Traffic in and around Wimbledon in London came to a standstill last month when a van was shunted by a tram.

The driver of the van was shaken but not hurt however, passengers on the tram had to hold on tight to avoid injury.

Some passengers were thought to have seen the van in the trams pathway and said the accident was unavoidable.

It is not known why the accident happened and police are investigating the incident and collecting evidence.

Luckily the tram had just left Merton Park station so was travelling at a low speed, the driver of the van should thank his lucky stars.

Natasha Simper of Britannia Driving School said: “Unfortunately the tram line is very open and runs through residential areas. With just traffic lights in place to stop cars crossing the tram line it is extremely dangerous. Maybe barriers should be introduced like those at level crossings. However, in the mean time drivers should beware of the trams and follow the Highway Code; stay off the tram line if stuck in traffic and never jump a red light.”

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A quick thinking employee saved a petrol station in Raynes Park, Wimbledon from being seriously damaged by flames.

A man from Croydon in Surrey was thought to have ignited a fuel pump and spray fuel over the petrol station forecourt. Police were called to the scene immediately as there were fears for the nearby houses and vehicles.

One unlucky resident was told that her Ford Prefect 1954 had been destroyed in the small blaze. The resident was however, just pleased that the situation was not more serious.

Fire crews from 3 local fire stations had the blaze under control almost immediately and the fuel supply was cut off by an employee as soon as they were aware of the situation.

Natasha Simper of Britannia Driving School said: “The employees working at the petrol station were quick to react and this meant a potentially devastating situation turning into to a minor state of affairs. However, the man in question did destroy somebody’s pride of joy – their car!”

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Male drivers are almost one-and-a-half times more likely to have a driving conviction than their female counterparts, according to an analysis of AA car insurance policyholders.

Nearly one in five AA customers have at least one conviction and the researchers found that men were more than twice as likely to have been caught drink-driving.

Drivers living in the Midlands seem to be the least law-abiding, with 31.5% of men and 1.6% of women having a conviction to their name.

In contrast, just 9% of men and 6% of women in Northern Ireland had motoring convictions.

Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance, revealed: “The vast majority of convictions, 85% of them, are for speeding offences. [The] second most likely offence is for jumping traffic lights (9%) while a worrying 2% are drink-drive offences.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the insurer’s books show that younger drivers are most likely to have convictions.

According to road safety charity Brake, 18-year-old drivers are more than three times as likely to be involved in a crash than 48-year-olds.

Paul Railton, from Annfield Plain, Stanley, was driving on a country lane at five mph holding on to the lead of his pet lurcher while it walked alongside his Nissan Navara on December 4th 2009, reports the Press Association.

Police were alerted to the incident by a concerned cyclist.

Railton pleaded guilty of breaching the Road Traffic Act on two counts at Consett Magistrates’ Court. He was fined £124 and given three penalty points.

He had already accumulated nine points for other driving offences in the past three years so he was disqualified from driving for six months under the so-called totting-up system.

Speaking after the hearing Railton said: “It is a joke. I’m not bothered. I knew I would get three points. I might save myself some money not having a car.”

Britain’s roads have seen less road casualties this year, with a downward trend continuing. However, it seems as though not all road users are so lucky.

The number of cyclists killed or seriously injured was 830 in 2009 and has risen over the past few years. This would suggest that despite the hard work that many organisations put into making our roads safer, more research needs to be conducted as to why cyclists are having accidents and who is to blame.

Despite the figures rising, it is probably safe to say that there are more cyclists on the roads.

Boris Johnson has had a huge influence on people taking a healthier, more eco friendly approach to getting around. He introduced the London Cycling Campaign, to help cyclists feel more confident and to tackle cycle theft.

There have also been a huge number of cycle paths introduced onto London roads in the last few years, making it easier for cyclists to get about safely.

Natasha Simper of Britannia Driving School said: “It is good that children and adults are being encouraged to take a healthier approach to getting around and that there is policy in place to make this easier for cyclists and other road users. However, I must say it is a little difficult to stay dry on a bike!”

A lot of new buses, coaches and heavy goods vehicles (HGV’S) are being introduced with speed limiters.

According to the Department for Transport (DfT) motorway speed limits need to be changed in order to balance differences between new vehicles and old.

The newer HGV’s will now be limited to 56mph and passenger vehicles with over eight seats restricted to 62.5mph.Whereas all older vehicles will be able to continue driving at 70mph. So the DfT are set to implement motorway restrictions for all of the above vehicles regardless whether they are fitted with speed limiters or not.

The consultation also includes plans to see HGV’s, buses and coaches with more than eight passenger seats not being allowed to use the right hand lane of a three lane motorway.

The problem with not imposing these rules and regulations will be that companies and individuals will see no incentive to buy new vehicles as they will be at a disadvantage, despite the vehicles being more fuel efficient and safer to drive.

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The Government has today announced more incentives to jump-start the take-up of electric vehicles, including £5 million of funding to introduce 2,430 charging points for electric vehicles in Milton Keynes and car grants.
The Milton Keynes investment is part of a £30 million fund from the new Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) for a network of electric vehicle hubs, the first three of which – Milton Keynes, London and the North East – were announced today and where 11,000 vehicle recharging points will be installed.

The idea is that the experience of these first three hubs – or ‘Plugged-In Places’ as they have been named – will inform the future development of a national charging infrastructure.

The Government is also looking at how to join the Plugged-In Places up with charging infrastructure along strategic corridors, and how to support multi-modal journeys to facilitate the wider use of electric vehicles.

Today’s announcement was welcomed by the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) which, through its ‘Joined-Cities Plan’ is working with a number of cities to help develop a user-friendly environment for plug-in vehicles.

The ETI’s ceo, Dr David Clarke commented: “The funding from OLEV’s Plugged‑in‑Places scheme will enable a step‑change in infrastructure deployment in three of these locations – London, Milton Keynes and the North East.”

Plug-In Car Grants open to both private and business fleet buyers
Alongside the Plugged-In Places initiative, the Government has also announced that it will provide a so-called ‘Plug-In Car Grants’ worth 25 per cent of the cost of ultra-low-carbon car.

Ian Jane an avid reader of Britannia’s website has provided some rather interesting information regarding driving licenses.

He is currently in possession of a driving certificate that was issued to a nurse in Finchley by the RAC in July 1916. It looks similar to the red folding card issued later by local councils.

The first drivers license of sorts was issued to a man called Karl Benz in 1988. Karl Benz was the inventor of the modern automobile. The license was acquired when local residents complained of the smell the vehicle was producing and he got written permission from the local authorities.

It wasn’t until 29th September 1905 that the first locality required mandatory driving licenses and testing. However, Britain did not make it compulsory for drivers to take a driving test until 1935, with this being suspended during World War Two.

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Many motorists are putting themselves at risk by failing to adapt their driving style to compensate for the weather, a car insurance provider has warned.

According to Sainsbury’s Car Insurance, 33% of drivers do not bother to check the weather forecast before heading off on a journey, while 18% have ignored warnings against driving in inclement weather on at least one occasion.

The insurer estimated that around 800,000 people have had an accident after ignoring such advice and has advised drivers to pay more attention to the weather.

Ben Tyte, manager of Sainsbury’s Car Insurance, said that British motorists have a “typically stoic approach” to driving in wintry conditions.

“If they start to become complacent and think the worst weather is behind them, they could increase their chances of having an accident in the coming days and weeks,” he warned.

Mr Tyte also urged drivers not to leave their engines running if they are not actually inside the vehicle.

“If their car was stolen with the keys in the ignition, they would most likely not be covered by their insurance policy,” he explained.

Meanwhile, a separate study by Virgin Money has revealed that a disproportionate number of car insurance claims are made for vehicles that are five years old.

Cars from this age group account for 10% of all claims, the company revealed, while those aged between three and six years old account for nearly two-fifths of all car insurance claims, even though they make up just 24% of all vehicles.

Landsdowne Venture Group (LGV), the parent company of “The Instructor College” and “Red Driving School” has gone into administration.

The company made a net profit of £3m in the year to October 4 2009, but in the 16 weeks to January 24 lost £2.5m.

LVG employs 400 people in total across three offices, but all the Red Driving School instructors are franchisees.

LVG’s 400-strong workforce includes 200 people at its head office, and 150 spread across two “operational support facilities” in Liverpool and in Bellingham near Middlesbrough. It makes most of its money from training driving instructors who pay fees of about £3,500.

Trainees who cannot afford to pay fees up-front often take out a loan to cover the cost of the course. “The Instructor College” used to offer loans through Barclays but the bank withdrew that facility after huge number of defaults by trainees unhappy with the training they received.

The company that was to become LVG began in 1992 when David little and Nick Buckingham founded Airport driving School in Croydon.

They expanded into instructor training then merged with accountancy FBTC, renaming the joint operation Landsdowne, now known as LVG.

In 2004 they launched the Red Driving School and acquired Letsdrive, after LetsDrive went into administration.

Natasha Simper of Britannia Driving School said: “The 400 operational staff, trainee instructors and the franchisees must be distraught at the news, not knowing what is going to happen to them next. Part of the problem is that in the two years from March 2007 to March 2009, the number of new applications for provisional licences fell 34 per cent. I’m happy to say that in the same period Britannia’s bookings have increased by 43 per cent.”

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