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

ITV has confirmed that it will screen a two-hour special covering this year's inaugural Classic TT meeting on the Isle of Man. North One TV will produce the programme, which will be aired on ITV4 on Wednesday 28th August from 9pm. The show will also be distributed globally to many of the international broadcasters already showing the award winning TT highlights packages, including Discovery Velocity in the USA and Network 10 in Australia.

Matt Smith, one of ITV Sport's leading presenters, who currently hosts Uefa Cup Live and Champions League shows, will anchor the show. Established TT Races presenters Steve Parrish, James Whitham and Steve Plater will join him as co-commentators.

The two-hour show will cover all of the Classic TT Races from the two race days including the blue riband 500cc race, the 350 and 250cc Race and the Formula 1, Formula 2 and Formula Classic race. The races will feature a stunning array of machines ridden by leading TT stars going head to head with Classic racing specialists

TT 2013 race winners John McGuinness and Michael Dunlop will be reprising their head to head in the 500cc Race while other TT stars that have signed up to take part in the meeting include Bruce Anstey, Conor Cummins, William Dunlop, Guy Martin, Cameron Donald, James Hillier and Gary Johnson who will battle experienced classic racing specialists including Olie Linsdell, Chris Palmer, Chris Swallow, Alan Oversby and Roy Richardson.

The riders will be appearing on priceless machines from iconic marques such as Paton, Matchless, Norton, MV Agusta, BSA, Moto Guzzi, Ducati, Vincent, AJS, Aermacchi and the established Japanese manufacturers, Honda, Kawasaki and Suzuki while the world renowned Yamaha Classic Racing team will also be participating in their first and only competitive race meeting before being disbanded.

Away from the racing, a number of motorcycling legends and former World Champions are scheduled to appear in the Classic Racer Classic TT 'Lap of Honour' which will also feature in the TV programme. Topping the bill will be fifteen-time World Champion Giacomo Agostini, who will be also be appearing in a special parade lap with John McGuinness recreating the 1967 TT Races, while world champions Freddie Spencer, Carlos Lavardo, Steve Baker and Kork Ballington, who will all be on the Island during the event, will also feature in the show.

Neil Duncanson, Chief Executive, North One TV, commented: "We'll be looking to really get under the skin of the event and capture the thrilling sights, sounds and action. We won't just be looking at the racing but will be producing a number of features that cover all aspects of the festival. There's a huge amount of content packed into a short period and with so many great racing names past and present, the challenge will be to fit everything into a two hour show."

Laurence Skelly, Political Member, Isle of Man Tourism, commented: "This is a great platform to profile both the inaugural Classic TT and the Isle of Man worldwide. It will also assist us in achieving our long term commercial revenue objectives for the event and help to generate additional visitors to the Isle of Man."

Apparently there was a lot of chat last night on free radio, as someone thought they had sunstroke on Sunday as they saw Santa riding down the M54 on a motorbike, then the Teletubbies on a trike.

Well they were correct as Shifnab were doing their 5th 155 Mile Sponsored Fancy Dress Café Stop ride, in aid of the NABD (National Association for Bikers with a Disability) and the Orthotic Department @ Gobowen Hospital.

Approximately 33 motorcyclists took part on the hottest day of the year so far, some wearing fantastic costumes over their leathers & melting inside, but it was worth it, as so far they have raised about £1,000 for the two very worth while causes with more money still being donated by companies and the general public.

For further information or to make a donation please call 07584 449483 

Shifnab were doing their 5th 155 Mile Sponsored Fancy Dress Café Stop

The bike parking in Bangor Co Down has been there for over ten years – at the very least!

So if you are  heading for an ice cream or refreshment in this glorious weather or just a ride out to Bangor check out and use the dedicated motorcycle parking!

Glenn Thompson, who was originally involved in getting the parking in Bangor, posted up this message on Facebook to riders:

“If anyone is heading into Bangor over the holiday fortnight, I just want to remind you that we have our own dedicated Motorcycle Park in the Queens Parade car park. Council are telling us to use it or lose it, so please use it. It has hitching posts to chain your bike to and is bollarded off from the cars. Plenty of watering holes close by like The Red Berry and Caproni Bangor close by and one minutes walk to the Main St and High St. Come on down. We’ll be glad to see you".

View the article/picture/location and comment on Right To Ride

The original drummer from the legendary rock group Status Quo will be performing at Billing Bike Fest, held at Northamptonshire’s Billing Aquadrome on 20th and 21st July.

John Coghlan was the bedrock of the group in the 1960s and 70s, playing with Status Quo right up to 1981. Playing the drums with the iconic rock band, he toured the world with the Quo as the powerhouse behind the band.

John, now with his own band John Coghlan’s Quo will be performing many of Quos hits and favourite tracks, at Billing Bike Fest on Saturday.

Tom Siddall, Event Director of Billing Bike Fest said: "We are so delighted that such a legendary rocker will be at Bike Fest with his group. He is bound to be a great favourite for all visitors, whether they’ve come for the motorbikes or the music!”

John Coghlan is not the only new addition to Saturday’s line-up as Bike Fest will also be joined by the Joseph Peace Stunt Show. According to Joseph Peace, he set out to devise a show like no other, blending circus and comedy with an insane amount of fire. This show is sure to have you cheering one moment and gob smacked the next!

Visitors can also enjoy the Bolddog Lings Mini-X Tour, uses Britain’s best motocross and extreme sports participants, introducing the mobile Mini-bike freestyle ramp. Plus other bands appearing include last year’s headline act The Great Divide along with Sons of Icarus, Dionysus Unbound and Foo Fighters tribute band The Four Fighters.

Supporting the Marco Simmoncelli foundation, Billing Bike Fest will host more than 250 riders taking part in their 2013 charity ride out, as well as having hundreds of bikes on show from motorcycle manufacturers. Motorcycle clubs will showcase everything from great British classics to modern day heroes, Japanese elegance to American icons.

And what festival wouldn’t be complete without the fantastic camping facilities at Billing Aquadrome including an indoor aqua park for all ages, go karting, climbing walls and much more.

Adult ticket prices start from just £10 when booking in advance or £12 on the gate. Children under the age of 16 get free entry when accompanied by an adult. Parking is also free throughout. The show is open from 10am to 5pm each day. Camping is £25 per adult and £12.50 per child. Camping can be booked by contacting 01524 781453 (8am-8pm weekdays). To book day tickets call 0844 8540064.

For the latest updates visit www.billingbikefest.com