MotorVating

Here is an article published a few days.. ago for the full article visit the web site

Driving Schools in Limerick are much the same as those elsewhere; a mix of full time Professionals; some part time Instructors; some occasional Instructors and the usual crop of drivers who masquerade as Instructors. The lack of any formal Driving Instructor Examinations and ongoing monitoring has meant that anyone with a Driving license can stick a sign on the roof of his car and call himself an Instructor. There is plenty of this type of example throughout the country and Limerick is no exception. Sadly the level of skill being displayed by most Learner Drivers in Limerick is a reflection on the lack of commitment by successive governments to tackle head-on, the various issues surrounding driving and learning to drive. If there is no culture of Professional Driving Lessons only a lemming-like fascination with passing the Driving Test and nothing more; then it is hardly surprising we have one of the worst equipped Driving Populations in Europe!

We are getting back to the keyboard after a long lay off dealing with the revamping of our web site which is going well after just three months. Here is a snippett of todays article which is on the web site so go visit and read the rest.

The Driving Test is surrounded by Myth and Mystery and not a little confusion! It needn’t be this way if the candidate ignores all the horror stories from friends, workmates and relatives and approaches the task with a clear plan of action and a determined mind.
Enter the Planning Department Chief stage left (or stage right if you are in one of those strange countries where Drivers drive on the wrong side of the road! only kidding!) This individual is usually known by the pseudonym… Instructor.

There is a lot of work to be done in the planning of your assault…for that’s what it is …a military campaign not a high school picnic and with you in the Driving Seat! No hand holding allowed! And you are the Commander in Chief and the Examiner or Tester takes a back seat during the battle. Look on him or her as your assistant not the Dictator. See where we are heading here? Does it sound like you are about to become a control freak? Yes Absolutely! There is only one person in the car who matters and that is the person in the Driving Seat…Guess where this phrase emanated?

Does the Examiner steer the car or change gear or accelerate smoothly away from the Traffic Lights or give way to a poor unfortunate who is trying in vain to ease out into traffic that just won’t take any notice? No of course not… it’s You and You alone, so why get into a twist? You are the Driver and probably the Owner of the car as well…you are in the driving seat so why be shaking in your shoes when all this person beside you is doing is taking a few notes and checking your progress? Your participation in the exercise is by far the more important… to read the remainder of this article go to the Astral Driving School Web site

For a free seven part email mini course on “Passing the Driving Test First Time” go to the home page and sign up with your e mail address.

Starting the Long Slow path to improving Road Safety in Ireland.

After years of ignoring the facts, ignoring the statistics and ignoring the comments of Industry Professionals and the general Driving Public, finally the dark ages of Driving in Ireland are to come to an end! Will this be an overnight improvement as the new legislation and regulations get rolled out?

Unfortunately this will not be the case! Since the time from implementation of new motoring laws to the time when we see some steady improvements will always be measured in months, if not years! Still, with the advent of mandatory training for Motorcyclists and hopefully Learner Car Drivers around the corner we can look forward to a substantial reduction in road fatalities in a year or two.

Some over enthusiastic Politicians have had a habit of blaming the poor driving standards of the populace on the poor standards of Driving Schools and the fact that Driving Instructors are not regulated currently. This also is due to come to an end with the introduction of the discussion document on Driving School Registration which was issued a couple of weeks ago and which heralds the setting up of the New Register from July 2007.

The New Driving Instructor Register will be administered by a separate Department within the newly established Road Safety Authority. The monitoring of Instructor tuition standards will be an annual affair and the cost of both qualifying in the first place and maintaining one’s registration secondly, will hopefully remove both part- timers and cowboys from the Profession

After this date all Driving Instructors will be required to be members of the Register following the successful passing of three in-depth examinations which will be modelled on standards currently pertaining throughout Europe.

Once the new register is in place and functioning we could then expect to see a steady improvement in the standards of all new drivers coming onto the road for the first time and this in due course will have a very beneficial effect on the road accident figures that we are being exposed to currently and which are not only horrific but unacceptable.

Our new web site continues to grow and it is our aim to provide regualr updates on all aspects of Irish Driving and Learning to Drive as well as the Driving Test.

If you have your Driving Test coming up soon then get some valuable insider information by signing up for our Free Seven Part Mini-Course which will come to you every other day. It includes expert assistance on the two reversing manoeuvres!

The Astral Driving Test Mini -Course may not be republished without written permission of the Author…Robin Piggott

The world of Driving, Learning to Drive and Driving Tests continues to create headlines here in Ireland as elsewhere in the world as more and more young people take to the road behind the wheel and never return home!

Why does it take so long and so many deaths and heartache before the slow and laborious process of Government crawls into second gear? After successive weekends of carnage every politician gets on the band wagon giving their own particular slant on the problem and offering easy to implement solutions.

The fact of the matter is that the road Fatality situation is a simple one to bring under control but certainly not easy and certainly not as simple as flicking a switch.
Virtually all serious accidents are the result of the loss of control of the vehicle which stems from a serious deficiency in the skills level of the drivers concerned.

Why is there such a skills deficiency? Simple! No training either basic or ongoing! It’s as simple as that! Why no training? There has been no mandatory requirement for Driver Training up to this point and until there is we will continue to witness a stream of deaths and serious injury on the roads.

The good news is that there is a worldwide concern now for this spiralling problem of death on the road and most countries are waking up to the fact that it not only requires serious commitment to resolve but massive action.

Graded learner driver licensing is high on the agenda of countries in all hemispheres and the results from those countries who have taken action; massive action, are creating quite a stir worldwide; Sweden being one of the foremost .Their fatal accident rate of just 45 deaths last year is a phenomenal achievement and stems from serious driver training and mandatory skid control for Learner Drivers. Losing control of a vehicle is one of the most common causes of accidents and is often the result of just a few miles per hour over the threshold.

We will continue this theme over the coming weeks and explore ways in which learner drivers can reduce the chances of serious accidents without breaking the bank. The newly launched, upgraded Astral Driving School website already has a mountain of information, tips and techniques for Drivers of all ages and comes from the experience of five decades of driving in a professional capacity!

The New Astral Driving School Web Site has been up and running for two weeks now and is gathering momentum.

If you are preparing for your Driving Test or even if you are visiting the Country sign up for the mailing list and you will receive a Free Seven- Part Mini Course entitled “Passing your Driving Test First Time”.

Part one will be mailed to you immediately; the subsequent parts every other day. You will find it helpful with your regular manoeuvres and will provide plenty of insider tips and techniques to give you a better than average chance of succeeding on the Driving Test.

The Astral Driving School forum is also alive but not yet kicking since we are spending most of our time getting the site up to scratch.

Now that we have taken over as our own Webmaster you can expect to see fresh content on an almost daily basis with plenty of photos. This is located in Fresh Bites and the Fresh Bites Archive.

Drive Safely: it is one of the most dangerous times of the year for all Motorists especially during the heat-wave that we are experiencing currently. There are many Tourists Drivers on the road who are driving unfamiliar vehicles in unfamiliar territory. Lack of local knowledge leads to many mistakes; errors of judgement and serious consequences!

Astral Driving School gets you on the road and keeps you there

The New Astral Driving School Web Site has been up and running for two weeks now and is gathering momentum.

If you are preparing for your Driving Test or even if you are visiting the Country sign up for the mailing list and you will receive a Free Seven- Part Mini Course entitled “Passing your Driving Test First Time”.

Part one will be mailed to you immediately; the subsequent parts every other day. You will find it helpful with your regular manoeuvres and will provide plenty of insider tips and techniques to give you a better than average chance of succeeding on the Driving Test.

The Astral Driving School forum is also alive but not yet kicking since we are spending most of our time getting the site up to scratch.

Now that we have taken over as our own Webmaster you can expect to see fresh content on an almost daily basis with plenty of photos. This is located in Fresh Bites and the Fresh Bites Archive.

Drive Safely: it is one of the most dangerous times of the year for all Motorists especially during the heat-wave that we are experiencing currently. There are many Tourists Drivers on the road who are driving unfamiliar vehicles in unfamiliar territory. Lack of local knowledge leads to many mistakes; errors of judgement and serious consequences!

Astral Driving School gets you on the road and keeps you there

Anyone that is reading this post has the inherent ability to pass the Driving Test first time.

Despite all the myths and B.S. purveyed throughout various quarters, passing the Driving Test is 100% related to the candidate sitting the Test and no one else…period.

Blaming the Examiner or the other Driver (usually rather incompetent!) or the Hole in the Road or the New Traffic Light layout (see main gate) is convenient and will help to ease the pain for a while when you hear the dreaded words “you have not been successful this time”…but when the dust settles the Buck stops with you! and you have to do it all over again.

There is a philosophy which is worth looking at which goes something like this :- Take Action…Massive action if you want to succeed in anything!

In the context of the Driving Test , massive action is not a call to a friendly instructor two weeks from your Test but a serious attempt at discovering what is necessary to pass six months before you expect to be in the hot seat and then putting a plan together that you can follow through.

Central to this pre planning is some research on the Internet. Try the title of this post for example as a keyphrase and see what comes up…there is a mountain of help on the Web which will guide you to the things you need to concentrate on …then get moving on your plan with Action

Astral Driving School.Ireland Does exactly what it says on the Can!

Fresh Bites this morning 14.07.06

The Black Bits!

Tyres are what keep you on the road and the little black stuff is only a few square inches/centimetres in area so it’s very important that you know how to look after them and how to recognise problems immediately!

First of all you need some Kit which is not expensive but absolutely invaluable!

Tyre Kit

1. Tyre Pressure Gauge.
2. Tyre Tread Depth Gauge.
3. Mini Compressor (runs off the cigar lighter)
4. Small Wooden Plank (about 12 inches long)…for supporting jack in soft conditions.
5. Professional Cross Wheel brace.

Go to the article on Tyre care for the full explanation of all these pieces of kit and how they will deal with all of your tyre problems.

Hints and Tips

1. The pressure gauge will give you an accurate reading when the tyres are cold before your journey.

2. The Mini Compressor will give you a very quick correction of tyre pressures when they are down and will also enable you to increase the pressures correctly when you are carrying a heavier load or full passengers when going on Holidays for example. The recommended increase in pressures will usually be found inside the fuel filler cap or the Car Manual.

3. You can spot a slow puncture very easily by checking the pressures daily. It only takes a couple of minutes.

4. A nail in the tyre will usually shed 6psi per day so if it’s down by this amount 24 hours after you have checked the tyre you have got a nasty nail in the black stuff which will need to be dealt with by your tyre shop immediately.

5. The plank is a necessity to support the jack when you get a puncture since punctures usually happen miles from anywhere and often in the winter with soft verges .It’s really important to get the car off the road if you are in a dangerous position to change the wheel. People get killed by passing cars when changing wheels!

6. It’s possible to get a greater mileage out of your tyres by rotating them periodically. The front tyres will be wearing at twice the rate of the rear tyres due to the weight of the engine that they are supporting and all the turning that they undertake. The rear tyres just mind their own business and go round and round!

7. When you are re-locating your tyres this is an ideal time to have a close up and personal look at their condition, wear rate and tread depth. It’s not always easy to spot uneven wear by bending down and peering at the tyre. With the wheel off it’s easy to highlight a flat spot or uneven wear which can lead to a slide or skid if not dealt with!

8. Even if the tread depth is still within the legal parameter it is likely that the tyre will be 80% worn at that stage. So we recommend that tyres are replaced before that stage of wear is reached. Winter months particularly will highlight the need to become an expert tyre analyst. What you may get away with on a dry road in Summer will be lethal in the Winter especially if you do a lot of country road driving .What is the significance of this remark? Leaves…Leaves… and more Leaves!

Astral Driving School. Limerick. Ireland.

The fresh bites concept is that we will put up new content several times a week and after a day or so we will relocate the page to the fresh bites archive. There could be several topics on each page so we may just date them and not give them a headline. Time will tell.

The new Astral Driving School Site is a big departure from what has been online for the last five years and will continue to grow and provide a wide range of information, hints, tips, techniques and of course straight shooting comments. We believe in Tough Talk since Driving is a Deadly occupation and far too many young or new drivers seem to be treating it as something of a joke.

Many of you don’t reach your 25th Birthdays so we are attempting to pass on a lifetimes experience in order to help you do so.

If you are a young Driver and just starting off or have a year or two under your belt already, then take heed of all that is published in these pages. You will find priceless advice and information here that will enable you to progress your Driving Standard to an Advanced level and stay safe when others around you are doing the opposite!

Astral Driving School Limerick Ireland

Saving Money by Eco Friendly Driving Techniques: Not Such a Bad Idea!

Saving and conserving energy when driving will assume greater significance in the coming months and years as the pressure on world oil prices continues to bite. In Europe over the last thirty years we have experienced several petrol price spikes with critical shortages and queues at times. The situation has been extreme for the last year or so with the result that alternative fuel sources are getting plenty of media coverage and rightly so since we need to be embracing these alternatives for a more secure future!

There are many ways to conserve energy and save money when driving. We are primarily concerned with getting a better fuel consumption from each tankful be it Petrol or Diesel or the still very rare Bioethanol.

Let’s start with a favourite subject…Tyres and move on to the Feet, followed by the Engine and its Occupants and Loading.

(1) Under inflated Tyres enjoy a greater friction with the road leading to increased gas usage for each kilometre travelled. As well as this they wear out much more rapidly, give a rougher ride, particularly on Irish rural roads and generally upset the overall handling of the car, not to mention a less than comfortable ride for the passengers.

To Read the rest of the Article go to the New Web Site at Astral Driving School.ie