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Official figures show that at least 10 people are killed each week and 100 seriously injured in crashes involving people driving for work.

Brake announces latest Pledge training dates

Fleet operators in Manchester, Edinburgh, Swindon and Birmingham can sign up for Pledge training from Brake to help them educate at-work drivers on road safety.

Delivered by experienced trainer and long-standing Brake supporter Tracey Fuller from Arval, the training courses offer practical tools and resources on effectively engaging staff and managing road risk on six key areas of road safety.

The courses take place on Wednesday 5 July in Manchester followed by Tuesday 19 September 2017 in Edinburgh, Tuesday 10 October 2017 in Swindon and Tuesday 5 December 2017 in Birmingham.

For more information and to book online, visit www.brakepro.org/take-part/pledge, contact Brake on +44(0)1484 559909 or [email protected].

Sword Apak forecasts that the used car market will remain ‘resilient’ to both economic and political changes to at least the end of 2017.

Brexit uncertainty to benefit used car market

The UK used car market will remain ‘resilient’ to at least the end of 2017 in the face of both economic and political changes, according to wholesale funding software expert Sword Apak.

James Powell, executive vice president, said that although in the short-term, falling disposable income, rising inflation and the general election have seen auction businesses reporting a softening of used car activity by dealers, he expected both conversions and values to stabilise in light of consumer demand as cars  buyers turn to the used sector.

Powel added: “There are many disruptive and evolutionary influences on the car buying market place, including the (as yet uncertain) Clean Air approach, along with the previously identified political and economic influences. However for car buyers, a used car has historically been seen as the safe haven option. We expect to see this scenario to play out again as the year unfolds.”

A total of 191 people were killed in reported road accidents in Scotland in 2016; 23 more than in 2015.

Increase in number of people killed on Scotland’s roads

The number of people killed in reported road accidents in Scotland rose in 2016, with the figures for casualties also showing some increases.

The data, published by Transport Scotland, shows that 191 people were killed in reported road accidents in Scotland in 2016, 23 more than in 2015 and up by 13.7%.

Provisional headline figures for road casualties reported to the police in Scotland in 2016 show that the total number of casualties fell by 1% between 2015 and 2016 from 10,974 to 10,881, to the lowest number since records began. However, the number of people seriously injured increased by 6% to 1,693.

In line with the Scottish Road Safety Framework, the statistics provide updates on progress against Scotland’s road safety targets, with the number of fatalities down 35% on the 2004-2008 baseline – the 2020 target is a reduction of 40%. Serious injuries were down 35% on the baseline – with a 2020 targeted reduction of 55%.

Transport Minister Humza Yousaf commented: “The longer term downward trends are positive and show that we are making good progress towards meeting our targets and the annual decline in the total number of casualties, to the lowest level since records began, is encouraging. However, I am resolute in my determination to save lives and to meet the ultimate vision set out in the Framework, where no-one is killed on Scotland’s roads.”

Jason Wakeford, spokesman for Brake, added: “Today’s statistics show that, while progress is being made toward some of the 2020 Scottish Road Safety Framework targets, there is far more work to be done.

“We urge the Scottish Government to implement a default 20mph limit in built up areas, accompanied by additional speed enforcement on roads by the police. Brake is also calling on the European Commission to urgently update new vehicle safety standards and the UK government to set up a Road Collision Investigation Branch. Understanding and collating the details of individual road crashes and the circumstances that led to them is critical, to enable lessons to be learned and help prevent future deaths across the country.”

Tracker’s technology led police to three ‘chop shops’ across England, each as part of separate investigations.

Tracker technology uncovers ‘chop shops’ across England 

Three ‘chop shops’ across the UK have been uncovered with the help of tracking technology from Tracker, leading to seven arrests and the recovery of over £340k of car parts.

Under separate investigations, police in Northamptonshire recovered a clutch of stolen vehicles and made two arrests while in Essex, police found over £340,000 worth of cars and parts, resulting in five arrests. Meanwhile in the West Midlands Tracker helped officers recover 13 vehicles, lifting the lid on another organised crime operation.

Andy Barrs, head of police liaison at Tracker, said the cases show how vehicle thieves continue to target rural areas for high-value vehicles, plant and farm machinery.