TOUGHER penalties for speeding and other “excessive behaviour” by motorists are to be proposed by ministers as part of a bid to cut road deaths.

Drivers who break the speed limit by a large margin could be given six penalty points, a consultation is expected to suggest, meaning they would be banned after two offences.

Other measures will target drink drivers and those who put lives at risk by taking to the wheel under the influence of other drugs.

Provisional Government figures showed this month that the number of people killed on the roads in spring this year fell by 20% compared with the same period in 2007.

There were 580 fatalities in April-June 2008 compared with 721 in the same three months last year, the statistics showed.

But Road Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick believes more can be done to cut the numbers further and will outline the proposals in a written statement to the Commons.

They will be the subject of a three-month consultation.  CLICK HERE for link to consultation.

Source: The Press Association

Comments please from driving instructors and driving schools who are BADDIA (Bedford and District Driving Instructors Association) members giving driving lessons, Pass Plus, a2om BTEC in Driving Science, 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 NUMBER of claims for whiplash injuries following road accidents is soaring, say British insurance firms.

Whiplash causes soft tissue injury

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) says that its members receive almost 1,200 claims of this type every day, worth £2bn a year.

The injuries themselves cost the NHS an estimated £8m a year, it says.

The AA said that drivers could reduce the risk of whiplash injuries by adjusting the head restraints in their cars to the right height.

Britain faces whiplash epidemic

Whiplash happens when soft tissues in the neck are damaged by sudden movement, and are often linked to road accidents in which the patient’s car has been hit from behind.

While many cases involve relatively mild pain and soreness for a few days afterwards, in a small number of cases, it can lead to permanent disability.

The ABI’s report on the injury names the UK as the “whiplash capital” of Europe, accounting for three quarters of personal injury claims related to motor accidents.

In 2007, more than 430,000 people claimed for whiplash, a figure which had risen by a quarter over the preceding five year period.

Stephen Haddrill, the director general of the ABI, said that it was now an “epidemic” which produced “unacceptable costs” for the state, individuals, and businesses.

“Insurers want to reduce whiplash, provide fast care and compensation and tackle fraudulent claims.

“We call on the Government, road safety groups, the medical and legal professions and other stakeholders to work with us on a campaign to reduce this problem.”

Too close for comfort

One of the biggest causes highlighted by the ABI was “tailgating” - driving too close to the car in front, and it called for the government’s proposed new framework for learner drivers to emphasise safe following distances.

In addition, it wants car retailers to show buyers how to adjust the head restraint on their new vehicle.

The AA said that whiplash claims were putting increasing pressure on insurance premiums.

It said the cost amounted to £66 for every UK car insurance policy - twice the cost for claims for accidents involving uninsured drivers.

Edmund King, its president, said that most drivers who suffered a whiplash injury could have prevented it themselves, even if they were at no fault in the accident.

“Drivers and passengers can help prevent themselves becoming victims of whiplash by adjusting head restraints before they drive off.

“The top of the head restraint should be level with the top of the driver’s head, while the back of the head should be as close as possible to, and ideally touching, the restraint.

“Drivers can avoid inflicting whiplash on themselves and others by keeping a safe distance - at least two seconds - from the vehicle ahead.”

Source: BBC 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, a2om BTEC in Driving Science, 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.

YOU can do whatever you want to do in Road Safety Week 10-16 November, 2008 - as long as it helps BRAKE save lives!.

Every year Brake, the Road Safety charity, chooses a theme that we promote to the media during Road Safety Week and this page explains that theme lower down. You can choose to do something on this theme, or on a different or more specific theme of your own that suits you better – lots of people do. For example, you could be an avid cyclist planning to raise awareness of cyclist deaths through a sponsored bike ride in aid of Brake during the Week that you promote to your local media. Or you could be a company training employees about winter driving during Road Safety Week, during which you have a ‘Brake Bright! Day’ in aid of Brake, when everyone comes dressed in something bright to raise awareness of pedestrian vulnerability during the winter months and funds for the charity.

Whatever you are doing, the important thing is to get planning now! Please try to incorporate some fundraising for Brake into your activity. You can click here for lots of fundraising ideas on the main Brake website. Brake is a charity and we desperately need your funds to support families bereaved by road crashes and continue to campaign for road safety measures in communities. Thank you in advance!

Once you have decided what to do, use this link to tell us about it. This really helps us to evaluate the effectiveness of the Week.

Brake’s chosen theme for 2008 is…

FAMILY SAFETY: STOP. IMAGINE. CHANGE.

Brake and our sponsors of the Week 3M, DHL, KWIKFIT INSURANCE and MASS (Motor Accident Solicitors Society) have chosen to focus on the theme ‘Family Safety – STOP. IMAGINE. CHANGE. The media launches we organise in cities across the country will focus on this theme.

In particular, we will be raising awareness of the following 3 key things:

• The vital need for parents to ‘protect the ones they love’. We will release a Brake research report about child car seats, cycling and walking safely, and speed when driving your family. This will be available in the newsroom of this website during the Week.
• The terrible devastation caused by death and injury on roads. Families affected in this way and representing Brake will tell the media about how their lives have been wrecked by death and serious injury.
• The need for drivers and parents to Stop. Imagine. Change. We are asking people to stop and imagine how horrendous it would be to lose a loved one in a road crash, or cause a fatal crash, take a long hard look at their behaviour on roads, and change their behaviour for the better. We can all make a commitment to improve our behaviour, whether that means taking more time to look twice at junctions, or committing to not ever overtaking unless it is totally safe, or simply always holding our children’s hands.

You can help us to promote the theme of family safety!

• Parents and community leaders can help to promote this theme through community events.
• Companies can give employees advice to ensure their families are safe: for example, information on child restraints, or driving slowly in communities; or wearing cycle helmets.
• Schools can work with parents to promote walking and cycling safely; using correct child restraints; and slowing down to 20mph in communities.
• Professionals working for local authorities, the police, fire brigades, the army, or other key agencies such as driving instructors, can promote the theme through publicity programmes and RSE activities.

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, a2om BTEC in Driving Science, 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.

CHAIRMAN, Paul Burchell and Committee Member, John Rhodes, attended today’s award ceremony at County Hall in Bedford to see Bedfordshire County Council presented with a prestigious Prince Michael International Road Safety Award for their ‘Respect For Life’ course in conjunction with Bedford and District Driving Instructors Association.

Paul and John with Bill Brady, Head of the Road Risk Advisory Unit.

Bedfordshire County Council also won the award for their ‘Passport for Life’ scheme, teaching road safety to young school children, and their School Crossing Patrol Scheme.

DRIVERS are at more risk of a serious accident by failing to regularly check their tyre pressures.

The stark warning by TyreSafe, the UK’s leading tyre safety organisation, comes as part of its Tyre Safety Month.

While many motorists understand that insufficient tread depth can hamper a vehicle’s stopping distance, many are unaware of the effect that tyre pressure can have on vehicle performance.

When a tyre is under-inflated, the tyre contains insufficient air to support the weight of the vehicle, which adversely affects acceleration, braking and cornering.

Rob Beddis, chairman of TyreSafe, said: “Without regularly ensuring that tyres are correctly inflated, motorists risk compromising the way that their car behaves on the road.”

New research conducted by TyreSafe highlights that reduced vehicle performance may be affecting half of motorists on the UK’s roads, as a result of not checking their tyre pressures.

“Checking tyre pressures is a simple maintenance activity that is free and takes only a few minutes each month to complete,” Mr Beddis added. “By following these guidelines, motorists can ensure that their vehicle continues to behave in the way it should and they can continue to drive safely on the roads.”

Source: RAC website

Comments please from driving instructors and driving schools who are BADDIA (Bedford and District Driving Instructors Association) members giving driving lessons, Pass Plus, a2om BTEC in Driving Science, 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.

LOWER speed limits and a tougher enforcement of drink-driving laws are needed to reduce road deaths, say MPs.

Around 3,000 people a year die on the UK

The Commons transport committee also queried whether road injury and death statistics were accurate, as police and hospital figures differ.

Chairman Louise Ellman said road deaths were “the major public health problem of our age” and said 3,000 dead on the roads a year was “too high a price”.

The government said it recognised “more can be done” to improve safety.

The committee said that, although last year saw a 7% fall in deaths on the roads to 2,946, overall progress since 2000 had been “disappointing”.

‘Particularly concerned’

Motorcyclist deaths had risen by 26% between the mid-1990s and 2007.

The committee said it was “particularly concerned” about high accident rates among male drivers, younger drivers and those using country roads.

It also heard evidence that the poorest children were 21 times more likely to be killed as pedestrians hit by cars than those from the richest families.

Less well-off drivers and passengers were also at greater risk of death than the more affluent.

Ms Ellman, Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside, said if 3,000 people a year were killed in train crashes there would be a national outcry.

But because road deaths were seen as individual cases, they were seen as something separate.

She told the BBC: “We think this should be recognised for the problem it is, a national problem affecting people’s lives and affecting people’s families.”

Accuracy questioned

She said 3,000 deaths, and 250,000 injuries were “a staggering annual toll to pay for mobility”.

The committee queried the accuracy of the government’s data on serious injuries and deaths - while police figures suggest serious injuries are coming down, hospital statistics do not.

The committee said there was a “significant body of evidence to suggest that methods for recording road-traffic injuries are flawed” and urged an independent review of the way figures are collected.

The government says the number of injuries on roads is falling far more quickly than the number of deaths.

The MPs called for new road-death reduction targets, separate from those set for serious and slight injuries.

They also recommended that the drink-drive limit be lowered, roadside breath test devices approved and there should be tougher penalties for alcohol-related offences.

More 20mph speed limit zones should be in place, it added.

‘Should be ashamed’

Liberal Democrat transport spokesman Mark Hunter said: “It is a travesty that drunk drivers still kill as many people now as they did a decade ago.

“The government should be ashamed that it has failed to make a dent in this problem.”

A Department for Transport spokesman said road deaths and serious injuries had been reduced by more than a third since the mid-1990s, equivalent to almost 17,000 fewer deaths and injuries.

“But we have always been clear that one death is one too many and so recognise that more can be done to make our roads safer.

“We work continually to improve the way road casualty data is recorded and are now linking police and hospital data.

“However, criticism of our statistics is itself based on flawed comparisons with hospital admissions data, which are published with a warning about their reliability for monitoring trends over time.”

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, a2om BTEC in Driving Science, 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.

YOUNG drivers are going to be given the green light for safer driving when they sign up to a new Staffordshire County Council initiative.

The Young Driver Programme, which was launched this week, involves having high-tech equipment fitted into a learner driver’s car to monitor how well they drive.

The black box records acceleration, cornering and other driver behaviours – giving instant feedback on a dashboard warning light system – and feeding into a computer record back home.

The Road Safety Unit at Staffordshire County Council has developed the programme which sees the unit, driving instructors, the novice driver and their parent or guardian working together.

By looking at their driving patterns with their families and road safety trainers, young drivers can learn about how to improve and develop their driving skills.

“Over 40 per cent of those killed and seriously injured on Staffordshire’s roads are aged 17 to 25 – but they are only 10 per cent of the population,” she said.

“That’s why this and wider young people’s safety campaigns are so important.”

Source: Tamworth Herald website

The black box electronic wizardry has won a Prince Michael International Road Safety Award.

UNDER-17s are being given a chance to get behind the wheel in a sponsored six day course at the Royal showground at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, from 25th October.

The Pathfinder course aims to introduce youngsters to the essential driving skills and knowledge needed to enjoy a safe driving career. It is open to 15 and 16 year olds and 50 youngsters will be taking part, each with a parent.

Students will drive their own family’s car and need to be accompanied by a responsible adult. They will be given expert tuition from Pathfinder (an educational trust inspired and set up by custodians of the Under 17 Car Club), and AA Driving School instructors who will also be offering one-to-one tuition in Driving School cars.

Simon Douglas, director of AA Driving School, points to the success of the Under 17 Car Club in preparing young people for driving. “Nationally, one in five young people are involved in a crash during their first year of driving, compared with 1 in 12 of those who have gone through the Under 17 Car Club. In addition, the conviction rate for young men passing through the Club is 22.2 per 1,000, compared with 144 per 1,000 nationally.

“I have no doubt that the Pathfinder course will help youngsters start their driving career responsibly and equipped with advanced safe driving skills they will never forget.”

The venue

The private show grounds at Stoneleigh include extensive open areas criss-crossed by metalled roads. Traffic lights, roundabouts, one-way roads and manoeuvring areas are being set up to provide a simulated road network. Youngsters’ progress will be carefully monitored throughout the six days in a combination of theory and practical driving.

Pathfinder runs 25th-27th October and 30th October-1st November inclusive, 09.30-16.30 daily (except Thursday 27th when the day is extended to include driving after dark)

The course is the first event in a proposed programme that is expected to be rolled out throughout the UK.

The event is organised by U17 Drivers Pathfinder Limited, an educational trust set up by the custodians of the Under 17 Car Club, which has taught more than 3,000 11-16 year olds to drive
Sponsors are AA Driving School, Jaguar Land Rover and, leading the initiative, Warwickshire County Council

CLICK HERE for more details.

Source: Easier.Com motoring website

IF speed cameras and ’slow’ signs don’t work - maybe this will.

TAKE CARE: Drivers are being encouraged to take more care

Junior and infant schools in Ringwood are hoping these unusual models will remind drivers to take their foot off the accelerator and drive more carefully.

The metre-tall models have been placed outside the gates of Poulner Junior and Infant schools and at the corner of North Poulner Road and Gorley Road in a bid to slow down drivers.

CLICK HERE for video!

Four of the Ferrocast concrete kids, named Billy and Belinda Bollards by Marshalls, their Northern manufacturer, have got grey trousers and skirts. Those outside the junior school are in its blue uniform and the other pair are in infant school yellow.

Junior school head teacher Beverly Levett said the whole point of them was to cut traffic speeds.

Before moving to Poulner to teach she was employed in Southampton where many of the schools had such models outside.

‘It really made you aware that you were coming into an area where there is a school and you should slow down and take care,’ she said.

‘We’re next to a dangerous crossroads here. People come speeding down from the forest and before they know it they are in a built-up area by a school.’

‘Anything that we can do to raise awareness there’s a school here is a good thing.’

The models, which are concreted to the pavement, cost £300 each. The money has come from the school travel plan fund, provided by Hampshire County Council.

Source: Bournemouth Daily Echo website, by Bob Jolliffe 

DAY Two of Britain’s most sensible car race started in the Peak District - ahead lay 200 miles of motorways, country lanes and mountain passes.

It was a route designed to challenge the eco-friendly driving skills of the 80 competitors taking part.

The BBC was travelling with the AA’s entry - co-driven by its president Edmund King, who believes more motorists are now willing to give this easy-does-it style of motoring a try, for financial and environmental reasons.

We arrived at the finish in Bristol and the organisers removed the seals placed on our fuel tank to prevent cheating.

The moment of truth. We had travelled 404 miles, used 25 litres (5.5 gallons) of diesel - and our total miles per gallon average? An impressive 73 mpg.

Fiat publishes what’s called a combined mileage figure for this car - 68 miles to the gallon. Most normal motorists come nowhere near this figure so we are pleased to have exceeded it.

We had been concentrating hard on being light of touch on brakes and accelerator. Keeping the car moving wherever possible and changing up through the gears as quickly as possible.

Eco-driving skills are now being assessed as part of the driving test, and increasingly taught to thousands of business drivers every year.

Fierce competition

But our 73 mpg may not be good enough. The results are still coming in but some of our rivals believe they might have managed more than 80 mpg - one team using less than two gallons of fuel to get from Bristol to the Peak District, at a total cost of about £10.

A former rally driver and Fuel Marathon champion - James Sutherland - has managed 83 mpg in previous events in his car, a perfectly normal, Toyota Aygo.

The secret, he says, is to keep things nice and smooth.

Other tips include driving in socks - which can help you feel how much pressure you are putting on the pedal.

There are two prizes in this challenge - for the best overall fuel consumption, and the best improved consumption above the manufacturer’s published figure.

The most difficult challenge has been the traffic jams. Get stuck in one and the last 10 miles of careful eco-driving are rendered useless as the mileage drops like a stone.

It has to be said that some of the jams have been encouraged by our fellow competitors, a few of whom have reduced their speed to eke out the fuel, regardless of the column of traffic behind.

Often though this has simply meant sticking to the speed limit, something many non-racers on the roads have been reluctant to do.

We’ve taken a more realistic approach - driving close to normal speeds. Which is probably why we haven’t won.

In the end this sort of driving does require concentration. Of course everyone knows they should concentrate harder when behind the wheel. But usually the pressures of life, and shortages of time, get in the way.

MPG MARATHON WINNERS