ROAD crash stats out show shameful link between deprivation and deaths on roads say Brake.

Brake, the road safety charity, has urged a zero-tolerance approach to risk-taking on roads, and more investment in road safety measures in deprived communities.

Figures released this morning by the Department for Transport (DfT) show the Government is back on track to meet its 2010 casualty reduction targets, but also reveal…

…a shameful link between deprivation and death on the roads

People living in the 10% most deprived areas of England are almost one-and-a-half times as likely to be killed or injured on the roads as people living in the 10% least deprived areas. (table 5a)

The link between deprivation and death on the roads is strongest for child pedestrians: under-16s in the most deprived areas are almost four-and-a-half times as likely to be killed and injured on foot in a road crash as their peers in the least deprived areas. (table 5b)

Cathy Keeler, Brake’s deputy chief executive, said: “While the statistics show the Government is back on track to meet its casualty reduction targets for 2010, there cannot be any room for complacency. As a civilised society, we have a duty to protect the most vulnerable people on our roads and in many cases we are still failing them.

“Each figure represents families torn apart and devastating injuries, occurring violently and without warning. Ask these families, and they will tell you there is no room for the Government to sit back and rest on its laurels. It’s time we adopted a zero tolerance approach to risk-taking on roads and worked towards eliminating all needless deaths and injuries on our roads.”

Other concerns revealed by a closer reading of the statistics include…

…a widening gap between motorcyclist and car driver safety

After a long trend of steadily rising motorcyclist deaths, which have risen by a third over the last decade, there was a slight drop of 2%, from 599 deaths in 2006 to 588 deaths in 2007. (table 1d) However, motorcyclist serious injuries in 2007 were up 4% from 2006, from 5,885 to 6,149. (table 1h)

General improvements in road safety are having a far greater positive impact on car driver safety than on motorcyclist safety. Motorcyclists were 50 times as likely to be killed in a crash per mile driven/ridden as car drivers in 2007 (table 9). In 2006 motorcyclists were 37 times as likely to be killed in a crash per mile driven/ridden as car drivers, while they were 33 times as likely to die in a crash per mile driven/ridden in 2005. (Road Casualties Great Britain 2006, Table 6c, DfT, 2007)

…the need to step up drink-drive enforcement

Levels of breath testing carried out by police following injury road crashes remains low. While there are a fifth fewer roadside breath tests (21%) being carried out than in 1999, the failure rate has remained fairly constant suggesting that if more tests were carried out, more drink-drivers would be caught.

While drink-drive deaths increased from 1999 to 2004, they have now fallen for the third year in a row, from 580 in 2004, to 550 in 2005, to 560 in 2006 to 460 in 2007. This is the same number of annual drink-drive deaths as the previous low, in 1998 and 1999.

…a lack of knowledge about crashes involving at-work drivers

Figures published on the purpose of journey of drivers involved in crashes reveal that better training is needed for police on how to fill in the crash report form. For three-quarters of all crashes (72%) the journey purpose was recorded as ‘other/not known/undefined’. (Supplementary tables: Vehicles in accidents by journey purpose and by vehicle type: GB 2005 – 2007, Table c)

Brake, the road safety charity, is urging the Government to implement Sweden’s ‘Vision Zero’* approach to casualty reduction, with zero tolerance of drivers’ risk-taking on roads.

Other action being demanded by Brake includes:

• road engineering measures including a default 20mph limit in urban areas, with plenty of traffic-calmed zones, safe pavements, cycle paths and pedestrian crossings, which help protect kids when they use the roads on foot or bicycle, in particular children in deprived areas;
• investment in roads policing, to reverse the trend of falling numbers of dedicated traffic cops, increase enforcement checks such as roadside tests for drink and drugs and ensure effective enforcement of road safety laws;
• a lower drink-drive limit of 20mg alcohol per 100ml blood, in place of the dangerously high 80mg limit;
• tougher charges and penalties for ‘hit and run’ drivers, which can be brought regardless of whether their driving was ‘careless’ or ‘dangerous’ at the time of a crash;
• a coherent programme of safety education for road users, from compulsory pedestrian training and road safety lessons in schools, to a graduated driver licensing system and increased investment in effective publicity campaigns aimed at drivers.

Source: Brake website

Comments please from driving instructors and driving schools who are BADDIA (Bedford and District Driving Instructors Association) members giving driving lessons, Pass Plus, advanced lessons, automatic lessons, disabled lessons, towing lessons, refresher courses, motorway lessons, fleet training in preparation for driving tests or driver improvement in the Bedford area.

ALL new models of cars and vans should be equipped with special daytime lights from 2011 to improve road safety, the European Commission says.

 Volvo is among manufacturers who already use DRL

The EU directive – not yet law in all 27 member states – means vehicle lights will also be more environment-friendly, the commission says.

The Daytime Running Light (DRL) comes on automatically when the driver starts the engine.

Industry executives have backed the proposal, the commission says.

It speaks of “very positive” results for road safety in EU countries where DRL is already mandatory, such as in Scandinavia.

The directive envisages that from 7 February 2011 all new types of passenger cars and small delivery vans will have to have DRL. Trucks and buses will follow from August 2012.

When it is dark, the driver has to switch on the headlamps manually – in that case, the DRL goes off automatically.

“This will make a positive contribution to our goal of reducing fatalities on European roads whilst being more fuel efficient then existing lights,” commission vice-president Guenter Verheugen said on Wednesday.

The DRL’s energy consumption is just 25-30% that of the normal driving light and when using LED (Light Emitting Diode) technology for DRL, the energy consumption is only 10% of the current average, the commission says.

It argues that DRL makes vehicles more visible to all road users.

But the Conservative transport spokesman in the European Parliament, Timothy Kirkhope MEP, warned that too much light could distract drivers and put cyclists and pedestrians at greater risk.

He called for an independent assessment of the technology before any EU-wide approval of DRL.

Source: The BBC website

Comments please from driving instructors and driving schools who are BADDIA (Bedford and District Driving Instructors Association) members giving driving lessons, Pass Plus, advanced lessons, automatic lessons, disabled lessons, towing lessons, refresher courses, motorway lessons, fleet training in preparation for driving tests or driver improvement in the Bedford area.

THE Driving Standards Agency (DSA) is updating part of its national award-winning campaign Arrive Alive.

Arrive Alive sends driving examiners into schools and colleges, young offenders units, prisons and other youth groups within the 16-19 target age range to deliver important safe driving messages to youngsters.

The aim is to improve attitudes towards learning to drive, the driving test and the longer term skill of safe driving for life.

The DSA has chosen to launch its Arrive Alive Module One at Brockenhurst College’s Drive Safe event which aims to raise awareness of the importance of road safety to it’s students, staff and the wider community.

The event on Thursday September 25 will take place between 9.55pm to 3pm.

The new module is based on Department for Transport research which has shown exactly which attitudes and behaviours to prioritise if we are to reduce casualties among the young. These include attitudes towards risk taking, drink & drugs, speed, rural roads, seatbelts, night driving, distractions and vehicle handling.

The DSA’s Chief Operating Officer Brian Gilhooley said:

“The Driving Standards Agency is delighted to be involved in an event like Drive Safe which has road safety for young people at its core.

Our new Arrive Alive Module One shares this aim and has been refreshed to reflect the attitudinal issues affecting young people learning to drive today.

The topics are presented in an interactive and engaging way to connect with young people”.

An independent evaluation of the programme carried out by BITER (The British Institute of Traffic Education Research) confirmed that the overall impact was very positive and the content was relevant to the age group targeted.

DSA has received a number of road safety awards for our Arrive Alive programme and we deliver over 6000 presentations a year.

Source: The DSA website

Comments please from driving instructors and driving schools who are BADDIA (Bedford and District Driving Instructors Association) members giving driving lessons, Pass Plus, advanced lessons, automatic lessons, disabled lessons, towing lessons, refresher courses, motorway lessons, fleet training in preparation for driving tests or driver improvement in the Bedford area.

THE government has launched the biggest review of British road signs for 40 years.

Transport Minister Rosie Winterton called on fleet managers, company car drivers, private motorists, cyclists, pedestrians and road organisations to have their say in how Britain’s streets will look in the future.

 Rosie Winterton  

The review is aimed at ensuring that traffic signs use the latest technology, help to cut congestion and emissions and keep traffic moving safely and efficiently.

It aims to provide authorities with new powers to reduce street clutter and ensure out of date signs are removed.

New sign technology will also be considered that provide better road information, such as up-to-date travel news.

Road conditions have changed dramatically over the years – and road signs need to keep pace with that change to provide the best information possible to all road users,” said Ms Winterton.

“It is vital we help motorists, cyclists and pedestrians understand how to use our roads - improving road safety and helping reduce congestion and CO2 – without cluttering our streets with unnecessary signs.”

AA President Edmund King welcomed the review, saying: “Clear, concise, relevant road signs help reduce congestion, CO2, frustration and accidents.

“Confusing signs do the opposite so we welcome a root and branch review of the UK’s traffic signing system and will seek the views of AA members to help the Department for Transport come up with signs fit for the 21 Century.”

The review will begin by the middle of next year.

The Department for Transport will then work directly with specialist working groups to develop policy proposals for consultation.

Source: Fleet News website

Comments please from driving instructors and driving schools who are BADDIA (Bedford and District Driving Instructors Association) members giving driving lessons, Pass Plus, advanced lessons, automatic lessons, disabled lessons, towing lessons, refresher courses, motorway lessons, fleet training in preparation for driving tests or driver improvement in the Bedford area.
 

NEW Three Counties Radio interview today!.

View BBC Look East interview to see BADDIA Chairman, Paul Burchell and BADDIA Secretary, Pat Zanghi give their views on this important issue, Paul also appears on ITV Anglia News in an interview with Emma Baker.

Click here to view the ITVAnglia News item.

Click here to view the BBC Look East News item. 

Paul has also done interviews on BBC 3 Counties Radio and Chiltern Radio.  The interview on BBC 3 Counties can be heard on their website at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/mainframe.shtml?http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/three.shtml

Let us hope that common sense will prevail.  Please keep those blog comments coming in!

Comments please from driving instructors and driving schools who are BADDIA (Bedford and District Driving Instructors Association) members giving driving lessons, Pass Plus, advanced lessons, automatic lessons, disabled lessons, towing lessons, refresher courses, motorway lessons, fleet training in preparation for driving tests or driver improvement in the Bedford area.

AGE, inexperience and gender impact most on the safety of young drivers, according to new IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) Motoring Trust research.

Most at risk are the under 20s, who have the least driving experience; drivers under 25 have an exceptionally high risk of being killed or seriously injured (KSI) in crashes; and up to twice as many young men are involved in crashes as young female drivers.

Young drivers – where and when they are unsafe compares drivers between 17 and 70 in an analysis of almost a quarter of a million KSI crashes between 2000 and 2006. The study reveals where, when and why many young drivers die or are seriously injured on the roads compared with drivers over 25.The highest risks are:

• In older cars with less EuroNCAP (New Car Assessment Programme) crash protection
• When there are three or more casualties in the car
• On Friday and Saturday nights
• On rural class ‘C’ or unclassified roads
• In single vehicle crashes involving no other road user
• When running off the road and hitting something at the roadside
• When skidding and possibly overturning
• In fog, mist or rain, or on wet roads in “fine weather”
• On bends, particularly on rural roads

“Novice drivers, particularly the under 20s, are most at risk in the early weeks and months after they pass their driving test. This study helps to explain why and points to what needs to be done,” said Neil Greig, Director of the IAM Motoring Trust.“Most young drivers, particularly young women, have the skills and the right attitude for driving safely. Post driving test restrictions that limit the number of passengers young drivers can carry or the imposition of night time curfews are not the answer. They would penalise the relatively safe majority but do little to curb the dangerous excesses of the reckless, mainly male, minority.”

The IAM proposes a 10-point package of actions for making younger drivers safer:

1. Encourage more understanding of driving in a wider range of road conditions where novice drivers are most at risk, including at night, in poor visibility and poor weather, and on rural roads.

Why? The study shows that these are the conditions and roads novice drivers are least able to handle safely. It’s not practical to drive in all these situations while learning, but the theoretical test could be slanted to give novice drivers a much greater awareness of the risks, and what to do to avoid them.

2. Prepare learner drivers better for driving solo or with passengers by making them more aware of where and when they are most likely to crash.

Why? The study points to situations where novice drivers face the biggest risks compared with older more experienced drivers. By making them aware of situations – where, when and why they are more likely to crash – they will be better equipped to deal with them. Our study can be the basis of this element of education for L drivers.

3. Integrate road safety education in core school curriculum subjects so that young people develop a self-taught awareness of the risks and responsibilities of using the roads as drivers, riders and as passengers.

Why? The youngest novice drivers (17-19) are the riskiest group. Many start learning to drive while still in school; getting them to understand the maths and physics of their safety would have an immediate and lasting impact. For example, skidding – teaching in physics about friction and the loss of friction when tyres are wet/bald etc; teaching in maths about deceleration and how wearing a seatbelt deals with the forces; teaching in biology the effect of alcohol and drugs on judgment and driving abilities.

4. Guide parents on how to help their children become safer drivers through additional, supervised driving practice in the family car.

Why? There is evidence from several countries (eg Sweden) that the more driving practice novice drivers have pre-test, the less likely they are to be in a crash. In Sweden, 50 hours is recommended but 120 hours reduces crashes by 40 per cent in the following two years. Parents should be encouraged and helped to give their children additional driving practice in the family car to supplement professional tuition. Giving their children this extra experience will help make them safer drivers.

5. Persuade insurance companies to recognise that additional driving practice with a parent before taking the test is low risk, and to set premiums accordingly.

Why? L drivers on the family car policy can be very heavily loaded. The House of Commons Transport Select Committee has also found this and in its report on Novice Drivers, it says, “We would encourage the insurance industry to re-examine the high insurance charges imposed on supervised learner drivers, in the interests of encouraging them to gain maximum practice, a factor which has been shown to be crucial in promoting novice driver safety”

6. Identify the minority of young and inexperienced (mostly male) drivers exhibiting dangerous driving behaviour through corrective education and training.

Why? Many years of research shows that most novice drivers have the skills to drive safely, but a significant minority chooses not to. Some are plain reckless; some are criminal in not taking a driving test, or insuring the car (see 7 below). The police can often find the plain reckless early in their driving career when they commit motoring offences. If they are licensed and insured, there needs to be a better system of requiring them to go on a rectification course, even if the offence is relatively minor (drivers who commit motoring offences in the first year are much more likely to crash – see page 20).

7. Target police enforcement at the reckless, unlicensed and/or uninsured minority of young drivers, to find them and to get them off the road.

Why? Unlicensed drivers tend to be younger and male, and they drive up to 3.7 million hours a month. Uninsured drivers are typically young males living in urban areas: 60 per cent convicted of uninsured driving are under 25, and half are under 20. They have a high risk of crashing, and there is a perception among their peers that they can get away with it. Young people must be convinced that the only way to drive is to be licensed and insured. The majority of safe younger drivers should have their efforts to remain legal supported by knowing that the police and the courts are targeting the reckless minority of those who flout the law.

8. Place greater emphasis on training and improvement before the driving test, and after it, ensuring that this covers the full range of roads and conditions new drivers have to deal with.

Why? See 4 above. New young drivers are under-prepared for driving on rural roads in particular. Government and its agencies should be more pro-active in encouraging young people to continue developing their driving by undertaking further training. The insurance industry should incentivise those who are helping themselves, as well as loading the policies of those who prove themselves to be a risk.

9. Make roads themselves more forgiving of novice drivers’ mistakes by investing in features such as skid-resistant surfaces and crash barriers, and removing potentially lethal roadside objects.

Why? This study shows that novice drivers are more likely to skid, lose control of the vehicle, run off the road and hit something or lose control on a bend. In these circumstances, what dictates the injury is the EuroNCAP safety rating of the car, the speed of impact, and what the car hits. Safer drivers represent the most important element of road safety, alongside safer cars and safer roads.

10. Incentivise the take-up of technologies such Electronic Stability Control in the new cars of today that will be driven by young people in the years to come

Why? These new technologies can mitigate the effects of the mistakes all drivers make and help reduce casualties. But take-up is slow and relatively few of today’s smaller cars have them as standard. These are the cars that will be bought by the novice drivers of tomorrow. Incentivising the fitting of these safety features in new cars today will save the lives of novice drivers and their passengers five to ten years down the line.

Greig added, “More than 1100 18-year olds are killed or seriously injured on our roads every year and there is no higher road safety priority than preparing young people to drive safely, on their own and with passengers, after passing their test. And all novice drivers are at greatest risk in the weeks and months after passing the driving test. The IAM’s 10-point plan shows the way forward to make novice drivers, safer drivers.”

Source: IAM website

Comments please from driving instructors and driving schools who are BADDIA (Bedford and District Driving Instructors Association) members giving driving lessons, Pass Plus, advanced lessons, automatic lessons, disabled lessons, towing lessons, refresher courses, motorway lessons, fleet training in preparation for driving tests or driver improvement in the Bedford area.

AFTER FIVE years’ planning, the Driving Standards Agency today announces its ‘eco-safe’ driving campaign: instructors will begin teaching new techniques that will eventually allow examiners to judge the environmental impact of a student’s driving. At the end of the test, students will be told how they can better cut vehicle emissions, save fuel and save money.

Paul Helbing, a driving instructor of 26 years, said that he was going to teach me a new way of driving.

Mr Helbing told me to drive in my normal style. What he did not know was that I can barely drive, let alone with style.

I stall at roundabouts, I rev to high heaven on hill starts, and I have trouble steering in a straight line.

“Well,” Mr Helbing said after 20 minutes of my efforts, as he wiped the sweat from his brow, “we can all improve.” “You won’t take away my licence, will you?” I asked nervously.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think I can,” Mr Helbing replied. “But I’m going to teach you eco-safe driving. With the emphasis on safe. Safety should never be compromised.”

It is a canny campaign. “People tend to look on saving money as the be-all and end-all, especially in the current climate,” said Bob Millard, an assistant chief driving examiner involved in planning the campaign. “You use less fuel, you save the environment, but you also save cash, and that’s something that people really latch on to.”

Trials have shown that drivers use an average of 8 per cent less fuel with eco-safe methods. Newly qualified drivers can save up to 15 per cent.

Focusing on learner drivers provides instructors with a clean slate to work on, Mr Millard said.

Some of the principles of eco-safe driving go against everything an experienced driver may take for granted, said Mr Helbing said: “Brakes used to be so inefficient, you needed to use gears to slow down. The new saying is: ‘Gears are for going; brakes are for slowing’. You should only change your gears when absolutely necessary.”

Mr Helbing has been known to change from fifth gear to first in one swoop of the stick.

Eco-safe driving also advocates judging gaps when approaching roundabouts and junctions, taking your foot off the accelerator and rolling through them without stopping. “If you’re looking for ways to save fuel, you’ll see the hazards well in advance and it makes you a safer driver,” Mr Millard said.

As I attempted another 20-minute drive, this time using eco-safe techniques, Mr Helbing’s hands hovered over the steering wheel. I jumped a red light, went round a country corner in fifth gear, and stalled as I turned into a parking space. Nevertheless, it felt better — smoother, easier and safer.

An eco-calculator on the dashboard showed that I had used 1.49 litres of fuel, half a litre less than my first 20-minute drive. The DSA official in the back seat felt only slightly nauseous. And Mr Helbing did not even break into a sweat.

Source: The Times Online website Hannah Fletcher

Comments please from driving instructors and driving schools who are BADDIA (Bedford and District Driving Instructors Association) members giving driving lessons, Pass Plus, advanced lessons, automatic lessons, disabled lessons, towing lessons, refresher courses, motorway lessons, fleet training in preparation for driving tests or driver improvement in the Bedford area.

THE WARNING comes as driving test candidates arriving at the Bedford Driving test centre are now banned from using any of the toilet facilities in the building.

 

BADDIA chairman, Paul Burchell, described this move as “diabolical and quite possibly an infringement of basic human rights”

The test centre is based on the first floor of Portman House, in Goldington Road, Bedford. But the other occupiers of the three story building claim that the toilets are for their exclusive use and have put a lock on the door of the ground floor toilet, denying access to all but their own employees.

 

The toilet is a DDA (Disability Discrimination Act), compliant toilet, having a door wide enough for a wheelchair to fit through and hand rails. “But”, says the BADDIA Chairman, “ Just because it is a DDA compliant toilet, does not prohibit access from fully abled people as well. In any case, this isn’t the argument, HMRC, who are the other occupiers of the building claim that this toilet is for their exclusive use”.

Driving test candidates pay in excess of £56 to take a driving test. With approximately 28 car driving tests being carried out each day, this nets the DSA in income in the region of £1,568 per day. “I think, that for this amount, our clients, who are after all tax payers, deserve to be treated with some dignity and respect. I have asked the area MP Patrick Hall to look into this matter, and have also referred the issue to Liberty, the Human Rights organisation as I suspect that this could well be in breach of article 4 of the Human Rights Act 1998”.

 

        Mr Patrick Hall MP (Labour, Bedford)

Source: Paul Burchell, BADDIA Chairman

Paul Burchell was interview by Chiltern Radio on the subject which was broadcast on this mornings news…..

Be warned that if you are about to take your driving test you will not be able to use the toilet, before you take your driving test.“There have been times when people arrive at the test centre, so nervous that they have been physically sick.”  Well, Driving instructors in Bedford are furious because the test centre on Goldington Road, has closed its only toilet that is available to the public.Paul Burchell from the Bedford and District Driving Instructors Association says it’s not good enough… “If you deliberately deny access to a basic function such as a toilet where that facility actually exists then that has got to be a breach of very basic human rights.”Comments please from driving instructors and driving schools who are BADDIA (Bedford and District Driving Instructors Association) members giving driving lessons, Pass Plus, advanced lessons, automatic lessons, disabled lessons, towing lessons, refresher courses, motorway lessons, fleet training in preparation for driving tests or driver improvement in the Bedford area.

DRIVING instructors from Wellingborough and Rushden are flocking to Kettering to teach learners on the town’s streets in preparation for the opening of a new test centre.

  Example of a Multi Purpose Test Centre, picture from DSA

Kettering’s current driving test centre in Station Road is due to stop car tests on September 18 and end its motorcycle tests and shut its doors for good on September 26. Wellingborough’s driving test centre is also due to shut on September 18.

However, the new £122,000 driving test ‘supercentre‘ in Orion Way, Kettering, will not open for car and motorcycle testing until September 29.

The closure of the Wellingborough centre will mean learner drivers having to pay more because they will not be able to travel to Kettering and have a meaningful lesson in just one hour.

There are concerns that roads in Kettering will be packed with learner drivers because all the tests in the north of the county will be taken in the town from that date.

Pam Newman, of Pam’s Driving School in Wellingborough, has been a driving instructor for six years and has been teaching learners in Wellingborough for two years.

She said: “We are going to have to take learners to Kettering. The old saying that a driver who can drive can pass their test in any town in the country is a load of rubbish.

“Unfortunately it’s going to mean more money for the pupils. I have got people living in Raunds, Rushden and Irchester and you can’t just do an hour-long lesson, you can’t get over to Kettering and back from the other side of Wellingborough in an hour.”

Helen Ridsdel, of Helen’s Driving School, has been teaching learners in Wellingborough for two-and-a-half years and took part in a protest by the town’s instructors to save Wellingborough test centre.

She said: “We are going to have to bring learner drivers over to Kettering.

“We are going to try to be sensible about it and teach them the basics in Wellingborough and bring them to Kettering when they are getting ready for their tests.

“We have got learners who have tests booked for October at the new test centre who we are already bringing over to Kettering.

“I think there could be a problem. People moan about learners already and there will be even more coming over.”

Source: Northants. Evening Telegraph website

Comments please from driving instructors and driving schools who are BADDIA (Bedford and District Driving Instructors Association) members giving driving lessons, Pass Plus, advanced lessons, automatic lessons, disabled lessons, towing lessons, refresher courses, motorway lessons, fleet training in preparation for driving tests or driver improvement in the Bedford area.

A SHORT Round Up of International Road Safety News from Brake, the road safety charity.

Driver awareness of motorcyclists

The European Parliament has voted to bring forward the introduction of tighter performance tests for vehicles to improve pedestrian safety. Compulsory brake assist systems and higher standards for pedestrian protection systems will be introduced over the next five years, between nine and 15 months earlier than originally proposed by the European Commission.