Major road safety milestone as driving test clocks up 75 years of success

The British driving test marks three-quarters of a century of helping keep people safe on the road ...   more »

Learner flips car on roof

Yahoo News May 14th 2010

Learner driver Krisztina Jaksa ended her second driving lesson by crawling out of an upside down car.

The bizarre accident happened in Headington, near Oxford, when the 24-year-old was crossing a junction.

The BSM Fiat 500 she was driving hit a gatepost then flipped onto its roof, smashing the side windows and windscreen. When local resident Ross Dunne heard a crash he rushed to the scene and helped Ms Jaksa out of the car; the instructor was already getting himself out.

Both Ms Jaksa and her instructor emerged relatively unscathed. According to witnesses, Ms Jaksa said that the steering locked and, panicking, she hit the accelerator hard.

There is no indication that a mechanical fault contributed to the accident in any way.

An ambulance arrived shortly afterwards and police closed the road briefly, but both the driver and instructor were treated only for minor cuts.

BSM Communications Manager Paul Shepherd said that the company had "spoken to the learner driver who is fine and is already hoping to book her next lesson with us soon."

Mark Nichol

Driving Instructors and accompanying drivers will from the 6th April 2010 be allowed to act as interpreters where necessary on practical ...   more »

Motorists get up to £5,000 towards cost of an ultra-low carbon car

Pioneering motorists will receive up to £5,000 to buy an ultra-low carbon car, and the roll-out of supporting infrastructure will begin in selected regions, the government announced today.

The Plug-in Car Grant will be distributed directly to the consumer at the point of purchase and will be available across the UK from January 2011, by which time a range of eligible vehicles is expected to be available.

Also included in the government’s plans is the roll-out of a £30m fund for a network of electric vehicle hubs – called Plugged-In Places – which will see charging infrastructure appearing in car parks, major supermarkets, leisure and retail centres, as well as on the street.  The first Plugged-In Places were today named today as London, Milton Keynes and the North East; and between them they will be installing over 11,000 vehicle recharging points during the next three years. 

The initiatives are part of a £450 million government strategy to support the creation of a flourishing early market for ultra-low carbon vehicles. The programme will help to meet the UK’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions from transport; as well as creating new business opportunities for UK-based companies in the automotive and charging infrastructure sectors.

Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis said:

"Decarbonising transport isn't an aspiration - it's a reality. By this time next year, cutting edge motorists will be on the roads with these next generation cars they've purchased because of our help. 

“And thanks to the Plugged-In Places we will have in place infrastructure to support this growing early market.

"Transport has a huge part to play in helping the UK meet its stringent emission reduction targets and today's announcement is another step on the road to putting the UK at the global forefront of ultra-low carbon vehicle development, manufacture and use.”

Business minister Pat McFadden said:

"Low Carbon vehicles are an important part of the broader shift to a low carbon economy.

"We have already committed £450m to delivering our ambitious vision of supporting suppliers of low carbon technology, encouraging demand from consumers and enabling lead UK cities and regions to switch on charging infrastructure.

"The government is focusing on this sector as a priority and we are committed to helping British businesses take advantage of the growth potential and job opportunities this presents."

The Plug-in Car Grant will significantly reduce prices by providing 25 per cent towards the cost of a new car, capped at £5,000, and will be open to both private and business fleet buyers.

To be eligible for the scheme, cars will have to pass performance criteria to ensure safety, range, and ultra-low tailpipe emissions.

The Plugged-In Places will provide the charge points to support these vehicles – demonstrating how electric vehicle charging works in practice in a range of different settings – urban, suburban and regional – as well as testing innovative technologies such as rapid charging, inductive charging and battery swap. 

A second competition for Plugged-in Places funding is to follow later in the year, with consortia from the West Midlands, Cornwall, Sheffield, the Lake District, Greater Manchester and Northern Ireland having already confirmed their intention to bid for the next wave of funding.

These measures – to be delivered by the Office of Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) – will move the UK further towards its ambitious carbon reduction targets. They will also support the UK automotive, charging infrastructure and other related supply chain industries in realising the economic opportunities that a shift to low carbon represents.

OLEV will also lead work to join up the Plugged-In Places, working closely with partners including the Energy Technologies Institute and the Technology Strategy Board to ensure a fully interoperable network is established in the UK. OLEV will be assessing the feasibility of charging along strategic corridors with the Highways Agency and motorway service area operators; and of charging infrastructure at railway station parking facilities with the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) and Network Rail.

Here is the link to the DSA Youtube channel showing information on the new Independant Driving Test.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGWxptVQPEs

Disqualified drivers face international ban

From 28th January 2010, UK drivers disqualified for serious motoring offences in Ireland will no longer escape punishment when they return home, under a new law. The ban also extends to Irish drivers disqualified while in the UK, who will find the ban enforced when they return to Ireland.

International action on disqualified drivers

The new law means that if you are banned from driving in the UK, you will be banned in Ireland, and vice versa.

The measures are the result of a deal agreed between British, Irish and Northern Ireland ministers.

The new law is the first practical step to recognise driving disqualifications in Europe under the terms of the 1998 European Convention on driving disqualifications.

Road Safety Minister Paul Clark said: "We’ve cut the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads by 40 per cent since the mid-1990s – that’s more than 19,000 fewer deaths or serious injuries in a year. This means we now have some of the safest roads in the world.

"But we need to continue to work to make our roads even safer and if a UK driver commits a serious offence while in Ireland it is right that their ban should still apply when they return home.

"From today this new law will ensure that disqualified drivers are not able to escape their punishment and so keep dangerous drivers off the roads."

Find out more about driving disqualifications

No Restrictions on Deaf or Hard of Hearing Drivers in the UK.

Some people quite wrongly assume that being Deaf means a person cannot drive here in the UK. Although in some countries they do ban Deaf drivers, here in the UK we have no such restrictions. There have been many cases of Deaf pople obtaining a licence to drive vehicles of other groups, such as Pubic service vehicles and Goods vehicles. 

The DSA (Driving Standards Agency) make special provision for Deaf drivers when taking the Theory/Hazard perception test and the practical driving test.

As with users of other languages, Deaf candidates who use BSL (British Sign Language) are given the option of using a translator during both exams.

 In addition, Deaf candidates are given extra time to complete the Theory/Hazard perception test. Extra time is also granted on the practical test, to help both examiner and candidate overcome any communication problems that might occur during the test.

The DSA should be informed of any moderate to severe level of deafness at the application stage for both tests, so that arrangements for support can be made in good time.

Similar support is available to Deaf drivers wishing to take either the DIAmond advanced Driving test or the DIAmond Special test. For further information, contact DIAmond Advanced Motorists at http://www.driving.org/diamond/ or through ourselves via the link below.

For further advice and information on Deafness and Driving, contact myself, Steve Swinton ADI at www.aditraining123.co.uk

Steve Swinton ADI Dip DI

Blog Administrator

Driving Instructor who knows all the signs.

Wes Wright, Business editor, Bolton News Jan 2009 http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/

DRIVING instructor Steve Swinton was furious when he heard a young deaf man had been refused lessons.
He set about learning the basics of British Sign Language but found the only course available was in a weekly mother and toddler’s group.
He said: “It caused a bit of a stir at first but I soon mixed and later I went on to attend an advanced course.”

Now the 54 year-old combines running his own Castle Hill School of Motoring with training would-be driving instructors and has been teaching hearing impaired learner drivers for 15 years.

The father of three reckons he is one of only 50 instructors out of 43,000 in Britain who use signing to teach deaf people to drive and says the skill has gained him extra business as news of his signing ability spread.

Now he wants to set up a course teaching BSL to other instructors and says learning sign language has helped his business over the years.
“Around 10 to 15 per cent of my learners are deaf or hearing impaired.
“I sit further forward turned towards the learner and use my hands instead of talking to tell the drivers what I want them to do and it works very well.
“They can see me signing in their peripheral vision and in some ways it works better than talking does.

“I would eventually like to set up a course for those instructors who want to learn BSL as it a very useful skill which can help their business.”
A former Breightmet High School pupil, Mr Swinton worked as a mechanical engineer but after being made redundant he decided to set up his own driving school.
“I wanted to work for myself and that way nobody could make me redundant and for me it has been a very good move.
“I knew there would more business avenues to explore than just teaching people the basic L-test and now I teach instructors and hearing impaired and deaf people.”

He is a top Grade 6 driving instructor, an advanced driving instructor and supervising examiner and is on the Official Register of Driving Instructor Trainers (Ordit).

A See Hear programme featuring Mr Swinton was broadcast on BBC 2 on Wednesday January 28th 2009 at 1pm.

Stephen P. Swinton A.D.I. Dip D.I. Cert F.Ed.
Diamond Advanced Instructor/Supervising Examiner.
www.aditraining123.co.ukDriving and Deafness Forum Moderator.
www.Deaf247.co.uk

Teenagers tune in to get sound driving skills

Bolton News Wednesday 16th December 2009

SPECIAL classes all about music and cars are being rolled out to bored teenagers to help keep them out of trouble.

It comes after a successful trial of the course, which has passed on new skills to youngsters while also giving them something to do.

The course gave the youngsters, aged 14 to 16, the chance to get their hands on a real car so they could learn how to fit its audio equipment during a series of sessions at Bolton garage, SC Auto electrics, which also provided the vehicle.

Over six sessions on Wednesday nights, the young people who attend the St Helens Road youth club covered subjects including car wiring, how to fit speakers and other audio equipment and how to measure sound and soundproof cars, as well looking at topics like how music affects people’s driving and how to drive safely while listening to music.

Wilson Litchmore, a youth worker for Bolton Council, said: “The young men involved in this course have responded really positively to the sessions because it is something they have an interest in and it really gives them a sense of ownership and responsibility.

“It has also improved their respect for cars because they realise the amount of time and money that goes into them.”

The scheme has been supported by the Government’s Youth Opportunity Fund (YOF), which is part of Aiming High, a 10-year strategy by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) to provide young people with something to do in their local area.

And Wilson Litchmore added that the sessions have proved so popular that Bolton Council is planning to roll them out, so that even more young people can benefit.

He added: “The young men involved have conducted themselves really well and worked well together as a team, because they know that they will all get the opportunity to contribute to working on the car and therefore collectively they will have all learnt new skills over the six week period.

“The garage owner, Steve Challinor, has been really impressed with the boys’ behaviour and is now considering taking appren- tices on in the future because he knows that young people can do a really good job.

“It’s certainly something that some of the young lads might be looking at for a career.”

* More information about activities for young people in Bolton can be found at www.youngboltonlife.org.uk.

Learning The Highway Code with British SignLanguage - the Official DSA DVD and Book Pack

Book and 2 DVD Pack

Author:   Driving Standards Agency (DSA)

Publisher: TSO (The Stationery Office)

It is essential to safe and reliable transport that all road-users understand The Highway Code. This pack from the Driving Standards Agency is designed to help drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists, horse riders and pedestrians in the British Sign Language community to learn all the rules and key information.

This product includes:

• The Highway Code Rules DVD (Disc 1) - Rules for all road users.

• The Highway Code Signs and Annexes DVD (Disc 2) - Full explanations of the signs for warnings, directions, information and road works as well as a full annex.

• The Official Highway Code (Book) - The latest official wording, authorised by Parliament.

From the Driving Standards Agency, the people who set the tests.

» Watch a sample clip of the 'The Highway Code Rules DVD'.

System Requirements for 'The Highway Code Rules DVD' and 'The Highway Code Signs and Annexes DVD':

• Language: BSL (British Sign Language)

• 'The Highway Code Rules DVD' Disk Format: DVD9

• 'The Highway Code Signs and Annexes DVD' Disk Format: DVD5

• 'The Highway Code Rules DVD' Duration: 4 hours 8 minutes

• 'The Highway Code Signs and Annexes DVD' Duration: 1 hour 53 minutes

• Picture Format: 16:9 FHA (Full Height Anamorphic)

• Region Code: 0

• Compatibility: DVD Players and Computer Consoles (please check your console for compatibility).

Hi, welcome to the Castle Hill School of motoring Blog.

We have created this space where our visitors can if they wish add news or comment on the work we do or in fact any other topic you think may be of interest to our visitors.

So! Here it is, why not give it a go?

Go for it!!! 

Steve Swinton ADI. Dip D.I.

www.aditraining123.co.uk