St Helens in Merseyside is the UK’s most car-friendly town, while London is the worst spot for motorists, according to research out today. St Helens scored well on such things as petrol prices, parking costs and the number of speed cameras in an assessment carried out by Virgin Money Car Insurance. Telford in Shropshire – rated top for the previous two years – was in second place, with Blackburn third, Dudley in the West Midlands fourth, and Derby fifth. London’s 600 speed cameras contributed to its bottom place, a spot the UK capital has occupied for the last three years. The next least vehicle-friendly town was Manchester, followed by Reading in Berkshire, Glasgow and Watford in Hertfordshire. A total of 65 of the UK’s largest towns and cities were assessed, with the number of car parks and the level of car crime also taken into consideration. More
(AD Remarks ~ With the ever increasing traffic on the roads and all the associated fines and charges in the capital, it may well be bottom of the list for a while.)
The number of MoT failures has soared as cash-strapped motorists cut back on servicing and maintenance, figures showed. Soaring petrol prices and the recession has seen the number of cars and small vans failing the test rise form 8.4 million in 2006 to 10.5 million last year, according to the Retail Motor Industry. This is equivalent to just over 37 per cent of the total subject to testing and, according to the AA, the figure would have been higher but for the previous “cash for bangers” scheme which saw around 300,000 old cars taken off the road. An AA spokesman said a poll of more than 17,000 members earlier this year showed that one driver in five was cutting back on servicing. “That is a huge amount. The cost of fuel is taking a huge amount out of motorists pockets and they are looking to save money where they can. “These failures could be the tip of the iceberg hiding a motoring underclass who are driving cars with crumbling tyres and brakes which won’t stop a car in time.” “It is clear the recession has been having an impact,” said John Ball, the Retail Motor Industry’s MoT chairman. “People are running to a strict budget and getting pressures everywhere with the price of fuel rising as it has, you are having to absorb that extra cost More
(AD Remarks ~ In the current climate money is always tight, but its pays to make the small repairs when needed. Leaving major problems, may cost more in the long run, and could compromise safety on the road.)
Using “free” navigation abroad could cost over *20p per mile in roaming charges 185 mile Calais to Paris trip costs *£24 to £39 in roaming charges one way, *£52 to £78 return journey Garmin, global leaders in satellite navigation**, today revealed the cost of using “free” satellite navigation on your mobile phone abroad. Users can rack up a phone bill more expensive than the cost of their fuel used for the journey. The company found that using one of the most well known turn-by-turn navigation services on a mobile phone generated a bill of £36 in data roaming charges for a journey from Calais to Paris – some 185 miles – meaning a cost for navigation alone of over 20 pence per mile. Garmin’s Head of Communications, Anthony Chmarny said: “Using free satellite navigation isn’t as free as it would like to make out, especially when you are using your mobile phone abroad. Many of the well known navigation products use the mobile phone network to download maps as they go, meaning people could end up with a nasty shock when their mobile phone bills arrive – the costs could be double that of the fuel used for the journey they were navigating. “We tested the route from Calais to Paris four times and each time it came up with the same results: between 12-13 megabytes of data per journey. On a pay as you go mobile phone this meant £36 to £39 to get from Calais to Paris – some 185 miles on a contract plan the cost is a little less, but still equates to £24 to £26 per single journey.” More
(AD Remarks ~ High charges indeed! Buying the Sat-nav units them selves are less than some of the small journeys listed in the report.)
Italian drivers are renowned for their cavalier attitude to the rules of the road. But with one of the highest death tolls in Europe – more than 5,000 last year alone –the authorities have decided something needs to be done. Their solution is to propose a ban on all drivers aged over 80, because they are considered less alert and more easily distracted. Mario Valducci, chairman of the Italian parliament’s transport committee, said: ‘We must look at setting an age limit.’ Currently driving licences must be renewed every ten years until the age of 50, every five years until 70 and then every three years. Drivers-have to provide medical certificates but there is no practical test. More
(AD Remarks ~ Is this group of drivers really the problem? Why not target those who drive dangerously first. The elderly may well be less alert, but they would also be driving much slower, and their years of experience should make the majority safer anyway.)
Twisting through a rolling landscape of green and vivid yellow fields, the road swoops down into a tight bend then straightens again, allowing the driver to accelerate up through the gears. It is the English highway of car ads and films, the perfect spot to luxuriate in the exhilarating fun of the open road. This stretch of the A18 cuts through picture-postcard Lincolnshire countryside, skirting the edge of the Wolds, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a magnet for walkers, birdwatchers and devotees of wildflowers. Well away from the thunder of the motorways – there are none in Lincolnshire – everything, including the smell of freshly cut grass, combines to give a sense of tranquillity, rural isolation and, not least, safety. This could not be more deceptive. The Road Safety Foundation (RSF) has just published its detailed annual study, funded by the Department for Transport, into the safety of Britain’s roads. The report, the only one of its kind, collates the number of fatal and serious-injury collisions on 2,741 sections of road, and grades each section according to its level of risk. This short, 10-mile stretch of the A18 topped the list as the most dangerous length of road for car drivers anywhere in the country, when collisions involving motorcycles are excluded. More
(AD Remarks ~ A pretty looking road, but deadly in its own way. These roads need to be treated with respect, as lack of vision, can lead to problems happening very quickly, with not just oncoming vehicles, but drivers going off the road as well.)
Car clubs are set to benefit from an extra £40,000 of Government funding, Transport Minister Norman Baker announced today. The money will be used to support car club development in the UK. Membership of car clubs allows access to low carbon vehicles for short periods of time, often by the hour, on a pay-as-you-go basis. The clubs have increased massively in popularity with the number of members increasing from just 22,000 in 2007 to more than 127,114 members to date. The Government views such schemes as an effective way of tackling congestion, reducing the level of CO2 emissions and improving the quality of life of citizens and communities. Members tend to choose to travel fewer miles by car compared to private car owners and the vehicles they do drive are more efficient. Transport Minister Norman Baker said: “The Coalition Government, in its programme for government, has been clear in its commitment to sustainable travel initiatives such as car clubs to help achieve a greener and more sustainable transport sector. “The figures speak for themselves – each car club vehicle can result in taking 24 private vehicles off the road and the low carbon vehicles used typically emit approx 33% less CO2 than the average car. This is why we are supporting the continued growth of car clubs across the country.” More
(AD Remarks ~ Good new for the very occasional driver, who doesnt want the exepense of owning a vehicle.)
The report lists the UK’s 10 persistently higher risk roads which have shown little or no change since the earlier report covering 2003-2005. Top of this year’s persistently higher risk roads is the A537 between Macclesfield and Buxton, known nationally as the Cat and Fiddle. A 50mph single carriageway, running through the Peak District National Park, the route has severe bends, steep falls from the carriageway and is edged by dry-stone walls or rock face for almost all of its length. It is popular with tourists, heavy goods vehicles and high-powered leisure motorcyclists. Fatal and serious collisions on this section have risen by 127% in the last 3 years rising from 15 in 2003-2005 to 34 in 2006-2008, with most crashes at weekends during the summer in dry, daylight conditions. Police records show that the vast majority of casualties were motorcyclists, from outside the local area, male, and with an average age of 35. More
(AD Comments ~ If you have to travel that stretch of road – take care!)
As many as 10% of Britain’s motorways and A-roads present an unacceptably high risk to drivers, a major report revealed today. Half of all crashes occur on just one tenth of Britain’s road network, the report from the Road Safety Foundation found. Most of the higher-risk roads are in north west England, Yorkshire and the Humber and the East Midlands, while Scotland has the highest risk rating of all the regions. The West Midlands is the safest region, while the most persistently dangerous road is the A537 between Macclesfield in Cheshire and Buxton in Derbyshire. The report, which covers 28,000 miles of roads, also found that one third of all fatal and serious crashes occur at junctions and that single carriageways offer six times the risk of danger to motorists than motorways and twice that of dual carriageways. Also drivers were seven times more at risk on major roads than on minor ones. More
(AD Comments ~ In this current climate of spending cuts, will their be money available to correct these problem roads?)
Rubber speed humps made out of recycled car tyres have been laid on the streets of Leicestershire. The low cost, eco-friendly solution to speed management in the county has saved taxpayers some £15,000 off normal construction costs while reducing the carbon footprint of the region – by being more energy efficient to produce than traditional speed humps. Leicestershire County Council said the new humps will be rolled out at suitable sites across the county following their introduction in Birstall. More
(AD Comments ~ Sounds like a good idea all round!)
The number of road deaths recorded on British roads fell to a record low last year, according to the latest Government figures. Released by the Department for Transport (DfT), the figures show that 2,222 people died in accidents last year – a drop of 12% from the 2,538 deaths reported in 2008. This represents the lowest annual total since records began in 1926, and a vast reduction on the post-war high of almost 8,000 recorded in 1966. Child deaths saw a particularly marked reduction – falling from 124 in 2008, to 81 last year. Meanwhile, there were 26,096 people killed or seriously injured (KSI), representing a fall of 6% over the previous year, and around 222,000 road casualties – around 4% fewer than 2008. More
(AD Comments ~ If the figures are to be believed this is a step in the right direction. Still more needs to be done though.)
Child booster seats without integrated seat backs are dangerous and should be phased out, according to consumer group Which?. The group says that through the use of such seats, or no seat at all, 47% of children aged 4-12 are at risk of “serious injury” during side impacts – accidents which it says account for around a quarter of all collisions. By law, children who are under the age of 12 or under 135cm tall must use a booster seat – though a study highlighted last year by Which? found that only 42% of parents correctly understood this. It adds that in a survey it conducted last month of 1,000 parents of children in this age group, 30%, of respondents said that they use a backless booster cushion, while 17% admitted using no child car seat at all. But while backless cushions meet legal requirements, Which? says, parents should be “very wary” of using such seats, due to what it claims is the minimal level of protection they offer. More
(AD Comments ~ We all know that childrens safety is top priority. So with issues like this we could do with more offical advice from government sources, so we know exactly what is the best way to protect children.)
Ministers have promised to put the brake on any new fixed speed cameras and warned they will no longer be used as a ‘cash cow’ to milk motorists. Transport minister Mike Penning told MPs yesterday that the Government will scrap millions of pounds a year in grants handed to local authorities to fund new speed traps. Mr Penning warned town halls to use other effective road safety measures – such as speed warning signs – to cut deaths and injuries on Britain’s roads. Local authorities will still be able to install new speed cameras, but they will have to fund them from council tax and are likely to have to justify their introduction to residents. Over the past decade, the number of speed cameras has trebled, making Britain the speed camera capital of Europe. They raise about £110million a year for the Treasury. More
(AD Comments ~ Perhaps the money saved, might better be used to put more traffic police on the roads. A much more visible police pressence on the roads will discourage not justs peeders, but dangerous driving as well!)
Motorists are risking repair bills of over £1,400 by neglecting engine oil levels, according to new research. Research carried out as part of National Oil Check Week (June 15-22) shows that almost half of all cars – around 15 million – are either low or dangerously low on oil, largely because one in three drivers never bother to check. Scottish motorists fell short of their English counterparts with nearly two thirds of cars showing an oil level that was low. In all regions, however, about 50 per cent of drivers admitted not checking their car’s oil as often as they should, with 28 per cent never checking. Twice as many women as men have no idea how to check their oil, but women are less likely to rely solely on their car’s technology to warn them, with only one in ten believing it was not necessary to check their car’s oil level. Bill Collins, technical manager for Halfords Autocentre, said: “It is surprising to see so many motorists still not carrying out the basic checks. Oil is vital to a car’s health. Without enough of it you effectively risk destroying your engine. “Checking there is enough oil in your car is one of the handful of basic maintenance tasks that should be carried out every month. It only takes 60 seconds to do but it could save you from a huge repair bill.” More
(AD Comments ~ Checking the oil is a very quick and easy job, and for those who have taken their driving test since September 2003, checking the correct levels for oil and other fluids has been asked by examiners and taught on driving lessons.)
Eleven families across the UK have successfully demonstrated that making simple changes to day-to-day travel behaviour can help cut family fuel costs by 27 per cent in just six weeks. This equates to a potential annual saving of £310 on family petrol bills. The findings come from the Shell Smarter Drivers experiment – launched to better understand how fuel savings can be made by real families undertaking everyday journeys. Using cutting-edge in-car telemetry technology, participants’ journeys were monitored over a six week period. The results, out today, have been independently analysed by leading sustainability think tank, Forum for the Future. They show that by changing behaviour in two areas – driving in a fuel efficient manner and local journey planning – families can achieve significant savings on their petrol bills. One family showed that it was possible to reduce fuel bills by up to 62 per cent, the equivalent of saving £710 a year. The overall winners of the experiment based on the two criteria of improving fuel efficiency and local journey planning were the Choo family from Cardiff. The Choo family managed to reduce their fuel bills by a staggering 57 per cent, which equates to a potential saving of £654 a year. Amanda Choo from the Cardiff family said: “We were astonished to see how much we could save by making simple changes to the way we drive and travel. We have changed our behaviour without needing to revolutionise our lifestyle. We encourage other families to follow the Shell Smarter Drivers tips – they really do make a big difference and once you start doing things like driving more smoothly they become second nature.” More
(AD Comments ~ We all know that higher speeds and quicker acceleration can reduce economy, but its another thing to have the discipline to drive in a calm fuel efficient way at all times!)
Motorists who do not use screenwash for their windscreen wipers risk getting potentially deadly legionnaires’ disease, a study revealed today. The warning comes after health experts discovered that professional drivers were five times more likely to be infected with the dangerous bug, which is found in warm, stagnant water. Drivers are now being urged to add screenwash to their wiper water after traces of the legionella bacterium were found in one in five cars that did not have the additive, but in no cars that did. It is feared that around 20% of legionnaires’ cases could arise from such exposure. The findings come from a Health Protection Agency-led study, which looked at why people at the wheel were more likely to be infected. Most at risk were found to be those driving a van, people who drive through industrial areas, and people who often had the car window open. But the “most intriguing” higher-risk group was drivers not using screenwash, which kills off the legionella bug, the study authors found. They said: “Not adding screenwash to windscreen wiper fluid is a previously unidentified risk factor and appears to be strongly associated with community- acquired sporadic cases of legionnaires’ disease. More
(AD Comments ~ Most drivers would use some kind of screen wash, as it does what it says on the can, better than water for cleaning the windscreen. Now there is even more reason to use the fluid in your washer tank.)
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