Department for Transport Archives - Page 6 of 11 - Tyrepress

Posts

Switching to strong label-rated tyres could save fleets £500 million

UK businesses could reduce fuel costs by up to £500 million a year if they fitted more fuel efficient tyres on their company vehicles, according to new research by the Energy Saving Trust. According to a statement from the organisation designed to highlight the fuel saving benefits of low rolling resistance tyres, the difference between the best and worst tyres on the market in terms of efficiency can reduce vehicle fuel consumption by up to 7.5 per cent over the lifetime of the tyres.

31st October 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

The value of government fleet tyre supply

In the past government-backed public sector contracts were seen as the safest business commitments around. With the economic environment being what it is, it is easy to see the attraction of securing business that you know will be paid for. However, with the finances of various European governments looking less stable than they have been for a long time, and with ministries such as the Department for Transport suffering from poor handling of rail bids such as the West Coast franchise, these types of contracts may not be the stereotypical cash cows they were once depicted as. And when you add in the fact that government contracts now have to manage the added administrative burden of labelling (which is effective from 1 November 2012), they certainly aren’t a walk in the park.

29th October 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

MWSD rewarded for CV wheel safety initiative

John Ellis, managing director of Motor Wheel Service Distribution has been presented with the Northwest Automotive Alliance’s Business Excellence Small and Medium Enterprise Project of the Year Award. The company has been highly commended for its work on the issue of commercial vehicle wheel safety with the Department for Transport, European Union and main CV industry bodies. While Tyrepress.com has followed MWSD campaigns on other issues, such as the presence of unchecked take-off wheels in the marketplace, the company’s current campaign focuses on the early fatigue of wheels operating on non-circumferential hubs.

23rd October 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

DfT favours light-touch enforcement

The UK government Department for Transport (DfT) thinks the British tyre industry could take up to six months to catch up with all the necessary requirements for European tyre labelling compliance. Furthermore, the department's prevailing view is said to be that “heavy handed enforcement is not on the agenda” in the first half of the year following the introduction of the new rules. Their view is that the introduction of the law is not about a short term rush to change, but rather a long-term transformation of the way the market interacts with consumers in the same way as has taken place in the white goods industry over a decade.

10th October 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Brake applauds LibDem vote on 20 mph speed limits

The Liberal Democrats voted overwhelmingly in favour of widespread 20mph limits, and government investment in this, at their party conference, which is taking place this week.

They called for local authorities "to give active consideration to introducing 20mph limits in existing residential and other suitable roads over the next few years, with schemes to be designed in consultation with local residents" and for a minister within the Department for Transport to be responsible for working with local authorities to achieve this.

28th September 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

ATS Euromaster increasing wheel security training

ATS Euromaster has released a specialised training DVD designed to demonstrate the best practice in wheel security. The disc illustrates the correct procedures for preparing, removing, inspecting and fitting the most common types of commercial vehicle wheels. It will be distributed across ATS-E’s commercial, car and van network, covering more than 2,000 employees including centre operations managers and technicians nationwide. Group Sales director at ATS-E, Peter Fairlie said that the DVD will help “demonstrate the real dangers of not following procedures” and reinforce the network’s message of making “safety a personal choice for every member of staff”.

14th September 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

GB road traffic declines

The Department for Transport has released statistics concerning British road traffic levels for the second quarter of this year. The statistics are divided into vehicle types (cars, light vans, HGVs and other vehicles – this latter category includes motorcycles).

31st August 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

20 mph zones "ineffectual" – ABD…

The Association of British Drivers (ABD) has criticised the call by some Liberal Democrats to impose a 20-mph speed limit in all residential areas, effectively replacing the 30 limit by 20.

There is no evidence that this will have any benefit in reducing injuries and deaths from road traffic accidents, while it will impose very substantial costs to both implement this change and in on-going costs imposed on drivers because of the increased travel times that would result. Indeed compliance will be exceedingly questionable, with enforcement also difficult, and is likely to bring the law into disrepute.

22nd August 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Rise in drink/drive fatalities

The number of fatal accidents involving drink drivers last year rose by 18 per cent, from 220 in 2010 to 260 in 2011, according to figures published by the Department for Transport. In the same period, the number of people killed in drink drive accidents increased by 12 per cent, from 250 to 280. This means that 15 per cent of all fatalities in road accidents involved drink driving.

21st August 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Jail cheating drivers, says RHA

The Road Haulage Association has called for tougher action to be taken against truck drivers who falsify their driving records. Mandatory jail sentences are needed to deter those who are tempted to cheat – backed by a new determination to detect and prosecute them through the courts, the RHA says.

10th August 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

On your marks…

Road Safety Markings Association is set to carry out the UK’s biggest survey of the state of white lines. From 16 July and throughout August, more than 6,000 miles of roads in England, Scotland and Wales – including the UK’s ten most dangerous roads identified by the Road Safety Foundation – will be assessed for the quality of their central white lines.

5th July 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Road deaths rise for the first time in nearly a decade

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has urged greater focus on road safety following the publication of annual casualty figures which show the first increase in UK road deaths since 2003.

The figures for 2011 for Great Britain, released by the Department for Transport, show that road deaths rose by three per cent from 1,850 in 2010 to 1,901 in 2011.

Child deaths rose by nine per cent from 55 in 2010 to 60 in 2011, which is particularly disappointing given that the two previous years showed substantial reductions in child deaths. The number of seriously injured children fell by four per cent to 2,352 in 2011. At 19,474, the overall number of child casualties (killed, seriously injured and slightly injured) barely changed between 2010 and 2011.

There were 453 pedestrian deaths in 2011, a rise of 12 per cent from 2010 and the number of seriously injured pedestrians increased by five per cent to 5,454.

28th June 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Independent petrol retails condemn 'misleading' Government comments

RMI Petrol, the trade association representing independent forecourt retailers in the UK, condemns the Government's misleading and damaging comments surrounding forecourt retailers and the price of fuel.

14th June 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

RMI disappointed by MOT exemption

Following Mike Penning Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport’s announcement that an amendment will be made to regulation 6 of The Motor Vehicles (Tests) Regulations 1981 to enable the MOT exemption for vintage vehicle, the RMI has voiced its displeasure.

24th May 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

David Seward to step down from ITMA presidency

Current Imported Tyre Manufacturers’ Association (ITMA) president David Seward has announced his intention to step down from this role at the conclusion of his two-year term. Seward will make way for a new president, the identity of whom will be decided by elections at the association’s annual general meeting later in June. He remains managing director of Yokohama HPT Ltd based in Milton Keynes.

21st May 2012/by Tyrepress Editors