Car charity launches scheme for second-hand vehicles

A UK car charity has launched a vehicle disposal scheme to raise money and rid the nation of unwanted, inefficient second-hand vehicles.

The Automotive Industry Charity (BEN) has initiated a scrap and donate scheme, with the aim of providing participants with an easy way of disposing of their second-hand vehicles whilst turning the value of the vehicle into a charitable donation.

At present the campaign has generated a lot of interest from companies and individuals alike with Marshall Volvo, Peterborough the first corporate firm to join the initiative.

Mark Hawes, service driver for Marshall Volvo Peterborough, said: "I’m very proud to be the first company to take up this scheme and hope many more people follow suit.

"[Companies] could benefit by removing the hassle of what to do with these unwanted motors."

The implementation of the European end-of-life vehicle directive has placed greater importance on reducing the amount of waste produced when vehicles are destroyed.

At ASM Auto Recycling we have been established for over two decades and have a highly-regarded reputation for our levels of service, experience and enthusiasm with vehicle recycling.

As a second-hand car owner it can be hard to transport salvage or end-of-life vehicles to a location that has the necessary technologies to enable their safe and environmentally friendly recycling.

Our scrap car transporters are capable of retrieving vehicles back to our depots in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, whether it is a sports car, family saloon or even a 4x4. Our current catchment area also covers vast amounts of Central England as well as London and the West Country.

End-of-life car recycling has been adopted by Japanese motor manufacturers Mazda in recent months. Mazda became the world’s first car manufacturer to successfully recycle end-of-life car bumpers into raw materials for brand new bumpers.

It is these kinds of forward-thinking steps that are sure to shape the way we recycle our used car parts in future years.

Tired motorist stung with parking fine for taking a nap

A tired motorist who parked up in a service station in the early hours of the morning to take a nap has been stung with a £50 parking fine.

Motoring and safety organisations as well as a previous transport minister have condemned the decision to impose a fine on James Orr at Moto’s service area in Exeter, who stopped in Devon to break up his journey from London to Cornwall shortly before 2am.

The service station currently imposes a two-hour free parking limit and the penalty, which has since been quashed, reveals Mr Orr had spent three hours and three minutes parked at the station.

Although the two-hour parking limit is not an issue during the day, motoring organisations and road safety experts believe the enforcement should be scrapped at night.

Mr Orr said: "I was exhausted and I didn’t want to risk falling asleep at the wheel, it wouldn’t have been safe for me to continue.”

An AA spokesman condemned the initial fine. "This is barking. A tired driver is a hazard and if they have the sense they should not be penalised for doing so.

"This clearly racks of raising money rather than being about road safety.

"A sleepy driver is not going to wander around looking at detailed signing. Service area parking areas should see reason when it comes to automatic enforcement like this."

However, a spokesman for Moto defended the company’s approach to its free parking limits. "Moto do not provide free parking for more than two hours in common with all UK motorway service areas and have not provided free parking for the past forty years.

"It is not the purpose of motorway services to provide long term free parking for the general public, we are there to provide short breaks and availability of spaces is fundamental to that purpose.

"Now that the circumstances surrounding Mr Orr’s penalty have been brought to our attention it will be rescinded under our policy of not charging drivers who have taken a nap for reasons of safety."

Driving tired is a contributing factor to many serious road accidents in the UK that not only cause injury to road users but cause damage to expensive vehicles. At ASM Auto Recycling our scrap car transporters can effectively transfer salvage vehicles from the roadside to our depots for vehicle dismantling and recycling.