The a strike set to take place next Monday (10th November 2008) has now been called off and the DSA is urging all candidates to attend their driving tests on Monday.

Monday’s planned strike would have been a nationwide strike led by the national Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, of which some driving examiners are members and would have effected a lot of people hoping to take their driving tests.

The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) is now urging anyone due to take a practical driving test on Monday the 10th of to arrive to testing centre as normal.

For further information please contact DSA Press Office on 0115 936 6133.

Or find the number of your local testing centre here -> local driving test centres

A driver from Hamilton was found to be more than two-times over the drink-drive limit, has been fined and disqualified from driving.

The driver in question was caught on the 4th of October 2008 with 83 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. The current legal limit is just 35 microgrammes per 100 millilitres.

In Court last week the driver was fined £200 and banned from driving for 18 months.

I read today about a 9 year old boy who was caught caught driving his parents’ car by himself.  The boy was caught after people had called the police reporting seeing an unmanned vehicle driving down the street.

The boy took the car so he could drive to visit his to visit his grandmother’s house, a police spokesman reported.

Crazy, but true…

A motorist has been charged with a drink driving offence after being involved in an accident on the M27.

The accident which brought the M27 to a halt was caused when the driver crashed into the central reservation on the M27 yesterday morning.

Her car came to a stop in the central lane of the M27 motorway in-between junctions 8 + 9.  Although no one was hurt in the incident the driver was arrested under the suspicion of drink driving and was later charged.

She has now been bailed until the 18th of November 2008, when she is due to appear in court.

The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has launched a consultation of their new proposed fee structure for 2009.

The fees for practical and theory driving tests is set to rise for people who have tests booked on or after the 30th March 2009.

The closing date for responses to this consultation is 18 January 2009

Below is a table of the changes to the fees for learner drivers.

New fees applicable from 30 March 2009

A driving test centre in Bradford has according to a new survey “the lowest pass rate in the country”.

The latest figures from the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) revealed that less than a third of learner drivers passed the practical exam at Heaton Test Centre.

According to the DSA difference in test centre results doesn’t mean that some test centres are easier (or harder) than others. A spokesman for the DSA said: “Examiners are highly trained to ensure that they consistently apply the DSA standard of assessment and all driving tests are assessed to a uniform standard throughout the country.

And then added: “The wealthier the area, the more likely people are able to invest more money on lessons and will have more opportunities for private practice.”

But Julie Sinclair from Auto Express hit back with  “The idea that wealthy learners are more likely to pass is ludicrous. St Albans in Hertfordshire is down the list with a 44 per cent pass rate, and you’d hardly call it poverty stricken.

“A more convincing explanation for these results is that learners in rural areas get off lightly, with dramatically lower levels of traffic, and more simple road layouts making it easier.”

It has been reported in the media today that drivers could soon be breathalysed at random and anyone even close to the limit will stand a much greater chance of being convicted.  This all comes about under new plans to give police more power to tackle the problem of drink driving.

There idea is to increase the number of breath tests given to deter motorists from thinking that its ok to have just that extra drink.

The new roadside breathalyser is said to be provide instant evidence, which will remove the need for the police to take suspected drink drivers back to the station for further tests.

It was also reported that anyone who is just a small amount over the limit will no longer be able to demand a second test from a doctor or nurse. The reason behind this is probably because any delay in obtaining that second sample can allow drivers alcohol levels to drop.

Police will be able stop and test anyone if they have a “reasonable suspicion” that the person is drink-driving, some areas will even set up roadblocks on roads to check all drivers where there is a history of drink driving.

According to an article on “this is London” the answer is yes, they reported that learner drivers in London face much tougher examinations in order to pass their driving test than the rest of the country.

The article was based on a new survey of official Driving Standards Agency test centres by motoring magazine Auto Express.  They survey found that drivers taking their driving tests in London are the most likely to fail, while learner drivers in Scotland are the most likely to pass.

A spokesman for the DSA responded to the survey by saying that the variation was simply due to some drivers being better prepared for their test than others. He said: “The wealthier the area, the more money budding motorists have to spend on lessons.” He said that L-test examiners were trained to ensure test consistency across the country.

A spokesperson from Auto Express the people behind the survey said: “A more convincing explanation for these results is that learners in rural areas get off lightly with lower levels of traffic.”

source www.thisislondon.co.uk

Today the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) issued a severe warning to all impersonators who sit driving tests for others.  The DSA has stated that their actions will be monitored and impersonators will face prosecution with tough sentencing by the courts.

The DSA further warned impersonators that it is committed to ensure that offenders prosecuted, in order to keep the public safe and the preserve the integrity of the driving tests .

Andrew Rice, Head of Fraud & Integrity for the Driving Standards Agency said: “Tackling impersonations is a key priority for the Agency as failing to identify offenders presents a significant danger to road safety. Through fraudulent and criminal means, impersonators gain entitlement to drive for those who are unable or unwilling to undertake the assessment to prove that they meet the required standard to drive on our roads“.