The truth behind lane closures

Only this morning the A4 eastbound into London was clogged with traffic because a car had broken down on the elevated section between the Chiswick and Hogarth roundabouts.

The queues stretched all the way back to junction 3 of the M4, which is an unhappy place for motorists at the best of times, as the 3-lane motorway funnels down to the 2-lane flyover that was designed to scoot you speedily all the way to Hammersmith and beyond – jams are the norm in peak periods and not unexpected at any time of day or night.

Road to ruin

The combination of road architecture, volumes of traffic and mechanical failure is no doubt repeated many times across the country every day.

In fact, according to the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), if you’re stuck in a queue on a motorway or major A-road in England, there’s a 40% chance the problem will be someone up ahead standing next to a wounded vehicle with an expression that is equal parts dismay, shame and apology for the trouble they’re causing.

In total, breakdowns caused 185,000 lane closures in England in 2014 (out of 440,000). Roadworks, obstructions and collisions, when combined, accounted for another 140,000.

IAM also found (thanks to a Freedom of Information request to Highways England) that lanes closures were also caused by:

• 122 unsupervised children


• 12,759 incidences of pedestrians walking on a motorway or A- road


• 3,990 loose animals


• 5,700 potholes


• 2,598 abandoned vehicles


• 6,742 shed tyres


• 856 suicides or attempted suicides


• 152 cases of objects being thrown onto the roads


• 567 cases of a vehicle driving on the wrong side of the road.

Another big contributor was ‘administration’ – usually police checks – which weighed in with nearly 24,000 lane closures.

Economic damage

The IAM reckons lane closures cost the economy £1 billion a year in lost ‘man’ hours, and it says improved vehicle maintenance, road safety education and driver training will help reduce the problem.

Meanwhile, to the guy standing mournfully next to his car on the Chiswick flyover this morning – I hope you can’t lip-read.

More from my site

The truth behind lane closures

UK drivers left behind on LPG vehicles - Confused.com

01/05/13

By Ian Lewis

British motorists are being left in the slow lane when it comes to being supplied vehicles that can run on cheaper liquid petroleum gas (LPG), it really is becoming claimed.

Autogas Ltd, an LPG provide firm, says if producers made LPG-capable automobiles much more extensively accessible in the UK the move could aid drivers reduce their motoring fees by up to 40 per cent, as effectively as boost sales and advantage the atmosphere.

Though drivers in Europe can buy new LPG-capable vehicles direct from numerous showrooms no makers are providing new ones on this side of the Channel, regardless of the fuel becoming sold for not considerably much more than half the cost of diesel, according to Autogas.

And with LPG-capable cars also capable to run on standard unleaded petrol motorists would have an unlimited mileage range regardless of some garages not stocking the fuel.

An Autogas survey suggests that 97 per cent of the UK drivers who have had their cars converted to run on LPG are organizing to at some point replace them with one more than can advantage from the lower fuel bills. Despite the fact that the fuel doesn’;t give motorists as numerous miles to the gallon as traditional fuel the price tag distinction would still produce huge savings, the firm says.

Its general manager, Linda Gomersall, mentioned companies have been overlooking UK motorists by only providing petrol, diesel, electric or hybrid models as an alternative of the LPG-capable choice extensively accessible to millions of drivers on the continent.

She mentioned that manufacturers had been failing to give British drivers the exact same option as their European counterparts in spite of investing millions of pounds a year on establishing electric and hybrid automobiles.

She added: “By offering these automobiles here, drivers would be capable to benefit from reduced operating charges, the impact to the environment would be decreased and companies could sell a lot more vehicles. It really is a win-win predicament!”

UK drivers left behind on LPG vehicles - Confused.com

Caution! Baby on Board and Behind the Wheel!

Most little ones can’t wait to be old sufficient to drive a car, even so a couple of weeks ago in Henley a 3 year old youngster decided that waiting till he was 6teen was just not on. He then proceeded to take the keys to his parents’ Subaru Impreza, unlock the car, get behind the wheel and drive the vehicle into the garden of the nearby 16th Century Duke of Cumberland Arms pub.

On his journey the unnamed kid drove down his driveway and over 2 embankments before ending up in the pub garden, even so he was stopped ahead of entering the bar and ordering a pint. Fortunately, neither the youngster nor any person else was hurt in the course of the incident, even though the nipper did acquire a modest bump to the head (that’s what you get for driving without having a seatbelt!)

However, the owners of the pub were away which implies that no-a single was offered to comment on the occasion, nevertheless a Sussex Police spokesperson mentioned: “The boy unlocked the Subaru Impreza car, which is an automatic, started it and drove it down the driveway, down 2 embankments and ended up in the garden of the Duke of Cumberland Arms pub.

“He suffered a slight bump to the head following hitting it on the steering wheel. An ambulance was called and he was taken to hospital to be checked out. No a single else was hurt, even though the vehicle was damaged.” The parents of the child also failed to comment, however we are certain that they are planning on banning him from driving till he is of legal age, as nicely as maintaining the keys to their cars hidden away from now on.

It’s not just here in the UK that toddlers are taking to the roads however, as there have also been reports of a 3 year old in Myrtle Creek, Oregon who crashed his parents’ Jeep into a neighbouring property – and then ran away. The child, who was dressed only in a diaper, managed to get into the unlocked car and then knock it out of gear, major it to rolling down the street, through an intersection and into a residence.

The kid, naturally shaken by his ordeal, ran away from the scene of the crime back property where he preceded to watch cartoons till the police arrived asking inquiries. The child told the police that his parents weren’t property and that an additional relative who was supposed to be watching him had fallen asleep. We know that maintaining an eye on youngsters is usually challenging but we in no way knew that they could get up to this a lot mischief!

Tips for Keeping your Kid off the Road

1. Shop keys in places they cannot attain. Such as any location that is larger than 2ft.
2. Acquire them a fake car from a toy shop. At 3 years old they shouldn’t be as well discerning.
3. If your child is adamant that they want to drive get a boring vehicle – anything that even they wouldn’t want to be noticed in!

Photo by Pixabay

The post Caution! Baby on Board and Behind the Wheel! appeared very first on Very first Insurance Weblog.

Caution! Baby on Board and Behind the Wheel!

Imperial Toyota puts its weight behind Cullinan Rally – Round 5 of the SA National Rally Championship

Imperial Toyota today announced its financial support of the Cullinan Rally, round 5 of the South African National Rally Championship. The event, which takes place on August 15 and 16, 2014, will again feature spectacular rally stages in and around the town of Cullinan, Northeast of Pretoria, Gauteng.

“When we heard that the event was without a sponsor, we decided increase our support of the National Rally Championship (NRC),” said Imperial Toyota Managing Director Andrew Miller.

Without Imperial Toyota’;s support, the Cullinan Rally was in danger of becoming a drearyaffair, rather than the spectacular event it now promises to be. With 2 completely new stages for 2014, as well as the involvement of the Northern Regions regional championship on both days of the event, the Cullinan Rally promises to be a spectator’;s delight thanks to the support from Imperial Toyota.

“As it stands we already support Giniel de Villiers and Greg Godrich, in the Imperial Toyota Yaris S2000,” continued Miller. “The car is prepared by Glyn Hall of Toyota Motorsport South Africa, and has shown a lot of promise in 2014. As such we feel very much a part of the NRC, and our support of the Cullinan Rally feels like a natural extension of our involvement.”

Imperial Toyota has a proud history of motorsport involvement, and firmly believes in the mantra “what wins on Sunday, sells on Monday”. As such the company has utilised motorsport to grow their own brand, as well as that of Toyota, for more than a quarter of a century. It started in the Production Car era, when Imperial Toyota sponsored a highly competitive Class B Toyota Corolla, and continues to this day with its sponsorship of the Imperial Team Toyota Dakar entry campaigned by 2010 Dakar winner Giniel de Villiers.

The company has dealerships in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the Western Cape; and is part of the Imperial Automotive Retail group, which in turn forms part of the listed Imperial Group.

Also view:

Safe Driving on Gravel Roads

Imperial Toyota puts its weight behind Cullinan Rally – Round 5 of the SA National Rally Championship

Imperial Toyota puts its weight behind Cullinan Rally – Round 5 of the SA National Rally Championship

Imperial Toyota today announced its financial support of the Cullinan Rally, round 5 of the South African National Rally Championship. The event, which takes place on August 15 and 16, 2014, will again feature spectacular rally stages in and around the town of Cullinan, Northeast of Pretoria, Gauteng.

“When we heard that the event was without a sponsor, we decided increase our support of the National Rally Championship (NRC),” said Imperial Toyota Managing Director Andrew Miller.

Without Imperial Toyota’;s support, the Cullinan Rally was in danger of becoming a drearyaffair, rather than the spectacular event it now promises to be. With 2 completely new stages for 2014, as well as the involvement of the Northern Regions regional championship on both days of the event, the Cullinan Rally promises to be a spectator’;s delight thanks to the support from Imperial Toyota.

“As it stands we already support Giniel de Villiers and Greg Godrich, in the Imperial Toyota Yaris S2000,” continued Miller. “The car is prepared by Glyn Hall of Toyota Motorsport South Africa, and has shown a lot of promise in 2014. As such we feel very much a part of the NRC, and our support of the Cullinan Rally feels like a natural extension of our involvement.”

Imperial Toyota has a proud history of motorsport involvement, and firmly believes in the mantra “what wins on Sunday, sells on Monday”. As such the company has utilised motorsport to grow their own brand, as well as that of Toyota, for more than a quarter of a century. It started in the Production Car era, when Imperial Toyota sponsored a highly competitive Class B Toyota Corolla, and continues to this day with its sponsorship of the Imperial Team Toyota Dakar entry campaigned by 2010 Dakar winner Giniel de Villiers.

The company has dealerships in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the Western Cape; and is part of the Imperial Automotive Retail group, which in turn forms part of the listed Imperial Group.

Also view:

Safe Driving on Gravel Roads

Imperial Toyota puts its weight behind Cullinan Rally – Round 5 of the SA National Rally Championship

LeMons Sebring Day 1: Porsche 944 Leads, Duff Beer Civic Close Behind

After inspecting the machines of a small but devoted band of racers on Friday, the initial race session of the initial-ever Humidi TT 24 Hours of LeMons took place on Saturday at Sebring International Raceway. Even even though a wild afternoon lightning storm blasted many pieces of track infrastructure and forced the evacuation of the flag stations, we had many hours of good racing. When the checkered flag flew, German and Japanese marques owned the upper element of the standings, with the leading 5 going Porsche, Honda, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Honda. Meanwhile, the Class C battle gave us intense drama throughout the day. Here’s what occurred.

Even though Porsche 944s have been really frustrating LeMons automobiles in the previous, the first-ever Porsche all round LeMons win final year might have changed the rules a bit. At the end of Saturday’s race session at Sebring, the Floridiot Motorsports 1986 Porsche 944 owned the P1 spot. This team had to rebuild their engine’s cylinder head on the night before the race and went via a last-feasible-second tech inspection on Saturday morning. The crew spent the day chewing their fingernails to the swift with be concerned more than their questionable engine, but the red Porsche refrained from dumping its connecting rods onto the tarmac.

On the quite identical lap as the Floridiots, however, was a team that has spent a lot of years mired in the lower portion of the standings in a variety of southern LeMons races: the Duff Beer Honda Civic. We’d grow to be so accustomed to seeing the Duff Beer crew up to their armpits in broken Honda engine parts more than the years that we believed there must be some mistake when we saw the familiar ’94 Civic sweating the overall leader for the race lead. Positive, the Duff guys are excellent drivers, but all the racing ability in the planet will not assist you when your 19th D16 of the year just spun another main bearing. Since the LeMons Supreme Court placed the tough-luck Duff Beer auto in Class B, the group is leading their class by an intimidating 8 laps.

Major Class C is the slow-but-trus2rthy 1964 Dart of Escape Velocity Racing. With 225 cubic inches of Slant-6 energy and a pushbutton-controlled automatic transmission, the Escape Velocity Dart holds a 9-lap lead more than its 1964 Ford rival.

The Group Fairlylame 1964 Ford Fairlane isn’t a lot quicker than the Dart about the Sebring course, in spite of its 64-cubic-inch engine-displacement edge, so the Ford racers will require to be prepared to take benefit of a driver mistake or mechanical difficulty on the portion of the Escape Velocity group.

The larger worry for the Dart team, however, have to be the Group Idle Clatter 1979 Mercedes-Benz 300SD. Though the huge oil-burning Benz is a great 10-15 seconds slower per lap than the Dodge, the team’s black-flag-cost-free driving and the car’s impressive fuel economy have them locked just a single lap behind Escape Velocity Racing. Neither group has ever earned a Class C win, so expect no quarter asked nor given between these 2 on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the considerably-anticipated race-within-a-race between the Chrysler Sebring of Speedycop & the Gang of Outlaws and the Chrysler Sebring of NSF Racing sorted out about as absolutely everyone anticipated: both vehicles suffered a number of mechanical ailments in among bouts of creaking around the course in the fashion we have come to count on from unloved 1990s Chrysler front-drivers. When the checkered flag came out, the Speedycop 2000 Sebring was in P18, with 64 laps, great for a 6-lap edge more than the 1999 NSF Sebring.

Each Sebrings are depressingly stock, neither team even bothering to modify the oil or install decent tires. Nevertheless, the Sebring-versus-Sebring-at-Sebring race has diehard LeMons fans worked into a competitive frenzy. Which of the 2 legendary teams will see their Sebring via to victory in the 12 Hours (in fact 14-1/2 hours) of Sebrings? Verify in later to find out!

Photographs by Nick Pon and Murilee “Judge Phil” Martin

LeMons Sebring Day 1: Porsche 944 Leads, Duff Beer Civic Close Behind

Rules of the Road: Your view when driving to vehicles behind you should be unobstucted to be legal!

Driving view to be unobstructed

Reg 204.               (1)          No person shall operate on a public road a motor

vehicle—

(a)          which is not so constructed and maintained as to afford the driver thereof a full and clear view of the roadway ahead and to his or her right and left when the vehicle is in use;

(b)          which is not fitted with a rear-view mirror or mirrors enabling the driver of such vehicle, when he or she is in the driving position, to see in clear weather a clear reflection of traffic to the rear: Provided that the provisions of this paragraph shall not apply in respect of a tractor;

(c)           which is a motor car, minibus, bus or goods vehicle, the gross

vehicle mass of which does not exceed 3 500 kilograms and which, according to the registration certificate thereof, was registered for the first time on or after 1 January 1987, unless it is fitted with an exterior rear-view mirror on the driving side and an interior rear-view mirror: Provided that where the interior rear-view mirror does not enable the driver, when he or she is in the driving position, to see in clear weather, a clear reflection of traffic to the rear, an additional exterior rear-view mirror shall be fitted on the side opposite to the driving seat and in such a case it shall not be necessary to fit an interior rear-view mirror;

(d)          which is a mini bus, bus or goods vehicle, the gross vehicle mass of which exceeds 3 500 kilograms and which, according to the registration certificate thereof, was registered for the first time on or after 1 January 1987, unless it is fitted with an exterior rear-view mirror on the driving side and an exterior rear-view mirror on the side opposite to the driving seat; or

(e)          which is a motor cycle, a motor tricycle or motor quadrucycle unless it is fitted with a rear-view mirror on the right side of the handlebars thereof, and such cycle shall also be fitted with a rear-view mirror on the left side of its handlebars.

(2)          Every rear-view mirror of a motor vehicle—

(a)          which—

(i)            is a motor car, minibus, bus or goods vehicle, the gross vehicle mass of which does not exceed 3 500 kilograms and which, according to the registration certificate thereof, was registered for the first time on or after 1 January 1976; or

(ii)           is a minibus, bus or a goods vehicle, the gross vehicle mass of which exceeds 3 500 kilograms and which, according to the registration certificate thereof, was registered for the first time during the period 1 January 1976 to 31 December 1986, shall be either flat or spherically convex and have an average radius of curvature of not less than one comma 2 metres; or

(b)          contemplated in subregulation (1)(d) shall be either flat or spherically convex and have an average radius or curvature of not less than one comma 8 metres.

;

Alta

Alta Swanepoel & Associates

Rules of the Road: Your view when driving to vehicles behind you should be unobstucted to be legal!

South African Air Force (SAAF) duo arrested on suspected hijacking remain behind bars

Earlier this month, on 02 June 2014, the South African Police Service (SAPS) arrested a 31-year-old Waterkloof Air Base technician, Tshepo Ledwaba and his 41-year-old accomplice, a South African Air Force (SAAF) instructor, Modise Lucas Mabeko at Western Service Road, Woodmead on suspicion of attempted hijacking, impersonating police officers and unlawful possession of firearm and ammunition. The firearm was earlier reported as allegedly being robbed from the owner who resides in Akasia, Pretoria.

The duo appeared in the Alexandra Regional Court on 10 June 2014 and the case was postponed to 20 June 2014 for formal bail application.

Further investigation by the SAPS revealed that Ledwaba was also previously arrested for another case of hijacking. He was found in possession of the vehicle that was reported hijacked in Lyttleton, Pretoria during November 2013. He is expected to appear in the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court on 6 August 2014.

Investigations to establish whether the suspects can be linked to any other cases are continuing.

Also view:

Crime as a Threat to Road Safety

South African Air Force (SAAF) duo arrested on suspected hijacking remain behind bars