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Posts Tagged ‘Government’

Hydrogen Fuels Could be a Success for the UK

Monday, January 23rd, 2012

Hydrogen powered vehicles are now looking increasingly likely, especially in the commercial vehicle sector. Hydrogen commercial vehicles would slash pollution and emissions by an incredible amount and I personally think this could be by far and away the best alternative fuel yet!

Hydrogen Project

The government has launched a new project which is intended to assess the potential of hydrogen as a fuel source, and if the project emerges to be a success then a finished hydrogen fuel product could be rolled out for 2014 onwards, and we will then quickly see more and more hydrogen powered vans on our streets amongst other hydrogen powered vehicles.

Imagine a hydrogen powered bus, for example. If one in five buses in London alone were powered by hydrogen then emissions would be reduced massively which would be fantastic news for the environment of course.

Analysis and Assessment

The government’s project is also intended to analyse the viability of developing sufficient infrastructure in order to incorporate refuelling points for hydrogen powered vehicles and to assess the economic benefits the country on the whole could gain from using the gas as an alternative fuel. It could, for a start, lower commercial vehicle insurance quotes.

Mark Prisk, Business Minister, has been commenting that the UK could become a key market for low-carbon vehicles, and he was quoted saying: “Hydrogen vehicles are increasingly being recognised as one of the viable options as we move to a lower carbon motoring future. It is vitally important that we identify what is required to make these cars a realistic proposition for UK consumers.” The difficulty it would seem is not in harnessing the fuel, but perhaps in building the correct facilities for it to be distributed nationwide.

Backing for the Project

Meanwhile, the initiative to move to commercial hydrogen vehicles has been backed by a number of gas, infrastructure and utility companies in the UK. The new initiative to launch hydrogen vehicles has been named UKH2Mobility and will also research how jobs can be created by the move into hydrogen fuels. Jerry Hardcastle, Head of Design at Nissan, has been explaining: “Hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicles…could represent a large segment of the UK market in the coming years.” It would indeed be brilliant if thousands of jobs were created by the new plans, especially at a time when unemployment has been on the rise!

Hydrogen fuels, it seems, will not only be a great achievement for the environment, but for the UK economy too!

Tags: Alternative Fuels, commercial vehicle insurance, Government, Hydrogen Fuel
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Hundreds of drink drivers evading bans

Tuesday, November 1st, 2011

As the Government promises to punish law breaking motorists more severely, figures are emerging that make Government annunciations on crackdowns on motoring offences appear slightly ludicrous.

Drug driving laws should be tightened up

Only last week Prime Minister David Cameron assured Parliament that the Transport Ministry would look into ways of catching more drug influenced drivers and to provide Police Officers with similar testing equipment that they use to detect alcohol infringements. The issue was brought up in Parliament by an MP who highlighted the case of a teenager killed by a drugged driver who served only four months in prison.

Driving ban evaded by some who depend on transport for work

It would seem from research carried out by road safety organisations, the lenient sentence mentioned above is far from a one off case. Last year in the UK over 55,000 motorists were convicted of drink driving with a considerable amount of those being working drivers whose vehicles were covered by commercial vehicle insurance. Incredibly 1,500 of the law breakers did not receive a driving ban! Although the concept of the UK public is that a drink driving offence automatically means a loss of licence, this is far from the truth. Magistrates are allowed to use their discretion in sentencing and therefore a driver who is dependent on his licence for a living may just get away without a ban, the fact he has business van insurance rather than direct van insurance could be the deciding factor. The same applies to people who serve the public; doctors have been known to get away without a ban because it would adversely affect their patients.

Calls for a mandatory ban

The investigation showed there was a distinct difference in various regions of the country. Drink drivers in the South East, especially those in London, have the best chance of evading a ban, while motorists in the Midlands and the North West find that magistrates are not so understanding. The findings of the report has led to road safety charities lobbying MPs to force through a change in the law that ensures the offence of drink driving, the biggest reason for road deaths in the UK, in future meets with a mandatory driving ban. The pressure groups should get plenty of support in Parliament as well as from the general public whose perception of drink driving is one of total abhorrence.

Tags: commercial vehicle insurance, Crime, direct van insurance, drink drivers, Government, Law
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Government campaign ignored by drivers in a hurry

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011

The results of a survey by a company in the health and nutrition business has provided staggering results, and proves that Government initiatives to encourage van drivers and other motorists to take breaks on long journeys is simply being ignored.

Sleepy driver’s commonplace

The companies involved in the survey, BRAKE the road safety campaign group and the Cambridge Diet Company, interviewed one thousand drivers including occasional motorists all the way through to tradesman with commercial vehicle insurance who relied on their driving skills to make a living. Unbelievably almost 1 in 3 drivers said they ignored the first signs of drowsiness when on a journey despite the fact that they realised they were putting their own and other motorists lives in jeopardy, however, the survey revealed some drivers took far bigger risks.

Warning signs ignored by many

Practically 9 out of 10 drivers said they ignore the signs on every motorway advising weary drivers to take a break and have a nap. 86% of drivers said they ignore the signs and carry on even though they can feel themselves getting tired. Some drivers it seems are quite willing to put their online van insurance completely in peril by driving even though they know they have illnesses that make them incapable of driving safely. 1 in 7 drivers admit they have driven in this way including a number who suffer from sleep apnoea, an illness that can cause the sufferer to drop off to sleep at literally any time.

Deaths caused by “nodding” drivers

In fact many drivers in the survey did admit they have nodded off when driving. Over one hundred of the drivers questioned said they had got to the point of “head nodding” while driving. Scientists say this often means the driver has actually dropped off to sleep for a few seconds before his brain awakens him to the situation. How many deaths are caused by weariness and a driver’s reluctance to halt his journey is unknown, but the fact remains that drivers run the risk of ruining theirs and other lives for the sake of a 10 minute break.

Tags: BRAKE, commercial vehicle insurance, Government, Survey, Van Insurance
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