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Category: IAM RoadSmart

  1. Prepare for the summer getaway

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    Plan ahead  to avoid unnecessary delays on your holiday – that is the  message from the IAM who advise that drivers could avoid many breakdowns by carrying out a few simple checks before setting off.

    The advice is part of their Motorway Month campaign which is being supported by the Highways Agency who say that they had over 36,500 breakdowns in live lanes on motorways and major “A” roads reported to them during 2012. 

    By carrying out a POWDER check, drivers and riders can help ensure that their vehicle is roadworthy with a quick visual examination, before they begin their journey.

    Petrol – Make sure that you have enough for the journey and plan refuelling stops.   Oil – This should be checked when the engine is cold (check your handbook) and the vehicle is parked on a level surface. Also include hydraulic fluids for the clutch, brake, and power steering systems in your inspection.  One in five UK drivers only checks their engine oil levels when an instrument panel warning sign is activated.1

    Water – The levels in the radiator and windscreen washer bottles should be checked while parked on a level surface.

    Damage – Check the bodywork, wheels and fixtures, including the mirrors and windows.  Make sure your windows are clean inside and out.

    Electrics – Check all lights, indicators and hazard warning lights are in good working order and clean. Also test the horn.   Rubber – Check the tyre pressures and tread depth, and look for damage to the tyres and wheels. Check the wiper blades for damage.

    IAM chief examiner Peter Rodger said: “Although motorways are our safest roads, they still see too many crashes and breakdowns. The hard shoulder isn’t the place to spend a holiday. Making regular checks can also save you a lot of money in the long run – it’s best to deal with minor problems and repairs as they happen, as they can get very expensive if left to build up over time.”

    Between the beginning of April and the end of June 2013, the Highways Agency had 2010 incidents reported to them where drivers had run out of fuel on motorways - an average of 670 a month.

    John McTaggart, Head of On-Road for the Highways Agency traffic officer service said: “The number of people breaking down simply because they have run out of fuel is alarming. It’s not only hazardous to the driver and passengers, but to other road users as well, especially if the vehicle has to stop in a live lane.

    “We want drivers to be aware of the risks and also to encourage them to check their fuel level before they set off. It’s important that if you are travelling over long distances, that you continually monitor your fuel level.”

    Dan McGoldrick from oil company Mobil, said: “Failure to keep oil levels topped up will lead to increased engine wear, fuel usage and diminished performance.”

    www.iam.org.uk

  2. Tyre safety key to motorway progress

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    Keep your tyres in check to help you stay safe on motorways – that is the message today from the Institute of Advanced Motorists after a total of 3,852 tyre-related incidents were reported on England’s motorways between April and the end of June 2013  – an average of 1,284 per month.

    Many motorists will often put off tyre repairs to save on costs. But it is actually cheaper to replace worn or damaged tyres where necessary, rather than waiting to face a burst tyre and having to be towed off the motorway.

    As part of their Motorway Month campaign, the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) offers advice for motorists on how to keep your tyres in check: • P – Performance. You can monitor the state of your tyres through observation of the performance of your vehicle; grip, handling and fuel economy will all be improved with correct tyre care. • A – Air pressure. It is essential that you check your tyre pressures on a regular basis for maximum performance. Low tyre pressure can cause increased fuel consumption as well as making them more susceptible to damage. • C – Condition. Inspect tyres for any cuts, bulges, uneven wear or objects embedded in the tread. • T – Tread depth. Monitoring your tyres’ tread is essential for safety, particularly on wet roads. Check that your tread depth is not below the legal minimum of 1.6mm, although it is worth considering getting them replaced if they are below 3mm.

    IAM chief examiner Peter Rodger said: “Regular tyre checks are the best way to keep on top of maintenance and avoid those nasty surprises both to your vehicle and to your wallet.”

    But one day you could become one of the thousands unlucky enough to experience a tyre-related breakdown, so having a dry-run of changing your tyre at home can prove very useful and will mean you needn’t rely so heavily on breakdown services, getting you back on the road quicker.”

    Incidents contribute to delays which cost the economy billions of pounds each year. According to the Highways Agency’s national satisfaction survey, carried out between April 2012 and the end of March 2013, only 53% of respondents say they regularly check their tyre pressure.

    Stuart Lovatt from the Highways Agency said: “Nobody wants to start their holiday off by having a breakdown that leads to them having to extend their journey time.”

    By checking that tyres are still in good condition, drivers are helping to avoid incidents and the risk of delays, not only to their own journey but to those of other drivers.”

    If you are carrying heavy loads, you will need to increase the air pressure in your car tyres to compensate. You can find the correct tyre pressures for heavy loads in your car’s handbook.

    Chairman of TyreSafe Stuart Jackson said: “Before setting off on their summer holidays, it’s essential that drivers give their tyres a thorough inspection. It’s particularly important to ensure tyres are correctly inflated in line with the vehicle manufacturer’s settings, which may be different if extra passengers or heavy luggage is being carried. But remember to readjust your tyre pressures when you start to using your car normally again.”

    www.iam.org.uk

  3. Stay safe on the motorway this summer

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    In 2012 there were 33,303 reported road collisions on the Highways Agency network, causing lane closures, significant costs and delays for thousands of road users.

    With many people driving to the airport and to their holiday destinations in the coming weeks, the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists), the RAC and the Highways Agency are advising on how not to become one of the unlucky ones who sacrifices time on the beach for time broken down. • All drivers are looking to get to their destination without delay – but following too close to other vehicles on the motorway is not the way to speed up your arrival. In fact, tailgating is far more likely to lead to a collision. Always try to maintain a two second gap between yourself and the vehicle in front of you. • If you are being tailgated, there are steps you can take to help prevent their bad behaviour becoming your burden: try not to react by accelerating, braking or swerving suddenly - this will reduce your car control and probably annoy the other driver. Remain calm and check your mirrors frequently to monitor the situation around you. • When driving on the motorway in the UK, you should consider the left hand lane your ‘base’. There are no set speeds for each lane, so on an empty motorway, you should always drive on the left, using the other lanes for overtaking slower vehicles. Many motorists stick to the middle-ground of lane two to minimise their lane changes, but this is not best practice and could irritate other drivers,.

    IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “More than 33,000 people crashed on England’s motorways and major “A” roads in 2012 – the equivalent of the entire population of West Somerset."

    "A collision or breakdown on the way to the airport is a sure fire way to get your summer holiday off to a bad start. Just a few steps and precautions will ensure you’re digging out your swimsuits sooner rather than later.”

    Steve Crosthwaite, head of the Highways Agency’s National Traffic Operations Centre said:

    “Crashes and the delays they cause lead to even greater frustration when the roads are already busy with holiday traffic."

    “If the journey to the airport, ferry or beach is a miserable one it can really shatter the holiday mood. We encourage people to spend a little time before they set off checking the traffic and weather conditions so they are prepared and allow adequate time for their journey, including breaks."

    “And if there is an incident on our network we will be doing all we can to inform road users and to get everyone safely on their way again.”

    RAC technical director David Bizley said: “We know from the RAC Report on Motoring 2013 that the biggest 'stress points' for motorists relate to the behaviour of other drivers. Seventy-four per cent of drivers we surveyed said they get stressed or angry because of people who drive too closely to them and 59 per cent get annoyed by drivers who don’t pull over from the outside lane of the motorway to let other vehicles go by. These are two bad driving habits that we could well do without.”

    www.iam.org.uk

  4. IAM response to traffic police cuts‏

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    Traffic police cuts could mean deadly, drunk and drugged drivers get away with it, says charity Brake, the road safety charity.

    Traffic police numbers across Great Britain have been cut by 12% in five years, with some forces suffering 30-40% reductions, according to data released today by road safety charity Brake and webuyanycar.com. While traffic police in Scotland increased by 4%, numbers were down by 31% in Wales, and 13% in England. Brake and webuyanycar.com are warning the cuts leave some parts of the country dangerously short on vital frontline roads policing, which could put the public at risk from dangerous, law-breaking drivers.

    The largest cuts have been in: Bedfordshire, where roads police have been reduced by 44%; South Wales and Dyfed Powys, where cuts are around 40%; and West Mercia and Hampshire, where reductions are more than a third. Read the full results broken down by police force area.

    Brake and webuyanycar.com are concerned the resulting lack of roads policing officers will lead to forces struggling to enforce vital safety laws, such as on drink driving, speeding and mobile phone use, and could potentially undermine an important new drug driving law expected to come into force next year (see below).

    International evidence shows enforcement is a key part of keeping roads safe[1], preventing devastating crashes and casualties by providing a deterrent against risky driving and ensuring dangerous offenders are taken off the public road.

    Brake and webuyanycar.com are calling on the government to act to stem these severe cuts to life-saving traffic policing. It is urging the government to make roads policing a national policing priority, and ensure traffic policing is sufficiently resourced to tackle drunk, drugged and other dangerous driving.

    Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive at Brake, said: "It is desperately worrying such large cuts continue to be made to traffic policing, just as progress is being made to improve the law on deadly drug driving. Roads police officers do a vital job enforcing important safety laws and protecting the public - their work is proven to save lives and prevent injuries and suffering. Cutting traffic police is a false economy, because the crashes and casualties they help to prevent inflict such devastation and are a huge drain on public services. These cuts also undermine important progress being made by government to tackle drug driving - because as much as we need a new drug driving law and screening devices, we also need the officers out there to enforce it. We urge the government to make roads policing a national policing priority, to make sure we have a strong deterrent against the risk-taking on roads that can easily cost lives."

    A spokesperson from webuyanycar.com added: "It's imperative that the police have the resources to protect all road users from the drivers whose criminal behaviour puts us at unnecessary risk. We urge the Government to heed the warning of our report and stem the cuts before we witness a hike in needless incidents; incidents that, without road policing, are waiting to happen."

    About the new drug drive law

    The government is bringing in a new offence against driving with illegal drugs in your body, including limits for drugs in the bloodstream, similar to the drink drive limit, and provision for police to use roadside drug screening devices. Currently, prosecutors have to prove a driver is ‘impaired' by drugs, which is difficult and means prosecutions are relatively few.

    Driving with drugs in the system can be deadly. For example, smoking marijuana before driving can more than double crash risk[2], and methamphetamine can encourage speeding and poor lane discipline[3]. Mixing drugs and alcohol is even more dangerous than simply taking drugs, or drinking, before driving[4].

    Why roads policing is vital

    Traffic police play a vital role in keeping us safe on roads. A proper deterrent is vital for sending out the message that road crimes are incredibly dangerous and will be taken seriously by the criminal justice system. Drug drivers state that a lack of enforcement is a reason they continue to offend, knowing they are unlikely to be caught[5].

    According to Brake's research, a third of drivers (31%) think there is a less than one in ten chance of being caught if you drink and drive[6]. Senior police officers have expressed their frustration at the lack of priority given to roads policing by successive UK governments, stating the ‘second tier' status of roads policing leads to forces being unable to properly enforce driving laws [7].

    Case studies

    In June 2010 Lillian Groves, 14, was killed outside her home in Croydon by John Page, who had been smoking cannabis. He was convicted of causing her death by careless driving and sentenced to eight months in jail, reduced to four months for an early plea. He was released after just eight weeks. Lillian's family went on to campaign successfully for improved laws and enforcement on drug driving. Natasha Groves, Lillian's mum, said: "Lillian was a wonderful young child who did not deserve to die. She lit up rooms and gave warmth to everyone she met. A child being so suddenly killed, in such a needless and destructive way, is something that tears a hole in the heart of your family. We have successfully campaigned for Lillian's Law to make it an offence to drive on drugs, but this won't have the impact that is desperately needed unless there are enough police officers enforcing this new law. Specialist traffic police are vital to detecting and stopping dangerous drug drivers that cause carnage on our roads, so we plead for action to stop this decline in their numbers."

    In October 1998, 18 year old nursery nurse Emma Greathead, from Worcestershire, and her friend, accepted a lift from a young man they knew when their car broke down. He overtook another car at more than 90mph on a 60mph road and they crashed into an oncoming vehicle. All three of them died, along with the driver of the oncoming vehicle. The driver of the vehicle he was overtaking was charged with causing four deaths but was acquitted of all charges. Emma's mother Sarah said: "I find it horrifying that traffic police are being cut in such great numbers, when they do such an important job in stopping people being needlessly hurt or killed. I can't even begin to explain the mental confusion, the physical pain and emptiness of our life caused by Emma's death. Any parent would understand the devastation of losing a child and the difficulty of dealing with the aftermath. Time makes no difference; your hopes and dreams are gone, you never escape it. Emma was a bright, beautiful 18 year old. We all miss her so much."

    Anyone who has been bereaved or seriously injured in a crash can call the Brake helpline for support on 0845 603 8570.

    www.brake.org.uk

  5. Time to end the motorway rip-off

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    Motorway Service Areas are charging up to four times the high street price for basic food and drinks, according to research conducted by road safety charity, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM).

    Essentials such as a 500ml bottle of water cost £2.09 (95 pence on the high street in London) while the cheapest cheese sandwich cost £3.99). 

    On the high street, the everyday shopper can expect to pay 25 per cent less than a service area user. At a popular high street newsagent, a standard size Mars bar costs £0.79 and a pack of Walkers crisps is priced at £0.95).

    Motorists are dissatisfied with the value for money available at Motorway Service Areas but are left with little choice when making long trips around the country.  When asked to rate the price of food and drinks at Motorway Service Areas, more than half of respondents (51%) rated them unreasonable.

    The survey also found that sixty-five per cent of respondents are most likely only to stop at Motorway Service Areas just to use the toilet facilities1.

    Price comparisons include: • A medium white coffee - £3.09 (£2.10 London high street) • A standard sized Mars bar - £0.95 (£0.79 London high street) • A pack of Walkers crisps – £1.05 (£0.95 London high street) • 500ml bottle of water £2.09 (£0.95 London high street) • A basic cheese sandwich - £3.99 (£1.00 local high street)

    London offers the most expensive white coffee at £3.09, while generally prices were around £2.50.

    Fifty-four per cent of respondents consider the price of petrol at Motorway Service Areas unreasonable.

    With petrol prices averaging about ten pence per litre more than at off-motorway forecourts the IAM is calling for a complete review of motorway prices, together with filling stations being forced to advertise their and their competitors fuel prices, as is the case in France.

    The research also revealed that from one Motorway Service Area to the next, the price of petrol can vary by up to 10p per litre.

    Cost of petrol per in pence per litre: • Hopwood Park M4 – 144.90 (132.9 off motorway2) • Corley M6 – 144.90  (131.9 off motorway) • Michaelwood M5 – 142.90 (135.9 off motorway) • Strensham M5 – 142.90 (133.0 off motorway) • Pont Abraham, Wales M4 – 141.90 (133.9 off motorway) • Forton M6 – 141.90 (133.9 off motorway) • Sarn Park M4 – 133.90  (131.7 off motorway) • Heston Services M4 - 144.90 (132.8 off motorway) • UK average at supermarkets £1.313

    IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “Motorway Service Areas are supposed to be for motorists eat, drink and freshen up. It’s very important to have a break every two hours and these costs will put people off stopping. Tired motorists pose a danger to themselves and other road users.”

    “17,000 people every year break down on the motorway simply because they have run out of fuel, which can cause lane closures and delays for everyone.  High petrol prices will put people off filling up.  Forcing stations to advertise their competitors’ prices would drive costs down.”