'Most dangerous' roads in Britain

Half of all fatal road crashes occur on one-tenth of Britain's roads, according to charity the Road Safety Foundation.

Its report, covering 28,000 miles of A-roads and motorways, says Scotland has the highest-risk highways, followed by parts of northern England. It identified the A537 between Macclesfield, Cheshire, and Buxton, Derbyshire, as the most dangerous road.

The charity wants government spending to be targeted at improving safety on the most dangerous roads. Its report, entitled Saving Lives for Less, suggests the high cost of emergency services and hospitals could be avoided by spending small sums in accident blackspots. The foundation is the British arm of the European Road Assessment Programme, the sister organisation of EuroNCAP, which measures car safety.

It examined accident data relating to roads across Britain. Among its conclusions were:

• A third of all fatal and serious crashes happen at junctions
• Single roads carry six times the risk of motorways and twice that of dual carriageways
• One-in-four fatal or serious crashes on A-roads or motorways involves a motorcyclist
• There was a 5% reduction in the number of fatal crashes on such roads in the past three years
• West Midlands is the safest region

For the full story from the BBC click here...

source: BBC

Final day for the Elgar £20 note

The £20 English banknote featuring the image of composer Edward Elgar will be accepted in shops for the last time on Wednesday.

Banks, building societies and post offices will only exchange the note for a newer replacement at each institution's discretion after then. From 1 July, customers may find they can only swap it by sending it back to the Bank of England.

The alternative £20 note carries a picture of economist Adam Smith. The Elgar £20 banknote, first issued in June 1999, has gradually been replaced by the Adam Smith note since March 2007.

For the full story click here...

source: BBC

Riesling road scheme plans

Wine critics are angered by plans to build one of Germany's biggest bridges and a four-lane motorway through the historic Riesling vineyards of the Mosel valley.

Over 10,000 people have signed a petition asking the government to scrap the project. But local authorities say that it will significantly cut travel times between Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.

For the full story from the BBC click here...

source: BBC

Electric car arrives at Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port plant

Vauxhall's prototype electric car has arrived at its Ellesmere Port plant after workers drove it in relay from the firm's Luton base.

The Ampera goes on sale in 2012 but it is not certain whether it will be built in the UK. Vauxhall bosses have said the Cheshire base, which produces the Astra, has a good chance of making the Ampera.

Managing director Duncan Aldred said the car was "a truly revolutionary vehicle." He said it "catapults Vauxhall to the forefront of electric vehicle technology."

For the full story click here...

source: BBC News

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Rentals Radio Podcast - Clive Lewis discusses key regulatory issues

In this edition of the Rentals Radio show, Clive Lewis from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) discusses with Peter Roper the key regulatory issues to consider in the car and van rental business.

To hear the latest podcast from the ICAEW's Clive Lewis click here...

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source: Rentals Radio - Positive Ground Radio