AD » Driving Behaviour

Driviers with heavy colds have reactions as bad as drink drivers…..

admin — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:50:04 +0000

Tests have shown have motorists driving with a heavy cold, can see their concentration drop by over half, making them more prone to unsafe driving and actions. Drivers reaction times would not be as sharp and as there would be less awareness of surrounding vehicles, driving will become more erratic, with potential problems not dealt with in time, leading to harsh breaking and ill-advised actions. Experts have likened the impairment to drinking at least four large whiskies, which would be over the drink drive limit and leave the driver prone to unsafe driving, and possibly crashing.

For anyone who has had a heavy cold and tried to concentrate on tasks, or even just watching the television, will understand how hard it is to remain focussed on the job at hand sometimes. Additionally drugs that may be taken to combat the illness, may well cause drowsiness, leading to even less concentration powers still. Always wise to stay off the roads, if impaired in any way, not worth the risk.

See also:

Mobile phone fines while driving up by a third…..

admin — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 09:04:28 +0000

Figure have shown in the past year more than 171,000 drivers were fined for being caught using their mobiles when they shouldn’t, and the figure could be higher still. The rise could be attributed to the increasing use of social networking sites, and lack of regard to the law, when drivers are unlikely to get caught, so deem mobile phone use acceptable.

Drivers need to be educated more to the risks that mobile phones have on safe driving, as only a small distraction can lead to major incidents developing. This needs to be enforced on the roads, as drivers flout the law at present, as there is a limited chance of being caught.

See also:

Survey shows most drivers not sure of legal drink drive limit…..

admin — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 18:41:42 +0000

It has been reported by Confused.com that 51% of drivers are not aware of the legal alcohol limit when driving. Even with the legal levels when the Police take samples, the actual amount of alcohol consumed by each individual to safely drive varies a great deal due to sex, age, weight and recent food intakes. Worryingly 44% of people know someone who has been caught drink driving. When convicted of drink driving insuring a vehicle in the future, they will see premiums much increased, for many years after. Department of transport statistics show that 250 people were killed and 1230 injured in 2010 by drivers of the drink driving limit.

In some countries there is a zero figure for alcohol levels when driving, maybe we will find that level arrive here in the future. If not we need to educate drivers more, on the risks of drinking and driving, so that deaths and injuries from alcohol related crashes are reduced to zero.

See also:

Types of Road Accident

admin — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 18:09:04 +0000

Driving poses many dangers. It is important that drivers drive defensively. They need to anticipate these dangers and be ready to respond to them should they occur. Often this can keep accidents from occurring. However, in many situations, accidents are simply unavoidable. There are major types of road accidents that stem from specific causes. Knowing these can help a driver be more proactive when operating their vehicle on the road.

Many accidents are a result of driver error. In fact, this is the number one reason for accidents. Driver error refers to any sort of mistake the drive makes while on the road. For instance, they might underestimate a braking distance. They may also fail to check their blind spots. Tailgating is another driver error that can result in rear end collisions. Given the fact that driver error is responsible for more road accidents, it further emphasizes the importance of defensive driving.

Speeding or reckless driving can also result in other types of road accidents. Many drivers simply do not observe speed limits. These limits are set with safety in mind. Whenever they are exceeded, the driver is asking for potential problems. For every increase in the speed of a vehicle, the greater the chance that a road accident will occur.

Another type of road accident involves drunk driving. The accident occurs as a result of the driver’s blood alcohol level. This creates impaired judgment on the part of the driver. Some drivers may also be under the influence of other mind altering substances.

Road accidents can also be due to malfunctions within the vehicle itself. For example, brake failure can cause a car to be unable to stop or slow down. This creates the potential for a collision with another vehicle or stationary object on the roadside. Sometimes tires can fall apart which leads to a road accident.

Whiplash is a common injury after a car accident. If you want to know more about making whiplash claims, then visit www.roadtrafficaccidentsite.com.

See also:

New info shows morning after drink driving increase!

admin — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 23:37:20 +0000

New data shows drink-drive accidents in the UK are falling but the proportion of ‘morning after’ drink drive accidentshas reached an all-time high, calling for extra diligence during the Christmas Party Season. ‘Morning after’ drink driving occurs when someone unintentionally drink drives the following day after drinking, unaware they still have alcohol in their system and may well be over the drink drive limit. Analysis of the latest official Drink-Drive statistics by AlcoSense Breathalysers show in the past decade there has been a nearly 60% increase in the proportion of morning after ‘drink drive’ accidents.18.2% of all accidents caused by drink driving in 2010 occurred between 5am, when shift workers and early starters would be driving to work, and 1pm. This compares with only 11.4% in 2000; and only 6.9% in 1990. While the proportion of drink-drive accidents occurring in the afternoon and evenings have fallen by just over 10% over the past two decades, the proportion of morning after accidents has been steadily rising suggesting the problem is merely being shifted forward to the next day. More

See also:

New system warns motorists of problem drivers!

admin — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 23:22:59 +0000

Around one tenth of accidents that happen at crossroads are due to someone driving straight through a red light. But – rather distressingly for responsible drivers – half the people killed aren’t the drivers who drove past the red signal. Now MIT researchers have developed an algorithm that can ‘detect’ drivers who’re likely to drive straight across a red light – before they do so. The monitor ‘watches’ deceleration and distance from a light – and ‘guesses’ which cars are likely to break the Highway Code. Crucially, the software can provide two seconds’ warning if someone else is about to shoot across a crossroads – enough time for other drivers to hit the brakes. ‘The challenge is, you don’t want to be overly pessimistic,’ How says. ‘If you’re too pessimistic, you start reporting there’s a problem when there really isn’t, and then very rapidly, the human’s going to push a button that turns this thing off.’ More

See also:

Half of women say partners affect their driving

admin — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 09:17:41 +0000

Over half (53%) of women admit that having their partner in the car adversely affects their driving, making them feel stressed and nervous, according to new research.* Men are less likely to be affected by having their partner in the car (41%), with one in 10 saying they drive more carefully when their partner is in the car with them, according to a survey carried out for the UK’s largest insurer Aviva. However, the research also shows a similar number of men (9%) refuse to let their partner drive their car. Of these: A fifth (20%) say this is because they do not rate their partner’s driving abilities as highly as their own 26% believe their car is too powerful for their partner to drive 16% feel their partner suffers from a lack of confidence when driving. Despite men’s confidence in their own driving abilities, women do have some criticisms – 13% think their partner is overconfident on the roads while 10% say their partner drives too fast or recklessly. By comparison, 17% of men say they are a better driver than their partner and a further 16% do not think their partner is competent at parking. More

Survey highlights family members poor driving!

admin — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 23:14:32 +0000

According to research by AA Driving School, half (51%) of drivers have a family member who drives too fast. A quarter (26%) said they have a colleague who does this. Over half (56%) said that they have a family member who is scared of driving on motorways, while a third (35%) said that they have a family member who drives whilst using a mobile phone, eating, shaving or doing make-up. Half of us think a family member drives too fast. A third of drivers say someone in their family drives whilst using a mobile phone, eating, shaving or doing make-up. More

1 in 10 attack others in road rage incidents!

admin — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:13:41 +0000

A new study into road rage has revealed Britain is a nation of irate motorists with nearly three quarters admitting they get angry with other motorists when they’re behind the wheel. Even more worrying, more than one in ten have followed another driver and a similar number have even attacked another driver as a result of road rage. The poll of 3,000 UK motorists by insurance specialist Admiral has revealed while 72% of drivers admit they feel road rage, more than three quarters (76%) act by shouting at other drivers and more than half (52%) make offensive gestures. It’s not just your stereotypical aggressive male drivers who see red behind the wheel. The results reveal road rage affects both genders but although women are more likely to feel angry when driving, it is men who are the most likely to shout or gesticulate at motorists who annoy them. More

Daydreaming motorists give road safety concerns!

admin — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 20:20:38 +0000

As many as five million motorists suffer from “highway hypnosis” every day and can reach their destinations with no recollection of the journey they have taken. New research* from Halfords reveals more than a fifth of drivers (21%) switch to autopilot when on familiar routes, putting themselves and other road users at risk. Scientists say the problem, which is also known as “white line syndrome”, arises when those behind the wheel start day dreaming and are distracted by passengers, or start thinking about work and family problems or become engrossed in the radio. Dr Costas Karageorghis, Reader in Sport Psychology at Brunel University said: “It occurs when we become familiar with a route and there’s a lack of active processing, so the mind begins to drift, similar to the way in which we fall asleep.” One in 20 motorists (5%) involved in an accident have blamed it on a “loss of concentration”, according to the research. While there are no figures for the number of accidents caused by day dreaming, road safety experts consider driver fatigue a major factor in the 45,000 deaths and serious injuries to road users a year. More

See also:

Sat-Nav rage head ache for drivers!

admin — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 21:47:50 +0000

Half of drivers admit to swearing at their GPS systems while suffering “sat nav rage” – with annoying voice-overs among the the main causes of frustration. Researchers found six out of 10 of motorists have shouted, screamed, sworn at or even lashed out at their sat nav after it sent them the wrong way. Unclear directions, annoying voice-overs and out of date maps also regularly test drivers’ patience. The survey was commissioned by sat nav app developer skobbler, which polled 2,000 male and female drivers. Yesterday spokesman Marcus Thielking said: ”It certainly seems that drivers are experiencing a new form of rage as a direct result of the shortfalls of their sat nav device. ”The sole purpose of any sat nav is to assist drivers in getting from A to B, safely and efficiently, and it appears that some sat navs are simply not living up to motorists’ expectations. More

See also:

Mad motorists collared by Police in crackdown!

admin — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 20:57:56 +0000

Hampshire Police have revealed they spotted a motorist driving while using a laptop, writing down the answers to a quiz on the radio and drinking coffee all at the same time. Here are some other motorists whose driving left a lot to be desired. More and videos

See also:

Children are major source of road rage!

admin — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 21:45:59 +0000

Back-seat squabbling, spilled drinks and “are we there yet?” can make driving with children particularly stressful for parents. Now a new survey has shown that little ones are the main cause of road rage. A third of men say they only get angry behind the wheel when their children are in the car, while one in four women admit to losing their cool on the school run. The online survey of 1,000 British drivers was conducted by used-car supermarket Carcraft. Comprehensive car insurance is especially important, as drivers need to protect themselves from the wrath of risky road rage drivers. Julia Dallimore, head of marketing at Carcraft, said: “The results of the survey weren’t entirely surprising as most parents will know that driving the kids can really drive mums and dads round the bend!” Psychologist Mike Guttridge said: “Having the kids in the car is distracting and, like being on the phone, may affect reaction times to stimulus on the roads. More

See also:

One in seven Britons eat while driving!

admin — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 21:52:45 +0000

As many as 28% now grab food while travelling at least once a week, with almost half of 18-24-year-olds eating in their vehicles weekly, the poll by the Calor Gas company found. The practice is rarer for those over 55, with only 21% of this age group being dashboard diners. Those under 24 have the messiest cars, with around a third admitting to having food packaging and empty bottles littering the bottoms of their cars. More

See also:

Research highlights motorists and their parking problems!

admin — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 21:17:00 +0000

One is six motorists has argued with a neighbour over parking
18% admit they have parked illegally on double yellow lines
The average UK motorist has had 1.7 parking tickets
4% admit they have parked in a disabled space when they shouldn’t have
One in eight use spaces reserved for parents with children when they shouldn’t have

It might seem like a simple, every day activity, but new research suggests parking a car can be a controversial issue, with more than one in six motorists saying they have argued with a neighbour over a parking space and almost one in five admitting they have parked illegally.

Car insurance expert Admiral surveyed 2,500 motorists to find out their habits when it comes to parking. It found that 16% of them have argued with a neighbour over a space. Regionally, motorists in the North West are the most likely to get into a row over parking, compared to those in Scotland who are least likely to.

Sue Longthorn, Admiral managing director, said, “For something we probably do every day it would seem parking can cause problems, with many motorists getting into an argument with a neighbour over it. As our roads get more crowded, we want to ensure we have our own parking space, preferably outside our own home, but this really isn’t something worth getting into a row about.” More

(AD ~ Parking can be a big worry for some, with there being a lack of suitable spaces available.)

Motorists drive through 278 red traffic lights a minute!

admin — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 22:58:24 +0000

Motorists are driving through 12 million red lights each month on British roads – the equivalent of running 278 red lights every minute, according to new research from Direct Line Car Insurance Over 5.2 million motorists (14%) admit that they drive through an average of two red traffic lights each month. Over 760,000 motorists (2%) habitually drive through red lights if they feel the road is clear and there is no traffic. This means that drivers risk clocking up over 36 million penalty points (three for each offence) and fines from fixed penalty notices totalling £721 million every month. Drivers in the West Midlands are the biggest risk takers when it comes to driving through red traffic signals. One in seven motorists (14%) in the region has driven through a red signal in the last month. Drivers in the East of England are the least likely (9%) to drive through red traffic signals. More

Beware of the amber gamblers!

admin — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 22:29:00 +0000

85% of drivers gamble amber lights

35% didn’t know it was an offence

88% 17 year olds have had an accident or near miss when ignoring the lights

A craze of risky amber gamblers is sweeping the nation as hasty drivers admit to breaking the law and steaming through traffic light signals because they haven‟t got time to stop, new research reveals. A poll of 3,000 motorists by Thrifty Car & Van Rental reveals a staggering eight out of ten (85%) drivers admit to gambling amber lights in an attempt to race through 2 the traffic, with nearly four out of ten (38%) saying they rarely stop if the lights are on amber. Sixteen per cent (16%) even confess that amber is like a green light to them. Worryingly more than one in ten (13%) motorists has had an accident or near miss as a result of belting through an amber signal. Half (50%) have been shouted at by their passenger and more than a quarter (26%) have been sworn or beeped at by other drivers. If a driver crosses a light on amber, it is an offence, unless they can show that it was unsafe to stop. For some time The Department for Transport has been researching the use of continuous flashing amber signals on traffic lights at quiet times, in a bid to ease traffic flow. More

See also:

Cluttered dashboards cause vans and truckers to have near misses!

admin — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 21:42:15 +0000

A third of white van men and lorry drivers have admitted almost crashing upto 30 times in the past year because of dashboard clutter in their vehicles, according to a new survey issued by Autoglass® today. They have confessed to only narrowly avoiding accidents after having had their visibility impaired so much by the rubbish piling up in front of them. The poll found 33% of white van men and 34% of truck drivers had had between 11-30 near misses because their view had been obstructed – with 27% of WVM and 26% of truckers saying they had nearly crashed between 6-10 times. The survey of 2,000 drivers, carried out by the UK’s leading vehicle glass repair and replacement specialist, also revealed that more than a third of white van men (34%) have fast food packaging on their dashboards, nearly a quarter (24%) had cuddly toys or tacky accessories, 21% newspapers and 19% coffee cups. More

See also:

Non prescription sun glasses could cause drivers problems!

admin — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 21:53:15 +0000

According to a new survey, only 27 per cent of Britons own prescription sunglasses and opt for style over safety when they get behind the wheel in the sunshine, while 53 per cent of the 1,000 people interviewed admitted to not owning prescription sunglasses and wearing normal sunglasses to drive in. If drivers wear glasses or corrective lenses, the law requires that they wear them whenever they are driving. The DVLA requires motorists to be able to see from a distance of 20 metres, hence many motorists wear glasses for driving. However, fashionable sunglasses without prescription lenses can seriously affect vision, meaning increased risk. Further danger comes from the potential damage poor quality sunglasses can do to eyes. In the survey, 36 per cent of survey respondents don’t know if their sunglasses have UV filters. Without UV filters, the sun can potentially damage eyes and further risk is posed on the roads when bright sunshine obstructs vision. More

See also:

Whiplash lie detector could help with insurance claims!

admin — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 20:34:59 +0000

We are in the middle of a compensation epidemic, with whiplash accounting for 76 per cent of all car-accident insurance claims. Could a whiplash ‘lie detector’ be the solution? ‘I just cannot believe that a bump at snail’s pace could have caused an injury like that,” says Claire Coleman, a motorist who earlier this year accidentally shunted the car in front while in traffic near her south London home. The driver of the Vauxhall Zafira got out, saw there was no damage and drove off. Claire assumed that would be the end of it, but was astonished to find out a couple of months later that the driver had claimed for a whiplash injury, and won more than £2,000. “There was absolutely no visible damage to either car – not even a scratch or a tiny dent,” she says. As Claire discovered, we are in the middle of a whiplash epidemic. Compensation claims for the neck injury now stand at three quarters of all personal injury claims as a result of a car accident. And the insurance industry is convinced that many are fraudulent. “Seventy-six per cent is twice the average for other European countries,” says a spokesman for the Association of British Insurers (ABI). “It’s unlikely we’ve got some of the weakest necks in Europe.” This compensation cash machine is having a disastrous effect on our insurance premiums: according to the AA, in the first four months this year they shot up by a record 40 per cent. But now the insurance industry is fighting back with what has been privately dubbed the whiplash lie detector test. It doesn’t measure heart rate, blood pressure or skin moisture, but instead is a sophisticated piece of software into which you feed details of the accident. So in goes the speed of the crash, the weight of the cars, the visible damage and lastly the type of cars. The so-called WITkit (for Whiplash Injury Toolkit) then gives you a probability that the person claiming whiplash injury is telling porkies. More

See also:

The stress of slow drivers!

admin — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 21:32:06 +0000

Everyone is aware of the anti-social nature of speeding, but it seems Britain’s drivers are also united in deploring those who drive too slowly and are demanding “slow-speed cameras” to crack down on dawdlers. A new poll reveals that UK motorists reckon slow drivers are the biggest frustration on the road, with almost half of those interviewed admitting to attempts at unsafe overtaking in order to get past slow-moving traffic. The survey, on behalf of Confused.com, shows that 60 per cent of motorists experience an increase in stress levels and a heightened irritability when they encounter a vehicle driving more slowly than the rest of the traffic. About half of the 2,000 respondents support the idea of introducing slow-speed cameras and penalising the dawdlers with a fine. About 143 accidents a year are directly caused by slow drivers, according to figures for 2009 from the Department for Transport. According to the survey, nearly a third of motorists have had an incident or “near miss” attributable to a slow driver. More

See also:

Survey shows what the average motorist does in a lifetime!

admin — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 20:16:55 +0000

The average motorist breaks the speed limit an astonishing 18,000 times during his or her lifetime, a report claims. The figure is released as the road safety charity Brake calls on drivers to slow down for children during the summer holidays. It wants motorists to drive at 20mph or below in built-up areas to help reduce road deaths. The report makes shocking reading for parents – four out of five of whom are already worried about letting their children play outside due to the threat of speeding traffic. It shows the average motorist will have 81 near misses and will be involved in up to 35 minor accidents such as bumps and scrapes. It also reveals the activities, apart from driving, which are carried out at the wheel. More

See also:

Driving too fast causes most ‘carguments’!

admin — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 21:45:24 +0000

Driving too fast is the biggest cause of arguments between partners on car journeys, according to research by the online used car channel, Tesco Cars. In a survey conducted by the website, speeding (22%) was a bigger source of in-car spats than getting directions wrong (18%), tailgating (13%) and parking prowess (5%). Men and women alike admitted kicking up a fuss about their partners breaking the speed limit. Twenty one percent of female drivers cited it as the most likely thing to trigger a fight, compared with one in four men. More

Doctor thinks bad driving is a curable disease!

admin — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 20:25:30 +0000

A doctor in China is attempting to cure the country of bad driving by treating it like a disease. Dr Jin Huiqing has spent nearly three decades trying to figure out why some motorists seem more accident prone than others. He has translated his research into a lucrative business selling his road safety programme to Chinese municipalities. Dr Jin’s company, Anhui Sanlian Group, developed a three-pronged approach to road safety that involves a battery of tests to screen drivers, training with simulators and surveillance cameras to closely monitor roads for problems. The eastern city of Jinan adopted the system and police in the provincial capital say traffic deaths have fallen by a third in the past five years. He has studied the records of thousands of Chinese bus, van and taxi drivers, put dozens through neurological tests and examined hundreds of blood samples. Since last year, he has been trying to find gene markers for bad drivers. “Cars can be fitted with the highest levels of equipment: safety belts, air bags, and so on. Roads can be more regulated. But people, how can you help them become better?” Dr Jin said in an interview in the central city of Hefei, where he is based. “People still need to be controlled, they must face restrictions.” More

See also:

1 in 8 fell asleep at wheel in last year!

admin — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 21:05:41 +0000

It only takes seconds of sleep behind the wheel to cause a fatal crash, but research out today by Brake and Cambridge Weight Plan reveals one in eight drivers (12%) has ‘head-nodded’ at the wheel in the past year. Head-nodding occurs when someone nods off to between two and 30 seconds, often without realising that they have been asleep. The survey of 1,000 drivers also revealed risky behaviour among many that can contribute to tiredness, with one in four admitting embarking on a journey when they already felt drowsy. The vast majority (86%) are also failing to follow best practice advice on dealing with tiredness at the wheel, by stopping somewhere safe for a nap. More than a quarter (29%) put their own and others’ lives on the line by continuing their journey after they notice the first signs of drowsiness. In addition, one in seven drivers surveyed (13%) reported suffering from a health condition such as sleep apnoea that makes them tired during the day. Sleep apnoea can cause daytime sleepiness, and in some cases can cause the sufferer to fall asleep without warning. More

See also:

Motorists discarding litter could soon be punished!

admin — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 22:49:24 +0000

As ministers consider changing the Localism Bill which could mean litter throwing drivers receive £80 fixed penalty notices, 81% of people agree that ‘Litterlouts’ should be punished, with more than one in three motorists (34%) wanting to see offenders receive at least three points on their driving licence according to Your Cover insurance, Allianz Insurance’s car insurance brand. A survey commissioned by Your Cover insurance reveals the depth of feeling motorists have about the issue of highway littering. The research shows: 52% said that Litterlouts made them feel angry and frustrated 37% said they felt saddened by the fact that people were so lazy and disrespectful. More

See also:

Kids not impressed with parents driving!

admin — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 22:03:02 +0000

Nearly two-thirds of children admit their mums and dads are aggressive drivers, according to a poll by a leading tyres manufacturer. And the survey carried out for Continental tyres also revealed that 13 per cent are scared or embarrassed by their parents performance behind the wheel of a car, while 23 per cent of the children said that they had been in an accident with either mum or dad driving. Continental tyres surveyed 1,000 children between the ages of four and 16 and asked them to report what they had witnessed and to say how they felt about their parents driving – and the results might make mum and dad think twice about their behaviour. When 1,000 children between the ages of four and 16 were polled with 63 per cent revealling their parents shout at other road users and one in five reported that their ‘responsible adult’ used a mobile phone while driving despite this being banned in December 2003. More

See also:

Back seat drivers can cause major problems for drivers!

admin — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 22:21:31 +0000

Britain is turning into a nation of ‘Hyacinth Bouquet’ backseat drivers with one in seven motorists having a road accident or near miss caused by a distraction from a rear passenger, a new study reveals today. Partners are cited as the worst culprits for back seat comments, but women are revealed as being most likely to get angry at criticism of their driving. Many drivers – of both sexes – admit they are even reduced to tears by the comments from the back seat. But the study reveals that it is men who are most likely to take their eyes off the road to chat to passengers. The survey of more than 1,000 motorists found they are 60 per cent more likely to have a serious crash if driving with passengers. And young motorists are the most distracted with more than half taking their eyes off the road whilst driving to chat to passengers – the highest of any age group on the road. The ‘Driver Distraction’ study, commissioned by esure car insurance revealed that 14 per cent of motorists have had an accident or near miss due to being distracted by a back-seat driver. More

See also:

Survey shows women drivers take more risks!

admin — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 21:04:58 +0000

Middle aged women are more likely to try to risk driving illegally through a level crossing than any other motorists, a study has found. They are more than twice as likely as young “boy racers” to jump the red lights or try to skip through the barriers as they come down. The trend was discovered by British Transport Police after the force sent out a marked van to monitor 43 crossings across south east England. Since January it has caught and prosecuted 1,131 motorists from offences including jumping the lights, driving through crossings as barriers come down and striking barriers. Women aged 50 to 65 accounted for 27 per cent of offences and men of the same age 19 per cent, meaning that middle aged motorists were responsible for nearly half the cases caught by the police van. Young male drivers aged 17-25, who normally are considered the most reckless behind the wheel, accounted for only eight per cent of those caught by the BTP van. More

See also:

Half of younger driver deaths are in older cars!

admin — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 21:01:55 +0000

Half of young men killed or badly hurt in car crashes were driving vehicles more than a decade old, new research has revealed. It has led to the Institute of Advanced Motorists, which uncovered the link, to urge parents to help their children buy the best car they can, for safety’s sake. “It makes sense that any driver will take better care of a new car, and especially one which they’re still paying for,” said IAM director of policy and research Neil Greig. “Young drivers are the highest risk group on our roads and the insurance industry claims that 20 per cent of young drivers crash in their first year. “Parents should help their child choose the best car they can get for their money. A new car won’t be an option for everybody but there are plenty of used cars that will be almost as good – you do need to do some thorough research though.” More

See also:

Supermarkets support Government crackdown on Blue Badge abuse!

admin — Mon, 30 May 2011 21:45:32 +0000

Following major reforms to the Blue Badge scheme announced earlier this year, seven major supermarket chains have now given their support for the Government’s drive to eradicate Blue Badge abuse. Responding to the concerns of disability groups, Local Transport Minister Norman Baker wrote to all major supermarkets urging them to do what they could to enforce the scheme on their premises. So far Aldi, Marks and Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose and Lidl have all responded positively in support of the Government’s drive to ensure strict enforcement of the parking bays in their car parks which are privately owned. Norman Baker said: “Many disabled people and disability groups have told me about the problems they have in finding a disabled bay at supermarkets because of their abuse by people who have no justification for parking in reserved spaces. “I am delighted to have secured the support of the major supermarket groups and to know that they share my view that abuse of Blue Badge parking bays needs to be tackled, protecting customers who rely on such spaces. I hope other large retailers will now follow suit and consider what action they can take to help their Blue Badge customers.” More

See also:

Guys get stressed more in traffic jams!

admin — Thu, 26 May 2011 18:13:17 +0000

Female motorists are much better at coping with the stress of being caught up in a traffic jam than their male counterparts, according to a study by satnav firm TomTom. The study, which involved analysing the increase in stress chemicals in the saliva of motorists when stuck in heavy traffic, showed that the rise in men’s stress levels was seven times higher than a woman’s. Researchers found that stress levels rose 8.7% in women when caught up in a traffic jam, while they were up 60% in men. Two thirds of the women and half of the men who took part in the study reported not feeling stressed out at all after spending 20 minutes in heavy traffic, despite their chemical indicators shooting up. Nearly 50% of all adults commute to work by car on a daily basis and those who are constantly stuck behind the wheel are at a higher risk of developing stress-related health problems. More

See also:

Venezuela suspends first ever speeding driver!

admin — Fri, 20 May 2011 22:56:38 +0000

Car-friendly Venezuela, where gasoline is almost free and troublesome highway rules rarely imposed, has suspended a bus driver from the roads for a year in the first case of a suspended license in the OPEC nation. Police stopped Ramon Parra, 41, for driving at excessive speed in a large, overladen passenger bus that was missing one of its rear wheels. The bus was packed with more passengers than legally permitted and one of its six wheels was wedged in an aisle inside, national police chief Luis Fernandez told reporters. “It is important to emphasise that this is a totally new act; for the first time in Venezuela we are suspending a driving license, for 12 consecutive months,” Mr Fernandez said. More

See also:

Traffic lights to change to red to slow speeders!

admin — Thu, 19 May 2011 21:51:09 +0000

Speeding motorists will be ‘shamed’ into slowing down by a new safety system which turns traffic lights red whenever a car breaks the limit – holding everyone else up. Sensors installed in the road will monitor speed levels and turn the next set of lights red when an approaching vehicle is speeding. As a result, dozens of surrounding cars will also be held up – bringing shame on the offending driver. The pilot scheme – the first of its kind in Britain – will be tested on two 40mph roads in Swindon, Wiltshire, this autumn after successful tests in Europe. Swindon became the first town in Britain to switch off all its speed cameras completely in 2009 and council leaders vowed to invest the money saved into alternative schemes. Peter Greenhalgh, cabinet member for sustainability, strategic planning, property and transport at Swindon Borough Council, said he hopes ‘social pressure’ from other drivers will prevent speeding. He said: ‘It will irritate drivers but if you maintain a steady speed at or around the speed limit you will get to where you want to be quicker because you won’t be held up at traffic lights. More

See also:

Survey shows young drivers think speeding is ok!

admin — Wed, 11 May 2011 22:58:55 +0000

Two out of five young drivers think it is all right to break the 30mph limit by 10mph or more, according to a survey. And 24% of these drivers, aged 16 to 21, see nothing wrong in drinking up to one and a half pints of beer, or equivalent alcohol, before taking to the wheel. The survey results were issued as a campaign to overhaul the learning-to-drive system was launched by road safety charity Brake, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and the Co-operative Insurance Company. The launch of the campaign marked the start of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. The poll of 500 people aged 16 to 21 showed that 9% of males in this age range thought it was all right to drink more than the equivalent of one and a half pints of beer before driving. Also, 58% of the young people polled reckoned young drivers behaved more dangerously while carrying young passengers’ More

See also:

Ford Focus to get WI-FI!

admin — Mon, 09 May 2011 17:19:28 +0000

Hard-pressed business people will love it. Parents desperate to get their children away from computer games for a few hours won’t be so sure. The luxury of wi-fi wherever you go will be available on the Ford Focus family hatchback from next year. Signalling what Ford calls “a new era of in-car technology”, the system will then be rolled out to other vehicles in its range. Owners will be able to use their existing USB modems or Smartphones to make use of the secure wireless connection, broadcast throughout the vehicle. Passengers with any wi-fi-enabled device will be able to connect and access the internet on the move. Called SYNC, it will be available from mid-2012, as an option. Owners will not have to pay subscription fees. More

See also:

British pedestrians have forgotten how to cross the road safely!

admin — Fri, 06 May 2011 21:11:22 +0000

Stop, look and listen: the three words that used to be drilled in to children every time they cross the road are now ignored by almost two thirds (64 per cent) of British adults according to new research out today). The ‘Street Walk’ study, commissioned by Sheilas’ Wheels car insurance, shows that a ‘just-step-out’ generation has grown up in the UK with nearly half of adults (49 per cent) saying they do not listen before crossing the road, 46 per cent do not stop, while nearly a quarter (23 per cent) do not look both ways. This is even more alarming as 71 per cent of those polled did not know that traffic came from the right in the UK when crossing a road. The results of this road-blindness are alarming with one in ten Brits (nine per cent) saying they have come into contact with a moving vehicle while crossing the road while a quarter (25 per cent) have had a near miss. Eight per cent of Brits have had a collision with a bicycle while crossing the road and this rises in major cities with the highest bike collision rate in London (at 16 per cent.) More

See also:

Less motorists now being caught by speed cameras!

admin — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 21:03:14 +0000

Statistics published by the Home Office showed that 935,000 motorists were caught speeding by camera in 2009, the latest year for which figures are available. The last time cameras caught fewer than one million speeding motorists was in 2001. The numbers rose steadily until they peaked at more than 1.8 million in 2005. However at the same time the soaring number of drivers facing fines and three points on their licence triggered a wave of anger among motorists who claimed that the cameras were being used as a stealth tax. It led to the previous Government scrapping the system which allowed local safety partnerships to keep the fines and reinvest the proceeds in yet more cameras. The change, which saw all fines going to the Treasury, coincided with a reduction in both the number of cameras and motorists being fined in the latter half of the decade. More

See also:

Mad driver does U-Turn on motorway!

admin — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 21:21:07 +0000

INCREDIBLE footage from one of the country’s new motorways graphically illustrates the disaster that can arise when drivers ignore the rules. Traffic camera stills show a dark-coloured estate car pull over to the hard shoulder of the Dublin to Limerick M7 motorway just before half-past seven in the morning. As two cars approach from behind, the driver of the estate begins an illegal U-turn, which puts the car directly in the path of oncoming traffic. Only evasive action from one of the other drivers prevents what would have been a major collision. More & Pictures

See also:

80% wound up by partner’s driving!

admin — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 20:12:45 +0000

Four in five motorists get annoyed by their partner’s in-car behaviour, a new poll has shown. The survey of 2,000 adults by Kwik Fit found that characteristics of motorists that especially irritated their partners include poor performance behind the wheel, impatience with other road users, tailgating and the speed of driving. The findings revealed that 15% of those surveyed said they were unhappy with their partner’s driving performance.A lack of patience with other road users emerged as the main complaint from women, with more than one in five (21%) saying they were upset about this. More

See also:

Women are twice as likely to ask someone else to park for them!

Wrong way driver crashes head on into lorry!

admin — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 22:57:17 +0000

It must have been when she rounded the bend on the slip road that it dawned on the driver of this little car that she was going in the wrong direction. Thundering up the ramp straight towards her was a huge articulated lorry. What happened next was captured in these startling images taken from the GPS camera system in the cab of a second lorry that was still on the main carriageway. The woman driver of the Vauxhall Corsa is seen joining the A90 in Scotland – via the exit slip road. She swerves to avoid the lorry on the exit ramp and ends up heading straight into the path of the one carrying the Roadhawk GPS camera. The Corsa driver then turns away and strikes the first lorry, wrecking her car. But the collision causes the huge juggernaut to lose balance, topple over and scarily jackknife across the busy road before coming to a halt in shrubbery, on its side. An eerie silence follows. Amazingly, no one was injured when the incident took place last Tuesday outside Aberdeen. More

See also:

New in-car technology monitors young drivers behaviour!

admin — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 21:24:34 +0000

A new internet insurance package which lets parents monitor their child’s driving, launches at the end of this month. Devised by Marmalade – which sells and leases small cars to newly-qualified drivers – it is claimed to offer particularly competitive insurance rates in return for motorists having a “black box” fitted to their cars. Using telematics that feed a website, the black box records details of every journey made, allowing both the insured and their parents to monitor how fast, or how carefully, the car is being driven. By accessing a web page it will be possible for customers to examine tell-tale factors such as how harshly the car is being braked, how fast it accelerates and how fast it corners. Drivers who keep within the “green” zone won’t hear from “Intelligent Marmalade” operators – at least until it’s time to renew their premium. But those who drive into the “red” zone will get a written warning – and so will their parents. Anyone receiving a second warning within a month faces the prospect of their premiums rising by up to £400. More

See also:

New survey shows motorists motorway worries!

admin — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 20:13:25 +0000

A survey carried out by breakdown and road safety organisation GEM Motoring Assist today revealed that UK motorists believe tailgating is the most serious offence committed on a motorway with 85% saying it causes highly dangerous situations. Driving whilst using your mobile phone came in a close second with 66% agreeing it would put lives at serious risk and nearly two thirds believe that driving in the middle lane when the left hand lane is empty is dangerous and should be more strictly enforced. Interestingly only 20% of those surveyed said that speeding should be more closely monitored and over half of drivers surveyed went as far to say that the national speed limit should actually be increased. This is not the result GEM wanted to hear, as it, and other road safety organisations are strongly against the government campaign to raise the motorway speed limit to 80 MPH by this summer. More and top10

See also:

Traffic lights to flash amber at night in new trial!

admin — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 23:25:41 +0000

Traffic lights could soon be left on flashing amber throughout the night so motorists can decide when to stop and go. It will mean frustrated drivers no longer have to sit at red lights during quiet periods when no other vehicles are around. Portsmouth City Council is to apply to the Department for Transport for permission to carry out the first trial of its kind in the country. If things go to plan, the new lighting rules could be implemented in Portsmouth, Hampshire, within a year. Similar systems already operate in Spain and France but motoring organisation the AA has cast doubt on whether it would work safely in the UK. Under the new rules, all the lights at a junction would be switched to flashing amber at quiet times – most likely in the middle of the night. Motorists would be expected to approach and cross with caution, rather than waiting for lights to change. The time of day at which lights would turn to flashing amber will vary, with busier junctions operating as normal later into the night. More

See also:

Government crackdown on drink and drug driving!

admin — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 20:58:25 +0000

A package of measures to tackle drink and drug driving was announced today by Transport Secretary Philip Hammond. Improved testing equipment to detect drink and drug drivers will be given the green light and key changes made to streamline enforcement of both offences. The Government will also examine the case for a new specific drug driving offence – alongside the existing one – which would remove the need for the police to prove impairment on a case-by-case basis where a specified drug has been detected. The measures are set out in the Government’s response to the North Report on Drink and Drug Driving, which was published last year. The prescribed alcohol limit for driving will not be changed, with the focus instead on improving enforcement and education to tackle the drink and drug drivers who put lives at risk. Philip Hammond said: “Drink and drug driving are serious offences and we are determined to ensure they are detected and punished effectively. “It is just as dangerous to drive impaired by drugs as alcohol so we need to send a clear message that drug drivers are as likely to be caught as drink drivers and that drug driving is as socially unacceptable as drink driving has become. That is why we will approve drug-testing devices and change the law to speed up the testing process, ensuring the police can bring drug drivers to justice. More

See also:

Trials to replace speed camera’s with trees in Norfolk!

admin — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 10:25:26 +0000

A trial in Norfolk found that creating avenue of trees and hedges had a dramatic impact on motorists’ behaviour. The experiment at four villages – Overstrand, Martham, Coltishall and Mundesley – showed that drivers dropped their speed because of the cut in their peripheral vision. In all there was a 20 per cent drop in the number of motorists driving at 40 to 60mph and overall average speeds fell by 1.5 per cent. At the same time trees were regarded as more suitable for the countryside than other traffic calming methods which are used in towns. Parish councils have told the DfT that the trees not only reduced speeding but also softened the landscape. The trials were hailed by Mike Penning, the road safety minister. “The success of Norfolk’s road side tree planting scheme proves that it is possible to use imaginative solutions to cut speeding on rural roads leading into villages rather than just resorting to cameras,” he said. More

See also:

Bad parking frustrates British drivers!

admin — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 22:03:40 +0000

Disgruntled motorists are venting their anger by blocking cars in, slashing tyres and damaging parked poorly vehicles, according to a new survey by webuyanycar.com. The poll of 3,000 people also found that many drivers leave notes on windscreens of offending vehicles, while a quarter said their response to poor parking has been a verbal attack directed at the offender. The most offensive of the faults is blocking access, followed by parking too close to another vehicle and “stealing” a spot from someone who has been waiting for it. According to the survey, other major annoyances include parking in spaces reserved for the disabled, on double yellow lines, on the pavement and outside someone else’s house. More

See also:

Report shows the rise and rise of the traffic light!

admin — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 22:36:32 +0000

Ever think you are spending more time sitting at the lights? Well you probably are, because the number of sets of traffic lights in Britain jumped by some 30 per cent between 2000 and 2008. In London, over the same period, the numbers rose by about a quarter to more than 6,000. Unpublished figures from the Department for Transport (DfT) also show that by the end of 2008, some 8,500 sets of lights were programmed to give priority to buses – 3,200 of them in the Capital. About half of all traffic lights are at junctions, the rest are at stand-alone pedestrian crossings. The information is revealed in Every Second Counts, a report for the RAC Foundation by Irving Yass, into the operation of traffic lights – which were first introduced into the UK in the 1920s – and their impact on congestion and safety. Report

See also:

Survey highlights problems of drivers falling asleep!

admin — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 22:53:30 +0000

Almost two thirds of drivers admit they have nodded off when at the wheel, putting themselves and other road users in danger, according to a new report from Halfords Autocentres. A study from the garage chain, comissioned because of increasing enquiries over the darker winter months into what drivers can do to stay more alert on the road, highlights the high number of motorists who regularly drive despite feeling sleepy. It comes as millions hit the highways of Britain this weekend returning home from a half term break or taking the opportunity to visit family and friends. According to the Department of Transport, 300 people a year are killed because a driver has fallen asleep at the wheel, which is 12% of all road traffic accidents deaths. One in five of all crashes are attributed to the same cause. Some 55% of those questioned for the survey said they had to stop and take a break to prevent themselves falling asleep while driving and two thirds admitted they had rushed from a holiday destination without having had a good night’s sleep to avoid traffic hold ups. Nearly four out of ten (37%) confessed to narrowly avoiding an accident when almost drifting off at the wheel. Some 14% felt the car had veered out of its lane, 11% had swerved violently, 7% had been forced to break to avoid an accident and one in 30 (3.2%) said they had come off the road. More
(AD ~ Fatigue can be a very big problem, which can lead to major problems. Quick stops to refresh are a must, if you are struggling to keep awake.)

See also:

More motorists texting,tweeting and talking on mobiles while driving!

admin — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 22:14:29 +0000

More motorists than ever are driving illegally by using a mobile phone to text, call up the internet and check social networks such as Facebook and Twitter while at the wheel, new research reveals. Four years on from the introduction of new tougher laws on the use of a hand held phone, drivers are increasingly putting other road users in danger with their reckless behaviour, as well as risking a fine. A new survey carried out for Halfords reveals the growing appetite for using a hand held phone while driving. Those confessing to checking texts while driving are up a quarter on this time last year. Meanwhile, social networking from cars has doubled and the number making and receiving calls is 29 per cent higher than a year ago. The disturbing figures show how the current law, with the penalty of a £60 fine and three penalty points, is being flouted and campaigns to persuade motorists to use hands-free kits or stay off the phone are being largely ignored. Some 41 per cent of drivers admit to taking a phone call and almost three in ten (29 per cent) have made at least one call in the last year. This compares with 31 per cent and 22 per cent in a similar survey carried out 12 months ago. Men are the worst culprits (35 per cent male compared to 22 per cent female). However, these figures could be even higher, as 60 per cent of adults say they have been a passenger in a car when the driver has made or received a phone call. The rapid growth in the ownership of smart and touchscreen phones may have led to the hazardous trend for drivers to use social media outlets at the wheel. The survey shows how the lure of using social networks while driving is proving too much of a temptation for one in ten motorists. When the same question was asked last year, five per cent owned up to either reading a post on Facebook, Twitter or another social site – demonstrating how the problem is growing. More

See also: