Preventing Death and Injury on the Roads
The Northern Ireland Assembly has recently introduced a package of measures designed to change the way young people learn to drive. Following this news, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has called on the UK Government to take similar action and implement a package of reforms that would include: These are all critical components of […]
Risky hands-free calls at the wheel on the rise
Just over ten years after hand-held mobiles were banned at the wheel, Brake is renewing its call to ban hands-free kits, as a Brake and Direct Line survey reveals that almost half (45%) of drivers admit to chatting when driving. While the use of hand-held phones by drivers has dropped, hands-free use has risen, likely […]
One in ten crashes caused by distractions
The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) is warning drivers about the dangers of distracted driving after research found that nearly one in ten (9%) of drivers admit to crashing their cars because they were distracted. Just under one in twenty drivers (4%) say that someone was injured in the crash. The IAM/Vision Critical survey, which polled nearly […]
Quarter three provisional road casualty statistics
The latest Department for Transport road casualty statistics have shown a welcome decrease in the overall number of deaths and serious injuries in the year ending September 2013. However, despite the decrease, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) is concerned that two-wheeled road users are still a growing risk and must be given even greater priority for […]
European Road Safety Day
European Road Safety Day took place on 6th May and its theme this year was “pedestrian road safety”. Of the 30,000 people killed on European roads per year (28,000 in 2012), on average 21% are pedestrians, 7% are cyclists and 18% are riders of motorcycles and mopeds. Around 70% of the pedestrians who die are […]
Road traffic accident fatalities fall across EU
The number of people dying in road traffic accidents across Europe fell by 9% in 2012, according to new figures released by the European Commission (EC). This drop means that the number of road traffic fatalities is now at its lowest level since the data was first collected. A landmark year for road safety Vice-President […]
Government to overhaul young driver rules
Young drivers could benefit from improved training and lower insurance premiums as the government confirmed its intention to launch a green paper on improving the safety and reducing risks to young drivers. Among the proposals being considered are: The government is also considering the possibility of imposing temporary restrictions on newly qualified drivers and further […]
Eighteen motorcyclists killed or injured a day
Provisional figures released by the Department for Transport confirm that 1,690 motorcyclists were killed or seriously injured in July to September 2011. This means 18 motorcyclists were killed or seriously injured every day between July to September 2011 – an increase of 2% compared to the same period in 2010 when 1,652 were killed or […]
Zero tolerance on drink driving
Members of the public and young people in particular are being urged to take a zero tolerance approach to drink-driving this festive season to help prevent devastating Christmas tragedies. A survey of young drivers, released by Brake and Direct Line, finds a shocking three in ten (29%) are willing to take the deadly gamble of […]
Christmas crackdown on drink and drug driving
As the festive party season approaches the road safety charity Brake has welcomed a police crackdown on drink and drug drivers. Ellen Booth, Brake senior campaigns officer, said: “We fully support this vital crackdown on deadly and selfish drink and drug drivers. Every Christmas, and indeed every week of the year, many families are confronted […]