In many cases, the familiarity of being behind the wheel can cause you to become over confident. This however can lead to multi-tasking and doing other things while driving – the most obvious one being use of a mobile phone without a hands-free set. While this is obviously illegal, there are plenty of ‘legal’ distractions that many honest drivers will admit to, such as eating and drinking, tuning the radio or operating a sat nav device.

Distracted driving is a major cause of death and serious injury on our roads. You can make a difference by improving your attention span when behind the wheel.

It is always a good idea to be aware of what things distract you so as to avoid them from happening. If you’re hungry, eat before you go driving, so you’re not having to feed yourself behind the wheel. Make use of in-car technology such as hands-free. Pull over if you need to do something which affects your concentration. Most importantly, stay focused when driving and never attempt to multi-task.

Safe driving from Britannia!

Safe driving from Britannia!

Motorists will be able to park their vehicles using their smartphone or key fob for the first time, under plans to overhaul the rules of the road. Regulations will be updated to take account of driverless technology, enabling motorists to stand on the roadside and watch their car park itself.

Remote control parking is currently available on a number of prestige models, including the BMW 5- and 7 series. This cutting edge technology is intended to help motorists forced to squeeze their vehicles into small garages or tight parking spaces, as well as passengers with mobility problems who struggle to get in or out of vehicles.

A consultation document from the Department for Transport states that, however, the use of a handheld device to remotely park leads to “uncertainty” at present, because it could clash with regulations that ban motorists from using a mobile phone or tablet at the wheel, thus putting drivers at risk of being prosecuted.

The Department for Transport is proposing to amend the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 in order to make it clear that remote parking devices are legal. The changes, which will be subject to a six-week consultation, will provide an “exemption into this regulation to permit the use of hand-held and mobile communications devices as a means of performing remote control parking manoeuvres”.

Safe driving from Britannia!

A female motorist was charged with causing death by dangerous driving after a fatal car crash involving three vehicles.

The collision happened on Friday lunchtime on the A1307 at Bartlow, east of Horseheath Road in Linton, Cambridgeshire. The 50-year-old woman from Suffolk appears at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court today.

The female driver of a Nissan Micra who unfortunately died has not yet been formally identified, according to police, while the 43-year-old male driver of the third vehicle, a VW Tiguan, suffered only slight injuries.

Incidents such as this remind us to always have our wits about us when out driving.

Safe driving from Britannia!

UK drivers face the highest fuel prices in four years as hundreds of drivers took to the main roads for Christmas.

Prices at motorway service stations could even outstrip the cost at supermarket refilling stations.

This comes after travel chaos struck the UK on so-called “frantic Friday”, when the last of the year’s commuter traffic clashed with the festive getaway.

On the M40, there were major traffic jams in both directions after a lorry carrying beer caught fire on the southbound carriageway near Bicester, Oxfordshire.

Merry Christmas and safe driving from Britannia!

If you have to think about whether or not you’re sober enough to drive – the answer is you probably aren’t.

At Christmas time in particular, people are very likely to go driving the morning after a heavy drinking session without realising they are still technically under the influence of alcohol. Remember, a few hours’ sleep is no quick fix for lowering alcohol levels in the blood.

A road safety spokesman stated that anyone who has been out celebrating the night before driving “may just be about to ruin someone else’s Christmas, as well as their own.”

Earlier this year drink-driving was revealed to be a key concern among the public. Statistics show that far too many people are prepared to take the risk of dangerous driving, both straight after a drink and on the following day.

Remember that if you have been drinking, you need to allow sufficient time for your body to process the alcohol you have consumed.

Merry Christmas and safe driving from Britannia!

It is quite astonishing the lengths that some drivers will go to to protect their beloved motors from dreaded bird droppings.

In Clifton, Bristol, people have been placing spikes in trees near their homes to prevent the birds from fouling their cars from above.

The spikes, normally used to stop birds resting or nesting on buildings, have been set along branches that overhang a car park used by residents near Clifton Downs, which overlooks the Avon George and Clifton Suspension Bridge. As expected, the measure has prompted a backlash from environmentalists in the city.

While Green Party councillors are fully aware that the landowners have the right to protect their property, they argue that the spikes look truly awful and trees should naturally provide a habitat to birds.

One of them stated that it is too easy to lose sight of the benefit that we all gain from trees and green spaces and from the presence of wildlife around us in the city.

What are your thoughts on the subject? Have you ever taken extreme measures to protect your car from nature and wildlife?

Safe driving from Britannia!

Up to 1.25 million leisure journeys are expected to take place this Friday, on top of last day commuters breaking up for the holidays. For this reason the RAC is urging motorists planning long journeys to try and avoid the chaotic clash.

As many as 11.5 million Christmas getaway trips are expected before the big day, with Christmas Eve set to be particularly busy between 10am and 2pm, according to RAC Traffic Watch data.

Highways England has announced that during the festive run-in, 99% of England’s motorways and major A-roads will be free of any roadworks.

However, one RAC spokesman reminds drivers that it only takes one breakdown or accident to bring traffic grinding to a halt – so best to plan ahead and try to avoid peak times if possible.

Schools have been breaking up since Friday 15 December so should the opportunity to travel before the end of next week arise, then it would be advisable to do so.

Don’t let an avoidable breakdown get in the way of you reaching your destination this Christmas. Take a moment to check your car’s general condition, fuel and fluids in order to save getting stuck for hours in the dark.

Safe driving from Britannia!

Drivers are being advised to avoid hefty fines by declaring any medical conditions they may have when completing their DVLA driving licence form.

There is an official list of conditions that people are obliged to inform the DVLA when applying for their driving licence.
Such conditions could affect the way you drive, and failure to acknowledge them can result in severe punishments.

Motorists can be fined up to £1,000 and invalidate their car insurance premium. More seriously, they could be prosecuted and face a jail sentence if involved in a crash as a result of their medical condition.
These include anxiety, depression and forms of cancer but the comprehensive list indexes an A-Z of conditions, syndromes and diseases.

Safe driving from Britannia!

In the early hours of Sunday 16th December there was a horrendous 3 car pile up in Birmingham city centre. Investigators are trying to piece together what caused the horror smash, which took place in the underpass on Lee Bank Middleway – at the junction of Bristol Road.

Three men were among the fatalities, while a black cab driver and his two passengers, a man and a woman, were also killed.

Victims were thrown from their vehicles while a black cab driver and his two passengers, a man and woman, died after the vehicle was left on its side. A fourth man travelling in the car remains in a critical condition at the city’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

For something like this to occur just a week before Christmas is truly upsetting. While it remains unknown what exactly caused the horror smash, road users are advised to be extra vigilant when out and about at this time of year.

Safe driving from Britannia!