Department for Transport Archives - Page 8 of 11 - Tyrepress

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Labour MP maintains position on commercial vehicle wheel safety

Labour MP for Wythenshawe and Sale East Paul Goggins has reiterated his full support for Motor Wheel Service’s commercial vehicle wheel safety campaign and promised to maintain pressure on the Department for Transport. MWS, which is headquartered in the MP’s constituency, raised concerns about the lack of examination expertise applied to second hand and take-off wheels that are entering the UK CV aftermarket. Its belief that the problem could be increasing due to financial pressures and a lack of regulation for this market was discussed in a Private Members’ Debate in March 2011, for which Goggins was awarded Parliamentarian of the Month, by road safety charity Brake and Direct Line.

12th September 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

MOT review – no decisions yet, says DfT

The MOT review has still not been formally announced and no decisions have been made, confirmed the Department for Transport (DfT) in a letter to the motor industry. In the wake of recent press coverage on the impending MOT review and the possible changes to its frequency, the DfT wanted to clarify to the industry where the review stood. In a letter addressed to the RMI, along with other key players in the trade, the DfT stated that although test frequency was under the review it was only a small part of a much broader review. Any reference in the press stating that the first MOT test will take place when a car is four years old, rather than the current three, is purely speculation on behalf of the journalist, the letter says.

25th August 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Klarius adds its voice to the MOT debate

Following much discussions amongst trade bodies and within the industry, exhaust manufacturer Klarius has added its voice to the continuing debate about the government MOT frequency change proposals. “Is this move really aimed at helping motorists or deflecting anger at artificially high fuel prices being used to prop up government spending in other areas?”, the company asked in a statement.

8th July 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Speak out against MOT changes urges RMI

The Retail Motor Industry (RMI) has become the latest automotive industry body to voice opposition to the proposed MOT test changes. Says John Ball, MOT Chairman for the RMI: "The RMI has taken a leading role in the fight against the possible change to the frequency of MOT testing and will continue to lobby on behalf of its members. The MOT debate is already very much underway on the Red Tape Challenge site and it is important that our views and accurate information are put across to help our anti 4.2.2 regulation cause. We are urging everyone to voice their opinion against the change to ensure the safety of our road users and livelihoods.

31st May 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Paul Goggins MP wins Parliamentarian of the Month award for wheel efforts

Product News, UK News

Paul Goggins, Labour MP for Wythenshawe and Sale East, has been awarded ‘Parliamentarian of the Month’ by road safety charity Brake and Direct Line. The award is said to have been presented in recognition of his efforts to raise the issue of regulation for heavy goods vehicle wheel safety in parliament.

In June 2010, Paul was approached by Motor Wheel Service because the firm was concerned about the lack of regulation to ensure the safety of second hand heavy goods vehicle wheels. They believe that there has been a rise of approximately 10,000 substandard second hand HGV wheels entering the UK market per year. Paul is concerned that there are no guarantees that these second hand wheels are safe because while tyres are heavily regulated to ensure they meet minimum standards of safety, wheels are not.

6th May 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Further responses to government MOT changes from Which?, IAAF

Following news that Transport Secretary Philip Hammond supports a change in MOT frequency, independent consumer body Which? has weighed into the debate, along with further lobbying efforts from IAAF. Philip Hammond MP’s view is that newer cars are a lot safer than when MOT were introduced 50 years ago. For its part Which? says “the financial savings for drivers won’t be great, and the safety implications overweigh the slight reduction in annual motoring costs.”

Furthermore, countering the economic arguments, Which? reported that it believes “the extension of time between MoT tests will have serious safety implications, and will mean more unroadworthy cars on UK roads than ever before.”

18th April 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Transport secretary hinting at MOT changes, associations hit back

There are signs that the government is moving closer to changing MOT frequency, despite the protests of industry experts and associations. Announcing a consultation on the proposed meaures, Philip Hammond, the Transport Secretary, said: “Car technology has come a long way since the 1960s, that’s why we think its right to look again to check whether we still have the right balance of MOT testing for modern vehicles. We want to work with the industry and motorists to get the decision absolutely right.”

15th April 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Motorcycle tyre neglect needs to be addressed: TyreSafe

UK tyre safety campaign group TyreSafe is currently running its motorcycle-specific tyre safety month to coincide with the commencement of the riding season – welcomed in by the excellent weather in the UK this weekend. The organisation is highlighting the 82 motorcycle accidents in 2009 where illegal, defective or underinflated tyres were a contributory factor (Department for Transport figures). Although this number represents a slight decrease on 2008, each one is an avoidable accident, says Stuart Jackson, chairman, TyreSafe.

11th April 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Is the government doing enough to halt fitment of defective wheels?

The issue of safety checks on commercial vehicle wheels achieved government attention at the end of March, as the Labour member of parliament for Wythenshawe and Sale East, Paul Goggins sought to raise the concerns of his constituent John Ellis, managing director of Motor Wheel Service (which is keen to raise the profile of this safety issue), with the Department for Transport (DfT). On 29 March, Goggins formalised the discussions in a Private Members’ Debate at Westminster Hall in conversation with the Conservative MP for Hemel Hempstead, Mike Penning, who is the current government minister for roads. MWS estimates that over 10,000 second hand and take-off wheels entered the market in 2009, of which the large majority were sold by companies who do not possess the technical abilities or examination procedures to ascertain the history and fatigue of a wheel.

5th April 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Paul Goggins MP to debate wheel safety in Parliament

Tomorrow (Tuesday 29 March 2011) between 13:30 and 14.00, MP Paul Goggins, will lead a debate on road vehicle wheel safety in Westminster Hall. The debate is expected to focus upon how substandard second-hand wheels are entering the commercial vehicle wheel supply chain, the inherent problems this may cause, and what can be done to monitor and assess the scale of the issue.

28th March 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

ATS-E launches mobile “Carbon Cutter” service

ATS Euromaster has launched a pilot mobile service designed to help large truck fleets save on fuel costs and as a result reduce carbon emissions. The “Carbon Cutter” service uses technicians with purpose-built vans to visit customers’ sites across the UK to check, and if necessary adjust, the tyre pressures of every vehicle and trailer in the fleet. The technicians will also look for wheel alignment problems. They will also offer green valve caps as an indication of checked vehicles. Simon Tattersall, head of National Truck at ATS Euromaster, explains: “It’s no secret that correctly inflated and aligned tyres reduce rolling resistance on the road, yet in many cases we’re finding significant potential for fleets to further improve the accuracy of their pressures and alignment.

1st February 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

ECA Voices Concerns Over Current Viability of Electric Vehicles

From 1st January 2011, the Department for Transport introduced individual grants of £5,000 to purchase electric vehicles (EVs). This is part of the Office for Low Emission Vehicles' £400 million fund to reduce emissions from road transport.

4th January 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Reducing India's Road Deaths a Main Theme at Lanxess Rubber Day

More fatal traffic accidents occur in India than in any other country. According to the World Health Organisation, the country’s road toll has risen consistently since the start of the last decade and now an average of 13 people die in road accidents every hour. A study by the Technical University of Munich puts the total death toll from traffic accidents in 2008 at 120,000 – a massive figure considering India has only 15 registered vehicles for every 1,000 inhabitants. By comparison, the UK boasts 458 vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants yet figures from the Department for Transport show indicate just over 2,200 traffic fatalities in 2009: one third the vehicles of India along with a death toll more than fifty times lower.

3rd December 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Carmakers Back Winter Tyres

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has issued a statement recommending motorists use winter tyres to improve road safety, which the association says echos recommendations set out by government. The report, which has been released in the context of a review of England’s infrastructural resilience during winter, outlines recommendations for industry to develop technical solutions to be better prepared for adverse weather conditions.

According to the SMMT, the report, based on consultations with 132 private and public sector organisations, was commissioned in March 2010 by the secretary of state for transport, Philip Hammond MP, and written in response to the winter of 2008/09, which recorded the harshest UK winter conditions in 30 years.

2nd November 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

RMI Forms MOT Working Group

The Retail Motor Industry (RMI) has announced the formation of an MOT Working Group, to discuss MOT policy and the future of the test. The group, chaired by RMI’s MOT chairman John Ball, will meet for the first time in November, and will include representatives from a broad cross-section of the MOT testing industry. The announcement follows significant speculation that the government has been reconsidering changing the MOT interval to two years from one at present.

22nd October 2010/by Tyrepress Editors