New drivers ‘under prepared’ to drive despite passing test

Almost half of newly qualified motorists recently surveyed said they were under-prepared and nervous about taking to the highways for the first time since passing their driving test.

Almost 90 per cent of new drivers questioned revealed they took less than the recommended 40 hours of driving lessons before taking their test, according to the study by car insurance company ingenie and the RoadSafe organisation.

Self-assurance is not something that young male drivers lack and this is backed up by this latest study which shows male drivers aged 17-25 exude confidence after passing their test.

Despite this confidence young male drivers are more than twice as likely to have a prang in their first month at the wheel in comparison to female drivers of the same age bracket.

This poll of 1,000 new UK motorists found that over a third (35 per cent) of drivers admitted to having an accident within their first 12 months on the road. Young motorists also admitted to changing their driving style depending on their passengers, whether it’s friends or parents.

Richard King, Ingenie chief executive, said: "It’s clear from our research findings that many young drivers speed through their theory and practical tests and get straight out on to the road without the essential skills necessary to give them confidence to drive alone."

The threat of car accidents for newly qualified drivers make it all the more sensible to purchase cheaper second hand vehicles to get used to the demands of regular driving. Driving a car costing hundreds rather than thousands means that young drivers who do have an unfortunate incident can ask themselves "should I scrap my car?" or vehicle dismantling without losing a significant investment.

Owning a second hand car also gives young drivers the freedom to repair prangs and damaged areas with significantly cheaper used car parts that are tested and guaranteed to last for considerable period of time. More importantly they are much more cost-effective than fitting a brand new car part in a second hand run-around. 

Plans unveiled for UK’s first national road pricing scheme

A new charge is set to be introduced by the UK government, with foreign lorry drivers having to pay £10 a day to use British roads as part of the first UK road pricing scheme.

The idea behind the charge is to try and level the playing field between British and continental lorry drivers, as Brits already get charged for driving abroad.

Haulage experts believe this will require all lorries to be fitted with a tacking box that can be monitored via satellite. However, UK hauliers are also likely to have to pay the charge but will be reimbursed in the form of either reduced tax disc costs or fuel duty.

At present other countries in the EU charge lorries a maximum of 16 euros a day and the UK government is keen to level its figures in line with their European counterparts.

Roads Minister, Mike Penning, said: "Each year there are around 1.5 million trips to the UK by foreign registered lorries – but none of them pay to use our roads, leaving UK businesses and taxpayers to foot the bill.

"A lorry road user charge would ensure that all hauliers who use our roads are contributing to their cost, regardless of where they are from – helping UK hauliers to get a fairer deal and increasing employment and promoting growth in the UK."

Road user charging is designed to help the government boost its coffers without putting the nation’s economy at risk. Scrapping my car for cash remains an area where UK road users can improve their understanding, with significant savings to be made as well as protecting the wider environment.


Image: pzado

Growing interest in green cars in the UK

There is a growing interest in green cars from UK motorists according to data by UK car search portal, Motoring. The report showed a 28 per cent increase in green car interest during December 2010 – April 2011.

Heightened debate over the efficiency of green cars at the same time of the fuel price increases has caught the eye of many of the nation’s drivers. This developing part of the automotive industry has the potential for take-off if sales numbers begin to meet demand and petrol and diesel costs continue to show no sign of letting up.

Chris Green, Motoring’s sales director, said: “Our research on the growing demand for greener new cars backs up the recent SMMT’s figures on 11-plate new car registrations, which shows that less polluting cars dominate new car sales in 2011, so far.

“The demand for green cars is on the increase and this is partly due to the improvement of reliability and performance. A number of manufacturers are investing heavily in hybrid electric vehicles, as consumers become increasingly keen to reduce their motoring costs by cutting down on fuel consumption and qualifying for lower tax bands.”

The Prius hybrid has particularly enjoyed early success in the UK market with an increase of 51.5 per cent in new sales in the last three months.

Many vehicle owners in the UK may be interested in scrapping or recycling their used car in favour of a more eco-friendly, cost-effective green car. At ASM Auto Recycling we provide vehicle dismantling and scrap metal processing services for recycling and car scrappage, allowing your vehicle to be dismantled safely. These can be recycled for used car parts that provide a cost-effective alternative for used car owners looking for replacement parts.

So why not earn some money for scrapping or recycling your used car today and put it towards that green car you’ve had your eye on for weeks!

Parking permits increase to force diesel cars off the road

A number of local councils are raising the price of parking permits for diesel vehicles that were previously regarded as environmentally friendly due to reduced CO2 emissions.

There are increasing fears amid Government officials that diesel vehicles actually lack the green credentials that they had been previously been given.

Following a report from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, it is believed the diesel vehicles actually emit too many small polluting particles which can damage the air quality of inner-city areas with high levels of traffic.

The paper also encourages the Government to encourage “small, modern petrol vehicles, petrol hybrids and electric vehicles in urban areas in place of diesel vehicles”.

A spokesman for Environmental Protection UK, said: “Local authorities in the most polluted urban locations must start encouraging residents to choose petrol over diesel. This could be achieved through simple measures such as differentiating between diesel and petrol vehicles for residents’ car parking charges.”

However, diesel vehicles account for a quarter of the cars on the road and automotive experts are opposed to the idea of penalising diesel owners.

Edmund King, the AA’s president, said: “Punishing someone for owning a diesel car that produces up to 20 per cent less CO2 than the petrol version is ludicrous. Councils are plundering residents’ parking for money to balance their budgets.”

It is unknown whether this crackdown on diesel vehicles as local air pollutants carries much weight, but some owners of older diesel models may be tempted to scrap their vehicle in exchange for a newer, greener petrol model.

At ASM Auto Recycling we can scrap written-off vehicles and end-of-life vehicles quickly and efficiently. Our car scrappage service is conducted in accordance with the European ELV Directive which works to control the levels of waste produced by end-of-life vehicles.

Warning for buyers to avoid used car tricks

With April Fool’s Day just past us, UK car buyers are being warned to avoid used car tricksters on the forecourts and in private listings.

HPI is warning drivers that one-in-three second hand vehicles have a hidden history, which can potentially stop new owners taking out car insurance or even driving the car if it has fundamental faults.

The organisation has helped to highlight a number of the most common tricks played on used car buyers. The top tricks include trying to sell stolen vehicles to vulnerable, unaware customers, cars with outstanding finance agreements and vehicles written-off due to end-of-life or accidents.

Nicola Johnson, consumer services manager for HPI, said: “Whilst this (April Fool’s Day) is traditionally a day for light-hearted fun, the dangers of buying a used car are no laughing matter.”

Another prevalent trick used by some garages and used car owners is clocking, which involves changing the mileage of the vehicle adding significant value to the car and tricking buyers into paying over the odds.

Indeed last month HPI revealed an increasing number of used car buyers are taking the environmental credentials of a vehicle into consideration before parting with cash.

Owners of written-off vehicles should be doing the decent thing and scrapping their car rather than fobbing it off to unsuspecting buyers.

ASM Auto Recycling offers a full and environmentally-friendly car scrappage service. We have installed a number of state-of-the-art de-pollution rigs to ensure the processing of abandoned and end-of-life vehicles is completed in accordance with the European ELV Directive.

Vehicle dismantling is big business in the UK with 2 million end-of-life vehicles processed to remove and store potential toxins such as fuel, oils and brake fluids that can cause damage to the environment if left inside salvage vehicles. However, vehicle dismantling is not just a case of stripping the vehicle shell for scrapping. At ASM Auto Recycling we carefully recycle used car parts and restore them to working condition for purchase.