Speed is irrelevant. Without wearing a seat belt an accident whilst travelling at 30mph can still kill.

New TV campaigns showing the effect not wearing your seat belt can have, shows the immense damage you can cause to your internal organs.

Despite anyone over the age of 14 being responsible for themselves, the driver of any vehicle should protect themselves and others by making sure everyone is belted up.

Research has shown that around 350 lives could be saved every year if everyone wore their seat belt all of the time. It is such a simple act that can make such a life changing difference.

In 1965 it became compulsory for car makers to fit cars built in Europe with seat belts in the front. However, it was not until 1991 that it became compulsory for adults and children to wear seat belts in both the front and back of the car.

The penalty for not wearing your seat belt is a fixed penalty fine of £60. However, conviction or non compliance can mean a penalty up to £500.

Natasha Simper of Britannia Driving School said: “It is such an easy rule to follow and even if you are only driving a short distance you cannot predict what will happen on the roads. Belt up and keep safe.”

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A packet of crisps is the most dangerous food to eat while driving.

It heads the top 10 foods and drinks which cause motorists to take their eyes off the road closely followed by chocolate and fizzy pop.

One in 20 motorists has crashed or had a near-miss fiddling with food at the wheel, a survey found. But 60% do eat and drink while driving.

“As these results show, eating or drinking behind the wheel causes accidents.”

The price of oil crept up yesterday on the first day of trading since upbeat US job numbers last Friday. However, the jump is likely to put further pressure on petrol prices in the UK as motorists prepare for near-record prices at the pumps.
US light crude added as much as 0.4 per cent yesterday, climbing to $85.31 (£55.85) a barrel, while London Brent crude also jumped by nearly half a percentage point, reaching $84.37 (£55.23). The increases came on the first day of oil trading since the Easter holidays, and after the US Department of Labor said last Friday that the American economy had created 162,000 new jobs in March – the highest monthly number for two years, adding to growing sentiment of an improving US economy.

But the increase in oil prices is also likely to lead to higher petrol prices in the UK. Motorists are also now paying the 1p increase in fuel duty that came into effect last week. Chancellor Alistair Darling said during the Budget that a planned 3p rise in fuel duty would be phased in, with a further 1p increase scheduled for September, and a 0.76p hike in January next year.

Last week, motoring groups warned of record petrol prices on the forecourts.

Visiting hospitals can be stressful enough without paying high parking fees and queuing for spaces. Even those who are visiting people on a semi-permanent basis are required to pay these high rates.

Scotland already has free parking for the majority of their hospital car parks and Wales is heading the same way with charges being phased out by 2011.

You could argue that the NHS have the right to charge as the money is a good source of income and the services provided by the NHS are free to begin with. It is also argued that if parking was free, hospital visitors may not benefit as anybody could park there including local residents.

Maybe they could introduce a scheme whereby once you are in the hospital you are giving some form of token to pay for your stay. Or even by simply reducing the cost and providing more spaces, could save many the heartache they could do without in what can be an emotional time.

Many car parks require you to pay in advance and for a place where anything can happen and appointments can easily overrun this is by no means convenient.

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For many of us our license plate number is there to identify our car to speed cameras and to help us find it in a busy car park. However, there is so much more behind our license number and how much information it can give us.

A normal number plate is made up of 7 figures; two letters, two numbers and three more letters. Most of us already know that the number tells us the year the car was manufactured. But what you may not know is they change twice a year in March and September.

March number plates take the last two numbers of that year – 2008 would become 08 and 2009 would become 09. However, the September plates take the same format whilst adding 50. So 2008 becomes 58 and 2009 becomes 59.

Thought you had the hang of it! Well it changes again now that we are in 2010. It takes a similar format however, you now add 60 for cars bought out in September. So this September will see number plates say 60 and next year in September 2011 it will be 61.

Interestingly the letters at the start of a license plate represent the DVLA office that the car was first registered. The first letter is a wider county or area like London or North.  The second letter is a more local identifier. So if you are out and about, see if you can find a number plate that starts the same as your own.

You will then find the last three letters at the end are a random set to identify the individual car.

U.K. plates will keep the same design until 2051 so if you learn it now, it should see you through most of your driving life.

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Oil prices have risen steadily over the last year, and experts are worrying further increases could snuff out an already-fragile global economic recovery.

President Barack Obama announced Wednesday his plan to open oil and natural gas drilling off the Atlantic Coast and Gulf of Mexico. The proposal aims to reduce the nation’s reliance on foreign oil, which theoretically could hold down prices for U.S. consumers.

But analysts contend that the rise is prices is not a supply problem — it’s a Wall Street problem.

OPEC countries also are convening in Mexico this week to map out a strategy for keeping prices from rising higher.

But officials may face an even bigger problem: The recent rise in prices seems to be driven by commodity investors — not market supply and demand.

Though prices crashed from their peak of $140 a barrel before the recession began in December 2007, they have since recovered substantially. Last year, the price of crude fell to $33 a barrel before a relentless recovery to about $80 by year-end.

A man told police “Santa” was driving his car when it was snapped by a speed camera travelling at 79 mph.

Paul Ellard, 24, from Connah’s Quay, wrote on a formal notice it was not a VW car, but a sleigh “pulled by Rudolph and the rest of the gang at 379 mph.”
A court heard the car was travelling in a 30mph zone at Pentre, Deeside.

Ellard denied failing to provide the information but did not attend a trial at Flintshire magistrates’ court where the case was proved in his absence.

Magistrates heard he had crossed out his name on the form and replaced it with Santa Claus and crossed out the make of car and replaced it with a sleigh.

In a section asking for the driver’s contact details Ellard wrote the driver lived at “Santa’s Grotto in the North Pole” where he said “the town is freezing and full of elves.”

The law at present allows an average built man to drink approximately 2 pints of beer and a woman a large glass of wine without exceeding the drink drive limit. The new proposed law will be half that making the legal limit 80mg of alcohol per 50mg of blood.

The tougher laws are thought to help reduce accidents and serious injury. It is not only the driver who puts themselves at risk when drink driving, but other road users and pedestrians as well.

This new limit could see the economy saving millions of pounds yearly in healthcare costs. However, some pubs especially country pubs could see their business drastically reduce.

While the new law could see more drivers being caught under the influence of alcohol, those who are over the new legal limit but below the old one will receive watered down penalties. Those who exceed the old limit will continue to face a 12 month ban.

Natasha Simper of Britannia Driving School said: “The new rules cannot be implemented until after the elections. However, once in place drivers should be aware that even one alcoholic drink could mean being pulled over by the police.”

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Cars can be expensive to run if you don’t know how to use them properly. There are a number of easy to apply rules when driving to help save not only your pennies but the environment too.

The simplest one of them all is do you need to drive or can you walk? When you pop to the corner shop or drop the kids to school, do you really need to drive or could you walk the short distance. Not only will your car pollute the planet but driving short distances can contribute to the general wear and tear of the car.

For most of us keeping the car clean can take time and money to achieve. However, it improves the cars efficiency. Any extra weight in the boot or under the seats, even dirt on the outside of the car will increase the cars fuel consumption costing you more in the long run.

A healthy car = saving money. By spending a little money on having the car serviced regularly, you could potentially save a fortune when a big problem evolves.

By choosing when to have the air conditioning on could save you pounds when filling the tank. By leaving it on for long periods of time it can lead to expensive bills however, by blasting the air con for short periods of time on a regular basis (even in the winter) will make sure its kept in good working order. Leaving the windows and the sunroof open can also increase consumption, so when you don’t need them open, wind them up!

Making sure you are aware of your surroundings and other road users can also save you money. By driving smoothly without changing speed greatly or braking harshly could not only prevent accidents but will have a noticeable effect on your wallet.

Planning your route and listening to traffic news can also help save you money and fuel. But just as importantly it will also save you stressing out. If you see the traffic is not moving, switch of your engine and wait for the queue to move. You could even try planning your route to include picking up colleagues on the way to work and splitting the cost and responsibility.

Tyres are the only part of the car that comes in contact with the road surface therefore its essential that they are in proper working condition. Not only is it important to check the tyre pressure for safety reasons but also as the correct air pressure will reduce fuel consumption and will allow the car to steer properly.

Make sure when you choose a car that you shop around and consider other factors other than just the model and colour. Make sure you shop around for the best deal on insurance and don’t just use the first garage you find, make sure you find a bargain. By spending a little of your time doing research you could save a LOT of money.

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The cash has been allocated following the most severe winter in 30 years, amid complaints from motoring organisations over the quality of the country’s roads.

Lord Adonis, the Transport Secretary, said the money would be allocated to councils as soon as possible, to enable maintenance staff to tackle the problem.

According to one industry survey by the Asphalt Industry Alliance, four out of five councils suffered severe damage, creating a £400 million gap in their maintenance budgets.

Councils estimate it will take more than 11.5 years to tackle the backlog of repairs in England, and 15 years in Wales.

The Government has been under pressure to act from motoring groups.