January 31st, 2012 admin
Fancy the ultimate fashion accessory?
This is the 500 by Gucci. The tiny city car has been given a makeover by Gucci’s
creative director Frida Giannini to celebrate the fashion firm’s 90th
birthday,
There are two models to choose from,
either in black or white, with bumper trim, wing mirror caps and shoulderline
all highlighted in chrome. Black cars get an interior trimmed in black and
white, while white cars get black interior trim.
Special Gucci-branded 16-inch alloys
which hide green-painted brake calipers are complimented by Gucci script on the
B-pillar and bootlid. Gucci’s trademark green-red-green stripe along the car’s
side and on the seats, carpets, keyfob and even seatbelts.
Based on the 100bhp 1.4-litre petrol
powered model, the 500 by Gucci made its debut on the opening day of Milan
fashion week, and will also be shown at
Geneva Motor Show as part of a Gucci pop-up store on the
Fiat stand.
The car will then be displayed around
the world before going on sale here in July. UK prices are yet to be set, but
the 500 by Gucci costs from €17,000 (£14,500) in Italy.
Alongside the car’s launch, Gucci has
also created a fashion collection, which includes travel accessories, leather
goods, clothes, sunglasses and a watch, which will be available in select Gucci
stores from April.
Read more: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/motorshows/geneva-motor-show/264718/fiat_500_by_gucci.html#ixzz1kzPUIPPS
This may well be move to try to shift more Fiat 500s to the fashion conscious customer. Whilst it may appeal to many females (& a few males) it would probably to the complete opposite to most males who consider it a ‘girls’ car already.
There could some great collabs if the following brands hooked up – just imagine……. Paul Smith x Mini, Ralph Lauren x Ford, Louis Vuitton x BMW……..
Cars that appeal to both males & females appear to be those such as the Vauxhall Corsa & BMW MINI.
Many driving schools in Bedford use small cars like the Fiesta, Corsa, Clio, MINI etc. Fully qualified driving instructors will normally give driving lessons in Bedford in a dual controlled car. Ring some of the driving schools which appear on
www.bedford-driving-schools.co.uk & find out what car they use for driving lessons.
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October 29th, 2011 admin
Twenty-three years after failing her third test, Lucy Etherington managed to overcome her fears and is now a proud driver.
When I was 18, I failed my driving test three times. The first was down to “undue hesitancy”. In the second test, I tried to be more assertive and… well, let’s just say I’d have scored highly in PlayStation’s Grand Theft Auto.
Five minutes into the third test, I signalled left, turned right and stalled, causing four traffic jams. “Have I failed?” I asked the examiner, amid a cacophony of horns. “I can’t tell you until you’ve completed the course,” he said, clutching his clipboard. “But,” he looked at me pleadingly, “you can ask to end the test now.”
Perhaps it wasn’t surprising that I put off taking my fourth test. Only the delay might seem unusual – 23 years.
To be fair, I had perfectly valid excuses. I lived in central London and my partner drove. Even when the kids came along, I scoffed at my friends’ people carriers and gamely balanced buggies, babies and hyperactive toddlers on escalators and buses, claiming it was good for my biceps and the environment. I could have happily remained a non-driver forever.
Then we moved to rural Suffolk. It was four miles to the nearest shop, two to the school. There were no pavements and only one wheezing bus a day. I was 41, but I couldn’t put it off any longer. I had to drive.
I was scared. Scared of the horrible things that can happen, the death and mayhem you could potentially cause. When you’re young, you’re invincible. The
older driver has to wrestle with her sense of mortality.
Yet Steve Garrod of the Driving Instructors Association says this is an advantage. “Older learners have much better road sense, judgment skills and speed awareness,” he told me. “They’ve usually been passengers for years, and are often parents, so more likely to recognise potential hazards. They take safety seriously.”
Driving Standards Agency (DSA) statistics aren’t too discouraging. The highest percentage passes are among 17-year-olds. These drop in your thirties and forties – but not by a huge amount. In fact, the 2011 figures show that the second highest rate of passes (60 per cent) is women in their sixties. No excuses, then.
I spoke to a couple of the major driving schools to see if they could suggest anything for older learners. None offered specific courses. Most, reassuringly perhaps, felt that age was not going to be an issue, but some recommended asking for an older instructor.
I plumped for a local company – Total Driving in Stowmarket – because it offered great deals on intensive courses (I wanted it over with as quickly as possible).
As I had requested a mature, ideally female, instructor I struck gold. My tutor, Debbie, owned the company, and had tons of qualifications and experience.
She never once mentioned my age, and scoffed whenever I did. It was simply not an issue – it was only when I walked into the exam room that I realised everyone was half my age, which was a bit disconcerting, but ultimately no one cared. We were there to take a test.
I admit that I found intensive lessons exhausting, maybe more so than in my twenties, but Debbie made sure that we had regular breaks, and I did notice a vast improvement in a short space of time.
As the day of terror loomed, I can’t tell you the amount of times I nearly called to cancel. On the morning of my test there was a partial eclipse of the sun. We passed a crash on the A14. Short of plagues of frogs and women in black pointy hats screaming, the signs were ominous.
Having bodged a simple manoeuvre in a supermarket car park, I went miserably to the scaffold. In fact it was fine. Well, it wasn’t, in that I accidentall mounted a kerb and failed outright… But apart from that, I had learnt the most valuable lesson of all: the test was, if anything, quite dull. And painless. The examiner was absolutely lovely.
A month later, after lots more practice, I took it again. And passed.
The feeling was incredible. Elated, I wanted to smother my examiner in kisses. He said he’d take a polite handshake if that was all right.
The change wasn’t immediate. It took a while to get used to the New Driving Me. At first I felt like a fraud, easily intimidated by aggressive speed freaks, sweating buckets on motorways while trying to look relaxed in front of the kids. But now, six months on, I’m at the point where I can’t remember what i was like not to drive, not to have that freedom, not to relish a stretch of open road.
I feel like I have been a driver all my life.
It’s never too late to learn, or refresh
* The AA doesn’t offer specific “older” learner driving lessons, but if someone is very nervous, their instructor will tailor the lessons to suit them. Customers can also request older instructors. The driving school webpage is www.theaa.com/driving-school/learn-to-drive. Lesson prices start at £21 per hour (£18 per hour for AA members), but it is best to check online for the latest offers.
* Red Driving offers introductory driving lessons for just £9 an hour, discounts on specifically tailored block bookings, and experienced instructors who understand the needs of older learners. www.reddrivingschool.com0800 840 3999.
* Most schools offer lessons in an automatic, which many drivers find easier and less stressful. It can also be a fast track to a licence.
* Refresher courses are designed for people who may already have a licence, but for various reasons have not driven for years, and have lost their nerve behind the wheel.
* Drive Confident through the AA Charitable Trust is aimed at nervous, rusty or lapsed drivers. Participants on the course receive two hours of in-car tuition. The Drive Confident web page is www.theaa.com/pupil/refreshertraining.do. The two hours of training are free through the charity.
* Britannia Driving School offers various refresher courses, the most popular is the six-hour plan which costs £149.70 (£24.95 per hour) in a manual car and £155.70 (£25.95 per hour) in an automatic. www.britannia-driving-school.co.uk.
From : Telegraph.co.uk
Many local Bedford driving schools & driving instructors in Bedford can offer refresher driving courses to people that have previously failed a driving test. Most driving instructors are fully qualified & will display a green badge (not a pink badge – which will be displayed by unqualified driving instructors). Bedford driving schools such as ASM, Independent, Txt-Drive & Elms School Of Motoring give discounts to new pupils.
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July 6th, 2011 admin
TONY Davison still remembers the knock on the door that dark winter’s morning.
“It was twenty to four,” he recites, the details as fresh now as the day they happened. “Fourth of November 2002.
“The policeman said there had been a serious road crash in Bramhope and there were fatalities. That’s all it took to shatter our lives.”
Tony’s son Adrian, 18, was a passenger in the car of a friend who drove after drinking. It crashed and both boys died.
It would have been Adrian’s birthday last Saturday, his 27th. What should have been a day of celebration was marked instead with a visit to his graveside.
“Life moves on, but at the same time he will never be forgotten,” says Tony. “Anniversaries are still difficult, even though it’s coming up to nine years ago. It’s as fresh in my mind now as it was the day we were told.
And it will be until the day I leave this mortal coil.”
Adrian was one of a disproportionate number of young men who die every year on our roads.
West Yorkshire road safety charity Brake used its annual international conference last week to put the issue under the spotlight.
Every year in Britain one young male driver in every 60 is involved in a crash that results in death or injury to themselves, a passenger or another road user.
While young drivers aged between 17 and 24 account for 12 per cent of licence holders they are involved in one in four road deaths and serious injuries.
One in five will crash in the first six months after passing their test and every year more than 3,300 young drivers and passengers aged 17 to 24 are killed or suffer a life-changing injury as a result of a road crash.
Brake says the current system under which young people learn to drive is inadequate, leaving young drivers without sufficient experience and maturity to face the complex challenges of driving unsupervised and unrestricted.
Its response has been to launch the Too Young to Die campaign, which calls for a system of graduated driver licensing so new drivers can build up their skills and experience bit by bit.
Under the scheme, learners would spend at least a year taking lessons before they were allowed to sit a test.
Once they passed, new drivers would be allowed to drive unsupervised but would have restrictions on their licence for at least two years.
These would include an effective zero tolerance drink drive limit, plus restrictions on passengers and driving at night.
“It’s all about finding a way to ensure young drivers learn to drive in a safe and protected way as much as possible,” says Ellen Booth, campaigns director for Brake.
“Young drivers are disproportionately affected by road crashes, significantly so. A young person is more likely to die on the road than any other cause.
“And the evidence is quite clear that males of all ages, not just young men, are more likely to take risks on the roads. So it’s all to do with driver attitude and behaviour.”
Speeding, taking unnecessary risks and using a mobile phone are some of the factors associated with an increased crash risk among men.
Males are also more likely to get behind the wheel when they’re tired and keep driving even if they feel sleepy.
The risks faced by young male drivers peak at 17, when they are in their first year of motoring.
“There are a number of factors, especially those of age and inexperience, that mean young drivers are more likely to have an accident,” says Ellen.
“When you combine those with the additional risk-taking habits that men exhibit they make young male drivers the most at risk group on the road.”
Tony Davison has been involved with Brake for several years, speaking to thousands of school and college students about his own experience.
He, for one, supports calls for the Government to make changes to the current system of driver licensing.
“The trouble is that young people don’t really learn to drive until after they have passed their test. All we do in this country is teach people to pass their test.
“In Germany it’s a totally different structure – they have to do night driving, motorway driving and there are none of these seven-day crash courses.
“We need to educate young people. They don’t think it’s going to happen to them, but it will happen to some of them.
“It’s not about scaremongering, it’s a proven fact: young males between 17 and 25 are the ones who are most likely to be involved in a serious crash.
“There needs to be a coherent strategy which first of all has to be incorporated into the national curriculum, not ad hoc as it is at the moment.
“Some schools are incredibly pro-active, but there are lots of high schools in Leeds we haven’t visited. To me it has to become part of the national curriculum, delivered to those youngsters who are coming up to learning to drive.”
Posted in Bedford, Car Insurance, Driving, Driving Instructors, Driving Lessons, Driving Schools, Driving Tests, Pass Plus, Road Safety | No Comments »
June 13th, 2011 admin
www.bedford-driving-schools.co.uk currently has helped some driving schools & driving instructors get their businesses in key areas on Google & other search engines.
For three different key phrases www.bedford-driving-schools.co.uk has helped some driving schools in Bedford & Bedford driving instructors to reach Page 1 & Page 2 on Google. 3 Bedford driving instructors are in the top 20 for one key phrase, 3 driving schools in Bedford are in the 20 for another key phrase & there are 4 Bedford driving schools & driving instructors in Bedford in the top 20 results (Page 1 & Page 2) for another key phrase!!!
In fact every key phrase we searched for on Google showed at least 2 results in the Top 20 (the first 2 pages) which were driving instructors & driving schools in Bedford that were listed on www.bedford-driving-schools.co.uk.
Get your driving school & driving instructor details listed on this FREE to use website. It is of massive benefit to those driving schools in Bedford which have chosen to add their details to this website.
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May 29th, 2011 admin
Tom Daley, BMW London 2012 Performance Team member, has taken delivery of a new MINI One D Hatch after his 17th birthday. BMW London 2012 provides support to Team GB and Paralympics GB as they prepare for the Games.
Tom will be taking his first driving lessons in his new MINI, at the same time has his Olympic training which includes preparation for the July FINA World Championships in China. Tom has also enrolled onto the MINI Drivers at Goodwood programme, a young driver training programme based on a motor circuit and focuses on teaching safety behind the wheel as well as encourages good driving habits.
Speaking at the handover of the car Tom said “like every other 17 year old I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of my first car, but in my case having my driving licence will be a huge help in my training and preparation schedule for the Olympic Games. When I learn a new dive, it’s all about practicing until I get it right. I’ll apply the same practice and determination to learning to drive.”
BMW has been chosen by the London Organisation Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) as the Official Automotive Partner and as part of the partnership, BMW will provide Efficient Dynamic diesel cars, hybrids and electric vehicles, below the LOCOG target of 120g/km, alongside bicycles and motorcycles.
The BMW vehicles will be used to transport athletes, officials and the media at Olympic and Paralympic events. BMW and MINI dealers will be also be supporting and linking with athletes across the UK.
From : Carpages.co.uk
Wonder why it is always sports stars/celebs etc that get given free stuff? Wouldn’t it be nice if BMW or MINI gave a few cars to just some random people instead? Many driving schools in Bedford use MINI cars. However some driving schools no longer solely use MINI cars anymore. If you are desperate to learn to drive in Bedford in a MINI, check out Txt-Drive driving school in Bedford (www.txt-drive.co.uk) as they use MINIs.
Other driving schools in Bedford that don’t use MINIs include ASM, Pat Driver Training, Apex, Bahra, Debbie’s. Pat Driver Training use the Vauxhall Corsa, Renault Megane is the driving school car of choice for Apex Driver Training, Toyota Yaris has been chosen by Chandler for their driving lessons, Bahra School Of Motoring has selected the Hyundai Getz for their learners, Debbie’s School Of Motoring has gone with the Honda Jazz whilst ASM Driving School & BDS Clapham use the Ford Fiesta for their driving lessons.
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May 17th, 2011 admin
It would be the first state in the US to license the driverless vehicles and the proposed law change would also allow people riding in the vehicles to use their mobile phones to send text messages.
Google controversially admitted last year that its staff had been testing the cars on roads in California, including the scenic Pacific Coast Highway, between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
They also crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and negotiated the notoriously steep Lombard Street in San Francisco.
The internet giant has now hired a Las Vegas lobbyist to press for changes in the law to allow for them to be used legally in Nevada. It is the first state to consider allowing their commercial use and a decision will come before the end of June.
Google claims the robotic vehicles will be safer than ones steered by humans. The self-driving cars it currently has are six Toyota Priuses and an Audi TT which are guided by a laser rangefinder, radar and camera sensors.
A spokesman for Google said: “We have developed technology for cars that can drive themselves. We think it’s a first in robotics research.
“Google’s data centres can process the enormous amounts of information gathered by our cars when mapping their terrain.”
From : Telegraph.co.uk
www.bedford-driving-schools.co.uk thinks this is an interesting & worrying time for drivers in Bedford. This could mean that learner drivers in Bedfordshire may not require driving lessons in Bedford in the traditional way. Driving instructors in Bedford may still be needed to teach learner drivers the controls of the car & how ot operate this new technology in the event of the automatic/computer operated driving failing. People will therefore need to book driving lessons in Bedford with Bedford driving schools or driving instructors in Bedford.
Many of Bedford’s driving instructors & driving schools are featured on www.bedford-driving-schools.co.uk. The site allows you to compare driving instructors & driving schools in the Bedford area. You can find a driving instructor or a Bedford driving school by the car they use for their driving lessons, the price they charge for driving lessons, the days that the driving instructor works etc etc.
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March 26th, 2011 admin
He was the ultimate New Labour political survivor – a wily operator who negotiated the twists and turns of the Blair and Brown Governments to serve 13 years in the Cabinet.
But adjusting to life after more than a decade of being chauffeured everywhere has left Jack Straw flummoxed by the rules of the road – so the former Home Secretary is learning to drive again.
The Mail on Sunday understands that Mr Straw, MP for Blackburn, is undertaking a ‘driving refresher course’ and has also received coaching from a senior Labour colleague on coping with motorway driving.
Last night a friend of Mr Straw said: ‘Jack was pretty much driven everywhere for 13 years. He did a spot of driving on minor roads to run the odd errand but not much else.
‘Perhaps wisely, he is taking some refresher lessons for driving on motorways and in big cities, that sort of thing.’
Perhaps Mr Straw worries about breaking one of his own laws – in 2009, as Justice Secretary, he announced that the maximum penalty for reckless driving would be more than doubled from a two-year jail term to five years’ imprisonment.
The change in the law led to a rise in the number of drivers – particularly those of advanced years – opting to take refresher lessons.
While almost every other founding member of the 1997 New Labour Government fell by the wayside – either the victims of scandal, exhausted by office or caught on the wrong side of the Blair-Brown feud – Mr Straw was one of only three, along with Alistair Darling and Gordon Brown, to remain in Cabinet from 1997 to 2010.
He also served as Foreign Secretary and Leader of the House.
Mr Straw, who stood down from Labour’s front bench last year, was not available for comment last night.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1367950/Former-minister-Jack-Straw-driving-lessons–13-years-chauffeur-hes-forgotten-drive.html#ixzz1Hf7cbfe8
Jack Straw should contact one of the Bedford driving schools or driving instructors in Bedford to ask about taking driving lessons in Bedford. Many Bedford driving instructors can offer driving lessons or refresher courses / refresher lessons to those drivers that don’t have confidence to deal with todays roads.
Fully qualified driving instructors featured on www.bedford-driving-schools.co.uk should be able to offer help & advice to drivers that haven’t driven for a long time. There are Bedford driving instructors who also offer the PASS PLUS course to new, recently qualified drivers. Completing the PASS PLUS course with a driving instructor or driving school in Bedford can help to lower car insurance premiums, reduce your fuel costs & develop your existing driving skills to make you a safer driver.
Why not contact a driving instructor or driving school in Bedford & ask about refresher driving lessons or PASS PLUS in Bedford.
Posted in Bedford, Car Insurance, Driving, Driving Instructors, Driving Lessons, Driving Schools, Eco-Driving, Pass Plus, Road Safety | No Comments »
February 28th, 2011 admin
Speed limit could reach 80mph in Bedfordshire.
The UK Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond, has proposed to increase the speed limit on UK motorways from 70- to 80mph.
The idea behind the change is to reduce journey times, as the Government believes that the economy could be improved if motorists spend less time behind the wheel.
Mr. Hammond said that safety might not be the only factor to consider when it comes to judging how fast cars travel on the roads.
Speaking to the ‘Daily Telegraph’, he said: “We need to do this on a pretty rigorous cost-benefit basis. At the moment there are a clear set of criteria for making these decisions. Perhaps we ought to ask if we are using the right set of criteria.”
Motorway speed limits in the UK are significantly lower than those in other European countries. The maximum speed on similar roads in France and Italy is 81mph. In Spain, Portugal and Ireland it is 75mph.
The UK’s 70mph motorway speed limit was introduced in 1965, following a series of reports of manufacturers and car owners testing high performance cars to their limits.
There were 132 deaths on UK motorways in 2009, which is the last year for which figures are available. However, motorists are more likely to experience an accident on town and country roads with lower speed limits, poorer visibility, less space and no division between oncoming traffic.
From : Yahoo!
Most driving instructors and driving schools in Bedford, Bedfordshire listed on www.bedford-driving-schools.co.uk are able to offer motorway tuition, motorway driving lessons, motorway lessons in Bedford. Many of Bedford’s driving schools & driving instructors can also offer the Pass Plus course which is designed for new drivers, once they have passed their driving test. The Pass Plus course includes motorway driving & your driving instructor in Bedford will help you to build up your confidence with new driving skills. You can find contact details of various different Bedford driving instructors & Bedford driving schools on www.bedford-driving-schools.co.uk. Give them a call & remember to mention you found their details on www.bedford-driving-schools.co.uk.
Posted in Car Insurance, Driving, Driving Instructors, Driving Lessons, Driving Schools, Driving Tests, Pass Plus, Road Safety | No Comments »