Following vehicle recall notices issued by Toyota and Peugeot Citroen, the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has announced conditions for allowing affected vehicles on the driving test.

Recall notices affect the following vehicles with the specified build dates:

Toyota
AYGO (Feb 2005 – Aug 2009)
iQ (Nov 2008 – Nov 2009) – already considered unsuitable for test.
Yaris (Nov 2005 – Sep 2009)
Auris (Oct 2006 – 5 Jan 2010)
Corolla (Oct 2006 – Dec 2009)
Verso (Feb 2009 – 5 Jan 2010)
Avensis (Nov 2008 – Dec 2009)
RAV4 (Nov 2005 – Nov 2009)

Peugeot 107 (Feb 2005 – Aug 2009)

Citroen C1 (Feb 2005 – Aug 2009)

In total, Toyota and Peugeot Citroen are recalling around 320,000 UK-basedvehicles. As yet, VIN number ranges have not been released.

Using these cars on the driving test

If one of the vehicles affected is presented for test, it will only be conducted if either:

• the vehicle has a manual transmission gearbox and is fitted with dual controls to help the examiner control the car in the unlikely event of a failure
• documentation is supplied to show that the remedial work has been carried out – this will usually be in the form of the Toyota or Peugeot Citroen recall letter stamped by the respective dealer and containing written confirmation

Candidates who cannot proceed with their test should contact DSA customer services to arrange for their test to be rebooked once the remedial work has been done.

As there has been no prior warning of this action, if the test is not conducted the fee will be refunded or a free retest given on the first occasion that a specific vehicle is presented for test. Customers can ring DSA customer service on 0300 200 1122.

Here is the pre-watershed version:

Road Safety Minister Paul Clark said, “If you are involved in an accident while not wearing a seat belt then your body experiences a series of three collisions damaging vital internal organs.  This campaign reminds drivers that – no matter how short their journey or how slowly they are driving – they are risking their life if they set off without putting their seat belt on.

“I hope this campaign will help everyone realise that they need to belt up every time they get in a car.”

With recent research showing that drivers are less likely to belt up on low speed, short journeys on familiar roads, the £1.3 million THINK! Campaign hopes to show that drivers are still risking their lives.  Drivers are twice as likely to die in a crash if they do not wear a seat belt and if everyone belted up, one life a day could be saved.

The full advert can only be aired after 9pm due to its graphic content.

The study found that 0.9% of hybrid cars were involved in accidents with pedestrians compared to a 0.6% pedestrian accident figure for regular cars.

The NHTSA’s report may help support the need for fitting hybrid cars with noisemaking systems to alert pedestrians, cyclists and especially blind people.  With no engine noise the hybrid vehicles can potentially put pedestrians and cyclists at significant risk.

In Japan, hybrid cars have become the country’s top selling vehicles.  A transport ministry official said: “We have received opinions from automobile users and vision-impaired people that they feel hybrid vehicles are dangerous.  Blind people depend on sounds when they walk, but there are no engine sounds from hybrid vehicles when running at low speed and on the electric motor.”

The ministry consulted with a panel of police, consumers, vision impaired groups, scholars and the automobile industry to discuss options.  In the first meeting, it was decided to introduce a sound making function.  The panel has not decided on what kind of sound should be used, only that it should induce a response of caution.

Photo: Ford

Car manufacturer Ford is introducing innovative new seatbelts that inflate like airbags to give extra protection to passengers in the event of a collision.

Ford is fitting the back seats of vehicles with belts that inflate automatically during a crash.

Ford will be fitting the new seatbelts into the new Ford Explorer 4 x 4 which goes into production in 2010.  Experts say the new technology will be particularly effective at preventing broken ribs, internal damage and bruising.

Inflating over the shoulder and torso in a mere 40 milliseconds, a cylindrical airbag stretches from the buckle to the shoulder and fits inside a pocket in the belt.

Sensors calculate the severity of a crash impact and inflate the belts with compressed gas, stored below the seat.  The airbag breaks through the fabric of the belt and spreads the force of the impact over an area five times larger than a traditional belt.  The seatbelt helps to keep the passenger in the safest seating position and reduces pressure on the chest as well as controlling head and neck movement.

Vice-president of safety engineering at Ford, Sue Cischke said, ‘Ford’s rear inflatable seatbelt technology will enhance safety for rear seat passengers of all ages, especially for young children who are more vulnerable in crashes.’

The inflatable belts work like conventional seatbelts and are safe for everyday use along with a child seat or booster seat.

In testing, more than 90 per cent of people said they were similar to or more comfortable than traditional belts.

The Liverpool Daily Post reported that between April and September this year, police gave out tickets to more than 20,000 drivers for using handheld mobiles while in charge of their vehicles.

Even a driving instructor was among those hit with an £60 penalty and three points on their licence. The driving instructor was teaching a learner driver at the time!

Merseyside Police warned that the number of killed or seriously injured on the road could potentially increase unless they enforced the law. The cause of accidents while driving is not recorded, so there is no available data for how many people may have perished on UK roads because of mobile use.

Police authority members and city leaders said the number of offenders caught represented just “the tip of the iceberg” and suggested the true number of drivers putting lives at risk was much higher. In fact, the problem is so great, the force’s central ticket office is “operating at maximum capacity due to the high level of enforcement”.

Figures show that between April last year and March this year, 14,386 people were caught using a handheld while driving, that’s around one in every 100 people in Merseyside.

Merseyside Police Chief Inspector, Chris Markey said: “Using a mobile phone while driving makes you four times more likely to crash so I am sure the public will understand why we are so determined to stop people from doing so.

“The number of fixed-penalty notices issued last year to motorists committing this type of offence showed this is a top priority for the force and we will continue to crack down on this problem. They are not only risking their safety, but the safety of innocent motorists and pedestrians.

“However, like drink driving was years ago, using a mobile phone at the wheel – despite clearly being dangerous and illegal – is still viewed by some people as acceptable.”

The film stars young actors from south Wales and shows a teenager killing four people in a crash when she sends a text from her mobile phone whilst driving.

Filmmaker Peter Watkins-Hughes produced it for Gwent Police as an educational tool for young drivers.  It will be broadcast for the first time on BBC Two Wales on Monday 2nd November at 10pm (Sky Channel 991).

Using a mobile phone at the wheel has been an offence in the UK since 2006 and although people are aware of the laws, many, it seems, still ignore the dangers of texting whilst driving.

The dramatic film, nicknamed ‘COW’, graphically highlights the consequences of texting at the wheel as it follows fictional schoolgirl girl Cassie Cowan. Losing concentration behind the wheel while she texts, she and her mates are involved in a horrific crash.

COW is hard hitting, brutal and extremely graphic, which has already caused lots of controversy.

Director Peter Watkins-Hughes has defended the film’s violence: “Yes it is violent, but the reality of a fatal road accident is much more gruesome.  If you’re old enough to drive, you’re old enough to be aware of the real and serious risks one places oneself in every time you get behind the wheel.”

A four minute clip from the film has been viewed by millions of viewers on YouTube, gaining global attention.

Chief constable of Gwent Police, Mick Giannasi has said he is astonished and encouraged by the way the film has spread, and has received calls and emails from people from across the world saying how moved they were by the film.

“Young people think they can text in autopilot because they do it so instinctively,” he said.

“For that reason we need to use strong imagery to make them to sit up and take notice.”

Recently, RAC Foundation research found that reaction times slowed by 35% when 17 to 24-year-olds drove while reading and writing text messages. The research also showed that texting while driving impairs motorists more than being under the influence of drink or drugs while driving.  Sadly, the research also found that nearly 50% of drivers aged between 18 and 24 text while driving.

‘Cow’will be shown on BBC Two Wales on Monday 2 November at 2200 GMT.

We welcome your comments on the film.

An alert for those driving under caffeine intoxication has been issued by the US National Safety Commission (NSC).  The warning is similar to those associated with driving under the influence of alcohol.

Research has shown that drivers can experience serious lapses in concentration and slower reaction times as caffeinated drinks begin to wear off as early as an hour after drinking.  Symptoms such as irritability, irregular or rapid heartbeat, nervousness, muscle twitching and rambling speech can be caused by excessive caffeine consumption.

IAM Director of Policy and Research, Neil Greig said: “Energy drinks are good as a quick fix, but they’re no substitute for regular breaks. Having a high-caffeine drink is a one-off hit – you can’t repeat it, as this type of drink does not produce the same effect in a couple of hours’ time.”

On long drives, the IAM advises you to avoid fatigue when driving by:

• Stopping overnight on long-haul journeys
• Sharing the driving with someone else – don’t do it all yourself if you don’t have to
• Stop for a break every two hours
• Find a safe place to stop if you start to feel tired while driving, don’t rely on air con or an open window
• Only get back behind the wheel when you feel properly refreshed

Remember, tiredness can be a killer as it affects concentration and reaction times.

YouTube is the world’s largest video sharing service with over 100 million videos viewed every day.  The DSA will be using the site to publish official road safety videos.

DSA’s Director of Strategy & Performance, Nick Carter said: “Using YouTube will let DSA reach a wider audience than ever before – we want to talk to our audiences on the platforms we know they use.

“By putting our videos on YouTube, we’re catering for the growing number of people whose first choice to find information is to go online.”

Video content from the DSA channel can be embedded directly into visitors own websites or blogs, used in forums, shared by email, and linked through social networking sites such as Facebook.

The channel can be viewed at youtube.com/dsagov and is being used to post videos which offer advice to road users as well as test candidates.

Videos of the modular motorcycle test and the ‘Are you ready?’ films for car and motorcycle candidates are currently available to view.  The channel was viewed more than 42,000 times during testing.

There is also an example of the new theory test case study questions being introduced from 28 September.

‘Are you ready?’ is sent in DVD form to all candidates booking a theory test but the intention is to scale down production of the DVD as more customers view it online. The DVD will still be available on request.

This new test is set to become a vocational test and is being closely watched by Whitehall.

The voluntary 90-minute test provides a Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC).   Drivers will pass if they demonstrate a high level of safe, defensive and environmentally friendly driving.  The Eco-Advanced Driving Test costs £160 and will test drivers on most types of road situation.

Drivers who are successful could benefit from:

• fuel consumption savings up to 15% below the vehicle’s official average

• reduced risk of incidents and reduced vehicle wear and tear by up to 60%

• maximum vehicle insurance discounts

The test is targeting over 20 million UK business and vocational car and van drivers.  Eco-qualified drivers will be attractive to employers who wish to reduce their business vehicle running costs. A major supermarket chain is already “keenly interested” and many more employers are expected to demand that their work drivers be Eco Certified. It’s highly likely that vehicle insurers will encourage companies, or at least ‘risk sensitive’ businesses, to employ Ecoqualified drivers.

The £160 test cost “will be amortised in weeks to then be permanently profitable for all successful candidates”, say test creators the Approved Driving Instructors National Joint Council (ADINJC) and Driver Education Research Foundation (DERF).  DERF Director Peter Russell adds: “Successful candidates will be the top 10% of Britain’s business drivers. The test could spread abroad.”

Campaign materials are now available for October’s tyre safety month, which focuses on tread depth and will encourage drivers to check and replace any illegal tyres on their vehicle.

The campaign is organised by TyreSafe, a non commercial organisation responsible for raising awareness of the dangers of defective and worn tyres and is backed by RoadSafe.  It uses the theme of a ‘life saver in your pocket’ and gives motorists advice on how to check to see if their tyres may be illegal, simply by using a 20p coin.

Tyres are the only part of the vehicle which are in contact with the road.  Safety in acceleration, braking, steering and cornering all depend on a relatively small area of road contact. It is therefore of paramount importance that tyres are well maintained and that their tyre tread depth is above the legal limit to maximise performance and safety.  By law, car tyres must have a minimum of 1.6mm of tread in a continuous band throughout the central three-quarters of the tread width and round the entire circumference of the tyre.

The driver of the vehicle is responsible for making sure their tyres are legal and in a roadworthy condition.  The penalty for driving with an illegal tyre is a fine of up to £2,500 and three penalty points per tyre.  This could cost your licence, or worse still a life.

To check your tread, simply insert a 20p coin into your tyre’s tread grooves.  If you are able to see the inside rim of the coin, the tyre tread may be worn close to the legal limit.

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