The driver training specialist, IAM Drive & Survive, has been offering weekly motoring tips to drivers from its head of training, Simon Elstow. We have been featuring these on Comparecontracthire.com and this week he is advising on combating driver fatigue as part of motorway March.

• Disengage your cruise control to prevent boredom when driving.
• Plan your road journey to include a break every two hours or so. Before you set off and when you stop, check Traffic Master on your phone or online for any hold ups and other road hazards.
• Carry a bottle of water to keep you hydrated, but do pull over to a safe place before drinking it.
• Consider taking an alternative, more interesting route to keep you engaged on your road journey.
• Check your map for another route or set your satellite navigation to avoid using motorways all the time.
• If you do start to feel sleepy, find a safe place to stop as soon as you can. The Highway Code advises drinking a couple of cups of strong coffee before a short nap, so the caffeine starts to work when you start driving your vehicle again.
• Where possible, share the driving with someone else to spread the driver workload.

Mr Elstow commented: “Motorways are our safest roads however they are monotonous. If you’re embarking on a long journey, get a good night’s rest and use this advice to make sure you’re alert throughout.”

IAM Drive & Survive is a commercial subsidiary of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) and promotes occupational driver skills and road safety advice for business vehicle fleets. They have been running a regular feature on driving tips and this week, Simon Elstow, head of training at IAM Drive & Survive, is offering his tips on identifying hazards.

• Anticipate road hazards and spot them earlier. In doing so, you will be able to avoid any potential dangers.
• Think about what might happen (if that lorry pulled out for example). Junction warning signs give early notice that a driver may be waiting to pull out ahead and most warning signs for junctions also indicate that a serious road traffic incident has occurred there.
• Observe others and expect and plan for their actions too.
• Use your mirrors so that you are aware of what is going on around you (especially behind you).
• Remember, hazards can include bends and junctions. Expect that there may be a car puuling out or a cyclist around the bend and this will allow you enough time to respond safely.

Mr Elstow said: “Hazards can be anything from a tree branch to a child walking along the pavement. Anticipating what other road users might do is key to being prepared and becoming a safer driver.”

We have been featuring driving tips from driver training specialist IAM Drive & Survive, with the good advice from head of training, Simon Elstow. This week he is advising on parking your vehicle.

• Do try to park on the left-hand side of the road if possible, and always at night.
• In a car park, try and reverse into parking spaces as this is safer when driving out of a space, and more fuel efficient as you’ll be manoeuvring with a warm engine, rather than cold one when you start up .
• Always check your mirrors and over your shoulder frequently – you still need to know what’s going on around you and don’t just rely on parking sensors to guide you.
• When looking for a parking place, don’t stop your car suddenly. Drive slowly past a potential parking space and size it up to see if your vehicle will fit. And if you can’t stop because you have traffic behind you, drive on.
• When visiting a supermarket , try and park away from the trolley parks and corners to avoid your car being exposed to damage from trolleys full of shopping!
• When parking, open your window in car parks and turn off your stereo as you can often hear something before you can see it.

Elstow said: “Parking is an essential part of driving which many people find stressful. Don’t feel pressurised by other drivers waiting for you to park – it’s important to take your time.”

The driver training specialist IAM Drive & Survive is offering motoring tips to drivers from its head of training, Simon Elstow (which we have been featuring) and this week he is advising on how to avoid getting whiplash:

• Make sure you keep a good distance in front of you so that you can slow down gently if required.
• Always look in the mirror before braking, except in an emergeny. Knowing what the  vehicle behind you is doing is always the best way to avoid getting hit from behind.
• Make sure you have a properly adjusted head restraint in your vehicle. The top of the head restraint should be level with the top of your head for maximum road safety.
• Do anticipate the road traffic ahead and drive smoothly to avoid stopping as often. Slowing down earlier gives the driver behind more time to react as well.
• Try and signal early for oncoming junctions to give time for the traffic behind you to react, if you are turning.
• Keep your foot lightly on the footbrake as traffic approaches from behind to show your brake lights as a warning, until you are sure it is stopping.

Elstow said: “The rise in whiplash compensation claims is driving up car insurance. Avoid injury and a hit to your insurance premium by following the above advice.”

The driver training specialist, IAM Drive & Survive, is offering weekly motoring tips to drivers from its head of training, Simon Elstow and this week Simon is advising on driving your car or van in the dark:

• To improve the view ahead as far as possible, keep your lights and windscreen clean at all times.
• Use your main beam, but when other drivers are approaching, and when following others, make sure you dip your headlights to avoid dazzling any oncoming traffic.
• Only use your fog lights when visibility is below 100 metres (it is illegal at other times). Rear fog lights distract other motorists because they look like brake lights.
• Make sure you always can stop safely within the distance you can see to be clear.
• If you are feeling tired, having caffeine alone is not a fix. Remeber to take a break, drink a cup of coffee and have a 20 minute nap after drinking your coffee.
• If an approaching car forgets to dip its lights, glance to the left-hand kerb to avoid being dazzled by their headlights.
• If it’s gloomy in the morning, don’t forget to put your headlights lights on.

Elstow said: “The risk of fatal accidents increases in the dark as visibility is reduced.¹ Have regular eye examinations to ensure you are wearing glasses or contact lenses if you need to.”

Kia Rio diesel returns 88.3 combined mpg

The driver training specialist IAM Drive & Survive is offering weekly motoring tips to drivers from its head of training, Simon Elstow. This week, Simon is advising on saving fuel and money and how green driving will save you up to 15% on your fuel bills:

• Keep your vehicle moving for as long as possible, even in traffic queues. This is far more fuel efficient than stopping and starting your vehicle, so slow down earlier, to avoid braking harshly and too often.
• Your cruising speed has a major impact on the fuel economy of your car or van so stick to the speed limit. This offers a good compromise between economy and getting somewhere on time. There’s a significant saving made by doing 70 instead of 80 – and you also avoid any risk of speeding fines.
• Reverse into parking bays when parking. If you do all the manoeuvring with a hot engine you can drive straight off when you come back and warm the engine up more quickly, thereby saving fuel.
• Check your vehicle regularly to ensure it operates efficiently and in particular check the condition of your tyres, and measure tyre pressures when they’re cold.
• Remove all unnecessary weight from your vehicle, including roof racks, car clutter and heavy items in the boot. The more weight you carry in the car, the more fuel your vehicle will burn.
• Keep the inside of the front and rear windscreens squeaky clean. Traffic fumes form a film on the glass which attracts moisture and makes them mist up easily – a clean screen will rarely mist up, so you won’t be using the heater and air-conditioning to clear them.

Elstow said: “We’ve all got better things to spend our money on than petrol. This will help you save cash and reduce your carbon emissions.”

Great advice from the IAM’s Drive & Survive, however choosing a fuel efficient car can also save you hundreds of pounds in fuel bills annually.

For example the new Kia Rio 1.1 CRDi 1 EcoDynamics 5-door hatchback returns a staggering 88.3 combined mpg and only emits 85g/km of CO2. The combined mpg of 88.3 is a remarkable performance and you can search for the most fuel efficient new cars using our Vehicle Type Shopper and see the vehicle lease rentals too.

Icy windscreen

Ford has alerted motorists to the dangers of driving their car with uncleared snow or ice on the windscreen and is urging drivers to take simple steps to clear their vehicles properly, before setting off on their journey.

Stuart Southgate, Ford’s automotive safety office director, commented,”Being able to clearly see where you are driving is perhaps the most obvious and basic safety requirement for motorists. Failing to take proper care to clear windscreens can have serious consquences not just for drivers, but for pedestrians and other road users too”.

Ford is warning about setting off with a small “porthole” of visibility ahead as you could face a driving ban as a result. Failing to clear your windscreen of ice or snow constitutes careless driving and would probably be punishable with points on your licence and a fine.   

Many drivers also run their car to heat the windscreen but sometimes leave the vehicle unattended and this practise is called “frosting”. However leaving a vehicle unattended on a public highway while “frosting” is also an offence and even if its on your own driveway, it is an opportunity for a car thief to steal your vehicle.

Insurance companies estimate (Swiftcover research) around 2,000 cars are stolen in this way every year and car insurance is usually invalidated if a policyholder leaves their vehicle with the keys in the ignition and it is stolen.

Many motorists also use some strange items to clear the ice off their windscreen including stiletto heels, CD cases, credit cards and finger nails and one in ten drivers also pours boiling water out of a kettle over the windscreen, according to Autoglass. Pouring boiling water is not recommended as the thermal shock may cause damage to your windscreen i.e. it may crack.

Technology comes to the rescue, as Ford developed and patented their Quickclear system 26 years ago and this uses a mesh of heating wires embedded bewteen two layers of windscreen glass to clear the windscreen, with the minimum of fuss. It is a standard vehicle option on all but 11 model’s in the Ford car range.

Foggy conditions

The Institute of Advanced Motorists, driver training specialist, IAM Drive & Survive, has been providing some great driving tips for driving this winter and the latest advice is around driving in foggy conditions.

Simon Elstow, head of training at the IAM, said,”Don’t underestimate the effect fog has on your perception of speed. Adjusting your driving to the weather conditions will help you to become a better driver”.

Here are the tips for driving through fog.

• Before setting off, clean your windows and windscreen and ensure all your lights are working correctly. 
• Let others know you are likely to be delayed due to the fog.
• When you’re ready to leave, switch on your dipped headlights. Only use your front and rear fog lights where visibility is less than 100 metres.
• Use your windscreen wipers on an intermittent setting to clear the fine mist that collects on the windscreen.
• Slow down and keep enough distance between yourself and the vehicle in front. Make sure you can stop safely within the distance you can see clearly ahead of you.
• Avoid relying on the vehicle in front as a guide to any hazards ahead. Fog makes it much more difficult to judge how hard vehicles are braking and they might be slow to react.
• Brake gently but earlier than usual so your brake lights warn other drivers behind.
• At junctions, wind the window down and listen for oncoming traffic.
• Take high-visibility clothing in case you have to leave the car for some reason.

DIAmond Advanced Motorists, the company that organises and administers driving tests on behalf of the Driving Instructors Association (DIA) has recommended some motorway driving tips to reduce stress and improve road safety. Motorways are statistically the safest roads but as we know, when things do go wrong, it usually involves more than one vehicle and serious injuries.

The motorway driving tips;  

1. Plan your journey a day before you travel and have an alternative route if there is heavy traffic.
2. Check out the weather forecast and leave a reasonable time for your journey, with a stop every 2-3 hours to stretch your legs. Recent research has found that 15-20% of motorway incidents is caused by driver fatigue.
3. Do the basic maintenance checks on your vehicle – check the lights are working, tyre pressures, oil level, windscreen washer and water levels.
4. If you are an experienced motorway driver remember that many other drivers around you many not be, so keep on the lookout for the unexpected.
5. When joining a motorway on a slip road try and make sure your speed is the same as the traffic on the main carriageway when you pull onto the motorway.
6. Make sure you fully understand the motorway road signs before you set out (The Highway Code has all the details).
7. Take a few minutes to get use to the speed of the motorway and always look as far ahead as possible for potential hazards i.e. “is that car likely to pull out to overtake the lorry?”.
8. Keep your lane discipline and stay in the left hand lane (number 1) for normal driving - don’t hog the middle or outer overtaking lanes.
9. Check your mirrors regularly to see what is happening behind you before giving a signal and allow your signal to flash a few times before pulling out into another lane. Don’t forget to check your blind spot by a quick sideways look.
10. When overtaking move out briskly past the slower vehicles and only return to the left once you can see the vehicle you have passed in your rear-view mirror i.e. don’t “cut them up”. 
11. Don’t tailgate the vehicle in front as this is one of the most common causes of accidents on motorways. You should leave at least a two- to three-second gap between you and the vehicle in front.
12. When approaching a junction watch out for drivers who want to exit the motorway and may have left it too late, as they may make a risky manoeuvre.
13. Be aware that other cars or vans may be joining from the same junction so allow them to join by changing your speed or changing lanes.
14. Plan to leave the motorway in good time as the first exit sign is usually one mile from the exit slip road and sometimes two miles on busier exit junctions. The exit sign is repeated at the half mile stage and at the exit, so make sure you are in the left hand lane with plenty of time to exit.
15. And finally, when you have left the motorway do check your speed. You have been travelling at high speeds for some time and 30mph may appear “slow” when in fact it is the legal limit on most urban roads. 

Peter Rodger is the chief examiner at the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), the UK’s largest independent road safety charity, dedicated to improving standards and safety in driving, motorcycling and cycling.

As wet weather is forecasted for the next few days across the UK, the IAM has issued some safety tips for driving in the rain;

• Before you set off, set your heater controls as rain makes the windows mist up in seconds. You don’t want to be fiddling with the controls when you should be concentrating on the road.
• Slow down. In the rain your stopping distance should be at least doubled. Giving yourself more space between you and the driver in front helps you to avoid spray, especially when following a large vehicle.
• Keep your eyes on the road ahead and plan your driving so that you can brake, accelerate and steer your car or van smoothly – harsh manoeuvres will unbalance the vehicle.
• If you have cruise control, avoid using it on wet roads – it may create problems if you start to aquaplane.
• See and be seen. Put your lights on – as a rule of thumb, whenever you need to use your wipers you should also turn your headlights on, and before overtaking put your wipers on their fastest setting to pass safely.
• Making sure your car is properly maintained will make a difference too. Check your wipers regularly, that your tyres are properly inflated and have enough tread, and that all of your lights work and are clean. By law, you must keep the windscreen washer filled, but remember, to keep your windows clean, you must do the inside as well

Mr Rodger, commented,”There’s nothing quite like getting to your car in the rain. It’s a haven for the elements. But be cautious, especially after prolonged dry spells- rain on a dry road is dangerously slippery”