Hall Driving School

THE PROOF! 20 is plenty!

Slowing the casualty rate - Intelligent Instructor Despite the negative press headlines, the Welsh default 20mph limit has reduced road casualties according to new figures. Provisional data from the Welsh government reveals a fall of more than a quarter from January to March this year compared to the same period last year. Making a point In Septembe...

https://www.facebook.com/share/fAWZsikqkjxxq6b2/?mibextid=WC7FNe

See What’s Changed 👀 How have they evolved?

What’s changed (motoring wise) in the last 14 years?

From Labour to Labour - Intelligent Instructor Much has changed for motorists since a Labour Government was last defeated in May 2010, but one thing that hasn’t is the cost of an MOT. Meanwhile, the number of electric cars on UK roads has increased from 2,500 to more than 1.1 million. Electric charging points have grown from a few hundred to m...

Busting the myths and misconceptions about electric vehicles (July 2024)

“You can’t hear them coming!”

In 2019 the government introduced regulations mandating that all manufacturers must install acoustic sound systems in all new quiet EVs. These will produce a specified level of noise when vehicles are reversing or travelling at slow speeds. This will allow pedestrians and other road users to hear EVs more easily.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electric-vehicles-costs-charging-and-infrastructure/electric-vehicles-costs-charging-and-infrastructure #:~:text=In%202019%20the%20government%20introduced,to%20hear%20EVs%20more%20easily.

EVs aren’t as silent as some people seem to think though. They still make road noise from their tyres, and certainly a lot more noise than a cyclist would make! The fact that they are quieter should be considered to be a good thing, particularly in residential areas. As long as pedestrians have the common sense to look in all directions before they cross the road, there should be no problem!

“Electric vehicles don’t go far enough on a single charge and have a short range”

The average EV can now travel between 200 and 300 miles. Our 2022 Renault Zoe does between 190 (in the winter) and 240 ‘real world’ miles. Enough to get from Scarborough to London (224 miles), Edinburgh (214 miles) or Liverpool (137 miles)
Many ‘top of the range’ models now cover between 400 and 500 miles on one charge!
Statistically in the UK, the first car in a family does around 37 miles a day on average and any second car covers around 11 miles daily.
When we take longer trips, most of us already do stop for 15-30 minutes at a service station, to grab a drink, use the facilities or fill up on petrol or diesel. This is the time it takes to power up your EV with ultra-rapid chargers that are already being installed across the country, with plans for more over the coming years.

“There aren’t enough public EV chargers“

At the end of June 2024, there were 64,775 electric vehicle charging points across the UK, across 33,829 charging locations. This represents a year-on-year increase of 46% in the number of public devices, with 20,367 installed since June 2023.

https://www.zap-map.com/ev-stats/how-many-charging-points #:~:text=How%20many%20public%20charging%20points,20%2C367%20installed%20since%20June%202023.

“What about in Scarborough?”

This article is from the NYCC website in September 2023; this is in addition to the existing charging points in Scarborough. Search Google, and look at ‘places’ to see where they all are. You might be surprised!

“We (NYCC) are installing 96 electric vehicle charging points across the former Scarborough borough in 18 car parks, offering residents and visitors convenient locations to recharge their batteries.”

https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/your-north-yorkshire/electric-vehicle-charging-points-rolled-out-coast

“It takes too long to charge an EV”

Charging your EV can take as little as 30 minutes using a rapid charger or up to 12 hours using a home charger (0% to 100%) – it all depends on the size of your car battery and the speed of the charging point. As with all technology, EV chargers are changing and developing all the time, and will continue to do so.
For those with home chargers, up to 80% of your charging will likely be done at home, including while you’re sleeping, using off-peak cheap rates.

“Electric vehicles are too expensive”

At the moment, NEW EVs are generally more expensive to buy than similar petrol or diesel cars, but there are now more used EVs available, which has brought down their price drastically. Auto Express magazine recently reported some second hand EVs being cheaper than their petrol or diesel equivalents. While it’s true that products based on new technology do tend to be more expensive for early adopters, prices typically come down as they become more mainstream and volumes increase – look at mobile phones and laptops for example. EV battery prices are also falling, which helps reduce the cost of a new car.
EVs are cheaper to run than petrol or diesel cars over their lifespan. This is due to a number of factors. First of all, electricity is typically significantly cheaper than petrol or diesel per mile driven. This difference has become even more pronounced with recent energy price rises affecting fossil fuels. An electric car costs £6 less than the average petrol car for every 100 miles. Using an average electricity cost of 34p per kWh, it costs £12 to drive 100 miles. Whereas it costs £18 to drive 100 miles in the average petrol car. In our experience, the cost of doing 100 miles has been much less than that though! EVs have a lot fewer moving parts than traditional petrol or diesel cars. This means you’ll need less frequent and generally less expensive maintenance like oil changes, engine tune-ups, and transmission repairs.

https://www.eonnext.com/electric-vehicles/costs-and-benefits-of-electric-cars/running-costs #:~:text=Using%20an%20average%20electricity%20cost,12%20to%20drive%20100%20miles.

“The electricity grid won’t be able to handle the increase in EVs”

Follow this link to see what the national grid say.

https://www.nationalgrid.com/stories/journey-to-net-zero/electric-vehicles-myths-misconceptions

“The electricity used to charge EVs is created by burning fossil fuels, so there are still emissions involved”

More and more of our electricity now comes from renewable, green or clean energy sources and zero-carbon power in Britain’s electricity mix has grown from less than 20% in 2010 to nearly 50% in 2021. With the growth in onshore and offshore wind farms and the closure of a number of coal plants, transport is now the most polluting thing the UK does as a nation.

https://www.nationalgrid.com/stories/journey-to-net-zero/electric-vehicles-myths-misconceptions

“EVs catch fire!”

The cause of the Luton Airport fire has been a popular topic across social media, with many blaming EVs. It follows a number of years of negative stories about fires involving Teslas.
However, a diesel-powered car is now believed to have started the fire! Data from the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency shows that EVs are 20 times less likely to catch fire than petrol or diesel cars.

https://www.intelligentinstructor.co.uk/evs-catch-fire/

“We’ll end up with lots of EV batteries going into landfill”

The lithium ion technology in our mobile phones is not dissimilar to those in an electric vehicle, but what’s different is that EVs have effective power management systems that guard the long-term health of their batteries. Most manufacturers are offering battery warranties of seven or eight years, or around 100,000 miles, but there’s a reasonable expectation that they will actually last longer than that and indeed outlive the car itself.
Even if a battery became no longer fit for use in the car it won’t end up in that landfill site, as it can either be recycled or given a second life as an energy storage unit for homes or businesses.

“Electric cars break down more than normal cars”

Electric cars are actually shown to break down less than combustion vehicles, as they have fewer moving parts. They also require less maintenance, fewer fluids and their brake systems generally last longer due to regenerative braking.

“EVs are slower than petrol and diesel cars”

Electric vehicles are leaving combustion engine cars in their emission-free wake in performance terms! The fastest-accelerating production car in the world is currently an all-electric supercar – the Rimac Nevera (1.74 seconds!) – but even your average EV is much quicker accelerating than its petrol or diesel equivalent. While top speeds aren’t really any different to other cars, EVs’ rapid acceleration certainly feels a lot faster. That’s because you get instant torque delivery, whereas you need to ‘rev up’ an internal combustion engine car to get maximum power and torque.

“Are EV motors efficient?”

An electric motor makes vehicles substantially more efficient than internal combustion engines (ICEs). Electric motors convert over 85 percent of electrical energy into mechanical energy, or motion, compared to less than 40 percent for a gas combustion engine.

https://www.nrdc.org/bio/madhur-boloor/electric-vehicle-basics #:~:text=Electric%20motors%20makes%20vehicles%20substantially,for%20a%20gas%20combustion%20engine.

Our new electric automatic Renault Zoe has arrived and is ready for driving lessons!
Book now, to avoid disappointment!

Coming soon! Electric (automatic) Renault Zoe!
Get in touch now to be added to our waiting list!
Female and male instructor available

https://www.intelligentinstructor.co.uk/baddies-bots-and-the-long-wait/

Baddies, bots and the long wait - Intelligent Instructor According to a new article in The Guardian, driving test waiting times in England are going up. The comprehensive feature is a scathing critique of the entire test booking system, highlighting the shortcomings in DVSA reactions and the impact of government austerity. It appears the only people winni...

https://www.intelligentinstructor.co.uk/20-reduces-crashes/

Well done Wales! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

20 reduces crashes - Intelligent Instructor As the Government of Wales’s decision to introduce default 20 mph limits on urban roads continues to cause disquiet among motorists, relevant data is also beginning to be included in the conversation. An insurance company says that vehicle damage claims have been reduced by 20% since the default 2...

Proof that ‘20 IS plenty’!!

City sprint - Intelligent Instructor Collisions resulting in death or serious injury decreased by a quarter (25%) after speed limits were lowered in London

Why WOULDN’T you wear a seatbelt? They save lives and serious injury – FACT!

www.intelligentinstructor.co.uk

‘20 is plenty’. Coming soon to a town / city near you, hopefully!

20 mph limits to be enforced - Intelligent Instructor A first of its kind speed enforcement is about to get underway. The London local authority will issue fines to drivers who breach 20mph limits. Wandsworth will run a pilot scheme for up to eight months, starting this week. If successful, the crackdown could be rolled out across the capital. A fine i...

We have just found out that for the first time since Covid 19 rules, that driving schools have been mentioned in the rules regarding face coverings! Unfortunately, it’s wasn’t the DVSA who informed us, as it should be, as we pay them fees to allow us to teach!

Rules on face coverings are being updated in England
The public and staff in public facing areas will be required to wear face coverings in these settings from 4am on 30 November 2021:
* shops and supermarkets (places that offer goods or services for retail sale or hire)
* shopping centres (malls and indoor markets)
* auction houses
* post offices, banks, building societies, credit unions, short-term loan providers, savings clubs and money service businesses
* estate and letting agents
* premises providing personal care and beauty treatments (barbers, hair salons, tattoo and piercing studios, nail salons and massage centres)
* pharmacies
* premises providing veterinary services
* retail galleries
* retail travel agents
* takeaways without space for consumption of food or drink on premises
* public transport (aeroplanes, trains, trams, buses, coaches and ferries), taxis and private hire vehicles
* transport hubs (airports, rail and tram stations and terminals, maritime ports and terminals, bus and coach stations and terminals)
*
* any car or small van during a professionally delivered driving lesson and practical driving test
*
* during all HGV lessons and tests, during all professional driving lessons and formal driving tests, and during any practical test for giving driving instruction
Updated guidance will be published soon.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own -on-face-coverings-are-being-updated-in-england

Face coverings: when to wear one, exemptions, and how to make your own Face coverings are expected and recommended in indoor spaces where you come into contact with people you do not normally meet. However, there are some circumstances where people may not be able to wear a face covering.

https://www.intelligentinstructor.co.uk/wearing-masks-during-lessons/

Wearing masks during lessons - Intelligent Instructor Following the easing of Covid base restrictions anounced by the Prime Minister, should driving instructors continue wearing masks?

THIS IS FROM DVSA

Driver testing services: step 4 of the roadmap
Following the government’s announcement setting out plans to move to step 4 of the roadmap in England on 19 July, we want to explain what these changes mean to driver testing services in England and how these will affect you and your pupils.

Driving lessons: keeping yourself and others safe
There is still a risk you could catch or pass on the virus, even if you are fully vaccinated. You are encouraged to exercise caution and consider the risks. While no situation is risk free, there are actions we can take to protect ourselves and others around us.
Wearing a face covering
COVID-19 spreads through the air by droplets and aerosols that are exhaled from the nose and mouth of an infected person. The government expects and recommends that people wear face coverings in enclosed spaces. So we still recommend you and your pupils wearing a face covering during a driving lesson.

Fresh air
When a person infected with COVID-19 coughs, talks or breathes, they release droplets and aerosols which can be breathed in by another person. Fresh air blows away these particles, reducing the chances of COVID-19 spreading.
The more fresh air you let into your vehicle, the less likely a person is to inhale infectious particles.
Testing twice a week, even if you do not have symptoms
Around 1 in 3 people with COVID-19 do not have any symptoms. This means they could be spreading the virus without knowing it. Testing twice a week increases the chances of detecting COVID-19 when a person is infectious - helping to make sure you do not spread COVID-19.
Rapid lateral flow testing is available for free to anybody in England. You may wish to use regular rapid testing to help manage periods of risk such as close contact in a car or when spending prolonged time with a more vulnerable person.

Driving tests
Taking rapid lateral flow tests
From 19 July, we will continue to encourage your pupils to take a rapid lateral flow test in the 48 hours before their driving test

Face coverings
From 19 July we will continue to expect you and your pupils to wear a face covering when you come for driving tests, unless you or your pupil have a good reason not to, such as:
• having a physical or mental illness or impairment, or a disability that means you cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering
• putting on, wearing or removing a face covering would cause you severe distress
Your pupil must tell us if they have a good reason not to wear a face covering when they book their test – if you have made the booking on behalf of your pupil you will need to do this if required.
Your pupil’s test will not take place without a face covering if they do not tell us ahead of their test.

If your pupil makes a dangerous or serious fault on test
From 19 July if your pupil makes a serious or dangerous fault, which means they’ve failed their test, the driving examiner will still direct them back to the driving test centre, where the test will end. This is to minimise the amount of time they need to spend in the vehicle.
We will keep this measure under review.

https://www.bluelightaware.org.uk/

UK emergency services awareness resource | Blue Light Aware Explaining the needs of UK emergency services when on a blue light journey and how you can help.

https://www.intelligentinstructor.co.uk/eco-petrol-hitting-the-forecourts/

Eco petrol hitting the forecourts - Intelligent Instructor The formulation of petrol is changing this summer to include a higher ratio of bio-ethanol in the mix to improve emissions

https://www.intelligentinstructor.co.uk/automatic-choice/

Automatic choice - Intelligent Instructor The DVSA is looking to keep the driving test in line with modern technological developments including EVs and hybrids

Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency

I’m really pleased that driving lessons and tests have now restarted in England, Scotland and Wales.

On Friday 28 May we sent you a joint message with the driving instructors’ National Associations Strategic Partnership (NASP) to remind you of the importance of both you and your pupils WEARING FACE COVERINGS DURING DRIVING LESSONS . We also encouraged you and your pupils to take regular rapid lateral flow tests.

This is really important. It helps to protect the NHS, your friends and families, the driver training industry and our driving test service.

I know many of you are now busy teaching and preparing your pupils for their upcoming tests and to drive safely on their own once they pass their test.

I hope the recently published guidance about the top 10 reasons for failing driving tests and understanding driving test results are useful and are helping you support and prepare your pupils.

Now that driver testing has restarted, the hard work of reducing the backlog as quickly and safely as possible begins. I want to update you on how we plan to do this and explain how we will keep you updated.

Understanding future demand for driving tests

We know how many theory tests and driving tests are booked. And we’re seeing a large increase in people buying our learning materials.

In addition to those who were already wanting to drive, many other people now feel uncomfortable about travelling on public transport.

We have conducted extensive modelling of future demand. But we want to get a fuller picture of the future demand for driving tests.

Keeping our safety measures under review

We keep our safety measures under constant review, taking expert advice from the relevant Public Health bodies and the Health and Safety Executive and the latest government guidance.

Whilst COVID-19 remains, and to align with the guidance and expert advice we have received, we need to ask for your continued support with:

not accompanying your pupils during their driving tests
restricting access to waiting rooms at test centres where we are unable to safely open them
you and your pupils continuing to wear face coverings during lessons, theory tests and driving tests.
We’ll let you know when we can safely consider changing these measures. We’ll also let you and your pupils know if there are any changes to our services as a result of new restrictions in response to new COVID-19 variants. And we’ll reassure you if our services are unaffected.

Increasing the number of driving test appointments

From Monday (14 June 2021) our driving examiners will be returning to carrying out 7 tests each day in England, Scotland and Wales. This change will allow us to increase capacity across the national network by an average of 15,000 to 20,000 tests per month.

We are also reintroducing the short notice cancellation fee from Thursday 17 June. This will help reduce the number of learner drivers who do not turn up for their driving test and free up the test slot to another candidate.

In the coming weeks, we’ll publish our full plan for reducing driving test waiting times and share it with you and your pupils. I’ll update you on this again on this as soon as I can.

Keeping you updated

The road ahead is challenging for us all. But by working together, we can help to reduce the backlog, help your industry recover and help people stay safe on Britain’s roads.

I’ll write to you again when we can share our strategy for reducing driving test waiting times and explain how you can get involved and give us feedback.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

I hope that you, your family and your friends remain safe and well.

Yours faithfully,

Loveday Ryder
Chief Executive
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency

NASP - National Associations Strategic Partnership National Associations Strategic Partnership Welcome to the online home of the steering group for national approved driving instructor associations Who are NASP? The National Associations Strategic Partnership is a representative body focused on promoting the interests of Approved Driving Instructors...

How we can continue to work safely during the pandemic

As coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions in Great Britain continue to ease, it’s important that we all continue to take actions to stop the spread of COVID-19.

DVSA and the driving instructors’ National Associations Strategic Partnership (NASP) would like to thank you for all your hard work and support in successfully and safely restarting lessons and tests last month. We also encourage you to continue to follow some simple steps to keep you and your pupils safe and avoid driving test cancellations.

We need to do all that we can to protect the driver training industry to make sure that we can continue to offer a driving test service. If driving examiners have COVID-19 or come into contact with someone who has it, they cannot work and driving tests will be cancelled.

Just one driving examiner who has to self-isolate as a result of testing positive or coming into close contact with someone with COVID-19 will cause 40 or more driving tests to be cancelled.

This is why it’s vital that everyone continues to follow government guidance about protecting themselves and others from COVID-19 so we can keep training and testing on track.

Keep your car clean and let fresh air in. It is important that you continue to keep you windows open as much as possible during lessons to let fresh air in (ventilation).

It’s important to continue to keep the inside of your car clean for lessons and sanitise it before each pupil gets in. You must make sure the inside of your vehicle is cleaned before a test.

Face coverings on Driving lessons
To help protect you, your pupils and their families in England and Wales, both you and your pupils should wear a face covering during lessons.
It’s been the law in Scotland since 2 November 2020 that you and your pupils must wear a face covering during driving lessons. If you do not wear a face covering, you must have a good reason. You can be fined £60 if you do not wear a face covering during a driving lesson in Scotland.

Driving tests
Your pupil must bring and wear a face covering when they come for their test in England, Scotland or Wales unless they have a good reason not to and they told us this when they booked their test.

We strongly encourage you to do the same.

Rapid lateral flow tests
It is really important that you take regular rapid lateral flow tests and encourage your pupils to do the same.

You should take a rapid lateral flow test twice a week (every 3 or 4 days).

Around 1 in 3 people with COVID-19 do not have symptoms. Rapid lateral flow tests help to find cases in people who may have no symptoms but are still infectious and can give the virus to others.

You can access free rapid lateral flow tests and find more details about how to get them in England, Scotland and Wales by visiting your government’s website.

Driving examiners are also being encouraged to do twice-weekly rapid lateral flow tests to pick up any cases quickly so they don’t spread the virus to other candidates and colleagues.

Taking rapid lateral flow tests before a driving test
Your pupils do not need to take a rapid lateral flow test to be able to take their driving test, but by doing one, they’ll help to stop the spread of COVID-19.

If they do test positive and have to cancel their test, they can email us and we can help them look for the earliest possible appointment once they have finished self-isolating or have received a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.

We’ve already contacted candidates with a driving test booked in England, Scotland and Wales about the importance of doing regular rapid lateral flow tests and where they can get them from.

We will contact candidates with theory tests shortly encouraging them to regularly use rapid lateral flow tests before lessons and their test too.

If you have to self-isolate
In England, you might be able to get a Test and Trace Support Payment of £500 if you’ve been told to self-isolate because of COVID-19.

In Scotland, you might be eligible for the £500 self-isolation support grant.

In Wales, you might be eligible for the £500 self-isolation support scheme.

If you have had the vaccine
Even if you’ve received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccination it is important that you continue to follow the guidance above to help protect you, your pupils and your family. Even after both doses of the vaccine you can still catch COVID-19 and pass it on to others without knowing.

As most learner drivers are under the age of 30, it is unlikely that they will have been vaccinated against COVID-19. So you should continue to take recommended precautions to stop the spread of the virus.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/understanding-your-driving-test-result/car-driving-test?utm_source=dvsa&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dvsa-direct

Car driving test - Understanding your driving test result - Guidance - GOV.UK Find out what’s assessed during your driving test, what things count as faults, and how to improve on any mistakes you made.

https://www.intelligentinstructor.co.uk/the-worst-learner-drivers/

The worst learner drivers - Intelligent Instructor Moneyshake submitted a Freedom of Information request to find out how many drivers have penalty points (or endorsements) on their provisional licence. Using the latest data released by the DVLA, it shows that a shocking 65,054 learner drivers have points on their licence before passing their test! D...

https://www.intelligentinstructor.co.uk/eight-month-driving-test-waiting-lists/

Eight month driving test waiting lists - Intelligent Instructor The pandemic lockdowns have left driing tests facing a huge backlog, wile the number of ADIs has dropped increasing demand for instructors

This in from the DVSA (29/3/21)

Update on private practice in England

From today (29 March) essential journey guidance is changing in England. This means that learner drivers in England are able to take private practice during non-essential journeys.

The private practice must still be with someone from their own household or support bubble.

Letting your pupils know
We are emailing all theory test and practical test candidates with a test booking to let them know that from today they can practice driving with someone from their household or support bubble on more than essential journeys.

For your pupils with a theory test booked this is a good way for them to put the knowledge and theory they have learnt in to practice. This is particularly important for your pupils who learn whilst doing.

For your pupils who have a practical test booked this is a good way for them to practice their skills before restarting lessons with you. DVSA research with learners found that those who had practice with friends and family were 1.4 times more likely to have passed their test compared to those that didn’t have private practice.

There is guidance on getting the most from private practice in the official learning to drive guide available from TSO

More information
Check GOV.UK for the latest

https://www.intelligentinstructor.co.uk/dangerous-driving-habit/

Dangerous driving habit - Intelligent Instructor The top riskiest behaviours behind the wheel include both legal as well as illegal actions that can lead to crashes

Just bought this for our cars! We have also both had our first Covid vaccination jab and face coverings will continue to be worn on driving lessons until further notice, so IF we can return to driving lessons on the 12th of April, we should all be a lot safer than we were last year!

https://www.intelligentinstructor.co.uk/more-examiners-more-test-centres/

More examiners, more test centres - Intelligent Instructor The DVSA ad NASP have discussed the roadmap out of the pandemic restrnictions and how to improve waiting times