Road Safety Week is the UK's biggest road safety event, coordinated annually by Brake, the road safety charity.
According to Brake, speeding is still a major problem in the UK causing needless crashes, untold suffering and life-changing accidents.
Breaking the speed limit or travelling too fast for conditions is recorded by police at crash scenes as a contributory factor in one in four (23%) fatal crashes in Great Britain and a recent survey by Brake found that four in 10 (40%) UK drivers admitted they sometimes drive at 30mph in 20mph zones.
We all lead busy lives and are often in a rush, but taking extra care while driving and slowing down will lead to safer roads and fewer accidents.
The Good Garage Scheme joins with Brake once again to encourage all motorists to Speed Down Save Lives. Hopefully the good habits we put in practice this week will remind us to drive with care throughout the year.
For more information about Brake, please visit their website.
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The Good Garage Scheme supported Road Safety Week last week by encouraging visitors to its website to "Make the Pledge". The Good Garage Scheme and Miles Better tweeted and sent messages of support via Facebook and Twitter and dedicated a page of its website to the charity's campaign.
Brake, the road safety charity, ran its Road Safety Week from 18th-24th November to help prevent appalling
crashes caused by multitasking at the wheel. The "Tune in to Road Safety" campaign appealed to
drivers to turn off their phones or put them in the boot and urges
everyone to refuse to speak on the phone to someone who’s driving. It is launched a decade after hand-held mobiles were banned at the
wheel and coincides with the week-long enforcement campaign.
Driving
is the most dangerous thing most of us do on a regular basis: operating a potentially dangerous machine in an unpredictable, public
environment requires full concentration at all times.
In the UK, Ofcom has warned of increasing levels of
smartphone addiction by users who are unable to go without checking
their phone for short periods or through the night. Statistics from The Communications Market 2011, Ofcom, 2011
It
is believed around one in five crashes could be caused, at least in
part, by driver distraction and drivers who perform a secondary task at
the wheel are two to three times as likely to crash. Study data from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2006
Some very
complex tasks, like talking on a phone, whether hand-held or hands-free,
increase this risk even more.From study by University of Western Australia,
2005
The
effect of talking on a phone on driving has been shown to be worse than
drinking certain levels of alcohol. Driver reaction times are 30%
slower while using a hands-free phone than driving with a blood alcohol
level of 80mg alcohol per 100ml blood (the current UK limit) and nearly
50% slower than driving normally and soberly. Transport Research Laboratory, 2009
Other
forms of distraction not involving technology also cause risk. If
you're eating or drinking at the wheel, you are less able to react; some
studies have suggested the risk is as great as when talking on a phone. Brunel University, 2008
Heightened
emotions such as stress, anger or upset are cognitive distractions that
significantly impede your ability to drive safely. The level of
distraction depends on the level of distress. The Open University, 2011
According to Brake, drivers
caught using a hand-held phone at the wheel to call or text face a
(recently increased) fixed penalty notice of £100 and three points or
may be offered a course instead of taking points.
In 2012, more than
10,000 drivers caught using their phone at the wheel took a ‘What’s Driving Us’ course instead of opting for points. In some cases, drivers
may go to court and face disqualification and a maximum fine of £1,000.
Drivers who cause a crash and kill someone while using a phone could
face up to 14 years in prison. Worst still they they will have to live with the knowledge that someone
died because of their decision to use their phone at the wheel.
If you haven't done so already, Make the Pledge to drive more responsibly.
Using the Good Garage Scheme, you'll find local independent garages you can trust. Be assured every garage listed on the Good Garage Scheme performs car servicing to a strict standard and will have your best interests at heart.
Car Servicing Nationwide - What you should expect.
Car Service - What you should expect ?
When organising a car service, it's important that you establish what the service includes.
Some garages will change only your oil filter, others will carry out a full service. A good garage will follow a service checklist and give you a copy of that completed checklist as confirmation of a job well done. Good Garage Scheme members carry out your service incorporating the Industry Standard Service Checklist.
Does your car need a service?
Most modern cars only need a service once a year, but older cars require a service once every six months. The manufacturer's service handbook will set what is best for your car. The type of service you need will also be affected by how you use your car. For example, lots of short journeys where the engine does not have a chance to warm up properly will probably mean more frequent oil and filter changes.
Running faults and repairs
Ask to speak to a mechanic or technician about the problem. Explain the problem in as much detail as you can. If you can, include when the problem occurs, for example only when engine is cold, or after the vehicle has been left standing.
Collecting your car
Ask to view the old replaced parts and check that
• The bill is for the amount agreed, or is not significantly more than any estimate you were given.
• The work and parts are fully itemised (this will be proof of purchase if a problem occurs as a result of the work or replaced part fails)
• The service record book has been stamped with the garage stamp
Rather than replacing parts that are not fully worn out, a good garage will advise you when they will probably need replacing, based on the way you use your car.
According to Brake, speeding is still a major problem in the UK causing needless crashes, untold suffering and life-changing accidents.
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