Annual cost of road accidents could be as much as £34 billion

New government estimates reveal that the total annual cost of road traffic accidents, including the cost of human suffering and medical bills, could be as much as £34 billion per year.

 

The latest figures from the Department for Transport show that the cost of damage-only accidents amounted to an estimated £15.12 billion last year but if you factor in unreported injury accidents that figure could easily double.

The department said the figures reflected the loss of output due to injury, the medical costs and human costs of casualties.

These human costs were "based on willingness to pay to avoid pain, grief and suffering to the casualty, relatives and friends, as well as intrinsic loss of enjoyment of life in the case of fatalities".

In June, the department announced that road deaths dipped 8% last year to a record low of 1,754, with deaths falling for all road user groups except pedal cyclists.

Road Safety Minister Stephen Hammond said today: "Road deaths in Britain are now at their lowest levels since records began and our roads are among some of the safest in the world, which is welcome news.

"But let's not forget that each road death represents the tragic loss of someone's loved one. That's why there is no room for complacency and why the Government will continue to crack down on the most dangerous drivers and improve training to make our roads safe for everyone."

Despite the reduction in road deaths year on year, the government revealed last week that the number of drink-drive fatalities is on the rise.

The department said that the provisional estimate of the number of drink-drive fatalities in 2012 was 280 - a 17% rise on the 2011 figure.

Third driving ban for man with no licence

A Devon man has been banned from driving for the third time in two years despite never actually acquiring a driving licence in the first place.

 

The resident was disqualified from driving by North Devon Magistrates' Court last Friday after admitting three separate motoring offences.

The 25-year-old was stopped by police after his erratic driving caught their attention.

He was arrested for drink-driving after being found to be nearly twice the legal drink-drive limit, as well as driving without a licence or insurance.

The man, who is a prolific offender with 46 previous convictions to his name, had only been released from prison a few months before his court appearance.

Magistrates were told that he had gotten into his car after a disagreement with his girlfriend.

The Court also heard that he had only ever held a provisional driving licence but had already been disqualified for six months in 2011 and again last year after being caught driving while disqualified.

As well as being banned from driving for a further two years, the man was fined £100 and ordered to pay £20 costs and a £20 victim surcharge

What lies beneath

When you lift the bonnet up, do you know where the washer liquid goes?  We all can vaguely remember the moment your test examiner asked you to point out where the washer fluid would go, all these bits painted yellow. A recent poll by Britannia Rescue showed that seven out of 10 people struggled to undertake simple maintenance tasks like checking a vehicle's oil levels. One in seven of these respondents had suffered a car breakdown that may have been prevented if they had a better understanding of basic maintenance. And if checking the dipstick throws you, then read the following advice to get yourself familiar.

 

Firstly, check the oil level regularly. When the time comes to top up, try not to over fill as this may lead to too much pressure in the area of the engine and oil leaks. Check the type of oil you need from the owners handbook. Avoid mixing different types of oil. Have the oil changed during regular services.

 

To check the oil, make sure the car is parked on a level area. Turn the engine off and apply the hand break. Make sure the engine has warmed but you've also allowed it time to cool down for the oil to drain. Remove the dipstick and clean it with a cloth. Dip it back in to check the oil level. If the oil is below or below the minimum mark, you'll need to top up.

 

Check your washer fluid levels. It's usually a white container – so easy to spot. Look at the windscreen washer reservoir and check the level. If it needs filling up, use windscreen washer fluid or water. In the winter, make sure it is fifty per cent windscreen washer fluid.

 

Check the engine coolant level, but wait until the engine has completely cooled down. This reservoir will be to the far side of your vehicle. On the side of the engine coolant reservoir, there will be cold, full and warm indicated. You need to ensure that the liquid is not below the cold indicator line. Low levels of engine coolant can cause your engine to overheat and potential damage to your engine.

 

For more information on planning your holiday driving, check out drivingadvice.org.uk, for traffic updates, weather forecasts, and driving tips, including: driving abroad, cycling and loading the car for a long journey.

 

The IAM has launched a new website, for biking advice and tips with traffic updates, touring advice by country and all you need to know about events and local groups. Tips cover riding with pillions, in groups and night riding. There's also a videos page and you can upload your touring photos and stories - get involved at www.betterbiking.org.uk.

Well done our Andy!!!!

Driver of the Year Competition 2013

 

 

As some of you may remember I won the title Driver of the Year for my firm last year, well I was given the opportunity to represent my depot again this year for the competition, with the chance to reach the finals and defend my title!

 

             

 

Again this year there was approximately 1000 drivers entered into round one, which was for each depot within the company to choose someone to represent them.  This was, the same as last year, done by checking driver's performance over the previous year, fuel consumption, accident record, attendance and customer service standards.  I was selected to represent my depot.

 

The second round this year was based on last year, with it being a regional final to see who went through, but in addition to the written exam on the highway code and the company's safe driving plan we also had to complete the hazard perception test similar to what new drivers have to take.  I scored 29 out of 30 for the written exam and 43 out of 50 for the hazard perception, I found out I had dropped points on the hazard perception as I'd reacted to hazards to early!

 

The finals this year was held at the company's Leigh depot, just to the west of Manchester.  So it was on a drizzily Monday morning the beginning of September that myself and the other four finalists met.  Again this year the event was to be based on 5 separate challenges, but with a twist on last year's final to ensure a level playing field.  The first event I had to do was the vehicle walk round check, again with purposely set faults to see if we could find them.  This year the faults included the wrong number plate on the trailer and an out of date tax disc that was also from another vehicle!

 

I then moved onto the slow speed manoeuvring course, which was to reverse through a series of gates and back up to a barrier and then returning to the start position.  For this test I was allowed as many shunts as I needed plus being able to get out of the lorry to check what I was doing.  To make things a little more interesting they used a different make of tractor unit to what we were all used to driving. 

 

The third event was to go to a pre-loaded trailer and then say what was wrong with how it had been loaded.  When asked what I would do if presented with that trailer and my response was I would go to the warehouse manager and say until someone completely unloaded the trailer and reloaded it properly it was going nowhere.  There were so many faults, from stacking chemicals on top of other chemicals, which could potentially result in a very serious situation should the two chemicals mix as the result of a leak, to rubbish all over the floor of the trailer which formed a trip hazard whilst working.

 

The final event was a drive around the surrounding area taking in a mixture of roads from small town roads to fast moving duel carriageways.  They were looking for my skills in dealing with other traffic whilst attempting to drive as efficiently as possible, this was probably the most stressful event as I was driving a kind of vehicle I'd never driven in an area I didn't know and being assessed whilst I did it!!!

 

After everybody had completed all the challenges we all met back in the depot's conference room where we were treating to a light lunch whilst they calculated the results.  We were told with the last challenge to go it was still possible for any of us to win the title! James, our national training manager announce the results starting with the 4 runner ups, well he announced the first 3 and the decided to leave myself and another driver hanging whilst he went on talk to us about all of us being winners.  When he finally said that the last runner up was the other driver I was completely shocked, didn't think I stood a chance of winning again as the standard of the other drivers was so good!

 

 

Later on this year I have been invited to attend the company's management conference in Coventry to receive my award.

 

Article by Andrew Wyles

Woman walks away after car is flattened by shipping container

Rescuers in China, managed to pull a woman free from the wreckage of her flattened Nissan after a massive shipping container came free on the motorway.

Fire fighters were called to the scene on Saturday when a shipping container being transported on the back of a HGV came free on the motorway, rolling onto a woman's Nissan, trapping her inside it.

Rescuers could hear the woman's voice so immediately called in a crane powerful enough to lift the enormous shipping container before using hydraulic equipment to cut her free.

Amazingly, the unnamed woman hadn't sustained any serious injuries despite being trapped in the vehicle for over half an hour.

According to eyewitnesses, the woman had managed to slip into the footwell of the car, avoiding the impact and shielding her head away from any serious danger.

Passers-by were astounded that the lucky motorist was able to walk away from the scene despite the car being completely flattened.

Investigation reveals car check site is dangerously flawed

An AOL Cars investigation has found motorists could be driving around in killer cars they thought were safe after checking them with a budget online service.

 

TotalCarCheck.com promises to safeguard drivers against buying previously scrapped, written off or crash-damaged cars - but we found many dangerously slip through the net.

We checked five cars using the £1.99 service which we knew had been in accidents and classified as Category C or Category D by insurers - and all of them came back as not having been written off by TotalCarCheck.com, despite their dangerous hidden history.

The website promises to tell buyers if their used car has been scrapped, changed colour or written off. But our investigation found there are catastrophic holes in the data it returns to consumers.

"This is shocking," said The AA's Ian Crowder. "We absolutely condemn this kind of practice - it potentially places unwitting car buyers in a dangerous situation.

"They could end up buying a vehicle that has previously been in an accident or is otherwise in an unroadworthy condition."

The Institute of Advanced Motorists was similarly disgusted at our findings. Spokesman Tim Shallcross said: "Used car sales amount to billions every year and that money tempts many to try their luck in almost every sector of the motor trade, as in this case AOL has exposed, a firm charging people for virtually worthless information."

Thousands of these online look ups, dubbed "provenance checks", take place every day but most firms offer a very good service. Well known brands such as HPI, The AA and RAC all offer services to motorists that can help them delve into their next used car's past with confidence.

We contacted TotalCarCheck.com and it said our investigation had highlighted "flaws" in its service. It blamed data that it was provided from outside agencies was at the root of the cause.

A spokesman for the company told us: "I one hundred per cent recognise there are errors with the data and we are trying to get to the bottom of it.

"We are aware that there are data quality issues and we are working with the head of the police national computer and the motor insurance bureau to resolve them."

However, the company refused to pull the service immediately or warn suspecting customers that the data it produced may not be accurate.

"If we can't resolve these issues within the next week or so we may suspend sales activity on the site, though I can't be definitive on that right now."

AOL Cars has since handed over its findings to Trading Standards.

Responding to emergency vehicles

Whether you're driving to work, to the shops or to visit a friend, the reality is, we often come into contact with the emergency services in one way shape or form. You're familiar with the scenario, when you're driving along a residential road or a dual carriageway. And you'll suddenly hear the faint sounds of sirens and spot the flashing lights out of the corner of your eye. In your rear view mirror you can see an emergency services vehicle approaching. What do you do next?

 

In our latest survey, thirty-five per cent of respondents admit that they don't know the rules on how to deal with an approaching emergency service vehicle. Here's some advice on how to avoid making any mistakes.

 

Do you panic? Do you follow the actions of the cars in front of you? It's easy to be startled a bit by the blearing sounds of the ambulance service vehicle but the key is tackling the situation calmly.

 

The first thing to do is use your mirrors to look at the space you have around your vehicle. This will help to you to work out the best action to take. Pull over to your left as soon as you can safely do so to give the services vehicle(s) enough room to pass with ease. Use your indicators to warn the road users around you as long it won't confuse them.

 

In the rush of the emergency services, we can often overlook that pulling into a bus lane, a yellow box or over a stop line at a red light could mean a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) so don't risk it. The emergency services vehicle drivers are all specially trained for dealing with emergencies. They'll know how to best to overcome a situation to get to their emergency as quickly as possible.

 

Don't pull over on kerbs, verges and pavements. You could put pedestrians or other road users at risk.

 

If there's one emergency service vehicle approaching, it is likely that there will be more to follow – so take your time to check before moving off.

 

Remember, emergency service vehicles need to get to the emergency as quickly and as safely as possible. Don't take any risks to help them progress to their destination.