March 21, 2012
TWELVE BUS DRIVERS WALK AWAY WITH OVER THREE MILLIONS POUNDS EACH

Twelve bus drivers aged between 34 and 64 have had a lottery syndicate for the past two years without a win and were on the brink of giving it up, when they won £38m on the EuroMillions.

The Stagecoach employees are over the moon with the win and it could not have come at a better time with talk of their shifts being cut.

One of the drivers said he would be giving up his job, he claimed: “…don’t get me wrong, I love my job, but I can’t go driving a bus around when I’ve got an Aston Martin”.

Stagecoach confirmed that services were running as normal despite the lack of drivers. The local manager at the Stagecoach depot in Corby said he has the huge task of sorting out shifts and finding replacement drivers, but was happy for the 12 that won and did not mind the extra work on this occasion.

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March 20, 2012
Older Drivers are Running the Show.

They seem to have the energy of a young driver when it comes to driving. The old people are showing the young counterparts a lesson in driving. There are one million drivers who are 80 and over in the country. Does it actually make an underlying difference in the end? They drive with utmost sincerity and safety guidelines in mind. They have enormous amount of experience available. The official data released by DVLA has embraced the truth. It shows that old drivers are ‘safe drivers’. They are three times less susceptible to deaths and injuries caused in road accidents.

It seems that the driving habits are causing bigger problems here. The young drivers drive fast and without a sense of responsibility. The whole approach towards driving has slowly been shifting towards making it fast. The old drivers are becoming better with passing age. They enjoy driving and take it as a means to freedom. The latest reports have challenged the common perception that old drivers lack focus and quick reaction time to drive safely on the roads. Their experience or company can prove to be a valuable asset to pass it onto the next generation. Let’s drive happily and enjoy the ride!

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March 19, 2012
COULD IT BE DRIVERS REVENGE IN DISGUISE

A van driver from South Shields pinned a traffic warden against railings whilst dropping off his former partner’s daughters to school.

Mr Bowmaker decided to drive the girls to school after they missed their bus, but did not consider the fact he had been drinking the night before. He was found to be more than twice the drink drive limit.

He had pulled up outside the school in his large goods vehicle and was attempting to manoeuvre it to get a better look at the children entering the school premises. A traffic warden was on the path in front of Mr Bowmaker when he pinned between the van and the school railings.

The warden has banged on the side of the van at which point Mr Bowmaker continued to reverse and then drive off. He was later arrested at home.

Stuart Graham, defending, said: “It was a momentary misjudgement at low speed. There had been complaints about traffic wardens being increasingly zealous about anyone who stopped in that area. It was a dangerous place for the warden to stand.”

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March 16, 2012
NOT CAUGHT SPEEDING, CAUGHT BOASTING ABOUT IT

A doctor in Japan missed critical signs when he posted a video of himself speeding in his Ferrari on YouTube and more than 80 viewers disliking it.

He named the video “Ferrari 458 Italia Drive in Japan 2011” and it shows a camera positioned behind the driver filming him driving along highways and coastal roads.

Police were tipped off about the video and started an investigation. They have determined that the driver was travelling at speeds in excess of 77mph in a 25mph zone.

If the driver is convicted he could face up to six months in jail or a fine of £778.

The driver should not have been speeding in the first place but showing off about it has landed him in trouble. Think twice before you speed!

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March 15, 2012
The Popularity of Electric Cars is Soaring.

It is a positive way to drive the change. The recent figures provided by Chargemaster tells us the story of changing environment. It is an electric vehicle charging unit supplier who took the initiative to conduct the the survey. A total of 1,000 people took part in it. The most interesting bit is that 58 per cent of the participants informed that they would like to switch over to an electric vehicle (EV) in the near future. There can be different reasons behind it. The rising fuel rices can be taken as a warning sign. There could never have been a better time to conduct the study.

The popularity of electric cars is growing with each passing day. It provides better balance between living a healthy and balanced life. It is the future trend of transportation. The emergence of driving green technology is becoming far more aggressive and universal in nature. The technological advancements have made significant progress in the last decade. There are several manufacturing units who are already working on such projects. It makes sense to invest in car models which would be designed keeping social and environmental factors in view.

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March 14, 2012
THE DRIVING GENDER WAR CONTINUES

I wrote an article not long ago regarding parking statistics that found women to be better at parking than men. But of course there is never going to be a clear cut answer and according to the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) more women fail their practical driving test due to parking faults than men.

It is thought around 1.6 millions tests are taken each year. In 2010-2011, 50% of male candidates failed and 57% of women, resulting in an overall failure result of 54%.

Women were more like to commit errors whilst completing a parking manoeuvre however, the figures were not too far apart, with men also committing errors when parking for both lack of control and observation.

Many instructors are of the opinion that although men appear to master the basic skills of driving more quickly than women, women are less inclined to develop bad habits once they obtain a full licence.

But men, beware, statistics found that you failed to check your mirrors before signalling, but once again the figures for women were only slightly behind.

So all in all, it appears that both men and women have their weaknesses and failure of a practical test will all depend on your skill, memory and consideration for other road users.

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March 13, 2012
A Warning Sign: Do not Text while Driving.

We have been warned before! It is a highly dangerous situation you are putting yourself in. You should not text while driving. It makes a bad combination. It leaves us with little or no time to react sharply. It has come out to be a bigger threat than drink driving. The official statistics believe that such people are 23 times more likely to cause an accident than other people. It becomes difficult to understand that why we cannot resist the temptation to read or write a text. Such incidents have led to tragic accidents in the past. It seems that people do not realise the gravity of situation here. The irresponsible behaviour can cause irreparable damage in the end.

The growing influence of technology can also be held responsible to an extent. There must be a common solution found to tackle the situation effectively. It must not be forgotten that driving requires complete attention and focus. You cannot take things for guaranteed. It takes fraction of a second to make a wrong judgement and pay dire consequences for it afterwards. The public awareness campaigns should focus on the negative aspect of texting when driving.

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March 12, 2012
SHOULD THE OLDER GENERATION BE DRIVING

Should older drivers be allowed to hold a full UK licence without further testing? This is a difficult question to answer.

Statistics show that the number of over 70s with a driving licence has quadrupled over the past 35 years, which means over 60% of those over the age of 70 hold a driving licence. This is compared with only 15% in 1975.

However, when we look at deaths and serious injuries resulting from car accidents, the number is reducing for younger drivers but the percentage is not falling at the same rate despite the numerous road safety measures being introduced for the older driver.

We should take into consideration that older drivers who are involved in a car accident may be more at risk of suffering serious injury or death due to their frailty, which would impact the statistics yet surely it is best to improve safety on our roads no matter what their age.

Institute of Advanced Motorists chief executive Simon Best said: “Older people need their cars, which give them better mobility and access to more activities and services.”

Rather than looking at ways to prevent the older generation driving, we should make them aware of the risks involved and offer them ways to improve their skill and eliminate bad habits.

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March 9, 2012
TOXIC EMISSIONS FROM THE INTERIOR OF YOUR CAR

Research has shown that the interior of a vehicle can give off volatile compound emissions which can result in defects to the drivers. Most drivers do not consider the dangers of the interior of our cars and even the greener consumer will typically only look at the emissions that come from the engine, exhaust etc.

Honda however, has looked into reducing the toxic chemicals used on the interior and use different fabrics to help reduce risk to drivers.

So when you look to purchase your next car, why not ask the dealer about the interior elements.

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March 8, 2012
Bag it, Bin it: Cleaner Roads are Better to Drive on.

We need to learn the art of carrying an extra bag and put the waste in it. The report released by the Highways Agency asks for immediate attention on the matter. It states that 250,000 sacks of litter are cleared from motorways every year. The amount of money could be used to do something constructive for the welfare of society. Roads Minister Mike Penning said: Litter is an unsightly and unnecessary burden and one that we can easily avoid- that’s why I am asking people to take one simple step towards making the roads a safer and more pleasant environment for everyone. It does not require huge efforts to be taken to bring a positive change. Each person should carry a bag and throw the bottles and remaining food items in it.

The agency is sure that it would spread a word of awareness. The need is to start a public awareness program to attract nation wide support. It becomes a social responsibility of all to keep the roads clean. The program ‘Bag it, Bin it’ is aimed to make people stand together against it. You should start working on it from today onwards.

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