A new survey, commissioned by GEM, reveals that 52 per cent of motorists want to keep the current annual MOT system and do not agree with Government proposals to make it biennial. Only 26 per cent said they would want it to change and 22 per cent were unsure.

The survey of 3,000 UK motorists reveals that drivers would be worried about leaving a two year gap between MOT tests; with nearly 50 per cent being concerned about potential mechanical failure. The survey also shows that more than half of UK drivers believe that the change in the law would see car maintenance standards deteriorate and feel reassured of their car’s safety and roadworthiness with the current system.

GEM Chief Executive, David Williams MBE, comments: “The results prove that having such a regular service gives the public peace of mind when it comes to driving a safe and reliable vehicle. We know that drivers rarely check their cars themselves and leaving it two years will mean we will have unsafe and sub-standard cars on our roads. The proposed biennial MOT system will undoubtedly have a negative impact on road safety and put more lives at risk unnecessarily every year.”

The survey also shows that 44 per cent of drivers believe the MOT law change would have a negative impact on road safety in the UK.

“Road safety should never be compromised and we are fierce supporters of the ProMOTe campaign to lobby the government against these plans.” David concluded.

For more information on the ProMOTe campaign please visit www.pro-mote.org.uk and the GEM Motoring Assist website www.motoringassist.com.

Auto Express has covered the upcoming changes that are set to take place next year for those learning to drive. The biggest change in terms of practicalities is the inclusion of motorway driving being legal for a learner driver. The objective being to reduce the number of fatalities on British roads amongst this particularly at risk group.

I think this can only be a good idea. The more varied experiences that a driver faces prior to being unleashed on their own, the better. We need to continue to move away from ‘learning to pass a test’ and more toward learning ‘skills for life’ behind the wheel.

It’s essential that you check your tyre pressures regularly and this especially applies to winter. If you’re getting near to the tread wear markers and you see cracking on a tyre, this is not a good sign. You might well notice some deformation too if the tyre is old. All this means you could well be losing pressure and grip.

Check your tyres regularly and if you notice any of the above, consider a replacement. You may not be able to afford a set of winter and summer tyres, but technology has come a long way. You can get all weather tyres which will be an excellent replacement to old and worn rubber.

Remember, the four contact patches that keep your car on the road are the things that ensure you accelerate, brake and turn as you should, so anything that is undue in their condition will cause you problems and potentially cost you your life (and that of anyone else travelling in your vehicle). Stay safe and keep your tyres in tip top condition.

I’ve spoken many times about how most of the price of petrol in the UK is because of fuel duty/tax. In fact it’s about 2/3 of the cost, so only 1/3 of your money is for the basic product. Of course, HMRC likes to have a slice of everything but it’s staggering to think that, with fuel prices at all time highs, there was and is a plan for a 3p per litre increase.

Yahoo is reporting that a significant number of MPs are calling for action on fuel prices – after all so much of our industry and infrastructure relies on oil based commodities. There’s talk that the increase may be scrapped, but I wouldn’t hold my breath just yet. On top of that, if it is scrapped, look for an increase elsewhere as an alternative means for the government to still bring in the money.

Read the full article at Yahoo.

You may have seen that there’s been a discussion on the news as to whether the national speed limit should be raised to 80 miles per hour for motorways. Most people I’ve spoken to have been in agreement with this idea as many already drive (somewhat) higher than the current 70 miles per hour limit. I like the idea of getting to where I should be that little bit quicker. To provide a different perspective, here’s comment from GEM Motoring Assist:

GEM’s CEO, David Williams commented “I simply cannot understand this. From a road safety perspective we believe it would be a disaster. There are very obvious road safety implications including drivers having less time to react at higher speeds. Given the road safety record is currently heading in the wrong direction, this alone is a good enough reason not to raise the limit. Then there’s the environmental aspect. An increase in speed will have a huge influence on our fuel consumption and emissions.”

“Even from a breakdown perspective there’s a massive impact. It’s terrifying enough to be broken down on a Motorway with cars going at 70 miles an hour next to you, imagine them all travelling almost 15% faster? We would have concerns not only for the broken down motorist and their passenger(s), but also the mechanics in attendance.”

David Williams continued: “To say an increase will improve the economy is frankly ridiculous – unless of course they are looking at the duty they will receive in revenue from the increased use of fuel? It seems this move is being made to deflect the real issues that cause delays in journeys such as road works and potholes. GEM feels this is where the government should start if they want to look at the area of transport as a means of improving the economy.”

So, what’s your take on the possibility of raising the speed limit? Is it a good idea or does it pose genuine safety risks? As always, we’re open for comments.

We’re always being told that the reason behind speed cameras is to slow people down in order to make a certain spot less dangerous. Of course, that’s assuming that speed has actually been a factor in the accidents that have taken place previously. To be fair, it’s not rocket science to assume this, given that if traffic were, say crawling at 20 mph, the risk of an accident would be reduced as a car will stop in time to prevent it taking place.

The Mail Online has a new article showing that the latest figures from the Department For Transport are in and that speed cameras have done little or nothing to to reduce the number of accidents taking place. Rather more worrying is the case discussed where a section of road had no reported accidents and after the erection of said devices five collisions took place!

Read the full article at The Mail Onlinee.

As per this article from The Mail Online, ministers are considering a change in the law that means anyone dropping litter from a vehicle could be liable to pay a fine of £80 – however it’ll be the driver that gets billed for it! This may not be the case if a passenger can be proven directly responsible.

I might not have many political leanings, but what I do know is that dropping litter really annoys me so I see no reason why this shouldn’t be the case. There will be those that say ‘well it’s just a bit of litter’ but that’s the whole reason why councils have to clean up so damn much and thus spend higher amounts on bills, especially in urban environments.

As I always say, if you’re driving then you’ve got even more responsibility than you would do than if you were a pedestrian on foot. I’m sure that some think that because they’re in a car they can ‘throw and drive’ when this shouldn’t be the case. If you don’t have a bag to put something in (not that you should be eating/drinking/anything else behind the wheel anyway) just chuck it in the footwell until you get home and can dispose of it properly!

Win a personal breathalyser….read on

Close to 100,000 people lose their licences each year for drink-driving. Many may not even realise they are over the limit and endangering the lives of themselves, their passengers and the public.

Each year tens of thousands of drivers are caught drink driving the morning after an evening drinking unaware that they are still under the influence, after drinking as little as 3 or 4 drinks the night before. Figures sourced by AlcoSense Breathalysers from Government drink drive training centres show that 17.8% ¹ of all drink driving convictions effect people who are caught the ‘morning after’.

Few can judge when alcohol wears off

Many people simply are not able to accurately judge the time it takes for alcohol to wear off. A survey commissioned by AlcoSense of 1,800 UK drivers found 53% of drivers underestimated how long it takes to get under the drink drive limit again the morning after drinking the evening before.

These figures suggest 53% of people may have unintentionally drink driven the morning after. This explains why 17.8% of drink drivers are caught the morning after – when the Police aren’t actively looking for drink drivers! This is not surprising as other studies have shown that up to 71% of people admit to not even knowing what the drink drive limit is. ²

Ignorance is no excuse!

It’s often stated that ignorance is no excuse in the eyes of the law so it is worrying how little people understand of the drink drive limits.

The legal limit for drink driving is 80mg of alcohol per litre of blood but according to one recent survey 9 out of 10 did not know how many drinks this equated to. Variations in body size, metabolism and consumption period mean that alcohol has a greater effect on some than on others, leading to the confusion among drinkers.

Even calculating the number of units of alcohol in a drink and knowing how many units it takes before you’re breaking the law is not easy. A standard (125ml) glass of wine at 11% ABV contains just over 1 unit yet a large (250ml) glass of wine at 13% ABV, typically served in pubs, could be as much as 3.2 units. The same applied to the difference between a pint of mild ale and a pint of strong lager that could easily contain 50% more units.

The only way to be sure of that you are not still over the limit the morning after an evening drinking is to use a personal breathalyser such as AlcoSense.

The AlcoSense Elite, as endorsed by Sir Stirling Moss, is a digital breathalyser which works on the same principle as Police breathalysers and will quickly and accurately tell your level of intoxication and if you are under or over the UK drink drive limit.

COMPETITION

To win an AlcoSense personal breathalyser answer the following question:

Which well-known TV car show reviewed the AlcoSense Elite breathalyser and found it to be the most accurate on the market?*

(* The answer can be found at www.alcosense.co.uk)

1. Source: the TTC Group
2. Survey by Confused.com December 2010

Competition submitted to ThePrizeFinder – UK Competitions.

As there have recently been some comments on a previous tyre article, I thought I’d cover in brief something that could happen to an older tyre – cracking. It is self explanatory but it is simply the rubber of the tyre perishing, and cracks appearing therein.

Unfortunately, there’s no substitute or solution when you have cracks in a tyre and it’s simply a sign of age. Older tyres are far more likely to be showing some cracking.

As part of your regular vehicle checks, you should of course examine your tyres. If there is a significant amount of cracking in any of your tyres, you should consider whether it’s time for some new rubber.

It is impossible to give an estimate of how long a set of tyres should last – there are simply too many variables at play in order to give an accurate assessment. However, it pays to have your tracking checked regularly to ensure that all four wheels are correctly aligned.

Remember, damaged or overworn tyres are a sure way to get points on your license.

It never fails to amaze me how little attention people actually pay to their cars. Far too many of us seem to just jump in the car, drive (immediately, putting stress on the engine) to their destination and jump out, repeating the process for the return journey.

Tyres in particular are particularly important. The four fist sized lumps of rubber are after all the only parts of the car that are in contact with the road.

Modern tyres have what are called ‘wear markers’, which are little lumps of rubber within the grove of the tyre. When this rubber is at the same level of the rest of the tyre then you should switch the rubber for a new tyre. It’s extremely simple and is a feature included for your safety – so use it!

Remember, minimum tread depth for a tyre is, and I quote “A minimum of 1.6mm in a continuous band throughout the central three-quarters of the tread width, throughout the whole of the circumference” (The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986).