically character, to a minimum of eight characters long.
Our pupils are safe in the knowledge that our data management skills are as good as our driving tuition. To book a driving lesson in Kent, call the team at Lanes School of Driving, Kent – phone on 020 8166 5678 or pop us a message via our contact page.
Now that winter is truly upon us, drivers need to make sure that their vehicle will be able to operate effectively regardless of what the weather is like.
Coping with winter mornings and travelling long distances in poor and dark driving conditions is bad enough. But if you have not made adequate preparations then there are a range of problems that can arise that can prevent you from arriving at your destination.
We believe that prevention is better than cure, so here are 10 important preventative measures that any driver can take to minimise problems when driving during the winter months.
We all know that making a telephone call or sending a text when holding a mobile phone can be distracting and dangerous, but what about listening to music? Could it be that listening to music might be distracting too?
So, the short answer to that question is “It depends”.
That is because, drivers can experience one or more of the following distractions while driving:
Mental – requiring the driver to concentrate on something other than their driving;
Physical – requiring the driver to actually remove their hand(s) from the steering wheel;
Visual – requiring the driver to take their eyes off the road;
So how does music affect drivers, mentally, physically and visually?
Mood – there is no doubt that music can change the way you feel. Indeed the attraction of listening to music is that it provides a mood changing experience. Furthermore, the quality of a piece of music is often decided based purely on its ability to affect our emotions. So, few would deny that music has the potential to affect the way we think and feel, and can stimulate memories and feelings from the past. This close relationship between music and moods is a potential danger. Especially when the driver is experiencing challenging driving conditions due to poor weather conditions, perhaps. It is perfectly possible that playing certain types of music, whilst driving can engender moods and memories that divert the drivers attention, increasing the risk of road accidents;
Concentration – a loud, syncopated beat characterises so much of our contemporary music. There is an enormous amount of research that shows how fast paced music, played at a loud volume can lead to erratic and unpredictable driving. It’s not the act of playing of music in the car which is the problem. It is the fact that music with certain characteristics such as music which has a rapid tempo and music played at high volume, can reduce their concentration levels and delay some people’s reaction times. The key takeaway from this is simply that if you play fast paced music loudly while driving you may well the exposing yourself, your passengers and other road users to excessively high levels of danger;
Relaxation – Now, while music with a fast tempo played at high volumes must be avoided while driving, there is nothing to stop a driver playing music with a low tempo, at a reasonable volume. Furthermore, there may be benefits for drivers who listen to this form of music. The psychological benefits of listening to classical music include creating a feeling of relaxation and well being. These benefits can also be found in some types of contemporary music with a slow tempo;
Operating in car music systems – There is no doubt that as motor vehicles become more sophisticated so have their music systems. These music systems can do more than ever before, but can also be more distracting. Any activity that requires a driver to concentrate on something other than driving, from changing the channel on the radio, to choosing which music to play, is a potentially dangerous distraction, and is something that should be avoided;
So, in brief, it does not matter whether you listen to opera, hip hop or classical music while driving. It is the tempo, and volume, of the music which matters most. The greater the tempo, and the volume, the more distracting and dangerous the music can be.
There are many reasons why learner drivers fail their driving test in this country.
Often the reason for failing is simply down to the nervousness of the learner. After all, a driving examination can be fairly stressful.
Government records show that many people fail due to the same handful of avoidable mistakes and we outline 5 of them below.
Inappropriate use of signals – this is a really common reason for failing this test and it is often because of failing to signal soon enough to alert other road users of their intentions, signals could be confusing or missed out altogether. All of our students learn the mirror-signal-manoeuvre procedure thoroughly, to keep errors of this nature to a minimum
Poor steering control – examiners need to be sure that a driver is in control of their car at all times. If you are not fully in control of your vehicle not only are you a danger to yourself you are a danger to other road users, including pedestrians. It is for this reason that steering control is such an important element of the test. Examiners will want to see the learner manoeuvring the vehicle into the correct position in the road at all times while travelling at speeds that are appropriate. Similarly when turning the manoeuvre should be carried out with great care and certainly without hitting the kerb or other vehicles.
Problems at junctions – junctions are, potentially, the most dangerous driving situation you are likely to encounter on a regular basis. Performing turns at junctions safely requires a combination of observation skills and confident car control. It also involves watching, and obeying, signals from traffic lights, watching the behaviour of other drivers closely and manoeuvring appropriately at all times. Even drivers with substantial experience can fail to deal with junctions correctly, occasionally with quite disastrous results.
Failing to checking mirrors – using your mirrors to understand your position with regard to other vehicles is an essential part of driving proficiently. It tends to be something that experienced driver and do automatically. Your examiner will be looking for clear evidence that you are not only checking your mirrors but you’re acting on what you have seen when performing a wide range of manoeuvres, such as decelerating, changing lanes and turning left or right.
The three point turn – In the test, your examiner will ask you to turn your vehicle around safely in the road, so that it is pointing in the opposite direction. Often referred to as the 3 point turn, it can cause a number of challenges for learner drivers due to the fact that it requires excellent car control and handling the vehicle safely while it is moving in reverse.
All of these common driving errors can be overcome with perseverance and patience. Mastering these common faults will not just help you pass your test sooner, it will make you a safer driver, too.
No matter how comfortable you are driving in the UK, driving abroad is a completely different kettle of fish. In many countries – for example – they drive on the right, and they have different rules, regulations, road signs and expectations of how you should behave when you’re behind the wheel.
Even the most competent driver can come unstuck on the road overseas if they are not fully prepared. Here are ten easy-to-follow tips you can take on board so you’re well prepared to drive while abroad.
[1] Take your driving licence – and your insurance documentation and vehicle registration document. Make sure you’re insured while driving abroad, and check to see if you need an IDP (International driving permit). Also, make sure you’ve valid breakdown cover and travel insurance. It always helps if you carry your passport with you at all times.
[2] Know where you’re going – getting lost abroad can lead to nightmares, especially if you can’t communicate with the locals. Take plenty of maps and if you have a satnav, make sure it’s loaded with the correct local information.
[3] Check what you need – some countries require you to carry various items, such as a first aid kit, spare lamp bulbs or a warning triangle. Check what you’re expected to carry before you travel.
[4] Get snickered – you may need a GB sticker if your number plate does not include the GB euro-symbol. If you need a GB sticker abroad and you don’t have one, then you could be fined.
[5] Are you old enough? – anyone driving a vehicle with over nine seats must be over twenty-one years old and must have had a valid full driving’s licence for over a year.
[6] Are you LPG? – if you are taking an LPG-fuelled car, then you will need to check you’re carrying the correct fuel pump adapter. Remember that LPG cars are not allowed in the Channel Tunnel.
[7] Get the card – if you are camping abroad, then get yourself a Camping Card International from – for example – the RAC. Such cards give you discounts and plenty of liability insurance cover.
[8] Get the card II – make sure you have an EHIC card, and one for every member of your travelling party. This indicates that you are entitled to emergency medical care in the EU should it be required.
[9] There’s no need for speed – observe the speed limit at all times. Pleading ignorance to an overseas-based policeman will not cut any mustard, French or otherwise. Discussing speeding offences when you cannot speak the lingo also comes with great difficulty.
[10] Get on the right side – a bit of a no-brainier, but before you go check which side of the road you will be driving on. The UK is in a minority when it comes to countries that drive on the left, but many countries do, including Australia, India and South Africa. Most of mainland Europe, the USA, Canada, China, South America and Africa drive on the right.
To put it simply, if someone advertises their services as a professional driving instructor, then they must be registered with and approved by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency. This prevents ‘just anyone’ from saying they are an approved driving instructor.
Specifically, section 123 of the Road Traffic Act of 1988 states that drivers are prohibited from receiving payment for providing driving instruction, unless the instructor is qualified and registered by the DVSA. This is does not include a situation where a driver on a provisional licence gains experience by driving a vehicle while in the company of a qualified driver, such as a friend or family member – as long as that ‘experience’ is not paid for.
If you wish to learn to drive, then it’s best for you to receive tuition from a qualified instructor. By qualifying as an instructor, such a person has proven that they have to skills necessary to be able to teach someone to drive. If someone says they are a driving instructor when they are not, then that means you are likely to receive sub-standard tuition. It will also take you longer to learn how to drive, and you are more likely to fail your driving test – perhaps repeatedly. All this will of course cost you money.
The DVSA have specialist teams that check out driving instructors whose licences have lapsed and about whom they receive evidence that they are still giving driving instruction. They also review complaints from pupils who have taken lessons from a ‘qualified’ instructor whom they subsequently learned was not qualified at all. Often such ‘instructors’ refuse to return the money paid to them by duped pupils, which is especially painful if a number of lessons have been booked and paid for in advance.
The main challenge that members of this specialist DVSA team face is obtaining witness statements from pupils – a necessity when it comes to the prosecution process. There is often a reluctance for pupils to involve themselves – they are typically young people and the person they will be providing evidence against usually knows where they live, as that is where they were picked up from for their lessons. Sometimes it’s not the pupils who are reluctant to become involved – their parents advise them not to.
The penalties for offering illegal driving instruction can be quite severe, as the crime is fraud – an illegal driving instructor is defrauding their pupils by offering services that they are not legally entitled to offer.
If you are learning to drive, ask your instructor for evidence that they are registered with the DVSA as a qualified person deemed fit to offer paid driving instruction. If you think that someone is charging money for driving lessons when they are not legally entitled to, then you can contact the DVSA, by phone on 0191 201 8120, or via email at .
When you’re driving your car, you’re not only responsible for your own safety and the safety of other road users, you’re responsible for the safety of your passengers too. If you have a child in your car, then you need to take extra precautions to make sure they have the best chance of not being injured should the worse happen and you’re involved in a collision.
Unfortunately, not everyone is heeding the advice given by police when it comes to child safety in motor vehicles. By police estimations, over thirty percent of children aged between eight and eleven are not using booster seats on car journeys when they should.
If a child in your car is not using a booster seat, then they are at serious risk of injury. For the first time in over twenty years the number of children who are seriously injured or even killed on the roads in the UK is on the rise. There’s a particularly alarming increase in the number of children aged eight or over who are killed in road traffic accidents.
Seatbelts are designed to be used by adults, or at least people of adult dimensions. Children between the ages of eight and eleven have yet to attain a suitable height, so they are at risk as they feel they have ‘grown out of’ baby seats or booster seats, meaning it can be difficult to persuade them to use one.
However, when a child between the ages of eight and eleven uses a seatbelt without a booster seat, their seated position means that the seatbelt typically cuts across their neck, instead of across the shoulder as it should and as it does with adults and older children. In the event of a crash, this positioning can cause injuries to the abdomen, spine, neck and head that otherwise would have been avoided.
Children are required to remain in a booster seat until they reach their twelfth birthday, or until they reach a minimum height of 1.35 metres, or four feet, four inches. Children who are under twelve and who are also under 1.35 metres in height must use an appropriate child restraint suitable for their size when travelling in virtually any motor vehicle.
The definition of ‘child restraint’ on this occasion means a baby or child seat, or a booster seat or cushion.
If you do not follow the law, then you could receive a fixed penalty fine of £100 and possible penalty points. More serious flaunting – such as carrying an unrestrained child – may result in a more serious punishment.
The law is not meant to catch vehicle drivers out – it’s there to encourage road users to take their responsibilities regarding child passenger safety seriously. If you are carrying children in your vehicle, then make sure you take necessary steps to ensure that they are safe. Car accidents remain the biggest killer of children in Europe, with the ignorance of the above guidelines being a particular factor.
Even if you’re not that bothered about the appearance of your car, you still need to keep it clean if you want it to retain its value. Keeping your car clean will also help to prevent corrosion.
The best time of year to give your car a thorough clean is spring. Conditions in winter have mean it’s unlikely that underside of your car in a decent state. More than likely the underside of your car is coated in mud after a winter’s worth of driving. Mud usually contains salt, and salt will cause corrosion if it is not removed.
You will also need to attend to the interior of your car. Dampness has more than likely crept in over the winter, and you could find yourself facing problems if you don’t deal with it.
Remove the grime that’s accumulated over winter with warm water and car shampoo. The best method of doing this is to start at the roof and work downwards. You’ll probably find stubborn dirt at the bottom of your car – allow this to soak before removing. Don’t forget the underside of sills and doors, and make sure all shampoo has been rinsed away before you allow the car to dry.
You will be able to attend to any stone chips yourself, but any extensive areas of corrosion need to be handled by experts.
Only completed, apply a layer of polish as this adds some protection.
You need to make sure that the inside of your car is given the opportunity to dry out completely. Wet shoes and clothes mean moisture has invaded over winter, and your car has never probably been given time to dry out. Moisture can cause discoloured upholstery and rotting carpets.
Choose a warm sunny day, remove the mats then vacuum the carpets. If they have become dirty then you might need to shampoo them – if so, only use a small amount of water otherwise this could add to the moisture build up. Leave the windows open to allow your car to dry out, but only if it is safe to do so.
The underneath of your car suffers the worse during winter, and you need to get rid of mud and other debris. Use a hose to hose down the entire underside of your vehicle. Make sure you pay particular attention to the wheel arches.
If you notice any corrosive damage then its advisable to take your car along to a garage for an expert’s appraisal.
… to check your tyres for wear and tear, and for signs of baldness – the legal minimum depth of tread is 1.6 mm, but it’s advisable for your safety and the safety of your passengers to never allow the depth to fall below 2 mm. Also look for signs of damage, and don’t forget to check the spare.
Finally, check the oil, coolant and washer levels, and all tyre pressures, although you should already be doing this once a week anyway.
We want to update you on the Government plug-in car grant changes which will be taking effect on 1 March 2016.
The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) is a team working across the Government to support the early market penetration of ultra-low emission vehicles – Currently those vehicles which produce 75g/km CO2 or less. In 2013, the Government announced that it would make £500m available to support OLEV in its work, to accelerate the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles as a means of bridging the additional cost gap (over an equivalent standard petrol or diesel vehicle).
The plug-in car grant was launched in 2011, enabling motorists to receive a 35% discount, up to £5,000, off the basic purchase price of an eligible car. This was originally to remain in place until either 50,000 qualifying cars had been sold or until 2017, whichever came sooner.
Registrations of ultra-low emission vehicles have taken off in 2015 following the release of more affordable new cars into this sector.
OLEV has reassured the market that even when the current grant (£5,000) expires on 29 February 2016, it will still honour any existing deal placed on its system, provided that the vehicle has been allocated to a customer and is delivered and registered within nine months of the grant finishing.
A spike in grant uptake is expected in the last few weeks of February. Currently, all valid orders that are successfully submitted onto the plug-in grant system before midnight on 29 February will benefit from the £5,000 grant. However, there could be circumstances during February under which OLEV may restrict the number of £5,000 grants that can be paid out.
In April 2015, OLEV announced that the grant would be reviewed and qualifying vehicles would be classed in three separate categories, based on CO2 emissions and zero emission range.
In December 2015 the Government also announced new grant rates based on the environmental performance of the vehicle, in line with the previously announced categories:
Vehicles must have CO2 emissions of less than 50g/km and a zero emission range of at least 70 miles
For vehicles which emit less than 50g/km CO2 but can only travel between 10 and 69 miles on electricity alone
For vehicles with CO2 emissions of 50-75g/km and a zero emission range of at least 20 miles
The grant will be maintained at these levels until March 2017 or until a set number of vehicles is sold within each category, whichever is sooner.
A further review of grant levels will occur when 40,000 Category 1 vehicles and 45,000 Category 2 and 3 (combined) vehicles have been sold.
As of December 2015, 23,000 claims had been submitted for Category 1 vehicles and 28,000 claims for Category 2 and 3 vehicles.
A price cap will also be introduced from 1 March 2016 for Category 2 and 3 vehicles in order to maximise the number of motorists who can benefit. Vehicles that cost £60,000 and above will no longer be eligible for the grant. Category 1 vehicles will qualify for the full grant (£4,500) regardless of their purchase price.
27 Hayes Lane, Bromley, Kent, BR2 9EA
