Driver Distraction – Up There With Speeding and Drink Driving, in Terms of Road Safety?

Road safety statistics suggest 9 out of 10 collisions are due to human errors, with the NHTSA (in the US) estimating that 25% of collisions are due to driver distraction. But what is distracting drivers behind the wheel and do these distractions affect everyone in the same way?

It is suggested that a distracted driver is 4 times more likely to be involved in an accident behind the wheel. Mobile phones are not the only source of distraction behind the wheel, eating, smoking or even changing a CD also remove a driver’s concentration from the road long enough to result in an accident.

But it is due to the ever increasing use of mobile phones to make calls, send text messages, take photos and use social media which have led to these concerns for driver distraction. Advertising campaigns play hypothetical – and sometimes even real – stories of the consequences of driver distraction through our televisions on a daily basis. Yet, drivers continue to take these risks.
But you use a hands-free devise?

Research also suggests that the use of hands-free devices does little to improve driver concentration, although they did tend to prevent drivers from preforming other tasks which demand more of the driver’s concentration (for example texting or eating).

Until autonomy can be a safe and practical reality, driver distraction must be minimised. Are advertising campaigns alone capable of doing this? Are heavier penalties and stricter enforcement the answer? Or does this issue require the more drastic action of making vehicles mobile phone signal black-spots?

The UK's Most Unreliable Car Revealed

Image from recombu.com

What happens when you combine all of the most unreliable cars on the road? You get the 'Frankencar', which costs an average of £550 to repair every other month (according to Warranty Direct)

The body parts of the 'Horrific 40RR0R' consists of

• Engine from a BMW M5
• Axle of an Audi RS6
• Suspension of an Audi RS6
• Gearbox of a Jeep Grand Cherokee
• Electrics of a Mercedes R-Class
• Brakes of a Fiat Multipla
• Air-conditioning system of a Seat Alhambra 
• Steering system of a Chrysler 300C.

Two-fifths of Audi RS6 owners need a garage visit to get their suspension woes sorted out every year, while three in every 10 Mercedes R-Class cars suffer from some sort of electrical fault. A quarter of BMW M5s need engine repairs. 10 per cent of Chrysler 300Cs require steering system repairs.

Managing director David Gerrans said: “The Horrific 40RR0R is a bit of fun that will, thankfully, never be built, as it stitches together the cars that perform worst in each of the mechanical categories we measure.

"This large variety of vehicles that goes into the concoction proves how typically reliable cars can be dragged down by one poorly-performing part.”

Warranty Direct, which provides warranty cover for vehicles, compiled the parts by looking at the Reliability Index of more than 50,000 policies. It found the average car annual repair bill was £350, while the most expensive bill was a truly frightening £35,000.

The Reliability Index (RI) measures a car on its cost of repair, frequency of failure, age and mileage. The Franken car would score 500 if it was real – far higher than the average score of 100.

Whatever nightmares your car has you can rest easy knowing that your Gem has eAssist should something happen which leaves you in danger.

eAssist connects you to an emergency response call centre, should you be in an emergency situation.  an operator can then contact the relevant emergency services, dependent on your needs.

Your location is automatically sent to the call centre so they can accurately pin-point your location and direct response services accordingly.

Source

Woman Has “Narrow Escape” From Being Jailed After Speeding Point Scam.

Karen Cook-Wilson a mum of 4 got a friend from the local pub to help her try and avoid being landed with a ban when she was caught doing 35mph in a 30mph zone when she already had nine points on her licence.

Mrs Cook-Wilson was collared when the previous resident of her address realised the finger of blame was being pointed at her and came forward.

Mr Recorder William Lowe QC told her: “I credit that you didn’t understand how serious your behaviour was and how criminal it was, and the consequences that could have followed. There are people who have committed this offence in recent times who have ended up being sent to lesson, despite their high-public profile. The distinction is, you came to your senses, co-operated with the police, confessed all and were extremely remorseful.

“You have had a narrow escape today.”

The judge sentenced her to four months’ in jail, suspended for 12 months with supervision.
Glen Gatland, defending, said Cook-Wilson is a self-employed single mum who works hard to provide for her children, She appreciates how foolish and stupid she has been.”

The court heard the frightened mum was in tears during police interviews when she realised the seriousness of what she had done. She has no prior record with the police

Following the high profile case of Chris Huhne  and his ex wife Vicky Price who were sentenced to eight months each in jail for the same charge this lady certainly was lucky