Author Archives: James Luckhurst
Another absurd attempt to avoid speeding points is thwarted
James Luckhurst posted on May 15th, 2012
Posted in Road Safety Articles
A MAN attempted to avoid fines and points on his driving licence by claiming his car was being driven by his wife. Trouble is, she had died some months before the offences were recorded, a court heard. Christopher Bingley, 44, was caught driving too fast on four occasions after his wife Joanne died. The bankrupt management consultant had filled in a notice stating that his 39-year-old wife had been driving … read more
Transport Safety group: ‘Spending cuts putting lives at risk’
James Luckhurst posted on May 11th, 2012
Posted in Motoring News
Research reveals half of all local authorities feel they lack the resources necessary to promote road safety The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) has published the third report in its series “Tackling the Deficit”, looking at the impact of the government’s austerity programme on road safety. This report, entitled “Checking the Health of Road Safety” and written by Naomi Baster (PACTS’ Policy and Research Officer), includes an analysis … read more
Collision prevention – The only way to reduce motorcycle fatalities?
James Luckhurst posted on April 26th, 2012
Posted in Motoring Advice Articles
Research points to collision prevention as the only way to reduce motorcycle fatalities The motorcycle safety organisation, Right To Ride, has published the “Northern Ireland Motorcycle Fatality Report 2012″, an in-depth study of 39 cases relating to motorcycle fatalities in Northern Ireland (UK) between 2004 and 2010. The study, supported by the British Motorcyclists Federation Foundation, was carried out by Dr Elaine Hardy of Right To Ride with the collaboration … read more
Smoke gets in your eyes
James Luckhurst posted on April 17th, 2012
Posted in Road Safety Articles
POLICE OFFICERS patrolling the UK’s motorways are used to dealing with all kinds of incidents. So when two patrol officers from the Central Motorway Policing Group spotted a van that was belching white smoke, they calmly positioned themselves in front of it, illuminated their ‘Follow Me’ sign and escorted the driver off the motorway. Finding a safe place to pull over proved a challenge. The junction connected them straight onto … read more
Fem Taxi – Female-only taxi service proving a big success
James Luckhurst posted on April 5th, 2012
Posted in Motoring Advice Articles
ONE OF the fastest-growing new businesses in the city of Medellin, Colombia isn’t narcotics, or high-tech, or coffee. It’s…a female-only taxi service. “Fem Taxi” opened only in November 2011 with 30 vehicles, but has already had to treble the number of employees due to such high demand. There is one female driver currently, so most of the work is done by men. The difference with Fem Taxi is that it … read more
Euro carmakers ‘facing tough carbon goals’
James Luckhurst posted on April 3rd, 2012
Posted in Motoring Advice Articles
THE EUROPEAN Union risks losing its climate leadership in the automotive sector to aggressive U.S. and Asian manufacturers unless it sets ambitious targets for cutting vehicle emissions in 2020 and beyond, governments and environmentalists have warned. Europe’s carmakers are struggling with declining domestic sales and overcapacity in parts of the sector, leading some in the industry to argue that tough carbon goals will heap more pressure on tight profit margins. … read more
6 common excuses for not wearing a seatbelt
James Luckhurst posted on March 29th, 2012
Posted in Motoring News
POLICE OFFICERS across Europe will this week be taking extra steps to issue penalties to motorists and their passengers not wearing seatbelts. Of course, officers are watching for those violations all the time, but this week, a special operation will do even more to target those people who do not follow the rules. Seatbelt compliance rates for front seat occupants in the best performing European countries are well up at … read more
Speeding Ticket Scam
James Luckhurst posted on March 22nd, 2012
Posted in Motoring Advice Articles
“Done for speeding? Ticket to pay? More points on your licence? You don’t want that, do you. I tell you what, give me the paperwork, slip me £400 cash and I’ll ensure you hear no more about it.” That sums up a scam being operated by Wiqas Ahmed and Mario Sardo, both of whom are serving prison sentences after police disrupted their little operation. It’s hard to believe that there … read more
Road collisions involving deer: the facts
James Luckhurst posted on March 1st, 2012
Posted in Motoring News
The Good Motoring mailbag included a very interesting question from a member in the Scottish Borders recently “How serious and frequent are road collisions involving deer these days?”, she asks. “Where are they most likely to occur? I ask because my husband (who is a vet) managed to hit one on a late night return from a farm last week. It put a massive crack in the front windscreen of … read more
What makes a good driver?
James Luckhurst posted on February 29th, 2012
Posted in Motoring Advice Articles
I have recently returned from Kuwait, where I was involved in presenting a workshop for some employees of a large oil company based there. One of the topics that came up was ‘What makes a good driver?’ We were lucky to have, as part of the team, Professor Steve Stradling, who made an excellent job of outlining what he believed to be the necessary skills and outlook required. Of course, … read more
