Category: IAM RoadSmart

1. IAM response to drug driving plans

   Posted on 5:55pm Friday 8th Mar 2013

   IAM director of policy and research Neil Greig said: "The IAM can welcome this report as the biggest step forward in the drug driving debate since drugs first started to feature in crashes."  

   "Setting limits based on a drug's effect on driving opens up a whole new approach to enforcement and sends a very strong message that it is unacceptable to have drugs in your system behind the wheel. The IAM is also very encouraged by the panel's finding that drugs mixed with alcohol are an extra danger and the setting of lower limits when alcohol is present is very good approach. We also support the panel's finding that more research is needed such as routine blood sampling at road traffic crashes to quantify the exact level of drug driving. 

   This is a complex issue and awareness raising campaigns for drivers, patients and the medical profession must be a top priority."

2. IAM response to Boris wants to 'de-lycrafy cycling'

   Posted on 8:37am Thursday 7th Mar 2013

   A £913 million plan to revolutionise cycling in London was announced today by the capital's mayor Boris Johnson.  

   Saying he wanted to "de-Lycrafy cycling", Mr Johnson outlined plans for a 15-mile cycle route from the western suburbs to Canary Wharf In Docklands and Barking in east London. 

   The route will include Dutch-style fully segregated cycle tracks along, among other places, the Victoria embankment and the Westway flyover. 

   Under the plan, a range of new cycle routes will open over the next four years parallel to and named after Tube lines and bus routes. 

   The plans will include:  

   A new network of "Quietways" - direct, continuous, fully signposted routes on peaceful side streets, running far into the suburbs, and aimed at people put off by cycling in traffic. Better segregation between bikes and other vehicles. Improvements to existing "superhighway" bus routes. Improvements to junctions deemed the least safe fo cyclists, including Blackfriars, Vauxhall and Elephant & Castle. Encouraging more out-of-hours deliveries by lorries to improve cyclist safety. 20mph speed limits for all traffic on some cycle routes. An electric bike hire scheme, similar to the existing Barclays Cycle Hire, will be trialled

   Mr Johnson - a keen cyclist himself said: "I want to de-Lycrafy cycling. I want to make it normal, something for everyone, something you feel comfortable doing in your ordinary clothes. Our new routes will give people the confidence to get in the saddle.  I do not promise perfection, or that London will become Amsterdam any time soon. But what I do say is that this plan marks a profound shift in my ambitions and intentions for the bicycle. The reason I am spending almost £1 billion on this is my belief that helping cycling will not just help cyclists. It will create better places for everyone. It means less traffic, more trees, more places to sit and eat a sandwich.  It means more seats on the Tube, less competition for a parking place and fewer cars in front of yours at the lights. Above all, it will fulfil my aim of making London's air cleaner."

3. Don’t hold your breath for French drink-driving fines

   Posted on 12:01am Wednesday 20th Feb 2013

   The French Minister of Interior has announced an indefinite delay on the fines for motorists, including motorcyclists, who do not carry a breathalyser kit with them in their vehicle. Previously, it was decided that fines would be issued from 1 March 2013.  

   Currently, all drivers in France, including motorcyclists, are required to carry a breathalyser kit and the €11 fine for not carrying a breathalyser would have been applicable to all road users, except for those on mopeds.  

   Anyone driving in France is already required to carry a warning triangle and a fluorescent safety vest to use in an emergency. Additionally UK motorists and motorcyclists must display a GB plate.  

   IAM director of policy and research Neil Greig said: “The law for carrying breathalysers will no longer be enforced through fines, but in order to comply with the law we still recommend that you keep a breathalyser kit in the car whenever you’re travelling to or through France.”

4. Government cuts £15 million from road safety campaigns

   Posted on 12:01am Friday 1st Feb 2013

   The government has cut spending on road safety campaigns from £19 million in 2008/09 to just £4 million in 2011/12 – a cut of nearly 80 per cent. 

   The figure was revealed after a freedom of information enquiry by road safety charity the Institute of Advanced Motorists.  

   The DfT is planning on spending £3.7 million on road safety in the 2012/13 financial year which will see:  

   •£53,000 spent on cyclist safety
   •£78,000 on child and teenager road safety
   •£50,000 on research into young drivers
   •£1.275 million on motorcycle campaigns
   •£1.685 million on drink-drive campaigns.  

   In 2011 the total cost of fatal road accidents was £3.2 billion, with immeasurable emotional and social costs.  

   IAM director of policy Neil Greig said: “Right across the public sector road safety is being cut too hard and too quickly, despite the huge returns on investment.  One life saved, saves the economy £1.7 million.  £53,000 is a derisory amount to spend on national cycle safety campaigns. Until we have the right roads infrastructure in place, publicity and education campaigns are one of the few tools we have to help us save cyclists lives.  £78,000 for children’s safety campaigns is virtually insignificant.  If the government is serious about safety for these groups, these amounts must be increased. The successful drink driving and biker campaigns have raised awareness of these issues and they both appear to be working. The government needs to match that kind of expenditure and take the safety of children and cyclists seriously,”

5. Experience counts in the drive for safer roads

   Posted on 6:59am Friday 30th Nov 2012

   Older drivers are as safe as drivers from all other age groups, according to research published today by the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists).

   Contrary to widespread belief, the study shows they have better attitudes to safety, deal with hazards better than young drivers and use experience to increase their safety margins on the road.  

   The report reveals that drivers over 75 react just as quickly as other age groups when a vehicle emerges from a side road or if the car in front brakes suddenly on a rural road.  

   Official statistics show that people over 70 make up nine per cent of drivers but six per of driver casualties.  This practical study found that where older drivers had slower reaction times, they used their experience on the road to compensate:

   •They drive at slower speeds on all occasions
   •They keep a bigger following distance than drivers from other age groups. Whilst the study found little difference in driving performance across the ages it did highlight two surprising areas of concern:  
   •Compared with other age groups, the eldest group appeared to stop short of the stop line at junctions and not look as often as others before pulling out.
   •Older drivers failed to look in their rear view mirror as much as other age groups on the motorway.  
   
   The report found that older drivers were likely to have less flexibility in neck movement and poorer vision standards but this did not translate into differences in driving performance. Neck flexibility varied widely, with some older drivers as flexible as some in the youngest group.

   The IAM believes it is important these findings are used in on-road and online assessments to ensure that older drivers understand the risks they face and what they can do to improve their driving in key areas.  
   In the light of this new report the IAM is calling for:  
   
   •A government action plan for older drivers
   •More car manufacturers considering older drivers in vehicle design
   •Greater publicity to encourage health professionals to discuss driving
   •Better information for older drivers and their families
   •Online self-assessment tools for older drivers
   •Wider availability of voluntary on-road driving assessments
   •Better partnership working at a local level  
   
   IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “The government needs to create a strategy now to deal with the ageing driving population. Older drivers, their families and friends deserve access to assessment and information to help them stay safe on the road. As well as this, car makers need to look at innovative ways to use technology to help this growing sector and the medical profession has to improve the way it delivers support and advise to keep drivers fit for the roads.”  
   
   TRL principal human factors researcher Nick Reed said: “This study for IAM using TRL’s DigiCar simulator revealed that in many of the driving scenarios tested, older drivers were typically as safe as their younger counterparts. It was notable that performance was more varied across the older participants; seemingly reflecting differences in the ageing process and highlighting how difficult it is to make judgements about driving ability based solely on age. It was pleasing to identify specific areas of concern for older drivers and perhaps to correct some common misconceptions about their driving ability.”  

   www.Iam.org.uk