Will raised school leaving age hit apprentice numbers?
Steve Nash, chief executive of the Institute for the Motor Industry, is calling for government and education bodies to ensure that schools are giving the most impartial advice to young people, given that the mandatory education or training participation age is now raised to 18.
Continue ReadingWill Euro 6 see the demise of the small diesel?
From September 2015, all new cars must be compliant with Euro 6 emissions standards, which aims to reduce the levels of harmful exhaust emissions such as nitrogen oxide (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (THC and NMHS) and particulate matter (PM).
Continue Reading‘Increase safety efforts’ IAM tells government
The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) is urging the new government to increase its efforts in promoting road safety by giving targeted enforcement a higher priority. With the yet-to-be-revealed figures for 2014 shaping up to show an increase in deaths and injuries on UK roads, the IAM believe the new government must make road traffic policing a core priority function for police forces and commissioners in England and Wales.
Continue Reading1.75m UK motorists ‘could struggle’ to access online driving licence: Licencecheck
Following the abolition of the driving licence paper counterpart yesterday, more than 1.75 million motorists could struggle to access their driving licence online, according to a licence checking and monitoring company. Licencecheck said that it had seen evidence of “teething problems” with the new system, introduced by the DVLA for drivers to access or share their driving licence information.
Continue ReadingBritish Medical Journal article warns of UK air pollution
An article has recently appeared in the British Medical Journal warning of the dangers to public health in the UK caused by air pollutants. In 2011 a report from the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee suggested that the costs to society from poor air quality were on a par with those from smoking and obesity. Air pollution has fallen sharply over the last 25 years, in particular nitrogen oxide levels have dropped by two thirds and particulates have halved. However, whilst the pollution levels have fallen, the medical profession is now better able to quantify the damage caused.
Continue ReadingChange to driving licence ‘will save taxpayer millions’ – DVLA
From today (8 June 2015), the paper counterpart to the photocard driving licence is being replaced by an online service. This will save motorists millions of pounds and change the way they share their information with employers and car hire companies, says the DVLA.
Continue ReadingFrench policy ‘discriminates against diesels’ says ACEA
The European Automobile Manufacturer’s Association (ACEA) has voiced its surprise and disappointment at yesterday’s announcement that Euro 6 diesel cars will not be included in Category 1 of the new French colour coding scheme, which classifies vehicles according to their pollution levels.
Continue ReadingBrake welcomes crackdown on killer drivers
Brake, the road safety charity, has welcomed figures published on 21 May 2015 by the Ministry of Justice showing more drivers convicted of killing are going to jail for longer. The annual criminal justice statistics for 2014 show three in five drivers (60 per cent) convicted of causing death in England and Wales receive immediate custodial sentences, up from just over half (54 per cent) in 2013. The average sentence length for these drivers is four years, up from three and a half years in 2013.
Continue ReadingNFDA calls on government to allow private HGV-MOT testers
“A move to allow private HGV-MOT Testers could only be a step in the right direction”, said Sue Robinson, director of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), which represents franchised car and commercial vehicle retailers across the UK.
Continue ReadingGiti: Rim sizes getting larger, and the UK is more ‘high-performance’ than many think
Having heard both the consensus and a third party perspective on what the high performance tyre market is and what is happening in it, when Tyres & Accessories asked Neil Hendry, general manager – Passenger Car Tires, Europe for Giti Tire for his and Gitis view, he offered another perspective again.
Continue ReadingUK beats CO2 emissions targets again
The UK has once again beaten CO2 emissions targets, with the average new car in 2014 posting CO2 emissions 4.2 per cent below this years EU-wide target of 130g/km, according to a Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) new report. The annual SMMT New Car CO2 Report 2015 reveals that carbon tailpipe emissions have fallen for the 17th consecutive year to an all-time low. In 2014, new cars averaged just 124.6g/km, beating last years record average by 2.9 per cent and 2007 levels by almost a quarter (24 per cent).
Continue ReadingChange to the driving licence – paper counterpart to become obsolete
From 8 June 2015 the paper counterpart of the driving licence (D740) is to be abolished and will no longer be issued by the the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
Continue ReadingKlarius backs Government on air pollution targets
On the back of a recent ruling by the Supreme Court that requires the UK government to take action on air pollution in several major cities, the UK’s largest vehicle emission control component manufacturer Klarius has revealed plans to increase the manufacturing volumes of its pollution reducing diesel particulate filters (DPFs) and catalytic converters (CATs). Not only that, Klarius has increased its schedule of new-to-range introductions to include far more cars and light commercial vehicles in the near future. Essentially aimed at older cars that produce a higher level of pollution, it’s thought that the ability to ensure all UK replacement emission components meet high quality and performance standards will make a significant contribution to the Government’s task of meeting new stricter pollution reduction targets.
Continue ReadingIMI asks: ‘Is anyone addressing UK’s employment and skills challenges?’
Steve Nash, CEO of the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) comments on the manifestos of the main political parties: “It’s tremendously encouraging to see that every political party is making a commitment to the concept of apprenticeships. But we do have a concern about whether the real thinking has been done behind the promises. […]
Continue ReadingNFDA gives advice on tax disc rule changes
Following news that thousands of drivers have had their cars clamped and received fines of hundreds of pounds after being caught out by the change in tax disc rules, the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) which represents franchised car and commercial vehicle retailers across the UK, is issuing advice on the new taxation procedures.
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