Catch up on the latest news about on fleet management, the automotive Industry and Marshall Leasing
24 June 2021
The government has made changes to the rules on car insurance claims for whiplash due to the “unacceptably high” number of annual claims.
In a recent press release, the Ministry of Justice and The Rt Hon Robert Buckland QC MP announced that new reforms will create savings of £1.2 billion per year, which will be given back to drivers – giving them a saving of up to £35 each year on their car insurance.
The reforms, which include a new user-friendly online portal for road traffic accident claims under £5,000...
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23 June 2021
Project Endeavour, the UK’s first government-funded mobility research project for the demonstration of autonomous vehicles, has begun trials in Birmingham, following successful trials in Oxford.
A professional safety driver will be present in the autonomous vehicles during these trials and will be capable of resuming control in the event of an emergency.
The project’s final demonstration event will take place in Greenwich in August 2021.
A fleet of four vehicles will participate in the trial, fitted with Oxbotica’s autonomy...
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22 June 2021
Whilst ‘range anxiety’ is a key factor preventing many people from making the switch to an electric vehicle (EV), new figures suggest that range anxiety could actually be a myth, with the average EV covering 370 more miles each year than traditional petrol and diesel vehicles.
A recent poll of 7,000 motorists in the UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Norway Sweden and Denmark by Nissan revealed that petrol and diesel drivers are travelling around 13,600km (8,451 miles) annually, compared with 14,200km (8,825 miles) travelled by EV...
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21 June 2021
Research suggests that four million drivers in England have fallen asleep whilst driving.
A survey of 1,000 drivers in the UK by road safety charity IAM RoadSmart found that one in ten have closed their eyes from tiredness whilst driving.
The same proportion admitted to hitting the rumble strip due to fatigue whilst driving and four in ten havescrambled to keep themselves awake by turning down the heating or opening a window.
One quarter of respondents said that they had pulled over into a rest stop when...
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18 June 2021
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea have introduced noise cameras to tackle the issue of antisocial supercar drivers illegally using Knightsbridge streets as ‘race tracks’ after receiving a dozen complaints about streets becoming a "magnet for Lamborghinis and Ferraris".
The cameras record offending vehicles exceeding a 74-decibel noise threshold and, in its first eleven days since being implemented, they have been activated more than 130 times in according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
So far, the loudest noise recorded...
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15 June 2021
The average age of cars on UK roads is 8.4 years old – the highest it has ever been since records began in the year 2000 – and there are almost 10 million vehicles built in 2008 and earlier still on the road.
This follows the drop in new car sales during 2020, with 29% less new cars appearing on UK roads in what the RAC called a 28-year low.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) says, “While this [the current age of UK cars] is testament to the durability and quality of modern vehicles, an ageing fleet risks...
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14 June 2021
‘Green Person Authority’ traffic lights will be introduced in London by Transport for London (TfL) to make it “the world’s most walkable city”.
The new traffic lights will display ‘green person’, indicating that it is safe for pedestrians to cross, at all times until it detects approaching traffic. The move aims to support “a green recovery” from the pandemic and uphold Mayor Sadiq Khan’s pledge to be the “greenest Mayor London’s ever had”.
Data from TfL shows...
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13 June 2021
The Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) are hosting a new hour-long webinar called “Back to Normal? A Post Covid-19 Landscape for Fleet Operators” which will look at a range of issues affecting fleets.
Guest speakers will discuss their experiences in dealing with these issues and there will be a Q&A with the AFP’s panel of experts.
AFP Chair Paul Hollick will also detail activity by the AFP. He said, “The coronavirus crisis has changed, probably forever, the backdrop against which fleet managers operate and this session...
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11 June 2021
On June 7 2021, Transport for London (TfL) announced that its 12-month trial of e-scooters in the London area has commenced and that e-scooters are now available for rent in Canary Wharf, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea and Richmond.
The rental of an e-scooter costs between £3.25 and £3.40 for a 15-minute ride.
According to the TfL website, “Operators Dott, Lime and TIER were appointed to take part in the trial following the process, where their ability to meet strict...
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09 June 2021
New data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows that new car registrations to fleet and business increased by an incredible 1,027 per cent in May 2021 compared with May 2020 with 82,872 units and 7,348 units respectively.
This compares with 73,865 new private car registrations.
It is important to note that, whilst the increase is a positive sign, the number of new car registrations to fleets and business is still down by 20% compared to the 104,293 registrations in 2019.
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said, “Increased...
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