A learner driver taking her second lesson managed to flip her instructor's car on to its roof in Oxford. The woman, in her mid-20s, hit a gatepost on Old Road in Headington, causing the Fiat 500 car owned by driving instruction firm BSM to flip. Paramedics treated the woman and the instructor for cuts to their hands and elbows at the scene of Sunday's crash. BSM described the crash as a "freak incident" and said it took health and safety very seriously. Communications manager Paul Shepherd said: "We have spoken to the learner driver who is fine and is already hoping to book her next lesson with us soon. Labels: BBC, News
Repairs to a supercar damaged when a test drive went wrong near Aberdeen are set to cost an insurance firm £300,000. The Pagani Zonda S, which would cost more than £500,000 to buy, was involved in a crash last September. The car has been sent for repair to Modena in Italy, where the vehicles are made. A spokesperson for insurers Aviva said: "This is the biggest insurance payout we have had for repairs to a private car in the UK." The spokesperson said: "This is out of the ordinary for an insurer." Although the vehicle was badly damaged, Aviva decided that the car may be repairable and set about making arrangements for the car to be shipped across to Modena, Italy, home of Pagani, the vehicle manufacturer. The insurance claim was lodged by the test driver, not the owner of the car.
source: BBC Labels: BBC, Insurance, News
Identity fraud is likely to accelerate in 2010 as organised criminals target the rich, according to a report. Some 72% of ID fraud in 2009 came in the 2nd half of the year with company directors and business owners the most at risk, Experian found. The credit reference agency said that the number of ID fraud victims rose by 20% in 2009 compared with 2008. London remained the UK's crime hotspot area but Salford, Manchester and Cardiff were also vulnerable, it said. Experian also noted a rise in the proportion of fraud cases when people manipulated their own information in order to access financial services such as credit. The company estimated that these numbers would increase owing to lower levels of lending and the potential for more unemployment in 2010. source: BBC Labels: BBC, Money, News
Insurers paid out £650m from 335,000 claims made as a result of damage caused by the wintry weather in the UK, figures show. The biggest chunk of the payout was to motorists who damaged vehicles on the slippery roads, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) said. January was the eighth coldest on record and the UK's worst since 1987. The bad weather hit businesses and consumers with sectors including retail and the housing market suffering. The ABI said that the winter weather cost insurers £650m for claims made in the UK from 18 December to 13 January. Specifically, £395m has been paid out to motorists. Many of the 268,400 motor insurance claims were for accidental damage caused to vehicles. source: BBC Labels: ABI, BBC, Insurance, News
The BVRLA has developed a guidance paper for members and their customers on vehicle recalls. If you have any questions on this paper please contact a member of the legal services team on 01494 434747.
source: BVRLA Labels: BVRLA, Motor, News
Honda has added 437,700 cars, mainly in North America, to its existing global safety recall over airbag inflation problems. It broadens a recall announced in late 2008 for less than 4,000 Accord and Civic sedans, then expanded in mid-2009 to cover another 510,000 vehicles. The latest announcement also covers Japan, Mexico, Taiwan and Australia. source: BBC Labels: BBC, Motor, News
Credit hire firm Drive Assist is at the centre of allegations it falsified hire days to claim extra money from insurers. In a leaked email, released by a whistleblower and seen by Insurance Times, a Drive Assist employee explains to staff how to claim two extra hire days from insurers. The email has been sent to the ABI and insurers are currently considering their response. Drive Assist chief executive Steve Binch said the employee who sent the email has been 'disciplined' while a full investigation is being carried out. In a letter to the ABI, he said that following an initial investigation, he was: “Confident that the many other systems and procedures within Drive Assist have captured this unfortunate procedural error/misrepresentation.” He added: “The Board and I do not condone any process which artificially inflates hire invoice values and Drive Assist prides itself on being one of the lower cost operators in the sector.” source: Insurance Times Labels: Insurance, Money, News
Toyota has announced the recall of about 436,000 hybrid vehicles worldwide, including its latest Prius model, to fix brake problems. The total includes more than 200,000 Prius cars sold in Japan and 8,500 cars in the UK. "We have decided to recall as we regard safety for our customers as our foremost priority," the firm said. The company has already recalled eight million vehicles because of accelerator and floormat problems. Company president Akio Toyoda made the latest recall announcement at a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday afternoon.
source: BBC Labels: BBC, Motor, News
The recall of thousands of Toyotas with potentially faulty pedals raises a terrifying hypothetical scenario - what should you do if the accelerator on your car jams?
It's a driver's worst nightmare. You try to slow down but find the accelerator pedal is stuck - you're in a runaway car. The world's largest carmaker Toyota has recalled millions of vehicles across Europe and the US due either to the risk of accelerator pedals becoming stuck on the floor mat or jamming on their own. Toyota insists the jamming problem is very rare and that it has only received 26 reports of any kind of problem in Europe. If the accelerator is stuck, you should first firmly depress the foot brake, he says. This will override the accelerator. It must be the footbrake and not the handbrake, which could cause the brake pads to burn out and potentially put the car into a spin. Next, the driver needs to depress the clutch, effectively stopping the engine from powering the car. The equivalent in an automatic car is to put the gearstick into neutral. Continue braking and keep an eye out, forward and back, for an "escape route" to the hard shoulder. Do not try to steer straight across in one quick swerve - this could be dangerous, and destabilise the vehicle at such a speed. In a short time - perhaps 10 seconds - you can bring the car to a halt, says Stephen Mead, assistant chief examiner at the Institute of Advanced Motoring.
source: BBC Labels: BBC, Motor, News
The UK could face power shortages in the years ahead, according to the energy regulator, Ofgem. The regulator also warns that a significant number of consumers may not be able to afford the higher energy prices they will have to face. Ofgem says there is "reasonable doubt" about whether the UK's energy market will be able to deliver sustainable supplies in the coming decade. The industry needs £200bn of investment, Ofgem said. source: BBC Labels: BBC, Money, News
Compensation culture is partly to blame for a record rise in car insurance premiums in the last year, the AA has said. Personal injury claims were becoming "increasingly embedded in British culture" often as a result of lawyers' adverts, it claimed. The typical annual comprehensive car insurance premium rose 18.7% in 2009 to above £1,000, the AA's figures show. That was the biggest jump since the index started in 1994. Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance, said that insurers had been struggling to deal with disappearing reserves at a time when settlement costs and personal injury claims had risen.
"Many people seem willing to pursue claims for even minor injuries, such as mild whiplash pain that in the past they would not have bothered claiming for," he said. "This is encouraged by personal injury claims lawyers whose marketing urges people to make claims and whose costs, as well as compensation for the claim, are met by the third party insurer. This is becoming increasingly embedded in British culture and, ultimately, feeds back to premiums." source: BBC Labels: BBC, Insurance, News
Ford has posted an annual profit for the first time in four years. The carmaker made $2.7bn (£1.7bn) in 2009, compared with a loss of almost $15bn in 2008, and said it expects to be profitable this year as well. For the final three months of last year, the company made $868m, a dramatic improvement on the $6bn loss it made a year earlier. Ford said its return to profitability was in part due to cutting costs and reducing debt levels. source: BBC Labels: BBC, Money, Motor, News
Toyota has announced the recall of vehicles in the US, Europe and China over concerns about accelerator pedals getting stuck on floor mats. The firm has announced plans to recall 1.1 million more cars in the US a day after saying it was suspending sales of eight popular US models. According to an application to China's quality control office, it wants to recall 75,552 RAV4 vehicles there. source: BBC Labels: BBC, Motor, News
Car maker Nissan is to create 400 jobs at its Sunderland plant to meet demand for the Qashqai model. The fixed-term manufacturing posts are needed for a night-shift production line due to begin in May. Up to 160 temporary staff will also be retained. Last year the company cut 1,200 of 4,300 jobs at the plant amid falling overall sales. Trevor Mann, senior vice president for manufacturing in Europe, said the Qashqai was bucking market trends. source: BBC Labels: BBC, Motor, News
The UK economy has come out of recession, after figures showed it had grown by a weaker-than-expected 0.1% in the last three months of 2009. The economy had previously contracted for six consecutive quarters - the longest period since quarterly figures were first recorded in 1955. There have been recent recovery signs - last week, UK unemployment fell for the first time in 18 months. The UK's had been the last major economy still in recession. Europe's two biggest economies - Germany and France - came out of recession last summer. Japan and the US also emerged from recession last year. source: BBC Labels: BBC, Money, News
The chief executive of Jaguar Land Rover, David Smith, is to stand down, the carmaker has confirmed. The firm said his departure was not linked to the recent breakdown of talks with unions over pay and pensions. Jaguar Land Rover, part of India's Tata Motors, is seeking to reduce wages and pension provision for new staff. BBC business editor Robert Peston said Mr Smith's departure would "raise concerns about possible disagreements over strategy". source: BBC Labels: BBC, Motor, News
Toyota is recalling 2.3 million cars in the US to correct sticking accelerator pedals, just the latest in a string of recalls the firm has had to announce. Company spokesman Brian Lyons said the move was due to the vehicles' pedal mechanism becoming worn and, in some cases, getting stuck. It is not yet known if the recall will affect Toyota cars in other countries. Back in October, Toyota recalled 4.2 million cars in the US due to pedals getting lodged under floor mats. source: BBC
Labels: BBC, Motor, News
Scams, online theft, insurance cheats and tax fraud is costing the UK £30bn a year, according to an official estimate. The National Fraud Authority (NFA) has calculated the figure for the first time and said it equated to £621 per adult in the UK. Some 58% of fraud was in the public sector, at a cost of £17bn, it added. It said the losses were paid for through taxes and rising prices of products and services. The highest sector was losses from tax fraud - estimated at £15.2bn - although this was only 3% of tax liabilities, consumer scams were estimated at £3.5bn, insurance fraud at £2bn and some 31% of losses came in the private sector, with the financial services sector suffering the biggest hit.
source: BBC
Labels: BBC, Money, News
European car sales rose by 16% in December, marking signs of recovery in the sector after another tough year. However, total sales for 2009 were down 1.6% on 2008, according to figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA). Some countries with scrappage schemes saw rises in sales in 2009, including France and Germany. Sales in the UK were down 6.4% for the year as a whole, though December sales were up 39% compared with a year ago. A total of 14.5 million cars were sold across 28 European countries in 2009. source: BBC Labels: BBC, Motor, News
Average-speed cameras are to be introduced on a major urban road for the first time, Transport for London (TfL) has announced. The 84 special cameras are to be installed on a 7.5 mile (12km) stretch of the A13 in east London, ready for use by next summer. They will operate between Canning Town and the Goresbrook interchange. However, the speed limit will be raised from 40mph to 50mph on a section of the route once the cameras are in place. Nearly 500 collisions, including three fatal and 34 serious accidents, were recorded on this stretch of road between 2006 and 2008. TfL said half of these incidents were caused by speeding.
source: BBC Labels: BBC, Motor, News
Around 900 jobs will be lost after the motor parts manufacturer Bosch said it is to close its south Wales plant. Management of the German-owned company spent Thursday informing the workforce, following three months of consultation. Plans being considered at the site in Miskin, near Cardiff, had included the option of 300 job cuts or complete closure. The firm said it had now decided to recommend closure to its board, transferring work to Hungary in 2011. In a statement, it said consultations are now being extended until February, as unions and staff attempt to thrash out redundancy terms. source: BBC
Labels: BBC, Motor, News
The biggest ever shake-up to the costs of taking cases through the civil courts is contained in proposals in a report by one of the most senior judges in England and Wales. The civil courts deal with personal injury claims, disputes over goods and services, and landlord and tenant actions, among others. Lord Justice Jackson's Review of Civil Litigation Costs is a result of a recognition that it is simply too expensive for many people and small companies to bring or defend civil cases. His proposals are radical. He has looked at the factors forcing costs up in civil actions, and in particular he has focussed on Conditional Fee Agreements (CFAs), more commonly known as "no win, no fee" agreements. They have proved controversial in personal injury and defamation and privacy cases where the winning party can recover, in addition to damages, a hefty lawyer's "success" fee and "After the Event" (ATE) insurance premiums taken out by the claimant to protect against the costs of losing.
He proposes that success fees and ATE insurance premiums should cease to be recoverable from unsuccessful opponents in civil litigation. This will have particular significance for personal injury claims where no win no fee agreements are most common.
source: BBC Labels: BBC, Money, News
The place of supply rules for VAT changed on 1 January 2010 – now VAT is payable in the country in which the customer is established, rather than the supplier. Supplies to private individuals will follow this approach from 1 January 2013. As a result of the BVRLA's lobbying efforts, all rental agreements lasting 30 days or less will remain unaffected. In practical terms, this means that rental staff will not be required to check the VAT status of each customer in order to decide whether to issue a zero-rated VAT invoice. In conjunction with HM Revenue and Customs, the BVRLA has produced a fact sheet on the new rules, particularly how they affect agreements lasting longer than 30 days. source: BVRLA Labels: BVRLA, Money, News
Efforts to ration salt supplies will be necessary for councils to cope with continuing cold weather, Transport Secretary Lord Adonis has warned. He insisted that "all main transport networks are operational" during "the most prolonged spell of freezing conditions" in the UK since 1981. But shadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers accused the government of making "inadequate preparations". Forecasters predict a "slow, erratic climb" out of the freeze. There has been a slight thaw in places but more snow in parts of central England. Roads managers say milder weather could improve safety, amid salt shortages. source: BBC Labels: BBC, News, Travel
A number of schools are to close on Monday as Northern Ireland remains in the grip of severe winter weather. Snow is continuing to affect parts of Northern Ireland on Monday, particularly on higher ground. A thaw has begun in some parts but icy weather in many areas is continuing to make driving treacherous. source: BBC Labels: BBC, News, Travel
People are battling with treacherous conditions after sub-zero temperatures followed days of heavy snow to leave icy roads and pavements across the UK. Thousands of schools remain shut and travel problems continue, while power cuts are affecting thousands of homes. UK-wide severe weather warnings of ice are in place amid freezing temperatures and "nightmare" side road conditions. The mercury fell to -18C overnight in places and temperatures were typically between -8C and 0C at lunchtime. The Arctic conditions are expected to continue for up to a week.
The National Grid has issued its second gas alert in three days, with demand expected to hit a new record of 454 million cubic metres on Thursday. source: BBC News Labels: BBC, News, Travel
Winter weather is continuing to cause disruption across the UK with road, rail and air travel all affected. Channel Tunnel services remain badly affected and Gatwick airport's runway has been closed for essential "de-icing work" and will reopen when it is safe. Luton airport is currently closed because of snow. Warnings about driving conditions have been issued in Strathclyde, Stirling and Dumfries and Galloway as well as for parts of Northern Ireland. Hundreds of people were also stranded at Manchester Airport overnight after flights were suspended. The airport later reopened. A Met Office severe weather warning is in place for ice in many parts of the UK, where snow freezing on the ground is causing treacherous conditions. In Wales, 180 schools and nurseries had to close, while the M4 was shut after a crash. Heavy snow fell across north-west Scotland and the north of England as well as in north Somerset and south Wales. Forecasters said a band of rain, which could turn to snow, was expected to hit the southern counties of England on Monday afternoon.
The weather had its greatest impact on Channel Tunnel services, where Eurostar cancelled trains to mainland Europe for the third day, while Eurotunnel closed its shuttle car service to new arrivals. Eurostar said it hoped to resume a limited service on Tuesday. source: BBC News Labels: BBC, News, Travel
More drivers are using hand-held mobile phones than before tougher penalties were introduced two years ago, the Transport Research Laboratory has said. It found 2.6% of car drivers used hand-held phones in 2006 - when fines rose to £60 and three points could be added to licences - compared with 2.8% now. Phone-using drivers are four times more likely to crash. The TRL said drivers' "reaction time is likely to be slower". Its study in London involved almost 12,000 cars and taxis and 2,500 vans. The report's authors believe there is no reason to think the picture at the 30 sites studied in London is not the same right across the UK. source: BBC Labels: BBC, News
Train drivers at Southern Railway are to strike in a row over bank holiday pay, their union has said. Aslef said hundreds of its members at the firm would walk out on 28 December because the firm had refused to pay drivers extra on that day. Southern Railway said they were "extremely disappointed". The union warned of massive disruption to Southern's services which run between London, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Kent. source: BBC Labels: BBC, News
Malware has been blamed for a problem with the Windows 7 operating system, dubbed the 'Black Screen of Death'. Some Windows users are confronted by a totally black screen after they log on to their system. Initially it was thought that Microsoft's own security update could have caused the problem but that has now been ruled out. The software firm that suggested the security update was the problem has apologised for its claims. Reports suggest the problem also affects Windows Vista and XP. In a blog posting on its security site, Microsoft said that it had investigated the claims and "found that our November Security Updates are not making changes to the system that these reports say are responsible for these issues".
source: BBC Labels: BBC, News, RIVAL Windows, Technology
India's Tata Group says it is planning to produce hybrid versions of its Nano, billed as the world's cheapest car. Ratan Tata, the chairman of both Tata Group and Tata Motors - the biggest vehicle producer in India - made the comments on a visit to South Korea. A hybrid vehicle typically uses two or more distinct power sources to move it, usually petrol or diesel and a battery. Mr Tata also said that low-priced goods would drive sales faster than high-end ones in India, and he predicted this so-called price revolution would also continue to spread across the world. source: BBC Labels: BBC, News
The Department for Transport (DfT) has published a consultation document outlining its proposals for implementing the third EU directive on driving licences. In general, the directive harmonises definitions of vehicle sub-categories and rules on the duration of the validity of a driving licence across the European Union and the European Economic Area. The BVRLA will await with interest the outcome of the consultation as the manner in which the directive is implemented will have the potential to impact members' customers. For example, the directive requires that drivers of large and medium-sized buses and lorries renew their licences and demonstrate continuing medical fitness every five years, rather than the present UK requirement for five-yearly renewal only after age 45. There are currently no plans to introduce a smart card driving licence but it is proposed that old-style UK licences be recalled (although there will be a separate consultation on this). The consultation will run until 5 February 2010.
source: BVRLA Labels: BVRLA, DFT, News
The BVRLA's Leasing and Fleet Management Committee last week discussed the Office of Government Commerce's campaign to improve public sector use of 'grey fleet' vehicles – employee-owned vehicles used for work purposes. As part of the campaign, the OGC has released several case studies showing how public sector fleets have made cash and CO2 savings by using rental and leased vehicles. The committee asked the BVRLA to make use of this information on its website to help members build a persuasive case for their services when next tendering for local authority contracts. The committee also agreed that the administrative burden associated with the new offence of being the registered keeper of an uninsured vehicle, which comes into force next year, will make rental and leasing a more attractive option for businesses. source: BVRLA Labels: BVRLA, News
Road trains that link vehicles together using wireless sensors could soon be on European roads. An EU-financed research project is looking at inexpensive ways of getting vehicles to travel in a 'platoon' on Europe's motorways. Each road train could include up to eight separate vehicles - cars, buses and trucks will be mixed in each one. The EU hopes to cut fuel consumption, journey times and congestion by linking vehicles together. Early work on the idea suggests that fuel consumption could be cut by 20% among those cars and trucks travelling behind the lead vehicle.
source: BBC Labels: BBC, News, Technology
A £40 fine imposed on a motorist who collided with a train on a level crossing has been criticised by a group representing a railway. Eileen Lawrence, 72, drove onto the crossing in Fairbourne, Gwynedd, colliding with a train moving at 20mph. She later admitted careless driving. No-one was injured in the incident. Members at the Cambrian Coast railway conference in Porthmadog said the low fine issued was sending out the wrong message. Ms Lawrence admitted careless driving and was fined £40 with three penalty points, with £80 costs and £15 victim surcharge by magistrates in Dolgellau in September. source: BBC Wales Labels: BBC, News
A South Korean woman is celebrating after passing the written exam for a driving licence - on her 950th attempt.
After four years of trying, 68-year-old Cha Sa-soon finally managed to secure the 60 out of 100 points needed to pass the test. The grandmother has spent more than 5m won ($4,200, £2,600) on application fees for the test.
Now Mrs Cha, who lives in Jeonju, 130 miles (210km) south of Seoul, must pass the practical test to get on the road.
source: BBC News Labels: BBC, News
Microsoft's web portal MSN.com has been given an extensive revamp for the first time in almost ten years. New features include fewer links, a column dedicated to social networking sites Twitter and Facebook, and a large search engine box. The company hopes the new look will drive more traffic to its Bing search engine, launched as a competitor to Google in June 2009. It will roll out in 2010 with a small group of US users getting access now. source: BBC News
Labels: News, Technology
The 2010 Car Of The Year award will be decided in January but the shortlist has just been announced. To qualify for the competition cars must be on sale in at least five European countries and sell more than 5,000 examples a year. But when MSN last looked at the contenders some of them hadn't even launched! That included the Vauxhall Astra, revealed at Frankfurt and - as expected - on the shortlist and in with a shout of winning. And if it does that'll be two years in a row for Vauxhall, the Insignia winning the 2009 prize. The Volkswagen Polo is another strong contender that hadn't actually been launched when we last looked at the contenders for the prize back in the summer. Now on sale, it's been getting strong reviews. With the contenders whittled down to just seven, the 59 jurors - made up of motoring pundits from across Europe - will each decide how to distribute their respective 25 points and pick the winner. Each juror must choose at least five cars from the list, before apportioning their points accordingly. Last year the Insignia won by just a single point. source: MSN Cars Labels: News
General Motors (GM) has cancelled plans to sell a majority stake in its European car business Opel, including its UK brand Vauxhall. The US giant said in a statement that its board had made the decision because of "an improving business environment for GM over the past few months". GM had agreed to sell Opel and Vauxhall to Canadian car parts firm Magna. It said it would now be seeking aid for Opel from the German government and other European states. source: BBC Labels: BBC, News
Toyota has confirmed that it is pulling out of Formula 1 racing after posting its worst ever financial loss. The world's largest car manufacturer is leaving the sport to concentrate on its core business and to cut costs. Toyota president Akio Toyoda said the Japanese team had no option but to pull out citing "the current severe economic realities" affecting the world. Toyota did not win a race after making its F1 debut in 2002 but was fifth in the 2009 constructors' championship. The company revealed its worst set of figures for the financial year to March 2009, and is expecting further losses to continue when it posts its results to September 2009 on Thursday. Toyota's withdrawal leaves the sport with no Japanese team after Honda left F1 at the start of the 2009 season. Honda was replaced by Brawn, who went on to win this year's drivers' championship with Jenson Button and the constructors' championship.
source: BBC Sport Labels: BBC, News, RIVAL F1
Oil giant BP has reported third-quarter profits well ahead of expectations, sending its share price up nearly 4%. Its replacement cost profit between July and September was $4.98bn (£3bn). Experts said the figure had "obliterated" market forecasts. BP's results were boosted after it made bigger-than-expected cost cuts. source: BBC News Labels: BBC, Money, News
Barclays has announced that it is buying Standard Life Bank, the offshoot of Edinburgh-based life insurance company Standard Life, for £226m. Barclays is one of the biggest banks in the world, with millions of customers, whereas Standard Life Bank is a relative minnow. It has just 287,000 savings accounts and 78,000 mortgage accounts. Standard Life Bank has been operating only since 1998, and the insurer said the sale was in its best interests.
source: BBC Labels: BBC, Insurance, Money, News
Talks between Royal Mail and union leaders aimed at ending the row over pay, conditions and modernisation have ended for the day without agreement. The sides will reconvene on Tuesday but if no deal is reached, postal workers are planning three more walkouts on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. source: BBC Labels: BBC, News
The extension to the government's car and van scrappage scheme came into effect on 22 October. It now applies to all cars registered in the UK no later than 29 February 2000 and vans registered no later than 28 February 2002. source: BVRLA Labels: BVRLA, Money, News
Members of the European Parliament have criticised the European Commission's proposals for ending the automotive sector's block exemption from aspects of competition law. The Commission wants the current rules, which are due to expire on 1 May 2010, to be renewed for the servicing and repair of motor vehicles, but for those governing vehicle sales and distribution to be removed by 2013. In their response to the plans, discussed last week, several committees of MEPs charged with scrutinising the proposals argued that the Commission had failed to provide a robust case for change. There was also a consensus that it was vital for independent operators in the vehicle-servicing aftermarket to have access to manufacturers' technical information. The MEPs have written to the Commission requesting more time to review its proposed changes and asking for the current regulations to be extended until 2011. source: BVRLA Labels: BVRLA, News
The nationwide postal workers' strikes have delayed about 30 million letters, some 40% of a typical day's post, Royal Mail has said.
A second day of strikes is under way, with delivery and collection workers walking out, following Thursday's 24-hour strike by mail centre staff. Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) are protesting about pay, conditions and modernisation. source: BBC Labels: BBC, News
Jean Todt will succeed Max Mosley as the new head of motorsport's world governing body, the FIA, after winning the presidential election in Paris. The former Ferrari team boss claimed 135 votes compared to 49 cast for his rival Ari Vatanen with 12 abstentions. Todt, 63, was the favourite to win the vote after being backed by Mosley, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher. The vote brings an end to Mosley's controversial 16-year reign. "Jean Todt has been elected president of the FIA for a four-year term by the FIA General Assembly at its annual meeting in Paris," an FIA statement said. source: BBC Labels: BBC, News, RIVAL F1
The prime minister has called on Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) to "get round the table" to bring an end to industrial action. "This strike will be self-defeating if all it means is that less people use the Royal Mail," Gordon Brown said.
He was speaking after the start of the first nationwide postal strike in two years, which began at 0400 BST. Meanwhile, the BBC has learned that three strike days will be announced for next week. The CWU declined to comment. The CWU has said it may make an announcement on further developments later, but had previously said that it would be announcing plans for further strike action.
The news came as about 42,000 mail centre staff and drivers staged a 24-hour strike. On Friday, about 78,000 delivery and collection workers are expected to walk out. source: BBC Labels: BBC, News
Microsoft is hoping that its newly-launched operating system will be one that "doesn't let you down". Early sales figures indicate that consumers do not feel let down at all. More than 500 people queued outside PC World in central London to be the first to get a copy when the store opened at midnight on October 21. A spokesperson for the store said Windows 7 packages were selling at a rate of three per minute between midnight and 0100BST.
"Across the group, within the first hour of trading this morning we were up 180% on sales," said Anina Castle from DSGi group - an electrical retailer which includes Dixons, Currys and PC World. The figure was set against a standard day of Vista sales.
For the full story from the BBC click here... source: BBC Labels: BBC, News, Technology
A 24-year-old man has been jailed for four-and-a-half years after admitting his part in a £1.6m "crash for cash" conspiracy in Greater Manchester.
Mohammed Patel deliberately caused at least 93 car crashes in three years, each costing insurers about £17,000. Patel, of Nottingham Drive, Bolton, admitted a number of charges at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court.
He charged £500 a time to stage accidents, which enabled car owners to claim for bogus damages from insurers. Patel forced a number of low speed crashes by braking suddenly, often at roundabouts, so the driver behind would crash into the back of him. Claimants - who owned the cars Patel was driving - demanded compensation for personal injury, courtesy cars and legal fees at the expense of the other party's insurers. source: BBC Labels: BBC, Insurance, News
SiliconRepublic.com today asked itself: 'Will Google Wave topple the email status quo and change the way we work?' This is what they wrote...
'Two weeks ago, Google began rolling out a preview version of a new web tool known as Wave to a limited 100,000 users. With mixed reviews, it has been labelled everything from “game-changing” to “unremarkable”.
Google Wave is a combination of email, instant messaging and collaborative work tool all within your web browser. It is early days yet, but Wave may have the potential to transform how you work with both colleagues and clients. While many businesses already use collaborative tools such as Microsoft OneNote, what Google Wave will do when it is released publicly later this year is bring this kind of functionality to the masses as it has previously done with document collaboration through Google Docs. Essentially, Google will have brought out a free, platform-agnostic unified communications tool.' source: SiliconRepublic.com Labels: Google, News, Technology
The economic climate is promoting spending online, with 63% of adult Britons who conducted an insurance transaction online last year saying they have increased their online spending habits due to ease of comparison and prices.
The 2009 Survey of Online Consumer Behaviour, conducted by Harris Interactive®, commissioned by Tealeaf®, also finds that insurers are not taking the chance to seize this opportunity. A high proportion (79%) of those who conducted an insurance transaction online reported problems doing so. Error messages, navigational issues and getting stuck in a loop were all common problems revealed by the research, which also discovered that consumers were more affected by positive remarks on blogs and social networks rather than negative ones, which could provide additional business for insurers with good websites. source: Insurance Daily Labels: Insurance, News, Technology
The union representing Royal Mail workers says national postal strikes could begin on Thursday 22 October. The Communication Workers Union (CWU) urged Royal Mail to agree to a "peace plan", but said if this failed, they would have "no option" but to strike. Royal Mail said it was "very disappointed" with the move and argued the union was tabling "fresh demands" rather than proposing an agreement.
For the full story from the BBC click here... source: BBC
Labels: BBC, News
People aged 17-21 are being killed in car accidents due to peer pressure, inadequate training and not wearing seatbelts, according to research commissioned by Aviva.
The research reveals that one in three young drivers alter the way they drive when there is more than one friend in the car, with one in five paying less attention to the road and one in four taking their hands off the wheel.
Surprisingly, 9% of those surveyed said they would not have awarded themselves a licence when they successfully passed their driving test. source: Insurance Daily Labels: Insurance, News
American International Group agreed to sell its Taiwan insurance unit to a consortium led by Hong Kong's Primus Financial for $2.15bn, the companies announced on Tuesday. source: FT.com Labels: Insurance, Money, News
The BVRLA has responded to the newly formed Office for Low-Emission Vehicles (OLEV) on its suggestions for distributing £250m allocated to help stimulate demand for ultra-low-carbon cars. Following detailed discussions with members, the BVRLA has welcomed OLEV's recognition that rental and leasing businesses can play a key role in the take-up of this new technology. source: BVRLA Labels: BVRLA, News
The number of new cars registered in Northern Ireland in September rose by almost 20% compared to the same month last year. However, the overall number of cars registered so far this year is still down on the number sold in the first nine months of last year. The most popular model registered in NI last month was the Ford Fiesta. Three hundred and ninety two vehicles were registered, 30% more than the next most popular model, the Nissan Qashqai.
For the full story from the BBC click here...
source: BBCLabels: BBC, News
One of the big issues for ambitious small firms looking to grow is how to attract new customers.
You know you have a great product, or offer a good service, but how do you best make yourself known to would-be buyers? On the BBC website Ganesh Selvarajah, an advisor at Business Link, the government-funded business support service, looks at how to best target your advertising or marketing spend. source: BBC Labels: BBC, Good Ideas, Money, News
Jaguar Land Rover has secured further funding worth £175m in the form of a loan from the State Bank of India, the carmaker has said. The firm is struggling against falling sales during the downturn and has been looking at a number of refinancing packages in recent months. The UK government had offered support but the Indian owner of Jaguar, Tata, said the terms were too "onerous". The carmaker has now secured £500m of new funding this year. source: BBC Labels: BBC, News
Sales of new cars rose 11.4% in September compared with the same month last year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
The new "59" registration plates were available from 1 September and 367,929 of them were sold in the month. The SMMT said that conditions remained "challenging" but the market was being supported by the scrappage scheme.
Last week, the government announced it was extending the trade-in scheme from £300m to £400m. "The extension of the scheme will help to sustain demand through the latter part of this year and into 2010," said Paul Everitt, chief executive of the SMMT.
For the full story from BBC News click here...
source: BBC Labels: BBC, News
The Department for Transport has published the statistical report “Reported Road Casualties Great Britain 2008: Annual Report”. Headline final figures on the number of people killed and injured on the roads in Great Britain in 2008 were first published in June 2009. The statistical report provides more detailed information about accident circumstances, vehicle involvement and the consequent casualties in 2008, along with some of the key trends in accidents and casualties. There were a total of 230,905 reported casualties of all severities, 7 per cent lower than in 2007. 2,538 people were killed, 14 per cent lower than in 2007, 26,034 were seriously injured (down 6 per cent) and 202,333 were slightly injured (down 7 per cent).
The number of fatalities fell for almost all types of road user, with a fall of 12 per cent for car occupants, 11 per cent for pedestrians, 16 per cent for motorcyclists and 15 per cent for pedal cyclists.
Failed to look properly was again the most frequently reported contributory factor and was reported in 37 per cent of all accidents reported to the police in 2008. Four of the five most frequently reported contributory factors involved driver or rider error or reaction. For fatal accidents the most frequently reported contributory factor was loss of control, which was involved in 32 per cent of fatal accidents.
Fourteen per cent of accidents had a speed related contributory factor reported, either exceeding the speed limit or travelling too fast for conditions. This rose to 24 per cent for fatal accidents, accounting for 25 per cent of all road deaths. Twenty three per cent of fatalities in these accidents were motorcyclists.
Young drivers were more likely to have a speed related contributory factor reported than those over 25, and more than four times as many male drivers had a speed factor reported as female drivers. Forty one per cent of male fatalities aged 16-25 were in accidents where a speed factor was reported. For the full details on the DfT website click here...
source: DfT Labels: DFT, News
The UK's car scrappage scheme is to be extended, Lord Mandelson has announced.
He said the scheme, which started in May and gives consumers £2,000 off a new car if they trade in one at least 10 years old, was running out of money.
The business secretary broke the news, called for by the car industry, in his speech to the Labour Party conference.
He said "we cannot do everything but that does not mean doing nothing" and said the scheme would be extended to cover 100,000 more cars and vans. source: BBC Labels: BBC, Good Ideas, Money, News
The rate of contraction of the UK economy in the three months from April to June has been reduced again. Gross domestic product (GDP) has been revised to a fall of 0.6% compared with the last quarter, up from the previous estimate of 0.7%. The figures were revised upwards last month, from a 0.8% decline, according to the Office for National Statistics.
source: BBC Labels: BBC, News
Social networking website Twitter has confirmed that it has closed a "significant round of funding". Co-founder Evan Williams said in a blog post that the site had secured money from five investment firms. Industry watchers have pointed out that the firm still has no way of making money. However, earlier this month the site revised its terms and conditions to allow advertising on its service.
source: BBC Labels: BBC, Money, News, Technology
Aviva has named and shamed the ten worst parking spaces in the UK. The motor insurance provider asked drivers across the country to nominate their nightmare parking spaces where they feel most likely to end up denting their car. For the full story click here...
source: Insurance Daily Labels: Insurance, News
The number of new cars made in the UK fell 31.5% in August from the same month a year earlier, industry figures have shown. But the number of cars built for the UK market reached a near five-year high as the car scrappage scheme boosted sales. The SMMT called for the scheme, which was introduced in May, to be extended, saying recovery was still fragile. The drop in production was bigger than the 17.9% fall seen in July, but many car plants have extended shutdowns in August.
source: BBC Labels: BBC, News
Parts of England with the largest number of uninsured drivers have been revealed in new research. The worst offenders were in Greater London, Merseyside and Greater Manchester, with 13%, 12% and 10% of vehicles uninsured, the research found. The Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB), which compensates people in accidents with uninsured drivers, estimates over 1.7m people drove without cover in 2008. Philip Gomm, of the RAC Foundation, said the situation seemed to be out of hand and had been for a long time. "That might be linked to economic factors. We know that during a downturn a lot of people are finding financial pressure, they are suffering financial hardship and they think that some of their motoring costs are those that they can drive down, but insurance is not an option. You have to have it if you take a vehicle on to the road" he said. Meanwhile, research carried out by moneysupermarket.com found that 62% of the 1,800 people questioned think motorists caught driving without insurance should face heftier penalties. For the full story from the BBC click here...
source: BBC
Labels: BBC, Insurance, News
Jaguar Land Rover has said it will close one of its West Midlands plants by the middle of the next decade.
The firm is considering the closure of either its Castle Bromwich plant in Birmingham or its factory in Solihull.
About 800 new jobs will be created at its Halewood plant on Merseyside, which will start building a new Range Rover.
The company, which is owned by Indian giant Tata, said there would be no net job losses, but unions said they would oppose the plans.
"We are now in a meeting with the company to hear details of their plans," said Bert Hill, regional officer at the GMB union. source: BBC Labels: BBC, News
Russia's largest carmaker, Avtovaz, is to cut up to 27,600 jobs as it tries to cope with the global slump in demand.
The job cuts are more than a quarter of the 102,000-strong workforce at Avtovaz, which makes Lada cars.
Reports had suggested that 36,000 job losses were considered, but the company said that it managed to "significantly lower the initial figure".
Russia had the fastest growing car market in Europe until the financial crisis hit demand. Of the workers being eliminated, Avtovaz said 13,000 employees would retire with pensions while another 5,500 would be forced to take early retirement.
The remaining 9,100 employees would leave the firm, but Avtovaz said 6,000 of those would have the option to work at the carmaker again in 2012. source: BBC Labels: BBC, News
Rogue drivers getting behind the wheel without insurance are not being deterred because the penalties if they’re caught are too lenient, Direct Line claimed this week.
Under new government proposals, motorists caught driving an uninsured vehicle will be fined as little as £50 - less than fine given out to people who overfill their bin, Direct Line said.
“The fact that the new proposed fine for driving uninsured is less than if you were to overfill your bin is alarming,” said Andy Goldby, Direct Line’s director of motor underwriting. source: Insurance Daily Labels: Insurance, News
Fabrics specialist, Vispack, has launched a new road safety pack, which it claims can save lives and reduce insurance claims.The pack, known as “The Driver’s Hub”, contains five high-visibility reflective vests, to be worn in the event of a vehicle emergency.
source: Insurance Daily Labels: Good Ideas, News
Aviva has announced that John Kitson, UK general insurance sales & marketing director, is to leave the firm in March 2010.
Kitson joined the firm 14 years ago, when it was known as Norwich Union, as head of brand and marketing. No successor has yet been named, but Aviva has indicated a replacement will be announced in due course. source: Insurance Daily Labels: Insurance, News
Lord Mandelson has called for the businessmen who ran MG Rover prior to its 2005 collapse to apologise for taking so much money out of the firm. A report found the men pocketed an "unreasonable" £42m in pay and perks. The Phoenix Four blame Labour for Rover's collapse but Lord Mandelson said ministers had been "faultless".
For the full story on the BBC website click here... source: BBC
Labels: BBC, News
The Law Commission is dissatisfied with current insurance law, The Daily Telegraph has reported.
The independent body, which keeps the law under review and recommends reform where needed, is due to report on insurance law this autumn.
According to the newspaper, it will say that current insurance law is unsuited to mass-market consumer insurance policies because it is based on commercial insurance practices. In addition, consumer bodies are lobbying the Government to include proposed changes in the Queen’s Speech that could re-orientate current insurance law towards to the Association of British Insurers’ voluntary code of practice and the best practice guidelines laid down by the Financial Ombudsman Services. source: Insurance Daily Labels: Insurance, News
Volkswagen’s latest security system has been honoured at this year’s BusinessCar Techies Awards with the advanced electronic Intelligent Key being named Best Security Device. A new standard feature on all Volkswagen Touareg 4x4 and Phaeton models, the key maintains a record of whether the car has been locked and alarmed. By simply pressing a button on the key and looking at the red light indicator, an owner can check, even when they are not with the car, the ‘locked’ status of their vehicle. It can also provide vital evidence to insurers and fleet managers as they can confirm by interrogating the car key’s data chip whether the vehicle was secured before any theft or break-ins occurred.
For the full story visit the Volkswagen website here... source: VW Labels: Good Ideas, News, Technology, Volkswagen
HSBC Insurance on 2nd September 2009 said it would cease underwriting motor business through its two insurance operations, HSBC Insurance (UK) and HSBC Insurance Management Services Ltd. HSBC Insurance will continue to service existing policy holders until their policy is due for renewal.
For the full story click here...
source: Insurance Times Labels: News
Samoa has become the first country since the 1970's to change the side of the road on which cars are driven. At 0600 local time (1700 GMT) yesterday, sirens sounded and drivers were told to move from the right side to the left. Police said that no accidents had been reported in the first hours after the switch in the island nation despite predictions of chaos from critics.
For the full story on the BBC website click here... source: BBC
Labels: BBC, News
Reported in this weeks BVRLA update, the European Commission has made a final call to EU countries to voluntarily implement its "eCall" strategy for in-car technology to alert emergency services to road accidents.
It warns that if there is no significant progress in rolling out the system by the end of 2009 it could propose regulations to compel manufacturers to install it.
In its recently published strategy document the Commission says eCall could save lives by halving emergency response times and calls for it to be installed in all new vehicles sold in Europe by 2014.
source: BVRLA Labels: BVRLA, News, Technology
Vodafone and O2 have both tabled bids of about £3.5bn to buy T-Mobile from owner Deutsche Telecom, the Sunday Times has reported.
The report says a decision was likely to be made within weeks. Vodafone and O2, which is owned by Spain's Telefonica, declined to comment on the report.
source: BBC Labels: BBC, News, Technology
SMMT figures released today show a second consecutive month of growth in new car sales, as registrations in August rose six per cent year-on-year. The effects of the scrappage scheme helped oversee a 253 per cent rise in city car sales, and a 12 per cent drop in average CO2 emissions of new cars since January 2008. While Ford leads overall market share with 16 per cent, Hyundai leapfrogged both Ford and Vauxhall to become the UK’s best-selling manufacturer once fleet sales were removed.
Visit the Autocar website for the full story... source: Autocar
Labels: News
Two new models of the Mini are to be built at BMW's plant in Oxfordshire creating up to 1,000 jobs, sources suggest. Two concept cars, one a coupe, will be unveiled on 15 September 2009 and will be produced at the company's factory in Cowley, near Oxford.
source: BBC Labels: BBC, News
A two pence rise in fuel duty has come into effect, the third such increase in nine months.
Stephen Glaister, director of road users' pressure group RAC Foundation, told the BBC the government's latest rise "will hit everybody hard".
When VAT is included, the increase will actually total 2.3p. The average price of petrol across the UK is about 105p per litre.
The government says the extra duty is needed to help fund public investment.
source: BBC Labels: BBC, News
One in ten young drivers aren’t aware that car insurance is a legal requirement, while one in five are taking to the roads without insurance.
A quarter of a million 17-20 year olds are getting behind the wheel without insurance cover, according to new figures from the Motor Insurance Bureau (MIB).
Drivers in this age group are four times more likely to be involved in uninsured accidents, said the MIB, which pays compensation to people whose cars are hit by uninsured drivers.
For the full story click here...Labels: Insurance, News
Motorists setting off on breaks over the bank holiday weekend have suffered congestion and delays following a series of incidents on major roads.
The M5 near Bristol had 20-mile tailbacks, while the M25 in Surrey and the M58 in Lancashire were also hit.
The AA predicted congestion would be up by a third compared with a normal weekend, with 14m drivers expected on the roads.
Labels: BBC, News
According to the BVRLA website, the latest government statistics on vehicle licensing and registration covering the period from January 2001 to June 2009, show a significant recovery on recent months. Figures for June indicate total vehicle registrations of more than 212,000 – up from about 166,000 in May. Light goods vehicles made up 17,500 of these (up from 13,200 in May) and more than 173,000 cars were also registered in the June period (up from 132,900 in May).
Labels: BVRLA, News
The Highways Agency is calling on drivers to check their fuel levels before setting off on journeys after more than 15,000 drivers broke down on England’s motorways over a 12-month period after running out of fuel.
Breaking down on the motorway causes disruption to journeys and road users can put themselves as well as other drivers at risk. To reduce the inconvenience and also the hazards involved, the Agency, supported by the Driving Standards Agency, is calling on drivers to check their fuel levels before setting off on journeys.
The Driving Standards Agency’s Director for Safer Driving, Trevor Wedge, said:
“Running out of fuel on a motorway can be a risky business. Stopping on the hard shoulder will place you and your passengers in a vulnerable situation that could be avoided.
Make sure you have plenty of fuel for your journey before driving on to a motorway and don't let the fuel in your tank run too low. Fill up well before the gauge reaches empty and before the warning light comes on." Labels: Good Ideas, Highways Agency, News
Almost 155,000 new cars have been ordered through the government's scrappage scheme since it was launched in May, official figures show. This means that more than half of the money set aside to fund the scheme has been spent. Almost one-fifth of the orders were made in the South East of England.
Analysts say the scheme contributed to the rise in UK car sales in July, which was the first increase in monthly sales since April last year. Announcing the news, Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said the scheme was "a great deal for manufacturers and dealers, not to mention customers" and added "it had contributed to a 13.5% jump in car manufacturing."
UK car sales rose 2.4%, to 157,149, in July compared with the same month last year, the latest industry figures showed last week, but sales so far this year are still down 22.8% on the same period last year.
See the full story on the BBC website...Labels: BBC, News
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