Category: Fleet News

Most drivers in the UK would be happy to continue paying the same amount of fuel tax if the money raised was invested in fixing potholes and maintaining the country’s roads, according to research by the RAC.

On the eve of the government’s next Budget on March 11th, the breakdown recovery firm published a survey of 3,200 motorists indicating that road quality is a big issue for people across the country.

Reinvestment to help improve roads

Past research by the RAC has shown that vehicle breakdowns caused by potholes increased by a fifth in the last three months of 2019, compared to a year earlier. Holes in the road can cause damage to tyres, suspension and other vital vehicle components.

This is clearly a big concern for many drivers, with 59 per cent of respondents to the latest survey saying they would be happy for the government to keep fuel duty at its current level and reinvest 2p from every litre of fuel sold back into the road network.

Only 26 per cent of people said they would rather see fuel tax reduced, while ten per cent were in favour of an increase.

Nicholas Lyes, head of policy at the RAC, noted that the government’s plans for fuel duty always prompt a lot of discussion before any Budget, and this year is no different.

He added: “With one of the wettest February’s ever recorded fresh in the minds of so many motorists, we’re concerned we’re on the verge of yet more pothole misery if action is not taken soon.

“We believe the only hope for getting the UK’s local roads up to a standard fit for the 21st century is by ring-fencing a small proportion of the tax drivers already have to pay every time they fill up.”

You can reduce the risk of your vehicle sustaining damage from potholes by driving carefully and also by making sure vital parts of your car – like the tyres and suspension – are always in good condition.

With MyService.Expert from Fuel Card Services, you can save money on servicing and maintenance at thousands of garages up and down the country.

Tiredness is one of the nation’s leading causes of road accidents, but now new research is being carried out to help warn drivers when fatigue could cause them to become a danger behind the wheel.

SEAT is working in partnership with Eyesight Technologies to develop a new AI system that could help to make the roads safer for everyone in the years to come.

Addressing the dangers of driver fatigue

Stefan Ilijevic, head of product innovation at SEAT, commented: “In total, more than 90 per cent of the road accidents in Europe are caused by human factors. The main reasons include distraction and tiredness, excessive speed and alcohol and drugs.

“At SEAT, we are working on solutions to prevent negligence behind the steering wheel and significantly reduce road accidents.

“We partner with some of the world’s brightest companies on important technology to save lives, since our long-term vision is a world with zero accidents.”

As part of this commitment, SEAT’s Xplora design team are working on a new algorithm that can identify an individual’s level of wakefulness by analysing eye openness, angle of vision, blink rate and head position. In the event that it detects unacceptable levels of fatigue in the driver, the system automatically triggers an alert.

In future, the developers also hope to add other functionality to the system as well, such as detecting nearby pedestrians and assessing whether or not the driver has seen them.

What are the warning signs and how to combat fatigue

When you’re suffering from fatigue, this can have a significant impact on your ability to drive safely. Drowsiness at the wheel should be taken seriously, as it can lead to serious accidents that not only injure the vehicle’s occupants, but also other innocent road users and pedestrians.

Combatting tiredness can be easier said than done, however, so you should always plan your journeys to include rest stops every two to three hours. Getting out of the vehicle, stretching your legs and getting the blood pumping should all help to ward off tiredness for the next leg of your journey.

In the event that you feel yourself becoming drowsy, you should pull over at the earliest safe place to do so for rest. Consider drinking a caffeinated drink and then taking a short nap, by the time you wake up, the caffeine should be making you more alert and will allow you to continue.

Jenny Smith, general manager for Tele-Gence, commented: “Tiredness kills, it’s as simple as that. All drivers should know the dangers of fatigue and they should be taking the necessary precautions to remain alert at all times. Developing new systems that can warn the driver if they are too tired to continue is a positive step towards enhancing road safety.”

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In late 2019, Highways England revealed that 300 miles of smart motorway will be rolled out across England by 2025 as part of a commitment to better monitoring and managing traffic flows when things get congested.

Essentially, this means that during times when traffic starts to ‘jam’, a variable speed limit can be implemented via gantry signs or use of the hard shoulder allowed to slow the build-up of traffic in certain areas.

How to stay safe on smart motorways

It means millions of drivers are now faced with using a new type of carriageway they might not necessarily understand. As a result, there’s a growing need for drivers to make themselves aware of best practice advice when it comes to tackling the nation’s new smart motorways.

Our top tips for using a smart motorway are:

• Pay attention to the gantry signs
• Stick to the national speed limit
• Never drive in a lane that has a red ‘X’ displayed over it
• Only use the hard shoulder to drive in when directed
• If you break down or have car problems, move to the left-hand lane (if you can) and put your hazards on, or;
• exit at the next services

By paying close attention to the overhead signage and knowing what to do in the event of an emergency, motorists can safely use this new form of infrastructure, even if for some it will take some getting used to.

Ellie Baker, brand manager at Fuel Card Services, comments: “The introduction of smart motorways will no doubt cause debate among many drivers; however, they are here to stay and a step in the right direction to easing the UK’s future congestion problems.”

The government has announced additional support for smaller businesses developing the latest technologies for the UK automotive sector.

Financial and logistical support is now being provided to companies wishing to take part in many of the nation’s biggest trade exhibitions. An expansion of the UK Pavilions programme will also provide more opportunities for business’ exposure.

Helping small businesses to be seen

This extra support for smaller enterprises is being organised through the Advanced Propulsion Centre’s (APC) International Events Programme.

APC is a joint venture between the government and the UK automotive industry as a centre of excellence in the research, development and production of low-carbon propulsion technology.

It forms part of the government’s ongoing Road to Zero Strategy that aims to facilitate a carbon-free future for UK transport.

Ian Constance, chief executive of the APC, commented: “The cost to a business attending key events in the global automotive calendar can be in the region of £100,000+ once you factor in flights, hotel rooms, stand design and build.

“For small technology developers this can often be out of their reach and therefore can make engaging with potential customers, such as OEMs and suppliers, very difficult. The International Events Programme removes this barrier for entry.”

Jenny Smith, general manager for Tele-Gence, commented: “It’s positive to see the government taking action to support the UK’s small automotive developers. Doing so ensures the long-term future of automotive design in the UK.”

Your business can benefit from affordable telematics with no hidden start-up fees or long-term commitments. Find out how at www.tele-gence.com

One of the greatest challenges in bringing about full autonomous driving is the amount of data that connected vehicles need to transmit and receive in order to stay safe when out on the open roads.

However, a new system is now in development that could soon make this problem a thing of the past, courtesy of an ongoing partnership between autonomous vehicle software developer Oxbotica and Cisco.

Data transfer a headache for developers

According to Oxbotica, autonomous vehicles are required to make upwards of 150 independent vehicle detections every second and generate up to 80GB of data per driven-hour.

As a result, in just 16 hours this equates to a massive 1.2TB of information that needs to be collected and seamlessly shared by the vehicle.

Spread across an entire fleet, the amount of captured data can therefore be enormous, so a system that is able to transfer this information as it is collected – rather than relying on data transfer when a vehicle returns to base – is essential.

Matt MacPherson, wireless CTO at Cisco, said: “For industrial applications where devices, such as autonomous vehicles rather than people, are moving through areas that are covered by Wi-Fi, this technology is designed to enable that simple, automatic connection that users experience when using mobile networks.

“OpenRoaming opens up the possibility of a cost-effective alternative for transporting high-volume data to and from the vehicle, autonomously.”

OpenRoaming could hold the key

The partners have now worked in collaboration to develop OpenRoaming – a system that allows connected vehicles to transmit data via trusted Wi-Fi networks and hotspots to ensure a significant improvement in connectivity.

Ozgur Tohumcu, CEO at Oxbotica, commented: “As part of our Universal Autonomy vision, our pioneering software already reduces the amount of data sharing that is required, allowing vehicles to operate wherever they are, with or without network connection.

“However, we fully recognise that in an autonomous world, fleets will need to upload and download vast amounts of data and the partnership with Cisco offers us the chance to solve one of the greatest data challenges of the future, already today.”

Jenny Smith, general manager for Tele-Gence, commented: “Addressing the issue of how to ensure autonomous vehicles are able to collect and transmit the vast amount of information needed to keep them viable is a major stumbling block for the industry. However, it’s positive to see that this problem could soon be a thing of the past.”

Your business can benefit from affordable telematics with no hidden start-up fees or long-term commitments. Find out how at www.tele-gence.com