The Association of British Drivers has welcomed the news that camera partnerships will be forced to publish speed camera data but implores the government to insist upon full and accurate data.

ABD Chairman Brian Gregory explains: “The ABD have years of experience attempting to get raw data out of elusive partnerships without success. Any data grudgingly released is invariably missing vital information or spun in a misleading fashion. This cannot continue”

The ABD calls for all camera partnerships to be forced to reveal the following:

Full details of casualty & accident data per billion vehicle kilometres at each camera site 5 years either side of installation.

This should include accident & casualty dates, exact speeds of vehicles involved, directions of travel and distance from camera location.

Effects separated into ‘fatal’;'serious injuries’ and ‘non serious injuries’ (not misleading ‘KSI’)

Causal factors in the accidents (drunk, drugged, unlicensed ,stolen vehicle etc).

Other changes to immediate road layout and significant area changes during the ten year period.

Brian Gregory continues: “Only when armed with the full information can the public see exactly what effect an individual camera has had. Of course, the raw data will also need to be ‘trend adjusted’ i.e. casualties will have fallen everywhere over any recent ten year period due to huge advances in vehicle design.

A chauffeur security company has suggested the recent attacks on the Royal limousine could have been much worse if the convoy was diverted.

Protesters in London smashed windows and threw paint at the unarmoured limousine in which Prince Charles and Camilla were travelling in – it was later revealed that bodyguards were seconds from drawing their weapons on the crowd.

Jon Goodege from Security Chauffeur College told thechauffeur.com; “It is easy to criticise the actions after the event, however there are some aspects of the event that could have been easily prevented considering the situation within London that day.”

He added; “To have chosen an alternative route could have diverted the convoy down a route which could have had several choke points which would have left the convoy in a potentially difficult situation. The alternatives could have been far worse than what they actually endured.”

The attack on the Royal couple came as the Security Chauffeur College launched its range of courses for the industry from close protection, security driving and general chauffeur techniques.

Jon Goodege, who’s background includes being a qualified close protection officer and Head of Security for The New York Times Baghdad Bureau added; “UK Special Forces groups have dedicated support assets available to them whenever there is the requirement; this situation highlights the requirement for dedicated support assets to the royalty protection group, irrespective of external or proximity events. These times of additional demand are generally the times when the royalty protection group also need it most.”

Security Chauffeur College recently announced a launch special offer on all of its courses which start in the UK in March 2011. Chauffeurs can now obtain the Level 3 Advanced Award in Security Chauffeuring qualification for a discounted rate of £1,500 +VAT if booked by 1st February.

thechauffeur.com has been chosen as its exclusive media partner which co-insides with the websites seventh anniversary.

For details on the special offer, visit www.securitychauffeurcollege.com

More good news for Skoda as Northern Ireland’s largest taxi and chauffeur company agree’s to buy 140 Superb’s. The deal worth £2.5million was agreed between John Mulholland Motors Ltd, Northern Ireland’s largest Škoda retailer, and Value Cabs.

With the Government scrappage scheme coming to an end this month, this deal couldn’t have come at a better time for the Country Antrim-based Škoda retailer. John Mulholland, Managing Director of John Mulholland Motors comments, “Although 2009 was a record-breaking year for our company, this landmark deal allows us to move into 2010 with extreme optimism in the current climate.”

John Mulholland Motors has been supplying Škoda vehicles to Value Cabs for the last six years and is proud that over 110,000 passengers each week are experiencing the spacious and luxurious Škoda Superb. Chris McCausland, Managing Director of Value Cabs, explained, “As Belfast’s number one taxi company, the Škoda Superb was the obvious choice – the build quality is renowned and most importantly they are extremely economical and ultra-reliable vehicles.”

John Mulholland Motors has been the number one supplier of fleet vehicles to various Northern Ireland businesses including the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, Translink and Northern Ireland Ambulance Service. “We aim to provide our business customers with cost-effective, reliable fleet vehicles with great finance offers and, of course, the highest level of customer service.” says John Mulholland.

Škoda’s Superb model scooped Best Large Car of 2009 at the What Diesel Car of the Year Awards, beating 17 other contestants thanks to its design, unique Twindoor tailgate system and outstanding fuel efficiency. Value Cabs customers will experience luxury, comfort and enormous amounts of legroom in the flagship Škoda Superb.

Full test drive of the 3.6 V6 Skoda Superb coming soon from thechauffeur.com

Greater Manchester Police has apologised to a limousine hire operator after wrongly seizing a COIF approved Hummer vehicle.

The Hummerzine vehicle operated by Earls Limousines based in Manchester, was inspected and passed by VOSA officials at the Belle Vue Stadium, when traffic officers then enquired into the driver of the limousine.

Police apparently told the driver he was not covered to drive the limousine for hire and reward and the vehicle was impounded by the officers, leaving the operator with a string of pre-Christmas bookings which could not be fulfilled.

Owner, Jason Earl has now received an apology from the Police after they realised the mistake and also for more confusion as to where the vehicle was being stored – causing more stress and wasted time according to Mr Earl.

Jason told thechauffeur.com; “The driver has a full D Category on his license to drive any PCV vehicle. The Police said this did not cover this type of vehicle as it was a small PCV, requiring a D1 Category on his license. I spoke to the officer and explained he was wrong, but he would not accept this and impounded the vehicle based on this.”

He added; “Whilst we waited at the Police station the following day to recover the vehicle, we met another operator who had also had a vehicle impounded. He had spoken to the DVLA which confirmed that a D Category covers any PCV vehicle.”

In the letter, the Inspector offered to refund the £190 impounding fee, and is likely to recieve more than a thousand pounds compensation for loss of business from the Civil Litigation Department.

Hummerzine is the first company to be able to obtain a full Certificate of Initial Fitness on any Hummer H2 limousine. The company has apparently spent three years and hundreds of thousands of pounds to be able to provide the conversions.

A Facebook campaign is underway to put the ‘Embrace Life’ campaign, the newest campaign from the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership (SSRP), in the forefront of chauffeurs minds.

The powerful video highlights the importance of wearing a seat belt and because of the uniqueness of the production, there are now calls for it to be aired on national TV. The video can be seen by visiting www.embracethis.co.uk.

Neil Hopkins, Communications Manager for the SSRP, commented; “I am delighted by the way that Embrace Life has been welcomed by the public. We developed the concept to provide a talking point around the issue of individuals not wearing their seat belts.

“It appears that we’ve touched a nerve with the campaign, and I’ve received many positive comments concentrating on the way that Embrace Life delivers an emotional impact, but without the use of blood or gore.”

The advert is also being picked up by motoring blogs and public discussion forums, driving further traffic to www.embracethis.co.uk – and many viewers are calling for the advert to be shown more widely on TV.

“We are keen to open the dialogue with the team at the Department for Transport (DfT) responsible for putting out the national road safety TV campaigns,” Neil continues.

“We’ve had individuals from all walks of life – including the creative sector – praising the film and urging us to promote it via TV. As a local partnership, we haven’t got the financial capability to create a national TV campaign, which is why we’re looking to work with the DfT who already use the medium to get their messages out.”

The campaign is also gaining attention through some of its more unorthodox promotional techniques. Working with a prominent graffiti artist has seen sites in Brighton, East Sussex, previously littered with unsightly tags turning into large scale public place artworks to support the campaign.

For all of the positive comments and promotion of Embrace Life, it is important not to overlook the reason that it was created.

“Not wearing a seat belt can make what should be a minor accident into a major one,” concludes Neil Hopkins.

“On the morning of the launch, we heard from a Clinical Fellow in A&E who had been treating a driver thrown through his windscreen because he was not wearing his seat belt.

“It’s likely that he’ll never walk again, nor be able to provide for his family and all because he didn’t spend a moment clipping his seat belt in. We hope that Embrace Life reminds everyone how important it is to be properly belted in, whether you’re the driver or a passenger.”

The Mercedes-Benz brand is the chauffeurs’ top choice when it comes to buying a luxury limousine, according to industry website thechauffeur.com

In a recent survey, 58% of readers reported the three-pointed star is the most requested vehicle by chauffeur clients despite tougher competition from other manufacturers in recent years.

In 2007, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class was voted as the chauffeurs favourite following a large scale survey conducted by thechauffeur.com – the first of its kind in the UK.

Andrew Thomson from Platinum Cars (Sussex) Ltd, told us; “Our family has run Mercedes-Benz vehicles since the sixties and I even got married in the Mercedes 600 Pullman. When we started up the company, we surveyed corporate and private clients and the Mercedes S-Class was the car most aspired to.”

He added; “By choosing the S-Class, we are protected from any credit crunch and it has been a good business choice. On occasions we have been tempted by other manufacturers but none of them have really come up to the standards we have got used to. We now have three S-Classes, an SL and a classic Mercedes Limousine as the service support we get from our local Mercedes dealership is fantastic.’

The other main brands listed as being popular choices by the chauffeur industry were BMW, Chrysler, Jaguar, Bentley and Rolls-Royce.

Editor of thechauffeur.com, Paul Gibson commented; “It is no surprise that Mercedes-Benz is still the top choice for chauffeurs. The brand still has a great deal of kudos and some chauffeurs are nervous about investing in some other models in case their customers continue to demand a Mercedes-Benz vehicle.’

He added; “I expect this to start changing in the coming years with the introduction of some amazing new luxury cars and many manufacturers investing more time and money into the chauffeur industry.”

The survey also highlighted that a massive 46% of the industry is considering buying a new vehicle within the next twelve months. Results from the stretch limousine market show Lincoln being the most popular choice of vehicles closely followed by the Hummer and Chrysler 300 vehicles.

It was an evening of back-patting and hand-shaking as the best operators within the limousine and chauffeur industry were awarded for their successes – but outside in a single parking space was another industry winner! Paul Webb takes the all-new BMW 730d on a cross-country sprint. Read More