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.

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

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

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.

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.”

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.

Rear Seats of the BMW 730d LWB

The Limo Broker Awards in December was an ideal opportunity for me to put the new BMW 730d long-wheelbase to the ultimate test with a long-haul dash from the south-east sunshine coast of Eastbourne, to the withering heights of Cardiff – a round trip of almost 450 miles.

When the all-new 7-Series was launched a year earlier we were lucky enough to put the first versions in the UK through its paces and discover what the flagship Beema had to offer the chauffeur industry. The Seven’s been a favourite for chauffeurs for many years as the long-wheelbase version has always offered a good amount of equipment in the rear seats and excellent luggage space. The only areas which have previously let it down was servicing costs and depreciation – but that goes with any luxury car which costs the wrong side of £50,000.

The latest version has stacks of new technology and the massive widescreen idrive system has been dramatically improved making it much easier to navigate around the system than the previous versions. The various levels of suspension settings give the 730 an amazingly smooth ride – other settings stiffen up the ride but for a vehicle like this, you only really need the ‘super glide’ setting.

The comfort seat option was fitted to our test car and gives the driver an endless amount of seat adjustments giving support in every area. I have always loved the upper back and neck support on the comfort seats which just make the 7-series an absolute delight to sit in.

The enhanced famous BMW Grille on the 730d

So, the first challenge of the journey was to set the GPS – all I had was a hotel name on the outskirts of Cardiff, but this was no problem for the system and it easily located the full address of the hotel using the Point of Interest facility. It also warned me of delays along the route and notified me that I would kindly be charged to travel into Wales.

It was not long before I was re-routed due to the Sunday drivers causing chaos on the M25, so the system adjusted my route and simply took me right around the delays directing me up the M3. This is something I have always ignored in other vehicles, but for some reason you trust the BMW and on this occasion, that was the right choice.

The main thing that stands-out for me in the 7-Series is you do not have to look or reach far to find anything – it seems as if you can just sit back and all the information you ever need is just right there waiting for you. There is a great head-up display which gives you the sat nav directions, the current speed limit, your speed and basically anything else you choose to display in it.

After four hours of driving, I arrived feeling as fresh and relaxed. The most important thing is that my dinner suit which I was wearing was still in a presentable condition, mainly because you’re not constantly fidgeting in your seat to get comfortable.

The 7-Series was treated as a VIP and was rewarded with a parking space right in front of the reception to the dinner. This was a good opportunity for me to stand for a while to see the reactions of fellow dinner guests. It certainly turned a few heads with one guest even keen enough to hop the rope and post barrier to have a closer look!

It’s rare when you go to a dinner and happy with not having a drink, because you are looking forward to the journey home! So, with a full belly, some carefully selected music, cruise control set and empty roads the journey back to Sussex was completely effortless and a delight.

Returning around 40mpg, it is simply stunning that a car this size and with so much power can return such an impressive MPG figure. The engine is smooth, quiet and punchy – personally, I think any chauffeur not choosing this model and going for a larger petrol engine would be silly, as the 3.0 diesel simply offers absolutely everything you need.

From the outside the car is prettier than it has ever been. When it was dramatically redesigned back in 2001, the 7-Series was ugly, and it took many years for chauffeurs to start accepting its looks. A few adjustments to the looks over the following years made a slight difference, but now after the complete redesign it looks powerful, sleek and well thought out.

There are many technological advances in the 7-Series which really proves that BMW is way ahead of some of its competitors. Items such as the camera on the front corners of the car helping on blind corners, internet access, four-wheel steering and the head-up display are all systems which just are not readily available on other high-end cars in the market place.

It is certainly going to be an interesting year for the 7-Series as there is a range of revised and all-new luxury cars hitting the showrooms – but I do think that when chauffeurs find out what the 7-Series can offer his business and clients, it will be an easy choice to make.

Paul Webb

Priced from: £55,260.

The Hummerzine vehicle operated by Earls Limousines based in Manchester, was inspected and passed by VOSA officials at the Belle Vue Stadium, where 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 commented; “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.”

Mr Earl has written to the Chief Constable to appeal against the impounding and is attempting to recover £1,500 of costs.

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.

Why are you running a business? What is your long term aim? You may think they are completely random questions – but this could be the most important factor of your business and will eventually give your company value.

Some businesses have made a plan to build it up and sell it after a certain period of time which is a perfectly good reason to work hard on a new company. So obviously it is paramount to plan ahead and think about what a potential buyer would look for.

Obviously a good diary of bookings, a paid for fleet of vehicles and a good name in the local area would be on the list to look for, but how do they know that bookings will continue to flood in when they buy the company out?

Building a database of your customer base is the most important area for you to work on and using it to your benefit is even more important. You would be amazed on how quickly you can build-up a customer database of all the people who contact you and hire your vehicles.

If you ask all the correct questions and use suitable software you would be able to use this information to produce email newsletters and send them information on packages and special offers.

When compiling a database, it is essential you keep in mind the Data Protection Acts as you have a responsibility to use this data correctly as you could get your company into deep trouble if you abuse this. It is common sense really – only use the data you collect for promoting what the customer enquired about and do not, I repeat, do not sell or pass on the information to another individual or business.

Up-to-date data is worth big money these days and it is tempting to sell it on if you have built-up a good one. However, unless the individual has actually agreed for you to pass on their information to another party then this would be highly illegal.

So, if you have successfully created a customer database, it is time to start using it to its full extent and getting your message to them in an effective way. Firstly, make sure you collect the right information, the fields you need to create in a Excel spreadsheet are: Title, full name, address, postcode, telephone number, mobile number, email address, date of birth, and a field where you can put details of why they contacted you (birthday, anniversary etc).

Email newsletters are a very effective way to promote your business to potential and existing customers, and there are a few ways of sending these. Depending again on how computer literate you are, websites such as icontact (Get an instant free trial account) are companies who manage your newsletters, they cost a small amount, but they are more effective than trying to manage your own mailings.

The benefits of using such systems is that they manage bounce backs (email addresses no longer active), and you will have a number of templates to use to make your newsletters look professional and attractive. For a small monthly cost, you could find this the best option if you are capable of using ‘WYSIWYG’ type software. If you have compiled your Excel spreadsheet correctly, then you will be able to easily upload your file.

Other advantages are that these websites will help you with the Data Protection Act and will include an option for the recipient to unsubscribe from your newsletter which is very important. The systems such as icontact allow your newsletter to be found on the search engines which is a great added bonus.

Your newsletter should include your logo at the top, a short welcome message and two or three special offers. There must be a reason why you are contacting them, do not make it a general email about limo hire as next month it will be deleted. Make sure it is topical and interesting.

A good tip is to look at your typical yearly diary and find some events that your customers have previously attended such as famous race days or rock concerts etc… Find out who is playing at your local theatres and concert halls in the coming twelve months and promote them and put a price on travelling by limousine to that event.

In September/ October time, start promoting Christmas parties and find a local hotel which is hosting a evening where companies can buy a table for the evening. Give you friends at the nightclub a call and find out what special nights they have planned, also talk to your local restaurants and ask them what special deals they are promoting for the Christmas period.

All these can be promoted in your newsletter which gives the reader something valuable and they would have no reason to unsubscribe. If they believe you are on the ball and have good local knowledge and if you keep your packages varied, at least one of them will grab their attention.

Again, if you have a larger marketing budget than most companies, you can use the database to send company branded calendars, mouse mats or any printed material you may have produced. It is always worth spending the time to put a return address on the envelope if you are using the mail, as items which cannot be delivered or those who have moved away will be returned to you, therefore keeping your database up-to-date, and you will not be wasting money by mailing to them in the future.

So, in years to come, when you have made a healthy living from your limousine company and you are ready to sell, you could quite easily have a fresh database of hundreds of customers. You basically cannot put a value on this and all of that hard work will pay off for sure.

Insurance for your limousine or chauffeur car could be one of the most important factors to running your business.

Although there are not many companies in the marketplace offering insurance for hire and reward, stretched limousines such as the Hummer and luxury cars, it is always advisable for operators to shop around for the best deal – not necessarily the cheapest.

There are bound to be some limo insurance brokers who will be happy to take your money, but you must make sure they are offering you the correct services as the last thing you want is to find out when the worse happens.
Unfortunately these days, if you are driving a stretched limousine or an expensive luxury car, they always seem to be targets on the UK roads, either from jealous drivers or drunk teenagers in a busy town centre – so you need good insurance that will cover you for a wide range of issues, not just an accident.

We have heard stories from limousine operators of clients breaking something inside the vehicle which does not sound that drastic, but when a glass sunroof could cost a thousand pounds, it’s essential you are covered.

It may be an idea to invest in a CCTV system in a limousine as these typically stop damage before it happens, but may also reduce your premium and at least will allow you to find out who is responsible.

Recent licensing issues introduced by the government has meant that some insurance brokers are avoiding a certain type of limousine – so be sure that they are aware of the exact make and model and passenger limitations as you could find out your policy is void.

For the executive chauffeurs, it can be the same story, but you are probably transporting a completely different client. Depending on your typical type for work, you must let your insurance company know if you are carrying a person who is deemed to be worth a high amount such as a celebrity or company director.

Although this is not really your problem as the client will probably have his own insurance, but it will give you peace of mind in case anything happens whilst they are travelling in your vehicle.

For a competitive quote, try taking an advance driving course designed for chauffeurs. Typically, these do not have a massive reduction on your insurance premium, but anything counts, and it will also make you a safer driver anyway.

These are just a few basic tips when you are looking to renew your policy, but the main aim is to be truthful and let your insurance company aware of any eventuality.