The Best Car Finance Blog In The World

TTC is warning drivers and fleet managers to focus on the legislation change surrounding licence extension periods affecting all drivers.

TTC said the changes, that came into effect on September 1, is catching some drivers out with fines of up to £1,000.

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) announced a grace period that saw all driving licences due to expire between February 1 and December 31, 2020, extended by a further period of 11 months.

As a result, any driving licences that were originally due to expire in October 2020 were valid until September 2021.

The Government also granted a seven-month extension to drivers whose photocard driving licence expired between the start of February and the end of August.

TTC is urging drivers to check their driving licence expiration date and re-apply to the DVLA immediately, while advising fleets to pay extra attention to driver licence compliance in the coming weeks.

Jim Kirkwood, chief executive of TTC Group, said: “The past 18 months have seen a host of regulatory shifts for drivers, as the Government has responded to the pandemic.

“As we return to a more normal regulatory environment, it is important drivers aren’t caught out by the end of this extension period.

“The range of solutions offered by Licence Bureau allows fleet managers to perform online driving licence verification checks both easily and quickly, and they will be immediately notified of any drivers whose licences have expired.

”

All drivers should make sure that they have a valid driving licence or risk a £1,000 fine. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

One in 10 drivers think it’s perfectly acceptable to answer a video call while they are driving, new research has found.

And worryingly, almost half think it’s fine to use their mobile phone while behind the wheel while seven percent admit to catching up with their favourite shows on long journeys, new research from dash cam company Nextbase has found.

Last year, a survey conducted by leasing company Venson Automotive Solutions highlighted a fall in driving standards as an increasing number of drivers headed back out on to the road.

On its latest findings, Nextbase head of road safety Bryn Booker said: “The continued use of technology while driving is worrisome, and the latest regulations are looking to crack down on these driving behaviours in order to further reduce the risk for road traffic incidents.”

The research of more than 1,000 drivers also found that 11% still believe it is fine to get behind the wheel after having a drink if ‘you feel fine to drive’.

Further research on bad driving habits picked up during lockdown revealed that 61% of UK drivers believe they are ‘Covid Drivers’, one in five (22%) said they now steer one-handed, 12% confessed to getting easily distracted when driving, while 15% said they drive far too quickly.

Company drivers should be made fully aware of new regulations that have come into force since the pandemic, the company says.

One of the new laws means it is illegal for anyone to pick up and use their mobile phone while driving, this also applies to scrolling through a playlist or using social media.

It also raises the question around using a mobile phone as a sat-nav, drivers must set the route before turning on their cars and turning on their engine. Setting a destination while driving could cost incur six penalty points and a £200 fine.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

As the great in-car touchscreen debate rumbles on, manufacturers remain totally committed, despite the fact that drivers are forced to take their eyes off the road to use them, even if only for a second or two.

A well-thought-out combination of actual buttons for key, primary functions and the touchscreen for secondary functions can help, but things like searching for music albums, playlists or tracks in the infotainment system are still distracting.

To improve on those shortcomings, Nissan has chosen electrostatic feedback buttons for its new Ariya, grouped on the main dashboard and on the centre console.

The technology generates what feels like a kick to emulate the sensation of pushing a mechanical button even though that isn’t happening. Sounds are generated at the same time to help distinguish one ‘button’ from the next. Nissan says the system has been tested by people with different size fingers and fingernails, a wide range of pressure forces, angles and gloved hands.

Haptic-feedback technologies, where the screen generates a sensation like a buzz or vibration in your fingertip when a button is hovered over or touched, can improve things. Hyundai showed off some research and found in trials that mixing audio with haptic feedback made a big difference to the ease of navigating around a touchscreen.

Audi introduced its MMI touch response in 2017 with electromagnet actuators behind a sprung display to deliver a mechanical pulse to your fingertip when a ‘button’ is pressed. Mercedes-Benz’s new ‘Hyperscreen’ also gives haptic feedback, generated by 12 actuators behind the screen.

A few ways of creating haptic feedback have been developed over the years, not all of them suitable for touchscreens.

Small eccentric-rotating-mass (ERM) motors spin an eccentric weight to generate vibration, while piezo actuators contain materials that change size when a current is passed through them, generating a high-frequency vibration if the current is varied very quickly. The faster an actuator can accelerate, the more intense the sensation – something that piezo technology does well.

Ultrasound can generate a haptic response before your finger touches the screen’s surface by disturbing the air close to the surface.

An electrostatic-haptic-surface technology called Tanvastouch has also been developed by US firm Tanvas for a variety of applications, including vehicles. It can go in a screen or surfaces in the cabin, including upholstery, to give haptic feedback. It generates friction between your fingertip and a surface to coincide with graphics so that fine textures, ridges and bumps can be felt as your finger moves over the features.

You can feel what you see, with sliders clicking into place and differentiation between different visual textures on the screen, for example. The technology is so refined that it has even been demonstrated in online shopping applications, allowing you to get a sense of how different materials used in clothing feel in real life. It might also prove to be the secret ingredient missing since cars got too complicated for buttons and touchscreens took over the world.  By Graham Hill thanks to Autocar

Almost two thirds (65%) of car and van drivers says the maintenance of existing roads is more important than building new roads or adding lanes to existing ones, new research from Transport Focus has found.

The independent watchdog spoke to more than 5,600 drivers to understand their priorities for improvement to England’s major roads and found that the quality of road surfaces is their number one issue.

Almost one-in-five car and van drivers rated the quality of road surfaces on England’s motorways and major ‘A’ roads as poor, with potholes and cracks being the main concerns.

The report – Road users’ priorities for improvement – comes as National Highways (formerly Highways England) prepares its long-term plans for England’s strategic road network.

Anthony Smith, chief executive of the independent watchdog Transport Focus, said: “Road users tell us they want to see England’s major roads improved with better roads surfaces and fewer potholes and cracks.

“It’s vital that National Highways focuses future investment on these priorities to ensure all road users have smoother, safer journeys.”

The safer design and upkeep of roads was road users’ second priority for improvement, followed by better management of roadworks.

Transport Focus carried out this research to help put road users’ interests at the heart of the third Road Investment Strategy.

The strategy will set out what the Government requires National Highways to deliver between 2025 and 2030. This includes building new roads, maintaining current ones and operating its network.

Road users’ top priorities for improvement:

1. Improved quality of road surfaces
2. Safer design and upkeep of roads
3. Better management of roadworks
4. Better management of unplanned delays such as accidents or breakdowns
5. Better information about unplanned disruptions (such as accidents)
6. Better behaved drivers
7. Better information about roadworks happening in future
8. Better lighting on the network
9. Reduced environmental impact of road travel
10. Better roadside facilities (service areas, laybys)

By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Vehicle thefts increased in the first half of the year as lockdown restrictions began to be lifted, according to new data from Tracker.

The volume of theft activity had increased by almost a third (32%) by the end of June, compared to the start of the year, it says, with Range Rover and Land Rover models remaining the top choice among criminals.

Tracker recovered more than £4.2 million-worth of stolen vehicles from January to June, of which 4x4s accounted for £2.6m.

The highest value car stolen and recovered during this period was a Range Rover Sport worth £94,000 in May, with Range Rover and Land Rover models accounting for 29% of the total stolen vehicles recovered by Tracker in the six months.

“Our latest figures show that – just like in 2020 – as prolonged periods of lockdown eased, theft of vehicles increased,” said Clive Wain, head of police liaison for Tracker.

“May was a particularly busy month for criminals who made up for lost time. The total value of vehicles we recovered in May was almost three times higher than in January, with an average vehicle value of more than £31,000, compared to just £13,000 in the first month of the year.” 

KEYLESS CARS TARGTED

Keyless cars also continue to be frequently targeted by criminals. Tracker’s latest data reports that 92% of the stolen cars it recovered January to June were taken by tech-savvy thieves compromising the signal from the vehicle’s key fob.

Added to this, insurers have revealed that keyless vehicles account for almost half of all reported ‘theft of vehicle’ claims.

The exploitation of keyless technology by criminals has become such a concern for police that the UK’s top police officer responsible for investigating vehicle crime recently issued a nationwide warning encouraging owners to better protect their vehicles.

Provisional figures from the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) show a 3.1% increase between May 2021 and June 2021 in vehicle crime, with a large part of this increase from keyless theft.

Wain continued: “Now that almost all restrictions have formally lifted, all car owners need to be aware of the risk and take steps to protect their vehicles, beyond relying on a factory-fitted alarm.

“Visible physical deterrents that help dissuade many would-be criminals include alarm systems, wheel clamps and steering locks.

“Those with keyless entry vehicles also need to safeguard their key fob, for example, keeping them inside a metal container that blocks the key’s signal so it cannot be extended to remotely unlock and start the vehicle.

“Unfortunately, even with multi-layers of protection against theft in place, the most experienced thieves and organised criminal gangs will take measures to bypass barriers if the potential payoff is worthwhile.

“Once a vehicle is stolen, a Tracker device is the best possible way to help the police quickly locate and recover it before it is broken down for parts or sold on.”

Separate research from research from Verizon Connect suggests that stolen vehicles or equipment costs fleet-based businesses an average of £12,250 each year.

For businesses with more than 100 vehicles, the cost is even higher, with the data suggesting fleets lose, on average, £21,000 each year.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Auto Express investigation shows extent of drivers and pedestrians breaking the law on motorways, with illegal stops accounting for more than a third of all offences.

Drivers are putting lives at risk by committing thousands of dangerous motorway manoeuvres every year, Auto Express can reveal. Our investigation surveyed 28 police forces and found officers had issued at least 17,775 tickets over the past five and half years, catching people making U-turns on motorways, driving the wrong way on slip roads, stopping in live lanes and driving on hard shoulders.

What we did

Motorways are subject to specific traffic laws set out by The Motorways Traffic (England and Wales) Regulations 1982. These make it illegal, for instance, to walk on a motorway, and govern where drivers are allowed to enter the roads, and how they must behave once they are on them. These laws are the reason you see signs saying ‘end of motorway regulations’ when you pull into a motorway services area, for example.

We asked the 43 police forces in England and Wales how many motorway-specific traffic offences their officers had issued tickets for between the start of 2016 and May 2021, and received data from 28 forces. Some constabularies weren’t able to furnish us with information because either their systems weren’t set up to allow for this kind of interrogation, or because they have no motorways in the areas that they police.

Nonetheless, our investigation is the most comprehensive of its kind, and paints a clear picture of the sorts of driver behaviour police deal with on motorways on a daily basis.

What we found

There are a number of motorway-specific offences covered by the 1982 regulations, and police make regular use of them.

The most common offence is making an unnecessary stop on a hard shoulder or emergency refuge area; officers issued 6,821 tickets for this between 2016 and mid 2021. Next, 2,645 fines were issued to those driving on hard shoulders or refuge areas, while 837 people were caught driving or stopping on verges or central reservations.

Some forces, including Essex and Avon and Somerset told us of thousands of ‘Red X’ offences committed by drivers travelling in closed motorway lanes, something for which tickets started to be issued in 2019 to reflect how smart motorways work. We’ve included these figures in our totals, although not all forces shared this data, so direct comparisons cannot be made between individual years.

Less common infractions were arguably more worrying than more prevalent ones. A total of 165 people were caught driving the wrong way on a motorway from 2016 to 2021, while 204 received tickets for driving the wrong way on slip roads, and 82 were ticketed for making U-turns on motorways.

And while learner drivers have been allowed on motorways with an approved driving instructor in a dual-control car since 2018, 514 learners were ticketed for either breaching these rules, or because they were on a motorway prior to 2018.

It’s not just people in vehicles police have to worry about, either: 469 pedestrians were caught on motorways, and three penalties were issued by one force to drivers not controlling animals in cars on motorways.

Most of these offences result in three penalty points and a £100 fine, but illegal stops on hard shoulders and refuge areas carry a non-endorsable, £30 penalty. Despite these numbers, and the fact police can only spot a proportion of offences, the UK’s 2,300 miles of motorway are statistically the safest stretches of road in the country.  By Graham Hill thanks to Auto Express

Official figures reveal 230 people were killed in drink-driving accidents in 2019, with a further 1,820 seriously injured.

Drink-driving deaths in Great Britain have plateaued for the ninth consecutive year, prompting calls for a lower drink-drive limit, the use of alcolocks and a wider implementation of rehabilitation courses for offenders.

A total of 230 people were killed in road traffic accidents in 2019 (the most recent year for which data is available) where one or more drivers involved were under the influence of alcohol.

Since 2010, when 240 people were killed, the figure has barely varied – the lowest death toll in that nine-year period is 230 and the highest has been 250.

According to newly released Government figures, a further 1,820 people were seriously injured in drink-driving accidents in 2019 – another figure that has shown no sign of improving, actually increasing 9.64 per cent on 2018’s figure of 1,660. The total number of collisions in 2019 where at least one driver involved was over the drink-drive limit was 5,350 – an average of 14 per day.

Road safety organisation IAM Roadsmart has responded to the figures by calling for the drink-drive limit in England and Wales to be lowered to the same level as in Scotland. The organisation also wants to see alcolocks fitted to cars, meaning the ignition can’t be turned on until the driver has provided a breath sample showing they’re fit to drive.

Education campaigns on the subject should be run for longer and at a higher profile, IAM says, with more rehabilitation courses, the provision of evidential roadside breathalysers to the police and the seizure of vehicles belonging to repeat drink-drive offenders.

“Hardcore drink-drivers are simply not getting the message and these figures will not improve until policy changes,” said Neil Greig, director of policy and research at IAM RoadSmart.

Hunter Abbott, managing director of personal breathalyser firm AlcoSense, added: “The fact that testing is at its lowest level on record should be ringing alarm bells. Police carried out just 285,380 roadside breath tests in England and Wales in 2019 – less than half the number in 2008.”

The drink-drive limit in England and Wales is currently 80 milligrammes (mg) of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, or to 35 micrograms (mcg) per 100 millilitres of breath. Scotland has tougher limits of 22 mcg of alcohol in 100 ml of breath or 50 mg in 100ml of blood.  By Graham Hill thanks to Auto Express

A new collaboration between Verisk and Thatcham Research aims to help UK insurers identify new advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

Thatcham says that the lack of data regarding the varying features of newer vehicle models can ‘fundamentally’ affect an insurer’s understanding of vehicle risk.

Many insurers struggle to identify features that have become available in more car models and marketed under different product names, it explains.

Verisk, a global data analytics provider, is enhancing its motor insurance products with Thatcham Research’s Variant Code, a dataset that provides updated information on the growing variety of standard and optional features in UK vehicles.

“This is about accurate risk assessment at a uniquely granular level,” explained Dan Payne, chief digital officer at Thatcham Research.

“Variant Code offers a competitive advantage, empowering Verisk’s insurer customers to make more informed and intelligent decisions, and price according to the features present on a particular model variant.

“This is fundamental as vehicles evolve and technologies that were once the preserve of high-end models are increasingly made available at entry level.”

Verisk is also benefitting from the aggregated view of data that Variant Code provides, says Sean Moriarty, operations manager at Verisk.

“Carmakers have their own naming conventions for vehicle features, which can be problematic,” he said. “However Variant Code provides this information using a consistent nomenclature, ensuring the quick and easy identification of these features.”

Features such as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), expensive headlights, and keyless and connectivity systems, are ‘accurately’ captured, says Thatcham, addressing what has been a frustration for the insurance industry.

Moriarty said: “Variant Code addresses a long-standing challenge to the accurate underwriting of new vehicle models, benefitting both insurers and insureds.

“Until now, there has been a lack of clarity regarding the fitment of certain features across vehicle variants and their potential positive or negative impact on risk.

“ADAS have been a particular issue – with little information available to insurers on the presence of technology that can reduce accident risk.”

Variant Code enhances the vehicle risk data Thatcham Research has delivered for the past 20 years on behalf of its members and the Association of British Insurers (ABI)

It contains data for more than 50,000 vehicle variants, provides data on key systems such as ADAS, lighting, security and connectivity and covers 98% of the car parc released in the UK since 2015.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

If you are ordering a new car next year, you and fleet decision-makers are being urged to prepare drivers now for vehicles being fitted with intelligent speed assistance (ISA) technology from next year, says FleetCheck.

The European Commission has provisionally agreed that all new vehicles sold in Europe will be fitted with a speed limiter as a legal requirement from July 2022.

The regulation also mandates all new cars that have already launched be fitted with ISA technology by July 2024.

The UK is likely to follow the new road safety regulations, despite leaving the EU, as it has retained most EU laws for new cars.

Peter Golding, managing director at the fleet management software specialist, says the move should be seen as significant opportunity to enforce a safety message on speed.

“Thankfully, macho attitudes towards speeding that were once quite common among drivers of company vehicles have reduced considerably in recent years,” said Golding. “However, speeding tickets are still pretty common, as any fleet manager will tell you.

“Our view is that the introduction of ISA technology is a moment that employers should be seizing as an opportunity to make clear that there is no corporate leeway when it comes to speeding and the dangers it represents.”

The speed limiter technology uses GPS data and/or traffic-sign-recognition cameras to determine the maximum speed allowed in an area.

It then limits the engine’s power and the vehicle’s speed to that limit, but it is possible to override the system by pressing hard on the accelerator.

Golding says that, with the first ISA cars, vans and trucks now less than a year away, this is a good moment to adopt a “zero tolerance approach” to excessive speed.

“With the long lead times currently being experienced by fleet operators, vehicles being ordered within the next few months will potentially arrive with ISA fitment, so this is very close to being a live fleet issue,” he continued.

“Our view is that this should be presented to drivers as a genuine benefit. Firstly, these are safer vehicles – reduced speed means fewer accident and fewer serious accidents. Secondly, it will potentially remove the chance of you picking up a speeding ticket.”

Research undertaken by the EU shows that drivers like ISA-equipped cars because, in everyday driving, sticking to the speed limit becomes one less thing to worry about. “We are sure that this will soon become the case among drivers of company vehicles,” said Golding.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Nextbase has witnesses a 341% increase in the number of video clips uploaded to its National Dash Cam Safety Portal (NDCSP).

The platform, which launched three years ago, allows users to upload footage of dangerous driving. To date, more than 68,000 clips have been uploaded.

The footage is passed to relevant police forces, with the aim to improve road safety.

As lockdown restrictions began to ease in April, the portal saw 5,457 road traffic offences over the course of three months. This rate is double the three-month average since the portal’s inception. The past three months has also seen a total of 19,565 videos uploaded to the platform – 341% higher than average.

Bryn Brooker, head of road safety at Nextbase, said: “These stats show that the portal is needed now more than ever and, as we name today National Dash Cam Day, I would like to remind the public of the fact that Dash Cam technology can help other road users, as well as you and your passengers.

“If we all work together, with the police, to continue to identify the worst of the worst – those dangerous drivers that, put simply, should not be allowed behind the wheel – then we will continue to see motorists from across the country interacting with the Portal.

“This is why it was built, to make the roads of this country safer for those of us that are just trying to get from A to B and go about our daily routines. We have watched this platform grow from both a public and police perspective and are hugely encouraged by its continued appeal.”

Currently, 37 UK police forces are signed up to the NDSCP, with more in talks to join. Nexbase says the initiative has saved police 263,240 hours – the equivalent of over 29 years of police time. Fewer than one in five cases have resulted in no further action.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News