Tuesday, March 2 2010, Birmingham
 
Fleet Safety Forum ‘Best of the Best Conference’ 2010 sponsored by Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance, will be held at the National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham and will be opened by Minister for Road Safety, Paul Clark MP.

Thursday 1 July 2010, Warwickshire

The fleet and CV industry’s glittering flagship road safety awards dinner and dance evening. The Fleet safety Forum Awards for Excellence are a brilliant community event, bringing together people from across the motor industry who are passionate about stopping death and injury on roads through risk management. Deadline for entries – 12 April 2009.

Wednesday 2 December 2009, Berkshire

Meet the expert workshop: Matthew Avery, Research Manager, Thatcham – Preventing whiplash and head injuries (12.30pm-4pm)
Workshop for fleet managers and road safety professionals about minimising the risk of dangerous and costly whiplash injuries. In association with Thatcham.

Thursday 10 December 2009, Chancery Lane, London

Getting road safety in the news – media workshop (10am-3pm)

Tuesday 16 March 2010, London

Eliminating Driver Distractions workshop, sponsored by ARCO
This essential Brake workshop, back by popular demand, will outline the current legislation, explore the effects of distractions on driving and present research results from experts in the field, TRL.

Wednesday 12 May 2010, Huddersfield

Costing, implementing and evaluating a fleet safety programme
Get the inside track on improving your management of occupational road risk from leading experts in the field. This Fleet Safety Forum workshop in partnership with Interactive Driving Systems is a must for anyone with responsibility for improving fleet safety performance and cost-efficiency.

All workshops include best practice case studies, expert speakers and free resources for delegates. Previous workshops were rated nine out of ten by delegates. Workshops cost just £60 (+VAT) for Fleet Safety Forum subscribers* or £70 (+VAT) for non-subscribers. Book onto a workshop at the same time as booking a place at the Best of the Best Conference, and get the discounted workshop delegate fee of just £55 +VAT.

To attend the Best of the Best conference, the Awards or a workshop, contact Brake on 01484 559909 or admin@brake.org.uk.

The Fleet Safety Forum annual national conference for 2010, sponsored by Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance, will be held at the National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham on Tuesday, March 2 2010 and will be opened by Minister for Road Safety, Paul Clark MP.Fleet managers are advised to book places now for the Best of the Best conference and for a limited period, Brake is offering new subscriptions to its Fleet Safety Forum for just half price, allowing more people access to the significantly cheaper subscriber delegate fee for this conference.

The conference will showcase innovative and effective policies and procedures to tackle work-related road crashes. Speakers from wide-ranging organisations who are leading the field in work-related road safety will outline their road risk management programmes, successes and plans. Topics and speakers include:

Keynote address: latest Government developments: Paul Clark MP, Road Safety Minister

Effective use of data: Mike Stockton, Senior Asset Control Manager – Royal Mail
Peter Larner, Managing Director – Suckling Transport

Improving road safety through your drivers and vehicles: Steve Kay, National H&S Adviser (Logistics) – Allied Bakeries (Kingsmill)
Graham Telfer, Fleet Manager – Gateshead Council
James Burrows, Professional Services Manager & Martin (Nobby) Clark, Driver Development Manager – Balfour Beatty Plant & Fleet Services

Getting the most from your suppliers:
Geoffrey Bray, Chairman – Fleet Support Group

Fleet practitioners have been selected to speak at the conference following recognition of their achievements at the prestigious Fleet Safety Forum Awards for Excellence, which took place in June 2009. Further sessions and detailed agenda will be confirmed closer to the date.

Last year’s conference was attended by more than 130 delegates and rated 8.5 out of 10 in feedback. Places cost £175 +VAT for Fleet Safety Forum subscribers* and £295 +VAT for non-subscribers. New subscriptions to the Fleet Safety Forum are currently HALF PRICE (until 24^th December 2009). Join at the reduced rate of £77.50 +VAT, and get the subscribers delegate fee for the conference, saving £120. Call 01484 559909 or email admin@brake.org.uk today to join & book.

Roz Cumming, Fleet Safety Forum Manager at Brake, says: “I urge anyone involved with fleet safety, whether you work in a public sector organisation, blue chip company or supplier, or indeed a are a small operator, to participate in the 2010 Best of the Best Conference, to ensure you’re doing everything you can to reduce your company’s road risk. Not only will you hear first hand about a wide range of best practice, life-saving risk management programmes, but it’s also a fantastic networking opportunity and a chance to address questions directly to the Road Safety Minister about latest government policies.”

Marc Wanless, Underwriter, Motor Fleet, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance says: "We are delighted to continue our support for the Best of the Best Conference. The current economic climate presents a number of challenges and operating an efficient, safe fleet is more crucial than ever before. This event provides Fleet Managers with an opportunity to discover best practice methods that are being applied within their peer groups.”

The Highways Agency is planning to resurface both lanes of part of the westbound M50 between junctions 2 and 3 near Ledbury, to improve safety for motorists.

The M50 westbound will be totally closed to traffic during the work but, to minimise disruption to traffic, work is set to take place over 10 weekday nights, from 20.00 to 06.00hrs each night, from Monday 7th December, re-opening early on Saturday 19th December.

Westbound traffic will be diverted off the M50 at junction 2, along the A417 to the outskirts of Ledbury and returned to the M50 at Junction 4 via the A449.

John Steel, Highways Agency project manager, said:

“Road users may need to allow extra time for overnight journeys on this part of the road while work is carried out as slight delays may occur. Nonetheless we minimise delays to motorists by doing the work outside peak traffic hours. 

“For their own safety and that of the workforce, drivers are asked to take care when approaching or passing road works and driving along the diversion route.

Free help and advice for Northern Ireland businesses.

If you’re running a successful business, you’ll know how crucial it is to keep up to date with developments. From April 2010, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) plans to phase out paper VAT returns which means that any business with an annual turnover of £100,000 or more, and all newly registered VAT businesses, irrespective of turnover, will have to file their VAT returns online and pay any VAT due electronically.

HMRC is here to help you make the simple transition to filing your VAT return online and to highlight the benefits that going online brings to your business.

On Wednesday 2 December, HMRC will be offering free help and advice at the Ramada Hotel in Belfast.

This event has been designed especially for VAT registered businesses and will be interactive, with opportunities to ask questions at our online services stand. We will show you how to get started with VAT Online, and other online services, and will let you know where to get further help and support if you need it. There will be a 50-minute online services presentation at various times during the day, so why not call in at a time convenient to you?

Mark Holden, Carter Programme Director for HMRC, said:

“I am delighted that we are bringing this VAT Online event to Belfast. Belfast has a well established business community, but in any successful business, time is often a luxury. This event offers a unique opportunity for our customers to obtain quality advice from HMRC staff in a relaxed environment at a time that suits.”

HMRC’s VAT Online event takes place at the Ramada Hotel, Shaw’s Bridge, Belfast, BT8 7XP. The event will run from 09:00 am to 14:00 pm.

Mercedes-Benz has become the latest vehicle manufacturer group to join tyre safety organisation, TyreSafe. The company will run a series of tyre safety initiatives across its retailer network and fleet customers, highlighting the important role that tyres play in road safety, which will include a cold weather tyre programme for this winter. As well as supporting and participating in TyreSafe’s national campaigns, Mercedes-Benz will provide valuable experience and input into the organisation, helping it develop further and reduce the number of accidents and fatalities caused by defective tyres.

“We are delighted that Mercedes-Benz has taken the decision to join to TyreSafe,” comments Stuart Jackson, chairman, TyreSafe. “The companies bring a wealth of experience in the passenger car, fleet and commercial vehicle sectors. This level of insight and understanding will help us enormously as we continue to grow and communicate tyre safety messages to an increasingly wide audience.”

Mercedes-Benz is now the second vehicle manufacturer group to join TyreSafe. It currently has 150 official workshops across the UK. As well as helping to educate drivers and fleet managers about tyre safety, Mercedes-Benz will work with TyreSafe to investigate education programmes for individuals new to the garage trade through the Mercedes-Benz Training School and Apprentice Training Academy. The academy provides professionally delivered and recognised training for retailer staff, students, young technicians and traineeparts advisors.

“We fully support the aims of TyreSafe and the excellent work they are carrying out to raise awareness of the issues associated with driving on defective tyres,” explains Chris Cromey, national sales and marketing manager, Mercedes-Benz. “By taking an active role in the organisation we will be able to help promote these critical safety messages to our own customers and staff, helping to keep them both safe and legal.”

Almost 7,000 cars breakdown every day in the UK, a number which increases as winter takes hold. When cold weather hits, cars take longer to warm up, oil takes longer to circulate, and the car battery may not have its full charge. Preparing your car in advance can make it easier than having to deal with trying to get a cold car started or even calling for road side assistance once winter has set in.

Throughout the year, oils and lubricants are vital to the correct operation of your engine but this is especially true during the winter months when the roads are gritted and salted. In particular, they reduce wear and tear, so it is essential to make sure you are using the correct lubricant for your vehicle. As well as making sure your car runs smoothly, lubricants also have other, less-well known functions, including:

• Cooling hot areas of an engine and moving parts
• Keeping the engine clean, ensuring long engine life and keeping all engine parts in good condition, while evacuating any impurities to the oil filter and through oil changes

Improved engine technologies mean that your vehicle is expected to run for around 20,000 miles before servicing, compared with 10-12,000 in 2000. This has created a new responsibility for drivers to check and top-up the lubricant at least once between services.

It is important to keep you car clean during the winter months. After the salting of icy roads all winter, there will be significant encrustations of road salt and mud on the underside of the vehicle and external paintwork. This salty, muddy grime causes the corrosion on both internal and external surfaces of the vehicle. The underside of the vehicle is of special concern as mud packing can block up the drainage holes that prevent corrosion inside the car body.

Top Tips for Winter Safety

• Bodywork – ensure you deal promptly with any damage to your vehicle’s bodywork to prevent rust. This is vital as the weather deteriorates and roads are gritted.
• Tyres – icy roads make braking hazardous – it’s important to check your tyre pressure at least fortnightly. If a tyre needs regular top-ups, it may have a slow puncture
• Water – check the coolant level regularly and top up as necessary – but only when the engine is cold
• Windscreen – with grit likely to be on the roads and visibility impaired by fog, ensure you inspect your windscreen regularly for damage
• Washer – top up the windscreen washer reservoir with antifreeze mixture in the correct proportions
• Lights – As the nights draw in, check and clean all your lights regularly, including your indicators, brake and fog lights
• Essential items – carrying a few essential items in the car could help if the weather takes a turn for the worst. De-icer, an ice scrape and a pair of boots are useful.

Korean carmaker Kia could be accused of coming to the green car party a little late – with its green badge ecoDynamics arriving a couple of years after many of its rivals. The first car to be launched under the green banner is a version of their popular cee’d model. With its mighty 7 year warranty intact and start/stop engine technology appearing for the first time, can the Kia cee’d become a popular option for people looking for a frugal, small family sized car?

Kia Ceed consumer car reviews
Kia Ceed lease prices
Kia Ceed new and nearly new

There’s no disputing the value of the cee’d, it under cuts its main competitors by some clear distance and we are talking several thousand pounds here, while offering a level of sophistication and driveability not found in cheaper models. It’s seven year warranty should gives the owner the peace of mind that this car will keep garage bills to a minimum over the life of the car, while its green credentials are also good enough to appeal to the greener element of the car buying public. There are a few flies in the ointment however, as residual values still aren’t that high, more down to marque snobbery than in quality – no doubt, while the model name is still a bug bare to some. If you’re looking for a frugal, family car on a budget, yet still want a quality product then the Kia cee’d ecoDynamics is pretty much the prefect car for you.

Read the full Kia Ceed 2 1.6 CRDi EcoDynamics 5dr road test

RoadTestReports.co.uk provides road tests reports written by members of the Guild of Motoring Writers. These reports are complemented by car reviews submitted by the members of the public who drive the vehicles day in day out.

Surrey will benefit from £73.9 million of new investment to improve street lighting, Transport Minister Sadiq Khan announced today.

This PFI funding, (Private Finance Initiative), will be used to replace approximately 73,000 street lighting columns, and to install around 1,600 new columns. This will provide Surrey with modern, high quality street lighting.

Sadiq Khan said:

“I am delighted to announce this new funding which will deliver real benefits to road users in Surrey.

“Good quality street lighting improves road safety and reduces crime and the fear of crime.  This funding will help to create safer and healthier local communities by promoting social inclusion and more sustainable patterns of transport such as cycling and walking.”

A thirteen week consultation period starts today, Monday 30 November 2009, for the introduction of mandatory variable speed limits on the recently widened section of the M1 between junctions 6A (M25) and 10 (Luton).

Sixty-two overhead gantries with over 250 electronic signs were installed on the M1 as part of the £300 million widening scheme which was opened to traffic in December 2008. Since early 2009 advisory variable speed limits have been displayed on these overhead gantries to improve the flow of traffic during times of congestion.

Consultation documents have been sent to a range of stakeholders and have been published on the Highways Agency’s website (http://www.highways.gov.uk/m1j6a-10controlledmotorway) to give an opportunity for interested parties and individuals to comment on the plans to move from advisory to mandatory variable speed limits – where the speed limit appears in a red circle and is enforceable by law.

The ‘controlled motorway’ system will enable the Highways Agency to manage traffic flows during periods of peak congestion or following an incident by slowing down vehicles or closing lanes to smooth out traffic and reduce the risk of further collisions.

The innovative system uses sensors in the road surface to detect the speed, volume and flow of traffic. It then calculates the optimum speed to keep traffic moving, reducing the level of ‘stop-start’ traffic which leads to congestion. Drivers see the current speed limit displayed on electronic signals on the overhead gantries.

Highways Agency project sponsor, John Dutson said:

“The controlled motorway system will greatly benefit drivers on this section of the M1 – helping to reduce congestion and make journeys safer and more reliable by smoothing traffic flows.

“This system is successfully used on the M25 between junctions 10 and 16 – where it has been in place since 1995. It has helped to make the motorway safer by reducing the frequency of collisions by 10 per cent and by encouraging drivers to comply with speed limits to provide smoother, more reliable journeys during peak times. An overall reduction in emissions of between 2% and 8% has also been recorded on the M25.”

On the 25^th November 2009 Thatcham announced certification of a device to prevent the mis-fuelling of diesel vehicles. Mis-fuelling is a growing problem in the UK and is estimated to costs British motorists over £800million per year in repair bills. According to research from The AA, over 150,000 cars are filled with the wrong fuel every year equating to more than 400 cars a day.

Tullman Design’s ‘Diesel Key’ is the first product of its kind or purpose to successfully gain TQA (Thatcham Quality Accreditation), having met the exacting standards of safety and usability established by the insurers’ research centre, as well as the stringent requirements for robust and repeatable manufacturing required by the rules of TQA.

The ‘Diesel Key’ device, which replaces the existing fuel cap, provides an addition to the filler neck designed to prevent the insertion of an unleaded fuel nozzle. In testing the device proved successful in line with Thatcham’s robust criteria.

Initially, the product was proven to meet the established overturn test criteria for fuel systems in 70/221/EEC section 6.2 which verifies that the product would prevent excessive fluid leakage should the tank be overturned. The product was then subjected to severe life cycle testing including vibration, temperature cycling and refuel process cycling, followed by further simulated overturn testing to ensure the basic 70/221/EEC requirements would still be met after an estimated 10 year life cycle.

The product was also evaluated by engineers in a real world refilling scenario using multiple vehicles and multiple filling stations to ensure that the product was of high quality, easy to use and fit for purpose.

Dean Lander Thatcham’s accreditation manager stated “Mis-fuelling is a major issue for consumers and fleet operators, the result of which can be very expensive and time consuming. Our criterion has been developed following a great deal of research in to this area and I am extremely pleased that a device has finally been proven to meet our high standards. This is the first device of its kind in the market to have met the requirement and prove itself to be safe, fit for purpose and useable through compliance with our criteria.”

Paul Sleeman, Product Designer and Managing Director of Tullman Design, said, ” With over 2 years of development at a cost of nearly 1 million pounds, I am delighted to say we have the “worlds first” fully certified aftermarket misfuelling prevention device that has been through the most stringent testing available. We have had some difficult times throughout the extensive testing period and had to respond rapidly on occasions. This testing has been invaluable in allowing us to identify areas which we have been able to improve – making the product more robust.

The challenge to meet the technical criterion as well as the conformity of production demands was only made possible in partnership with our chosen manufacturers Formaplex who’s speed and commitment to this project has been incredible. It is quite humbling seeing your small product being produced, by a world class 1st tier manufacturer, alongside components for McLaren, Bentley, Aston Martin and most F1 teams.

Thatcham have been firm but fair, giving continuous communication and support throughout the testing period, the direct result being the product is much improved and can be fitted with confidence.