Sales of petrol at the pumps have dipped sharply over recent years, according to Government figures highlighted today by the AA.

In terms of weight, petrol sales fell 13.95% between 2007 and 2010.

Sales totalled more than 16.80 million tonnes in 2007 but by last year this figure had fallen to just over 14.46 million tonnes.

Diesel sales rose – going up 6.85% from 12.34 million tonnes in 2007 to 13.19 million tonnes in 2010.

The 2007/10 fall in petrol sales is the equivalent of 3.19 billion litres – equal to 52 days of petrol consumption in the UK.

AA president Edmund King said: “On the face of it, it looks like the UK driver is hitting back against record petrol prices by buying considerably less of it, perhaps by buying more fuel-efficient cars, adapting the way they drive and rationalising their journeys.

“Unfortunately, the reality is that many poorer motorists can’t afford to pay for petrol and are increasingly leaving their cars idle.”

He went on: “The drop in fuel sales puts a squeeze on retailers and fuel suppliers, who face the dilemma that increasing prices to compensate for lower sales volumes simply pushes more drivers into road fuel poverty.

“The Government’s freeze on fuel duty last week will have prevented many drivers being tipped over the edge, but the AA suspects that there will be little improvement on the forecourts come the 3.02p-a-litre duty rise in January.”

Figures have shown that Britain’s drivers are spending around £2300 on their car each year, with this figure set to increase due to recent fuel price increases.

Not only have fuel prices risen but car insurance, tax and car maintenance have all taken a hit and it is affecting all motorists no matter what their age or gender.

This has lead to an increase in the number of motorists purchasing eco-friendly cars.
Drivers must outweigh the costs when buying a car. Despite electric or eco-friendly cars costing more up-front they will cost you less to run in the long-run as opposed to a fuel guzzling motor. Therefore, it may be worth considering a change in vehicle.

Emily Smith of Britannia Driving School said: “No matter what you decide, it’s important to take care of your car and make sure it is road worthy and legal to drive, will are all feeling the pinch but when it comes to safety on the roads we are all responsible.”

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With road safety budget cuts, it is feared that those seriously injured or killed on Britain’s roads will increase.

In recent years the number of people injured or killed on our roads has fallen but in order to maintain these statistics and reduce them further, funding into road safety must remain in place.

Many councils have already reduced the number of lollipop women and men on our roads and have switched off or fail to replace faulty speed cameras.

With many road accidents preventable it is important that money is still allocated to improving Britain’s roads. Equally as important is driver’s taking responsibility for their actions and driving safely.

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Rolls-Royce has introduced their first electric car which has the largest fitted battery pack of all electric cars.

The prototype is going to be road tested by existing Rolls Royce car owners. The look is very similar to the gas version.

The car is luxury inside and luxury for your ears – as you’re in a cocoon of silence. It reaches speeds of 100mph and can run for around 125 miles on one charge.

The battery is cleverly charged when the owner parks the car on an electric induction plate built into their garage floor.

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PRESSURE is growing on Government ministers to bring down fuel prices – as petrol topped £6 a GALLON at filling stations across Wales.

Haulage bosses, small businesses, drivers and politicians told Wales on Sunday that soaring fuel costs are hitting them hard.

We found one filling station in Radyr, Cardiff, charging £1.44.9 a litre for unleaded petrol, while average prices hit £1.32 in Wales – or just over £6 a gallon.

The turmoil in key oil states in North Africa and the Middle East has pushed world oil prices even higher in recent weeks, but warnings that forecourt prices would continue to rise were dampened yesterday when prices fell in the wake of the Japanese earthquake.

A Treasury spokesman told Wales on Sunday that Chancellor George Osborne is considering ways to ease fuel costs in his budget on March 23, but would not confirm any decisions.

Simon Higgins, Welsh spokesman for the Road Haulage Association, called on the Chancellor to scrap the fuel rise that had been planned for the budget and bring in measures to lower duty if fuel prices kept rising.

He said “The price of fuel is horrendous. Businesses are having to make quotes for jobs based on what they think the price of diesel will be but, with prices sailing through the roof, they won’t quote their customer properly.

“We are looking for a mechanism fuel duty stabiliser so when the cost of fuel goes up, tax goes down and price will stay the same. That way everyone will know what they are paying and businesses will be able to do their quotes better.”

He also demanded a rebate for essential users – threatening a war between struggling motorists and hauliers over whose problems are the more intense.

He said: “As hauliers, we have not got any choice but to buy fuel. We are essential users and, if there is not a rebate, then the costs have to be put onto the consumer, which then contributes to inflation.”

Figures from website Petrolprices.com showed that average petrol prices in all Wales’ major towns and cities had hit between £1.31 or £1.33 per litre last night. Average diesel prices were hovering around £1.38 per litre.

According to the AA, the UK has the eighth highest price in Europe for unleaded petrol and the second-highest diesel price.

And analysts have warned that, if the political turmoil in North African countries like Libya and Egypt continues, forecourt prices could soar to £1.50 per litre by Easter.

Many businesses have said this would be the final nail in the coffin, while others said they will have no choice but to pass costs onto the customer.

Small businesses which rely on transport are also feeling the squeeze as they are finding their costs rising at every level of their business production.

Stephanie Eynon, who runs Betty’s florist in Cardiff, says the high petrol prices have made things difficult for the business as it costs more to deliver the flowers and to order more stock in.

She said: “It’s ridiculous. There’s only so much we can take, and we’ve had to cope with the VAT increase as well. It’s awful for us as a small business. A big part of our service is delivering the flowers to our customers. But now it doesn’t cover the wages of our driver and the fuel.”

Plaid Cymru parliamentary leader Elfyn Llwyd also urged the Treasury to act quickly to help businesses.

He said: “For the last five or six years we have been lobbying successive governments that they should introduce a fuel regulator process or some kind of regulation to stabilise prices. Fuel tax should be constant, it’s perfectly logical. It’s been a long time coming.

“I hope that the Treasury do not put the level increase on. They need to stop that one. Businesses are suffering and people have got less money to spend. It’s causing inflation for goods.

“This issue doesn’t just affect people in rural areas, it affects everyone. The main problem is that the petroleum industry rules the roost and it is a finite resource.”

The Treasury said officials would be looking at ways to ease the pressure of rising fuel costs in the run up to the budget.

A spokesperson said: “The Government recognises that higher fuel prices increase the cost of living for people and are examining options as part of the Budget process, including a fair fuel stabiliser that would reduce fuel duty as oil prices rise but increase them when they drop.”

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YOUNG men and their cars can get a bad reputation – but two police officers are on a mission to re-educate boys behind the wheel.

Officers from the Neighbourhood Policing Team in Ashington, Martin Hayes and Andy Crosby, decided to tackle the issue of boy racers and have organised the first of what they hope will be monthly educational car shows.

Yesterday, the first event for young drivers and car enthusiasts in the area kicked off at Woodhorn Museum in Ashington.

Through the car shows the two officers hope to offer young men in the area a place to go where they can explore their interest in cars and chat with other people with similar interests but at the same time learning how to do so in a way which is not anti-social.

CSO Martin Hayes said: “We have had problems with boy racers in the area and residents complaining about racing through car parks, loud exhausts and speeding in built-up areas.

“This event is of benefit both to the community and the motoring enthusiasts alike. It gives the drivers somewhere safe and legal to go. And it keeps them from driving in the streets of Ashington and gathering in car parks.”

Throughout the evening the group were joined by members of Cramlington Motorclub, who brought along examples of racing cars.

They were also on hand to provide advice and expertise in how the young men can channel their talents and interests in a positive way. A crew from Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service also attended the event and put on a car-cutting display to demonstrate the perils of driving dangerously.

CSO Andy Crosby said: “We are looking to organise more events of this type in the future. It gives us the ideal opportunity to engage with a section of the public that can be quite hard to reach and who there are a lot of negative opinions about.

“Hopefully this will see some of the drivers think a little more about how their driving can impact on the whole community.”

Campaigners are looking to change the law as to the brightness of car headlights.

MOT regulations do not currently test for Bi-xenon headlights however, these headlights are up to three times brighter than standard headlights and drivers are being blinded. In addition to this it is also in contravention of the Construction and Use Regulations 1986 and the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989.

Research has found that from a study of over 13,000 participants, a whopping 90% of respondents felt that the High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlights were too bright and were dangerous.

The bright lights do not just affect drivers, but puts many vulnerable road users such as motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians at risk also.

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Norfolk Villages have introduced a new initiative which could transform the countries traffic calming measures. The villages have introduced rows of trees and hedges along the roadside.

Statistics show that motorist’s speeds have dropped on average by 1.5%. This is thought to be because the trees have reduced driver’s peripheral vision, which in turn has made them slow down.

Poor visibility of the road ahead has also meant that fewer cars are overtaking; this along with drivers sticking to the speed limits makes for safer roads.

It is hoped that more councils will look to do the same, not only to improve road safety but also to help the environment.

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FOUR learner drivers who paid another man to sit their theory exams were jailed as a judge issued a warning to others about the scam.

The impersonator is still at large, but Kayfee Hameed, Sami Hamadok, Agar Hamid and Ahmed Omar are behind bars.

Hameed and Hamadok, from Middlesbrough, were jailed for six months, while Omar. Hamid, the youngest, was jailed for four months.

Judge Peter Bowers said at Teesside Crown Court: “It is suspected that far more of this impersonation goes on than is detected.

“A deterrent sentence is essential.

You all have considerable mitigation, but it is important that others learn not to commit this sort of offence.

“Impersonating someone taking a driving test is serious. It allows you to drive on the roads without an adequate knowledge of road safety.”

Defence barristers told Judge Bowers that the four men did not realise they were committing a serious offence at the time, but do now.

The court heard that Hamadok paid the man to stand in for him during tests in Middlesbrough and in Doncaster in September 2009.

The Teesside attempt was thwarted by an official who noticed differences between the candidate’s and Hamadok’s documents.

Paul Cleasby, prosecuting, said that the impostor passed the test in Doncaster, which allowed Hamadok to sit his driving test, but he failed.

The court heard that the 36- year-old’s credit card was used to book theory tests in the names of Hameed, 35, and Hamid, 20.

The same impersonator passed the exam in Harrogate for Hamid and in Grimsby, for Omar, 30, without any suspicions being raised.

When he tried the same for Hameed in Middlesbrough, the same official challenged him because his description did not match Hameed’s.

Robin Turton, for Hamadok, of Percy Street, Middlesbrough, said he made unprompted admissions to police and helped as much as he could.

Brian Mark, for former factory worker Hameed, of Meath Street, Middlesbrough, said he was desperate to be able to drive.

Rachel Dyson said Omar, of Eaton Close, Bristol, struggled to find work in the UK and thought it would be easier if he had a driving licence.

Elyas Patel, for Hamid, a part-time restaurant cashier, of Spalding Towers, Leeds, said he was deeply ashamed of what he had done.

He said he committed the offence out of a wish to contribute to society, but had been lulled into the lair of an unscrupulous individual.

The court heard that the four men, who admitted conspiracy to commit fraud, paid £400 to £500 to the impersonator.

A spokesman for the Driving Standards Agency said: “Driving test impersonation is a serious offence, which puts law abiding road-users at risk.

“We investigate all suspected incidents and work closely with the police to make sure that those responsible are brought to justice.”

Most of us take for granted that the rules of the road have always been there, but you may be surprised to find that many laws and regulations were only introduced in the last 100 years.

The first huge change for drivers was when the driving test was introduced in 1934. At the same time the 30mph speed limit was established for towns and villages.

The MOT was introduced in 1960.

It wasn’t until 1965 that the 70mph national speed limit was introduced, with the breathalyser test following shortly after in 1967.

In 1969 a separate driving licence group for automatic vehicles was introduced.

1990 saw examiners give candidates a brief explanation of faults committed during the test.

The pass plus scheme was an initiative introduced in 1995.

The year 2000 saw pupils able to complete the theory test via touch screen.

2002 saw talking on a mobile illegal whilst driving and also a change to the theory test, with the newly formed hazard perception component.

2010 was the year independent driving was introduced to all practical driving tests.

Emily Smith of Britannia Driving School said: “It is interesting to see how the driving test and driving regulations have advanced over the years. One fact that shocked me was – that on average a driver spends two weeks of their entire lives waiting for traffic lights to change.”

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