Driving

Driving most often refers to the controlled operation and movement of a motorized vehicle, such as a car, truck, or bus.

Etymology

The origin of the term driver, as recorded from the 15th century, refers to the occupation of driving working animals, especially pack horses or draft horses. The verb ' to drive ' in origin means "to force to move, to impel by physical force". It is first recorded of electric railway drivers in 1889 and of a motor-car driver in 1896. Early alternatives were motorneer,motor-man, motor-driver or motorist. French favors "conducteur" (the English equivalent, "conductor", being used —from the 1830s— not of the driver but of the person in charge of passengers and collecting fares), while German influenced areas adopted Fahrer (used of coach-drivers in the 18th century, but shortened about 1900 from the compound Kraftwagenfahrer), and the verbs führen, lenken, steuern —all with a meaning "steer, guide, navigate"— translating to conduire.

Introduction of the automobile

United Kingdom driving test

The United Kingdom driving test is a test of competence that UK residents take in order to obtain a full Great Britain or Northern Ireland driving licence or to add additional full entitlements to an existing one. Tests vary depending on the class of vehicle to be driven. In Great Britain it is administered by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and in Northern Ireland by the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA).

The minimum age at which one can take a UK driving test is currently 16 for mopeds and 17 for cars (16 for those on the higher/enhanced rate of the mobility component of DLA or PIP). There is no upper age limit. In addition to a driving licence, a CBT certificate may be required before a moped or motorcycle is ridden.

In GB around 1.6 million people sit the practical car test per year, with a pass rate of around 43%, the theory test has a pass rate of around 51.6%.

History

UK driving licences were introduced by the Motor Car Act 1903 but no test was required.

Car Throttle

Car Throttle is a British media platform company for car enthusiasts.

Founded in 2009 as a car blog by Adnan Ebrahim, the company has grown to become one of the largest car communities online and allows users to create content alongside featured editorial articles.

History

Funding

In July 2012, Car Throttle raised an undisclosed pre-seed round from London early-stage VC firm Passion Capital. In 2013, the company raised a further $550,000 from investors including Passion Capital, James Bromley (MailOnline) and Peter Read which allowed it to make its first editorial, video and engineering hires. In January 2015, Car Throttle closed a $1.6 million round led by Redalpine with participation from Blake Chandlee (Facebook's first international employee). Car Throttle is currently based in White Bear Yard, a coworking space in Clerkenwell, London for startup companies.

Content

Car Throttle creates publishing tools to allow online car enthusiasts to share their opinions on cars and car culture. Described by TechCrunch as "Buzzfeed for cars", Car Throttle follows a similar model in producing content for its website aimed at distribution on social media platforms. Unlike Buzzfeed however, the website encourages and promotes user-generated content alongside editorial pieces, and has ambition to become "a platform, not simply a top-down publisher".