The IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) has found, following a recent online poll, that 73 per cent of people would report elderly friends or relatives if they had any concerns at all about their driving standards. The poll was conducted from 1,628 IAM members and also found that 68% believe mandatory re-testing of drivers over the age of 70 should also be introduced, to improve road safety.

Neil Greig, IAM Director of Policy and Research said,”The IAM believes we need to reassure the public that older drivers do not represent a disproportionate risk. Eight per cent of drivers are over 70 and they are involved in around four per cent of injury crashes. But 15 per cent of drivers are in their teens and 20s and they are involved in 34 per cent of injury crashes- a far higher number.

The IAM 2010 report on Older Drivers: Safe or Unsafe? can be found at their website.

The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has warned drivers about getting complacent about car theft. Peter Rodger, IAM Chief Examiner, said, “It seems obvious but we’d still remind drivers, where possible, to park in a well lit, busy area with valuables out of view – and make sure your car has both an alarm and an immobiliser”.

Other top car security tips

1. If you have a garage then use it.
2. Don’t leave car keys on view by the door as thieves may use a long pole to steal them.
3. Try to use a car park with the “ParkMark” logo which means it has achieved basic standards of security.
4. Car thieves may try and break into your home to steal your keys so make sure your property is secure.
5. Don’t leave your keys in the ignition if filling up at a petrol station or popping into your property, if warming the vehicle up.
6. Don’t leave a satnav fitting on show and rub off any ring-mark left on the windscreen by the suction pad.
7. Never store your car’s documents in the car.
8. Also consider fitting a vehicle tracking device to help find your car if it gets stolen.

The 10 most dangerous places for theft were as follows; 

1. Hull
2. Nottingham
3. Bradford
4. Manchester
5. Doncaster
6. London
7. Northampton
8. Sheffield
9. Oldham
10. Reading

Source: Endleigh Insurance

The Institute of Advanced Motorists has commented on the latest figures on mobile phone use, from the Department of Transport, which shows that drivers are still risking their lives.

Neil Greig, IAM Director of Policy and Research, said,”It is clear that, despite wide publicity on the risks, people are still choosing to ignore advice and use their phones in their cars. Along with consistent and high profile policing, drivers need to be educated about how and why driving on the phone is so dangerous”.

Mr Greig went onto say,”Deaths and injuries linked to mobile phone use wreck lives and are completely unavoidable. The majority of road users deserve to be protected from an irresponsible and selfish minority and enforcement is, in our view, the key weapon against them”. 

The headline DFT statistics are as follows; 

• Since the survey was last conducted in September 2008, the proportion of car drivers using hand-held mobile phones increased from 1.1% to 1.4% and from 2.2% to 2.6% for van and lorry drivers.
• For hands-free mobile phones the figures were 0.5% to 1.4% for car drivers and 1.1% to 2.4% for van and lorry drivers. 

The Institute of Advanced Motorists is warning drivers to take the necessary precautions as more snow is on the way. As well as following the motoring tips they provided before Christmas, for example preparing your car for snow/ice and assessing the type of road before you set off, they are also warning drivers about the risks of drinking and driving.

Whilst most people are well-educated about drinking and driving, many people are not aware of the risks of driving the morning after.

If you drink 4 pints of 3 large glasses of wine during a night out it could take as long as 12 hours for the alcohol to leave your system. This means if you stop drinking at say 1am, then you are not going to be safe to drive until after lunchtime the following day.

IAM Chief Examiner,Peter Rodger said,”The current weather combined with alcohol and driving is a potent recipe for a cocktail of problems. The additional challenges of driving on snow and ice make the normal messages about not drinking and driving all the more important this New Year. The morning after effect has the potential to catch out many shoppers as well as those returning home after an extended break”.

The IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) has published a study document that looked into the root causes of motorcycle crashes and found that most occur in daylight in fine weather.

Neil Greig, Director of Policy and Research said,”The fact that most crashes happen in good conditions may come as a surprise, but it is due to the fact that many riders simply avoid riding in bad weather or in the dark. The message is clear -even if the conditions seem good for riding, accidents can still happen”.

The IAM found that Sundays are the most dangerous day of the week with 20% more accidents happening than on any other day as many Sunday motorcycle drivers are “leisure drivers” who drive much longer distances than the average weekday driver.

The IAM also found that half of rider fatalities occur when a driver leaves the road and hits a roadside obstacle, such as a tree , road sign or even a crash barrier. Some of the other headlines of the report are as follows;

- 60% of bikes involved in fatal crashes occur on bigger bikes with a capacity of over 500cc.

- Younger drivers have more crashes than those in their mid 30s and 40s.

- Riders under 30 represent 20% of all motorcyclists but represent half of all fatal and serious casualties.

- Rural bends are responsible for a third of rural crashes and are more likely to occur on left-hand bends.

An opinion poll conducted for the ABI (Association of British Insurers) by YouGov has highlighted that motorists who use their mobile phone while driving are the biggest menace on UK roads. The findings also showed that the public supports insurers taking a tougher stance on exposing dishonest motorists who conceal information to get cheaper insurance.

The survey of 2,000 motorists found out the following

- Nearly three quarters (72%) of people think that motorists who use their mobile phones while driving are most likely to cause an accident, followed by young male drivers (45%) and then uninsured drivers (34%).

- Motorists also back insurers taking tougher action to expose cheats who lie about or conceal information when taking out insurance. 72% said they would like insurers to be able to check driving licences for convictions or endorsements.