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Society's "need for speed"

5/12/2025

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Cracking down on "ghost plates​"

4/12/2025

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Today's event in Parliament was jointly organised by West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster and West Bromwich MP Sarah Coombes.

It was shining a spotlight on the number of plates designed to evade Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology, by using 3D gel or raised characters.
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These appear legitimate to the naked eye, but are unreadable to infrared-based cameras because they use non-compliant, non-reflective materials.  ​This enables motorists to avoid detection by police systems and speed cameras, providing a loophole exploited by offenders across the UK.
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“Bird strike!” and animal impacts

25/11/2025

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We don't suffer this problem much in a big city, but I have seen the hazard when teaching out of town.  And on driving tests!

So it's important to know [1] how to reduce likelihood (by driving defensively), [2] what to do when colliding, and [3] how to behave afterwards.

So, [1] remain aware of what's close to the road (trees? shrubs? farm animals?)  Large, heavy birds such as pheasants, spend a lot of time nesting or hiding in hedges, and have poor eyesight/hearing.  [2] If you're about to hit something, don't swerve.  It's better to slow quickly in a straight line in case someone (especially a motorbike) follows closely.
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[3] When the worst happens, try not to panic.  Pull over safely.  Inspect any damage.  If an animal is badly injured it's kinder to kill it.  If it's already dead, you will probably want to remove it.  But you COULD leave it wedged into the plastic grille, as in the picture ... provided parts won't fall off and surprise other motorists).
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Driving test “adjustments”, from 24 Nov.

22/11/2025

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The road is long ...

20/11/2025

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As you can see from this picture, there are rarely ANY test slots available at any of the closest 25 test centres to where I teach (south Birmingham).

I have grouped the centres by distance in minutes' driving.  I didn't think it was worth going beyond 100 minutes away, as we'd both be tired and practice time in that area would be very costly.

However, I am still suggesting long-distance consideration in my recommendations for getting a test.

We will all discover after spring 2026 whether the Secretary of State's proposed big changes will bring down the waiting times.
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Changes to driving test bookings

12/11/2025

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This announcement surprised everyone! National associations of driving educators are not happy (nor is the DVSA itself, I hear). The DIA, ADINJC, MSAgb, and NASP have all held webinars or made video presentations to their respective members (usually driving instructors). It's been clarified that instructors can still help their learners book tests, and instructors can telephone to change the date of that test.

All this said, the changes are unlikely before Spring/Summer 2026. Then it will take a few months for the bonuses (or the maluses) of them to be felt.
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