Top 10 Driving Distractions

In keeping with our tenth anniversary year, we thought we’d share a list of the most common driving distractions to remind you to stay safe on the roads.

1. Eating and Drinking – If you eat your breakfast on the way to work it is likely you won’t be giving the road your full attention

2. Listening to music – it is not so much the listening that can distract you, but the changing of radio stations or flicking through your playlist.

3. Using your phone – we all know that phones and driving don’t mix, but did you know that texting drivers are 23 times more likely to crash than those paying full attention to the road

4. Viewing an incident – most of us would admit to slowing down to view an incident on the road involving other motorists, but in doing so we are actually putting ourselves and others at risk of an accident on the road ahead

5. Dozing off – tiredness can be one of the worst driving distractions with around 5% of motorists actually admitting to nodding off whilst behind the wheel.

6. Other occupants – if you have ever driven anywhere with children you will realise how easy it is to become distracted by their arguments when you should be concentrating on the road

7. Pets – almost a quarter of UK households own a dog, and often these pets need to be transported to the vets, kennels, dog day care or just out with the family for the day. Barking or movement from the back seat or boot can be distracting when driving. We reveal how even F1 drivers can become distracted by children and pets!

8. Applying make-up – using your mirrors to check the application of mascara or lipstick is not the best way to stay alert when driving.

9. Adjusting devices or controls within the vehicle – just as changing the radio station can be distracting, so too can adjusting your climate control, altering your mirrors or moving your seat forwards or backwards.

10. Smoking – it is not just lighting a cigarette that takes your attention away from the road but also distinguishing one.

Even worrying about your vehicle can be a distraction, so remember to maintain regular servicing to give you one less thing to worry about.

Use our Good Garage Scheme website to find a trustworthy garage in your area.

Good Garage Scheme Supports Tyre Safety Month

"Don't chance it, check it" is this month's message from road safety charity, TyreSafe.

The campaign has been supported by research by the charity that reveals more than one in four motorists are replacing their tyres when they were already illegal, the equivalent of over ten million illegal and dangerous tyres on Britain’s roads!

The tyre tread depth survey involved 800 tyre retailers from across the UK surveying 340,000 tyres and comes alongside findings from the DVSA that annually, 2.2 million fail their MOT due to tyre-related defects.  The Good Garage Scheme is lending its support to the campaign, encouraging motorists to get their tyres and cars professionally checked in this year's Tyre Safety Month.

Good Garage Scheme workshops across the UK can offer motorists peace of mind by providing an expert assessment of their vehicle’s tyres and overall condition. The legal minimum tread depth for cars in the UK is 1.6mm throughout a continuous band comprising the central three-quarters of breadth of the tread and around its entire outer circumference. In wet weather tyre tread grooves help to remove water from the contact patch between the tyres and the road surface, allowing the car to brake, steer and accelerate properly. Without adequate tread depth, the tyres may not be able to perform properly in wet conditions, reducing safety on the road.

Anndi Sheppard, the Good Garage Scheme’s Marketing Manager, comments: “Tyre safety and the need to raise awareness of the importance of carrying out regular tyre checks are important issues that every motorist needs to be aware of. The Good Garage Scheme is pleased to lend its support to this year’s Tyre Safety Month. Arranging a tyre and vehicle check with a Good Garage Scheme member is a simple way to put your mind at rest and ensure your car is safe and reliable as the weather begins to change this autumn.”


Visit www.GoodGarageScheme.com and enter your postcode to find your local Good Garage Scheme workshop offering a vehicle check. Many Good Garage Scheme members offer online service booking, making it even easier to arrange a check or service for your car. In addition, smartphone users can download a free iPhone or Android app to help them locate a nearby Good Garage Scheme workshop anywhere in the UK.


Watch Tyresafe's video here with a simple guide on how to check your tyres and why it's important.

More Motorists Are Booking Online

Research from the Good Garage Scheme has shown that more motorists are booking appointments online for car services, car repairs and MOTs. In fact, there has been a 14% increase in jobs booked online via the Good Garage Scheme website.

Customers can search for a Good Garage Scheme member garage offering online booking and go online at any time of the day to select a time and date for an MOT, car service or car repair.

The Good Garage Scheme member will then contact you to confirm the appointment and ask any other questions relevant to your request.

Why not visit the Good Garage Scheme website and book your next MOT, car service or Winter Check?

Simply click here to find your nearest Good Garage Scheme member garage.

Edgware driver wins Good Garage Scheme Feedback Prize

Muriel Rapport is presented with £200 at S&B Motors.

Lucky motorist Muriel Rapport has won £200 towards the cost of her recent car service at Good Garage Scheme member, S&B Motors in Edgware in a recent Feedback Prize Draw.

Muriel’s feedback card was picked at random from thousands of customer satisfaction surveys submitted by the public throughout the UK earlier this year.

Good Garage Scheme customers are encouraged to provide feedback to help drivers visiting www.GoodGarageScheme.com make an informed choice when selecting a local workshop to service or repair their car.

The Edgware-based driver awarded S&B Motors with a maximum five-star rating for the service and MOT carried out on her car. The garage has been a member since 2008 and enjoys an overall satisfaction rating of five stars from over 98% of customers, with some 99.7% of customers saying they would recommend the garage and visit again.

Muriel Rapport commented: “S&B Motors did an excellent job of servicing and carrying out an MOT on my car, undertaking the work quickly and efficiently. Based on my experience, I would be pleased to recommend S&B Motors to other drivers seeking a trustworthy and reliable workshop to look after their car.”

Sean Regan of S&B Motors, added: “We are delighted that one of our valued customers has won the Good Garage Scheme’s feedback prize, and were just as pleased to have received such a glowing review. This positive feedback shows the importance we place on providing our customers with an excellent service, as well as the hard work and dedication of our team that makes this happen.”

Visit www.GoodGarageScheme.com and enter your postcode to find your local Good Garage Scheme member and view customer feedback. The next feedback prize winner will be drawn before Christmas. If you are having your car serviced or repaired, fill in a feedback for your chance to win back the cost of your next one.

Mary Berry is RoadSmart

Photo courtesy of IAM - by Richard Daniels of Ardquoy

Great British Bake Off judge Mary Berry certainly knows her way around the kitchen but also knows a thing or two about safe driving.

Mary recently completed IAM RoadSmart’s Mature Driver Assessment and was presented with a certificate by IAM RoadSmart chief executive officer Sarah Sillars.

Mary has been an IAM RoadSmart member since the 1950’s, when she took an early version of the current Advanced Driver Course.


Sarah said: “Mature drivers are statistically one of the safest age groups, but age-related changes can knock confidence. The assessment aims to give a mature driver the reassurance to continue driving happily into the future, while also ironing out any problem areas the assessor might spot.”

For those who remember the nerves of taking the driving test many years ago, there is no need to worry as the assessment is purely advisory and does not delivery a pass or fail at the end.

For more information about IAM RoadSmart’s Mature Driver Assessment, which costs just £49, click here. 

The Good Garage Scheme would like to thank IAM RoadSmart for supplying this week's blog and encourages all mature drivers to sign up for the assessment.

It's Not Smart to use a Smartphone when Driving

Driving is a highly unpredictable and risky activity requiring our full concentration at all times. Drivers who divide their attention between their phone and the road are significantly increasing their risk of causing a devastating crash.

Reading and writing messages – whether texting, emailing or using apps or social networks – while driving is even more distracting than talking on a phone, as it takes your mind, hands and eyes off the road. Texting drivers’ reaction times are 35% slower and they also have poor lane control. One large-scale study found texting drivers were 23 times more likely to crash than a driver paying full attention.

A recent survey by Brake, the road safety charity, revealed that  around half of drivers aged between 25 and 34 are taking huge risks by texting, using apps or going online on their mobiles when they are behind the wheel.

• Almost half of drivers aged 25-34 use apps while driving (49%)
• More than half of 25-34 year olds read or write text messages while driving (55%)
• Drivers aged 18-35 are most likely to text or use apps behind the wheel

In addition, one in five young drivers (18-24) confirmed they regularly text and/or instant message when they are behind the wheel.

Reaching for a mobile phone can be an irresistible temptation for some, despite knowledge of the risks. In the UK, experts have warned of increasing levels of smartphone addiction by users who are unable to go without checking their phone for short periods.


Brake advises motorists to put mobile phones on silent and out of reach when driving to avoid any distraction.

The Good Garage Scheme supports the charity Brake and is grateful to share their advice in this week's blog. For more information about Brake, please visit www.brake.org.uk

For full report from Brake, visit their website.

Get Set for the School Run

With the summer holidays now drawing to a close, many parents are busy getting their children ready for a new academic year ahead, buying numerous ‘back to school’ items for their loved ones, such as uniforms, stationery and sports kit. However, one area that’s often overlooked is the family car and the need for it to provide safe and reliable transport for the daily demands of the school run. In response, the Good Garage Scheme is encouraging motorists to get their cars professionally checked as term begins.

Good Garage Scheme workshops across the UK can offer motorists peace of mind by providing an expert assessment of their vehicle’s condition as the new school year starts.

All essential areas of the car should be examined including the following:

• condition and level of the coolant and engine oil
• tyres - for correct pressure and excessive wear
• wiper blades
• windscreen and fluid
• lights

This will ensure the car is ready for the wet and cold months ahead. Not doing so can increase the risk of having a collision, especially if a car’s tyre pressures are low, making it hard to maintain grip and easier to skid in wet conditions. Being able to see and be seen is also important as the days start to get shorter, making it essential to inspect all bulbs to ensure they are working, as well the operation of heaters and windscreen washers.

Getting a car serviced at a Good Garage Scheme workshop also helps drivers make the most of the money they spend on fuel, whether filling with petrol or diesel. Good Garage Scheme member garages can help motorists cut their fuel bills by as much as 14 per cent by cleaning and lubricating the entire fuel system to improve engine efficiency and reduce fuel consumption and exhaust emissions.

For more information about your local garage, visit www.GoodGarageScheme.com.