Drink-driving among the elderly rising

A fifth more elderly people were convicted of drink-driving in 2012 than two years before – that's the shock statistic revealed by the results of a survey just released.

20 per cent more over-75s were caught behind the wheel having had too much to drink, What's more, a driver over the age of 50 was charged with drink driving every hour.

The figures were obtained through Freedom of Information requests from 42 of the UK's 52 police forces.

Of those, the force that was laid claim to the greatest number of over-50s convicted between 2010 and 2012 was in Strathclyde, with 1,469.

However, Manchester was a close second with 1,452 convictions, Hampshire recorded 1,294, Thames Valley 1,201, and Devon & Cornwall 1,196.

The survey showed that 15 per cent of drink-drive offenders were over 50, but that that proportion varied widely according to region.

In Lancashire, over-50-year-olds were responsible for 54 per cent of convictions, while in London, that figure was just two per cent.

It's thought that the reason for the rise is down to a feeling among older drivers that drink driving is still socially acceptable - over 50 year olds will have typically learnt to drive in 1979, when drink-driving offences were 540% higher than they are today. Drink-driving is not acceptable at any age.

Great strides have been made to tackle this in younger people, the number of motorists drink-driving from the older generations is still worryingly high.

An increase in driving under the influence among the elderly is a shocking and deeply concerning trend as far too many casualties and fatalities occur as a result of this.

We need to keep reinforcing to drivers of all ages – young and old – the message that drinking and driving don't mix.!

'Dummy' caught cycling down M1 in pouring rain

A man has been censured by police after he was caught cycling along the M1 motorway in atrocious weather conditions.

The culprit was spotted happily pedalling along the London-bound carriageway of the motorway near Redbourn in Hertfordshire on Sunday.

 

He was apparently oblivious to the fact that cycling on a motorway is banned by Section 253 of the Highway Code.

Incredibly, given the driving rain and appalling visibility, the cyclist was also riding without lights or high-visibility gear, choosing instead to wear a dark green anorak, black trousers, and a grey rucksack.

This despite the fact that he was riding just inches away from cars, coaches and heavy goods vehicles which were travelling at speeds anywhere between 50 and 70mph, and sometimes more.

A spokesman for Hertfordshire Constabulary said "We were alerted just before midday of a man travelling southbound on the M1 on a pushbike.

"We did a very slow escort off with him at the next junction, which was Junction 9 at Redbourne."

Police added that they had offered "words and advice", and that the man opted to continue his journey to London by train instead.

The Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Roads Policing Unit took to its Twitter feed to highlight the situation, tweeting: "Somebody thought it was ok to cycle to London on the M1, escorted safely off at Redbourn. #dontbeadummy."

It isn't the first time police have spoken to road users about cycling along motorways.

In June, a woman was escorted off the M1 motorway near Milton Keynes having been stopped by police on a pushbike.

And during the Commonwealth Games, police spoke to two members of the Kenyan cycling team on the M61 near Bolton, who had apparently been unaware that what they were doing was illegal.

Fears as Traffic Officers' budget slashed

The Highways Agency is cutting the cash spent on Traffic Officers – famously dubbed 'Wombles' by Jeremy Clarkson - by £13m.

The officers – seen patrolling major motorway and trunk roads in high visibility off-roaders – help in the aftermath of accidents and assist broken down vehicles, helping traffic get moving again.

 

But an exclusive AOL Cars investigation has found that despite the Highways Agency Traffic Officers' (HATOs) effectiveness, their budget is still being slashed from £79m to £66m in 2014.

We submitted a Freedom of Investigation request to the agency that required it to release the budget details.

The data also revealed that the cuts come despite the fact average motorway journey times are increasing and it's now taking longer to clear up after accidents, according to official customer satisfaction levels.

A spokesman for the Institute of Advanced Motorists told AOL Cars that he fears these cuts will mean drivers will spend even longer in traffic jams in the future.

IAM head of technical policy Tim Shallcross said: "We used to have traffic police sweeping up after a crash – a job now performed much more cost effectively by the Highways Agency Traffic Officers (HATOs).

"A reduction in HATOs will certainly not be made up by an increase in police, so the result will inevitably be longer jams and greater delays after crashes."

Shallcross added that he felt savings should be made in the "back office" rather than cutting the budget of patrols.

The RAC agreed that HATOs play a major role in road safety and added their fears that a reduction in budget could be at the detriment to motorists.

"There is an unfortunate tendency for motorists to under appreciate HATOs' work," said RAC technical director David Bizley.

"This often changes when a traffic officer comes to their aid or they experience their traffic management skills in a major incident.

"Any financial reduction to the service may sadly be to the detriment of motorists. This could become particularly apparent next year with the hard shoulders of a number of motorways being opened on a permanent basis.

"In the event of an accident or breakdown Traffic Officers will be motorists' first line of defence from others vehicles, especially as refuge areas will be up to 2.5km apart."

What do you think? Do HATOs do an effective job and the budget cut is a mistake? Or will we not even notice?

Driving in the dark

 

The right night vision

Driving in the dark is a very different experience to driving in the day. Speed is more difficult to judge, distances of other vehicles can be hard to calculate when faced with a wall of headlights, and you are likely to be more tired than usual.

But this shouldn't put you off. The roads are a lot quieter, and it is a great time to make progress. Bearing in mind a few points will help make your drive as safe and enjoyable as possible.  

Turn on your headlights before sunset and keep them on for an hour after sunrise so that it's easier for other drivers to see you in twilight. Equally important is making sure all your exterior lights are clean and working properly.

You should also make sure all your windows are clean, inside and out. Dirty windows will increase glare from other vehicles and are more prone to steaming up. Clean, properly positioned mirrors will reduce dazzle as well as blind spots. Turn off the interior lights and dim the dashboard as well, if you can. This will cut down on interior reflections.

Read the road ahead and look out for clues that might not be available to you usually. While visibility is reduced, glimmers of light at the top of hills and at bends could be the headlights of other vehicles, giving you prior warning. And as always, be able to stop your vehicle within the distance you can see to be clear – at night this will probably only be as far as your headlights reach, unless there are street lights.

On rural roads, drive on full beam whenever possible but dip your lights when faced with another road user to avoid dazzling them. If a driver approaching you fails to dip their own headlights, look away to the verge on the left-hand side to avoid being dazzled yourself. And make the most of other people's lights – use the light shed by vehicles ahead or from roadside lights - not just street lights - to help you see further ahead.

Driving at night, you are likely to be more tired than usual, so taking breaks is especially important. Stop regularly for a rest and park up in a safe place for a nap when you need to – no journey is worth putting yourself or others in danger for.

 

Daylight Running Lights

Mid-Kent's Group of Advanced Motoring's social media editor Graham Aylard voices his concerns on Daylight Running Lights fitted to modern cars.

Is it me? Has anyone noticed that as the days get shorter and the nights get longer more and more motorists are driving at night with no headlights on?  I'm not so sure it is me. I notice this as I came home from a recent long friday night drive in rush hour on the M25. The traffic was awful. Clacket Lane roadworks adding to the congestion on the southern side of the M25 creating what is often joked about as the biggest car park in the UK.  I counted no less then six drivers in the Kent area alone driving oblivious to the fact that they are hard to see, if not impossible.  As the 'invisible' vehicle drove past, I notice that a couple of them were illuminated from the front - yet nothing from the back. The reason of course is their Daylight Running Lights were on.

With the dashboard and instrument panels lit during the day, I believe drivers are not paying attention to their lighting conditions.

A vehicle showing its Daylight Running Lights.
Some expensive models use an LED that dim when an indication
is used and use a fraction of energy used by traditional bulbs   

Why on earth however has the driver not noticed that he or she is driving around with no headlights on? Well, my theory is with some models of vehicles, the dashboard is illuminated as soon as you start the engine. Not like older vehicles were the dashboard and instruments are lit only when side lights or headlights are switched on. And this is my problem. With the dashboard and instrument panels lit during the day, I believe drivers are not paying attention to their lighting conditions. They can see the speedo, so the light must be on? right? Err.. no! Motorist must look out for the symbol that indicates the headlights are switched on. However, I still have a problem with this. Let me explain.

I drive a 60 plate, Vauxhall Astra, 1.7TD Sports Tourer - or Astra van with windows to the rest of us. It has daylight running lights. My instruments and dashboard is lit nicely and stays lit all the time the engine is running. My rear lights however are not on at all - and that's fine.  But with I switch the side lights on, the daylight running lights switch off, side lights come on, instrument lights stay on and rear lights switch on. Great. But the only indication of this is a small green double light symbol (also known as a 'position lamp') displayed within the rev counter, just under the needle. No problem. But if I switch my headlights on, no other symbol eliminates. (This is true of Vauxhall and some Ford models, where no 'dipped beam' indications are present in the instrument panel) If your in a well lit area, you might be forgiven to think you do not have any headlights on at all. In fact I've had the need to check on a number of occasions by checking the switch itself. It's obvious however in an unlit area. And my point is that small green symbol is not enough when in well lit areas, and leaving the instrument panel lit simply doesn't give a big enough visual clue that maybe your running around at night with only your daylight running lights on. I believe manufactures need to have the instrument panels un-lit when side or headlights are switched off.

And this is the reason why I believe their has been an increase in 'invisible' drivers.

A hint of illumination in the instrument panel of this vehicle while
the engine is running at the Daylight Running Lights are on.

One of my first vehicles was a Volvo 240. It was the first car in the UK to have daylight running lights. It was in fact side lights running switch on all the time - you were unable to switch them off.  But the dash never lit up until side (which then switched the era lights on) or headlights were on. Once again, Volvo proving to be ahead of its time. But why are so many cars fitted with Daylight Running Lights?

Vehicles in Sweden had to drive with lights on, all year round since 1977

In 2008 European legislation ruled that dedicated 'Daylight Running Lights to be fitting to all new cars from February 2011. Trucks and buses followed just over a year later. However, its not a new idea. Vehicles in Sweden had to drive with lights on, all year round since 1977 (hence why the Volvo lights were always on) Iceland, Latvia, Macedonia and Norway since around 1980, Denmark since 1990 and Romania, Slovenia and parts of Portugal since 1998. In fact

by 2006 drivers in 12 european countries were driving with daylight running lights. It was proven to reduce daytime accidents by a study group and the Department of Transport study confirmed this. The study also showed that the benifts out-weighed the possible cost in fuel to keep lights on and the possible chance that these lights could dazzle other motorist or even masked motorcyclist headlights, making them less conspicuous.
However, nothing has be said about the chances of drivers not noticing that they are driving unlit at night. And this is my problem.

A good rule of thumb in wet weather, if your windscreen wipers are switched to constant, switch your headlights on. 

So what can motorist do? Simple really. See and be seen. When light levels drop, even in the day - switch your headlights on. For example, during wet weather conditions, low winter sunlight that my dazzle motorist in the morning an hour or so after sunrise and hour or so before sunset and of course fog and misty conditions. A good rule of thumb in wet weather, if your windscreen wipers are switched to constant, switch your headlights on.

However, for those who are driving vehicles not fitted with day light running lights and still traveling at night with no headlights on… How are earth can you see your speedo?

Words and images: Graham Aylard, Source AA

For tips and discussions on night time driving - the Mid-Kent Group are holding a free evening talk at Grove Green Community Centre, Maidstone on Tuesday 15th October, 8pm. Everyone is welcome and free demonstration and assessment drives are available.  

Learn More About Driving At Night

Do you find driving at night a struggle? Find it hard to see at night while behind the wheel? Tried on those long motorway journey's in the dark? 

Learn more about driving at night with Mid-Kent Group of Advanced Motorist.

Held at Grove Green Community Centre, Maidstone ME14 5TQ on Tuesday 15th October 2013, 8pm 

Assessment and demonstration drives are available

Free admission and refreshments

Residents near proposed A14 toll road call for exemption

A proposed toll road that could be put in place to relieve congestion along the A14 has encountered resistance from angry residents and local councils who feel those living along the planned route shouldn't have to pay to use the road.

 

South Cambridgeshire District Council's cabinet agreed that villagers should be excluded from the fee or at least receive heavy subsidies when the toll road is operating.

Road users are expected to have to pay somewhere in the region of £1 and £1.50 to use the toll road when it opens with fees for larger vehicles and HGVs likely to double.

The Cambridge News reported that Councillor Simon Edwards, the council's deputy leader, told a recent meeting: "We should ask the Highways Agency for a scheme where, if we are forced to use the toll road, local traffic is exempt from paying the toll. I think that would defend our residents and I think we should make a statement that any non-HGV vehicle registered in South Cambridgeshire should be exempted from the toll.

"As a bare minimum we should be looking at a season ticket arrangement of £10 or £20 a year for our residents, very much like they do at the Dartford crossing I believe."

Members agreed that the scheme had to be supported to relieve congestion and boost the local economy but settled on the fact that local residents shouldn't be forced to pay.

All councils haven't met the proposed bypass that could run from the Port of Felixstowe through Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Huntingdon and Northampton with praise though, as leaders at St Edmundsbury and Forest Heath claim the toll would harm local enterprise.

The BBC reported Councillors John Griffiths of St Edmundsbury and James Waters of Forest Heath said in a joint statement: "While we support improvements on the A14, the Toll Tax seems flawed and short-sighted at a time when we're trying to boost our economy and encourage growth.

"It also seems to be promoting unfair competition for our local businesses, not being a tax that other parts of the country have to face."