Too Many Road Signs Says AA  

Half of UK motorists think that there are too many road signs, according to the latest survey results* from over 8,000 AA Populus panel members. More than one fifth strongly agreed that there were too many.

The AA warns that too many signs leads to information overload. Road sign audits should therefore be set up to remove redundant or confusing signs.

The survey also showed that agreement about there being too many road signs increased with age with only 38% of 18-24 years olds saying there were too many signs, whilst 66% of drivers over 65 agreed there were too many.

In terms of the usefulness of road signs over three quarters agreed (more than a quarter strongly) that not all road signs are useful. When asked what percentage of road signs drivers actually thought were useful, some 87% agreed that more than a half were useful and over 36% saying that three quarters were. Only 13% said that less than a half were useful. Interestingly, there was significantly less variation of view across the age range on this point. 

Commenting on the results, AA President Edmund King said: "This survey comes at an important time for road signs in UK with the Department for Transport carrying out a root and branch review of our signing system. It is clear that we need to rationalise some of our signing, however, a majority of signs are deemed useful. At times we do try to bombard the motorist with too much information, such as at junctions with more than 16 different signs. Essential signs include those crucial to road safety or those which help us avoid breaking the rules and getting a ticket."

"Clear direction signs or signs to an attraction can reassure drivers and allow them to concentrate on the road ahead. Too many signs confuse motorists. Highway Authorities also need to remove redundant signs and clamp down on illegal sign erectors."

The AA suggests that drivers planning a route can use a combination of methods such as the AA route planner, check the journey on a map, use a satnav and also keep an eye on the signs. 

When it came to the condition of road signs, over a quarter (28%) did not agree that road signs were generally well maintained though (55%) agreed that they were. Those most in agreement with this were those aged between 35 and 44 (59%) and those least likely to agree were those aged over 65 (49%). Drivers in the south were most likely to agree that signs were generally well maintained (59%), whilst those in the North-East and East of England disagreed that they were well maintained (30%). 

Edmund King continued: "Road signs are essential to road safety and getting around hassle free, but they must be in good condition and understood by all road users - now is the time to have your say on road signs, join our on-line AA Zone debate at: http://zone.theaa.com/forum/forums/thread/102/ and we will make sure government transport officials take these views into account when they develop their new sign policies".

Results:

Spain Puts UK To Shame On Road Deaths

Figures released by Spain's Dirección General de Tráfico show a drop of one fifth in road fatalities. 2,182 were killed in 2008, some 559 fewer than the previous year.

Despite Spain having a similar number of vehicles on the road as the UK, the most recent fatality figure in the UK was 2,946, a damning inditement of failing UK road safety policy.

Trends over the past fifteen years have seen Spain more than halve their annual fatality figure despite rapid traffic growth whilst the UK have only seen a reduction of around 20%.

So, how have Spain achieved this success and how can the UK road safety establishment learn from their experience?

ABD spokesman Nigel Humphries explains:  "Spain, like the UK will have benefited from the dramatic improvement in car design. Without this it is likely UK casualties would have risen, road safety policy here can take little credit for our miserable achievement. Spain, unlike the UK has invested greatly in engineering, ironing out blackspots, realigning road junctions, bypassing towns and villages and replacing the most dangerous roads with dual carriageways. They have also relied on good old fashioned policing. 'Trafico' officers can often be seen watching the roads and pulling up suspicious looking vehicles or drivers. They have introduced a positive points system, as suggested by the ABD for the UK, and clamped down on drink driving. What they have not done is to flood the country with speed cameras, nor does there seem to be a great emphasis on speed enforcement.

Here in the UK road safety policy has concentrated almost solely on cameras and enforcement and people are still dying."

ABD Chairman Brian Gregory commented: "The UK road safety chiefs need to learn and learn fast that their policies are failing. We need a return to good old fashioned policing and investment in engineering. How many more need to die before they wake up?"

Auto Trader Warns Motorists Of Increase In 'Crash For Cash' Insurance Fraud Scam

Auto Trader, the UK's no 1 motoring website and magazine, is calling on all motorists to be aware of a significant increase in 'crash for cash' insurance scams in 2009.

'Crash for cash' is a staged car accident, where someone deliberately crashes into an innocent motorist and claims on insurance or demands cash. 

Auto Trader Insurance estimates that 'crash for cash' scams may increase in 2009, as the effects of the credit crunch drive criminals to look for new ways to make money at the expense of innocent motorists.

Fraudulent motor insurance claims have soared by more than 70% in the past four years according to The Association of British Insurers, with fraudsters submitting false motor claims of £5 million a week. Motor insurance scams add about £40 a year to the premiums of honest motorists. 

Tom White, Head of Financial Services at Auto Trader, comments: "This shocking type of induced accidents is not only one of the fastest-growing types of serious claims fraud, but is also the most dangerous - whilst most fraud doesn't physically hurt anyone, this type of scam could result in serious injury or even death in 'crash for cash' collisions. 

"This type of insurance fraud is on the rise and we are urging all motorists to get clued up on the warning signs. 

"Generally, 'crash for cash' accidents follow a general pattern - it happens at a busy roundabout or junction and the driver in front brakes suddenly, for no reason. Be aware of other road users around you - the car in front may actually have been following you beforehand and selected you to target.

"The 'crash for cash' claims often feature hugely inflated claims for damage and injuries and often fictitious passengers are added to the claim, as well as fictitious witnesses, bogus mechanics or made-up doctors are used to back up the claim.

"If you suspect you have been a victim of 'crash for cash', do not raise your suspicions at the time of the incident. Instead, make sure you gather together as much factual evidence at the scene - take photos of cars and passengers and make sure you double count the number of passengers in the other car, as often this number increases in a bogus claim. Most importantly, try to find an independent witness and once you report the incident, make sure you tell the police and insurance company about your suspicions.

"Be aware that there are more sophisticated versions of the 'crash for cash' scam cropping up in the UK. The first is known as the 'swoop and squat', which is harder to detect than when a car just slams on their brakes in front of the innocent driver. This scam involves three cars - the innocent motorist plus two driven by fraudsters. First, the 'swoop' car intentionally pulls ahead of the 'squat' vehicle and cuts it off, causing the driver of the squat car to slam on his brakes. Following behind the two is the innocent motorist, who will no doubt crash into the back of the vehicle. 

"The swoop vehicle has plenty of time to drive off before and the innocent motorist will inevitably tell the police that the swoop vehicle caused the accident. But because this car is never to be seen again, it'll be the innocent motorists' car insurance company that has to pay out.

"The 'panic stop' crash is where the fraudster crams a car, which is normally an old and shoddy looking vehicle, with as many passengers as possible, then drives around looking for a suitable target. When the victim has been found, the fraudsters drive in front of them while one passenger keeps watch out of the back window. The passenger studies the victim, looking for any signs of distraction, such as fiddling with the stereo, or otherwise taking their eyes off the road for a second. As soon as that happens, the passenger signals to the driver who slams on the brakes, causing an accident.

"The 'helpful' driver scam happens when trying to merge into another lane of traffic. The fraudster will motion the innocent to come in and then speed up so that they collide, later denying all knowledge of their earlier signalling.

"Another type of car scam insurance fraud is false 'hit and run' claims where the criminal will report to the police and insurance company that an innocent motorist has been responsible for a hit and run accident, knowing that once challenged by the Police or insurance company, the innocent motorist will of course deny all knowledge of an accident, yet 'witnesses' will place the vehicle at the scene.

The public can report insurance fraud by ringing the IFB Cheatline on 0800 328 2550 or online at www.insurancefraudbureau.org/report/."

CITROËN DS CONCEPT TO DEBUT AT GENEVA MOTOR SHOW

The stunning CITROËN DS INSIDE concept will be making its public debut at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. Providing clear evidence of CITROËN's positive thinking, the Company has also announced that it will be launching brand new models at the rate of one every six months for at least the next three years, and, one of the most exciting aspects of CITROËN's forward planning is the announcement of a whole new, and totally separate, affordable premium model range - christened DS (Different Spirit).

The CITROËN DS INSIDE which will be displayed at Geneva is a concept car realisation of the first of this future DS range. From a team headed up by British designer, Mark Lloyd, the DS INSIDE is characterised by its strong visual presence and seductive styling, and embodies the very best of CITROËN, standing apart from the crowd with its creativity, intelligent design and quality.

The concept is based on the smaller of the forthcoming DS models, the DS3, and will be the first to be launched in 2010, followed successively by the DS4 and DS5. The models will be positioned as premium models in, respectively, the small, medium and large car segments.