The Extended Driving Test - Regaining Your Driving Licence

When you have passed your driving test after taking driving lessons in Nottingham and your driving licence is revoked for whatever reason you may be ordered by the courts to take the Extended driving test in order to regain it. Many people who lose their licence have never taken driving lessons, having been taught exclusively by friends and family or indeed may never have passed a driving test at all. This article gives advice on preparing for the extended driving test.
The Extended driving test is much more demanding than the normal L test, lasting 70 minutes instead of the usual 40 minutes and covering a more diverse route including high speed dual carriageways. You will need to train for this with one of the driving schools in Nottingham. Emphasis will be placed on the driver's ability to concentrate for the full duration of the test and attention will be paid to the overall attitude of the drive. Demonstration of one manoeuvre and the emergency stop will be included on the test. You must prove to the examiner that you are capable of driving safely with due consideration for other road users.
Concentrating for this length of time can be a difficult task especially if you have never had any formal driver training, the mind tends to wander during driving and this seems more the case with people who have never had driving lessons. When this is combined with an attitude where the candidate believes they are already a good driver and have been victimised by the police and courts it can be a real obstacle to improving your standard of driving.
If you have been taught by someone other than a qualified driving instructor you may have a lack of understanding of the rules of the road. This lack of knowledge, particularly of the meanings of signs and road markings can result in your breaking the law unwittingly and incurring points on your licence. A poorly maintained vehicle can lead to infringements such as driving with brake lights out or with worn tyres. Other areas you may fall foul of the law are insurance and licensing requirements. The vehicle must be insured for you to drive and you must hold a full driving licence if unaccompanied.
To prepare for the extended driving test you will definitely need lessons from an experienced professional. Don't be resistant towards what an instructor has to teach you. Ask questions on anything you feel you don't understand to get full benefit from your training. Remember an Instructor is there to help you, not to judge your previous driving habits so relax and enjoy the lessons.
Make sure that the car you intend to drive is roadworthy. Check all lights are working, check tyres have the minimum legal tread depth. Maintenance questions are included on the test so take an interest in the workings of your vehicle. If you can carry out your own maintenance checks it will save you money in the long run and make your driving more enjoyable. Remember that driving should be a pleasure for you and others. Drive courteously and remember it is not a competition, be nice to other drivers and chances are they will be nice to you.
The 'New Driver' act affects any new driver who gets acquires 6 or more penalty points within 2 years of passing the driving test. The license is automatically revoked by the DVLA and the driver is reverted back to a provisional license. Both the theory and practical tests must be passed again and the points gained will stay on the license and count towards any future 'Totting up'. About 14000 new drivers have their licences revoked under this act each year. Take care and make sure that you aren't one of them.

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How to Care Autos of Different Ages?

Just like humans, automobiles also have life cycles. If auto owners do not care about the maintenance, auto aging will be accelerated. Please take good care of them in their "fatigue period".

Youth period

The first two years of a new car can be called golden ages. Its performance and components are in peak. At such period, you just need to pay attention to the daily maintenance and correct driving styles, there would be no big problems. Two years later, automobiles will step into the first life stage.

Some auto parts, such as batteries, cooling fluid and brake pads, are likely to have malfunction and worn-out. You should not only keep daily maintenance, but also pay attention to shock absorbers. Usually, shock absorbers have a little oil leakage, but excessive oil leakage can speed up wornout of absorber parts and shorten service life.

Middle-age period

Just like a middle-aged man, many auto parts have been worn out and get to loose after it is used for 4 to 5 years. If you ignore to clean and change some small parts, auto hearts, engines, could be severely damaged. If filter parts are not updated a long time, impurity in oil can pass into engines and accelerate engine worn out. To keep auto engines in good state, you need to replace new filter parts regularly.

Old ages

Generally, 8-year used car is almost going to get retired and many auto problems would come out. If your car is equipped with AT (automatic transmission), you should much attention to it as it is very likely to have work failures at such period.

The key is to keep the gearbox from oil leaking. Though AT is easy to handle, its internal structure is more complicate than that of manual transmission. Without good maintenance, it tends to have work problems whose repair would cost much.

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Top 10 Minibus Driving Tips

1. If your minibus is fitted with a microphone do not use it while the vehicle is moving, unless in an emergency.

2. Do not use a mobile phone. It is now illegal to use a hand held mobile phone or similar device when driving in the UK. It is not illegal to use a mobile phone earpiece or a speaker system but this is not advisable. The police can still prosecute a driver if they are not in proper control or driving carelessly whilst using the phone.

3. Do not engage in conversation with your passengers unless it is a short statement to inform them of safety issues, operational matters or the vehicle’s location.

4. Ensure your passenger’s behaviour does not endanger other road users or the safety of your vehicle. Do not allow anything to be thrown out of the windows. Advise passengers to stay seated and do not allow running in the aisle. Try to prevent boisterous behaviour and prevent passengers distracting you whilst driving.

5. Allow sufficient stopping distance from the vehicle in front. The stopping distance in a minibus is far greater than that of a car. Remember to add your reaction time to that stopping distance. Extra care needs to be taken when travelling at speed on a motorway or in wet conditions.

6. Brake firmly only when travelling in a straight line. Braking on corners will cause instability. Reduce the minibus’s speed before cornering. When descending a steep winding hill, brake firmly on the straights and ease off on the bends.

7. If taking children to school in a minibus with a passenger capacity of 8 or more, it is obligatory to display the 2 yellow retro-reflective warning signs bearing the symbol of 2 school children.

8. When driving on a motorway try to stay in the left hand lane. A minibus can use the fast lane of a motorway to overtake only if its gross weight does not exceed 7.5 tonnes.

9. Do not use your minibus horn when reversing unless there is danger to a pedestrian or another moving vehicle.

10. Do not park your minibus so that it may cause an obstruction to others. If parking at night, the vehicle’s side and rear lights must be left on. It must always be parked on the nearside of the road unless in a designated parking space.

Driving your minibus safely will prevent accidents. It will also save you money on your minibus insurance as it will increase your no claims bonus. For more minibus adviceFree Reprint Articles,

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