Category: IAM RoadSmart

1. More commitment is needed to improve road conditions, says IAM

   Posted on 11:52am Friday 30th Aug 2013

   Councils need to commit to long term funding to see progress with the UK’s pothole crisis, according to road safety charity IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists).  The IAM recently surveyed local highway authorities to chart progress on implementing the key recommendations for the Pothole Review twelve months on.

   Results show that councils are adopting new policies and are being much more open about how and when they will fill in potholes. • Forty-seven per cent of councils surveyed said that had published a report giving details on their repair policy and eighty-five per cent say they have clear definitions of what a pothole actually looks like. • Seventy-seven per cent of authorities publish clear information on their response time for repairs. • Fifty-seven per cent adopt innovative communication channels to make it easier for the general public to report a pothole.

   The Pothole Review has led to significant changes in the way that councils repair roads.  Fifty-nine per cent of councils said that now they adopt a ‘prevention is better than cure’ approach and seventy-one per cent say that permanent repairs are their first choice when dealing with damaged roads.

   IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “It’s probably too early to say that the Pothole Review has been a total success, but the early indications are mostly positive.  Communication with drivers and riders has improved and permanent repairs are now being used in place of constant patching.

   “The building blocks are in place but the fact that complaints still seem to be rising means they have a real challenge on their hands.  At least in future that challenge and their response will be quantified and public and we will be watching for signs of real progress on the street.”

   “The IAM recognise that it will take time to deliver the quality of roads we want but the lack of long term budgets in many councils is a real worry.  We may now know what constitutes a pothole but without consistent funding many will still go unrepaired storing up even more long term damage for the future.”

2. Inexperience and overconfidence are the biggest problems for young drivers, says IAM poll

   Posted on 9:05am Thursday 15th Aug 2013

   Inexperience (86%) and overconfidence (86%) are the main reasons that new drivers are the riskiest group of road users, according to the latest poll from road safety charity IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists).  Respondents also rated peer pressure (67%), immaturity (52%) and shortfalls in the learning process (45%) as being important risk factors.

   Sixty-eight per cent of respondents lack faith in the current driving test as being an adequate system to produce safe drivers.  There is a high degree of dissatisfaction with the current system for learning to drive. When asked to rate how well new drivers are taught using a scale of one to ten (1 being poor, 10 being ideal), half (57%) of respondents rated it as a 5 or below.

   When asked about the idea of a minimum learning period, respondents’ opinion is split.  Thirty-one per cent believe it should be six months with thirty per cent believing it should be at least a year.

   Poll results showed support for restrictions such as stricter drink-drive limits for younger drivers.  Forty-nine per cent of respondents believe that the drink-drive limit should be lower for younger drivers.

   When it comes to the number of passengers younger drivers can carry, seventy-one per cent support restrictions on the in the first few months after passing the practical test.

   Attitudes were more divided on night time curfews with forty-seven per cent support a nightime curfew while forty-five per cent do not want to see any curfew enforced for young people.

   IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “Our survey has shown that sixty-nine per cent of motorists lack faith in the current system which marks a clear need to review the learning process.  It is clear that motorists want to see more restrictions on younger drivers, but this will not solve the issue alone. There needs to be a lifelong learning approach to driving that starts at school and continues through experience and coaching into the higher risk early days of solo driving. The more experience of driving that young people get the safer they will be in the long run.”

3. One in 20 adults involved in a road accident last year‏

   Posted on 10:35am Tuesday 13th Aug 2013

   One in 20 adults was involved in a road accident in 2012, according to road safety charity, Institute of Advanced Motorists.

   Using information  from the National Travel Survey published by the Department for Transport it shows that 5.2% of the population admit to having been involved in an accident.

   Figures also reveal that men are more likely to be involved in an accident than women.

   Adult accident involvement	2012	2011	2010
   Males	5.6%	6.8%	6.5%
   Females	4.8%	5.2%	5.4%
   All	5.2%	6.0%	5.9%

   This means that an incredible 2.4 million Brits were involved in the trauma and stress of a road crash last year, with around 800,000 actually injured.  In the vast majority of these crashes those involved were car occupants.

   IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “The good news is that our roads have never been safer and the headline death and serious injury figures continue to fall.  But we still kill five people every day, and these government figures suggest that millions are involved in minor bumps and scrapes every year.  Car and road design have delivered a safer driving environment, but it is clear that we must all share the responsibility of reducing accidents and collisions.”

4. IAM comment on drink-drive casualty figures

   Posted on 8:34am Friday 2nd Aug 2013

   The latest Department for Transport drink-drive statistics released today show an increase in the number of drink-drive casualties.
   
   • Provisional estimates for 2012 show that 290 people were killed in drink drive accidents in the Great Britain, an increase of a quarter compared with 2011.
   • There was a 5 per cent decrease in seriously injured drink drive casualties in 2012 to around 1, 200.
   • 220 fatal drink drive accidents in 2011 resulting in 230 deaths, the lowest number of deaths since reporting began in 1979.
   • Since 1979 (when reporting began), there has been an almost six-fold reduction in the number killed in drink drive accidents.

   IAM director of policy and research Neil Greig said: “The number of people killed or seriously injured by drink drivers is the real indicator of success in dealing with those who present the biggest danger on our roads.   The IAM is concerned that despite continued police campaigns the message does not seem to be getting through to a minority of drivers.”

   “This increase shows the critical need for the DfT to reverse cuts in publicity funding and continue to ram home the message that drink driving kills.”

5. One in 200 drivers caught driving uninsured

   Posted on 8:37am Monday 29th Jul 2013

   226,803 drivers in the UK have points on their licence for driving without insurance, according to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists).

   The FOI request, directed to the DVLA, revealed that 194,997 full licence holders and 31,806 provisional licence holders have been caught driving without vehicle insurance and have received points for doing so – one in two-hundred drivers. In the 17-35 age range, one in every 100 people with a full driving licence has points for driving uninsured.

   Figures also show that in both licence categories and all age groups it is men who are far more likely to commit this offence. In the 17-24 age category, men are four times more likely to have points on their licence for driving uninsured than women.

   Other findings were: • People in the 25-35 age category are most likely to drive uninsured (81,003 with points). • Drivers over 65 were least likely to have points on their licence for driving without insurance (0.06%, or 3,867 people). • 0.44% of people with a provisional license have been caught driving uninsured. • One in every 200 people with a full UK driving license has been penalised with points for driving without insurance.

   IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “These findings are shocking. Those 200,000 individuals who drive whilst uninsured place the burden back on those who abide by the law through higher premiums and potentially the cost of vehicle repair.

    “The most concerning fact is that this could just be the tip of the iceberg, as these numbers only represent those who have been caught and penalised.  Insurance fraud and uninsured driving are also growing problems that need to be tackled through a coordinated approach from enforcement authorities. It is not acceptable that drivers pay up to £70 in higher premiums to compensate for those who ignore the law.”

   As well as six points and a fine for driving uninsured, an eighteen year-old with a £950 premium could expect to see this increase to £2,195.  For a thirty year-old it would increase from £228 to £4621.

   Peter Harrison, car insurance expert at MoneySupermarket, said: “It’s astonishing how many drivers are still prepared to hit the road without insurance. Not only is it illegal but you could face thousands of pounds in liability, a conviction, six points on your licence and a hefty fine should you be caught out or be involved in a crash. To make matters worse, uninsured drivers cost the insurance industry £500 million each year. Furthermore, insurance fraud adds £39 to the cost of every motor premium and uninsured driving an extra £30 – this is not fair on law-abiding motorists.

   “The cost of insurance premiums will no doubt have influenced the decision from some drivers to forgo insurance altogether. However, the penalties for not having insurance are great, and could even result in your vehicle being confiscated. Although car insurance premiums may appear high, having suitable insurance and proving you are a safe driver will help bring premiums down over time. Not having insurance, and being caught without it, could result in you not being insurable in the future.”