Britain’s motor industry could be on the road to recovery as the “car scrappage” scheme helps put the brakes on sliding sales.

New car sales fell 15.7% last month, but that was the smallest drop for almost a year according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT).

Sales to private buyers rose 3.9%, the first increase since November 2007.

The SMMT said the “banger bonus”, which offers a £2,000 incentive to swap 10-year-old motors for new, was having a “positive impact” with 87,000 orders since its May launch.

SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt said: “We expect the pace of improvement tincrease in the coming months, but we can already see the industry making steady progress.” Under the scrappage scheme half the money is paid by the Government and the rest by the motor industry.

Drivers are being warned that a drink this summer could put them behind bars as the Government and police join forces to crack down on the menace of drunk driving.

A £1.5 million THINK! Campaign will remind motorist of the devastating consequences of drunk driving.

All 43 police forces in England and Whales will be targeting drink drivers this summer with many using new digital breath testing equipment funded by the Department for Transport.

The TV campaign, “Moments of Doubt”, which focuses on the consequence drink drivers face when they are caught, will be supported by advertising in pubs, radio and online.

Simon Bush of Britannia Driving School said: “With warm weather and long summer evenings motorist might end up drinking when they hadn’t planned to, but that doesn’t mean we have to drive home. Use public transport or take a taxi – don’t risk your driving licence by getting in the driving seat.”

What are your thoughts on this article? Send your views to Britannia Driving School by using the comments link below:

Good news for those heading off on motoring holidays as fuel prices have plummeted across Europe.

Unleaded petrol prices have fallen by as much as 12% and diesel by up to 32%, compared to last summer, according to research from the Post Office.

Although Switzerland is the cheapest for unleaded petrol at 91p per litre, Austria and Spain work out as better overall value.

Motorists visiting these Eurozones will pay 1p more for unleaded (92p), but much less for diesel at 83p and 87p per litre respectively.

Despite a 19% drop in the price over the past 12 months, the UK is the only country where diesel costs more than petrol.

And surprise, surprise, high taxes mean we have the second most expensive diesel at £1.05, only beaten by Norway at £1.14 out of the 12 European destinations compared.

Eurozone fuel prices vary considerably with the cost of motoring in Belgium 27% more expensive than Austria or Spain and the Netherlands 32% dearer.

However, anyone jetting off on a fly-drive to Florida could be in for a shock. The combination of the weaker pound and higher fuel and rental charges has sent prices up 64% compared to last summer.

The DSA (Driving Standards Agency) has adjusted the way out of hours driving tests are offered from 17 May 2009.

Appointments for the practical car driving test outside normal hours are offered only where overall demand is high at individual test centres.

Appointments classed as out of hours are those offered at the weekend and, during the summer, weekday early mornings and evenings.

DSA Chief Executive, Rosemary Thew, said: “These changes will ensure that our examiners’ time is focused on where it is needed most. We will keep the situation under constant review and offer testing outside normal hours to provide extra capacity where it is needed.”

What do you think of this news? Are you a learner driver or a driving instructor? Will the changes make a difference to you? Please let Britannia Driving School know by filling out the comments box below.

Arguments in the car contribute to thousands of minor motoring accidents each year.

A survey of 2,000 drivers found that ‘carguments’ caused 27% of minor bumps and scrapes in UK during 2008 and a further 3% of more serious motoring accidents.

The poll found the top five source of ‘carguments’ to be:
1. Getting lost
2. Backseat driver behaviour
3. Music choice/radio station
4. Relationship issues
5. Temperature/air conditioning

The highest number of ‘carguments’ occurred between married couples (84%), with those aged between 25 and 35 being the worst offenders. Elderly couples accounted for the least amount of rows with the over 65s involved in just 5%.

The highest prevalence of ‘carguments’ occurred in the city of Liverpool (14%), followed by Glasgow (11%), Nottingham (8%), Watford (6%) and Portsmouth (5%).

“Concentration is paramount while driving and what seems like a small disruption can have a big impact on a driver’s attention and cause an accident. We’d urge all passengers to be considerate and avoid unnecessary confrontation when in a vehicle.

“We would always advise drivers to pull over if they are being distracted and not to start driving again until safe to do so.”

A team of eight officers will be out and about in Kettering town centre today as they tackle motorists who are committing offences. Any motorist who is found to be committing an offence will receive a Fixed Penalty Notice and/or points on their licence if appropriate.

They will be engaging with young people who are gathering in the town centre in an attempt to deter them from committing anti-social behaviour.

Sergeant Ash Tuckley, from the Kettering North Central Safer Community Team, said: “We have been told by local people that they are concerned about speeding, motorcycle nuisance and other motoring offences in the town centre and this day of action is just one way we are working to tackle it.

“We are taking a zero tolerance approach and anyone found to be committing an offence will be dealt with appropriately.”

SCOTLAND has the highest rate for fatal road crashes in Britain, despite having fewer cars.

There have been around 5.5 deaths directly from road accidents for every 100,000 of the Scottish population, according to latest figures.

advertisement
This compares to 5.4 in Wales and 4.9 in England.

The Institute of Advanced Motorists’ Motoring Facts booklet showed that 282 people lost their lives in road-related incidents in Scotland in 2007.

Although this is the lowest number in a four-year period, the country still has a higher rate of deaths in relation to its population of 5.1million.

And this is compounded by the fact Scotland has fewer cars on the road than the others.

There are just 433 cars per 1000 of the population – 50 less than the more sparsely populated Wales and 38 more than in England.

Neil Greig, the institute’s director of policy and research, said: “Put simply, you are more likely to die on the roads of Scotland than anywhere else in the Britain.”

It’s the second time Scotland has come top of the table for road deaths after recording 6.1 deaths per 100,000 people in 2006, compared with 5.6 in Wales and 5.3 in England.

And the latest figures show that Scotland is the only region not to record a consistent fall in fatal crashes.

In 2005, 286 people were killed in road traffic collisions in Scotland. This jumped to 314 in 2006, before falling to 282 in 2007.

Mr Greig added: “A lot of work still needs to be done to iron out the unacceptable variation in casualty rates across Britain.”

Accompanying drivers, whether ADI or unqualified escorts, will be required to sit in on all car practical test and the test debrief from October 2010.

Other key proposals, which are to be introduced in a number of phases over several years, include:

o The continued roll out across GB of new pre – driver qualification in safe road use
o Introduction of a partial credit for the test for car drivers for those awarded the new pre –  driver qualification in safe road use
o The trial of a new 3D hazard perception test (HPT)

Simon Bush of Britannia Driving School said: “The above document was published alongside another DSA consultation, “An Abridge Theory Test” for “Learner Car Drivers” which seeks feedback on proposal to set a reduced fee of £24 for a new shorter theory test for learner drivers who have successfully completed a new foundation course in safe road use.”

What are your thoughts on this article? Send your views to Britannia Driving School by using the comments link below:

Many babies are switched to a forward-facing car seat at about eight months, with parents unaware of the potential safety implications.

Evidence suggests that a rear-facing seat is safer in the event of a crash and can help to avoid neck, chest and spinal injuries.

Dr Elizabeth Watson, a GP at the Sunny Meed Surgery in Woking, and Dr Michael Monteiro, a specialist registrar at the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford, have analysed existing data on car seats.

They found rear-facing seats are more effective than forward-facing seats at protecting children under the age of four. In rear-facing seats, the head, neck and spine are kept more aligned, distributing the force of the crash more evenly across those areas.

In a front-facing seat in the event of a head-on collision, the relatively large head of a young child can add to the likelihood of severe injury.

Using the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s vehicle crash database, the authors investigated incidents involving 870 children between 1998 and 2003 and found rear-facing seats were more effective than forward-facing seats in both head-on and side-on crashes.

They also looked at data from Sweden, where about three in four young children travel in rear-facing seats. The data suggested three out of the six children who died in front-facing seats between 1999 and 2006 could have survived if they had been travelling in rear-facing seats.

Publishing their findings in the British Medical Journal Online, the authors said many parents and healthcare providers are unaware it is safer to leave children in rear-facing seats for as long as possible or even that rear-facing seats for toddlers exist.

And they urged a change to the current labelling of European seats which they said may imply forward-facing seats are just as safe as rear-facing seats for children over 20lb (9kg).

Two 18 year olds were arrested after driving their cars down a school corridor for a lark on the last day of term.

The sixth formers propped open the front doors of Malmesbury comprehensive school in Wiltshire and drove along the corridor while lessons were taking place.

Headmaster Tim Gillson said: “They are not bad lads, either of them, but have just done something really stupid. It was so stupid and so potentially dangerous. Thankfully no one was injured.”

Police and firemen were called and it was initially feared the building could have been structurally damaged because they had scraped a central pillar. Officers had to drive the vehicles out of the building through a fire exit.

Simon Bush of Britannia Driving School said: “This incident goes to show why police officers should visit schools in their area to give talks on road safety and to emphasise that cars are not play things but serious pieces of equipment.”

What are your thoughts on this article? Send your views to Britannia Driving School by using the comments link below: