Back trouble is very common today and is now affecting 40% of drivers.
According to the (BCA) British Chiropractic Association 40% of people say that sitting down aggravates back and or neck pain.That’s not good news if you are a driver of any type of vehicle.
We see people everyday over stretching their legs at the pedals,overstretching their arms at the steering wheel,rear view mirror set too high so their neck is constantly straining.Others sitting far too close to the pedals and steering wheel , barely able to feed the steering wheel and therefore causing a dangerous understeer element.

Symptoms of sitting in the wrong position can be,

• Lower back pain.
• Neck stiffness and strain.
• Shoulder tightness.
• Elbow stiffness.
• Knee stiffness.
• Calf cramps

So what can drivers do to ensure optimum seating position at the wheel?

Preparation is key.You wouldn’t prepare dinner without the proper ingredients.
It’s very important to finely tune you driving position according to your height,body type,body shape and size.Comfort is achieved with the correct weight distribution and support for your body in relation to the seat type you have .

Experts from all around the world along with our best teaching practices say that drivers should have their seat pulled forward enough so as to fully extend the clutch pedal while maintaining a slightly bent knee position.(see diagram)
The upright of the seat would need to be slightly tilted back and when turning the steering wheel that your shoulders remain in contact with the seat and not stretching forward with straight elbows.The centre of the headrest must sit higher than a drivers ears.If it’s any lower it can act as a type of fulcrum in an accident and worsen the effects of whiplash .

How to adjust the seat correctly.

• Try and rest your bottom as near as possible to the backrest.Then the distance from the seat to the pedals is done by way of unlocking the seat pull lever until you move forward far enough until you have a slight knee bend while depressing the clutch.
• Rest your shoulders as close to the back of the seat as is necessary allowing you to hold the steering wheel with slightly bent elbows.
• Set the height of the seat to ensure you have a perfect view and not obstructed and clearly able to see out of the full windscreen.
• Adjust the headrest so as the centre of the headrest is in line with the middle of your ears.
• Adjust all mirrors to ensure full view through the rear view windscreen.
• Seat belt on and away you go.

Safe and comfortable from all of us at National driving school. Www.nationaldrivingschool.ie

Uncovering the secrets of first-time driving test success…
It is a statement of fact that, your ability to achieve success in your first attempt at the driving test will be anchored on a number of factors and strategies. These strategies, otherwise known as ‘secrets’, are fundamental on how to pass your driving test the first time Ireland.

Against the background knowledge that success is not achieved on a platter of gold, there is a need for you to affiliate with a professional driving instructor with the view of equipping yourself with basic skills and knowledge. We – www.nationaldrivingschool.ie – have been up and doing in this regard.

Knowing that your success in a driving test is succeeded by the acquisition of legal paper and license, you must afford to prepare through thick and thin so as to emerge victoriously and acquire the passport to legally explore life on the road.

Given that the thought of acquiring your driver’s license can be persistently intimidating; this piece reveals overt and covert secrets on how to pass your driving test the first time Ireland with the view of putting you on the road to success.

More fundamentally, ensure you pass through a professional driving instructor Dublin so as to guide you through the nooks and crannies of Dublin, Ireland, coupled with uncommon skills about driving test. To this end, our best driving instructors Dublin have a wealth of experience in training on how to pass your driving test the first time Ireland through our institution – www.nationaldrivingschool.ie

The Secrets to Success in First-Time Driving Test

Having established the fact that attaining success in driving test is not a mere play, this section will open your eyes on how to pass your driving test the first time Ireland. More importantly, these below guidelines are tested and trusted tips. We, thus, implore you to put the following into practice;

Enroll with Professional Driving Instructor

The first fundamental step to take when preparing for the driving test is to enroll in a driving school embedded with professional driving instructors. This is because; professional driving instructors will open your eyes to the reality of driving test given their wealth of experience. To this end, we – www.nationaldrivingschool.ie – have first-class driving instructors that have been benefitting driving students from time immemorial.

Get a Driver’s Guide

Prior to the period of your driving test, it is imperative for you to buy a driver’s guide Ireland. In such piece, you will have access to first-class information that contains both the written and the actual driving test.

In a similar vein, you will be able to learn and digest the basic rules of the road, when to pull over for emergency vehicles, the required speed velocity in every zone, how to manage accidents, and a host of others.

It is instructive for you to read it chapter by chapter. In fact, you can make crisp notes if that will aid your quick remembrance. Also, endeavor to question yourself at the end of each chapter and once you can answer 80% of the questions, then move to the next chapter.

Practice Driving on Test Routes

It is imperative to note that practice makes perfect. In this regard, you will not only practice driving before the test day but you will have mastered virtually all the test routes that will be used during the driving test.

More fundamentally, this is often prohibited in major routes in Dublin, Ireland. As a result, you are advised to practice driving within the general neighborhood. Bearing in mind that you are yet to be certified and to avert ban, you are implored not to restrict your driving route to your local environ.

While the primary focus of the examiner is to appraise the mastery control of your vehicle, it heartwarming to note that practicing driving on certain routes will be helpful to you during the course of your driving test. If you over speed, violate signs, or still commit egregious errors, you can use this medium to correct yourself.

Keep to Signage

One of the secrets to passing your driving test is to learn and get familiar to the signage. It is instructive to know that the signage or traffic signs will make you informed about a lot of things such as; the street signs, the hand gestures, the point to stop or move, how and when to pull over for emergency vehicles, among others. In the light of the foregoing, you will be saved from committing signage violation during a driving test.

Prompt Arrival for Driving Test

Beyond the fundamental preparations for driving test, it is important for you to be early to the venue on the day of driving test. Undoubtedly, late arrival or being in a rush state of mind to the point of the driving test may result in an untoward performance.

In fact, you are expected to arrive at the venue at least 15 minutes prior to your appointment. This will give you an enabling ground to tender your requirements for proper cross-checking and period to relax before the commencement of the driving test.

Other helpful strategies include, but not limited to:

• Practice situational awareness.
• Ask your instructor for a practice test
• Dress comfortably
• Go over your theory again

If you are considering taking driving lessons or you just started as a beginner, you might probably wonder how much driving lessons are required to take a driving test and subsequently obtain your learner’s permit. In this article, we will tell you all about the driving lessons, and how much of it that you need to be certified to obtain a driving license.

How to Get Prepared Before Taking Driving Lessons

Know what to Expect:

Traffic Lights: Traffic lights are a no-brainer, and pretty much everyone knows the basic about traffic lights, but it doesn’t hurt to re-echo it especially when faced with a real-time practical situation. Green means Proceed. The Amber means stop but be prepared to leave any minute. Red means STOP before the end line.

Obstructions and Easing into traffic: The motorway is a public arena which means there will always be other road users. How do you ease into traffic and avoid obstructions while at it? If there is an obstruction on the way, the sensible thing is to go around it. To do this, ensure you can maintain a door’s width of space between you and the obstruction and be sure that there is no oncoming vehicle. If however, there is oncoming traffic and the road is narrow, you may need to edge closer to the obstruction to keep away from the traffic in the opposite direction. This will allow you to easily maneuver the obstruction as soon as the oncoming traffic clears out. A more critical situation exists where you have obstructions at both sides. Here, patience is required, and you as a driver might need to excuse the way it is considered the more pragmatic thing to do in the circumstance. You will, of course, get adequate knowledge here.

Things You Should Know to Move the Vehicle

The Accelerator:
This pedal is responsible for moving and increasing the pace of the vehicle. It is designed to make the engine of the vehicle run faster in sync to how you step on it. Invariably, a soft touch slightly runs the vehicle faster while a deeper steady press races up the vehicle. Typically, it is located at the far right of the three pedals, and it is usually being pedaled with the right foot.

The brake:
This pedal does more than just putting a halt to the vehicle. For starters, the vehicle signals to the other vehicles behind that you are attempting to slow down, and they should take the cue as well. The pedal is already used to steady and run the vehicle to a comfortable balance, without having to put the vehicle to a complete stop. It is typically controlled with the right foot as well alternating with the accelerator.

The Clutch:
This item is the connection between the engine and the gear wheels. In essence, it controls and the gear stick and thus, it determines whether or not the car even moves at all. It is controlled with the left foot, and when clamped entirely down, it releases the engine from the gears, allowing the latter to be changed without stopping the engine. It is important to practice an excellent clutch control to achieve a seamless gear changing/shifting experience.

The Steering:
The is the round object that practically dictates the whims of the vehicle. Standard practice requires that it is held in a 10/2 O’clock fashion — the right hand on the 2 and the left on the 10. This makes for easy and aligned steering movement. The two hands essentially complement each other, while one pushes or pulls the wheel, the other complements it in height, ready to rein in.

The Handbrake (Engaging/Disengaging):
This is just another braking system. But unlike its counterpart, it is located within arm’s reach. It is usually employed if there is a stoppage time of more than 3 seconds when climbing a hill or if the accelerator is needed to move off easier. To engage, take the strain, press the adjoining button, bring down the lever fully and release. To disengage, press, pull the lever up and release the button before the lever.

Minimum Amount of Driving Lessons That is Required?

A standard driving lesson course requires a 12-hour course broken into 12 different one-hour lessons. In any event, you choose to change your driving instructor at any point during your program. The important thing is to ensure that your logbook is stamped upon the completion of every lesson.

In Ireland, it is mandatory to receive 12 hours of Essential Driver Training (EDT) before you take a driving test and try to get your license. However, according to statistics, the average person requires anywhere between 40 and 50 hours of driving lessons and will retake the driving test at least once. This process can undoubtedly become costly and cause financial strain, which is why the National Driving School has found three effortless ways you can keep costs down while still getting the most out of our driver’s education!

⦁ Choose the right instructor

⦁ While it is important to compare the prices of instructors in your area, do not base your driver’s education on price alone! You want to find an instructor that you can trust, is easy to learn from, and is dependable. Luckily for you, the National Driving School’s Kevin Horgan is the best of the best! With over 25 years of experience, an in-depth understanding of driver safety, and an unrivaled driver’s test pass-rate, you can trust that you have found the right instructor for you. In addition, each lesson is structured around you and your learning style, so you can absorb everything at your own pace while still engaging and learning!

⦁ Practice by yourself or with a friend or family member

⦁ The National Driving School always recommends practicing your driving skills outside of our driving lessons to optimize your skills! Getting practice behind the wheel is a fantastic way to boost your confidence and get more comfortable, which is always important when learning to do something new!

⦁ Find an instructor who is well-priced

⦁ The National Driving School is very pleased to be able to provide EDT and other driving lessons at competitive prices that will help keep costs low while maximizing your learning. Many driving schools in the Dublin area are extremely expensive and charge more than they might be worth, sometimes costing nearly €600! In addition, most driving schools in Dublin charge separately for testing cars and car lessons, costing upward of €500. The National Driving School, however, keeps driver’s education affordable with packages like our Automatic EDT 12 package, which provides 12-hour EDT lessons and an automatic test car for just €450! For more information regarding our prices, visit our pricing page, which lists the costs of all of our services and package deals.

It’s Ultimately a Matter of Safety

Having been in the business for over 25 years, the National Driving School understands that the process of attaining a license can be costly and it might be tempting to cut corners by finding the cheapest instructor and meeting the bare minimum of legal requirements. This is why we have committed ourselves to providing you the best driver’s education at an affordable price. In the end, your driver’s education is a matter of safety. Do you want to simply pass your test, or do you want to become a safe and confident driver?

Every year, millions of people are injured, physically or mentally disabled, and fatally wounded in tragic car accidents. Many of these victims are inexperienced drivers between the ages of 15 and 29, who have higher crash rates than any other age group. In addition, according to the Royal Automobile Club Foundation, one in five new drivers are involved in an accident within just 6 months after passing their driver’s test. Another shocking fact, only 56% of learning drivers rely on friends and family to learn how to drive, which means that many novice motorists are getting little-to-no practice outside of mandatory EDT. Imagine how much smaller the figures above might be if those drivers had engaged in thorough driver’s education rather than cutting corners only to save less than €100!

We are Committed to You

The National Driving School has a responsibility and commitment to you and your success. We provide top-of-the-line driving lessons because we value your safety on the road and the safety of others. To ensure your protection, we guarantee that your lessons will adapt to you and your learning needs and that you will be in a safe environment where you can develop an in-depth understanding of the road and your vehicle. Not only do we provide our services for an unbeatable price, we also have an unmatched first-time pass-rate among our students, so you can be sure that you are getting the best possible driver’s education while saving time and money.

At times, we may be at the very wrong end of driving situations and find ourselves being charged with the offense of drunk driving with corresponding penalty points being incurred on your driving license. Then the question begins to boggle your mind, how long does a drinking penalty stay on the driving license? We understand this unfortunate situation all too well, and in this article, we will discuss what the penalty system is all about, the drinking penalty point and how long the points stay on your driving license.
The penalty points system for driving offenses was introduced in Ireland in 2002. It is essentially a formal rebuke by the Gardai incurred on your driving license that indicates that you are guilty of a specific driving offense. The penalty points aim to improve the overall driving behavior in Ireland when an alarming rate of deaths and the grievous bodily injury was observed. Later on, the system was extended to Insurance, seat belt wearing and careless driving offenses in 2003 and 2004. In August 2014, a lower threshold of points leading to disqualification of learner and novice drivers was implemented. Later than a year, penalty points offenses for learner drivers unaccompanied, leaner and novice drivers not displaying the L and N plates respectively, and a range of other new offenses and increased points for existing offenses were introduced.

Penalty point offenses are recorded on your driving license in these situations:

• When you are convicted of a driving offense that attracts penalty points or;
• In the situation where you opt to pay the fine rather than having the matter referred to the courts in the case where you are served with a fixed charge notice for an alleged offense that should normally attract penalty points.

Any driver accumulating 12 penalty points within any given three year period will be automatically disqualified from driving for six months. Where the driver is taking out a first learner permit on or after 1 August 2014, a lower threshold of 7 penalty points applies while he or she drives under any learner permit and subsequently during the first two years while he or she is driving under a full driving license. In the situation where the driver is a foreigner with a foreign license, a record will be created and the penalty points recorded on that record. Such a driver is required to surrender his/her Irish or foreign driving license to the National Driver License Service within ten days of disqualification. It is worthy of note to state that it is an offense not to surrender the license or to drive while being disqualified.

Drink Driving Offences and its Penalty

This ugly situational offense is relatively self-explanatory. This is when you are driving in the state where you have a level of alcohol in your blood system than is legally acceptable. For drink driving offenses, the disqualification periods range from 3 months to 6 years depending on the level of alcohol detected. Whether you are first of subsequent offender is also very significant is determining how long drink driving points stay on your license. There is also the offense of refusing to provide a sample of blood, urine or breath for evidential purposes which will in itself attract an automatic disqualification for four years for a first offense and six years for a second or subsequent offense.
The offense of refusing to provide a sample of blood, urine, or breath for evidential purposes will attract an automatic disqualification of 4 years for a first offense and six years for a second or subsequent offense.

The Penalties for Drink Driving at the New Lower Limit.

For a more precise understanding, we will be providing detail of the administrative procedures for dealing with drink driving offenses. If the driver is a learner, novice or a professional driver, they are tested at the 20mg limit. If a driver is tested and they are above this limit, they are served with an on-the-spot fixed penalty notice, and they receive a fine of 200 Euros, and the person will be disqualified from holding a driving license period of 3 months.
If the driver (or any category and with any vehicle) is tested at the 50mg limit and they are over the limit, they will be issued with an on the spot fixed penalty notice in addition to a fine of 200 Euros and three penalty points. Points will remain on the license record for three years. Any driver accumulating 12 points in a three year period will be disqualified from driving for 6 months.

So, you already your driving test scheduled and you can’t help being apprehensive. It is normal for you to be a little agitated and off the edge but there are some blunders that most drivers make that may, unfortunately, cost them a positive in the driving test. Please, have a quick rundown of the common mistakes most drivers make and ensure to avoid them as much you can.

• Wrong road position about traffic.
• Inability to show adequate concentration and observation when moving, at junctions, at a roundabout and when changing lanes.
• Inability to show adequate preemption and anticipation for the actions of other road users.
• Improper use of the mirrors and the misleading use of signals.
• Incorrect use of internal controls such as the gears, brake, accelerator, and steering.
• Failure to properly adjust driving speed to sync with the traffic conditions.
• Failure to maintain adequate progress at junctions, roundabouts, on the straight and when overtaking.
• Inability to yield the right of way.
• Bad judgment and poor coordination when attempting reverse or maneuvering a turnabout.

You may not be 100% prepared to take the driving, and you may be struggling with a few tackiness, but it is important that you find a way to work your confidence and stay comfortable. This will help you avoid a lot of common mistakes that constitute an Achilles-heel for most new drivers.

Your vehicle, just like pretty much any other thing, flourishes with nurture and adequate maintenance. It is important that your vehicle is kept in a great driving condition to ensure your safety and that of other road users. Here are some of the most crucial things to look out for:

The Engine.

This is the brain of the vehicle you got here. If it malfunctions, every other component is as good as useless. To ensure an optimal working condition of the engine, it is advised that you check the engine oil level regularly. Doing this is more comfortable than peasy. Park the vehicle on level ground and locate the dipstick. Clean it with a rag and plug it back in the find out the exact level of the Oil. If the oil turns out black, then it is time for a change. You should always be on the lookout for the Oil warning light as well. It comes on if the oil pressure is low and needs attention. Other things to look out for in the engine are the coolant and the brake fluid level.

Wheels and Tires

These are literally the leg of the vehicle, and they may easily be a pain in the tooth if not properly and regularly tended to. The tyre pressures should be inspected regularly. Poor tyre pressures can affect the handling and movement of the vehicle, comfortability while driving and even the fuel usage. The wheels should also be routinely checked for balance and alignment.