Some Notable Things Happened In 2018 – The Industry Review
Friday, 11. January 2019
£500 Overspend On Petrol: Drivers can spend £500 per annum more than necessary depending on where they fill up.
Daily Insurance Claims Hit £33m Per Day: Car insurance payouts ran at £33m every day in 2016 whilst premiums hit a record high.
1.4 Million Drivers Attended Re-Training Courses: Drivers who were caught committing motoring offences attended courses raising £54 million for the police in the process
9,050 Drink Drive Casualties: The highest on record since 2012 with 2016 7% higher than 2015.
Council Parking Revenue Up To £1.58 Bn In 2017: New figures revealed that this produced a surplus of £819 million.
1,024 Children Banned From Driving: Even though they weren’t old enough to drive
39% Drop In Phone Penalties: Motorists caught using a mobile phone whilst driving dropped from 49,694 in 2016 to 30,470 in 2017. This was put down to fines and points doubling. Or maybe it’s down to fewer police and hands-free fitted to more cars.
109 Driving Instructor Investigations: The DVSA cracked down on inappropriate relations between driving instructors and students.
Superfluous Road Signs: 4.3 million road signs were shown by the Department for Transport to be superfluous.
15% Of Motorists Report Being Blinded By Headlights: According to research carried out by the RAC
The Average Fine For Car Theft Was £198: With 80% of crooks receiving a fine rather than a jail sentence.
The Average Age Of Cars On UK Roads Is 8.1 Years: The Department for Transport revealed that the average age increased from 7.8 years in 2015 and 6.8 years in 2003.
8,000 Crooked Car Washes: The CarWash Advisory Service estimated that 8,000 of the 20,000 hand car washes are involved in illegal activities.
5.65 Million Parking Tickets Handed Out In 2017: The Government has pledged to clamp down on private firms.
Pothole Claims Run At £1million Per Month: The AA revealed the scale of the claims.
89,000 Vehicles Stolen In 2017: Vehicle theft went up from 56,000 in 2016 to 89,000 in 2017. Blamed on police cuts and thieves managing to crack keyless technology.
80% Of New Cars Were Bought On Finance: According to Auto Express I gave tips on PCP deals along with revelations. An influencer!
London Reduced Speed Limit: Sadiq Khan said that all roads managed by Transport for London would have a 20mph speed limit
Drivers Overspend £3.4bn On Repairs: Green Flag indicates that drivers spend £3.4bn more than they need to.
20% Reduced Reaction Times: University of Bath reported this drop in reaction time as a result of a hangover.
£106 million Government Investment In EV’s: This investment in vehicle and battery development was matched by £500 million investment from industry.
27% Of Those Killed On Our Roads Were Not Wearing Seatbelts: 1,793 people lost their lives on the roads in 2017, 27% were found not to be wearing seatbelts.
Audi Fined £700m For False Emission Figures: German authorities imposed the fine on Audi for ‘deviations from regulatory requirements’ over V6 & V8 diesel engine emissions.
Diesel MOT Failures Hit 238,871: Following new MOT rules – a fourfold increase.
2.3 Million Cars Clocked: One in 16 cars display a false mileage reading with the Local Government Association calling for the ban of mileage correction devices.
So there you have it – some of the major issues and statistics of 2018. What will 2019 bring us – well we will find out soon enough! By Graham Hill
