Hi there, and welcome to the Young Drivers section of the Peterborough and District Advanced Motorists website! This page is managed by me (Matt Worthington), the group's Under 26 Representative. For the latest news, information, hints & tips, and upcoming events relevant to young advanced motorists - just keep dropping by to check for updates! Thanks for visiting!
12/09/2008 - As anyone who drives professionally will no doubt know, today is the launch of the new DSA Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC for short). This new qualification, consisting of theory and practical elements, is now mandatory for all professional bus and coach drivers, and will be rolled out for lorries this time next year. The CPC runs parallel to the current vehicle driving licences, meaning you can train for it alongside the existing theory and practical tests. Whilst I shall try and reserve judgement until the CPC has been tried and tested, I can't help think "oh look, yet more red tape to hold young people back from entering driving professions". Bah humbug. Anyway more on the CPC can be found here.
That brings me onto my next subject, which is that recently several young drivers have been in dealings with the police, because of driving unwittingly driving vehicles that they are not licenced to drive. It seems that many new drivers are unaware that gaining their full car licence (category B) no longer automatically gives them licences for minibuses (category D1) and trucks/vans up to 7.5 tonnes (category C1). As of 1997 the law changed and seperate theory and practical tests need to be taken. Full details are here - read up on it and don't be caught out!
Do you know which of these you could drive?
17/07/2008 - Hello everyone! Apologies for the lack of updates on here lately, I've been particularily busy recently. My attention was bought back to the good old IAM last week after being a passenger in two seperate car accidents in two days. Now before anyone fears for my health I'll point out that they were very minor accidents, and no one was injured (but feel free to buy me flowers/chocolates nonetheless!) with nothing damaged (except to my friends pride).
Both incidences occurred because my friends first car had a faulty handbrake - so he always parks it in gear, then forgets he's parked it in gear and starts it with the clutch fully engaged. This habit of his made me realise how rare it is for me to do any pre-drive checks myself.
Conducting a systematic cockpit drill is part of the advanced driving test (our local examiner is particularily keen on it), and as advanced motorists it really is something that we should be incorporating into our everyday routines - starting from the outside and working our way in (doors, mirrors, windscreen, headrests, seatbelts, etc, through to lights, sun visors, wipers, fuel, etc). A quick check could make a big difference one day (as my friend will testify - see pictures of his "oops" moments below - used with reluctant permission!). Safe driving all!
16/06/2008 - A big 'thank you' to everyone who helped out at the East of England show! A good number of young(er) people took an interest in our stand and advanced driving, we gave out plenty of leaflets and literature, and took down some contact details too.
It was also a good opportunity to meet and talk to some of our counterparts from the advanced motorcycling group, who bought along and displayed their bikes (including the beautiful custom Harley Davidson below).
So again, thanks to all who came along to help, and especially to Prue (for painstakingly organising the event) and Ian (who manned the stand over all three days).
14/06/2008 - Just a quick reminder to everyone that the last day of the East of England show is tomorrow! It's a good show this year; lots to see and do (and plenty of free samples in the food show!). If you decide to visit then be sure to pop in at our stand to say hello and show your support (and you can even grab a free IAM keyring/balloon/sweetie). Hope to see you there!
09/06/2008 - I came across an interesting article about the failings of the Pass Plus scheme today; specifically it was discussing the lack of insurance discounts actually available to people who have taken the course. When I've been searching for car insurance I've found that I'm given a much greater discount for holding HGV/PCV licences than I am for holding Pass Plus/IAM/RoSPA (< just kidding!) certificates. For the majority of young drivers, the biggest selling point for Pass Plus is the promise that it will reduce insurance premiums. What a disappointment, even betrayal, for them when they find out that it doesn't. And after being let down by Pass Plus, will they pass off advanced driving as another "scam" once they hear our "lower insurance discounts" claim? Read the article here.
On the AA's website I also found these 10 Tips To Help If You're Worried About A Younger Driver.
26/05/2008 - The Driving Standards Agency has launched a 'Learning To Drive' consultation website; a place to share ideas and opinions on the way we learn to drive and new driver licencing. There are also a number of Professional and Public Consultation Events taking place across the UK at various dates (the closest venues for the Peterborough area are Norwich, Leeds and Leicester. I'm attending both Leicester consultations, so I'll report back for anyone interested who can't make it) - more details on the site. Visit the DSA site.