The British Safety Council tirelessly campaigned for over twenty years until wearing a car seatbelt while driving became a legal requirement in 1983. Department for Transport has estimated this has saved 2,000 lives a year but recent events involving the Duke of Edinburgh remind us why we need to keep repeating this message. The British Safety Council’s charismatic and often controversial … [Read more...]
Education: Road Safety
Welsh drivers in top UK rankings for being banned
Wales has some of the worst drivers in Britain with proportionally the highest disqualified for a variety of offences. The highest proportion of the UK’s disqualified drivers can be found in Scotland and Wales according to new data from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). According to the figures, obtained by contact lens retailer Feel Good Contacts through a Freedom of … [Read more...]
Wales’ Motokiki comparison site expands services
Following launch in November, Motokiki – the UK’s newest independent and truly impartial tyre comparison website based in Port Talbot – announced eight additional products available to customers. The additional products that customers can compare and buy include Alloy Wheel Repair, Vehicle Breakdown Cover, Extended Warranty Cover, Car Hire, Learn to Drive, Car Prizes and other products including … [Read more...]
Newslines 22 January
Flintshire council is among the quickest response times in Britain for filling serious potholes, new research has revealed. Figures released by motoring charity the RAC Foundation show the authority aims to make road repairs "immediately" but the longest response time in Wales was in Vale of Glamorgan, which promises to investigate the following working day. World War One hero soldier who … [Read more...]
Newslines 21 January
Brits are badly prepared for a wintery blast, says Select Car Leasing. It asked 1,200 drivers how they planned to cope with predicted bad weather this month and found half did not know how to pull off, 40% don't carry winter essentials, just 7% use winter tyres and 700,000 new drivers will face snow for the first time. A 2.0 petrol-electric hybrid Mondeo Estate has been added to the Ford … [Read more...]
Safety and training body backs speed clampdown this week
The UK’s biggest independent road safety charity has backed the National Police Chiefs Council's current crackdown on speeding on our roads – saying there is clear evidence that ‘speed kills.’ The NPCC is encouraging police forces around the country to highlight these dangers in their own areas in the two-week campaign, which started this week. Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart director of policy … [Read more...]
Newslines 8 January
Volvo UK sold a record 50,000 cars last year and 9% above 2017 in a market down by 7%. It is part of the 640,000 sold by the Swedish brand in its best ever global year. Asda has further cut pump prices. But the RAC says supermarkets are no longer competing like they did for fuel sales and motorists are losing out on wholesale price cuts not being passed onto them. Sixteen MB models … [Read more...]
Five Mile Lane, Barry partial closure
Commuters have been warned to prepare for an important road closure from monday in the Vale of Glamorgan. The £25M scheme to improve Five Mile Lane, Barry will be finished this summer, but a temporary road restriction for 12 weeks will begin on monday 7 January. It will be closed to northbound traffic from Weycock Cross roundabout, Port Road, Barry but southbound will be able to use it as … [Read more...]
Getting New Year message on drink driving
Motorists could be at risk of driving under the influence on New Year’s Day. A new survey has found that 44% would drive before 11am, despite drinking five large glasses of wine or five pints of medium-strong beer on New Year’s Eve.Over a fifth (22%) would drive before 9am, according to AlcoSense Breathalysers. Just one in six (17%) would wait until noon, which is the time they are … [Read more...]
Pothole problems are deepening, says RAC
More than half a million potholes were reported by members of the public to local authorities in Britain for repair in 2017 – an increase of 44% on two years earlier, according to the RAC. A freedom of information request made to the 212 councils in England, Scotland and Wales responsible for roads found 512,270 potholes were reported last year to 161 authorities compared to 356,432 from 152 … [Read more...]