The Mail Online has ran an article that highlights a new speed camera that’s been erected at a set of lights at a 30mph stretch of a dual carriageway in Poole, Dorset, to catch motorists jumping red lights. The normal reason (or at least the justification) for a speed camera is that there are a number of accidents that have taken place in the area and the thought behind it is that a speed camera will serve to slow down traffic.

The debate on speed being the main cause of accidents aside, the suggestion is that this particular camera has managed to net in over £1 million to date, thanks to 1,843 motorists a month being caught. Further in the article, a spokesperson from the Dorset Safety Camera Partnership states that it is a ‘community concern site’, though apparently chosen for concern by the local council rather than the actual community.

In some cases, I’m actually for speed cameras if it slows traffic down in an area that can be proven to have had a problem with speeding motorists being involved in accidents. However, when a local council simply decides they are ‘concerned’, all this does is annoy residents, raise revenue and paint the police in a bad light.

Read the full article on the speed camera in question at The Mail Online.

Auto Express has written about some recent research by the DfT, which states that half of us speed beyond 70mph when on motorways. Given that is the case, perhaps the next question should be about road safety – yet apparently there were 12% less deaths on our roads last year than previous. So, what should the speed limit be on motorways?

Continental motorways have a speed limit of a much more appropriate 81mph in line with the metric system. This allows for a faster traffic flow. Cars these days are arguably safer than they ever have been, with an increased number of driver aids, almost universal ABS, passenger safety cells etc. Safer vehicles mean less likelihood of serious injury should an accident happen.

Britain has had a 70mph speed limit since around 1965, with the introduction being put down to a number of accidents that occurred prior as necessitating a way to bring down dangerous speeding. Of course the real factor is driver ability. I’ve no doubt that drivers today sit a much more challenging test – yet it is still one that does not prepare a learner for driving on their own. This can only be achieved by a pre-requisite post test set of lessons – a compulsory ‘Pass Plus’ if you like.

Ultimately, higher speeds are always going to mean more danger as there are going to be those that continue to speed ever higher, tailgate and follow other bad driving practice. However, motorways are statistically the safest roads in Britain, so let’s see an increase to 80mph!

The latest round of checks carried out by accessories retailer Halfords has shown that those who choose to eat behind the wheel could be putting their health at risk, due to levels of bacteria in vehicles. Is this really surprising? Well, yes and no. Firstly, we spend quite a lot of time in our cars, if the average of 8,000-10,000 miles per year is to be believed. This means that there’ll be skin cells, food crumbs etc inside.

Secondly, there’s the issue of haphazard cleaning that takes place inside people’s vehicles. Granted, there’s the image that, on Sundays, dads get out rain or shine and wash the car. But normally that stretches to the exterior. What about the interior? Grime, bugs and dirt can build up, leaving the car prone to a build up of bacteria.

My advice? Firstly, if you can at all avoid it, do not eat or drink behind the wheel. Besides this latest information on food poisoning, you’re also at risk of not being in charge of your motor vehicle and so could be pulled by the police!

Read more about the risk of food poisoning in your car.

The Mail Online has an excellent (and harrowing) account of one man’s encounter with the most nightmarish of situations on the road – running over a child. It is certainly thought provoking and puts a nod in the direction of lowering urban speed limits to 20mph. Perhaps after reading it you’ll agree.

Read the full article at The Mail Online.

The Mail Online is reporting that the new driving test, which will be introduced from October 4th, will incorporate a ‘memory’ element that will require the examinee to memorise a route given by an examiner.

The new element to the test will take ten minutes to complete, and will also require the completion of a 5 point, or U-turn during the test. Learner drivers being tested will still be able to ask for the directions to be repeated, or could (in theory at least) stop to ask a passer by the way to get to a certain location. Obviously they could also follow the road signs.

If you ask me, this seems like a rather unfair element to the test and could in fact increase the amount of stress placed on a learner driver. Under test conditions, you already have to perform to a standard – or rather conform to a certain rigid driving style. Having to remember a route spoken to you doesn’t seem particularly fair, when in real life, you could always just backtrack or retrace your route to get there.

Is this element really going to produce better or safer drivers? I really do not believe it will. What I do think should happen is that Pass Plus is made compulsory. It gives new drivers a chance to experience different roads and driving conditions with a skilled examiner in the car, without the pressure of the test. This in theory at least should produce a better standard of driver, rather than simply forcing them to sit yet another test element!

Road price charging is a spectre that continues to rear an ugly head at motorists that seem to continually come under attack, particularly in the form of petrol duty and tax. But, what exactly would road pricing involve and what is the technology behind it?

In simple terms, there are three different technologies available that the govenment could use:

1) ANPR – automatic number plate recognition which could monitor where your motor goes and when
2) Tag and Beacon – a tag in the car sends a signal to a beacon, which monitors where your car goes and when
3) GPS – as per your car sat nav, the government could measure exactly where you are, when you go there and how fast you go too

So, with a range of technologies, is it still being investigated as a way to fund road use? Well, unfortunately it appears that road price charging has never gone away. The Times Online has an excellent article which is more than worth a read. I’ll keep you informed as I hear more developments.

Personally, I do not like the idea of road price charging and feel it will likely be over complicated and lead to higher prices for most.

The Mail Online is reporting that in some rural areas speed limits are quietly being cut – and in fact the toll could be as much as 25,000 stretches of road being reduced.

Much of what has seemingly been proposed seems like a sensible proposition – for example cutting the speed around schools or where there are few curbs for pedestrians in rural village centres etc. However, when a stretch of road is changed, one must always think of the effect on drivers/riders and in this case I think that some of the changes could cause confusion.

There is nothing worse than driving down a new road that isn’t clearly marked or for whatever reason actually confuses you about the legal speed that you should be doing. Of course, common sense should prevail, but that isn’t enough in the eyes of the law. I just hope that all changes are well thought-out and with safety in mind, rather than just reducing speed limits for no reason (Britain still has some of the safest roads in Europe).

The Mail Online is reporting that a town that was previously using speed cameras switched them off – only to find that accident statistics remained static over the same period.

As expected, some areas of the motoring community spoke out and suggested that this highlighted the fact that safety cameras were and are a tax on motorists. However, it is of course possible that people get used to driving at a certain speed through areas then they continue to do so over force of habit.

My suggestion though is this – if the figures are true and actually stack up, perhaps we should look at reviewing policies on how speed is managed in our towns, cities and other built up areas (statistically, motorways are quite safe but no doubt also ‘require’ the use of speed cameras).

As I have stated before, other activities such as less dangerous road side furniture would all help to minimise casualties on the road.

Hot on the heels of the previous coverage of the Mitsubishi ASX, here’s another article. To support the launch of the new crossover vehicle, Mitsubishi have released a new online game which offers you the chance to win a brand new ASX.

Players are set various ‘missions’ and ‘mini-games’, which unlock product features and accumulate points and prizes along the way. The more a user plays the game and the better they do, the more points they can earn and the more prizes they win.

Two “missions” involve driving from A to B in “Drop the Kids at School” and “Mother-in-Law Chauffeur”. The game uses an innovative Penalty System for reckless driving while on a mission. Look out for further missions in the future.

The Mail Online is reporting that Toyota is having more car worries – this time with the premium brand Lexus. The car in question is the Lexus GX460, an extremely large four by four vehicle with significant electronics on board. Apparently, the problem arises when the car is driven into a corner and the accelerator released, resulting in a potentially dangerous sideways skidding of the wheel as the stability control kicks in late.

It’s worth noting that whilst the GX460 is not sold in the UK, other four by four models are – and all are being retested to ensure safety. Toyota previously had a superb reputation and I see no reason to think that this is simply another temporary blip.