Traffic police had to crash into a car being driven at 50mph the wrong way down a motorway by a 77-year-old man with dementia.

Officers stopped the driver on the M6 toll in the West Midlands after reports that it was heading south on the northbound carriageway, between junction T5 and T4. The driver had shown no intention to stop travelling in the wrong direction. This made officers take the decision to make a deliberate head-on contact with the car to bring it to a stop.

The driver, who had dementia, was reporting missing by his family. After the incident, the man was returned home safe and well to his family.

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With many of us becoming increasingly aware that the summer is drawing slowly but surely to a close, it is gradually getting to that time of year again, when we have to consider driving differently when it comes to rain.

Firstly it is necessary to ensure your tyres are in good condition – they must be inflated correctly, as well as having plenty of tread depth left. If they do not meet these standards, they need changing – this is not just good advice, but this is a legal requirement.

When behind the wheel in a downpour, always make sure to slow down to a safe speed. Your stopping distance will be reduced significantly by the wetter road conditions, so you need to lead extra room between your car and the car in front, and drive at a sensible speed at all times.

You also need to avoid aquaplaning – this is when your car drives over a particularly wet surface and skids, which can cause you to lose control of the vehicle.

Finally, also ensure to avoid driving into the spray from other vehicles in front. Keeping at a safe distance should reduce the need for this, as not only will driving through the spray churned up by vehicles hamper your vision, it could be leading you directly into a dangerous situation without you even realising it.

Safe driving from Britannia!

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Flyovers are certainly not the easiest part of driving for any learner, but have you experienced a flyover like this?

The Chelmsford Army & Navy Roundabout is notorious as it is perhaps one of the most unusual flyovers that exist. It is bi-directional which means that it is open for traffic to go into the city until 2.30pm each day and out of the city after 2.30pm. The flyover is then closed from 9pm to 6am.

Accidents are far from unusual on this flyover, with the most recent accident being this April where a motorist driving up the wrong way caused a head-on collision. This is a common problem with many collisions being caused by drivers driving up the wrong way. An incident similar to this one even occurred on a driving test a few years ago – which is enough to put any learner off!

Calls have been made to replace the flyover with one which is two-way as the current flyover has caused a significant number of deaths and injuries. However, such calls have been made for years and no improvement has been made. At the moment, 2017 has been given as a provisional date for the flyover’s replacement. But the success of this relies on various other factors.

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A new study has revealed the information that young men between the ages of 20-30 are at the highest risk of having their driving license revoked.

After the Institute of Advanced Motorists provided a Freedom of Information request to the DVLA, the shocking figures came back to reveal that between July 2013 and June 2014, over 90,000 people were disqualified from driving, with over a third of these being in their twenties, with only just over 4000 of these being women.

The single age for the highest offenders was 25 – showing that men in the third decade of life were at the highest risk of being disqualified from driving.

These figures stand out in comparison to other demographics, as over 31,000 twenty-somethings were disqualified in this period, compared to just a little over 10,000 in their 50’s or even less than 4000 in their 60’s.

All drivers need to ensure that they are particularly careful on the road – however if you fall into this bracket, you may want to take heed and start to pay extra attention when driving.

Safe driving from Britannia!

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ITV’s programme on 100 Year-Old Drivers (a documentary which follows elderly drivers) has sparked a debate on the status of elderly drivers.

With no further test required for the older drivers in this country, it’s usually down to sons and daughters to decide if their elderly parents are still safe to be on the road. The documentary features a bomber command veteran, Harry who had never taken a practical test since it was not a requirement when he started 86 years ago.

The statistics suggests that drivers over 70 cause fewer accidents than the under-30s, but does that take into account numbers, and numbers, and time spent on the road? Also, if we take into consideration 100-year-olds – the average 100-year-old driver is more likely to cause, or have, an accident, in every minute they’re on the road, than the average 29-year-old. There have been the occasional stories of elderly drivers driving recklessly, a characteristic more commonly associated with younger drivers.

Calls have been made to require elderly drivers to be assessed, yet the focus still very much remains on young drivers.

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Summer is a great time of year, and a season which is great to drive in. However, even in the summer, roads are full of hazards.

Here are the top hazards that you should look out for:

1. Bicycles and Horses: It is advised that you leave ‘at least a metre’ when passing bicycles. Horses are more of a risk, but they have the same rights to the road as cars. With these particular hazards, you must pass slow and wide, with no loud noises.

2. Motorcycles: There are likely to be more motorcycles on the roads during the summer. You must double check at junctions as these are blackspots. Although motorcyclists are 38 times more likely to die, being hit by a motorcycle can still be deadly. According to ROSPA, in a side impact causing a change in speed over 40mph, has an 85% chance of death.

3. Kids and Teenagers in the Street: In 2010, 180 people died in crashes at legal speeds. Good weather during the summer means children will be playing outside and so it will not always be safe to drive at 30mph. The holidays mean more teenagers on the roads, and car crashes are the biggest single killer of UK youth. One in five new drivers has a crash within six months, and men aged 17-20 are seven times more at risk than any other group.

4. Distracted Drivers: On the average, drivers took their eye off the ball once every six minutes. Distractions include phone calls, food, drinks, grooming, smoking and children.  Astonishingly, 40% of drivers surveyed started reading or writing whilst driving.

5. Breakdowns: Great weather means more breakdowns, as worn out cars go on long hot trips. Look for leaking hoses, low water levels and broken fans before leaving, and watch for breakdowns blocking the road.

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Most new drivers seem to believe that upon passing their driving test, they are fully qualified drivers, and that their experience in the driving seat of a dual-controlled Instructors car has given them a full view of the motoring world.

However statistics show that the highest rate of driving accidents occur within two years of passing the driving test – suggesting that new drivers are the more dangerous motorists on the road.

Certainly this seems to make sense – the relative lack of experience when compared with older drivers, combined with the added thrill of finally being able to drive one’s own car, as well as the extra confidence gained when one passes their driving test, it is not too hard to see why so many young drivers seem to be having accidents within a short time of passing their test.

So the question has to be asked, is enough being done to support new drivers, especially after passing their test? Whilst many institutions such as Britannia Driving School do offer a Pass Plus course, this is just an option, and whilst it can benefit a new driver enormously, many young drivers, fresh from the financial woes of finally finishing paying for driving lessons, theory tests and practical tests, are likely to opt out of this.

So should additional training be pushed more? Perhaps there should be higher incentives to new drivers to take the Pass Plus course? Or should additional driving training be made available to those who wish to pursue it?

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Safe driving from Britannia!

The number of deaths on the roads has risen rapidly this year with experts warning that those using smartphones whilst driving could be to blame.

There were 380 road deaths in the first three months of 2014; this is 13% more than the same period in 2013. The total of number killed and number seriously injured has risen by 17%.

Experts have asked whether issues such as mobile phone use and texting by drivers and pedestrians failing to look where they are going were contributory factors. They also said there were signs of increasing conflicts between cyclists and motorists sharing congested road space.

There has also been the growing concern of young drivers taking ‘selfies’ with a third admitting to photographing themselves at the wheel. This is clearly of significant concern as snapping a selfie at the wheel could distract a driver for 14 seconds, while checking social media distracts for as much as 20 seconds.

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A new study has confirmed suspicions that drink-driving is expected to rise over the summer months, reaching new heights during the warmer spells than over any other time of the year.

The survey, carried out by confused.com has shown that over half of those questioned that were guilty of driving their cars over the legal drink-drive limit had committed the offence in the months of June, July or August.

51% of drivers believe that there is more temptation to drive in the summer months, whilst over a quarter admitted to the offence and almost a third had experienced being a passenger in a vehicle operated by a driver over the limit.

31% had also revealed that they found it more sociable to drink in the summer, which could have obvious results of those who choose to drive.

We all know that the temptation can be higher when the sun is out, but if you are going to be driving this summer, leave the car at home, or if you choose to drink instead, then stay off the alcohol.

Safe driving from Britannia!

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