John Barton pleaded not guilty to the offence when appearing at Rotherham Magistrates Court earlier this month but was fined £200 with £400 costs by the court. He will now have to wait for his van insurance renewal before he finds out whether the incident will affect his commercial vehicle insurance premium. Traffic police officers said they observed the van driven by Mr Barton weaving between lanes on the day in question, and they considered him to be a danger to other traffic. One officer said he observed Mr Barton driving with his elbows on the steering wheel while he ate a cheesecake with his hands. Mr Barton completely denied eating a cheesecake but did admit to eating a bite sized marshmallow. He also admitted the van was weaving between lanes but said that was down to the weather conditions and said the nearby Tinsley Viaduct had actually been closed that day due to high winds.

He went on to say: “I was weaving but not because of me having my hands off the steering wheel, I just wouldn’t do that. The police officer who stopped me said he actually saw me eating, but he didn’t. He also said I sniggered. I didn’t, it was the guy sat next to me. I feel it was all an injustice. I was eating but not a cheesecake, it was a little marshmallow which I took from the dashboard in just a few seconds. My argument is that people with cigarettes hold them with one hand on the steering wheel and all I did was take a chocolate teacake or whatever off the dashboard.”

A spokesman for South Yorkshire Police said: “This is the same sort of case as a mobile phone. When you’re behind the wheel it’s potentially a lethal weapon. You have to be in proper control or you risk injuries to others and yourself.”

The Automotive Council has published a report recognising the increasing role of intelligent transport systems used by fleets, such as real-time vehicle tracking and they also predict that these will need to interact with both new and emerging technologies. Nearly 84% of goods bought online are delivered using the UK’s road network by vans which are protected by commercial vehicle insurance and it is vital that the transport networks do not become clogged or gridlocked. Effective transport infrastructure, which enables drivers to move freely around the country, says the report, is a necessary ingredient of a successful economy.

Transport secretary Justine Greening said “We’re making great headway on the environmental impact of road transport. Improvements in fuel efficiency and the development of hybrid electric vehicles mean that, despite an increase in traffic, CO2 emissions are set to fall significantly over the next 25 years. But perhaps our biggest challenge, given its economic, environmental and social cost, is making sure we tackle congestion. That means we all need to focus on solutions – be they managing demand, enabling travellers to make more informed decisions about their journeys and making the best use of existing networks and capacity.”

Currently, the DfT is investing more than £1 billion to tackle areas of congestion and improve the national road network. This is on top of the £2.3bn planned investment in major roads that was recently announced in the ministry’s spending review. The Government is also collaborating with Innovits and MIRA at a research and development centre located in Nuneaton. The team of researchers hope to develop, test and refine future transport technologies. The report emphasises that increasing road capacity while tackling congestion requires everyone to use a more intelligent approach in managing the road network and the vehicles that ply their trade on it.

Hewer acquired the latest Berlingo vans on a mix of outright purchase and three-year, 60,000 mile contract hire with maintenance agreements. In addition to the excellent standard equipment which includes air conditioning, reverse parking sensors and Bluetooth, the vans have been fitted with a full steel bulkhead, non-slip composite flooring and roof bars. Hewer also asked for specifically designed racking to meet the strenuous requirements of their engineers.

Hewer are involved in heating and electrical projects for businesses, local authorities and health services, and also have a large number of domestic customers within a hundred mile radius of their base. The company are also continuing to grow its Failsafe domestic heating care plan, which has gained over 1,000 new customers since it was launched. The standard fit Trafficmaster Smartnav satellite navigation system and Trackstar stolen vehicle tracking means mean that Hewer are able to achieve substantial cost savings and lower van insurance premiums.

Robert Willmott Hewer’s Contract Manager, said: ‘We have had a long and successful operating experience with Berlingo vans, which now form the majority of our 65-strong fleet. As an environmentally conscious company, every fleet renewal time we carry out a comprehensive review to see whether there is a van that can beat the Berlingo. To date we have continued to acquire Berlingos because of their unbeatable combination of environmental, operational, financial and driver benefits. These latest Euro 5 Berlingos are nearly 10% more fuel efficient than the Euro 4 versions they replace and their CO2 emissions are 13g/km lower.”

The show is in its second year now and has attracted all the top vehicle manufacturers who have an interest in the low carbon future of vehicles in the UK. The event has brought in good crowds all week, including dozens of fleet managers from all over Britain looking at the latest offerings that are particularly suitable for the commercial vehicle trade. And they have not been disappointed. The new breed of vehicles are well suited to urban driving especially in London where free parking, tax breaks and of course immunity from the London Emission Zone charges are all important extras on top of the savings on fuel.

Visitors looking to purchase commercial vehicle insurance on the type of vehicles exhibiting at the show have an excellent opportunity to make comparisons as several models are available to test drive. Interested parties must book a slot the day before they attend and bring both parts of their driving license on the day. They will certainly be spoilt for choice with Nissan, Chevrolet, Honda, Peugeot, Citroen, Vauxhall and Mia all providing vehicles for the 3.5 mile test circuit.

Visitors will also get a chance to see what the technicians have been up to in the luxury market using the new technologies available and a number of eco supercars will be on show including the Tesla Roadster and Fisher Karma from the USA and the Delta E4 Coupe and Lightening GT representing the best of British.

The show is taking place at the EXCEL centre near Canary Wharf and tickets can be purchased either online or at the venue.

Figures show almost 60% of motorists who protest against a parking fine in the Province are successful and now questions are being asked in the Northern Ireland Assembly as to why traffic wardens appear to be handing out so many disputable parking tickets. Van drivers, business owners and local people heading into town to go shopping are all suffering at the hands of the zealous wardens but there are fears that the ticketing policy is driving the Province into an economic downturn. The proliferation of tickets and subsequent appeals has certainly led to arguments in Stormont with one Minister saying the policy was driving business away from the town and city centres. While another said that the successful appeals prove the system works and that anyone who has been falsely ticketed is not losing out financially.

The bare facts show that in the last 12 months parking wardens handed out just over 32,000 tickets for offences such as parking on yellow lines, parking in disabled spaces and over staying the allotted time where there is on street parking. Approximately 4000 motorists appealed against the fines with well over 2000 being successful. It appears that traffic wardens have been too quick to ticket people over staying their welcome at on-street parking venues.

Glyn Roberts from the Northern Ireland Retail Trade Association says it is time that Ministers met with local business men to iron out the problems. He explained: “The overall system does need to be looked at. At the moment there are different regimes in different towns. For the last six months we have been hearing from traders in many towns that traffic wardens seem to be on a ‘get tough’ policy.”

He then went on to add: “In particular, they do not seem to be adhering to the 10-minute grace period, the time normally allowed after a ticket has run out, and I would say that is the basis on which a lot of these appeals are being allowed.”

One of the town’s longest serving traders, Gordon Wren, who has been selling wool and knitting supplies on the market for forty-five years as well as at three shops in the area has been suspended after heated arguments with the market manager over the new rules. Gordon was angry because he has always parked his van, which he protects with van insurance, on the same part of the market. He is also angry that by using a car park, stall holders will be taking spaces that the shoppers need.

Neighbouring trader, Mr Healey said: “We are gutted about this. We have always had our vans parked at the back of our stalls and then out of the blue we’re told to get them off the market. We’ve had to park up on the street, that’s no use to us. It’s always been like this down here, we’ve always been able to park up where we are. The council should be working with the traders not working against us.”

The Council claim their stance is purely aimed at creating a level playing field after they listened to the concerns of other traders raised at the Markets Forum. The council want to make sure they fairly and consistently apply the rules because other stall holders felt that having vans parked around the stalls was not attractive and they make the market look cluttered, untidy and they also take up space. A small number of traders are still holding out against the ban and continue to bring their vans to their pitches; however, they have been advised by letter that the rule will be enforced.

With the first round of results completed, VW have already started working on their ‘leasing improvement plans’ after reviewing the results and agreeing specific areas of enhancement that were identified in the results of the survey. All of Volkswagen’s Fleet specialist retailers will soon be using electronic delivery technology making the life of a fleet manager much easier and more effective than ever. Research will continue throughout 2012 to keep the results up to date and relevant to customers’ evolving expectations. VW want to sharpen their focus on what matters most to their customers and want to ensure they are fulfilling not just their own requirement but also the requirements of every fleet driver behind the wheel of a Volkswagen. The company realise that picking the right van to protect with commercial van insurance is a big decision for any fleet manager and they want to get across to fleet industry decision makers that VW should be their preferred choice.

Iker Lazzari, Volkswagen Fleet’s National Contract Hire and Leasing Manager, explained: “Part of the reason for commissioning the survey was a realisation that we didn’t know exactly what our partners in the contract hire and leasing sectors thought of the services we provided, and so it was going to be difficult to enhance our service offering. We recognise that our leasing partners are our customers, and if we want to be the best in the industry, we need to know how we are doing and where we can improve.”

The AA, who published the report, are now urging the Government to take firm action on the crisis which is affecting cost of motor insurance, and say reform is now long overdue. In the last two years quotes for commercial vehicle insurance have gone up by 50% and the AA put the increase down to the amount of personal injury claims emanating from road traffic accidents. A recent meeting between insurers, Government ministers and road safety experts committed resources to weeding out dubious and fraudulent claims but nothing has transpired just yet.

Simon Douglas, speaking on behalf of the AA, said “We need a tight time scale applied to reform of civil litigation which at present, encourages people to make a claim regardless of how serious their injury is or even if they have not suffered injury at all. Importantly, we need reforms that clamp down on cold-call claims management and personal injury firms who have contributed to the growth of claims. The present dysfunctional system has also spawned the fraudulent multi-million-pound ‘cash for crash’ industry.”

There is no doubt that members of the legal profession, professional accident management companies and even insurance companies have realised the cash potential in personal injury claims but the AA say it is now time to put an end to the claim culture. They are calling for a medical panel to replace examinations by GPs and raising the limit from £1000 to £5,000 for personal injury claims. They also call for tougher action to be taken against people caught making fraudulent claims. The fact is that the rising cost of motor insurance is coming at a time when road traffic accident rates have been cut dramatically which in itself indicates that something is wrong with the system.

The Manchester Volkswagen Van Centre has traditionally dealt with customers who typically cover their vehicles with commercial van insurance but in a move that appears to be bucking the national trend, the centre is expanding to accommodate the growing trade in lifestyle vehicles such as motorhomes and especially camper vans. The centre based in Trafford Park will see workmen move in this weekend and spend the next three months creating new showrooms on two separate levels.

Owner Jim Hobson said: “The investment demonstrates our commitment to providing businesses, van drivers and lifestyle customers in Manchester with the highest standard Volkswagen facility, and our commitment to the city of Manchester is epitomised by the fact that all facets of the work will be contracted to local companies. The new showroom has a contemporary design and is in line with Volkswagen’s corporate identity.”

Visitors to the new showrooms will see a comprehensive selection of Volkswagen products including the Caddy, Combi, Transporter, Transporter Shuttle and the ever popular Crafter. Those looking for the more exotic offerings from Volkswagen will get the chance to test drive the all new Volkswagen California campervan, the Caravelle people carrier or even the tough, rugged Amorak, designed for doing the really hard work. The new showrooms will be open six days a week with staff moving up to a mezzanine floor to allow more space to show off the exciting Volkswagen range.

More than fifty converters have been stolen across the county since the start of the year and all but three were from vans, with more than half involving Mercedes Sprinter vans. These figures have prompted police to organise a free etching event at the Red Star Garage on the Woodhall Business Park. The “protect your van day” will run from 9am to 4pm and officers will be on hand to offer crime reduction advice. Alongside the marking sessions, registered scrap metal dealers will be informed of the marks and invited to alert police if any stolen catalytic converters are offered to them.

Police are advising drivers to park commercial vans in such a way as to make access to the catalytic converter difficult, or parallel with another vehicle if possible. The converter itself can be easily secured with a clamp and an anti-tamper alarm which is available from a number of local garages or via the Internet. A number of fleet managers are also deciding to keep all commercial vehicles in a locked compound with an alarm, strong lighting and CCTV cameras, rather than having the driver take the van home for the night. This also reduces the chances of the company having to make a claim on their commercial vehicle insurance policy.

Crime reduction officer Verity Lines said: “The idea of the day is to raise awareness of catalytic converter thefts and it will also offer the opportunity for businesses and members of the public to come along to get advice and see what anti-theft devices are available. We’re really grateful to the garages involved for helping out with this. We understand that having the kits in garages means it’s easier for more people to access the service.”