Driving lessons in Wales can restart on monday 12 April. Transport secretary Grant Shapps said driving tests will resume 10 days later on 22 April and to help clear the backlog of candidates, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency will offer more tests and examiners, including at weekends and on bank holidays. Driving tests for motorcycles, lorries and cars with trailers can also take … [Read more...]
Tradelines 10 March
The Land Rover Defender has been named Supreme Winner Women’s World Car of the Year 2021. The triumph is the first time a Land Rover has won the top prize at the awards and is the latest in a series of international honours for the most capable Land Rover ever made. SsangYong will introduce the 21-model year Rexton into the UK market fairly soon. The Rexton facelift boasts a new look front end … [Read more...]
Quarter of new drivers bump first car
A quarter of drivers admitted to having a bump, scrape or accident in their first car, according to new research which surveyed more than 4,500 young drivers. Of the drivers surveyed who experienced an accident, 78% were found to have taken their driving test before they had met the official recommended 44 hours of tuition with a qualified instructor. The research from learner driver car … [Read more...]
Newslines 26 February
The Ford Fiesta and Vauxhall Corsa pass the test with learners. They are the most popular models for driving schools says Veygo insurance. Five Welsh businesses have been included in this year’s best garage award from WhoCanFixMyCar. Euro Testing Centre, Cardiff; Keep Driving Auto and NGS Swansea; Motazone, Cwmbran and Greens Mobile Mechanics of Pontypool were nominated by very satisfied … [Read more...]
Motorbikes rebalancing after virus-hit
November’s motorcycle sales figures confirmed a fantastic year on year performance, during a challenging trading period, with dealers embracing the use of click and collect to meet consumer demand through the second lockdown, said Paddy O’Connell, Head of the National Motorcycle Dealers Association. Commenting on the latest MCIA motorcycle sales figures, he said that Powered Two Wheels (PTW) … [Read more...]
Learning to drive is breaking the bank for some
Cost is putting the brakes on learning to drive. A study by Comparethemarket shows almost a third (31%) saying the cost of lessons put them off from learning, and a further 31% of people say that they can’t afford to purchase a car or its running costs. Nearly a quarter (24%) of Brits have said they simply don’t want to drive, and the fear of getting behind the wheel was another determining … [Read more...]
Best of the tests are in Wales
Llandrindod Wells is home to Britain’s best drivers, according to Collingwood Insurance Services. The Newcastle-based insurance intermediary examined the latest data from DVLA test centres across Britain and discovered the Welsh town returned the highest pass rate, with 73.19 per cent passing the test. Of 593 conducted tests, a staggering 434 people passed with flying colours and subsequently … [Read more...]
Newslines 27 August
About 400 jobs are going at the MINI plant, Cowley, Oxford. The company said it’s halving its contracting force following a slump in demand for the models in the coronavirus lockdown. Learners have to contend with another collapse of the DVSA on-line driving test booking system. It failed within hours of being restarted after the lockdown and then again this week when it was restored after … [Read more...]
65,000 learners have penalty points before test
More than 65,000 learners have points on their licence even before passing their test. A staggering 10,639 learner drivers have 7-9 points on their provisional licence, while 1,803 have 10 or more. This means a total of 12,442 learners could have their licence cancelled immediately after passing the test, as provisional points are carried over to the full licence. If you get more than six … [Read more...]
Skills shortage warning
A combination of the lockdown restrictions over the past six months, a 'baby boom' in 2003/4 and a decline in registered driving instructors means the UK could fall into a national shortage of driving instructors in the latter half of 2020, with the problem only predicted to continue and grow. Learner driver insurers, Marmalade has studied the data and forecast big problems for the industry and … [Read more...]