If you have ever experienced the frustration of trying to email a friend on your iPhone while parked in a dark lay-by, then car makers are about to come to your rescue. A new range of models with internet facilities built into the dashboard will enable drivers to surf the net, send emails, use Skype and call up sites such as Google Maps to get detailed information about their route and destination. If all they want to do is check out prices at the January sales as they drive to the shopping centre, they will be able to do that too.

The technology will be rolled out by two of the biggest brands over the next 18 months. Audi and Ford are preparing to release different versions of the technology, while other manufacturers are set to follow. Some car makers claim the new facility will transform cars from tools used to get from A to B into mobile offices, complete with all the conveniences of the digital age.

John Schneider, Ford’s chief engineer in charge of infotainment, says: “We’re giving owners a variety of connectivity options and letting them choose what works best for them. Customers will be able to park their car and use the onscreen browser or log on with a laptop in the back seat by using the car as a mobile hotspot.”

Ford will launch its first web-enabled car in 2011. The new Focus will feature what boffins at the manufacturer have branded the MyFord Touch, a state-of-the-art in-car computer that brings the internet direct to the dashboards of a mass-produced vehicle for the first time.

The slick-looking centre console will allow users to access the web via a built-in browser, developed in conjunction with Microsoft, and an 8in LCD touchscreen. The browser operates by picking up a signal from either the driver’s 3G mobile via Bluetooth, or by a dongle — a mobile modem — being plugged into one of the vehicle’s two built-in USB ports.

Once connected, the dongle effectively creates a wireless hotspot throughout the vehicle. As long as the car is stationary, the driver can use the touchscreen or plug in a keyboard to surf the web and complete everyday tasks such as sending email. When the car is in motion, the in-built browser shuts down for obvious safety reasons, but with the dongle connected, passengers can jump on their laptops to access the wi-fi signal to surf the web — although potentially at much slower speeds than you would expect at home.

Enabling vehicles to be connected to the internet is rapidly becoming the hottest area of research for car makers. It has also caught the attention of Bernie Ecclestone, the Formula One supremo. His interest in Saab, the struggling Swedish car maker that looks set to be closed down by its owner, General Motors, appears to be driven in part by its suitability as a test-bed for the new technology.

Genii Capital, the investment group that Ecclestone has joined forces with to make a bid for Saab, announced it is interested in Voip (voice over internet protocol), GPS systems, and, possibly, video streaming in cars. It said that by putting the ailing Swedish car maker, with its innovative image, at the cutting edge of these new technologies, the group could make the company’s vehicles more attractive to younger, well-heeled, tech-savvy buyers.

It is a market Audi is already targeting. The firm is on course to beat Ford by launching a web-enabled version of the new A8 saloon as early as this summer. The car will go on sale in May, but from June the company says it will be fully connected to the internet via a partnership with Google. The deal will allow drivers to log on to the Google browser, surf the web and, in the future, make Voip phone calls.

Audi will also offer drivers the option of seeing a map of their route overlaid onto the high-resolution and three-dimensional satellite imaging of Google Earth — a first for a production car. “If you’re going somewhere that you haven’t been to before, using the Google Earth feature gives you the option of viewing more detail about your destination”, says David Ingram, an Audi spokesman. “You can find hotels, places of interest, restaurants or museums. It’s about additional information being available, should you desire it.”

The A8, priced from £54,760, comes with an 8in monitor controlled via a touchpad. Drivers will be able to write a phone number on the screen with their fingertips and then have it automatically dialled by the car’s computer. Equally, by entering an address on the pad, or speaking it out loud, the system will recognise the request and provide a map location and directions to it.

The drive towards web-connected cars is likely to dismay safety campaigners who claim that in-car distractions cause many accidents. In America, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last week released figures that showed nearly 6,000 people were killed by distracted drivers across America in 2008

Something that people have asked us about before, is how does the UK compare to other countries when it comes to learning to drive? The belief is that the UK is tough on learner drivers, but that’s not entirely true. Below are 4 examples of how other countries grant drivers their full driving licences.

Belgium

From the age of 17 you take the theory test. This must be passed before you get your provisional licence (4 types based on age and how you are being taught). If you fail the theory test twice, you must take 12 hours of theory tuition before taking it again. While learning, if you are under 24, you have restrictions on when you can drive. Once you are over 18, you can take the driving test, during which the examiner and instructor are always present. Failing the driving test twice, means you must take at least another 6 further hours training.

France

Can register from 16 years old. You would be assessed by a driving school and must take at least 20 hours of lessons before taking the theory test. Once passed, you are issued with a 3 year certificate which allows you to drive with a supervising driver. Once you are 18, you need to take further lessons with a driving school as preparation for the full driving test.

Germany

Must take part in 12 classroom based theory lessons before driving. The lessons themselves have to meet strict requirements. At least 225 minutes must be spent driving on trunk roads or country roads with a distance of at least 50 km being travelled in any one session; at least 135 minutes just be spent driving on motorways or dual carriageways with each journey lasting at least 45 minutes; and a minimum of 90 minutes should be reserved for driving in twilight or darkness, half of this on trunk roads or country roads.

Once these requirements have been met, and the theory test passed, you may take the practical driving test.

Australia

Proabably the must complicated, but best I’ve come across. At age 16 you can take a theory test, which must be passed before getting your provisional licence. Then you can take lessons and so long as you are at least 16 years and 6 months, you may take the driving test. However, this is where it’s gets interesting. For at least 6 months you must drive under supervision, displaying ‘L’ plates for at least 25 hours (recorded in a log book).

Then you must pass the hazard perception test (be at least 17). During this time there are limits as to when you can drive. Once passed this test, you are allowed to drive unsupervised, but you must display ‘P’ plates for a further 2 years (during which time, you must have a zero alcohol level while driving). After this last 2 year period, you have earned an open licence.

The start date for the new practical test is currently 4th October 2010.
On the current test you have to do two manoeuvres. However, when the new test starts you may only have to do ONE manoeuvre.
The test duration may also be increased to allow extra time for Independent Driving, and this will result in an increase in the test fee.
You will still need to practice all the manoeuvres because the Examiner on the day will decide which one you should do.