The Society of Motor Manufacturers (SMMT) has revealed that vehicle registrations soared 14.8% in April when compared to the same month in 2012. This shows the strongest growth in 14 months.

In fact, new car registrations have been growing rapidly since the beginning of 2012 according to The Independent.

“In the first four months of the year, they were up 8.9 per cent on 2012. In the rest of the European Union, new registrations have been in decline since early 2010.”

“The fortunes of the UK car industry, which accounts for 700,000 jobs and 10 per cent of total exports, are regarded as a useful barometer of the health of the larger economy. Of the 163,357 vehicles registered in April, 81,753 were private sales and 75,067 were fleet sales.”

Private car sales are also up nearly 33% year on year. The most popular marques are the Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa, Ford Focus and the Volkswagen Golf.

Howard Archer of IHS Global Insight described the figures as “very encouraging”.

He said: “Sales have been supported by attractive offers and packages, as well as by motorists’ desire to buy more fuel-efficient cars.”

According to the majority of councillors, the issue of poor road surfaces and potholes is the top priority, which is music to the ears of many motorists who are all too familiar with dangerous potholes on Britain’s roads. Improving road safety and increasing the use of public transport and are also on the councillors’ agendas.

However, according to Visor Down, priorities vary depending on each party:

“Conservative councillors are more likely to focus on road building, road surfaces and car parking, while Labour councillors are more likely to select road safety and the use of public
transport and Liberal Democrats are more likely to focus on cycling and walking,” a report says.

Although potholes and road safety is the main priority for councillors, they admitted that they are suffering a 40% reduction in their budget for road surface repairs.

Top Priorities for Local Transport according to councillors

• Road surfaces/reducing potholes – 74 per cent
• Improving road safety – 70 per cent
• Increasing use of public transport – 66 per cent
• Reducing traffic congestion- 61 per cent
• Improving the local economy through better transport use – 58 per cent

Government “got to do more”

David Cameron urged that the Government must do more to boost the spread of the next generation of electric hybrid cars, especially since they are becoming more realistic alternatives to traditional vehicles.

The Prime Minister also vowed to “keep going” to scrap planned fuel duty rises during the local election campaign in Derbyshire just yesterday (April 22).

“We’ve still got to do more to encourage really fuel efficient cars,” Cameron said. “We’ve got to make sure the new generation of electric, hybrid cars come through.

“They are beginning to produce electric cars that can go a serious distance and actually then you are paying £5 or £10 a week to charge them, rather than a really high price at the pumps.”

Living in Britain, a general concern

“It is now understood to be unlikely that there will be any duty rises before the next general election in 2015, unless petrol prices fall sharply,” reports suggest.

The key political issue highlighted by Mr Cameron is now the soaring cost of living in Britain and so, will focus on measures to tackle this in the run-up to the next election.

Statistics are said to be released this week which will show that economic growth is slowly increasing, “However, there is a concern among Conservative strategists that voters will not notice the economic recovery as the cost of living continues to rise, while wages stagnate,” the Telegraph explains.

David Cameron said: “The truth is, this, when we got in, the previous government had set out a whole lot of plans for fuel duty increases. It was like a whole lot of unexploded bombs which we have had to try and defuse.”

“We have cancelled and delayed almost all of these fuel duty increases. We even cut fuel duty on one occasion. We will keep going to try and keep those fuel duty increases off, recognising that it is the really big bills that people really care about and want help with.”

Major supermarkets Asda, Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s will be reducing petrol and diesel prices by up to 2p a litre as of tomorrow (Saturday 19^th April).

“The reduction comes just four days after prices were last dropped and reflects an ongoing lowering of the wholesale fuel price,” report explains.

“Asda, which sparked the price war on Tuesday, said that from Saturday morning its customers would pay no more than 131.7p a litre for petrol and 135.7p a litre for diesel.”

Andy Peake, Asda’s petrol trading director, said: “We’re pleased to be reducing the price of fuel yet again for all our customers.

“Our national price cap benefits everyone across the country, meaning that no one filling up at Asda will be forced to pay a premium for their fuel because of where they live.”

Tesco petrol category director, Peter Cattell, also announced “Tesco is dropping the price of petrol and diesel by up to 2p per litre from tomorrow.

“As Britain’s biggest fuel retailer with 497 forecourts, more motorists make savings at Tesco petrol filling stations than any other fuel retailer,” he said.

Richard Crampton, Sainsbury’s head of fuel, said: “We are always looking at ways to help our customers save money and we know that fuel is a big part of household budgets

which is why we are pleased to announce that from tomorrow, we will be cutting petrol and diesel prices by up to 2p per litre across our 280 forecourts.”

 The report by the Highways Agency comes as a result of eight road workers having been killed in the last three years whilst on duty. There have also been many near misses, with motorists losing patience and driving through coned off areas or colliding with works vehicles.

As the number of roadworks is set to rise over the next two years in order to focus on road improvements to reduce congestions and boost road safety, drivers need to be aware that such changes are due to take place in many areas across the country.

The Highways Agency explains in its report, “While we will plan our roadworks to minimise disruption wherever possible, there is a large number of road workers, traffic officers, and other operatives working on live carriageways on England’s motorways and trunk roads, often just a few feet from vehicles travelling at high speed.”

Roads Minister Stephen Hammond said:

“It is absolutely essential that all road users play their part when driving through roadworks, and keep within the signed speed limit. Those few seconds you might save by travelling too fast could cost lives.”

Derek Turner, Director of Network Delivery and Development for the Highways Agency, said:

“Road workers do a difficult and dangerous job carrying out vital work to keep our roads safe and well-maintained. But they face danger every day while working close to fast moving traffic, in all weather conditions, and often at night.

“Speed limits, cones, and narrow lanes are there to keep road users safe, as well as provide a safe area for workers – often enabling us to keep roads open while essential work takes place. These measures smooth out the flow of traffic, give drivers more warning of hazards and reduce the risk of collisions involving road users and workers.”

Approaching roadworks

The Highways Agency urges all drivers approaching roadworks to:

• Stick within the speed limit at all times and comply with all roadwork signs
• Avoid switching lanes and get into the correct lane in good time
• Concentrate on the road ahead
• Keep an eye out for works traffic that may be leaving or entering roadworks
• Be alert for road workers and give them plenty of space

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According to The Telegraph, “The Asphalt Industry Alliance, which represents companies who produce materials needed for highway repair, has warned of what it described as a £10 billion crumbling road crisis.”

Last year saw a substantial amount of rainfall and spats of torrential rain and flooding which has accounted for £338 million worth of damage to Britain’s roads. Councils across England and Wales spent £113 million filling potholes and forked out an additional £32 million which went towards settling compensation claims.

“According to the Alliance’s latest survey of highways engineering a fifth of the country’s local roads have a useful life of under five years,” The Telegraph reports.

“The Alliance says local authorities repaired 2.2 million potholes last year compared with 1.7 million in 2011.”

Despite already spending a substantial amount of money to repair road potholes, reports suggest it will cost a further £10.5 billion to get the UK’s roads back into ‘reasonable condition.’ However, this remains as a difficulty as the current spending shortfall in England is at £829 million a year. The survey says that repairing all these potholes and getting the roads back into a suitable condition would take around 12 years.

“Constantly having to patch up crumbling roads rather than using highway engineers’ skills properly, to ensure good road condition in a planned and cost effective way, is nonsensical and costly to the country,” said AIA Chairman, Alan Mackenzie.

Norman Baker, the local Transport Minister, said: “We are providing councils with more than £3 billion between 2011 and 2015 to maintain their roads and pavements.”

An expensive pint

In a bid to highlight the perils of drink driving, the Department of Transport launched a publicity stunt which saw one single glass of beer, housed in a protective glass cage, surrounded by security guards.

The “£50,000 pint” was unveiled by Road Safety Minister, Stephen Hammond, who highlighted the shocking economic impact of having one drink too many. The campaign aimed to inform and warn motorists of the effect one extra drink can have and how much it could ultimately affect their life, and their wallet.

“The cost was calculated by taking into account the hidden financial factors that hardened drink drivers rarely consider,” according to The Telegraph.

Stephen Hammond explained, “It might only look like a humble pint of beer, but it could end up costing much more than a few quid. In fact, it comes with an eye-watering hidden cost if it pushes you over the limit.”

The big impacts of one small pint

The Institute of Advanced Motorists explained that the most economic impact on a driver’s wallet is the fine handed down by the courts, which could cost up to £5,000. Legal fees could also total to £4,800 (which is the average charged by solicitors for a “not guilty” plea).

“Next, motorists have to face the consequences of their actions when they admit to their motor insurer that they have a drink-drive conviction. This can send costs soaring by £8,000 – the increase in insurance fees based on the average premium for a man aged between 20 and 24, calculated over an 11-year period, the amount of time a drink-driving conviction remains on your licence,” explains The Telegraph.

“Finally, there is the impact on someone whose livelihood depends on holding a licence. A ban can result in lost earnings of £33,000, based on a period of 15 months, the mean disqualification after conviction, for someone earning the average full-time salary of £26,500.”

£50,000: An “awful lot to pay” for “just another pint”

“This new calculation is important,” says Neil Greig, the IAM’s head of policy.

“We know that a hard core of drink-drivers is just not getting the message. Often manual workers or tradesmen who need to drive, and who might drink after work, do not respond to messages about the danger that they could kill or maim someone or themselves because of drink-driving. They are drinking, routinely, with their mates and do not see this as a problem.

“What they do worry about, however, is how a drink-driving conviction will hit them in the pocket, possibly by stopping them from working. This is why this new campaign is such good news.”

Read our other blog entries for helpful motoring articles, advice, car insurance and much more.

After surging by 50p a litre over just one month, the price of petrol has increased a further 1p in the last week.

According to a report, “The average cost in the UK is now 138.32p a litre, with diesel having risen 4.78p from its mid-January price to an average of 145.10p.

“The increase in the price of petrol adds £3.12 to the cost of refilling a typical 50-litre tank, while filling up the 70-litre tank of a Ford Mondeo now costs £4.37 more than six weeks ago.”

The average monthly petrol cost for a family with two cars has risen by £13.25, a significant increase, with a huge impact on struggling families.

The argument behind soaring fuel costs

A “plunging pound” and stock market speculators driving up the price of fuel have been blamed for soaring fuel prices, although this statement has sparked controversy by fellow motorists who believe that the Government is solely seeing them as a “cash cow.”

Despite councilor George Osbourne scrapping the 3p rise in fuel duty from April 1 until September 1, fuel prices are still taking their toll on the motoring industry, including the freight industry and businesses reliant on transport.

“Patrick McLoughlin announced £37 million of government money would be made available to install new ‘plug-in’ chargers for electric vehicles in homes, streets and railway stations,” according to The Telegraph.

The government is said to provide 75 per cent of the cost of installing new charge points.

He suggested that people will become even more attracted to this sort of technology as charging a battery at home will be significantly cheaper than filling up at a petrol station.

However, McLoughlin, who told Sky New that electric cars are “fantastic,” did admit that confidence in electric cars would take time to build, understandably.

“They’re not town cars at all; they are fantastic cars; they’re built to a very high specification. Take one out and drive it,” said McLoughlin.

“Buying a car is expensive, but I think if you look at the overall time and money you save by not having to put fuel in them, they are very serious competitors,” he said. “I’m pretty sure there will be a market. It’s a lot cleaner technology as well.

“I’m not going to make a prediction of exactly how many cars are going to be on the roads or whether they’ll be electric or petrol.”