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I’m still mystified as to why the industry seems to be preoccupied with the charger infrastructure given that fact that the super fast chargers can charge a car in around 15 minutes and as new electric vehicles are launched their range is not too far away from the range of a full tank of petrol. Anyway here is what the Government said:

 

The Government expects up to 6,000 additional rapid electric vehicle (EV) chargers will be required across the UK’s motorways and major A roads by 2035.

 

A £500m Rapid Charging Fund was announced in the March 2020 budget. It will be used to assist where the electrical connection costs of upgrading sites to meet future charging demand is not commercially viable.

 

The Government said it has undertaken a detailed analysis to assess the number of chargepoints required to meet future en route charging needs along motorways and major A roads.

 

Currently, a driver is never more than 25 miles away from a rapid (50kW) chargepoint anywhere along England’s motorways and major A roads, with a total of 809 open-access rapid chargepoints, as of January 1 2020. This includes an average of two rapid chargepoints at motorway service areas with more being rolled out over the next year.

 

As part of the UK’s commitment to end our contribution to climate change, the government is committed to supporting growth of green, zero emission technologies.

 

It is consulting to bring forward the end of the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans to 2035, but realises that extensive public charging infrastructure across the motorways and major A roads is a key part of this transition.

 

By 2023, it aims to have at least six high powered, open access chargepoints (150 – 350kW) at motorway service areas in England, with some larger sites having as many as 10-12.

 

By 2030 it is planning for there to be around 2,500 high powered chargepoints across England’s motorways and major A roads.

 

The Government said the new charging points will allow drivers to pay for the cost of charging their vehicle using debit or credit card payment and there will be clear pricing information available in pence per kilowatt hour.

 

James Taylor, general manager for Zipcar UK, said: “We are encouraged to see the government’s mission to accelerate the UK’s transition to electric vehicles, as rapid electric vehicle chargers are fundamental to enabling growth.

 

“However, while great progress is being made, we believe that more needs to be done. A ubiquitous charging infrastructure is vital to the growth of electric vehicles and is key to building consumer confidence in using them.

 

Rapid chargers have a key role to play, but a combination of rapid, fast and more on-street chargers are needed, particularly in urban areas such as London where air pollution levels are usually high.”

 

Dr Nina Skorupska CBE, chief executive of the REA, added: “This is an important moment for the UK’s electric vehicle sector, one which should give confidence to investors, fleets, and individual drivers alike.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

A new ‘smart’ traffic light system is helping to reduce waiting times for drivers across the South East.

 

Seven towns across Kent and East Sussex have benefited so far from new technology, which was successfully trialled by electricity firm UK Power Networks in Maidstone, last summer.

 

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, the firm has worked with local councils to use the new smart traffic lights across Marden, Orpington, Crowborough, Twickenham, Maidstone and Dover.

 

The temporary traffic lights, which are sometimes necessary, to cater for roadworks use something called the ‘autoGreen’ radar system. It automatically detects congestion and makes continuous adjustments to the phasing of the traffic lights to maximise traffic flow, all without the need for an operator’s intervention.

 

Each site is different, it says, but this form of artificial intelligence adapts to the situations it monitors, creating safer, more efficient and less stressful journeys and local environments.

 

The trial in Maidstone revealed that in heavy traffic autoGreen reduced journey times between 8% and 12%, rising to 27% to 41% in congested conditions, with some 15-minute periods cutting journey times by half.

 

Other benefits to motorists and councils included less impact on surrounding infrastructure and reducing the environmental impact of queuing traffic. It also improved safety for workers on site, by reducing their exposure to pollution, safety risks and occasional abuse, it said.

 

Paul Dooley, streetworks performance manager at UK Power Networks, explained: “Our trial in Kent using this technology was well received.

 

“We were able to demonstrate the tangible benefits and help to alleviate environmental concerns. There was a greater increase in cars passing per hour. This in turn led to shorter journey times along with an overall improvement in air quality.”

 

Dooley says that the system accurately tracks vehicle movements and uses this information to optimise the operation of the lights, varying the decision-making algorithms and timings.

 

He concluded: “Our long-term aim is for this type of smart traffic lights to be deployed whenever we need to do roadworks that affect traffic, across Kent and the other areas that we serve, in future.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Drivers who leave their vehicle’s engine running while parked face a £20 fine after Lambeth Council introduced the penalty to improve air quality.

 

Drivers who allow their vehicle engines to run “unnecessarily” when parked in the London borough will be asked to turn off their engines, and if they fail to cooperate, will be issued with the fine from Monday (May 18).

 

The move builds on previous anti-idling events in the borough to raise awareness and educate drivers on the effects of idling, it said.

 

Councillor Claire Holland, Lambeth’s deputy leader  and cabinet member for sustainable transport, environment and clean air, said: “Cleaning up toxic air is an absolute priority for this council.

 

“Poor air quality is a huge health risk to our residents, and engine idling is a major contributor. We are determined to tackle the issue and are confident these new measures will help encourage people to change their behaviour so that everyone in Lambeth – particularly young children due to the effects on their development – is able to breathe clean air.”

 

In Lambeth, Waterloo, the Southbank, central Brixton, Clapham and the Vauxhall Gyratory have been identified as idling hotspots.

 

Outside schools, hospitals, taxi ranks and coach bays have also been flagged as key locations for drivers committing idling offences.

 

Between February 2018 and September 2019 wardens in Lambeth told 2,044 drivers to switch off their engine while stationary, of which 2,017 drivers complied with their advice and 27 people did not.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Euro NCAP has announced a series of new safety tests into its programme, which have been labelled as “game-changing” by Thatcham Research.

 

Vehicles launched in 2020 will undergo the new tests later this year, which are designed to “address long-standing needs in occupant protection, improve post-crash protection and promote the latest advanced driver assistance technology.”

 

A key change is the implementation of a new moving barrier to the moving car frontal crash test. It replaces the offset-deformable barrier test, which has been used by Euro NCAP for the last 23 years.

 

This new test evaluates the protection of occupants inside the car while also assessing how the car’s front-end structure contribute to injuries in the collision partner.

 

“The objective is to encourage makers of larger vehicles to share some of the burden of the impact with smaller vehicles. Historically SUVs and other big cars have offered very good protection to their occupants. However, the smaller vehicles they sometimes crash into can fare less well,” said Matthew Avery, director of research Thatcham Research and Euro NCAP board member.

 

In the new compatibility test, if the larger vehicle is too stiff in an impact scenario, it will be penalised accordingly. Avery says this levels the playing field for all vehicle sizes, which is a “win-win for road safety”.

 

Side impacts account for the second highest frequency of death or serious injuries. The latest updates to this area of the safety assessment include adjustments to the near-side barrier test speed and mass, increasing the severity of the test.

 

Euro NCAP will, for the first time, evaluate far-side impact protection, focussing on driver protection and the potential interaction between driver and front seat passenger. With the latter test, the protection offered by new-to-market countermeasures such as centre airbags can be adequately verified.

 

The organisation has also added new, more challenging, test scenarios to rate AEB technology for cars and vulnerable road users, including back over situations and turning at a crossing. In addition, the first step is taken to evaluate Driver Status Monitoring systems, designed to detect driver fatigue and distraction, as part of the Safety Assist assessment.

 

Post-crash safety too plays a vital role in crash survival. In partnership with CTIF, the International Association of Fire & Rescue Services, Euro NCAP developed new rating rules to promote better post-crash safety.

 

Manufacturers will be rewarded when rescue information is accurate and easily available. Euro NCAP also checks ease of extrication, electric door handles, etc. and endorses advanced eCall functions.

 

Avery said: “These are the biggest changes to Euro NCAP’s impact testing protocols in a decade. Chief amongst them is the new ‘compatibility’ impact test. For the first time there will be two moving elements to the head on collision: the test vehicle and barrier.

 

Most importantly we will not only look at the intrusion occurring to the vehicle being tested, but also to the new Mobile-offset Progressive Deformable Barrier.”

 

In addition, a new ‘THOR’ mid-sized dummy will be used in the tests. Avery continued: “The THOR dummy is the most advanced we’ve ever worked with. It makes the new test especially challenging for carmakers, as the dummy more closely represents a human.

 

The previous dummy we used was designed for impact scenarios that are less common today, while the THOR dummy is far more complex and sensitive and can record abdominal injuries.

 

“As a result, carmakers not only have to tune vehicle restraints and structures to accommodate for THOR’s sophistication, but there is also the new barrier to consider.” By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

The volume of motoring fines and penalties incurred by company car and van drivers increased by 3% in 2019, new figures from Lex Autolease show.

 

This compares to a 60% year-on-year cumulative increase over the past three years, suggesting a slower rate of increase than in previous years.

 

This was also reflected in the value of fines incurred by drivers, which did not grow for the first-time last year, bucking the trend of yearly increases from £10.7 million in 2016 to £17.1m 2019.

 

The percentage of drivers caught by bus lane cameras fell for the first time by 17% year-on-year, with fines issued for congestion charges and council parking also falling by 6% and 4% respectively.

 

Mersey Flow and Dartford Crossing fines also saw a year-on-year decrease with the total number of penalty notices issued falling by more than two fifths (44%) from 54,618 in 2018 to 30,391 in 2019.

 

However, the picture is not entirely positive, says the country’s largest vehicle leasing company.

 

The percentage of motorists penalised in private car parks rose by 6% year-on-year to £6.2m, and illegal junction-box stops and red-route driving fines increased by almost a fifth (19%) to £6.3m during the same period.

 

Lex Autolease analysed data from more than 361,000 company cars and vans to identify trends in behaviour and driver safety.

 

Kim Morris, motor operations director at Lex Autolease, said: “Company car drivers are often more likely to incur fines and penalties on the roads when compared to ordinary motorists, as the pressure to hit deadlines and attend meetings on time can sometimes lead to poor driver behaviour.

 

“The majority of fines can be easily avoided and if not closely monitored can quickly add up to expensive outgoings for employers – especially those with larger fleets.”

 

She believes that the emphasis fleet managers have placed upon driver health and safety in recent years is starting to pay off, with a considerable slowing in the rise of the number of fines incurred and a decrease in the number of fines for commonplace offences, including bus lane driving and congestion charges.

 

However, she said: “Our analysis shows that there’s still more businesses can do to educate their employees to bring these numbers down further.

 

“Continuing to invest further in driver education can help to modify employees’ driving habits and in turn save businesses unnecessary outgoings each month.”

 

She concluded: “As the new tax changes for alternatively-fuelled vehicles gather momentum, driver education will become even more important for fleets to make sure avoidable fines and penalties do not offset the cost saving benefits of low or zero emission vehicles.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

I’ve included the following report because it illustrates a point that I’ve been making for some time now that diesels are now cleaner than petrol cars and as we are years away from all cars being electric should they still be demonised and disregarded by drivers?

 

The fact is that whilst sales of petrol vehicles now massively exceeds the sale of diesels, if you are environmentally aware but not in a position to drive an electric vehicle should you immediately opt for petrol? Petrol emits more CO2 than diesel so if we’re not careful we will see the opening up of holes in the ozone layer – remember those? So read the report, aimed at the fleet industry, and draw your own conclusions.

 

Once the fuel of choice for the company car driver, diesel’s dominance among fleets has been on the wane for some time.

 

Its reputation tarnished and the attraction of tax-busting hybrid and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) difficult to ignore, numbers have continued to dwindle.

 

Industry leaders say they cannot see a way back for the embattled fuel and this is despite diesel beginning its fightback last year, when the first cars complying with the latest emissions standard began joining UK fleets.

 

Cars qualifying for the so-called RDE2 standard do not attract the 4% diesel company car tax surcharge, while fleets benefit from not having to pay the higher first-year rate of VED.

 

Shaun Sadlier, head of consultancy at Arval UK, says the savings from choosing a RDE2 diesel company car can run into “thousands of pounds” over a typical three-to-four-year lease contract.

 

“Fleets operating RDE2 cars also benefit from lower Class 1A NICs and first-year VED costs in comparison with a non-compliant model,” he said.

 

Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and BMW were among the first to offer RDE2 cars. Rob Morris, national fleet operations manager, at Mercedes-Benz, says that its RDE2-compliant engines were a “popular choice” with customers.

 

All Mercedes-Benz cars produced from this month (June) will meet the stricter standard.

 

Vauxhall has become the first volume manufacturer to offer the emissions standard across its range.

 

James Taylor, general sales director at Vauxhall, told Fleet News: “That means all new Vauxhalls avoid the 4% diesel surcharge on benefit-in-kind (BIK), offering savings to our customers of up to £22 and £43 per month for 20% and 40% taxpayers, compared with the same (non-compliant) models.”

 

STRICTER LIMITS

 

The on-the-road Real Driving Emissions (RDE) test was introduced alongside the new emissions testing regime, the Worldwide harmonised Light vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP), in two stages.

 

RDE1 was introduced in September 2017 for new car type approvals and applied to all new car registrations from September, last year. Vehicles compliant with this standard are designated Euro 6d-Temp. The stricter RDE2 standard came into force from January for new type approvals and will be applicable to all new cars, which will be labelled Euro 6d, from January 2021.

 

Cars certified to RDE1 (Euro 6d-Temp) must emit less than 2.1 times the Euro 6 NOx limit of 80mg/km for diesel and 60mg/km for petrol engines. This conformity factor tightens to 1.43 times for RDE2-compliant (Euro 6d) vehicles.

 

In 2023, it’s expected conformity factors will be removed, aligning laboratory and on-road emissions limits.

 

Alongside Vauxhall, other Groupe PSA brands have become RDE2-compliant, including all Citroën and DS diesel models, plus the majority of Peugeots now also meet the stricter emissions standard.

 

RDE2 models include all 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre BlueHDI-powered Citroëns and DSs, with manual and EAT8 automatic transmissions.

 

BlueHDi versions of the Peugeot 3008 and 508 have also qualified, along with the new 208 and 2008.

 

Martin Gurney, who is responsible for fleet and used vehicle sales for Peugeot, Citroën and DS in the UK, says Groupe PSA has been “working hard” to ensure its vehicles are compliant ahead of schedule.

 

He added: “These early announcements should reassure customers that we are committed to engineering clean and efficient powertrains for all drivers. The fact that most of our diesel models already meet the forthcoming RDE2 standards speaks volumes about the development that goes into our engines.”

 

BMW continues to add RDE2 models, while Hyundai says it will add further RDE2 engines to its line-up to join the i10, later this year.

 

Other manufacturers, such as Audi, Škoda, Renault and Kia, which do not currently have any RDE2 cars, say launches in the second half of the year will see compliant models come through.

 

But will a wider choice of cars, which avoid the 4% surcharge, be enough to halt the demise of diesel?

 

DIESEL’S DECLINE

 

The leasing industry is reporting growing interest from savvy fleets, but all admit the focus is shifting to zero emission motoring.

 

Figures from the Fleet News FN50 show that the proportion of diesel cars on the FN50 fleet – the UK’s top 50 leasing companies by risk fleet size – fell from almost two-thirds (63.4%) to almost half (50.5%) in 2019.

 

In terms of vehicles they had ordered, the flight from diesel was still more pronounced. Almost half of the cars ordered last year were petrol (47.6%), while only two-fifths (38.8%) were diesel.

 

Jon Lawes, managing director of Hitachi Capital Vehicle Solutions, has seen a growing fleet interest in RDE2 diesel cars.

 

However, he says this is when there is a direct comparable alternative available for the model they want.

 

He explained: “WLTP has been responsible for the wholesale rise of CO2, irrespective of RDE categorisation, and, therefore, we’ve seen a continued negative shift in perception of diesel vehicles.”

 

WLTP CO2 values for company cars registered after April 6, which are typically higher than those derived from the old emissions testing regime for comparable vehicles, are now used for tax purposes.

 

Their use has coincided with a new company car tax regime to try to take account of the hike in emissions, which also includes a new zero percentage rate for battery electric vehicles (BEVs).

 

PLUG-IN INCENTIVES

 

Lawes says he expects a “continuing overall decline” in diesel market share as more fleets opt for plug-in hybrid or BEV alternatives.

 

However, he did offer a glimmer of hope for diesel powertrains. “We expect RDE2 models will cause this decline to plateau as this will provide a favourable cost-effective option for some sectors and drivers.”

 

David Bushnell, principal consult-ant at Alphabet (GB), said: “For those high mileage drivers, where diesel is still probably the number one choice for fleets, the selection of an RDE2 vehicle will clearly make sense in terms of personal taxation and national insurance costs.

 

“It’s also an existing technology that many drivers are comfortable using. But, even here, we’re seeing mild hybrid technology coming in to reduce drivetrains’ CO2 output.”

 

However, he says the “clear additional tax benefits” for choosing plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles, revealed in the Budget, will prove hard to ignore.

 

Chris Chandler, principal consultant at Lex Autolease, has seen a similar trend. He said: “The cost savings and environmental benefits of a plug-in hybrid or full electric alternative are more attractive at the moment.

 

“The main question we’re being asked by fleets on a daily basis is how they can start – or accelerate – their transition along the ‘Road to Zero’.

 

“The availability of RDE2 vehicles and how to optimise diesel fleets seems to be far lower down fleet managers’ agendas.”

 

GROWING INTEREST

 

Chandler’s comments appear to be backed up by the results of a recent Energy Saving Trust survey.

 

It revealed that one-in-three UK fleet managers expect half of their company car fleet to be electric by 2025, and seven-in-10 fleet managers are preparing to buy an electric car within two years.

 

Matthew Walters, head of consultancy and customer data services at LeasePlan UK, said: “From our conversations with fleet managers, it’s evident WLTP is still the main consideration when it comes to compliance-related tax savings and how this impacts the vehicle selection process.”

 

He expects sales of internal combustion vehicles (ICEs) to fall as electric vehicles become more available and increasingly affordable.

 

Lex Autolease has seen a significant increase in demand for plug-in hybrid and full electric vehicles over the past 12 months, especially since the 0% BIK tax announcement.

 

Chandler says a “good awareness” of wholelife costs in the market is driving the shift towards low and zero-emission driving.

 

He said: “Rather than pay 25-30% tax on a RDE2-compliant diesel vehicle, company car drivers seem to be more focused on taking advantage of the tax benefits of plug-in hybrid and pure electric cars.”

 

As a result, the UK’s largest vehicle leasing company, Lex Autolease, says it doesn’t anticipate increased availability and understanding of RDE2-compliant models will significantly slow the decline of diesel.

 

Chandler added: “RDE2-compliant models will simply account for a growing proportion of the existing diesel market.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News.

Sanitisation costs for cars and vans bei g delivered and returning from garages are beginning to appear.

 

Dealers and garages are currently “working out” who pays the cost of sanitisation on cars and vans that are delivered to their new owners or undergo service, maintenance and repair (SMR).

 

There appears to be general agreement among all parties that vehicles will need sanitising thoroughly before they are handed over or handed back after service and maintenance to the customer or employee with a company car.

 

But who is to pay for cleaning products, PPE equipment and the time taken? These costs can’t simply be absorbed by the dealers and garages.

 

Tim Meadows, vice president and commercial director at Epyx, said: “This is a development that we are just starting to see through our 1link Service Network SMR platform, which is used by fleets totalling four million vehicles, as lockdown starts to ease.

 

“Sanitisation is becoming recognised as an essential part of almost any visit by a vehicle to a workshop. The car or van is potentially touched by many people as part of almost any SMR process, and the potential spread of infection needs to be minimised.

 

“However, that sanitisation has a cost and is starting to appear as a formal charge on some job sheets. The question is, who pays?”

 

Meadows says that garages “understandably” see it as an additional cost that they shouldn’t have to bear. “Their customers, equally understandably, feel the same,” he said.

 

The issue is especially acute where, on lower Service Maintenance and Repair bills, it could be interpreted as a disproportionate amount, added Meadows.

 

“If you are having £1,000 of work done, then a potential £10 item doesn’t stick out but, if your car is in the workshop for a MOT test or even just having a small repair, it becomes more noticeable.”

 

Leasing companies that already work on very small margins are working with dealers and manufacturers to arrive at a compromise to avoid increased delivery costs

 

Meadows continued: “Some of the fleets that use 1link Service Network have hundreds of thousands of maintenance jobs every year and adding £10 to each suddenly becomes a very large sum of money.

 

“Equally, this is a significant cost for garages to absorb. However efficient they become at sanitisation, this is something that takes time and money.”

 

Meadows believes that one thing that the industry had seen during the coronavirus crisis is a “very strong spirit of co-operation”.

 

“Everyone recognises that they are facing the same issues and they need to resolve them together,” he said. “We are sure that sensible solutions will be found to this problem.”

 

I agree, it’s not the end of the world, an extra £10 for most jobs is not over the top, it’s more the concern on the part of the customer that the sanitisation has been carried out. So many changes to our lives, not just in the short term but forever. By Graham Hill thanks also to Fleet News

Autovista Group has published a new whitepaper outlining how a report outlining the remaining battery life of an electric vehicle (EV) could improve its residual value.

 

Created in partnership with battery analytics specialist TWAICE and TÜV Rheinland, the document states that driving profile has a major impact on how long a battery lasts and in the absence of documentation of how a driver has treated the battery, residual value formation remains below its full potential.

 

“Used car programmes and extended warranties are already powerful signals that help address the information asymmetry between buyer and seller. But the BEV represents a new challenge for the market,” said Christof Engelskirchen, chief economist at Autovista Group.

 

“We know that how the battery is treated over the 8-10 years of its lifetime has a major impact on range and therefore suitability for daily use, but car manufacturers provide no systematic transparency on battery treatment and quality.”

 

Munich-based TWAICE has the technology in place to evaluate the true remaining quality of a battery based on how it was treated. It creates a digital twin of a battery and can simulate the impact of operating conditions, driving style, and charging behaviour.

 

Jonas Keil, battery engineer at TWAICE, said: “Many people underestimate the impact of battery treatment. At the three-year point with 28,000 miles on the clock, a battery that has been poorly treated will perform worse on promised range by about 5% – and this gap will only increase as battery quality, once lost, cannot be recovered.”

 

Autovista Group has simulated that improved and verifiable battery quality, provided in the form of a Battery Health Report, delivers up to £400 higher remarketing results for a three-year-old used C-segment BEV in Germany.

 

Dr. Matthias Schubert, executive vice president mobility at TÜV Rheinland, added: “Numerous long-term tests have shown that the aging pattern of EV batteries can vary widely amongst individual cases, depending on the user profile. An assessment of the remaining capacity and expected performance lifetime is a decisive precursor to establishing residual value.”

 

The full potential of a Battery Health Report can only be realised if information on battery treatment becomes available as a standard data item on every used BEV transaction, similar to information on age, mileage and equipment.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News.

Business travellers and commuters continue to steer clear of public transport, preferring to drive rather than travel by bus or train, new data from Transport Focus shows.

 

Having tracked transport usage over the past four weeks, the independent UK watchdog says survey results show public transport has remained consistently low.

 

Before the outbreak, 43% nationally used public transport at least a few times a month, while 80% used the car.

 

But just 2% of respondents said they had used a bus in the past week, which has remained unchanged since Transport Focus began its weekly survey.

 

In terms of trains and the London Underground, usage has again remained unchanged over the period, with only 1% of respondents saying they had travelled on either.

 

More than a third (36%) of respondents said they were avoiding public transport on Government advice, unchanged from the previous week.

 

Two out of five respondents (39%) said they would not use public transport for any reason until they felt completely safe.

 

However, almost one in eight said they would begin using public transport again when shops were open again or when their employer asked them to return to work.

 

During the first few weeks of the pandemic, there was much debate about the use of face masks.

 

Last month, the Government updated its advice and for the first time recommended their use in when in an enclosed space where social distancing is not possible.

 

Examples given include short periods indoors in crowded areas, such as when using public transport or visiting some shops.

 

Six out of ten respondents (62%) said think that wearing a face mask while using public transport should be a requirement in the most recent study. That was similar to the previous week’s result (63%) but has increased from the 51% seen in week one of the survey.

 

Until social distancing can be guaranteed on public transport, however, 71% said they would continue to avoid its use.

 

A consistent six out of 10 (60%) said they will more likely to drive in the future.

 

Driving retained its top spot, with 53% reporting usage of their car, unchanged from the previous week and a 5% increase on the 48% from a fortnight ago.

 

Drivers, however, are continuing to report an increase in the volume of traffic they are encountering, with 38% of respondents saying roads are ‘moderately’ busier in the past week – up from 33% in the previous week.

 

Traffic on the motorway, they say, is very light but local roads are much busier than they were a couple of weeks ago.

 

As lockdown restrictions are gradually lifted more businesses are re-opening and staff are returning to work. However, the proportion of people who say they expect to work from home more often in the future has increased since the survey was first conducted.

 

In week one, 40% said they expected to be spending more time working from home, compared to more than half (52%) of respondents now.

 

A Fleet News poll currently shows that two-thirds of respondents (66%) expect working from home to be their ‘new normal’ in the future. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

The Government is being urged to invest in roads policing and fast track technology to catch drivers who flout traffic laws.

 

Some 1,800 people die on UK roads each year – more than twice the number of deaths from homicides and terrorism combined. A further 25,000-plus people are seriously injured.

 

However, over the past decade, the number of roads policing officers has decreased substantially.

 

While the total number of police officers has fallen by around 13% since 2010, there was a 22% reduction in the number of dedicated roads policing officers between 2010 and 2014, and a further reduction of 18% since 2015.

 

In 2019, dedicated roads policing officers made up only around 4% of total force strength.

 

Furthermore, of those dedicated officers, many are often ‘double-hatted’, with responsibilities for carrying out more than one policing function.

 

The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS), in a report published today (Thursday, June 4), criticises successive cuts in roads policing.

 

It wants the Government to specify roads policing within its pledge to fund 20,000 additional police officers.

 

PACTS executive director, David Davies, explained: “The number of road deaths is more than twice the deaths from homicide and terrorism combined and breaches of road traffic laws are the biggest single cause of road deaths. This needs to be recognised in the Government’s priorities and resources for policing.”

 

Many of the casualties on UK roads result from a failure to comply with traffic laws – knowingly or otherwise, says the report.

 

Around two-thirds of collisions involve excessive speed, a driver over the legal alcohol limit, failure to wear a seat belt, or a combination of these factors. This does not take into account other offences, such as drug driving or hand-held mobile phone use.

 

Since 2010, the long-term decline in the number of road deaths and serious injuries has largely ceased, with many suggesting this is at least partly due to reductions in roads policing.

 

International research of the effectiveness of roads policing in increasing compliance with traffic laws and reducing road casualties, has been shown to cut some collision types by around a quarter.

 

A detailed analysis by PACTS of the ‘fatal 4’ offences (speeding, not wearing a seatbelt, driving under the influence of drink or drugs, and using a handheld mobile phone behind the wheel) since 2010, shows that where enforcement has been increased, compliance has improved and casualties have dropped; but where cutbacks have affected enforcement, there has been little or no improvement.

 

The PACTS report – Road Policing and its Contribution to Road Safety – investigates links between roads policing, compliance with traffic laws and road casualties, and looks for ways to enhance the effectiveness of roads policing, ahead of a Whitehall review,

 

It says that the wider use of technology to “monitor, deter, detect and prosecute” should be exploited to help police target high-risk individuals and assist in improving compliance with seat belts, mobile phones, drink driving and other safety requirements – not just speed.

 

It is calling for a review of Home Office type approvals to allow for the development and implementation of technologies such as cameras with more than one purpose and evidential roadside testing equipment.

 

The report says that there is “clear public support” for enforcement of traffic laws and a desire for more visible roads policing.

 

“Use of speed cameras is supported by the majority, but with sensitivity,” it adds.

 

Figures from Lex Autolease showed that the volume of motoring fines and penalties incurred by company car and van drivers increased by 3%, last year.

 

Davis said: “The public support more enforcement. Roads policing provides double value: tackling those who drive dangerously often disrupts wider criminality.

 

“For example, Essex police found that almost half the drug-drive offenders had previous arrest records for serious crimes such as burglary, drug dealing and violent crime.”

 

GEM Motoring Assist has welcomed the recommendations made in the PACTS report.

 

GEM chief executive Neil Worth said: “Our members support more enforcement. The public supports more enforcement. The report highlights the success of roads policing in improving levels of compliance with traffic laws and reducing road casualties. Effective roads policing has been shown to cut some types of collision by around a quarter.

 

“We welcome this report and urge the Government to make roads policing a national priority.

 

“There should be no further cuts to roads policing – in fact we want an increase in the number of specialist roads policing officers who can support communities in ensuring there is no place for the minority of lawbreakers who pose such a threat to safety and security on our roads.”

 

The report also suggests the public should be involved to improve road safety, with schemes such as Operation Snap, which allows drivers to upload dash cam video evidence, proving “popular, manageable, and effective”.

 

Chief Constable Anthony Bangham, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for roads policing, welcomed the PACTS report.

 

“It comes at a time when a number of key institutions, including the Government and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services are also interested in how we police our roads,” he said.

 

“There are more than twice as many road deaths as homicides in the UK every year. This shows how significant road death still is.”

 

A road safety charity, the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) promotes evidence-based policies to improve to road, rail and air safety.

 

It works with Government, Parliament, experts and stakeholders, and its founders were responsible to for the 1981 legislation which made it compulsory to wear a seatbelt in the front seat of a car. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News