Driver stopped in lane 3 of M25 after fuel light turned on

A driver stopped in lane three of the M25 on Thursday morning - because her fuel light started flashing!

The woman, who was in an Audi Q7, was travelling along the anticlockwise carriageway between junctions 6 for Godstone and junction 5 for Sevenoaks when the light appeared.

Surrey Police responded after first receiving reports that the car had broken down.

A spokesman for the force said: "Her fuel warning light came on so she stopped in lane three as she was confused due it not being a car that she usually drives.

"She was given suitable advice and directions to the nearest garage."

Source

Proposed Ultra Low Emission Zone

So today an email popped in to my inbox which some of you might be interested in:

I am writing to remind you to share your views on the proposed Ultra Low Emission Zone which would operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the same area as the Congestion Charging zone.

The zone would be introduced from 2020 and aims to encourage the use of newer, cleaner vehicles, reducing vehicle pollution by half.

All cars, motorcycles, vans, minibuses, and heavy vehicles would need to meet a new emission standard or pay a daily charge to travel within the zone. The proposed daily Ultra Low Emission Zone charge would be in addition to the existing Congestion Charge.

To find out more and to have your say, please visit tfl.gov.uk/ultra-low-emission-zone

This consultation ends on Friday 9 January 2015. 

 Make sure you have your say!

Dashing Santa Busted For Speeding

Santa Claus has been caught speeding in New Zealand on his way to an old folks' home. "I've been a bit naughty - I ended up in too much of a hurry to deliver everything," said the rogue Santa who talked on condition of anonymity.

He had a lot to fit in before Christmas Day, he said. "But I think I've sent a message out there that Santa's not above the law and he deserved his ticket and he will not be doing it again - and hopefully it's a lesson for everyone else." Police pulled over the portly, jolly man on Friday in Cornwall St in Masterton.

Masterton police acting Sergeant Shayne Nolan said not even Father Christmas was exempt from the zero speed tolerance. Santa was driving 19km/h over the limit, which earned him a $120 ticket and 20 demerit points. 

10 Most Dangerous Roads in the UK

An annual report named 'How Safe Are You On Britain's Roads?'.by the Road Safety Foundation (RSF) a UK road safety charity, has revealed the 10 most dangerous UK roads.

 

The most dangerous road at number 1 on the list is the A285 between Chichester and Petworth, Fatal and serious crashes increased by 16 per cent on this 12-mile stretch over a five year period from 2007 and 2012, making it Britain's most dangerous road.

The charity acknowledged the difficulties facing the A285. It said a "more reaching intervention" is required if the local government is to improve the situation, adding that previous measures had been inadequate.

The report was not all doom and gloom. It discovered councils who scheduled cost efficient safety measures in conjunction with standard road maintenance managed to reduce fatal and serous crashes by an impressive 80 per cent on 15 stretches of roads.

Even more impressive is the fact that these enormous reductions were worth a staggering £400 million to the economy. Motorways, meanwhile, witnessed a 20 per cent decrease in fatal and serious crashes.

Some other negative findings of the report are worth a mention. It is now understood that motorcyclists make up only one per cent of traffic but 21 per cent of fatal crashes. Also the risk to road users is seven times greater on single-carriage A roads than motorways.

RSF chairman Lord Whitty said: "We can no longer accept sudden, violent road death as such a significant cause of premature loss of life. The Government must design, plan and legislate to put safety on roads on the same footing as safety in the air, sea or on rail."
The Top 10 is as follows:

1. A285 between Chichester and Petworth 
2. A809 Glasgow to A811 
3. A397 Montrsoe to A90 (Laurencekirk) 
4. A18 Laceby to Ludborough 
5. A6 M6 J33 to Lancaster 
6. A61 Wakefield to M1 J44 
7. A36 A3090 to Totton 
8. A589 Full route around lancaster 
9. A643 Brighthouse to Morley 
10. A4300 Full route through Kettering

Another way to keep yourself safer and more aware of the roads you travel on and their dangers is to get  a Road Angel Gem and have it tell you where the blackspots are! Simple really

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