‘Statistics’ Archive

New research released this week shows that motorists are ill-prepared for a puncture, with 1.3 million (4%) of drivers admitting they don’t even know whether they have a spare wheel or not.

The study, carried out in the UK for Kwik Fit, found that a million (3%) motorists confess to not having any provision whatsoever for a flat tyre. With an estimated 8.8 million (26%) drivers suffering a puncture each year, this could lead to a quarter of a million cars being stranded at the roadside in the next 12 months.

And it’s not just the rubber that’s missing in some cars – 10% (2.9 million) of drivers who do carry a spare say they don’t have the necessary tools in their car to change it over should a tyre blow, while 36% (11.6 million) have the tools but admit they don’t know how to use them when it comes to swapping over a wheel and 6% (1.8 million) are short on both fronts and have neither the equipment nor knowledge to get a new wheel on.

There also seems to be confusion as a result of car manufacturers no longer offering full size spares as standard on some vehicles. One in ten motorists (3.3 million) who have a spare don’t know whether it’s a full-size spare or a low-speed space-saver, which could prove hazardous if a blowout happens on a long motorway journey.

Some manufacturers offer neither a full size spare or a space saver, instead providing drivers with a puncture repair kit. Over 4 million drivers (11%) have a puncture repair kit but the vast majority of them (3 million) don’t rely on the kit alone and also carry a spare, ensuring they are prepared for a double puncture.

Roger Griggs, communications director at Kwik Fit, said: “The recent trend amongst car manufacturers to offer space-saver spares or puncture repair kits instead of full-size spare tyres could be the cause of this confusion amongst motorists. It’s is worrying how many drivers don’t know what provision they have for a puncture, but it’s even more of a concern to see how many have absolutely nothing in their car to deal with a deflated tyre.”

“For those who have recently bought a second hand car it’s also important that they assess the condition of the spare – there could be damage that isn’t obvious at a glance, and if it hasn’t been checked in a while it’s likely to be underinflated.”

“There are clearly gaps in knowledge around how to change a tyre, and indeed many cars are missing tools, which means even if a spare is carried some motorists will struggle to swap it over.”

Source – Fleet News, 30.04.12

The prices of petrol and diesel have surged upwards at the pumps again in the last month, according to the latest survey of retail prices from AA Ireland. A litre of petrol now costs 154.9 cent, up by a full 7 cent per litre since December. Diesel prices also rose sharply, up by 6.2 cent to an average of 153.1 cent in the last month.

That increase alone adds €10 per month to the cost of running a modest family car. The AA calculates that a car doing 12,000 miles per year at a fuel economy rate of 30 miles per gallon uses 150 litres of fuel per month. 7 cents per litre equates to just over €10 for petrol users and 6.2 cent per litre equates to €9.30 for diesel users.

“The bad news keeps coming and this is one of the biggest monthly rises in price that we have ever seen.” Says Director of Policy Conor Faughnan. “These increases include the rise in VAT which came into force on 1st January, and indeed that is a key part of the story. Rising international prices are made much worse here in Ireland by this government’s decision to do exactly what the last government did – up the taxes.”
The VAT increase added approximately 2.4 cent per litre to the cost of both fuels. The rest of the increase is down to an increase in European prices.

“This is causing huge frustration right across Europe.” Says Faughnan. “It is down to a combination of a falling Euro and rises in the price of gasoline and diesel coming out of refineries. Unfortunately there is no sign of prices easing, and after a dreadful year in 2011 it appears that 2012 is starting off even worse.”
Rising fuel prices are now a serious threat to businesses and major drain on the disposable income of almost every family in the country.

“For the price to go up by €10 per car in just one month is a massive blow.” Says Faughnan. “But we should all remember that for the most part this has not happened because of international prices or because of the global financial situation. It has happened because our own government is doing it to us. Like its predecessor, the current government has made a serious mistake in thinking that it can raise revenue by continually raising prices. People simply do not have the money to spare. Force them to spend it on fuel and they cannot spend it elsewhere in the economy.”

“The cost of fuel has now reached crisis level. Even this early in the year, the government should look again at its budgeting and drop those super-taxes. As it stands nobody wins”.

While many motorists feel trapped by high prices the AA points out that you can fight back. By applying the fuel saving tips on the AA’s website you can reduce your fuel consumption significantly – enough to give yourself back that lost €10 and more.

Note: The AA’s Fuel Saving Tips.
• Buy fuel in units of litres, not euros. This makes it obvious where you get the best value
• Shop around: don’t always use the same garage out of habit
• Drive smoothly and slowly; a harsh driving style burns more fuel
• At this time of year the heaters are in constant use. This is hard to avoid but try to take it easy: Air conditioners can add up to 10% to fuel usage.
• Service the car if it needs it – it will certainly save you fuel. AA Members can have their car serviced on their own doorstep (or anywhere else) by its mobile Service Team.
• A simple tip: check that the tyres are properly inflated. Soft tyres add significantly to fuel consumption.

Full details of the AA fuel price survey for May along with previous months for comparison are available on the Association’s website at http://www.aaireland.ie/AA/Motoring-advice/Petrol-Prices.aspx.

16/01/2012, The AA

Businesses are in danger of resting on their laurels when it comes to grey fleets (employee-owned private vehicles used for business travel), according to new research from Thrifty Car and Van Rental in the UK. A recent poll of 3,000 drivers by the company revealed that employers are missing basic duty of care responsibilities when it comes to employees using their own vehicles and overlooking the benefits of using rental vehicles as an alternative.

The survey shows well over a third of grey fleet drivers (43%) have never been asked by their employer to demonstrate their vehicle is fit to drive, whether it is insured or even if they have a driving licence. It also seems drivers are increasingly relying on their own vehicles to do business, with 76% admitting to travelling up to 1,600km each month in their own vehicle for business purposes. Almost half (49%) also admit this figure has increased by as much as 500km a month in the last two years.

Furthermore, only one in ten employees surveyed now has access to a company car. This means businesses may be missing a trick when it comes to seeing the benefits of using rental vehicles, according to Linda Malliff, director of central services at Thrifty Car and Van Rental.

She said: “Despite the turbulent economic climate, people are driving more than ever for business. While the majority are doing so in their own vehicles, companies shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that renting can provide an equally viable and often more manageable and cost effective alternative for their employees. “Regardless of whether drivers use their own car or a rental vehicle to seek out new business opportunities, it is ultimately crucial that employers take duty of care responsibilities seriously and monitor the effectiveness of their fleets accordingly.”

The survey also reveals some interesting differences between the motivations of men and women when it comes to their increased business mileage. 41% of women admit that being away from the stress of the office is the main motivating factor, while men, it seems, feel the need to be more sociable, with 46% highlighting they need to get out of the office and meet people.

Source: Fleet News, Nov 2011

Munching, chatting on the phone, texting and smoking are the top four distractions Irish motorists confess to while behind the wheel. The findings are part of a new SKODA Ireland Motoring Index released to mark the launch of its new 4×4 range which will extend four wheel drive capability to the masses by introducing it to SKODA saloon and estate models as well as the Yeti SUV model.

The study also revealed that two in five Irish motorists believe they are better drivers than their partner. Men boast the clear majority in driving confidence with 49 percent stating they have superior driving skills to their partner compared to just 16 percent of women.

Male drivers were more likely to have broken the speed limit and 9 percent of participants – all male – admitted to driving at speeds above 200km/h.

One in ten admitted to damaging another person’s vehicle while parking. While more than half waited to confess to the other driver, almost 1 in 5 offenders drove off without telling anybody.

One in five motorists can’t change a spare wheel. One in four female participants said they’d never checked the oil in their car. In winter driving, 72 percent of those surveyed use the in-car heater to de-frost on cold mornings, 42 percent used a de-icer kit while a risky 26 percent poured boiling water over the windscreen (DON’T DO THIS!).

It seems boy racers irritated most people, followed by Sunday drivers and cyclists.

Irish Car & Travel, 01.11.11

60% of Motorists would change their route to avoid new tolls
The AA, 12/08/2011

Additional tolls on Dublin’s M50 and on other routes around the country would cause extensive traffic congestion on alternative routes, according to the AA.

An AA survey of over 13,000 Irish motorists shows that 60.9% of drivers would change their route to avoid a new toll if one were applied. The results show that proposals for new tolls on the M50 would do much more harm than good because they would cause additional traffic to avoid the motorway and re-congest suburbs like Sandyford, Dundrum and Blanchardstown instead.

“To apply a toll on the entire length of the M50 would be an act of traffic planning madness.” Says Director of Policy Conor Faughnan. “Tolls cause traffic to divert. This is a simple fact of life that neither the government nor the NRA can ignore. To apply a toll to the M50, which was built as a by-pass in order to relieve the congested suburbs, would have the effect of immediately channelling traffic back onto those unsuitable suburban roads.”

The AA has never been in favour of tolls on Irish roads because of the diversion effect. This has been borne out by the experience of places like Fermoy, Drogheda and Kinnegad where large volumes of traffic still drive through the towns despite the existence of multi-million euro by-passes. This congestion is a significant cost to local businesses and communities.

The NRA is currently engaged in a study to assess the feasibility of charging tolls on the entire length of the M50 rather than just the Westlink Bridge. The AA is calling on Transport Minister Leo Varadkar to call a halt to this immediately.

“It goes against all common sense to put a toll on a by-pass.” Says Faughnan. “You don’t find it anywhere else in the world. For Dublin, new M50 tolls would mean a return to the bad old days of major congestion in the suburbs. Residents and businesses, who well remember what it was like before the M50 was completed, are contacting the AA expressing their dismay at the idea.”

Despite its apparent attractiveness as a revenue-raising measure, tolls are not in fact as lucrative as they seem. The M50 toll raises €80 million per year but it also costs over €20 million to run the enormously complicated collection system – money that the AA sees as pure waste.

“Compared to the €2.5 billion that we pay in fuel taxes it is relatively small money.” Says Faughnan. “In fact just a couple of cents of excise duty on petrol and diesel raises more money than every toll in the country combined. Considering the collateral damage that they cause, tolls just aren’t worth it.”

70% of drivers rate themselves as ‘above average’
AA, 04/07/2011

Some Irish motorists it would seem have their rose tinted glasses firmly on when it comes to how they perceive their own driving skills according to figures issued by AA Motor Insurance. 69% of the 15,000 motorists surveyed said they would rate their own driving as above average. Inversely only 0.8% described their driving as below par.

“While there are many excellent drivers out there, the findings of our survey do suggest that most of us are more than a little biased when it comes to our own driving.” Says Conor Faughnan, AA Director of Policy. “None of us are perfect and most of us have unwittingly picked up bad and sometimes even dangerous habits that we are not aware of.”

Of note, the AA Motor Insurance poll also reveals that young males drivers, aged between 17 and 24 years, are most confident in their driving abilities despite being some of the least experienced drivers on our roads. 86.8% of those surveyed within this age group described themselves as above average drivers. And of these, 44.9% rated themselves as well above average. This is compared to 18.2% of females of the same age.

“It is an old cliché that there are two things that no male will admit that he is bad at. Driving is one of them.” Says Faughnan. “There is a serious message in this. If we tend to over-estimate our own driving abilities then that can lead to excessive risk taking. It is this cavalier attitude to risk that is at the core of Ireland’s road safety problem.”

In stark contrast to the overall results of this latest poll, an earlier Motor Insurance survey carried out last November found that just 20% of motorists believe the standard of driving on Irish roads by private road users to be high. “When it comes to driving, we’re often quite slow to recognize our own faults and quick to criticize others.” Says Faughnan. “The results of these two polls illustrate this point down to a tee.”

The AA also points out that despite how drivers perceive themselves the most important statistic of all – the number of road fatalities – is falling in Ireland. The RSA and the Garda issued data last Friday that shows that road deaths are down by 9% so far this year. While this is very encouraging the same data also shows that we still have a problem with road deaths among 16-24 year olds, precisely the age group most likely to over-estimate their driving ability.

An examination of the results of the AA Motor Insurance poll on a county by county level identifies Laois, Roscommon, Westmeath and Limerick drivers as most likely to consider themselves as first rate drivers.

Fleet News 12/05/11

More than half of grey fleet drivers could be driving uninsured leaving their employers exposed to liability if they were involved in a crash, according to new research.

The study by Trimble MRM discovered that 72% or respondents used their own vehicles for work, but 57% did not realise they needed to carry extra insurance cover beyond the standard social, domestic and pleasure.

But Trimble says employers should be doing more to ensure any vehicle being driven on business is covered by insurance.

Martin Otter, insurance specialist at Trimble, said although fleets are good at establishing good regimes for driving safety for vehicles they procure, it isn’t always the same for grey fleet vehicles.

He said official guidance by the Health and Safety Executive and the Department of Transport requires organisations to ensure employees are suitably qualified and that their vehicle is roadworthy.

But he is concerned that many fleets still appear to be lax in enforcing the rules with the survey showing just 37.2% of grey fleet drivers claiming to carry insurance cover for driving on business.
Otter says grey fleet drivers are easy to identify as they will all be making expenses claims for mileage for business journeys.

Solicitor Vikki Woodfine, a transport and safety specialist at law firm DWF, fleets should have a minimum policy for checking grey fleet drivers and their vehicles.

“Employers with any employees using their own vehicles for business should as a bare minimum be checking the driving licences once a year and asking to see a copy of the insurance policy,” she told Fleet News.

“You can’t pay for an employee’s fuel and abscond from further responsibilities. When things go wrong and lives are lost, it is a corporate manslaughter issue and the police are much more alive to this now. If an employer has not been making basic checks, it is a potential case.”

Woodfine added that it was also good practice to ensure drivers sign up to taking responsibility for vehicle checks and agree to ensure servicing and maintenance is carried out according to schedule, but the insurance issue represented the main risk to a fleet operator.

She also showed little sympathy to the 35.7% of respondents in the Trimble survey that sited cost as a reason for not including business use in their car insurance policy.

“If staff are claiming a mileage allowance for running their own vehicle, it is intended to cover all aspects of running costs,” she said, “Including any higher insurance premium for business use. In some cases business use can be covered by a few pounds more a year.”

She also believes that any significant case brought to court could result in fleets taking a more cautious approach to having a grey fleet and prompt a move back towards managed fleets.

But Woodfine believes there would have to be evidence of a series of lapses in an organisation’s fleet policy for a corporate manslaughter conviction to take place based on an incident involving an at-work driver.

Stats

37% – Respondents in a Trimble poll of grey fleet drivers who insured their vehicle for business use.

57% – Number of grey fleet drivers who said they didn’t know they need insurance cover for business use.

1 in 4 – The number of vehicles driven on business thought to be grey fleet

Author
Simon Harris

Fleet News 04/05/11

A survey by mytyres.co.uk has found that over half of British motorists are in serious danger by letting their tyres drop below the regulation tread depth before changing them.

When asked what would prompt them to change tyres, just 54% stated ‘low tread depth’. Even more surprisingly, only 62% would change their tyres due to bulges and cracks.

“Tyres are without a doubt one of the most important safety component on a vehicle, so it is worrying that such a large number of car drivers could be on the roads with illegal tyres.” said a spokesman for Delticom AG who operate in the UK as mytyres.co.uk. “The UK law requires that car tyres must have a minimum of 1.6mm of tread, but experts also recommend that drivers should consider changing tyres when they fall below 2.5mm in depth. Failure to comply with the law means that a driver could face a £2,500 fine and three penalty points on their licence.”

Among the main survey findings:

Over half of us would leave a change until their tyres reach below the regulation depth
Only two thirds of us would get a tyre change due to significant damage i.e. sidewall bulges and cracks
42% will only change a tyre if the depth falls below legal tread depth
The worse culprits it seems are men and older drivers. 59% of male drivers would leave changing a tyre until it is below regulation depth, as opposed to 49% of women. And 57% of drivers aged over 45 would, as opposed to 49% of drivers under 45. Older drivers are also more likely to leave a tyre with significant damage without changing it – 67% of over 45s admit this, as opposed to 55% under 45.

“What is most shocking is that such large numbers of motorists will admit to not changing their tyres even when there is significant damage,” a spokesman continued. “It is extremely dangerous to drive with faulty or severely worn tyres as this can result in serious and, potentially, fatal accidents. We strongly urge drivers to do all they can to prevent these types of accidents by regularly checking tyre tread depth and general condition, motorists can ensure their tyres are not creating danger on the roads.

“At mytyres, we offer customers a convenient solution to tyre buying through our online tyre store.” said Rainer Binder. “An increasing number of consumers are now choosing to buy tyres this way, due to the advantage of being able to compare prices quickly – therefore saving time – ordering from the comfort of their own homes, access to a wider range of products, and the option of getting the tyres delivered to the customers home or directly to a fitting station to have them professionally fitted.”

Author
Fleet News
01733 468655

New car sale results for May are down nearly 51% on the same month last year with 10,191 vehicles sold. Overall car sales are down 15.5 per cent on last year. The dramatic drop in sales for May is mainly down to the upcoming changes in VRT from 1st July. From the 1st July VRT will be calculated on the CO2 emissions of the vehicle rather than the cubic capacity. This will mean that some eco friendly vehicle will reduce in price where some less eco friendly vehicles will increase.

‘The overall reduction in new car sales is also likely to be impacted by a drop in consumer confidence. It would be our view that sales will pick back up from the 1st July but that this will not make up the overall difference. As some manufacturers have still not released their post July prices some people are likely to hold off till 2009. We would expect that the full year results will finish about 10% down on last year’ David Wilkinson, Sales Director Merrion Fleet