One of the oldest and most significant partnerships in motoring history is being recharged and celebrated on this year’s RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run which, as tradition dictates, takes place on the first Sunday in November – 5 November in 2023. It was in 1898 that automotive pioneer Frederick R. Simms contacted Robert Bosch (photos below row 2 and row 3 left), a fellow young … [Read more...]
Call to boost ev charging legislation
Electric vehicle and renewable energy campaign group FairCharge, in partnership with the RAC, have created the UK’s first charter for electric vehicle public charging with the aim of improving the reliability, transparency, accessibility, and usability of the UK’s rapidly growing charging network. Supported by Robert Llewellyn’s Fully Charged Show, trade body Recharge UK, and EV disability … [Read more...]
Drivers put brakes on speeding – except on 20mph roads
The 20mph speed camera enforcement is expected to have a big impact on traffic and fines when it come in with the new lower default urban limit in Wales on 17 September. Figures released by the Department for Transport covering speeding in Britain last year show compliance has improved over Covid-19 hit 2021 and was broadly similar to the levels between 2011 and 2019. The survey also covered … [Read more...]
14 Million motorists expected on holiday weekend roads
More than 14m drivers are set to make leisure trips this bank holiday weekend – nearly 2m more than last year, says the RAC. Saturday is expected to be the busiest ‘getaway’ day of the weekend on the roads, with the RAC’s research of 2,316 UK drivers showing as many as 3.1m separate trips are due to be taken. Friday is forecast to be the next busiest with 2.8m trips planned, followed by … [Read more...]
Newslines 18 August
The Drivers and Vehicle Standards Agency says vehicle recalls will now appear on MOT test certificates records. The vehicle recall system is an essential safety mechanism for motorists to return their car to their dealership to have warranty recalls repaired free of charge to adhere to regulations and for franchised dealers, this is a crucial opportunity to re-establish contact and form new … [Read more...]
RAC alert to extended foreign emissions laws
Get an emissions sticker or risk a fine driving abroad this summer, warn the RAC. With UK travellers embarking on millions of trips by sea and Channel Tunnel this summer, the RAC is warning drivers taking their own cars abroad to be aware of local air quality regulations, and if needed buy the correct windscreen sticker before they go – or risk a nasty fine of up to €180 (£154). In France, the … [Read more...]
Holidaymakers praise foreign roads
The great holiday getaway is underway and an overwhelming majority of UK drivers think the roads they’ve driven on in other European countries put the UK’s potholed-plagued streets to shame, according to new RAC Europe research. As many as 72% of drivers who have experience of driving abroad think the condition of roads – such as the number and severity of potholes – is worse in the UK than in … [Read more...]
Drink-driving is rising again
There were 260 deaths on Britain’s roads in 2021 where a motorist was over the drink drive limit – an alarming increase of 18% over the previous year and the highest since 2009. Drunk drivers accounted for 17% of all road deaths. The year-on-year rise reflects the impact of the pandemic lockdown taking many cars off the roads and reducing mileages of those who still drove, but the results also … [Read more...]
Potholes problems see more calls for RAC help
The poor condition of Britain’s local roads is laid bare today by new figures from the RAC which show its patrols went out to more than 8,100 pothole breakdowns between April and June 2023, the highest number in five years. Since the start of 2023, the RAC has dealt with 18,250 breakdowns for damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs or distorted wheels – the call-outs which are most … [Read more...]
Supermarkets cashing in during crisis, says RAC
Following news that lower fuel prices helped reduce inflation last month new RAC analysis has revealed supermarket margins on petrol and diesel have more than doubled since Russia invaded Ukraine. Prior to the start of the war in Ukraine the big four supermarkets, which dominate UK fuel retailing, were making a margin of just under 5p (4.7p) a litre on fuel – 3.7p for petrol and 5.7p for diesel. … [Read more...]