Do you live in one particular of these auto insurance coverage rip-off regions?

Car insurers who automatically renew your cover when it ends are costing you money, and if you live in the Midlands or the South East of England, you could be hit worse than drivers anywhere else.

Chris Heaton-Harris MP (Con, Daventry) with Peter Plumb, MoneySuperMarket CEO

Our research has already found drivers who don’t shop around are missing out on £1.3 billion worth of savings every year when their policies are automatically renewed by their insurers.

Now a regional breakdown of the data reveals that where you live has a weighty effect on how badly you’ll be hit.

Rip-off regions

Auto-renewals cost English drivers in the South East the most (£307 million), followed by those in the Midlands (£240 million), South West (£150 million) and North West (£137 million).

North of the border in Scotland, savings lost because of auto-renewals total more than £32 million, while motorists in Wales are missing out on savings totalling £21 million.

Here’s a breakdown of how much each region is losing to auto renewals:

Election special

With a general election looming, we also looked at how the constituents of key political party figures such as David Cameron and Ed Miliband compared.

Motorists in the Prime Minister’s Witney constituency are missing out on potential savings of up to £2.7 million by falling prey to their insurer’s auto-renewal tricks.

Alan Campbell MP (Lab, Tynemouth) and Peter Plumb discuss the auto-renewals report.

Meanwhile, Ed Miliband’s driving constituents are being ripped off by car insurance providers to a lesser extent than Cameron’s – but motorists in the Labour leader’s North Doncaster powerbase could still save up to £2 million.

The PM’s Lib Dem coalition partner Nick Clegg represents the Sheffield constituency of Hallam, where drivers could shave £1.66 million off their insurance policies by giving auto renewals the boot.

And while George Osborne attempted to balance the books in last week’s Budget, policyholders in his Cheshire constituency of Tatton need to follow suit and save up to £2.3 million by avoiding auto-renewing.

‘Many motorists have no idea’

Dan Plant, editor-in-chief at MoneySuperMarket, said: “Auto-renewal tricks are costing the nation’s drivers dearly, and need to stop.

“Motorists in the South East may be the worst off currently, but the whole industry needs shaking up to help stifle the tricks of the trade.

“Many motorists have absolutely no idea that they’re agreeing to auto-renewal when they purchase their policy in the first place, and insurers can often make it difficult for customers to avoid renewing.”

We’re taking a stand

MoneySuperMarket is leading the charge against auto-renewals, and recently launched an 8-point plan to challenge the industry and stop customers wasting their money.

It includes suggested improvements such as drivers being asked whether they want to opt-in to auto renewals or not, and forcing insurers to clearly show you how much you paid for cover last year so you can see how much more or less expensive the renewal price would be.

We’re campaigning hard for urgent change, and many MPs have backed our calls for industry reform. But as and when your car insurance comes up for renewal, you should take power into your own hands and decline to auto-renew your policy until you have used a comparison tool to shop around for a better price.

Do you live in one particular of these auto insurance coverage rip-off regions?

What are the Speed Limits for Particular Classes of Vehicles?

Question:

I would like to know what the max allowable speed is for trucks 3t and up to 5t, passenger combis and motorhomes?
Answer:

Source: Page 14 of 31 at https://www.dropbox.com/s/vja8ggev7msbct9/The%20New%20Official%20K53%20Manual.pdf
More details of that publication at: http://k53.gavinhoole.ws/the-new-k53-manual-look-inside-the-ebook/

National Road Traffic Act Regulations, saying the same thing in more words:

Regulation 293. Speed limit for particular class of vehicle

(1) In terms of section 59 (3) of the Act, a speed limit of—

(a) 80 kilometres per hour shall, subject to the proviso to the said section, apply in respect to—

(i) a goods vehicle the gross vehicle mass of which exceeds 9 000 kilograms;

(ii) a combination of motor vehicles consisting of a goods vehicle, being the drawing vehicle, and one or 2 trailers of which the sum of the gross vehicle mass of the goods vehicle and of the trailer or trailers exceeds 9 000 kilograms;

(iii) an articulated motor vehicle, of which the gross combination mass of the truck-tractor exceeds 9 000 kilograms; or

(iv) any breakdown vehicle that is towing another vehicle;

(b) 100 kilometres per hour shall, subject to the proviso to the said section, apply in respect of—

(i) a bus;

(ii) a minibus or a midibus operating in terms of an operating licence; (sic); and

(iii) a rapid transport bus and a rapid transport bus-train.

(2) (a) There may be displayed on the rear of a goods vehicle contemplated in sub-regulation (1) (a), a sign denoting that such goods vehicle is subject to a speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour, and such sign shall comply with the requirements of standard specification SABS 1329 “Retro-reflective and Fluorescent Warning Signs for Road Vehicles”, Part 3: “Signs other than triangles, chevron signs and abnormal load vehicle signs” with respect to the colours displayed on such sign.

(b) There shall be displayed on the rear of a motor vehicle referred to in sub-regulation (1) (b) a sign denoting that such vehicle is subject to a speed limit of 100 kilometres per hour, and such sign shall comply with the requirements of the standard specification referred to in paragraph (a) with respect to the colours displayed on such sign.

Gavin Hoole
Learner’;s Licence & K53
Driving Licence Test Info
K53.GavinHoole.ws
;

What are the Speed Limits for Particular Classes of Vehicles?

What are the Speed Limits for Particular Classes of Vehicles?

Question:

I would like to know what the max allowable speed is for trucks 3t and up to 5t, passenger combis and motorhomes?
Answer:

Source: Page 14 of 31 at https://www.dropbox.com/s/vja8ggev7msbct9/The%20New%20Official%20K53%20Manual.pdf
More details of that publication at: http://k53.gavinhoole.ws/the-new-k53-manual-look-inside-the-ebook/

National Road Traffic Act Regulations, saying the same thing in more words:

Regulation 293. Speed limit for particular class of vehicle

(1) In terms of section 59 (3) of the Act, a speed limit of—

(a) 80 kilometres per hour shall, subject to the proviso to the said section, apply in respect to—

(i) a goods vehicle the gross vehicle mass of which exceeds 9 000 kilograms;

(ii) a combination of motor vehicles consisting of a goods vehicle, being the drawing vehicle, and one or 2 trailers of which the sum of the gross vehicle mass of the goods vehicle and of the trailer or trailers exceeds 9 000 kilograms;

(iii) an articulated motor vehicle, of which the gross combination mass of the truck-tractor exceeds 9 000 kilograms; or

(iv) any breakdown vehicle that is towing another vehicle;

(b) 100 kilometres per hour shall, subject to the proviso to the said section, apply in respect of—

(i) a bus;

(ii) a minibus or a midibus operating in terms of an operating licence; (sic); and

(iii) a rapid transport bus and a rapid transport bus-train.

(2) (a) There may be displayed on the rear of a goods vehicle contemplated in sub-regulation (1) (a), a sign denoting that such goods vehicle is subject to a speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour, and such sign shall comply with the requirements of standard specification SABS 1329 “Retro-reflective and Fluorescent Warning Signs for Road Vehicles”, Part 3: “Signs other than triangles, chevron signs and abnormal load vehicle signs” with respect to the colours displayed on such sign.

(b) There shall be displayed on the rear of a motor vehicle referred to in sub-regulation (1) (b) a sign denoting that such vehicle is subject to a speed limit of 100 kilometres per hour, and such sign shall comply with the requirements of the standard specification referred to in paragraph (a) with respect to the colours displayed on such sign.

Gavin Hoole
Learner’;s Licence & K53
Driving Licence Test Info
K53.GavinHoole.ws
;

What are the Speed Limits for Particular Classes of Vehicles?

Country roads, take me home… in one particular piece, please!

John Denver had a deep enjoy of the countryside – West Virginia, mountain momma, a night in the forest, and all that clobber.

No doubt component of the attraction is that the traffic in the Blue Ridge Mountains is light, the highways are effectively maintained, and the drivers are both courteous and punctilious in obeying the guidelines of the road.

I was certainly seeking forward to a modify of pace and temperament when I left London 4 years ago for a life in rural Kent. I couldn’t wait to escape the perils and stresses of urban driving.

Following all, what could be far better than trading in all that jostling for position and endless traffic jams for quiet country roads exactly where there’s no rush to get anyplace?

Oh how wrong I was.

In the country…

Country drivers are insane. They drive at speeds which wouldn’t be out of place in Formula A single, overtake exactly where there are blind corners, and take no account of typical country hazards, such as animals on the road.

Of course, it is a bit of a generalisation to condemn all nation drivers, but I have been genuinely staggered at just how dangerous some of the rural driving I’ve witnessed has been.

Perhaps there’s one thing about roads being quieter that makes folks think it is safer for them to go quicker. Country roads are also normally extremely familiar to the drivers who use them, which can lull them into a false sense of security that they are secure.

Dead reckoning

A challenging-hitting new campaign from Consider! highlights just how hazardous country driving can be.

Analysis from the road security campaign group reveals that 60% of people killed on Britain’s roads die on nation roads, with 3 men and women losing their lives each and every day on typical.

In reality, the number of folks killed on nation roads is practically 11 times larger than on motorways, and a single in 20 people has had a collision on a nation road.

Final year alone, there were 1,070 fatalities and 9,104 critical injuries on rural roads.

Trunk road

These shocking statistics make me quite relieved that my only nation accident so far has been reversing into a tree stump at the neighborhood station (ahem), but like most country drivers, there have absolutely been a couple of near misses.

Usually these take place when anything is slowing traffic down ahead. I’ve watched in horror as folks in front of me have more than-taken tractors at speed on blind bends, or have screeched to a halt suddenly when a rabbit runs in front of them.

According to Think! nearly a single in 2 drivers on nation roads have been shocked by an unexpected hazard, such as an animal, even though a third confess to taking a bend as well quick.

Stuck in a rut

Deer in particular can be a true problem on rural roads. The golden rule is that if one particular crosses in front of you, there will invariably be one or a lot more following behind, which often catches motorists out.

Our neighbour not too long ago wrote off his Mini following a collision with a deer which ran in front of him. He was extremely lucky to have escaped unscathed and admits that he was most likely going too fast.

Autumn is a time for distinct care as this is when deer mate – the rutting season – and the males in certain combine aggression and recklessness (the chemical formula of testosterone), which can lead to them inadvertently leaping into the path of cars.

Rural guidelines

Think! is urging country drivers to drive at a speed that permits them to stop in the distance they can see to be clear. It also advises motorists to give themselves time to react by braking before a bend, not on it, and to give cyclists and horse riders lots of space when overtaking.

As the campaign points out, the speed limit is just that – a limit, not a target. The national speed limit on single carriage roads is 60mph, but there will be times we all want to drive properly beneath that in order to drive properly for the situations.

Capital moves

If the campaign to make nation driving safer encourages even just a few motorists believe much more carefully about their rural driving habits, then I for a single will be very relieved.

Idyllic as country roads could appear, they definitely aren’t free from idiots, and, the next time I’m driving in London, I’ll make sure I sit back and enjoy the visitors getting at a standstill.

Country roads, take me home… in one particular piece, please!