Motorists now have more reason than ever to obey the laws of the road after it was announced by ministers that the penalty for being caught speeding would be increased 50%, going up to £90 per offence. It is estimated that the changes would bring in around £33.5 million in additional motoring fines when it is implemented.

Ministers have also announced that increases will also be made for related offences, such as failing to fasten seatbelts and talking on a mobile phone whilst driving.

The coalition had vowed to end the Labour Government's apparent "war" on motorists, however these increases will make all of these claims ring truly hollow. However, at the same time, it is completely legtimate to punish drivers for breaking the law.

A total of £100 million will be contributed to the treasury if the new fines are put in place and driving offence match figures recorded in 2010.

With an increase in the amount of accidents related to distracted driving in the USA, driving schools in the area are starting to provide lessons highlighting the dangers inherent in using various devices, such as mobile phones, whilst driving.

Steve Mochel, the owner of Fresh Green Light Driving School in Cos Cob, has made distracted driving one of the core focuses of his classes and utilises a range of simulators to provide students with a more visual demonstration of the potetial impact of distracted driving.

"We use driving simulators and in one of the programs we require the kids to take out their phone while `driving' and they usually end up crashing and taken to the hospital or jail depending on the type of crash. It's not required by the state, but it's required at Fresh Green Light," the driving instructor commented.

"We use the One Simple Decision (driving simulator) program with every student who comes through our school. We believe it is a powerful way to demonstrate the dangers of distracted driving in a safe environment."

Recent figures have shown just how prevalent the problem is amongst drivers, with a report stating "Almost half of the respondents said they had talked on a handheld phone while driving in the previous 30 days. Close to 30 percent said they had texted in that time. And some had operated smartphone apps (8 percent) or used email or social media (7 percent) while behind the wheel."

Driving instructors and driving schools in Ohio have come out in opposition of potential state legislation that would provide driving students with the option of taking the classroom portion of their driving education online.

Many are now urging Governor John Kasich to veto it, claiming that an online learning environment will fail to provide driving students with the first hand experience required to properly operate a vehicle.

Some are even claiming that other states that have allowed such courses are seeing an increase in accidents amongst young drivers and teenagers.

Private driving schools would still provide the in-car training that many of these instructors claim is necessary.

Nathan Sykes, who is best known as one of the members of The Wanted, joined pupils and parents last week to open a new community school in Cooper's Edge.

The singer, who grew up in the Gloucester area, saw a host of pupils sings for him before Gloucester Rugby player Nick Wood cut the official ribbon alongside a pair of the school's students.

Nathan was at the event on the sole insistence of his driving instructor, who is a parent of one of the students at the school. He commented "I was driving with him one day and he mentioned the event to me.

"He presumed I'd be in America but I said 'no, I'd be delighted to come along'."

Headteacher Keely Folker added "It is amazing to officially open the school. It has been a lot of hard work to get to this point and there is still plenty more to do but we are enjoying it."

Formula 1 superstar Lewis Hamilton has teamed up with Mercedes to help launch a new driving academy. The venture, which is being opened at Silverstone, aims to provide a quality driving experience for younger people.

The former F1 champion, who currently drives for McLaren, helped to officially open the Mercedes-Benz Driving Experience Academy at Silverstone on Wednesday. Lewis is already an ambassador for the academy and his younger brother learnt to drive through one of their other locations.

Lewis praised the centre when speaking to journalists after the opening, stating “I think it’s great. The building is the old brand centre we used to have at McLaren before I got there and I actually remember visiting it at the grand prix a couple of times.

“I think what it is being used for is really cool. It’s great these young kids can get to come up here and experience driving way before they can actually do their test. It’s just incredible preparation for when they are 17 and can fully drive on the road. They will be so much better prepared.”

The academy allows youngsters to drive on a fully functional road layout under the tutelage of professional driving instructors, allowing them to learn basic driving skills that can then be taken into full driving lessons when they are older.

It would seem that the wait for a driving test is leading to many learner drivers in Australia becoming increasingly frustrated. Many people are finding that the gap between completing driving lessons and actually getting to take the test is increasing, especially in some of the smaller towns in Southeast Queensland.

In fact, Rockhampton's transport centre has become so busy that learner drivers are being told that they must simply wait and see if a slot opens up before being able to book their test. Many are forced to travel to towns further away in an effort to take the test.

"It is an absolute joke," Rockhampton driving instructor Peter Ceola said. "Some need it for work and they can't wait five weeks to get a licence. It has been like this for nearly two years."

The driving instructor became so angered by the situation that he actually took the time to become a registered examiner aswell, just so that he could offer driving exams to students.

A seven-week wait or longer is necessary to sit a test at Caboolture, north of Brisbane, or at Logan City, whereas learners at Wynnum's service centre had a two month waiting period to contend with.

A Transport and Main Roads spokesman said the department aimed to meet a maximum 20-day wait target.

Carl McGee, who has been blind from birth, is gearing up for the ride of his life after agreeing to get behind the wheel of a car in an effort to raise money for charity.

Carl will be driving for the very first time during The Blind Drive event, which will be held on Sunday June 10th. He will take to the wheel in a dual-controlled car with a driving instructor to drive around the test track at Nissan in Sunderland. All of the money he raises will go towards the Guide Dogs for the Blind charity.

Speaking of his excitement at getting behind the wheel he commented "It is something I have never done and something I want to do.’’

"I never thought I would get the chance to drive a car, ever. It is something I’m absolutely delighted about.

"People keep talking about their cars and I would love to know what that feels like. Now I have a chance."

"The more money I can raise for Guide Dogs the better. I have got a Just Giving page set up.

"I want to raise more than £150 because then you get to go in a rally car.

"I have got control of the wheel but the instructor has control of the pedal and the brakes."

Recently released statistics have shown that police in Staffordshire managed to crash their vehicles in police car parks a total of 48 times during the past year.

The 48 crashes make up 10% of the 487 insurance claims put in for damage to police vehicles, with former Staffordshire Police driving instructor Nigel Bowers commenting “Years and years ago, if you so much as got a scratch on a police car you would be banned from driving for a week.

“I think standards have dropped and it’s not just in Staffordshire, it’s across the whole country.”

However this view is disputed by former Staffordshire Police Inspector Nigel Gunn, who commented “If you look at the parking facilities at the new police headquarters in Stafford, then look at police stations like Hanley, Burslem or Newcastle - they were never built for significant numbers of cars.

“There’s very limited space and a lot of vehicles trying to cram into that space.

This problem with car parks is becoming increasingly prevalant and Staffordshire Police director of resources, Graham Liddiard added “Police stations are not very well lit and it is more difficult at night. You also get tired people coming off long shifts. Occasionally, accidents do occur when officers are driving police vehicles, but these thankfully are usually minor.

“Our vehicles are involved in a wide variety of situations and are used around the clock doing thousands of miles per year.

“Our officers undergo regular training and assessments. Every accident is fully investigated and action taken where necessary.”

The new driving test centre in Southend has officially been opened following a visit from the Roads Minister Mike Penning.

The test centre will be located at the Tickfield Centre, Tickfield Avenue, Southend and has been opened following the closure of the former Southend driving test centre back in 2008.

That centre was closed when the Basildon driving test centre was opened. However the new centre in Tickfield has been opened as part of a scheme to offer more local services for driving test candidates.

Southend council’s deputy leader, John Lamb, commented “It is a huge help for learner drivers from Southend to be able to take their driving tests in an area they know well, and this will be very much welcomed by instructors too. 

“We are grateful for the combined efforts of everyone who has helped towards bringing a Driving Test Centre back here.” 

Mr Penning added “We have worked very closely with the local MPs, Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, driving instructors and members of the local community to achieve this.

“Our aim is to offer a local service that is convenient for candidates as well as being cost effective.” 

Tests will initially be available every Monday and Friday from the new test centre.

Driving instructors in Crosby have launched a new road safety initiative that is aimed at creating safer young drivers who avoid the various perils of the road and drive more safely.

Enagage is a joint collaboration between driving instructors, Merseyside Police, Merseyside Fire and Rescue and the five local authorities. It is being billed as a new approach to driving lessons and aims to set a higher standard for novice drivers in the region to ensure that they obey all of the rules of the road.

Dave Hardman is one of the driving instructors who will be taking part in the programme, which will cover topics like distraction, the influence of others, speed, drink, drugs and fatigue.

He commented “A lot of learners in driving lessons won’t actually cover getting in the car with mates, and getting distracted.

“The programme will be built into the normal driving lesson, but it will go further into discussing the way drink affects your driving, and how to deal with picking up mates from parties.”

He says the course will specifically look at drink-driving as a major issue, as he adds “You can’t believe people pass their test then go out drinking, but it happens.

“We want to encourage them to think about safe driving and to keep thinking about it after they pass their test. This scheme will give them a little bit of extra knowledge and maybe they won’t get involved with the peer pressure.”