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More than 8,000 fatal and serious injuries could be prevented over the next 20 years if an investment package of £1.2 billion was made, says the Road Safety Foundation and Ageas.

The funding would improve around 3,000 miles of roads and would also boost the UK’s economic recovery and save society almost £4.4bn over the same period, according to a report published today by the organisation.

Dr Suzy Charman, executive director of the Road Safety Foundation and author of the study, said: “This 20th annual report shows that less than 1% of roads were significantly improved between 2013-2015 and 2016-2018.

“This report identifies an investment package of £1.2bn… with great returns: every £1 invested should benefit society by an average of around £3.60.

“We’ve already demonstrated that infrastructure safety measures can be developed and implemented very quickly, providing jobs and saving lives.

“At a time when we need to boost our economic recovery and protect the NHS, what better way of saving our society an estimated £4.4 billion over the next 20 years. Let’s move forward and save lives by improving these roads.”

The ‘Looking Back – Moving Forward’ document reports that:

• 60% of all deaths are concentrated on 13% of Britain’s roads
• There were significant reductions in the number of fatal and serious crashes on 22 routes between 2013-2015 and 2016-2018; the total number of fatal and serious crashes on these 400km of road fell by two-thirds from 251 to 86, with an estimated Net Present Value of £351m over 20 years
• 765km of 38 persistently higher risk rural routes have been the location of more than 1,400 fatal and serious crashes between 2013 and 2018. The value to society of preventing these would have been almost £700 million.

The data from the report has been used to update the interactive ‘Dangerous Roads Map’.

This reveals Britain’s riskiest roads and highlights where targeted investment could save lives.

In the foreword to the report, Lord Whitty, chair of the Road Safety Foundation, said: “British progress has depended largely on rising European vehicle standards.

“Similar advancements have not been seen in infrastructure safety.”

Whitty praised the government’s Safer Roads Fund, launched in 2016, as an influential step.

He added: “Systemic management of infrastructure risk is now required by law elsewhere in Europe.

“Highways England and Transport for London have set ambitions that no-one should be hurt on their networks by 2040 but must now target infrastructure risks systemically along busy routes.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

The following article mentioned specifically fleet managers being responsible for offences that drivers are convicted for. But beware if you are a director, owner or partner of a company that either provides company cars or pays an allowance for employees to use their own cars on business (either a car allowance or mileage allowance) as the same rules apply to the person responsible.

Fleet decision-makers could face the same penalty points as their employees should they be convicted of a driving offence, the Licence Bureau is warning.

The supplier of driver licence validation services says it is witnessing an increasing number of these cases being recorded on its system.

Responsible parties can incur the same penalty points as the actual vehicle driver due to the often unknown and much misunderstood ‘cause or permit to drive’ legislation.

Licence Bureau says that it means even though the initial offence was committed by a third party, it was ultimately the fleet manager’s responsibility.

Steve Pinchen, sales director of Licence Bureau, explained: “This much unknown rule has some very serious implications indeed for individuals and businesses alike.

“Those responsible for business fleets – of any scale – really do need to do their homework and ensure that they have all bases covered when it comes to compliance. Not only that, but there is a cultural aspect here too where everyone must be attuned to minimising road safety risk.”

According to the Road Traffic Act 1988/1991, ownership of a vehicle involved in an offence is irrelevant. This therefore implicates both owned business fleet and grey fleet operators.

The Act also cites that causing or permitting driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence can incur three to six points with fine up to £1,000.

The points remain for four years on licence from date of offence. The ‘person responsible for the fleet’ can have the points added to their own personal driving licence.

At present, the majority of these ‘dual penalty recipient’ offences recorded on Licence Bureau’s system relate to ‘causing or permitting using a vehicle uninsured against third party risks’ – an offence which carries six to eight penalty points.

Pinchen said: “Beyond the actual penalty points there are the knock-on implications for elevated risk profiles within the business and what that might mean for insurance premiums; professional and personal impacts for fleet managers; as well as potential for reputational damage for the company.”

Other offences recorded on Licence Bureau’s system include ‘using a vehicle with defective tyres’ which carries three penalty points for each individual implicated, and ‘using a mobile phone while driving a motor vehicle’ which carries three to six penalty points.

The volume of motoring fines and penalties incurred by company car and van drivers increased by 3% in 2019, according to figures from Lex Autolease released earlier this year.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Renault has launched ‘Be Mindful, Don’t Idle’ education campaign to improve air quality around schools after new research showed the scale of the problem.

More than 8,500 schools, nurseries and colleges in England, Scotland and Wales are located in areas with dangerously high levels of pollution, but the return to school could see the problem intensify with 62% of parents saying they are more likely to drive their children to and from school as a result of the recent pandemic.

The increased dependency on the car comes as more than a quarter (27.2%) admit to leaving their engines running – known as idling – during the school run, according to a detailed new study by Renault. Men are 50% more likely to do it than female drivers, representing 32.7% and 22% respectively.

Renault studied the habits and attitudes of more than 4,000 ‘school run’ parents and motorists. Of the reasons given for leaving their engines running nearly a third cited doing so because they are only stationary for ‘a short while’ and 26% wanted to keep the heater or air-con on.

Almost two-thirds (60%) of all drivers said they were unaware that it is illegal under Rule 123 of the Highways Code. Authorities can now issue £80 fixed penalties under Road Traffic Regulations 2002 and Section 42 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 in Scotland.

A lack of parking near schools is the biggest infrastructural challenge to idling.

Overall 23% said they needed to be ready to move their car into a suitable parking space. Naturally, this issue is worse in urban areas – 60.9% – compared to rural locations with just 11.5%.

The report underlined the reasons for the ‘school run’, with 30% dropping their children off by car because it’s on their way to work, 18% because of safety concerns and 12% have no other means of getting them to school.

The issue of idling is greatest within built-up urban and suburban areas according to Renault. Half of those live in cities, yet 12% of those in rural areas admit to doing it regularly. Idling for just 10 seconds wastes more fuel than restarting the engine.

A 2019 study by Kings College London revealed that children in London travelling to schools across the capital are exposed to air pollution five times higher than at any other time of the day.

Renault found that London accounted for the highest number of idling offenders – 22.5%.

“The fact that the majority of people don’t realise that idling is illegal just highlights the scale of the problem,” explained Matt Shirley, senior manager, electrification and new mobility.

“Every minute a car is idling it produces enough emissions to fill 150 balloons. It goes without saying, if the 27% of school run journeys stop idling, there would be a significant improvement in the air quality for their children.

“This is not about demonising the school run, our study underlines the importance, even more so since lockdown, of the car. We just want parents and guardians to be mindful of the detrimental impact of idling, and to alter their behaviours for their own children and those around them.”

New analysis by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), on behalf of Global Action Plan (GAP) and the Philips Foundation, shows that if outdoor air pollution is halved, there could be up to a 20-50% reduction in the number of children with poor lung function across the UK and Republic of Ireland. 

The analysis also finds the reduction in air pollution seen during the country-wide lockdown lead to asthma attacks in children all but disappearing. 

Given the most positive improvements to children’s lung resilience is likely to be realised if changes are enacted around the 2,000 schools in the most polluted hotspots across the country, a coalition has formed comprised of Global Action Plan, the Philips Foundation, Living Streets, Modeshift Stars and Mums for Lungs, with the support of Philips, the National Education Union, and NAHT.

The group is calling for nationwide action by the Government and local authorities to improve air quality at schools, driven by a legally binding target to meet World Health Organization limits. 

To support the movement, Global Action Plan and the Philips Foundation, with the endorsement of Philips, have launched “The Clean Air Schools Framework”. The framework is a free online tool that gives teachers, headteachers, parents and local authorities a bespoke blueprint of actions for tackling air pollution in and around the school from its database of 50 actions. 

The coalition is especially urging all local authorities to use the framework, highlighting actions taken in the London Borough of Hackney, which is one of the leading community grassroots initiative proactively tackling air pollution and pioneer of School Streets (one of the framework’s key actions).

The first four School Streets launched in the borough showed that traffic reduced by an average of 68%, the number of children cycling to school increased by 51% and vehicle emissions outside schools (NOx, PM10 and PM2.5) are down by 74% as a result of the schemes.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Average used car values exceeded £8,000 for the third month in a row in August, with sold volumes continuing to rise, up by 3.9% over the month, reports BCA.

BCA sold record numbers of vehicles online in August. Daily online sales entries averaged more than 6,000 units, with a record number of 7,400 vehicles offered on Wednesday, August 19, the highest volume of vehicles ever offered by BCA online in one day.

BCA chief operating officer for UK Remarketing, Stuart Pearson, said it has seen “improving levels” of supply reaching the marketplace throughout the period of the pandemic with “well-matched demand” for stock from its buyer base.

“The marketplace is operating very efficiently and this is good news for all professional operators in the used vehicle sector.”

He added: “Anecdotally, many dealers are telling us that their stock churn has improved significantly, with many holding lower volumes of stock but still selling as many vehicles as they might have expected pre-Covid19.”

Used car challenges ahead

Indicata, however, suggests that the UK used market showed its first signs of cooling off in August, according to its latest used car report.

During August, it says that the UK was the only one out of 13 European countries to experience a year-on-year fall (-3.3%) with the sub-three-year sector down by 15.75%.

Volumes were also down by 50% in the sub 12-month sector caused by OEMs reducing their push on self-registrations and demonstrators as new car shortages continue following the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. The six-nine-year age group was the only one to rise during August by 8.8%.

Hybrids and electric vehicle (EV) sales were up year-on-year by nearly 50%.

Meanwhile, market stock levels grew by 3% in August as used cars stuck in the wholesale supply chain have finally seen the light of day.

“The UK used car market saw an interesting blend of high prices, improving stock levels and a fall in demand year-on-year,” explained Jon Mitchell, Indicata’s group sales director.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Automotive companies from across the UK and EU are calling for an ambitious free trade deal, warning that ‘no deal’ will have a catastrophic impact on the industry.

If no deal is reached and ratified before December 31, World Trade Organisation (WTO) non-preferential rules, including a 10% tariff on cars and up to 22% on vans and trucks would apply.

Such tariffs – far higher than the small margins of most manufacturers – would almost certainly need to be passed on to consumers, making vehicles more expensive, reducing choice, and impacting demand. Furthermore, automotive suppliers and their products will be hit by tariffs, they say.

New calculations, published on Monday, September 14 by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), suggest that a reduction in demand resulting from a 10% WTO tariff for cars and vans could reduce EU and UK factory output over the next five years by three million units.

That would equate to losses worth €52.8 billion (£48.7bn) to UK plants and €57.7bn (£53.2bn) to those based across the EU. Suppliers would also suffer from these changes, it says.

The lead organisations representing vehicle and parts makers across the EU, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) and the European Association of Automotive Suppliers (CLEPA), along with 21 national associations, including the SMMT, have joined forces to warn that this combined loss in trade value would seriously harm one of Europe’s most valuable assets.

Collectively, the EU27 and UK automotive sector is responsible for 20% of global motor vehicle production and spends some €60.8bn (£56bn) on innovation each year, making it Europe’s largest R&D investor.

The SMMT’s chief executive, Mike Hawes, said:  ”These figures paint a bleak picture of the devastation that would follow a ‘no deal’ Brexit.

“The shock of tariffs and other trade barriers would compound the damage already dealt by a global pandemic and recession, putting businesses and livelihoods at risk.

“Our industries are deeply integrated so we urge all parties to recognise the needs of this vital provider of jobs and economic prosperity, and pull out every single stop to secure an ambitious free trade deal now, before it is too late.”

The industry says that any deal should include zero tariffs and quotas, appropriate rules of origin for both internal combustion engine and alternatively fuelled vehicles, plus components and powertrains, and a framework to avoid regulatory divergence.  

Crucially, it says that businesses need detailed information about the agreed trading conditions they will face from January 1, 2021, to make preparations. This, combined with targeted support and an appropriate a phase-in period that allows for greater use of foreign materials for a limited period of time, will ensure businesses are able to cope with the end of the transition period.

Eric-Mark Huitema, ACEA director general, said: “The stakes are high for the EU auto industry – we absolutely must have an ambitious EU-UK trade agreement in place by January. Otherwise our sector – already reeling from the COVID crisis – will be hit hard by a double whammy.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Speed limits on parts of four motorways are to be cut before October in a trial to reduce pollution.

Highways England said the limit will be reduced from 70mph to 60mph in areas that have seen higher than recommended levels of nitrogen dioxide.

The reduced speed limit will be introduced on M6 junctions 6 to 7 by Witton, M1 junctions 33 to 34 by Rotherham, M602 junctions 1 to 3 by Eccles and M5 1 to 2 by Oldbury.

Each locations is up to 4.5 miles long and the new speed limits will be operational 24 hours a day.

The reduced speed limits will be assessed after 12 months to see if they are having an impact, or if the air quality level is compliant.

Ivan Le Fevre, head of environment at Highways England told the BBC: “Ultimately the air quality challenge will be solved ‘at the tailpipe’ by vehicle manufacturers and changes in vehicle use.

“Until this happens we will continue our extensive programme of pioneering research and solutions.”

Recent Department for Transport figures show the proportion of cars sticking to the speed limit is at its highest on 60mph roads.

The data measures speed and compliance at sites where the road conditions are free-flowing, for example roads with no junctions, sharp bends, speed enforcement cameras or other traffic calming measures.

In 2019, 50% of cars were found to exceed the speed limit on motorways, 54% on 30mph roads and just 9% where limits were 60mph.

The DfT says the statistics provide insights into speeds at which drivers choose to travel when free to do so, but are not estimates of average speeds across the whole network.

It notes that the average car speeds under free flow conditions were close to the speed limit on motorways (69mph) and 30mph roads (31mph) – and under the speed limit on 60mph roads (50mph).  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Road safety charity Brake has welcomed the Government move to introduce life sentences for killer drivers.

The Ministry of Justice originally pledged to introduce the punishment in 2017 and it will form part of major sentencing reforms to be unveiled by the Lord Chancellor in a white paper this week.

Joshua Harris, director of campaigns for Brake, said the charity has long advocated for an overhaul of UK road law to deliver justice for victims and to help keep roads free from dangerous drivers.

He added: “Crash victims have waited three long years for this announcement. Road crime is real crime and it is high-time that the Government, and the law, recognised this.

“Years of Government inaction have added to the suffering of road victims who have not been delivered the justice they, and their loved ones, deserve.

“The Government must now implement these tougher sentences as first priority, delivering on their overdue promise to road crash victims, and then urgently initiate a review of the flawed legal framework for road justice.

“Driving is a privilege not a right and yet our flawed legal system continues to allow convicted dangerous drivers on the roads where they can endanger others.

“We all want safer roads but we will only achieve this if the law treats road crime with the seriousness it deserves.”

The measures around driving include plans to:

• increase the maximum penalty for causing death by dangerous driving from 14 years to life

• increase the maximum penalty for causing death by careless driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs from 14 years to life

• create a new offence of causing serious injury by careless driving.

Paul Loughlin, senior associate solicitor at Stephensons, said:“The impact of dangerous and careless driving often has far reaching consequences, not only for those involved but also for their families and friends.

“Much of the criticism surrounding legislation in this area is that it doesn’t provide sufficient justice for those who are killed as a result of dangerous driving, or those seriously injured as a result.

“These proposals would transform the sentencing guidelines for this offence and go a long way to redress the balance for victims.

“On the flip side, we have often seen prosecutors taking a harder line in cases where there has been a serious injury and the driving standard would ordinarily be considered to be ‘careless’ rather than ‘dangerous’.

“The absence of the ability to charge with causing serious injury through careless driving has seen inconsistent charging decisions being made to plug a gap.

“There are clear examples of cases being ‘bumped up’ from a straight forward careless driving charge to the more serious charge of causing serious injury through dangerous driving with more emphasis being placed on the extent of the injury caused, irrespective of the fact that the standard of driving would ordinarily be considered to be ‘careless’.

“The introduction of this new offence should more suitably plug that gap and ensure more appropriate charges being laid for this type of offence.”

Department for Transport figures show 1,748 people were killed on the roads of Great Britain last year, a figure which has flatlined since 2012 when 1,754 people were killed. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

A new study by Field Dynamics has found that fewer on-street electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints may be required than previously expected, to support a mass uptake of EVs.

Working in partnership with Zap-Map, the Net Zero data consultancy has found that better residential charging services can be achieved by siting chargers in more focused locations.

Field Dynamics’ managing director Ben Allan said: “Placing public chargers is a difficult process as it requires the balancing of many conflicting priorities.  But now there is a bedrock of robust data that planners can use to select their sites, placing fewer chargers at lower cost while providing a much more inclusive service”

The research found that there are around eight million households, outside of London, that do not have off-street parking and 90% of those are more than a five-minute walk from the nearest public EV chargepoint.

Field Dynamics said such proximity from a chargepoint could reduce the appeal of switching to e-mobility for those households, due to inconvenience or impracticality.

Brighton and Hove Council have achieved 67% coverage of households that require on-street charging provision by placing just 139 chargers, however.

This suggests that most councils will require a few hundred charger sites to ensure there is access to a charger within a five-minute walk for those residents who will need to access this critical service, rather than placing them on every street.

Zap Map COO and joint MD of Zap Map Melanie Shufflebotham said: “Providing convenient public charging for households with no off-street parking is a key element in the mass uptake of electric vehicles (EVs).

“This unique analysis combining the Zap-Map and Field Dynamics data sets provides both a high-level comparison between towns and also identifies down to a street level where there is a real gap in charging provision. We believe this data will be a great tool for organisations when making decisions on where to install additional charge points.” By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Two major electric vehicle charging hubs have opened at railway stations in Hatfield and Norton.

Transport secretary Grant Shapps opened a Pod Point-installed hub with 27 charge points at Hatfield Station, while RAW Charging has completed installation of 26 smart charging points at the new Worcestershire Parkway Railway Station in Norton.

The installation at Hatfield station marks a milestone in a wide-ranging station improvements programme being undertaken by Govia Thameslink Railway, which encompasses more than 230 stations and over 1,000 individual projects.

In partnership with Pod Point, Hatfield’s new hub has been opened to meet the increasing consumer demand for electric vehicles, while also demonstrating the company’s commitment to sustainability.

The EV installation at Hatfield – which sees a 150% in public EV charging devices in the Welwyn Hatfield district – will provide additional accessibility and convenience for customers using the Great Northern and Thameslink station.

As part of the project, 12 charging points have also been installed at Haywards Heath station.

Shapps said: “We’re taking great strides towards our goal of having one of the best electric vehicle infrastructure networks in the world.

“This means a network for current and future electric vehicle drivers that is affordable, reliable, accessible and secure.

“Today’s landmark announcement ticks all those boxes and will make journeys on road and rail much greener for local residents, commuters and businesses.”

The Worcestershire Parkway station was opened to increase connectivity to London, the Midlands and South Wales and is the county’s first new railway station for more than 100 years.

Neil Broadbank, key account manager at RAW, said: “We approached the project two-fold: initially by installing a larger number of charging points to meet future demand, rather than installing on a reactive basis; and secondly, configuring and trialling the combination of several different pricing and access structures on the ChargePoint platform.

“For example, we have looked at standard per kWh fees, combined with parking fees, flat rates or connection fees for extended periods of time; and different rates for customers, different groups of chargers on site, and lots of other options, all of which can be run simultaneously and changed or scheduled remotely.

Using the same EV charging platform that is tried and tested by some of the world’s largest organisations provided GWR with the comfort that this new ‘critical infrastructure’ operated without a hitch from the start.”

In another project, Swarco eVolt has installed six charging stations at a new charging hub at Strathclyde Country Park, just outside Glasgow, for Project PACE.

Project PACE represents an EV Strategic Partnership and a new collaboration approach between the Scottish Government and SP Energy Network to test a new, more efficient approach to planning and delivering EV charging infrastructure.

It is being facilitated by North and South Lanarkshire Councils which will benefit from Transport Scotland’s £5.3m funding and receive 40 new charging hubs by April 2021, starting with Strathclyde Country Park.

Project PACE is expected to deliver almost 180 new public EV charge points which will join the ChargePlace Scotland network.

The charge points will be supplied, installed and maintained by Swarco eVolt under a framework agreement that was awarded in July.

Justin Meyer, general manager of Swarco eVolt, said: “From a driver’s perspective, the network of charging hubs will provide multiple charge points at each well-chosen location, including our rapid chargers.

“This will provide better access to charging with less waiting time, which in turn radically improves the customer experience and enjoyment of driving an EV.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Highways England has launched a new anti-tailgating campaign to encourage drivers to keep a safe distance from the car in front.

The company is using the well-known Space Invader video game character to alert drivers to the anti-social nature and risks of tailgating, and to give the message: Stay safe, stay back.

Mark Byard, director of Health, Safety and Wellbeing at Highways England, said: “We’ve got used to social distancing during the pandemic. Now we’re reminding you to also keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front.

“Good drivers leave plenty of safe space for themselves and others. But driving too close is dangerous, can be intimidating and can cause collisions that could be avoided.

“We want everyone to travel safely, so we can all get home safe and well. Our advice is simple: stay safe, stay back.”

Tailgating is a factor in around one in eight casualties on England’s motorways and major A roads, with more than 130 people killed or seriously injured in incidents involving people driving too close in 2018.

While a small minority of tailgating is deliberate, Highways England says most is unintentional by drivers who are simply unaware they are dangerously invading someone else’s space.

And a survey for Highways England found that while more than a quarter of drivers admitted to tailgating, nearly nine in 10 people say they have either been tailgated or seen it.

The Highway Code states that drivers should allow at least a two second gap between you and the vehicle in front on roads carrying faster-moving traffic, and the gap should be at least doubled on wet roads and increased further on icy roads or when visibility is poor. Dependant on the vehicle type, a greater distance may be necessary.

Tailgating is an offence of driving without due care and attention, carrying a minimum £100 fine and penalty points and in some cases more severe penalties or court appearance. But more so, it is unsafe, and a factor in around one in eight road casualties.

Katie Shephard, corporate partnership manager at Brake, added: “Brake is pleased to support the campaign Highways England are running to raise awareness about the dangers of tailgating.  We work with families affected by road crashes and know first-hand the vital importance of all drivers taking care and being safe on the road.”

The campaign is also supported by the Professional Recovery Operators Federation (PROF).

Further results from the survey show more than two thirds of people think tailgating is a serious problem and that more can be done to tackle poor driver behaviour, with almost 80% agreeing that they would favour a clampdown on drivers who drive too close to the vehicle in front.

If you are tailgated, Highways England advises that you avoid speeding up, slowing down or staring in the rear-view mirror. It says reduce the risk to yourself by driving normally, signalling clearly and allowing people to overtake. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News