How do I know the speed limits when driving? 

Whilst it is really useful and important to become familiar with the speed limits for certain types of roads, it can be difficult to make a judgement when driving on an unknown road.

To determine the speed limit, look for a number displayed within a red circle sign. Minimum speed limit signs also occur, although much more infrequently, these are indicated by a blue circle sign with a white number. These are sometimes seen in tunnels as stationary or slow-moving traffic can actually be considered a traffic and pollution hazard to the free-flowing traffic in the tunnel. 

In general terms, when driving within built-up areas, a speed limit of 30 miles per hour will apply unless road signs indicate otherwise. This is due to the increased likelihood of hazards on these roads such as children and more-vulnerable individuals and cyclists. You need to be vigilant on these roads. Maintaining the appropriate speed and having quick reactions to hazards will help minimise the risk of danger on these roads.

Single carriageway roads, those that have no barrier separating your lane and oncoming traffic, operate differently. Depending on the prevailing road signs, you can drive to a maximum of 60 miles per hour on these roads. Then, there are dual carriageways, roads with a central reservation to separate the carriageways. Similarly, depending on the prevailing road signs, you can drive to a maximum of 70 miles per hour on these roads. Finally, when driving on motorways, major roads designed for high speed travel and long distances, you should not exceed 70 miles per hour. 

National speed limit applies, what is this?

If you see a sign that states, ‘national speed limit applies’ or alternatively, a white circle with a black diagonal line through it, this means you can travel up to the max speed limit for that road, e.g. dual carriageways and motorways up to 70 miles per hour. 

Some things to note: 

• A speed limit of 30 miles per hour applies to all single carriageway and dual carriageway roads with street lights, unless there are signs advising otherwise.

• When driving at faster speeds, it becomes harder to stop quickly. As you increase your speed, ensure that you increase your stopping distance between yourself and the car in front of you. Always be vigilant of potential dangers which may cause you to stop suddenly.

• Speed limits may vary if differing circumstances occur for example, towing a trailer or a caravan and driving a motorhome over 3.0 tonnes. For more information about how speed limits can differ based on the vehicle you’re driving click here. 

What happens if I speed?

Speeding is a very serious offence which could result in a fine, penalty points or disqualification. If you are caught speeding the minimum outcome is a £100 fine and 3 penalty points. More serious offences are where disqualification may occur. You may also be offered a speed awareness course which will avoid fixed penalty points being applied to your licence, however you will still have to pay the fine. The speed awareness course is a theory-based workshop aimed at helping those who have sped understand the reasons for their speeding and reduce the likelihood of it happening again in the future. It is important to be aware that under the New Drivers Act, drivers that get 6 or more penalty points within two years of passing their test have their license revoked. 

Having a good understanding of speed limits and the kind of roads to which they apply will make your driving experience much easier. It is essential to become familiar with them for both your theory and practical test. After all, who wants to spend time and money learning how to drive just to risk it for an extra 5mph.

*The information displayed are the national speed limits for cars, motorcycles, car-derived vans and dual purpose vehicles as per the highway code

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As lockdown continues, empty streets are the new normal. Driving test centres in the UK may be closed but the temptation for parents and their learner driver children to use the lockdown as an opportunity to practice is very real. If we are to look forward to getting out and about again soon, we must follow the government’s advice to stay at home and avoid the appeal of quiet roads.

Starting to learn with family members can set up new drivers with bad habits and, without dual controls in the family car, it can also be very dangerous for those just starting out. But most importantly right now, it is inappropriate for learners and parents to be out on driving lessons. The government has asked us to stay home so let’s follow this guidance not out of fear, but out of love and support for those on the frontline.

We urge all learner drivers to take this opportunity to brush up on theoretical skills that will help them become safe drivers for life. 

Here are RED Driving School’s top tips for learners keen to keep their skills sharp during lockdown.

1. Nail the theory test

This part of getting a driving licence is often neglected as learners focus on the practical side of getting behind the wheel. And it shows in the statistics – the DVSA reports theory test pass rates for 2019/20 are just 48%. With proper study, learners should be able to pass the test with flying colours and a solid grasp of the theory behind driving will only help learners excel on the practical side as well. 

The theory test is made up of 50 multiple choice questions, and learners need to get at least 43 of these right. It’s recommended that learners do at least 20 hours of revision for the test. Our Theory Training Test Aid gives access to more than 1,000 DVSA official practice theory test questions. Feedback is provided for every question and learners can even take a full mock test.

2. Know your traffic signs

Being able to instantly recognise traffic signs and understand their direction is crucial to safe and confident driving. Take your learning to the next step by printing out images of the road signs and using them as flash cards. Leave the signs at various points around your house, like the ‘intersection’ of the hallway between the bathroom and your bedroom, and test yourself as you move through the house throughout the day.

3. Quiz your family and friends

Zoom quizzes have become a staple for socialising during lockdown so use the Highway Code to test your friends or family on your next big night in. While revising the Highway Code, prepare questions from the information you find, whether it’s a section you’re struggling to remember or an answer you were surprised by. Testing others can help reinforce your own knowledge. Learners might also get a kick out of testing their parents to see how good their driving theory is!

4. The hazards of the hazard perception test 

The hazard perception section of the test is where many students become unstuck, but it’s testing drivers’ ability to recognise and respond to hazards on the road – an important part of safe driving. Hone your skills via official DVSA sample hazard perception clips which you can access online and trial via a laptop or computer. Learners can also speak to their driving instructor on how to get it right. And practice, practice, practice.

5. Show me, tell me

The ‘show me, tell me’ section is part of the practical driving test. The ‘tell me’ questions are asked at the start of the test when the car isn’t moving while the ‘show me’ questions are asked during driving – when it is safe to do so. This is one section of the practical test that can brushed up on without having to take to the streets.

There are online tutorials for this section of the test, but all learners can ask their RED instructor for examples to practice in their own time. To test yourself, get your family to ask the questions and practice explaining them. You should also get familiar with the controls of the car, such as the de-mister, cleaning the windscreen and dipped lights, and this can be done from the safety of your driveway in a parked car if one is available.

Find out more about RED’s Theory Training Test Aid here: reddrivingschool.com/learners/reds-theory-test-training-aid

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Having received a Prince Michael International Road Safety Award for its role in ‘saving hundreds of lives every year’, the hazard perception section of the driving theory test is one of those steps, and could potentially be saving hundreds of lives each year.

Judges of the Prince Michael praised the hazard perception test as being an “outstanding innovation, which had made a considerable improvement to road safety and was well overdue for recognition”.

Adrian Walsh, director of the Prince Michael Road Safety Awards scheme, said: “Although this element of the test is now considered by most candidates as nothing special, its effect in reducing casualties has been significant.”

The hazard perception test also received the John Smart Road Safety Award in June this year, at the 2014 Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) Awards.

Ian McIntosh, chief executive of RED Driving School, said: “The theory test – and the hazard perception test in particular – is a crucial part of road safety, helping learner drivers to understand the rules of the road and how to drive safely and responsibly.”

Around 1.5 million hazard perception tests are taken every year as part of the theory test, with an average pass rate of 85 percent. Research has shown that such training and testing could account for an 11 percent decrease in road traffic accidents.

If you’re thinking of taking driving lessons with RED, be sure to check out our winter special. We’re offering learner drivers six hours of tuition for the price of five, plus free theory and hazard perception test training.

The post Hazard perception test ‘crucial to road safety’ appeared first on RED Driving School.

Part of your theory test is identifying hazards on a simulated driving environment. During the test you’ll use your mouse to signal your response to hazards.

This part of the test can be a tricky task for some Learner and it’s important to understand how to score above the 44 out of 75 required to pass the test.

You should respond by clicking on hazards which appear in each video clip. RED’s Theory Test Training Tool is available on-line and costs just £8.95 for 12 months, and contains the DVSA’s official Hazard Perception practice clips and over 1000 official DVSA Theory Test practice questions.

• Some are hazards that you may need to keep an eye on, just in case the situation changes. These potential hazards may or may not develop – causing you to then slow down or change direction.
• It is the developing hazards that are used to score points in the test. To be sure, click the mouse each time you see a new hazard. Sometimes the hazard does not develop, but if it does develop to the point that as a driver you’d be required to change direction or speed then this where you will score the points.
• The DVSA test measures the response time from when the hazard starts to develop. Early responses score 5 points and descends through 4, 3, 2, 1 to a ‘zero’ for those who click too late or miss the hazard completely. So it’s good to click early. Click on all potential hazards, that way you’ll have registered anything which develops into a scorable hazard.
• Each clip has one scoreable hazard, you do not need to use the cursor or move the mouse to point at the hazard. As you click, you will see a red flag appear below. This is to show that your click has been registered. When you click, the clip will not stop running.
• At the DVSA test centre you will be shown 14 clips, one of which contains 2 scorable hazards, so you need to keep concentrating until the end of each clip.
• Still not quite got it? If you see a car approaching a ‘T’ junction on your left, you might click on that as a potential hazard. If the car stops safely then it is no longer the hazard you anticipated. If it does not slow down and you sense it is going to emerge which would cause you to change direction or slow down then it has now developed.

Remember, once you’ve passed your test and you’re out on the road you’ll only get one chance to respond to a real life developing hazard.

RED’s Road Brain Trainer can help you prepare for a range of driving situation which you’ll face in the real world and is available, free of charge to RED customers through their MyRED account.

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Proposed changes will come into effect later this year, with the reduced price of £25 effective from October – this will continue to drop until October next year, when it will reach £23. These changes will affect learner drivers, as well as all other types of vehicle training.

“We are determined to keep motoring costs down, so we want to make sure theory tests offer the best value for money while continuing to meet rigorous standards. As of October 2014 the Driving Theory test will drop by £31 to £25 in October 2014, a further drop of £2 more planned in October 2015.”

There is currently a public consultation underway which closes May 15th, this legislation will not affect the cost of the practical test, and follows a raft of changes including a name change for the DSA (to the DVSA)

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Passing the DVSA theory and hazard perception test is a vital step for all learners. To pass, learners must be familiar with the Highway Code and demonstrate their ability to respond to developing hazards. It is only when they have passed that they can attempt to take the practical test.

It is therefore surprising to find that, according to Driving Standards Agency statistics, a significant number of learner drivers are failing the theory test, 40% of all tests taken are failed. Young men aged between 18 and 19 fair particularly badly with nearly half (47%) failing to pass*.

As part of its continued commitment to improving the standard of drivers in the UK, RED Driving School have launched a new e-learning product. RED’s Theory Test Training Aid gives learners all the tools and training needed to pass the theory and hazard perception tests.

This new product follows the successful launch of RED’s Road Brain Trainer, proven to boost the chance of RED Learners passing their practical test by 14%!**

RED’s Chief Executive Officer, Ian McIntosh said: “RED’s Theory Test Training Aid presents the DVSA’s official test material in a way which is designed to better prepare learners for their theory test. RED trains more learners in the UK than any other school, so these tools are a natural development for us. We are urging all of our learners to improve their chances of getting their licence by using our online training tools.”

Both tools were developed in partnership with leading road safety software developer a2om. RED’s Theory Test Training Aid includes the following features and benefits:

• Contains all of the DVSA’s Official Practice Theory Test questions – a bank of over 1000 questions.
• Full feedback for each question, allowing Learner to better understand the correct response.
• Enables learners to track their progress, and to focus on specific topic areas.
• Allows learners to take full, timed mock tests of 50 Theory Questions. Questions are presented in the same format as the DVSA’s actual Theory Test.
• Contains all of the DVSA’s official Hazard Perception Test clips-with an interactive scoring feature.
• Contains a link through to an online version of the Highway Code and the Department for Transport’s Know Your Traffic Signs.
• Selected e-Learning modules from RED’s Road Brain Trainer are included – these modules provide background knowledge for on-the-road observational skills.

The product will be sold from RED’s website https://www.reddrivingschool.com/reds-theory-test-training-aid/ and will be available for all learners to buy for £8.95 for up to 12 months unlimited online access.

*Driving Standards Agency figures based on test outcomes between January and March 2012.

** Research shows that the cumulative pass rate for the driving test over two attempts improved by 14.2% for learners who had completed our online training programme compared to learners who had not. Dr Lisa Dorn, Cranfield University.

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This download provides up to date, real test questions and answers and is as close to the real thing as you can get.  This will be valid until January 2012, when the actual test questions and answers will no longer be published.  So get your theory test done now.  You can find out more, and download your copy here.  By downloading this, you will be able to start learning immediately, instead of waiting for a hard copy to arrive in the post – you also save on delivery costs!

The post Download your copy of the Theory Test Guide appeared first on RED Driving School.

Photo by dbrooker1

Despite the cold, frosty evenings, there’s no doubt that spring is on the way.  With daffodils blooming and the sun beginning to warm up those once chilly afternoons, you may be thinking ahead to those summer holidays and camping trips with friends.

With this in mind, you may be planning to take your theory test soon in order to get that bit closer to the ultimate goal of passing your driving test, and the freedom of being able to drive anywhere you like! Therefore, we have created a list of top tips for how to revise for your driving theory test.

• Only use DSA publications to revise so that you do not become confused with different wordings and phrases
• Use your practical lessons to practice Theory and Hazard perception on the move
• If you come across any questions or answers you don’t understand, take them to your instructor on your lesson and ask them to explain it – understanding why helps you remember more easily
• A Hazard Perception technique enjoyed by pupils, used in practical driving lessons, was to gently tap the steering wheel when you would click on the Hazard perception video.  This way your instructor can help you with learning what to look for and when to react.
• Make a timetable of when you are going to practise and stick to it – you could record you progress too
• Buddy up with a friend to ask each other questions, it’s fun and you both learn together

Photo by Valley Library (Oregon State University)

• Get the setting right, practice in a place with no distractions – either quiet or if you prefer to listen to music play something that won’t distract you
• Having your mobile phone off and closing other computer programs will reduce the number of distractions and will help simulate the test conditions for the day
• Revise early in the day and take regular breaks so that you don’t feel too tired to take in more information. You’ll also be less likely to make mistakes.
• Do lots of mock tests! This is the best way to prepare for the day!
• Make sure you eat well, exercise and get a good night’s sleep the night before your test!

If you have any tips of your own of fun effective ways to lean your theory, why not pop onto our Facebook page and share your thoughts with us!

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