All the key news in fleet…

The new tool can identify high-risk roads in local authority areas.

New tool to identify high-risk roads in local authority areas

Technology that help local authorities identify where the highest collision rates are on their network has launched from software and business services provider Agilysis.

The combined route analysis and predictive modelling reports use analysis methodologies to identify high-risk roads in local authority areas. The solution delivers an estimated future collision rate based on the current route and provide an alternative to standard cluster analysis methodologies.

The WESC Foundation has selected the Lifestyle Lease car scheme to widen the number of employee benefits available.

Maxxia Lifestyle Lease brings increased funding options

Maxxia has launched an updated Lifestyle Lease solution that brings a wider array of funding options.

The new choices, implemented following the tax changes to salary sacrifice, are intended to widen the scheme’s scope and appeal for employees. Lifestyle Lease is also set up to offer a fully portable salary sacrifice car scheme as the lease agreement is directly with the employee, allowing them to continue their agreement, either through their new employer or privately, if they change jobs.

Gordon Calder-Jones, director of Maxxia, commented: “The enhancements we have made to Lifestyle Lease give it still wider appeal and further reinforce the benefits of a scheme that provides low-cost access to a new car with a fully expensed support package.”

The updated scheme is now being used by the WESC Foundation, The Specialist Centre for Visual Impairment in Exeter, Devon, to widen the number of employee benefits available for staff.

Newly appointed transport minister Jesse Norman.

New transport minister urged to take action on road safety

Brake has written to newly appointed transport minister Jesse Norman calling for urgent action on a number of key road safety priorities.

Measures called for by the road safety charity include reducing residential speed limits from 30mp to 20mph, making Autonomous Emergency Braking technology mandatory, lowering the drink-drive limit to an effective zero-tolerance level across the UK, compulsory eyesight tests for drivers and rigorous enforcement of laws relating to impairment and distraction, including driving hours and mobile phone use.

The charity also says that with road casualty figures stagnating, urgent action is needed on working towards a vision of zero road deaths and serious injuries, and it also calls for casualty reduction targets and a Road Collision Investigation Branch, as new research reveals the UK is among EU countries making the slowest progress on reducing road deaths.

The new campaign highlights that drivers are four times more likely to crash if using a mobile phone while driving.

Distracted driver campaign highlights risks of mobile phone use

A new campaign that highlights drivers are four times more likely to crash if using a mobile phone while driving has launched.

Run by the A9 Safety Group, the ‘Looks Can Kill’ campaign highlights the clear dangers of both looking at and/ or using a mobile phone while driving.

Transport Minister Humza Yousaf said: “Any activity which takes a driver’s concentration away from the driving task is potentially dangerous and we encourage everyone to acknowledge driving as a skill which requires concentration and judgement. I urge all drivers to avoid using mobile phones when behind the wheel.”

There were 4,921 road accidents involving personal injury on Welsh roads during 2016, down 11% year-on-year.

Road casualty figures for Wales continue downwards trend

Newly released figures for police-recorded road accidents in Wales in 2016 show a reduction in the number of road accidents involving personal injury but the number of drivers killed has plateaued.

According to the figures from the Welsh Government, there were 4,921 road accidents involving personal injury, 622 fewer (11%) than in 2015 and continuing the long-term decline in accidents.

A total of 1,005 people were seriously injured, which was 76 fewer than in 2015.

However, 103 people were killed, which was only two fewer than in 2015.

Quartix has won Megabuyte’s Accounting and Enterprise Software Award.

Quartix wins software award

Quartix has scooped Megabuyte’s Accounting and Enterprise Software award at the inaugural Quoted25 awards ceremony.

The company runs an origination, transaction support and data analytics platform and the awards recognise the best-performing mid-market quoted companies in the UK technology sector, ranked according to the company’s Megabuyte Scorecard rating, which evaluates seven key financial KPIs.

The awards are geared to provide an independent measure of public company performance unrelated to share price.