In 2017, 254.4 billion miles were driven by car in the UK, making it the biggest ever year for motor transport, and that number is climbing. As car ownership increases and Britain’s road network strains under the pressure, are we as road users up to scratch with our knowledge of the roads and are our roads safe enough to carry the British public?

Halfords Autocentre has compiled a report that looks at 12 key areas of interest for motorists titled the 2019 Roadworthiness Report. The following article will briefly discuss a few of the main points in the report.

Accidents in the UK

The report found a downward trend in the number of casualties resulting from accidents from 148,385 in 2015 to 126,977 in 2017. Despite the number of cars and drivers on the road increasing, the total number of accidents of all kinds are down since the mid 60’s. London (unsurprisingly) is the accident hotspot of the UK, contributing to 20% of all accidents.

When it comes to the causes of accidents, a massive 70% of collisions are down to driver error, and 39% of this figure is made up of motorists not looking properly. These statistics led to Halfords Autocentre running its 2018 Roadworthiness Quiz to test Britain’s knowledge of the road, and determine whether they were ‘road worthy’. The questions tested basic road safety knowledge, including identifying the legal drink drive limit, and required an 86% pass rate. The results backed up what the statistics showed, as 83% of the 55,000 people who took the test failed. London also had a staggering 99% failure rate.

Vehicle Defects

The report reveals that only 2% of accidents are down to defective motors, yet that still means over 2,000 people have been affected by avoidable car issues. The three biggest issues were faulty brakes (36%), illegal, defective or under inflated tyres (33%), and defective steering or suspension (18%).

Breakdown Incidents

Highways England deal with 85,00 breakdowns a year, and over a 2 year period, they found that 40% of breakdowns were down to these four things:

1. Running out of Fuel
2. Poor Tyres
3. Power Loss
4. Engine trouble

The report found that you’re most likely to break down on a friday, during the summer, on the M1 and in the East of England.

Worst UK Junctions

The report also details three of roads.org.uk 52 worst junctions, detailing how sometimes the roads themselves aren’t fit for purpose. It looks at Spittals Interchange – A14 – A14 – A141, Worsley Interchange – M60 – M62 – M602, and Chevening Interchange – A21 – M25 – M26.

How Safe are our Roads?

Bad junctions leads us nicely onto the condition of our road network. A fifth of people surveyed admitted they never used the motorway, with 34% saying they avoided using them because they didn’t feel safe. The two main culprits for this were the M25 (unsurprising given that it was voted Britain’s worst road) and the M6 (the longest motorway in the UK).

What needs to Change?

To conclude, the report goes details five ways in which the roadworthiness of our drivers and our roads can be improved.

1. Improved Knowledge – There have been calls for mandatory retesting and encouragement to regularly brush up on your own knowledge
2. Better Car Maintenance – Keeping on top of your service history and learning basic car maintenance skills.
3. More government investment – To fix potholes and maintain busy routes.
4. Addressing congestion – Smart motorways are being rolled out with active traffic management.
5. Taking action – petitioning your local MP/Council to fix the issues with their roads.

The EU has mandated speed limiting technology in every new vehicle by the year 2022, but not everyone is on board. Supporters of this technology praise its ability to save lives with its automated speed limiting and GPS capability, but critics are bringing up the fact that speed limiters haven’t been tested enough and that it is an overreach of the EU to require the technology in every new car. New automobile tech pops up by the day, automated vehicles will dominate the roads sooner than you think.

The EU Mandate

This year the European Commission voted on whether to require speed limiters in new cars by 2022. The Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) limiter was passed the Commission and green-lit for legislation that approves the mandate. While some see this as an overreach of power, others are praising the EU for making decisions to mitigate deaths on the road. The statistics show that up to 25,000 lives will be saved in the first 15 years. There is also an estimated reduction of traffic collisions by 30 percent.

How it Works

Each new car will have an automated speed limiter that is set to the speed limit. It is also equipped with GPS that knows where each car is, their speed, and what traffic conditions are like. The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) acknowledged the risks of the technology, they have called for an on//off switch that will allow drivers to disable the speed limiters which can be overridden by pressing hard on the accelerator. Still some critics are saying that the technology hasn’t been tested enough and that it may be slow to respond in low speed areas. For example, in a school area cars need to stop suddenly for children or speed up quickly to avoid danger.

Additional safety measures include an autonomous emergency brake, lane assist, driver fatigue detection, data loggers, and reverse cameras.  They also have the capability to be fitted to in-car breathalyzers for those who have been convicted of a DUI.

ISA works with cameras and traffic-sign recognition are installed in order to detect the appropriate speed limit for the road by utilizing GPS data. The cameras are used to detect when it is necessary to adjust the speed. Tesla already has this technology on the road although the US has not mandated speed limiters.

There will be warnings to reduce speed when they are breaking the law or going too fast for current conditions. The ISA does not apply the brakes, but alerts will be given at or below the speed limit. Instead they limit engine power and prevent the automobile from accelerating. But this can be overridden by pushing hard on the accelerator.

Insurance Companies

Insurance companies are skeptical that the technology won’t have kinks, but they have every reason to doubt it. If it works successfully, car insurers will lose out on a lot of money. According to MoneyPug, a site commonly used to find the best car insurance, the biggest concern of insurance companies is that there is a gap between the ISA system and the driver pushing on the gas should they need to escape danger. The AA has said that the ISA technology is not so black and white. They say that speed limiters could inhibit the driver’s natural instincts that prevent accidents.

Overall insurance companies reference that the technology hasn’t been tested enough to be mandated. Although there are a few years before it will be mandated in Europe, there are still concerns that ISA may drive at the speed limit when it is advantageous to go slower or faster. Once the kinks in the technology are smoothed out, it will likely save thousands of lives, but it remains to be seen whether or not it will work perfectly right out of the gate.

However you look at the speed limiting technology, there is no stopping it. It is not our choice whether to use this technology or not, it is already a reality, but it is our choice whether or not to mandate it and require the technology in ever car. The future of automobiles is exciting, but it will still take a while to transition into the new, safer roads.

A review paper is an interesting and important piece of writing. A lot depends on the topic and if it’s interesting, you’ll be enthusiastic about it. Many students adore writing car reviews. Cars attract both boys and girls. Accordingly, you will like to write such an assignment. Of course, you should follow some recommendations on how to write a review properly.

We can help you with this issue. A review is an objective evaluation of a concrete subject. In this case, it’s some model of a car. You should pass the next stages:

• Prepare to write.

• Test the vehicle.

• Write the review.

• Revise the paper.

We’ll cast more light on every part to provide you with the necessary insights taken from a team of advanced writers.

Part #1

Before you start to write, you should get prepared and be fully armed with certain data and materials. The first step is to choose a concrete vehicle. It will be your topic. For instance, you may choose a Ford F-150. You should understand that your investigation may go two ways. You will either like the car or no. At any rate, you’re obliged to be objective and write all the details about the testing of the car and its major abilities.

While you compose the outline, think about the main points to disclose. Consider your audience. Ask yourself what your readers would like to know about the car you review. Try to find out all those details. One of the best ways to write a good car review is to read reviews of other authors. These may be even car journals and magazines. You’re not obliged to read some scientific reviews.

Define the type of the car, find some data on its creation, write about its manufacturer, find out what it was created for, find some design peculiarities and so on. Make sure you have selected the trustworthy information sources.

Part #2

The second part may be a bit complicated. You have to drive the chosen vehicle on your own. What are the possible obstacles? First of all, you and your mates may not have this car. To overcome it, visit an auto store and ask for test-driving.

Secondly, you may have no driving license or even not know how to drive a car. To overcome this issue, ask an experienced driver to take you for a drive. Try to feel the way the vehicle moves and fulfills its functions. Drive as much as possible and try all the features and functions offered by the car. Try out the navigation system, sensors, breaks, the backup camera, and even the stereo system. Evaluate its quality, power, and convenience.

To make objective conclusions, you should drive a new car. At least find the one, which goes perfectly and has to defects. If you try a damaged vehicle, your analysis won’t be fair. Ask the opinion of other drivers who drove this model. Another crucial tip is to test similar models of competitors. Other car companies release similar models and if you test them too, you can use the method of compare and contrast. It will help to receive a better understanding of the quality of the reviewed vehicle.

Don’t forget to make notes. Otherwise, you may miss some crucial points. Every detail may be important.

Part #3

The next part of your car review is to write a draft or two. Begin with the introduction. It should provide some general data on your paper. Tell your readers what type of car you’ve chosen for the analysis and explain your choice.

The main plot reveals all the features, advantages and drawbacks of the car. Have a strong and objective opinion. Even if you don’t like a too modern style of a car, don’t write “The design is overly modern”. Better replace this statement with the following sentence “The design and style are more modern than I prefer, but it’s suitable for most youngsters”.

Try to use real examples out of life. This approach will make your research catchier and won’t be a boring enumeration of facts. Don’t say “The cabin is quiet”. Make the story more vivid and write something like this “The silence of the cabin is perfect and I can easily hear everything that happens around. I can even hold a normal conversation via the cell phone”.

Of course, you ought to cover the whole car. While your driving test, pay attention to aesthetic, practicability, performance, price, comfort and so on. Provide your readers with all they want to find out about the car.

Afterward, implement your conclusion. Give an objective evaluation of the vehicle. Tell all about the advantages and disadvantages. Justify your viewpoint and explain why you’d choose this vehicle or would not. Remain impartial and fair no matter how good or bad your test drive was.

Part #4

Finally, reread your review. Never be lazy and don’t skip revising. It helps to define some weak points and mistakes that may be critical. There are a lot of things to consider. Pay attention to:

• Structure;

• Grammar;

• Word choice;

• Style;

• Punctuation;

• Spelling;

• Transitions and similar essentials.

You’re welcome to use as many checking methods as you want. Don’t forget about plagiarism, grammar, and style checking programs. They sufficiently quicken and ease this process. After you find all the mistakes and fix them, you can freely submit the paper.