With its strong links to performance Car Clubs and driver training initiatives, Adrian Flux have teamed up with Advanced Driving UK and for those that have taken the step to improve their driving be rewarded for doing so.

Anyone completing a recognised course organised by RoSPA / IAM / Ride-Drive or any of the other recognised providers can claim at least 20% discount off their renewal premiums through Adrian Flux. Note that this is off the renewal and not the best premium to be found, meaning once you complete a course – you will receive a discount over and above what you currently pay in car insurance!

For those that complete other courses we do also acknowledge the steps you have taken to become a better driver and are also able to offer a significant discount in recognition. This will be up to 15% off your premium.

Flux have stated, “What initially attracted us to Advanced-Driving UK was the refreshing outlook it took to those persons looking to further their driving skills and a fresh new way of looking at road safety.’

Upon completing a course, please contact Adrian Flux on Freephone: 0800 505 3000 (Office hours 9:00 – 7:00 Mon – Fri, Sat: 9:00 – 4:00) and mention your advanced driving course or visit Adrian Flux

Ideally, if there is severe risk of flood, then stay at home but if you must travel and a journey is unavoidable then here are some tips to help you out.

1. Torrential rain brings with it visibility problems as the car mists up in seconds. Consider how you may use your air conditioning where visibility is an issue due to misting is a problem. Air con not only keeps you cool, but it removes moisture from the car to reduce window mist.

2. Its useful to know where the air intake is on your car. It’s not always possible to find out quickly, the lower it is on your car – the more likely water will get into the engine – needless to say, this is seriously bad news!

3.  Don’t go in if the water’s obviously too deep or flowing too quickly: consider an alternative route. It can take as little as 2 feet of flowing water to float a vehicle and wash it away, and even less for you to loose traction.

4.  If you have to drive through water try to drive in the highest section (only if you know where it is! don’t forget you may not be able to tell…)

5.  Drive only fast enough to create a small bow wave in front of the vehicle – driving at speed may be dangerous to other vehicles or pedestrians. Entering at speed may also mean you lose traction quickly and aqua-plain which won’t help you to get across.

6.  Keep going once you have started – make sure you have a clear run, put the car into first gear before entering the water, keep the revs high and set off.  Don’t go in if you can’t see a way out on the other side or another vehicle is blocking the exit – you don’t want water to enter the exhaust.

7.  Do not take your foot even slightly off the accelerator, as this will allow water to travel up the exhaust pipe. As you go through the water, slip the clutch if you can. After you come out, dry brakes gently before you need them – the best way is to lightly apply the brake as you drive along for a few seconds.

8.  At the other side, keep moving and continue to rev the engine to clear any water from the exhaust.

In the past during flood conditions people have been stranded over night. So if you must go out also ensure you have the some of the essentials in your car. Water, food, blankets, warm clothes, a torch, a mobile phone and something to read – you could be in one place, for a long time!

Jackie Willis, a driving instructor and founder/director of Care Motoring, a Norfolk-based driving school, has come up with an innovative new way to help learner drivers beat the credit crunch by learning to drive with the help of a parent, or other qualified driver, together with a series of audio lessons, delivered by Jackie and called Virtual Driving Instructor.

“Many learner drivers have either put off learning to drive altogether, or are taking lessons with a driving instructor, but can only afford to pay for them once every 2 or 3 weeks, sometimes longer. If they are lucky, they will have the chance to practise in between, but sadly many do not,” said Jackie

According to a recent survey from an insurance company, applications to have learner drivers added to parents’ policies has increased by around 23% and it is this group of learner drivers that Virtual Driving Instructor is targeting. A survey by Churchill insurance in 2007 showed how much damage can actually be done when parents attempt to teach their children.

Virtual Driving Instructor takes away the responsibility of what to teach and how to teach it from the unqualified instructor, by ‘instructing’ the learner through these audio lessons. Jackie explains:

“The parent, or other supervising driver, and the learner, listen together before going off and practising, as instructed in the audio lesson. They then stop again after this practise and listen for further advice. And of course, if the instructions have not been fully understood first time, then the audio can be rewound and listened to again”.

Certainly the lessons seem to be very thorough. There are 25 in all, which includes 5 manoeuvres lessons, and each lesson is accompanied by a set of lesson notes to help the supervising driver. Each lesson contains the instructions for the skill being practised, encouragement for the learner to assess their own progress and set their own targets for improvement, risk management techniques, Highway Code references relevant to that lesson, and links to various websites for additional help and information, as well as recommended reading material.

As Jackie, an experienced teacher and classroom practitioner, points out, whatever a person is learning, success is achieved quickest and best when the subject can be learned through visual, auditory and kinaesthetic means. So, in the case of learning to drive, watching training videos and good role-model drivers, coupled with listening regularly to the audio lessons and getting as much driving practice as possible, will lead to accelerated learning which is of a much higher standard.

It is also recommended that the learner backs up this ‘diy’ training with some lessons with a ‘real’ driving instructor, who may then be able to focus their training on higher level skills, producing novice drivers who possess advanced driving skills as soon as they obtain their driving licence.

Now wouldn’t that be a novel idea?

Download and purchase information can be found at Virtual Instructor

New data from the IAM Motoring Trust shows it takes an average five year old car a minute and a half for the engine to warm up and the most efficient way to warm it up is by driving it. Reversing out of a space when the car’s engine is cold uses around 20 to 25 times more petrol in the first few seconds than it does when warm. If you do this 10 to 12 times a week that adds up to a cost of about ?100 a year, not to mention the increased wear on the car’s engine.

Reverse parking is also usually safer and is advised in The Highway Code. Reversing into somewhere you can see (a parking bay) rather than reversing out into somewhere you can’t see (often a line of moving traffic) is much safer. It is also easier to control a car going forwards than backwards when it is first started, and attempting a potentially high risk manoeuvre such as reversing when you have just entered a car and are not concentrating fully, is more dangerous.

From a security point of view, reversing close to an object such as a wall can make it more difficult for thieves to gain access and, if you need to leave a parking space quickly for personal security reasons, driving forward provides you with better acceleration and improved vision.

Many drivers find it helpful to lower the left (nearside) mirror to provide a guide to your lateral position. Another option, where all the parking spaces run in parallel rows, is to line your car up with the space in front and reverse back in a straight line. This should automatically position you in the centre of the space – but do remember to look where you are going!

This article has been reproduced with the permission of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists)

An 11 year licence endorsement is just one of the many consequences of a drink offence, although this isn’t widely known.    There is no foolproof way to check your Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) limit before you get behind the wheel, so the IAM’s message to motorists is: if you’re going to drink, don’t drive.  And if you are going to drive, don’t drink.

Previous surveys have shown a staggering 50 per cent of Britain’s 32 million motorists have owned up to driving after drinking alcohol.

“Just one” is often followed by another, especially if people are buying rounds of drinks. And a generous round-buyer may get you a large wine or a double measure of spirits without you realising. This may be a well-meaning gesture, but it could put you over the limit.

Your ability to drive can be affected by even a modest amount of alcohol, at any time of year. Even if you are actually within the limit, alcohol still affects your judgement.

If you’re driving abroad on a summer holiday, alcohol limits vary for each individual country, with some countries even having a zero alcohol limit. But the general rule to be safe no matter where you are driving remains: don’t drink and drive.

Why not offer to be the (non-drinking) designated driver?   You’ll save money and you’ll be popular with everyone else you’re giving a lift home to.

If you drive at twice the legal limit, you are 30 times more likely crash, and a long sleep or a large cup of coffee after drinking the night before may not be the quick fix you expected to allow you to safely get behind the wheel.

There could be sufficient alcohol in your system to still push you over the legal limit for many hours after you have stopped drinking. So remember to leave at least twelve hours between the “bottle” and the “throttle”.

This article has been reproduced with the permission of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists)

Regardless of your choice of vehicle, there are techniques you can use to save fuel and at the same time minimise your impact on the environment. These techniques are part of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) course, which has delivered eco-benefits through fuel efficiency methods since the IAM was established in 1956.

Ask yourself: “Do I really need to drive?”: Short journeys that are generally less than two miles cause the most pollution and are inefficient in terms of fuel consumption. A straining cold engine will produce 60 per cent more pollution than a warm one. Walk or cycle where possible instead.

Plan your route: Take the most direct route and go at off-peak times if possible to save fuel and time. Sitting in congestion means you are often doing zero miles per litre. Consider car sharing, Park and Ride schemes or public transport.

Have your vehicle serviced regularly: Inefficient, under-serviced engines can reduce fuel economy by 10 per cent or more. Catalytic converters are environmentally friendly – but only if they are properly maintained.

Check your tyres: Correct tyre pressures reduce wear and helps fuel economy. Under-inflated tyres need replacing more often (itself an environmental problem) as well as being dangerous. Make a point of checking them at least once a week.

Obey the speed limits: Try to ‘feather’ the throttle when you reach your cruising speed. Doing 56mph uses 25 per cent less fuel than 70mph and a smoother driving style can bring significant fuel saving.

Reduce the drag factor: Remove roof racks and carriers when they’re not in use as well as unnecessary boot luggage and heavy accessories.

Driving with the window open and using air conditioning increases drag and lowers fuel economy, so use the vent settings instead.

Buy green fuel: And use less of it. If you get stuck in traffic, switch off the engine. Find out if you can buy low sulphur diesel (city diesel) or cleaner petrol (low sulphur/aromatics) locally.

Use “accelerator” sense: Save fuel by planning ahead and reading the traffic in advance to gently join a queue rather than braking suddenly as you hit traffic.

Reverse when you park: The engine will be cold and at its most fuel inefficient when you start it. If you can drive away without having to reverse when the engine is cold, you will save fuel and have better
visibility.

Watch your levels: If you fill your fuel tank up to the brim, you may be carrying around additional fuel which in turn means that you have more weight on board than is necessary and this will itself reduce fuel efficiency.

This article has been reproduced with the permission of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists)

The A pillar is the engineering term for the area dividing the windscreen and the windows. In recent years the A pillars have become sturdier in a bid to improve the structure of the car as a whole.

In response, car designers have made them thicker. But the A pillar has created a blind spot which campaigners have pointed out obstructs the vision of thousands of drivers.

A study commissioned by the Department for Transport (DfT) from the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) found that, while the A pillar can obscure vision, there is rarely only one factor that contributes to an accident.

The study therefore found that there was not enough evidence to suggest that changes to current legislation regarding A pillar design would be of benefit. That means the onus is on drivers to cater for possible A pillar restriction. So what should we do?

More than 90 per cent of the information from the car’s external environment is viewed by the driver through the windscreen and windows. So, firstly, you should be aware of the potential restriction the A pillar may cause in your ability to scan the road ahead.

It is vital to check that nothing is hidden from view by the A pillar before making a manoeuvre. Pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists are easy to “lose” in the space behind a pillar. Make sure you take time to look around the pillar, not just take a quick “snap-shot” look which could allow a cyclist to be hidden from view.

As you are driving in a straight line in approach to a junction, look further ahead, and scan to the left and right on your approach. That way you will see things through the windscreens before they become “lost” behind the pillars.

Remember – good, all round vision is vital. The onus is on you, as the driver, to see what is there.

More information about the DfT study Click here <http://www.dft.gov.uk/rmd/project.asp?intProjectID=11835>

This article has been reproduced with the permission of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists)

Unfortunately, some drivers over-react to emergency service vehicles travelling on “blues and twos” (blue lights and two-tone horns). This is often because they don’t hear or see the emergency vehicle until it’s too close, and then take drastic action to get out of the way.

The IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) says that good driving practice will alert you early to emergency vehicles: regular mirror checks (side and rear) for example, and keeping the windows slightly down around town, so you can hear sirens approaching.

Don’t panic and just brake. It’s natural to want to react. But instinctively putting your brakes on immediately in front of an emergency vehicle doesn’t help: it slows the progress of the emergency vehicle and jeopardises other road users.

Think about where you are on the road. You should deal with the problem in the same way that you deal with any other potentially hazardous driving situation. What is the safest option available to you?

Don’t cross red traffic lights or speed to get out of the way. The emergency driver has training and legal exemptions that you don’t have. Bus lanes and box junctions can be problems too, but let them resolve the problem of breaking the rules – not you.

If you are moving it may well be that you can continue at a reasonable pace and the emergency vehicle can follow you out of a pocket of congestion (such as a blocked one way system). In that scenario, attempting to pull over too soon, or slow down, might just cause a needless obstruction and so hamper the progress of the emergency vehicle.

Indicate your intentions clearly Don’t pull in opposite other obstructions, such as centre bollards. If you are thinking about pulling over across an entrance to a school or factory, you may be unwittingly preventing the emergency vehicle reaching its destination. And do think about where you are asking the emergency driver to overtake you – on the brow of a hill or a blind bend can be placing him or her in a very difficult position.

Get out of the way as soon as you can do so in safety.

This article has been reproduced with the permission of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists)

Remember too that some cyclists, particularly younger ones, have never driven a car, and so don’t recognise the problems that they can cause car drivers. In an accident involving a car and a cyclist, whoever is to blame the cyclist will always be the more vulnerable to a serious injury.

These tips for motorists were prepared by the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) with the National Cycling Strategy Board to avoid adding to the many cyclists killed or seriously injured each year.

- Cyclists don’t have steel armour round them like we do. Passing them at speed within a foot of their elbow may feel perfectly safe from where you are, but it is very disconcerting when you are the cyclist.

- In traffic, make sure that you don’t cut up a cyclist who is about to pass you on the near side. Don’t try to cut across a cyclist when you need to turn left at a junction. Wait behind the cyclist until the cyclist has either turned left or passed the junction.  And before you turn left after sitting at a red light, check your nearside mirror to make sure there isn’t a cyclist moving down the inside.

- Park with care and prevent any passengers from opening a door until you are sure that there is no cyclist coming up on either side. Likewise, check over your shoulder to see there’s no cyclist approaching before opening the driver’s door.  There might be one in your blind spot.

- Cyclists often ride at some distance from the kerb to avoid drains and potholes.   Remember that their ability to signal is limited compared to ours, so try to anticipate what they might do from the position they have taken on the road.

- Advanced stop lines are for cyclists alone and should be respected, so leave the space between the two sets of stop lines empty, whether or not cyclists are occupying it when you arrive. If you see a cycle lane ending, road space is more scarce and that in turn can make a cyclist more vulnerable.

- Remember to use all your mirrors with extra care before changing direction when there are cyclists.  Pay particular attention on roundabouts, where many accidents involving cyclists happen.

This article has been reproduced with the permission of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists)

Many drivers tend to brake too late and too hard. Or arguably less dangerous, but equally annoying, some drivers have the habit of “comfort braking ” – touching the brakes to enable themselves feel better, even if they have no intention of slowing the car to any measurable degree. They do so in the belief that they are being careful drivers.

It is better by far to learn to read the road ahead. Not only do you get early warning of developing hazards, you can respond by adjusting your speed using only your throttle.

Have you ever seen a “cascade” of brake lights ahead of you? An advanced driver will judge the speed and distances involved and, having left a decent gap, be able to follow in safety by letting the speed “fall away” and so avoiding the need to brake.

Think too about your positioning on the road. Can you maximise your forward view by putting the vehicle in a slightly different position on the carriageway? This should not be an abrupt repositioning, but a smooth change in your line to enable you to see ahead that little bit better. Careful adjustment of road position improves the view ahead, particularly through corners.

Applying these techniques will also help save fuel.

This article has been reproduced with the permission of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists)

You can improve fuel consumption and gain the environmental benefits of advanced driving by lifting off the accelerator earlier on your approach to traffic lights etc, and therefore reducing your braking at the end,because you have already lost speed.

Acceleration sense is about how you vary your foot pressure on the accelerator pedal so you don’t have to brake as often or as hard.

Surprisingly to some, one of the pillars of fuel efficient driving is accelerating briskly to a safe cruising speed and then taking the highest gear.

The longer you can avoid braking, the more you are using the momentum you’ve built up. It means thinking a bit further ahead of where you are. Most drivers tend to go straight from accelerator to brake – and that is when fuel consumption suffers.

Plan your arrival at roundabouts so that you decelerate for a longer period in a higher gear.  That way you may not have to stop by allowing other traffic to clear before you get there.

And lastly, think long and hard about that overtake. Not only do you have to be entirely sure you can get past safely (important, to put it mildly) there is also the possibility that you are not gaining much in journey time. Advanced driving is all about thinking ahead, sometimes further than you can see.

This article has been reproduced with the permission of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists)

It raises some interesting issues, too: does three points on your licence because you committed a hand-held mobile phone offence make you more dangerous as a risk than three points for a “routine” speeding offence?

The answer, according to Allianz, is definitely yes.  They describe the hand-held phone offence as a “dangerous and needless act”.

So now those who persist with this dangerous hand-held habit will suffer the triple whammy: a fine, points on their licence, and an increase in the insurance premium when they renew.

It is now more than a year since the tougher penalties for hand-held mobile phone use were introduced.  The Department for Transport (DfT) has said 185,000 drivers were caught using hand held phones in 2007.

But the offence continues: according to Allianz, ten per cent of motorists admitted in a survey to using their mobile without a hands-free kit while they were behind the wheel.

The tougher penalty is now a doubled fine, from £30 to £60, with three penalty points.

There has never been a better time to invest in a Bluetooth hands-free kit, which are widely available at less than £30.  Put bluntly, that’s less than half the cost of the fine if you are caught.

By making sure that your Bluetooth hands-free kit is always in the car and charged you will be able to keep your phone on while driving, without running the risk of committing a hand-held offence.  However, there is an important caveat here.  Even when you have the hands-free habit, use it with care.  Remember, even hands-free conversations are a major distraction, putting you and other road users at risk.

But with a Bluetooth on, you can make a point of telling callers that you are driving, and find somewhere legal, safe and convenient to pull over and continue your conversation.

This article has been reproduced with the permission of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists)

The single most common mistake at a roundabout is only looking to your right as you approach, because that is where you expect traffic to come from. But what about the car ahead of you – can that driver see something that you can’t?

It is better to gather as much information as you can – start to check to your right, straight ahead, to your left, and all your mirrors as you approach the roundabout. By carrying out your observations in this sweeping/scanning motion, you are more likely to pick up if the car in front decides not to go for some reason.

The classic rear end shunt, caused by the driver ahead not going when you think he’s going, can thus be avoided. Help yourself further by keeping a good gap between you and the vehicle waiting to get on, so if he changes his mind half way you have room to stop without compromising yourself.

Drivers often approach the roundabout with the plan to continue unless they have to stop because of other traffic. The problem here is that you may notice another car just as you get close to the roundabout, but you are more likely to speed up, opting to “take a chance” because it is difficult to change your mind at the last moment.

A slightly different, but very much more effective mental outlook is to approach the roundabout thinking “plan to stop but look to go”.

As you scan, remember you are looking for gaps, as well as vehicles.

And once you are on the roundabout, remember not everybody will position themselves correctly to get off: you could find somebody sweeping cross you to get to their exit. Remember that the lorry or bus needs lots of room, and try not to be actually alongside it.

On a mini roundabout, if you are approach at the same time as an oncoming vehicle, clearly indicate you intention and then do a visual check – try to catch the driver’s eye and send a message to avoid the ambiguous situation when nobody is quite sure who should go first.

This article has been reproduced with the permission of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists)

This may be because we all suffer from “signage overload”: there are so many instructions, official and unofficial, and so many direction signs and road signs competing for our attention that we already have our head full of information coming at us at eye level. That makes it easier to miss the ones painted on the tarmac beneath us.

Road users often seem totally unaware of the relevance of road markings, even when they see them.

But as a rule of thumb, the more paint there is on the road surface, the more potential danger there is. Nobody has chosen to go to the time and expense (not to mention the considerable risk) of putting paint on the road without a reason.

Sadly even experienced motorists seem to be ignorant of the markings. I was recently told that a double white line down the middle of the carriageway was there to “stop us turning right across it.”

This is worrying, because those particular markings are there for quite a different purpose: to prevent vehicles crossing onto the other carriageway at that point.

Some cross-hatchings are no-go areas (those that have a surrounding solid white line). You should not use these areas unless it is a serious emergency or you are directed there by a police officer.

As well as the official marking on the road surface, there are the unofficial ones which can also serve to remind the observant driver of potential danger. The classic these days is the long, snaking skid mark. That means some unfortunate has had a crash, or a near miss, or certainly taken drastic action for some reason.

When you see these, ask you self what might have happened, and see if there is anything you can do to prevent getting into the same situation.

This article has been reproduced with the permission of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists)

Some purchasers of private number plates continue to break the law, but the rules have been put in place for justifiable reasons. Therefore, anyone thinking of buying a plate, perhaps to display their name or the football team they support, should be familiar with today’s regulations.

The Most Common Law Breakers
It’s fairly commonplace to spy an italicised font, or a Betty Boop logo on a vehicle registration. In fact, many members of the public may not even be aware that these are illegal. However, it is now more important than ever to have clearly visible plates. It is crucial that witnesses of accidents and crime are able to identify a registration. Those who alter the standard font and spacing of characters may potentially be causing problems that could have been avoided.

The following alterations to number plates are not permitted by law:

• Fancy or decorative typefaces, such as italic fonts
• Altering of characters. For example, placing a bolt in the middle of the number 11 to give the illusion of the letter H. This prevents the human eye, as well as roadside cameras, from recognising the true character
• Sporting emblems and religious symbols
• Honeycomb or any other background designs

Stay Legal
A cherished number plate is a great way of making a vehicle unique and personal to the buyer. Purchasing one can be a very effective, but it really is sensible to stay on the right side of the law.

Listed below are rules that should not be broken:

• Only the ‘Charles Wright 2001′ font, a simple, clear typeface, is allowed
• Excepting the letter I and the number 1, characters must be 79mm high and 50mm wide. The width of each character stroke must be 14mm and one must be able to measure 11mm between each character in the same grouping. Additionally, character groups must also be 33mm apart
• Front plates must have a white background with black characters, while rear plates are also required to have the black characters, but on a yellow background.

However, there are certain alterations that are optional:

• A coloured, non-reflective border
• A 3D effect on the typeface
• Older/vintage cars (those manufactured prior to 1973) can display the old-style, black plates. They have the option of having white, silver or grey characters, as well as a choice of either a plastic plate or a traditional metal one
• Number plates may display one of the following national emblems on a blue panel: British Union Flag with “GB” legend, English Flag (St. George’s Cross) with “ENG”, Scottish (St. Andrew) with “SCO”, Welsh (green dragon on green/white field) with “Wales” or “Cymru”, or Euro Flag (circle of stars) with “GB”.

Apart from the Euro Flag option, national emblems are not officially recognised in the regulations. However, the government has said that they are permitted. It is expected that the law will soon be revised to reflect the current de facto acceptance of these flags. The expected amendment of the regulations will not allow other graphics or emblems.

The Registration Itself
When choosing a number plate, one important rule must be remembered:

A registration that would result in one’s vehicle appearing newer than it actually is, is not permitted

Therefore, if Jenny wanted to purchase the prefix plate J34 NNY, she would need to be aware that it could not be placed onto a vehicle that was manufactured before August 1991. Fortunately, the majority of drivers are purchasing newer cars, so this isn’t a huge problem, as it is not breaking the law to put an older plate on to a newer vehicle.

Additionally, dateless plates are also available and this means that the problem is completely avoided.

Cherished number plates are the most effective way of making a vehicle unique, as every single one is different. However, don’t be the one to get caught out – stick to the rules.

Private Number Plates

But a recent survey by the Department for Transport (DfT) said that motorists who ignore that innocent yawn are putting themselves and other road users at risk if they press on regardless.

As many as one in five of all crashes on major roads are caused by tired drivers.  And it may be even more – because those drivers that survive a crash (or a near miss) are unlikely to admit that they were too tired to drive when it happened.

The DfT said that we all want to finish our journeys as quickly as possible but being tired at the wheel is a “proven killer” that we cannot ignore.   Those who drive for work are particularly at risk.

The IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) said that although falling asleep straight away while you’re driving is very rare, it is surprising how many people ignore the signs of fatigue beforehand.  The IAM advises:

• Don’t start a long trip if you’re already tired.  Remember that a working day away from the office will involve extra travelling time that could leave you exhausted by the time you are heading for home.

• Plan your journey to include at least a 15 minute break every two hours, even if you feel you don’t need it.  You will be refreshed.  Use the break away from the car to catch up with phone messages.

• If you feel drowsy, don’t press on regardless.  Find a safe place to stop (but not the hard shoulder). If you have a nap, take the keys out the ignition and lock the car doors.

• As an emergency measure drink two cups of coffee or a high-caffeine drink and have a rest for 10-15 minutes to allow time for the caffeine to kick in.

Lastly, don’t rely on what some drivers admitted to as their solution – slapping themselves in the face!  Other non-solutions reported to the IAM include turning up the radio, singing, shaking the head vigorously and opening all the windows.

This article has been reproduced with the permission of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists)

If you have, then have a think about how you actually go about assessing the severity of bends. If you get it wrong, the consequences are potentially very serious, particularly on rural roads, which still dominate crash statistics.

And it is not just young, inexperienced drivers who get “caught out” by bends. It is here that, in the jargon, most “single vehicle accidents”take place.

There are a number of clues we can take from the environment to help us. The most obvious are the road signs and markings. There are other less obvious ones: the line of the trees, hedges, buildings, street lights or telegraph poles (although remember that sometimes telegraph poles run through fields, so don’t follow them!).

The actual width of the road can be a factor: the narrower it is, the less space you have to manoeuvre. Skid marks on the road are an indication of past mistakes. The position and speed of other traffic can also provide you with valuable information. Another particularly useful way of assessing a bend is to use the “limit point analysis”.

The limit point is the furthest point which you can see, i.e. where the left and right hand sides of the road meet. To use this technique first make sure that you can stop before you get to it, then simply ask yourself: is it getting further away? If it is and you can see further ahead, then your speed should be fine. On the other hand if it is getting closer, then you could continue to reduce speed until the limit point begins to move with you and your view opens up again.

This technique takes a bit of practice but it will help you to link your speed with your range of vision and allow you to stop in the distance seen to be clear. And in roads where you can’t see through the bends it gives you a reliable and practical solution to a difficult judgement problem.

This article has been reproduced with the permission of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists)

We can’t do much about the Budget – but hard-pressed motorists can use this as a spur to adopt “eco-driving” techniques, promoted by the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists).  Driving experts say that just a few small changes to driving habits could reduce our fuel consumption by 8.5 per cent, and shave £120 off the annual fuel costs.

Ask yourself: “Do I really need to drive?” It’s the shortest journeys – less than two miles – which cause the most pollution and are inefficient in terms of fuel consumption. A straining cold engine will produce 60 per cent more pollution than a warm one. Yet it’s these shorter journeys that are ideal for walking or cycling.

Plan your route. A bit of forethought can save much wear and tear – for the car, and the driver. Try to take the most direct route and go off-peak if possible. Sitting in congestion means you are often doing zero miles per gallon. If you have to commute by car, think about car sharing, Park and Ride schemes or public transport.

Check your tyres. Correct tyre pressures will keep wear down and fuel economy up. Under-inflated tyres need replacing more often (itself an environmental problem) as well as being dangerous. Anybody who has cycled on under-inflated tyres will appreciate how much extra effort is involved!  Make a point of checking them at least once a week.

Obey the speed limits. Try to “feather” the throttle as you reach your cruising speed. Doing 56mph uses 25 per cent less fuel than 70mph and a smoother driving style can bring significant fuel saving. But never coast to save fuel; vehicle control must not be compromised.

Reduce the drag factor by removing roof racks and carriers when not in use. Driving with the window open also increases drag and lowers fuel economy. Remove unnecessary boot luggage, avoid heavy accessories and wide tyres that add rolling resistance. Air conditioning lowers fuel economy so use the vent settings as much as possible instead.

Use “accelerator” sense.  Do you go straight from the accelerator to the brake? You would save fuel if you planned ahead, and rather than have to brake as you hit traffic, gently let the speed of the vehicle bring you to a halt as you join a queue. There is no point in rushing and then having to brake to come to a sudden halt.

This article has been reproduced with the permission of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists)

Apparently, using “nanotechnology”, Italian car designers have come up with a self-clearing windscreen. It uses a special oxide to repel water and miniature nozzles which blast out water and air to get rid of dust and dirt. The windscreen uses super-thin layers of nanoparticles on top of the windscreen. Each layer is a couple of atoms thick, meaning they can work simultaneously on water and dust.

And it does appear an attractive idea – after all, even the best windscreen wipers don’t reach the whole screen, which means that drivers have to put up with a permanent “film” that restricts vision at the extremes.

Winscreen wipers also get frozen to the glass overnight in winter – a major cause of call outs for the emergency services, when fuses blow as a result of drivers starting the car without first freeing up the wipers.

Whether the new wiper-free technology could cope with UK road salt and grime has yet to be seen.

It’s certainly been a while since windscreen wipers were on the drawing board: in 1969, the first intermittent wipers were introduced. A year later, Swedish car manufacturer Saab introduced headlight wipers.

So what do we need to do to look after the existing technology until the world changes?

The IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) recommends that as spring starts to make the morning routine easier, have a look at the condition of the wiper blades. Quite often, polish from the car body finds its way onto the windscreen blades, producing a smear or a less than clean sweep – or pimples of tree resin that leave a line. It’s tempting to replace the whole wiper when this happens – but actually, a thorough wipeover with a bit of kitchen roll can extend the life of the blades considerably, take away those lines, and stop the smearing effect that destroys vision so effectively.

When the rubber blades finally do give up the ghost, consider just replacing the rubbers themselves – there may not be a need to replace the entire wiper blade, depending on your car.

This article has been reproduced with the permission of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists)

A less well known effect of the variability is something called run-out – a measure of how straight the tyre will run if fitted to a wheel and allowed to roll along a flat level surface. Some will run straight and true, others will veer to the left or right in varying degrees. You will see an indication of this on most new tyres – have you ever noticed coloured lines running around the tread on your new tyre? Some of these are to give the tyre distributors easy to read information about where the tyre should be shipped to, but one of them will be a run-out indicator – usually red or blue, and the extreme left or right hand line. The nearer to the centre it is, the straighter the tyre will run,
and which side of the centre it is denotes the direction of the run-out.

A steering problem can arise if both tyres on the front axle happen to run out significantly in the same direction. Ideally, when you’re next buying new tyres you should select two with run-out of about the same amount, but in opposite directions – in other words, with the coloured lines both to the inside of the centre of the tyre, or both to the outside. That way the two will cancel each other out and you’ll get straight steering.

Regardless of the tyre combination, a regular weekly check of the tyre pressure – when they are cold – is the best way to avoid premature wear. You will feel the improvement in the fuel consumption as well. And a quick check for condition (no cuts, bulges, or screws sticking out of the rubber!) at the same time is good practice, too.

This article has been reproduced with the permission of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists)