L plates on motorways divides opinions

February 22nd, 2012

There are fears that more accidents will inevitably happen on the motorways of the United Kingdom if learner drivers are to be allowed to drive on them. At the moment it is illegal to get behind the wheel on motorways until passing the driving test but Roads Minister Mike Penning plans to change the law by the summer.

Statistics from the Department for Transport (DfT) and car insurance brokers prove that motorways are the safest roads and that is partly why the majority of driving instructors are supportive of the upcoming change. The DIA (Driving Instructors Association) feel that all new drivers need to be encouraged to use the bigger roads more. However, those opposed to the change such as The RHA (Road Haulage Association) say no-one should be allowed to drive on them until after they have passed their test. Some even think that new drivers should stay off the motorway for at least six months to make sure they have enough experience behind the wheel. However, Mr Penning has confirmed that there will be no conditions like that imposed.

Roads Minister Mike Penning said: “Many new drivers are terrified of motorway driving because they do not have the skills or confidence needed. If we can show insurers someone has got skills of their own accord, I would expect them to drop their premiums proportionately and that is what I will be telling them. I hope that the extra training also brings down the high cost of insurance premiums for those new drivers.”

There are also no plans to make learning to drive on motorways compulsory, as learners from rural areas would have to travel a long way for the training. The change would apply across England, Wales and Scotland while the Northern Ireland Assembly are considering it and will announce their final decision shortly.

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Chilling Story of a Trapped Motorist

February 21st, 2012

It would seem that the price of fuel and motor insurance are rather small troubles in the grand scheme of things after the news of a Swedish motorist whose problems almost cost him his life. The motorist has had a miraculous escape as rescuers have found him alive after being buried in a snowdrift for over two months!

Peter Skyllberg, 44, from the Swedish town of Umea, was discovered in his snowbound car by a group of snowmobile drivers on a weekend adventure. The car was at the end of a remote track and covered in a two foot carpet of snow. When the group investigated the vehicle they were amazed to see a body on the back seat. Mr Skyllberg was emaciated, very weak and almost unable to speak, he told the men he had been there for a long time but could tell them little else.

Police officers and an ambulance managed to get to the scene quickly and Mr Skyllberg was taken to Nooland University hospital in Umea where doctors tried to revive him. Incredibly he responded to treatment and was able to tell the medical team that he had been in his car since December 19th. The doctors were amazed that anyone could survive as long as he did in temperatures that reached -30 in the period he was trapped.

Dr Ulf Sederburg, the chief registrar at the hospital said: “This is the case of a lifetime. Starvation for one month, anyone can tolerate that if they have water to drink and are in a comfortable temperature. If you have body fat, you will survive even longer. But surviving two months in conditions like this is exceptional.”

Experts believe the snow around the vehicle may have acted as some sort of igloo and kept the temperature inside the car manageable whereas others believe Mr Skyllberg’s body may have closed down slowly and gone into some kind of hibernation. No-one knows for sure and no-one is quite sure why he was not reported missing. According to people who knew him Mr Skyllberg had money troubles and had recently lost his home.

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Whiplash problem is one reason why insurance is increasing

February 20th, 2012

The United Kingdom is fast becoming known as the whiplash capital of Europe with 1,500 claims each day for physical and emotional damage not to mention loss of earnings. Unsolicited emails and text messages are now commonplace from companies urging drivers to claim pay outs after an accident.

Many of the claims are genuine; however, there are more and more cases where drivers are being encouraged to claim for whiplash even though there are no apparent injuries or even damage to the cars involved. The pay outs come from insurance companies who then have no choice but to push the cost of premiums up. Prime Minister David Cameron has met with many insurance companies to tackle the growing concerns about a compensation culture around whiplash claims. One of the things discussed was reducing the £1,200 fee that a solicitor will earn from a small value personal injury claim and also adjusting motor premiums on car insurance quotes accordingly. Another idea due to be debated is a speed limit threshold that is working well in Germany, where a claim will be thrown out if the collision occurs at a speed of less than 6.25mph.

It’s an idea that consultant Andrew Cope says would be much fairer. He works at Peterborough City Hospital’s accident and emergency ward and he sees at least ten cases of whiplash per month to drivers who have been involved in collisions.

Mr Cope said: “The symptoms will not show up on a normal X-ray. The majority will get better within four to six weeks, but some can last one or two years. Fundamentally it is becoming a claims culture, but it is difficult to be completely dogmatic because there are some people who have genuine problems. It has disturbed their sleep and the normal activities of their lives, and affected their work. So I have seen cases of genuine disability – but I have also seen cases where the signs don’t fit in with the symptoms.”

The coalition are also looking at encouraging the use of ‘smart-boxes’ to monitor the behaviour of younger drivers. A machine fitted inside the vehicle will monitor an average journey and grades each manoeuvre as green, amber or red. This score can be seen on a computer by anyone who has a password, so parents are able to monitor their child’s driving pattern. If it does take off, younger drivers could see their premiums coming down as well.

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Retired Buckinghamshire Man all set for Charity Drive in Classic Car

February 17th, 2012

Frank Lomax is getting ready for a 4,690 mile drive around mainland Britain in his classic Morgan Roadster 100 car. The sixty-nine year old from Beaconsfield New Town will start his charity drive in April and he hopes to complete the drive in three weeks.

Frank will fund the trip himself, with any sponsorship money he receives being given to the Help for Heroes charity. He plans to set off from North London, driving anti-clockwise around Great Britain using only A and B class coastal roads. His Morgan Roadster 100 was made three years ago to commemorate one-hundred years of the Morgan Family manufacturing their classic vehicles. His car was specially made for him using the same formula as a model from 1936.

Frank, who is retired from working in the clothing industry, said: “Driving solo will take me back to the days when I used to weekly commute from south Bucks to Northumberland by car to work. The mountains of Scotland and Wales will be contrasted by the many lovely seaside towns I will pass through. The drive along Blackpool’s Golden Mile should also be fun. I will have plenty of thinking time because one thing that is difficult to do in a Morgan with the roof down or up is listening to the radio. I usually have a CD of classics or pop blasting in my ear, much to the surprise of pedestrians as I go through a town.”

Frank has already spoke to his insurance company about updating his named driver car insurance policy to take into account the large amount of extra miles he will be doing for twenty-one successive days. With the Morgan Roadster almost three years old, Frank is hoping that it will not let him down. The 1930s design means its front suspension will require greasing every 1,000 miles so a grease gun and some overalls will be two of the most used items on the trip.

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Leading Charities Say Bio Fuels Not The Answer

February 16th, 2012

A national and international charity has joined forces to plead with the UK Government to look again at its policy on bio fuels.

The two charities, ActionAid UK and Friends of the Earth, recently commissioned a report from the Institute for Sustainable Development into the effect of bio fuels on motorists and the planet. The results do not make good reading for anyone. Motorists, who already face challenges finding cheap car insurance and fuel, can expect to pay an extra 2% a litre at the garage forecourt, and the Earth’s atmosphere will be overloaded with extra carbon emissions. This, the charities say, is the result of a European Union (EU) policy aimed at increasing the use of sustainable fuels.

A directive issued by the EU’s renewable Energy Directorate requires member nations to ensure that at least 10% of a nations transport energy is taken from renewable sources. The Directive actively encourages nations to use bio fuels as an alternative to fossil fuels because it produces less carbon emissions. In fact the charities insist the opposite is true.

Speaking on behalf of ActionAid UK, Meredith Alexander, said: “The UK must scrap its bio fuel targets. Motorists, the environment and poor people in developing countries will bear the brunt of this ill-conceived directive. Prices at the pump will be higher and so will CO2 emissions. Increased bio fuel production will have disastrous consequences as food prices are forced up and millions of people go hungry and lose their land.”

It is true that many under developed countries have turned to crops producing bio fuels rather than food because they earn more cash, and it is these factors that may make the western world turn its attentions elsewhere to reduce carbon emissions.

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More drivers deciding to join car sharing schemes

February 15th, 2012

Town Councillor, Chris Blunden, was so impressed by a car sharing scheme joined by his wife that he has told fellow members of Brackley Town Council that the council should promote a similar scheme themselves. He believes the scheme could save the council money and help it cut CO2 emissions drastically.

Mr Blunden’s interest comes as the largest national car sharing network reports a 13% jump in the number of new users during the last six months of 2011 when compared to the first six months. Joining a car sharing scheme can save motorists hundreds of pounds per year. Car sharing network ‘Liftshare’ report that the annual miles saved during 2011 equates to 71,500 trips around the earth with a CO2 saving of 107,000 tonnes.

Mr Blunden said: “There are a lot of people working in Milton Keynes and Oxford that drive and car sharing might just be a way of saving a decent amount of money. My wife has saved a fortune, she’s only filling up once a fortnight rather than once a week and a full tank costs £50 to £60. It saves the environment as well, it means less traffic on the road and less congestion. And in weather like this it’s nice to have someone else in the car in case you need help getting out of the snow.”

Car sharing users feel as well as being cost effective it is also good to have someone to share the pressures of the day with so that they are in a much better frame of mind when they get home. Anybody joining the scheme will need to inform their insurance company and the good news is that the reduction in yearly mileage on their vehicle should result in a lower motor insurance quote.

Liftshare, and schemes like it are free to join and help motorists share trips not only to work, but to airports, festivals and even the weekly shop.

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One Million Drivers Over the Age of 80

February 14th, 2012

A remarkable 1 million over 80s still hold a valid car insurance certificate and are driving around the roads of the UK, if a Freedom of Information request to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is to be believed.

The information was divulged to the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) this week after they submitted the request several weeks ago. The reply also shows that over 100 drivers are over the age of 100 and that several of them have penalty points on their licence. Incredibly these centurions may never have taken a driving test in their life, as the driving test was not introduced until 1935.

Under current laws motorists have to renew their licence when they are 70 years old and every three years from that point. They don’t, however, have to sit a re-test and the only way the DVLA can hold back their licence is if their doctor refuses to sanction their application under health grounds. Current research shows that there are over 2,500 drivers over the age of 90 with points on their licence, but there is no conclusive evidence that older drivers are poor drivers or are more likely to have an accident. In fact figures show that over 70s have an accident rate 3 times lower than males in their teens.

Simon Best, the Chief Executive of IAM, insists older drivers should not be steered off the road, saying: “Older people need their cars which give them better mobility and access to more activities and services. Those who wish to continue driving beyond the age of 70 should only be prevented from doing so if there are compelling reasons.”

He went on to add: “Rather than seeking to prevent older people from driving, we should make them more aware of the risks they face, and offer them driving assessments to help them eliminate bad habits. Driving helps older people play a full and active part in society and they deserve the chance.”

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Checks Carried out to Make the Roads Safer

February 13th, 2012

A multi-agency safe-drive initiative which includes officers from the Safer Neighbourhood policing team, the Casualty Reduction Enforcement Support Team (CREST) and VOSA vehicle examiners have been targeting both dangerous driving and poor vehicle maintenance in Bakewell.

A vehicle check point was set up last week outside Derbyshire Dales District Council’s Agricultural Business Centre. During the five-day operation, twenty-nine drivers were stopped for seatbelt offences where either the driver or passenger was not wearing their belt. Ten were pulled up for using their mobile phones and another eight vehicles were found to have defective tyres during the check. Nine motorists were found to have defects so serious that it affected their roadworthiness and they were issued with prohibitions which stopped them from going onto any public highway. Seven of the nine were with immediate effect and two were delayed. The owners of the vehicles now have to put the vehicle through an MOT before they are allowed to go back on the roads.

In addition to the vehicle checks, officers requested proof of valid motor insurance quotes that entitled the driver to be behind the wheel of the car, while HM Revenue and Customs conducted fuel dip tests to check for red diesel or a specialist dye which had been put into the fuel to help identify if the vehicle has been stolen. A large number of companies in Derbyshire have been signing up to the fuel dying crime prevention scheme. During the week of checks there was one vehicle found to be running on red diesel and HMRC are dealing with this offender.

Safer Neighbourhood Sgt Andy Wordsworth said: “The main aim of the operation is to remind motorists of their responsibilities behind the wheel, from making sure their vehicles are roadworthy, to driving carefully and with respect for local speed limits. It was a cold, frosty day with temperatures as low as minus seven when the checks were started and numerous drivers were stopped and spoken to about clearing their windscreens sufficiently, something which we always advise people to do before setting off. Road safety is something which affects everyone and we hope these operations will help to make our roads safer for the whole community.”

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Report Shows that Buyers Paid Less for Used Vehicles Last Year

February 10th, 2012

Despite the economy of the United Kingdom experiencing high inflation last year, the price of second-hand vehicles actually fell by over £100. Latest research by Auto Trader reveals that the price of a used vehicle went from £9,155 in 2010 to £9,018 in 2011.

Although bad news for sellers, those buying probably saw the decrease in the car price cancel out the increase in motor insurance thus leaving the market at a status quo. Prices generally decreased throughout last year until November and December when they had a slight increase. Due to fewer new vehicles being sold in 2009, there are now less three-year-old cars on the market. A reduction in the volume of new to three year old vehicles will more than likely lead to an increase in the price that buyers will pay. Auto Trader feel that the impact of this on dealers will be a “triple-whammy effect” of less consumer demand, less stock coming into the forecourts and when they do, the higher trade prices will eat massively into their profits.

Tim Peake, Auto Trader’s Strategy Director, said: “What’s interesting is that there are clear differences between age segments of vehicles and geographic regions that mean there is more to the headline ‘1.5% annual fall in prices’ than meets the eye. Similar to the housing market, where quite often the price dynamics suggest that there are two parallel markets, driven by a lack of supply in London and much of the South East, so in the UK car market, lack of supply leads to prices of younger vehicles climbing while the rest of the used car market falls.”

Auto Trader’s view of the coming year is a challenging one for dealers and it is predicted that both business and consumer confidence will be subdued. The dealers who will win will be those who seek to trade their way out of the current climate by only buying appropriate stock and using the internet to advertise themselves as online car retailers.

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FairFuel Campaigners Announce National Day of Protest

February 9th, 2012

Fresh from its success in forcing a House of Commons debate on the rising cost of fuel, FairFuelUK are now set to launch the first ever National FairFuel Day on March 7th 2012.

The campaign to get a fair deal for UK motorists now seems to be gaining momentum and it is thought that almost a quarter of a million individuals and businesses have signed up to the campaign. On the day in question leaders of the campaign are planning a mass lobby of Parliament and are hoping to get permission for hundreds of the marchers to go inside the House of Commons to let their feelings be known.

The campaign is certainly not short of big name supporters any more. The RAC, Road Haulage Association, The Fuelcard Company and the Freight Haulage Association are all now sponsoring the campaign, and in fact it is also supported by many members of Parliament.

Jakes de Kock, a Director of the Fuelcard Company, expressed delight about their sponsorship agreement with the campaign, saying: “I am very pleased to renew our commitment to supporting the FairFuelUK campaign. The plea for a fairer tax system for UK companies reliant on fuel to keep their businesses moving, is a worthy and necessary cause and impacts every consumer in the UK. The price of fuel affects UK competitiveness and raises the price of everything we buy in the shops. Motor insurance and road tax are other issues that need looking at but fuel prices are public enemy number 1 at the moment.”

The organisers hope a turnout of thousands will be enough to make Chancellor George Osborne consider announcing another cut in fuel duty in the spring budget which will take place just a fortnight later.

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