by Joe Jeffrey

Teenagers escape scrutiny as 25-34-year olds are labelled worst drivers on the road

Teenagers are often perceived as being the most irresponsible and riskiest drivers on UK roads, but according to a new poll by AA Tyres, the AA’s mobile tyre fitting service, it is Generation Y drivers who have the worst driving habits. 

An AA-Populus poll canvassed 21,741 AA members on bad driving habits, and younger drivers, aged 25-34, came out as the biggest offenders in 11 out of 12 bad driving habits. Almost nine out of ten (87 per cent) drivers in this age group admitted to frequently braking hard or too late, while 71 per cent said they tailgate, driving too close to the driver in front, and 87 per cent said they have driven while tired.

And, 87 per cent of those Generation Y drivers polled, who are considered more tech savvy than most, having grown up in a world surrounded by technology, said they frequently fiddled with in-car technology, such as radios, bluetooth phones and sat navs, while at the wheel. 

Across all age groups, breaking the speed limit was, not surprisingly, the most common problem, with 89 per cent of drivers polled confessing to breaking the speed limit during the past 12 months. More than a quarter (26 per cent) of respondents said they break the speed limit every week. 

Meanwhile, further research found that almost half of all motorists said they eat or drink at the wheel, and this figure rises to 81 per cent for 25 to 34-year-olds. Younger drivers are also the worst litter-bugs with one in ten of 18 to 24-year-olds admitting they have thrown rubbish out of the window – more than double the national rate of 4 per cent.

Now it’s your turn to have your say. Let us know in the comments below who you think, if anyone, makes the worst riders on the road. It would be interesting to see what you think.?

by Jeanned’Arc Sanbar

Paddy Hopkirk proves age is nothing but a number

Rally legend, Paddy Hopkirk, has taken and passed his IAM RoadSmart advanced driver course for the second time – 27 years after he took it for the first time.

Hopkirk, who became a household name after winning the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally and the 1967 Acropolis Rally in a mini, is one of few UK drivers to have won at a world level.

Hopkirk was appointed IAM RoadSmart’s mature driver ambassador earlier this year and has been promoting the charity up and down the UK, part of which saw the former champion racer have his driving assessed twice by IAM recently.

Partaking in IAM RoadSmart’s Mature Driver Assessment, which is used to give older drivers the assurance they need to maintain their driving careers, Hopkirk also decided to participate in the organisation’s Advanced Driving course and passed. After he got the results, Hopkirk said: “I took the test again as an encouragement to older drivers. Anyone can benefit from a little extra advice, as a way of becoming a safer and more confident driver on today’s roads.”

Paddy also went on to talk about what he learnt this time round taking the Advanced Driver Course, saying: “Having taken the course I think about my driving more, rather than it being automatic.

“For instance, I really learnt a lot about the useful information conveyed by road signs and painted lines on the road.  They really do make life easier!”

How would you do if you had to take your driving test again? Is this a good idea for older drivers? Let us know.

by Jeanned’Arc Sanbar

Celebrity auction set to keep Me & Dee afloat

Hollywood has come together to hold a star-studded auction to help raise funds for a charity responsible for organising seaside caravan holidays for children with life threatening illnesses. The efforts come as charity, Me&Dee, continues to face financial woes – already resulting in the loss of a number of caravans used to send terminally-ill children and their families on much-deserved holidays.

The Ticknall based charity will be auctioning a host of memorabilia at a charity auction due to take place in Newhall, Derbyshire, on 7 July, including a signed photograph of John Travolta and various items donated from the likes of from Dame Judi Dench and songstress Dame Vera Lynn. The night will also feature music and entertainment. Caroline Hawley, celebrity auctioneer from BBC’s Bargain Hunt and Flog It, will be returning to host the event, having previously raised £2,300 for the Me and Dee charity at a previous auction.

The auction for the charity, founded by Maria Hanson, currently needs £40,000 to keep afloat, and other items up for auction include a holiday, a Tom Ince-signed Derby County shirt, and a House of Commons bottle of whisky signed by David Cameron.

To pledge your support, and to buy your tickets now, call 01332 865 769. Alternatively click here to donate.

by Jeanned’Arc Sanbar

A ban issued for parking solution in Worthing

A ban on the overnight parking of motorhomes and caravans at a popular seafront spot has been approved following months of complaints from local residents.

The restriction, in the Sussex coastal town of Worthing, will apply from 10pm and 9am and is expected to be implemented within two months. A traffic regulation order will enable the restrictions to be enforced.

There restrictions come following reports from local residents of up to 30 leisure vehicles parked at one time, and has arisen following county councilors imposing measures to tackle what has been described as a “parking problem”. Councillor Steve Waight, of Goring division, told the Worthing Herald: “Neither I nor the residents of Goring are opposed to people camping in camper vans but we are opposed to them staying for weeks or months on end. One has gone on for years.”

The decision follows two years of complaints by local residents, despite calls from other locals to adopt a more European approach and welcoming visitors to the local coastal region.

What do you think of this new ruling made by the local council? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

by Joe Jeffrey

Effects of hail highlighted for drivers as temperamental weather continues

Road safety and breakdown organisation GEM Motoring Assist is advising drivers to be ready for spells of severe weather this summer. The warning follows a number of incidents already this year where hailstorms were occurring at the time.

GEM chief executive David Williams MBE said: “Although hailstorms in the UK are only occasional, they can strike at any time of year, with little notice, and will create treacherous driving conditions immediately. Your car’s grip on the road and your ability to see are reduced, leading to a significant increase in your risk of losing control.

“If you find yourself in a hailstorm, consider pulling over to a safe place so that the likelihood of the hail breaking the windscreen is reduced. Is possible, park under a bridge or canopy to minimise damage to your car.

“If you do decide to pull over, stay in your car. Hail falls at high speeds and can cause injuries.

“If you can’t stop under a bridge or canopy, park with your car angled so that the hail will hit the front. After all, your windscreen is reinforced and will be better able to withstand the pelting it could from a hailstorm. Glass in the side windows and rear screen is not as strong and will be damaged more easily,” Williams continued.

The word “hail” (frozen rain) together with its German and Dutch relative “hagel”, comes from the prehistoric West Germanic word “hagalaz”, which is related to the Greek word “kákhlex”, which means “pebble”.

Hailstones consist mostly of water ice and measure between 5 millimetres (0.2 in) and 15 centimetres (6 in) in diameter. Hail is different from sleet because sleet falls in cold weather while hailstones grow much bigger when surface temperatures are higher.

Hail is estimated to cause around £705 million in property and crop damage each year. The costliest hailstorm happened in April 2001, from eastern Kansas to southwest Illinois. Property damage in this storm exceeded $2.4 billion (£1.7 billion).

Tennis ball sized hail fell on Munich and surrounding areas on 12 July 1984. It was the greatest loss event in the history of the German insurance industry: 200,000 cars were damaged and the storm cost an estimated £100 million. For years afterwards people jokingly referred to those cars whose bodywork was not repaired as ‘Munich Design’.

On 24 July 1996, orange-sized hailstones caused almost £210 million worth of damage in the Canadian cities of Calgary and Winnipeg, as well as serious flooding. Notably, one third of all cars damaged by the storm were deemed irreparable.

In May 2013 a storm dropped hailstones with a diameter of up to 8cm across large parts of southern Germany. Around 70 people were injured by hail and lightning strikes. Total damage inflicted by the hailstorm was measured at about £2.7 billion.

by Joe Jeffrey

GT racer Darren Turner highlights distractions on road

IAM RoadSmart has taken the wraps off its latest video advising of the consequences of drivers getting distracted behind the wheel of a car.

The light hearted video stars former McLaren Formula 1 test driver and current Aston Martin GT racer Darren Turner, and shows him at the wheel of a racing simulator trying not to get distracted by a small child, a dog and a ringing mobile phone as he tackles a challenging race circuit.

Tying in with the launch of the video, IAM RoadSmart is offering its Advanced Driver Course (formerly known as Skill for Life) with a 10 per cent discount until the end of August.

In addition anyone buying an Advanced Driver Course will be entered into a prize draw to win a session on a state-of-the-art racing simulator at Base Performance Simulators (BPS) in Banbury for themselves and a friend – with an expert from BPS on hand to offer guidance.

IAM RoadSmart’s video highlights an issue which is proving to be an increasing problem.

Figures from the Department for Transport in 2013 found 2,995 cases where distraction in the vehicle was listed as a contributory factor to accidents.

IAM RoadSmart’s report The Battle for Attention (reference 2) further highlighted the extent of this issue and the most recent Department of Transport study shows 1.6 per cent of  drivers in England and Scotland were observed using a hand-held mobile phone whilst driving.

And IAM RoadSmart’s award-winning Safely Home campaign surveyed 1,500 drivers with one in ten admitting to causing a crash because they were distracted.

The survey found the most common distractions were:

–        Children in the car (29 per cent)
–        Changing the radio channel (27 per cent)
–        Back seat drivers (26 per cent)
–        Mobile phone use (24 per cent)
–        Satellite-navigation system (15 per cent)
–        Attractive pedestrians, drivers or passengers (14 per cent)

The new video aims to highlight a serious issue but present it in an amusing way, showing that even a professional racing driver could lose concentration and potentially have a crash.

Turner said: “I thought it would be easy to ignore a child or a barking dog, and easily be able to take a phone call and keep driving safely. But this isn’t the case. Losing concentration for even two seconds could lead to pretty serious consequences
“If a professional driver can have their attention diverted, anyone can.”

Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart director of policy and research, added: “No matter how good a driver you are it is very easy to have your focus shifted away from the job in hand.

“We all have things on our mind, places to go and things to do – it’s only human. But it is so important to realise driving is a full-time task and not one to be combined with other things. Multi-tasking is expected in many walks of life, but it simply doesn’t apply on the road – no one can do two things at once if one of them is driving.

“So we are delighted to offer a discount off our Advanced Driving Course, and help people become great all-round drivers.”   

Check out the video below and let us know: what do you find distracting when you hit the road?