Category: IAM RoadSmart

1. Driving penalty points cost over £132 million a year, finds IAM and MoneySuperMarket‏

   Posted on 12:39pm Saturday 28th Nov 2015

   Penalty points on driving licences are costing UK motorists over £132 million a year in higher insurance premiums, according to new research by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) and MoneySuperMarket.

   Of these it’s the drivers with the highest number of points who are unsurprisingly paying the most – those with 10-11 points, and 12 or more have respectively paid 81.8% and 89.3% more for their car insurance.

   In terms of regions, motorists in London, Glasgow and Birmingham are having to shell out the most, paying more than £8 million, £4 million and £3 million respectively in more expensive insurance.

   The IAM and MoneySuperMarket have calculated the increase in premiums for drivers with one to three penalty points, four to six points, seven to nine, 10-11, and 12 or more for every postcode area of the country, as well as major towns and cities.

   The research shows that even getting the lowest number of points (between one and three) is costing drivers in London more than £2.4 million, Glasgow £1.5 million and Birmingham more than £1.2 million.

   It adds that across the UK those with one to three points will pay an extra £49.5 million in higher insurance, those with four to six points an extra £57.4 million, seven to nine £18.9 million, 10-11 £3.5 million and 12 or more £2.6 million.

   The full top ten is:

   London £8,079,529
   Glasgow £4,080,190
   Birmingham £3,423,840
   Nottingham £2,833,865
   Newcastle £2,642,079
   Cardiff £2,586,075
   Sheffield £2,535,609
   Edinburgh £2,070,783
   Swansea £2,036,358
   Manchester £2,026,561

   People in Bournemouth, Brighton, Bristol, Chester, Coventry, Derby, Leeds, Liverpool, Norwich, Oxford, Portsmouth, Preston, Southampton, Stoke and York have all paid more than £1 million in additional insurance premiums.

   Bath and Plymouth sit just below the £1 million mark.

   MoneySuperMarket says that those with one to three penalty points have paid 5.1% more for their insurance than someone with no points at all in the past year.
   Having four to six points really hikes premiums up, costing motorists 25.8% more. Having seven to nine points has cost drivers 45% more in the past 12 months.

   Sarah Sillars, IAM chief executive officer, adds: “If people don’t understand the safety dangers of the offence they have committed which has earned them the penalty points, they should certainly understand the damage it will do to their bank balances.

   “And someone with multiple points and fines is paying through the nose for car insurance; just think what other things they could use that money for. Driving safely could put thousands back into your pocket.”

   Kevin Pratt, insurance expert, MoneySuperMarket, says: “When it comes to driving offences, points definitely don’t mean prizes. In fact, points on your driving licence mean pounds – extra pounds payable on your car insurance. Insurers want to know about your motoring offences so they can build up a picture of what kind of driver you are.

   “The more points they see for offences such as speeding and careless driving, the higher your premium will be. A typical £500 premium would increase to around £525 for someone with just a single three-point speeding offence. But someone with six points on their licence could see their premium leap to £625.

   “Drivers with points on their licence should shop around and compare prices when it is time to renew their insurance as it is highly likely they will get a cheaper offer with another provider.

   “The message is simple: points on your licence puts pounds on your premium. So stick to the speed limits and drive with care, courtesy and attention to avoid unnecessary costs.”

2. Multi-tasking at the wheel a potentially fatal myth, finds IAM‏

   Posted on 12:00pm Monday 23rd Nov 2015

   Expert psychologists have concluded that multi-tasking whilst driving is a myth – and the most dangerous of those driving multi-tasks is texting and talking on a mobile phone, according to a new report produced by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) and the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL).

   The research focuses on the dangers involved when drivers try and engage in more than one task, indicating this can have a ‘detrimental’ effect on the quality and accuracy of driving performance.

   The findings come from a report launched this week titled ‘The battle for attention’, jointly produced by TRL researchers Dr Neale Kinnear and Dr Alan Stevens, and the IAM’s director of policy and research Neil Greig.

   Dr Kinnear, who is a senior psychologist in the study of human behaviour and transport, and Dr Stevens, who is chief scientist and research director with internationally recognised expertise in ‘Human-Machine Interaction’, both reviewed existing research behind in-car distractions to understand the various cognitive processes and complexities in driving.

   They said texting engages three of the five key areas of distraction to a ‘high’ level – cognitive, visual and manual. A mobile phone conversation also engages three of five areas of distraction to a ‘high’ level – cognitive, audible and exposure time.

   Figures from the Department for Transport (DfT) in 2013 found 2,995 cases where distraction in the vehicle was listed as a contributory factor to accidents. A further 1,627 cases were listed where distraction outside the vehicle was a contributory factor.

   The report says: “Research has confirmed that tasks almost always interfere with other tasks carried out at the same time. The brain never actually focuses on two tasks at the same time – it switches back and forward between them.

   “As driving is so complex and requires various cognitive processes, taking on another task when driving can mean a driver is unable to pay sufficient attention to all the activities required for safe driving. This can lead to a processing failure resulting in a loss of control, putting the driver and other road users in physical danger.”

   Sarah Sillars, IAM’s chief executive officer, said: “This is proof, should it be needed, that multi-tasking and driving simply don’t mix. Whilst there are plenty of distractions to tempt the driver, the individual needs to know that the phone, or internet, or the iPod simply don’t matter – driving is the only activity that should occupy your mind while at the wheel.

   “It’s important that we work with the government, car makers and educators to deliver a renewed focus on driver training and road safety – and that people know that distractions can be fatal.”

   A full copy of the report can be downloaded here

3. Technology and social media bigger perceived threats than drink-driving, IAM finds‏

   Posted on 11:34am Friday 6th Nov 2015

   Motorists are now more worried about the dangers of distraction posed by technology and social media than drink-driving, according to the Institute of Advanced Motorist’s (IAM) first major survey into safety culture.

   The Safety Culture Index report was launched today by the IAM, and is a study of more than 2,000 UK motorists’ attitudes to driving safety and behaviour on our roads.
   This report will form a definitive baseline to track changes over time, providing the opportunity to examine how attitudes change over the years.

   The report has found that while technology will form a fundamental part of improving road safety, it also poses some risks, in particular driver distraction – 77% of people say it is now a bigger problem than three years ago. This compares to just 23% of people feeling drink driving is a bigger threat than three years ago.

   Those surveyed said text messaging and social media are the two biggest factors threatening their personal safety, with 93% and 92% respectively claiming these to be a ‘very or somewhat serious’ threat.

   The next two factors they say are threats to their personal safety are drink and drug driving, at 90% and 89% respectively.

   And while most people feel talking on a hand-held mobile phone is unacceptable in their own locality (just 15% said they found it acceptable), some 64% say talking on a hands-free mobile phone is acceptable.

   Motorists are also much more worried about speeding in residential streets than they are about speeding on motorways - 86% believing this to be a very or somewhat serious threat; 24% higher than motorways.

   This is borne out by the fact 61% feel it’s acceptable to drive 10mph over the speed limit on the motorway, just 27% feel it’s acceptable to drive 5mph over the limit on a residential street.

   The IAM believes the report highlights the key areas of road safety and police enforcement priority that will command the highest levels of public support.

   IAM President and 1992 Formula 1 World Champion Nigel Mansell CBE said: “The good news is that the vast majority of drivers do value safety and they want to feel even safer on the road in the future. They take speeding and drink-driving very seriously and are happy to support even stronger legislation even if it may stop them doing things they admit to doing themselves. We do feel we can offer real world solutions to those drivers who through over, or under, confidence feel stressed on our busy roads.”

   Sarah Sillars, IAM chief executive officer, said: “This report is a crucial barometer of what drivers are really thinking. It is all about seeing what issues and factors the public see as important in their lives, and using that information to influence their behaviour. Understanding the issues drivers see as important when it comes to road safety is essential for establishing how best to communicate with them and so in turn to achieve behaviour change, on both a local and national level. It is up to all of us now, armed with this information, to do something about it.”

4. Speeding still top road offence – and people flouting law in bigger numbers, IAM finds‏

   Posted on 9:10am Friday 2nd Oct 2015

   Figures obtained by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) have found that, over the last decade, speeding is still the biggest motoring-related offence where the defendant is found guilty in court.

   And the numbers of those found guilty have risen sharply in the past 12 months – from 115,935 to 148,426, an increase of 28% which is the highest number since 2005. The 2014 figures were 2% greater than 2004 (reference 1).

   The next highest offence where defendants were found guilty was vehicle insurance-related crimes, although the percentage has fallen dramatically since 2004.

   Some 118,254 people were found guilty in court of this, which is 7% up on 2013 but 84% down on a decade ago, when 218,142 were found guilty.

   The figures, obtained by the IAM from the Ministry of Justice, also show that vehicle registration and excise duty offences and driving with alcohol in the blood above the legal limit are both offences that have fallen in huge numbers in the past ten years.

   The top five list of offences where offenders are found guilty in court is as follows:

   Offence/2004/2013/2014/% change (one year)/%change (10 year)

   1.Speed limit offences/146,161/115,935/148,426/28%/2%

   2.Vehicle insurance offences/218,142/110,843/118,254/7%/-84%

   3.Failing to supply information as to identity of driver when required/not applicable/50,687/54,372/7%/not applicable

   4.Vehicle registration and excise licence offences/192,959/55,182/46,636/-15%/-314%

   5.Driving with alcohol in the blood above the prescribed limit/74,055/40,683/37,853/-7%/-96%

   Other offences with a large number of guilty verdicts other than speeding are neglecting road regulations at 16,951 in 2014 (up 2% from 2013), using or causing others to use a mobile phone whilst driving at 16,025 (down 8% from 2013) and driving licence-related offences at 15,982 (down 10% from 2013).

   New offences such as causing serious injury by dangerous driving are also showing signs of more widespread use which reflects the life changing nature of these crimes.

   Sarah Sillars, IAM Chief Executive Officer, said: “We can see from these figures that as the UK comes out of recession traffic levels have risen, speeding appears to be becoming more prevalent and regrettably casualties are rising again. The government and police forces cannot afford to take their eye off the ball and more visible policing is, in our view, the key way to ensure that people don’t think they can get away with speeding.

   “In addition local campaigns must remain high-profile to make sure drivers don’t get complacent, or forget that speed can kill.”

   According to the government’s THINK! campaign, speed is “one of the main factors in fatal road accidents”. In 2013, 3,064 people were killed or seriously injured in crashes where speed was a factor.

   They added that the risk of death is approximately four times higher when a pedestrian is hit at 40mph than at 30mph (reference 2).

   Sarah added: “On a positive note, the joining up of databases across agencies and the increased use of number plate recognition cameras means some motoring crimes have fallen in big numbers.”

5. Rudeness, poor hygiene & bad driving: Top 10 first date turn-offs that really grind our gears‏

   Posted on 10:15am Sunday 30th Aug 2015

   Forget flowers and chocolates, it would appear that the surest way to woo a potential love interest is to grab the L plates and brush up on driving skills as a new survey from the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) reveals the UK’s biggest first date turn-offs.

   Whilst rudeness scored highest in the list, with 81% of Brits citing bad manners as the worst thing a suitor can do, driving is a three-point turn off as nearly half of the 10 worst offences happen in the car before the date has even begun.

   The research found road rage to be the worst first-date faux pas for almost half (46%) of people, whilst a similar number say texting at the wheel leaves them wanting to put the brakes on the date.

   Talking on a mobile whilst driving appeared at number seven in the list, grinding the gears of 44 per cent of those questioned. And it’s best to bin those crisp packets as nearly a quarter (23%) finds a dirty car unappealing.

   
   Top 10 first date turn-offs
   
   1. Rudeness (81%)
   2. Bad personal hygiene (80%)
   3. No sense of humour (70%)
   4. Being self-obsessed (69%)
   5. Road rage (46%)
   6. Texting whilst driving (45%)
   7. Talking on a mobile whilst driving (44%)
   8. Bad dress sense (40%)
   9. Sweaty palms (25%)
   10. Dirty car (23%)

   Top 10 first date turn-ons
   
   1. Sense of humour (81%)
   2. Politeness (77%)
   3. Good personal hygiene (69%)
   4. Good dress sense (50%)
   5. Looks (44%)
   6. Confidence (44%)
   7. Generosity (29%)
   8. Good driving skills (11%)
   9. Great shoes (9%)
   10. Nice car (7%)

   A further one in 10 (11%) are irritated by someone who takes 15 minutes to park, whilst an eighth of Brits (13%) find overly cautious drivers who go under the speed limit off-putting.

   Other turn-offs include bad personal hygiene, which causes four in five (80%) of us to lose interest, and no sense of humour which shirks nearly three quarters (70%) of singletons. Being self-obsessed (69%) and sweaty palms (25%) also scored highly in the list.

   On the flipside, more than one in 10 (11%) Brits say good driving skills get their motors running on a first date – beating a nice car (7%) and great shoes (9%).

   The IAM’s chief executive, Sarah Sillars said: “Bad driving not only has an impact on the safety of our roads, but can also affect your chances of romance. Being able to manoeuvre properly and drive carefully should be much higher up on peoples dating priorities.”

   The research revealed that Brits pick up on the driving skills of a date – good or bad - within the first 65 seconds of getting in the car, with half picking up on their potential partner’s prowess behind the wheel in just 20 seconds.

   Singles can improve their driving skills – and chances of romance – by signing up for a free IAM driving assessment worth £39 at iam.org.uk/lovedriving. See if you can improve your ‘pulling’ power today.

   The IAM is the UK’s largest independent road safety charity, dedicated to improving standards and safety in driving and motorcycling. The commercial division of the IAM operates through its occupational driver training company IAM Drive & Survive. The IAM has more than 200 local volunteer groups and over 90,000 members in the UK and Ireland. It is best known for the advanced driving test and the advanced driving and motorcycling courses. Its policy and research division offers advice and expertise on road safety.