April 19, 2013

Could blind people be soon to get behind the wheel?

Recent innovations in motoring have led to speculation that blind drivers may be able to take to the wheel in the future.

Around this time last year, a video was released showing blind man Stephen Mahan (aged 60) going through a drive thru restaurant and collecting his dry cleaning without any difficulty thanks to emerging technologies developed that allow a car to essentially manage its own operation. On that occasion, all Mr Mahan had had to do was press the start button.

One of Google’s fully automated cars

The technology is the same as that which is employed in the self-parking cars and autonomous vehicles which automatically stop the car if a close hazard is presented, thus preventing a crash. Though reviewers all accept that this technology, whilst being incredibly developed, is not yet at an acceptable standard to produce a fully automated car, the prototype driven by Mr Mahan which was created by Google surely signals a future in which blind people have the same access to the independence which comes with owning and driving your own car.

An example of one of the self parking cars being released onto the market in the coming years

Google’s car using a combination of technologies; GPA, laser, radar and 3D environment data gathered from the Google street view project, and is tested in states in the USA which have authorised the testing of automated cars on their roads. However, it does not follow that blind people will be able to legally drive as a result. In fact, opinion is divided among blind communities – whilst the test driver of Google’s prototype car Stephen Mahan believes that he will see blind people driving cars in his lifetime, Hugh Huddy the campaigns officer at the Royal National Institute of Blind People who is blind himself, is much more sceptical and is quoted as saying, “I would be surprised if these products would reach the market and we’d be legally allowed to drive.”

The dangers of allowing fully automated cars to be driven by registered blind people must of course be noted though. By handing over the control of the car to a computerised system the worry is what happens when the systems fails – especially when the person behind the wheel would perhaps not be capable of driving under normal conditions, such as someone with limited eyesight. Currently the technology is new and has not yet had time to deteriorate, which, as anyone whose computer has crashed or car broken down will tell you, is inevitable. Of course, rules surrounding these systems could perhaps be introduced such as  mandatory services on the car including the technology utilised in it, but what is not accounted for are those people who would perhaps neglect to keep their car in an appropriate condition thus risking the safety of themselves and everyone else on the road.

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April 18, 2013

Project FAB1Million

Gary Barlow and Chris Evans today kicked off a journey that will take them from Lands End to John O’Groats over the course of the day. Joined by professor Brian Cox and Top Gear presenter James May. They are travelling in style, in a pink Rolls Royce with the number plate “FAB1” in honour of Lady Penelope’s pink car from Thunderbirds.

 

 

So what is all this in aid of? Well the challenge devised by Chris Evans is being called FAB1 Million and aims to raise money for breast cancer research. After the trip is completed the Rolls Royce will be available for hire and all the proceeds will go to charity. The overall aim is to raise 1 million pounds for the charity – a worthy cause.

In addition to the hire costs, the car was scheduled to stop at four points along the way to raise awareness about the trip and hold a raffle for members of the public to win a ride in what may become the most famous Rolls Royce in Britain. These stops took place at Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow.

Live updates of the journey can be seen through the twitter account @FAB1Million including plenty of pictures and news from the team in the car.

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April 18, 2013

Sarah Harding Banned From Driving For 6 Months

Girls Aloud star Sarah Harding has been banned from driving for six months and fined £500 for using her mobile phone at the wheel of her car.

The singer said that she had ‘learned her lesson’ following the incident in which she refused to stop for a police officer on a bicycle who flagged her down. She was stopped a few minutes later  on Charing Cross Road in central London and charged with two driving offences at Holborn police station.

In court her lawyer Nick Freeman, a man nicknamed Mr Loophole for his uncanny ability to save his high profile clients from guilty verdicts in court, pleaded to the jury that her sentence should not include a driving ban because of Ms Harding recent appointment as a charity ambassador, something which would be severly hampered by a driving ban. Freeman claimed that due to the singer’s high profile status it would be impossible to use public transport without constant harassment from eager fans.

Despite Mr Freeman’s reputation, it seems he was unable to prevent Sarah Harding from receiving a driving ban, though the second charge of failing to stop for police was dropped. Upon sentencing Mr Harding, the judge said, “Mr Freeman is asking the court to deal with you as opposed to a normal person but you are a normal person as far as the court is concerned”

Following the conviction Ms Harding said, “Every year people die or are seriously injured because they were distracted making that ’oh so important call’.

“Mobile phones are a convenient tool for modern life but they must be used safely.

“I made a mistake by using my phone whilst driving, but I was lucky. I accept the courts penalty but it could have been a lot worse. I have learned my lesson.”

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April 9, 2013

Petrol sales have dropped by over 20%

Sales of petrol have dropped by over 20% in the last five years according to motoring group the AA.

Official government records showed that 17 billion litres of petrol were sold in the UK last year, compared with 22 billion in 2007. Conversely, diesel sales have risen from 14 billion litres in 2007 to 16 billion litres in 2012.

The plummet in petrol sales can almost certainly be attributed to the rise in sales of diesel and small petrol cars, as well as those which use alternative fuel sources, such as electric or biofuel. In fact, over 50% of new cars now sold are diesel compared to just 10% in the year 2000.

After drastic price increases on the forecourt, it is no surprise that so many consumers are opting for cars that are more efficient or use cheaper fuels. In addition to this, many drivers are changing their driving habits to cut their fuel consumption, therefore making fewer trips to the petrol station and saving the much needed pennies.

This all comes as good news to green campaigners, who interpret the results as a signal that the people of Britain are taking a more serious approach to ecological concerns. Indeed, if the prices at the pump continue to rise, this trend will surely continue, and whether in the near or distant future, petrol cars may become completely redundant.

Electric charge points like this one may well become a far more common sight throughout the UK.

With more and more car companies investing in serious development projects for electric, biofuel and hybrid cars, it would seem that a change in the way we approach motoring is imminent. Even after recovery from the recession, the stock market will predict greater consumption for oil, sending prices soaring  – essentially the £1 per litre fuel prices may remain firmly in the past. The long term implications of this could well send many consumers after the electric and biofuel cars which may well characterise the motoring developments of the 21st century (so far!)

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April 4, 2013

Carlos Tevez sentenced for driving without insurance.

Carlos Tevez

Yet another footballer, this time Carlos Tevez of Manchester City, has been prosecuted for driving offences this year. Tevez, who earns £196,000 every week, was sentenced to 250 hours of community service and fined £1,145 for driving whilst disqualified and without insurance. His previous disqualification occurred as a result of a speeding offence which occurred in November.

Tevez was caught just minutes from his home near the Mottram Hall Golf Club after police received an anonymous tip-off. The court heard that the tip off came after Tevez allegedly drove a white Range Rover to the golf club whilst disqualified but, despite there being a car of that description in the car park, it was a white Porsche Cayenne which Tevez drove home instead. After a check on the systems database it was shown to be registered to the footballer and police proceeded to stop and caution him for driving whilst disqualified. Mr Tevez’s response was that, “I only live down the road, just two minutes.”

On the day of his court trail

The sentencing judge reminded Tevez of his responsibility as a high profile footballer to set a good example for his fans saying, “Mr Tevez you must realise you are a role model for thousands, if not millions, of fans. Nobody is above the law and you should not have been driving. We have heard that you are sorry. And it is now up to you to ensure you will not be brought back to court again. The aggravating factors we found is that you had no driving licence and no insurance to protect other road users. We also thought that this was intentional.”

Once again, a high profile figure has abused the rules set in place to protect other road users. The implications of driving without insurance could have been significant had Tevez crashed – but no doubt he has the funds t cover that occasion. What is more important is the message it sends to his fans which could be said to condone driving without insurance, a license, or whilst disqualified. For the majority, without insurance it would be impossible to cover the necessary costs of reimbursing the other car driver, and it is for this reason that third party car insurance is a legal obligation in the UK.

What about his career? Well, luckily for Tevez, Manchester City do not believe the sentencing will have a long term effect on his career. Last Wednesday he trained as normal, and, since his contract does not run out until 2014, for now his position is safe. However, a problem may be posed if the club receive a tempting offer for Tevez due to the schedule of his community service. For a person with a normal working schedule, 250 hours could be easily worked off in around eight weeks, but for Tevez – who like any footballer has great demands on his time what with training and tour commitments – it may take considerably longer. With the currents terms of his sentencing stating completion must occur within a twelve month period, Tevez certainly has his work cut out.

 

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March 3, 2013

Niklas Bendter Arrested For Drink Driving

Footballer Niklas Bendter was arrested for a mild case of drink driving after being stopped by police in Copenhagen, Demark for driving on the wrong side of the road. The Arsenal striker is currently on loan to Italian side Juventas, and set to return to the Emirates at the end of the season.

Bendter issued an apology via his twitter account saying, “dear friends i was booked for a mild case of drinkdriving last night it was a quiet nite but i am very very sorry to all my friends and fans” followed by a second tweet stating “It is not okay to drink and drive. I take full responsibility”

The footballer’s arrest is the latest in a long tradition of celebrities drink driving. Most tragic is the case of Luke McCormick, the then 25 year old goalie for Plymouth who in June 2008 ploughed his 4×4 into a family car, killing the two youngest boys, Aaron and Ben aged only ten and eight. McCormick was charged by Staffordshire police on the charges of causing death by driving under the influence and driving without insurance. Whilst the latter charge was dropped, McCormick pleaded guilty to causing death by driving under the influence and received a sentence of seven years and four months imprisonment. He was released on the 6th of June 2012 and began playing for Truro United and then Oxford city.

His story – the loss of two young boys and, for his own part, a very promising career, should surely act as a deterrent for anybody who considers drink driving. As I have said before (in this post about Ryan Tunnicliffe) it is essential that more celebrities who are tempted to drink drive should consider the added responsibility of their importance as a role model for younger generations. Whilst I am sure that no self respecting young driver would consider drink driving based on the fact that their hero has done, it must be acknowledged that as more and more celebrities are caught drink driving, the more desensitised we become to the very real dangers of drink driving.

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February 20, 2013

Speed Awareness Course

Speed Awareness Course Blog

Tony Martin, Only Young Driver’s Managing Director, recently took part in a Speed Awareness Course having been caught for doing 39mph on a 30 mph road. He was keen to share his experience with OYD customers…

“The hook for the Course is you avoid the normal 3 points on your licence. Of course I was interested in this but also the Course in general and how persuasive it might be in potentially changing my driving habits. I wouldn’t call myself an especially fast or unobservant driver but I do know that I’m not great at heeding speed limit signs to the letter.

So 26 people gathered on a chilly Friday afternoon at a Guildford Hotel paying £95 for the privilege! The group featured equal numbers of men and women with an average age of 50. I was very interested that there were no young drivers attending…

Our Course tutor Peter (a Driving Instructor by trade) was an avuncular fellow with a low key friendly style. The whole 4 hour course was presented in an informative way with group discussions on a number of topics e.g.how speed limits are presented to drivers on different road types and the UK’s record in improving road safety. Our group definitely engaged with the subject matter and I didn’t see too many clock watchers.

It was definitely  case of more ‘carrot than stick’ though some shock tactics were bought out at the end when some videos showed the potentially fatal impact of relatively low speed collisions plus a horrific reconstruction of a 51 car pile up on the M4 from 1991.

So what did I learn? Well quite a lot actually. The single most compelling fact was that the speed of impact was always far greater than the mph the car is doing due to the momentum and weight of the vehicle. 30mph never feels like any speed but the difference between 30 and 40mph is literally a life or death outcome especially for unfortunate pedestrians. So if I’d been unlucky when I was doing my 39mph I literally could have killed somebody. I liked ‘more paint, more restraint’ and the really simple tip of driving in 3rd gear in a 30mph area.

So will I drive differently? I guess we’ll have to see. A week on from the course I can honestly say I have used 3rd gear more than before but with driving on familiar roads often an automatic pilot exercise it’s difficult to do things differently and make it habit. I think some sort of aide memoire would have been useful – maybe a sticker or just something visible in the cab would help. Actually I’m lucky – my wife went on the same course 10 months ago and is still reminding me about what she learnt!”

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February 12, 2013

Young drivers in Mansfield get a chance behind the wheel.

The young people of Mansfield in Nottinghamshire are being offered the oppurtunity to get behind the wheel legally from the age of 15.

Of course, this won’t be on public roads. Instead the sessions take place within Nottingham Forest Ground, incorporating a car park area where young would-be drivers have the opportunity to practice driving in a safe environment.

The sessions are offered as part of Nottingham County Council’s ongoing project to promote better driving etiquette and therefore improve road safety in the county. Statistically, drivers under the age of 25 are far more likely to be involved in a crash involving injuries than any other age group. With this in mind, the council aimed to begin training earlier – enforcing good habits before young people even have their first driving lesson.

The first sessions of these kind were held in the council last February, and were so successful that additional sessions occured in August and October of last year. The first one-day session of 2013 is scheduled for the 20th of February, weather permitting, and is already fully booked.

Sessions include two-hours of in-car training as well as workshops that give advice on how to choose a good driving instructor, the responsibilities that come with becoming a driver and the effects and repercussions of drink and drugs on driving ability.

Since research shows that we develop driving habits before even getting behind the wheel that are picked up from watching others drive, the ‘catch them young’ approach is hoped to make a difference to the attitude with which new sets of young people will approach driving for the first time.

Having proved so popular with the young people of Nottingham, perhaps it is an idea for other counties to pick up. I might even go as far to suggest that, as with some American districts, driving training might even start at school, since it is a skill that many people will need and use for life. With a skill so integral to our social system, surely it is worth the extra effort involved in making sure that it is one being done correctly.

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February 8, 2013

Potholes Plague Britain’s Roads

Potholes are the bane of any motorists journey. Aside from making your journey uncomfortable and their unsightly appearance, they also pose a threat to the safety of motorists. As a both a motorcyclists and a driver, I have had bad experiences with potholes, one incident causing me to drop my bike, in what could have potentially been a very dangerous situation for me. Thankfully, I was alright, but potholes taken at speed have been the cause of some far more serious accidents in the past.

Potholes plague the roads of Britain, causing danger to motorists and cyclists alike.

It is the responsibility of the county council to maintain roads for public use – that is the reason we pay tax on our vehicles each year. And yet it seems that some county councils have, as a result of the recession perhaps, become increasingly lax with their approach to potholes.

It is possible to report a pothole to the local county council through the government website (click here to go directly there) but sadly, this is not a guarantee that it will be fixed. some county councils are better than others at getting it done. In the past I have also witnessed a crew specially allocated to fix potholes following sever weather conditions which exasperate the problem.

What prompted this blog was an article I read concerning a young driver in Essex who feel victim to a severe pothole, and the council’s ridiculous reply to her request for compensation. Emily Wakeling is a 20 year-old student of Writtle College, and was on her way there when her car, a brand new Ford Fiesta, got lodged in this gigantic pothole. Getting her car out of the pothole resulted in her tyre being shredded and the tracking of her steering knocked off. Whilst pulled over and taking photos as evidence of the damage done, she witnessed another motorist get stuck in the very same spot.

However, following a 3-month investigation the council refused to compensate her for the cost of fixing the damage done (£120) saying instead that they don’t consider the road to be dangerous, and that it is well maintained despite a total of 19 other complaints made about the same pothole.

Many pothole fixes are temporary, the problems being with the foundations of the road.

A council report sent to Miss Wakeling stated that the pothole was fixed the very same day that Emily had her accident, but according to locals, it has recently opened up again in the cold weather, and remained unfixed.

Most frustratingly perhaps was Essex county councils promises last year to invest an extra £11 million into its roads and claimed that as many as 1,200 roads would be fixed in Essex. Clearly the money has not gone into everyday maintenance  which is essentially one of the most important areas of road maintenance.

It seems all too clear that there is too little heed taken of potholes and the potential threat they pose, not only to cars, but also to motorcyclists and bicyclists to whom the risk is even greater. We pay taxes for the council to maintain community property, and yet it appears that this is not being done to a high enough standard.

We’d like to know about your own experiences with potholes, and the response from the council you may have received upon reporting them, so let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook page.

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February 8, 2013

Foreign Interpreters To Be Banned From Driving Test

The UK Government recently announced plans to ban foreign interpreters that until now have been available to non-English speakers to aid them with their driving test. The current UK theory test also has 19 pre-recorded voice-overs that will also be scrapped under these new plans.

The reasoning behind this change is not to discriminate against drivers whose maiden tongue is not English, but rather it is in a bid to improve road safety and social cohesion.

For example, there is the concern that non-English speakers will be unable to read road signs as is necessary or, more importantly, understand crucial traffic information whilst on the road.

Equally, as the practical driving test undergoes changes that are scrapping the traditional turn-by-turn directions in favour of one requiring the learner to take a route according to road signs, there are concerns that some interpreters have been offering extra help.

Since 2009, nine official interpreters have been banned from working with the driving test centres, and as many as 861 successful tests have been revoked after cheating was suspected.

The new ban on foreign interpreters will remove this opportunity to cheat, making the tests fairer for all involved.

The plans have been met with support from a number of groups.

Wlodzimierz Mier-Jedrzejowicz, the chairman of the Federation of Poles in Great Britain, supported the new proposals saying,  “We feel that somebody coming to live and drive in Britain needs to know English and a translator should not be necessary. If they can’t tell the difference between Bedford and Bolton on a sign, they are going to slow down and bother people. Clearly they need to be able to understand information on roadside gantries.”

AA President Edmund King also supported plans, saying that “ We need to balance the importance of learning to drive safely with the desire to help those whose maiden tongue is not English.Obviously all licence holders qualified in the UK will need to understand essential road signs and the Highway Code.”

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