Driving under the influence of both legal and illegal drugs is an issue that is growing on all measures in the UK - collisions and casualties have gone up by over 260 per cent over the last ten years, and convictions are now at over 12,000 a year. The impact is devastating, far-reaching, and only getting worse, said IAM RoadSmart. This issue was brought to the government’s attention in 2011 … [Read more...]
Speeding is major cause of ‘carguments’, says Direct Line
More than half of people (56 per cent) admit to heated ‘carguments’, arguing with their partner about their driving habits, reveals research from Direct Line Motor Insurance. One in 13 (8 per cent) people have broken up with a partner due to their annoying driving habits, rising to nearly one in five (18 per cent) young people aged 18-34. Speeding is the greatest source of disagreement, with … [Read more...]
Luxembourg chills with car karma
Luxembourg topped the rankings as the least stressful European country for drivers, in a study for Confused.com . The western European country’s ranking reflects its consistently good scoring, and it was found to have low traffic congestion levels. It also recorded a fuel cost of just 0.002% of its average annual income and 3.58 road fatalities per 100,000 people. The study calculated … [Read more...]
Newslines 6 February: The Beatles Minis on show
Later this month The London Classic Car Show will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Mini Cooper S in chart-topping style when all three surviving Minis originally owned by the Beatles are reunited for the very first time in 55 years. This once in a generation display at Kensington, Olympia over the 24-26 February weekend, features the famed Minis of George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Ringo … [Read more...]
Tighten up seat belt law, motorists tell RAC
More than two-thirds of motorists (68%) believe drivers should be responsible for ensuring all their passengers wear seatbelts, according to new RAC research released to coincide with today’s 40-year seatbelt law anniversary. Currently, drivers only have responsibility to make sure they and any children in their vehicles are buckled up properly – with the latter potentially needing to be in a … [Read more...]
Drivers steer clear of smart motorways’ concept
Half of drivers say they frequently or occasionally avoid using lane one on ‘all lane running’ smart motorways. It's a revelation that completely undermines the very reason so many hard shoulders have been permanently turned into running lanes: to increase road capacity. RAC research with 1,904 drivers on ‘all lane running’ smart motorways, found a fifth (21%) claimed to have frequently steered … [Read more...]
Winter sun dangers highlighted
Over the decade there have been 33,399 casualties to road users with dazzling sun being marked as a significant contributing factor. On average this results in 653 road users being killed or experiencing serious injury every year. Cars are involved in the majority of casualties attributed to sun glare, making up 59% in 2021 and 63% across the decade. The Department of Transport recently … [Read more...]
Newslines 3 October
Churchill Motor Insurance reveals the most common ways in which having children in the car negatively affects parents driving, with more than 4.7 million parents blaming their children for bad driving. One in nine (11 per cent) parents takes their eyes off the road to tend to their children and the same proportion (11 per cent) find that looking in the rear-view mirror to check on their kids has … [Read more...]
Rising fuel costs slash accidents
Soaring fuel costs have left a hole in the pocket of motorists across the country, but it could be having an unexpected positive impact on the safety of Britain’s roads. That’s according to latest research commissioned by the UK’s largest independent road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart, which has revealed that potentially millions of motorists have changed their driving habits for the better amid … [Read more...]
Clampdown on careless drivers
You can now go to prison for a long time if you seriously injure someone while carelessly driving. The law changed this week following campaigns to plug a gap in sentencing guidelines and here Paul Loughlin (below), partner and motoring offences specialist at Stephensons explains the thinking behind the changes. “The consequences of dangerous and careless driving are often profound. Just one … [Read more...]