When it is fit for purpose (not today imho), Road Casualties Online is a new website designed to allow members of the public to perform their own analysis and examination of Reported Road Accident Statistics to reach their own road safety conclusions. I’d have thought this could be very helpful to Local Authorities in future.

I visited it today to see if I could find out how many road accidents were caused by dangerous cars. But I couldn’t (perhaps I need a bigger brain?) and the 2009 data isn’t there yet. So I looked at the DfT’s Road Casualties Great Britain report for 2009 recording fewer deaths on the road, fewer casualties and fewer pedestrians involved in accidents compared to 2008.

Still too many of course but the key findings were that:

• 4 out of 5 of the most frequently reported contributory factors involved driver/rider error/reaction.

• 36% of all fatal accidents involved loss of control.

• 5% of all accidents were put down to speed but these accidents involved 17% of all fatalities.

• 13% of accidents were described as ‘exceeding the speed limit’ and ‘travelling too fast for the conditions’ and accounted for 27% of all fatalities.

I have always wondered how many ‘cars in a dangerous condition’ (this is not a DfT statistical category) were the reason behind the ‘loss of control’ 36%. Clearly when you are looking at a fatality the car may well be a write off and nigh on impossible to inspect the condition of a tyre blow out, I’d have thought. But this category will certainly be influenced by speed, driver error/reaction and surely the condition of the vehicle; mainly to do with tyre neglect I’d have thought.

I wonder if the tyre safety and insurance companies can add to this research?

There are certainly moves afoot for insurance companies to refuse accident claims involving cars that are unfit; either because they haven’t been maintained or serviced properly. And whilst we know that the motorist will be held responsible, I wonder if anyone investigates whether a garage was involved or can be held accountable?

Am I being paranoid? In an industry that isn’t licensed and where mechanics don’t have to be qualified?

Perhaps but if the likes of Which? and BBC Watchdog can pinpoint so many supposedly good garages that aren’t spotting or fixing important safety related faults, then the potential for accidents, fatal or otherwise, must be considerably increased. Ipso facto.

FOXY Steph

Read FOXY Good Garage Guide here before choosing a local garage near you.

More than five million motorists are driving dangerous cars says breakdown recovery organisation Britannia Rescue. In a recent survey it found that the most common faults were worn tyres, defective brakes and faulty exhaust pipes.

This is worrying because worn tyres and faulty brakes can cause serious accidents and could lead to the car’s owner being held responsible for any damage or injuries caused.

Amazingly some 20% of drivers had known about the fault on their vehicle for more than six months but not bothered to do anything about it.

One in three said they could not afford to fix the problem whereas one in 10 said they did not have time to get their car repaired.

Try that as an excuse in law after an accident where someone was injured or killed.

Some 5% of vehicles in need of repair, says Britannia Rescue, had broken or missing wing mirrors, while about the same number had broken head or tail lights.

We find that some women drivers are so busy with family, domestic and job commitments that their car often loses out in terms of its regular care.

And the recent vehicle recalls by so many manufacturers, not just Toyota, tell us that nearly new cars are as likely as older ones to have serious safety issues so we need to remember to have our cars checked, maintained and serviced regularly to be sure they are safe.

Even those of us that do check our own car tyres, oil and water levels can miss important safety matters because we don’t know what else to look out for.

I’d worry that a dangerous car I owned might cause a serious accident that could kill or seriously injure my passengers, pedestrians or the occupants of other cars. Never mind the metal.

And increasingly we read that owners of poorly maintained cars have their insurance cover withdrawn when it can be proven that an accident was caused because the car owner had not carried out regular maintenance or had it serviced often enough.

I wouldn’t want to have that on my conscience for want of making an occasional hour to pop into my local garage for a free car check…

FOXY Steph

Find out how women drivers can save money on everyday motoring bills and enjoy free seasonal car checks.

Find out how to choose a good and female friendly local garage.

ONE than five million motorists are driving dangerous cars says leading breakdown service Britannia Rescue. Its survey found that

• The most common faults were worn tyres, defective brakes and faulty exhaust pipes. It goes without saying that worn tyres and faulty brakes cause accidents and could lead to a motorist being held responsible for injuries caused to another.

• One in five drivers had known about the fault on their vehicle for more than six months but not bothered to do anything about it.

• One in three said they could not afford to fix the problem whereas one in 10 said they did not have time to get their car repaired, neither of which would be an excuse in law if they caused an accident and someone was injured or killed.

• Some 5% of vehicles in need of repair had broken or missing wing mirrors, while about the same number had broken head or tail lights.

Steph Savill of female friendly marketing service FOXY Choice suspects that some motorists have become complacent about their cars, imagining that if they are fairly new they are probably safe.

“Just as the recent vehicle recalls by so many manufacturers tell us, even nearly new cars can have serious safety issues and we mustn’t treat our cars like household appliances, doing little to take care of them and expecting to throw them away when they get old. Even those of us who are competent at checking our car’s tyres, oil and water levels can miss important safety concerns because we don’t have the professional eye to spot the unusual.”

Steph recommends that all motorists have their cars checked by garage professionals on a regular basis and explains that

“A dangerous car can cause a serious accident that could kill or seriously injure the driver, passengers, pedestrians and the occupants of other cars. Those who own a poorly maintained car may find that their insurer withdraws cover if it can be proven that the accident was caused because the car owner had neither carried out regular maintenance nor had it serviced often enough.”

Find out where the good and female friendly garages are in your area.

Find out how women drivers can save money on everyday motoring bills including garage charges.

FOXY Steph