The government is set to give the go-ahead to researchers to test their self driving car on roads.

Universities and science minister David Willetts is pushing for a change in the law to allow driverless cars to be used on UK roads and says he has already successfully lobbied the government to allow researchers from Oxford University to test such a car on public roads.

The Oxford project uses a modified Nissan Leaf electric car fitted with cameras and sensors to help control the car, and expects to be able to take the car on public roads soon.

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The government is to set up dedicated traffic courts in England and Wales to free up magistrates courts.

The traffic courts will prosecute some of the 500,000 minor motoring offences that pass through the courts each year. Every police area is expected to have one of the courts by April 2014, hearing up to 160 cases a day.

Jurisdiction will be limited to the 90% of cases where motorist admit guilt-drivers who plead not guilty will still be dealt with by magistrates as before.

Emily Smith of Britannia Driving School said: “The justice system must respond more quickly to the needs of victims and local communities, and these specialised courts seem to be the answer.”

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With the price of fuel rising as we speak, the only logical way of making your money go further in the world of modern motoring is to make your fuel go further. Here are our top tips for driving in a more economical fashion:

– Ensure your car is serviced regularly. Whilst this may be a hassle, things such as replacing your oil or checking your tyre pressure have been shown to have a dramatic effect on fuel costs. An under-inflated tyre will cause more resistance and therefore cost more in fuel, and always ensure that you top up the tyre pressure when carrying heavier loads.

– Remove excess weight. This doesn’t mean get on a treadmill. Your car will work harder to carry more weight, which will take more fuel. Make your car as light as possible by removing surplus items from the boot and back seats, or roof-boxes. This will also help you to stay streamlined, which will benefit your fuel consumption.

– Plan journeys. If you get lost or are forced to drive around aimlessly to find somewhere, you are wasting fuel unnecessarily. Plan ahead, save time, save fuel, save money.

– Drive smoothly. Accelerate gently, ease your car to a slow stop rather than a harsh brake, and you will save fuel, as well as reduce the risk of accidents. Also try to keep the car in motion- repeated stopping and starting the vehicle will have a detrimental effect on your fuel levels.

– Drive responsibly – Change gear earlier than you are used to. The recommended rpm to change gear at is around 2,000 for a diesel car or 2,500 for petrol.

– Reduce non-essential usage. Have a window open if at all possible, and save the AC for motorway driving. Keep electrical loads off to reduce fuel consumption and you will see your money go further.

– Turn the engine off if you expect to be stationary for more than three minutes. Ignore the myth that turning off the engine and back on again will use more fuel –this simply isn’t true.

– Drive legally. Specifically, this refers to speed limits. Not only is it highly dangerous to speed in your car, the higher your speed, the more fuel you will use. A difference of as little as 10mph can mean as much as 25% more fuel usage.

Follow our tips for more economical driving, and see your car go further along with your cash.

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Pedestrian safety measures should look for separate solutions for adults and children, according to a report commissioned by a parliamentary advisory group for UN road safety week.

“Stepping Out”- seeks to highlight the importance of treating various types of pedestrian differently, claiming that children and adults have different collision characteristics.

The report also found that although overall numbers of pedestrian deaths and serious injury figures had dropped significantly from 19,035 in 1980 to 5,605 in 2010, the proportions of deaths and serious injuries in the overall number of accidents have levelled off at 22.9%, compared with 22.4% in 1980.

Emily Smith of Britannia Driving School said: “We need to design our roads and streets around people, acknowledging the realities of human behaviour.”

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