01 June 2023
As you may be aware, keyless car theft has become a common issue in recent years and the latest figures from the Home Office reveal that car theft has increased by 50 per cent over the past five years, with around 60,000 vehicles stolen in the UK each year.
Figures from stolen vehicle recovery (SVR) specialist Tracker found that keyless car thefts accounted for 94 per cent of all car thefts in 2021.
This type of theft applies to vehicles which are unlocked using a digital fob, card or smartphone app, rather than a traditional metal key. Thieves are able to...
Read full article
30 May 2023
Electric vehicle (EVs) breakdowns resulting from exhausted batteries has halved in the past two years, according to the AA.
The figure now represents just 4 per cent of all breakdowns and, interestingly, half of these call outs are to EVs with a low battery, rather than a completely depleted one.
One third of EV callouts are caused by the same faults as seen in internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, such as a flat 12V battery or flat tyre.
The AA president Edmund King has reassured drivers that their range anxiety doesn’t match reality. As improvements...
Read full article
24 May 2023
The latest MOT Compliance Survey for 2021-22 by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) finds that 10.1 per cent of cars that were issued pass certificates, should have failed.
This means that there are now potentially around 1.3 million vehicles driving unsafely on UK roads.
A total of 12.2 per cent had incorrect MOT test results and, on the flip side, 2.1 per cent of vehicles which were failed, should have passed.
The data was compiled after 1,732 MOT tested vehicles were chosen at random for re-examination by DVSA mechanics in 2022, of which 65.9 per...
Read full article
22 May 2023
A team at the Monash University in Australia are working to create a new blood test which can detect whether a person is too sleep-deprived to drive.
The researchers believe that the successful development of such a test could allow for new laws to be put into place about the minimum amount of rest required before a person is fit to drive.
Although the Department for Transport has expressed that it is ‘not considering this type of testing’, the new test could be available within five years and blood tests are already used by police to measure driver...
Read full article
17 May 2023
A new AI speed camera currently being trialled on the A23 in Lambeth, South London can scan drivers inside their cars to determine whether or not they are using a mobile phone or not using their seat belts.
The Redspeed camera, which uses 4D radar, can also detect if there are too many people inside a vehicle.
The technology can monitor six lanes of traffic at one time and can be linked to the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA) and UK police force databases to also check vehicle tax and insurance.
Concerns have been raised over the intrusive nature of the...
Read full article
15 May 2023
Road safety charity IAM RoadSmart has revealed what it calls a ‘hidden epidemic’ of drug driving in which people are unaware of the legal limit of over-the-counter medication to take whilst driving.
The charity conducted a survey of more than 2,000 motorists which found that:
Almost a third of drivers are unaware of the maximum dose of a prescription medication – such as painkillers, antidepressants and antihistamines - before it impacts their ability to drive.
31 per cent of those surveyed did not know how long they should wait before driving...
Read full article
11 May 2023
A group of the largest electric vehicle charge point operators in the country have united to create a new trade body, ChargeUK, which launched on April 28 2023.
The nineteen members are: Be.EV, Believe, BP Pulse, Char.gy, ChargePoint, Connected Kerb, ESB Energy, Evyve, Fastned, GeniePoint, Gridserve, Ionity, Mer, Osprey, Pod Point, PoGo Charge, Raw Charging, Shell Recharge and SSE Energy Solutions.
Collectively, these operators will invest over £6 billion into installing and operating new EV charging infrastructure by 2030.
ChargeUK aims to double the...
Read full article
10 May 2023
Government ministers are considering proposals to prevent newly qualified drivers from transporting passengers of a young age in a bid to reduce car crashes resulting from peer-pressure.
The ‘graduated driving licence’ scheme could see drivers under the age of 25 prevented from carrying other passengers within their age group in their vehicle for the first 12 months after receiving their driving licence.
This is because it has been discovered that peer pressure – when drivers are encouraged to engage in dangerous driving behaviour such as speeding...
Read full article
04 May 2023
The UK has taken another step forward on its journey to embracing self-driving cars, as the government has approved a driving-assist feature which will allow motorists to take their hands off the wheel.
The feature, called the BlueCruise system, is available with the Ford Mustang Mach-E model and allows the vehicle to steer, brake and accelerate using radar and cameras to track road markings and other vehicles.
However, the driver is still required to pay attention to the road and the system uses an infrared camera to monitor the driver and ensure their eyes are on...
Read full article
02 May 2023
Stagecoach will begin what is believed by the UK government to be the world’s first self-driving bus service over the Forth Road bridge in Scotland on May 15 2023.
The service will run between the Ferrytoll Park and Ride Fife and the Edinburgh Park train and tram exchange. The route is 14 miles in total.
The fleet will be comprised of five single-decker buses which will be able to travel on pre-selected routes at speeds of up to 50mph and, although the vehicles are self-driving, a ‘safety driver’ will be onboard to monitor the autonomous technology....
Read full article