The Twizys are now available for test drives at dealers with larger suburban and urban populations, in keeping with the car’s likely target customers and driving usage.

With an on-the-road price from just £6,690, Renault’s baby electric vehicle is the third of the French manufacturer’s ground-breaking electric vehicle range to hit the UK market and undoubtedly the most striking.

The futuristic Twizy is 2.34m long by 1.24m wide and designed for a driver and passenger to sit in tandem. The stylish, zero emission in road use, two-seater is charged using a standard three-pin plug. Full charge takes three and a half hours, costing about £1 – depending on supplier and tariff – giving a range of about 60 miles, making electric motoring practical, economic and environmentally friendly.

Twizy is powered by a 13kW (17hp) motor with a limited top speed of about 50 mph. The bodywork is extremely visible in traffic to other road-users and both occupants are protected by a deformable structure, while the outboard position of the four wheels and the lateral beams located either side of the chassis provide protection on either side.

The lower-powered 5hp Twizy, limited to 28mph, was not originally planned for the UK but recent confirmation that a new category of European licence – AM – for 16-year-olds and over, coming into effect in the UK from January 19 next year, means Renault UK is now studying its sales potential.

Safety systems include a driver’s airbag, a three-point seatbelt with additional strap for the driver and a three-point safety belt at the rear. As Twizy’s occupants are protected and held in place they do not need to wear protective gear or a helmet.

Unsurprisingly, given its unique looks, there are several more uncommon options and accessories than on your average four-wheeled vehicle. Among them are scissor doors at £545, driver and passenger blanket at £110 and a 50-litre leisure bag at £95 which sits on the rear seat and clips into the chassis so objects stay in place.

Rounding off the more traditional enhancements are metallic paint for £195, a child booster seat at £55 and alloy wheels for £340.

Thanks to its four-wheeled chassis and extremely low centre of gravity, Renault’s unique Twizy delivers a grin-inducing driving experience, while disc brakes all-round ensure precise, efficient stopping power.

Twizy is available from £6,690 on-the-road for the Urban model – there are also Colour and Technic models. Monthly battery lease costs £45 including VAT for a three-year/4,500 miles per year agreement

In total, nearly 900 people have failed their driving test 16 times or more in the last five years

PA

It looks like some people never learn…

Nearly 900 people have failed their driving test 16 times or more in the last five years.

And one woman from Ilford, Essex, failed the £31 theory test, which has to be passed first, 105 times, spending an astonishing £3,255.

Overall women appear to be worse drivers with 563 appearing on the list obtained from the Driving Standards Agency compared with 316 men.

And 23 women failed 25 times or more but only five men.

A woman in Middlesbrough was the worst, getting her licence at the 35th attempt after spending £2,626 on the £75 test.

The worst male was from Knaresborough, North Yorks, who passed his at the 29th attempt.

Yorkshire accounted for a fifth of those on the list with 149 women and 38 men failing the test more than 16 times.

Passing was hard for those in the West Yorkshire town of Heckmondwike with 49 on the list.

Debbie Sommerville, aged 38, of Beech Grove, Dinnington, was fined £200 and ordered to pay costs of £309.02 after using her son’s blue badge to park in a designated disabled bay on Drummond Street while her son was at school.

And 62-year-old David Norton, of Lidgett Lane, Dinnington, was fined £150 and ordered to pay £100 costs after using his mother’s parking badge to leave his vehicle on Norfolk Street, Rotherham, when she was not with him.

Martin Beard, Rotherham Council parking services manager, said: “Drivers need to be aware of the problems this kind of parking can cause for people with genuine disabilities.”

South Yorkshire Police, as a member of the South Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership, is running a series of BikeSafe courses to help riders stay safe on the county’s roads.

Sergeant Graham Sayner of the South Yorkshire Police Motorcycle Wing said;

“As a motorcycle rider you are more vulnerable than many other road users. Provisional figures show that in South Yorkshire alone there were three motorcyclists killed 85 seriously injured in 2011.

“The idea behind the BikeSafe workshops is to remind riders of the ways they can protect themselves on the road, progress to further rider training and ultimately make their riding experience more enjoyable.”

BikeSafe workshops run from 9am to 5pm. They include some theory work in a classroom environment, and about three and half hours out on the road with an advanced police rider. The road sessions will be tailored to meet your needs.

The one day workshop costs £50 per person, this includes lunch and all refreshments throughout the day.

Workshops will be held on the following dates:

• 29th April
• 13th May
• 27th May
• 10th June
• 8th July

Places for each workshop are strictly limited and are available on a first come first served basis.

To book yourself a place please visit the website www.bikesafe.co.ukor telephone 08444 151206.

The ‘real’ lives of people who ride mopeds, scooters and motorcycles are the focus of a new ‘Think Bike, Think Biker’ campaign by Somerset County Council, starting at the end of the month.

“As a biker myself, I do find it an extremely worrying statistic that motorcyclists make up one per cent of all traffic, yet account for a fifth of all deaths and serious injuries in road accidents,” said Cllr David Hall, Cabinet Member responsible for Road Safety.

“In 2010, 403 motorcyclists died and 4,780 were seriously injured nationally. Although these figures are down by about 14 per cent on 2008 it is clear that there is still a lot of work to do.

“This campaign, which is being delivered by Somerset Road Safety, aims to remove the anonymity of motorcyclists and raise awareness of the fact that there are real people beneath crash helmets. This includes people that you and I may come into contact with in other parts of our lives.

“Research for the Department for Transport has shown that road users who personally know someone who travels on two wheels, such as friends, relatives and work colleagues, are significantly more likely to be careful and watch out for motorcyclists.

“As the weather gets better and more motorcyclists come out onto the road, we want to remind people to remain alert. This is particularly so at junctions where around 50 per cent of all accidents involving motorbikes happen.”

Free campaign posters are available to any business, college or other organisations that wish to display them from Jim Newman, on 01823 423 430 or jnewman@somerset.gov.uk .

Road safety charity Brake said the high level of motorists using phones came despite the offence being introduced nine years ago.

Drivers caught using a handset face three penalty points added to their licence and a £60 fine, which the UK government says could increase to £100.

A poll by Brake and insurance firm Direct Line found 48 per cent of motorists chatted on the phone while driving – one in four at least once a week.

Two-thirds of those using their phones illegally used hand-held mobiles.

However, Brake stressed that even using a hands-free phone at the wheel could lengthen reaction times to a similar extent as alcohol, which it said significantly increased the risk of a devastating crash.

The poll also found that 44 per cent of young motorists and 27 per cent of older ones admitted to texting while driving.

Overall, men – 50 per cent – were more likely to use phones while driving than women, at 47 per cent.

A total of 21 per cent of young drivers e-mail, go online or use apps while at the wheel, compared with 9 per cent of older drivers.

Brake deputy chief executive Julie Townsend said: “Use a phone while driving and you are taking a horrendous risk with your own life and the lives of others.

“Many drivers who wouldn’t dream of drink-driving are using phones while driving, oblivious that the effect on your reaction times can be similar.

“We’re urging people to drive smart, recognising that phone use at the wheel can and does destroy lives.

“If you need to use your phone urgently, pull over somewhere safe first – it’s as simple as that.”

She went on: “We are also calling on the government to do more to tackle phone use at the wheel, including banning hands-free phones and bringing in far stiffer penalties.”

Andy Goldby of Direct Line added: “While it is legal to speak ‘hands-free’, it’s just as distracting for the driver.”

Do you have a few minutes to write to your MP and ask them to support our campaign to make our cities safer for pedestrians and cyclists?

On 5th February RoadPeace launched a new website called SeeMeSaveMe dedicated to reducing lorry danger and saving lives. See Me Save Me’s key call is to eliminate lorry blind spots through the use of mandatory HGV safety technologies such as sensors and cameras. That same week The Times also launched their Cities Fit for Cycling campaign which has 8 key manifesto points, the first of which supports See Me Save Me with a call for ‘lorries entering a city centre to be be required by law to fit sensors, audible turning alarms, extra mirrors and safety bars to stop cyclists being thrown under the wheels’.

In just one week over 25 000 people signed up to support The Times’ campaign, and as a result MP for Cambridge Julian Huppert, the chair of the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group has tabled an EDM and secured a three hour Parliamentary debate in support of the Times’ campaign to promote safer city cycling.

This is a great opportunity for us to make the roads safer for both cyclists AND pedestrians, and as a RoadPeace supporter we are asking you to please take action today:

• Write to your MP and urge them to sign the EDM and also attend the debate on Thursday in Parliament

• Sign up to See Me Save Me

The debate will be live streamed on Parliament TV.

And for those of you with a bike in London, there will be bike ride on the eve of the debate to Parliament to demand safer cycling for all.

Thank you for your time and support. We can make a difference.

Amy Aeron-Thomas
Executive Director

And as you join the left-hand lane you enter a whole new world: motorway driving.

It soon feels like second nature but that first trip is memorably daunting, not least because motorway driving isn’t something you’re taught while a learner.

At the moment it is illegal to get behind the wheel on motorways in the UK until after passing your driving test.

This means inexperienced drivers are confronted with traffic driving at speeds of 70 mph or above without any preparation; an anomaly Roads Minister Mike Penning hopes to change.

The MP recently unveiled plans for learner drivers to undergo training on a motorway, if they are in a dual-controlled car and accompanied by a qualified driving instructor.

The changes will not be obligatory and will not form part of the test.

But, where relevant, learner drivers will soon be able to experience motorway travel and it is hoped the legislation, which is due to come into force this summer, will make the country’s roads safer.

David Hamilton, chairman of Carlisle and District Driving Instructors’ Association, welcomes the idea. He already takes new drivers onto the M6 through Pass Plus.

The scheme offers post-test tuition to 17 to 20-year-olds in the form of six practical modules on a range of subjects which are not currently included when learning to drive, including motorway driving.

Participants not only learn to be safer drivers, they can potentially receive a reduction on their insurance premium.

“I agree with this proposal; it is something that’s been advised by instructors for quite a long time,” David says of Mr Penning’s plans. “When young learners pass their test they have the option of Pass Plus but they are not obliged to take it and quite a few decide not to.

“Motorway driving should be part of learning to be a good driver and it seems cockeyed that you can go onto a dual carriageway as a learner but not the motorway.

“After all, on a dual carriageway you can go up to 70 mph and there are all kinds of factors to take into consideration.

“But pupils should only go on the motorway when they are properly ready for their driving test, and only with a driving instructor, not with parents or a friend. In our view that would not be acceptable.

“And it has to be at the right time – close to the test date and not just a few lessons in – but the instructor will know when the pupil is ready.”

David believes pre-test lessons on the M6 would be especially beneficial for learners in rural Cumbria, who have the option of mostly minor or A-roads while learning.

“Around Carlisle the only stretch of dual carriageway is near Scotby, for about half a mile, so for that kind of practice we have to go further afield,” he adds.

Kirsty Dewhurst from Warwick Bridge has been learning to drive since last December and is due to sit her test in the next few weeks. She believes motorway lessons could be beneficial.

“I think it would be a good idea, it’s quite a scary thought but would be less scary with a driving instructor and as part of the lesson. It would give you the confidence to go on the motorway once you’d passed.”

The 18-year-old is planning to leave Cumbria and go to university in September, so being able to drive back home will be essential.

“I hope to save up for a car when I go to uni and it will be helpful to have the practice on the motorway then I can bomb backwards and forwards. I’m going to do the Pass Plus but it’s expensive and I’ve already spent a lot of money on driving lessons.”

Katie Taylor from Carlisle passed her test recently.

The 17-year-old thinks she would probably have been too fearful to drive on the motorway while still a learner, and that passing her driving test gave her the confidence to face her fear.

“I did my Pass Plus and I now drive on the motorway all the time, I drive up and down the M6 to visit friends in Scotland,” says Katie, a sixth former at Austin Friar’s.

“The first time I did it I was terrified, it was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done, just how fast I was going.

“It was the first time up to 70 miles per hour and with all the other lorries and cars around it was scary.

“I’ve got used to it now and it’s fine, but if I’d had to do it before I’d passed my test I’d have hated it because I wasn’t a very confident learner.”

The Road Haulage Association (RHA) is not thrilled at the idea of motorways suddenly being awash with red L-plates.

“Motorways are not a safe environment for either the learner driver or other road users,” says RHA Chief Executive Geoff Dunning. “While we are not in favour of learners drivers using the motorway prior to their test, we would welcome the introduction of formal motorway training by a qualified instructor before new drivers venture out unsupervised.

“We would also welcome the mandatory use of green P-Plates for newly qualified drivers and consider that their use should be included in the New Drivers Act.

“P-Plates provide a simple, safe and cost effective method of showing others that there’s a new driver on the road who should be given due consideration.”

Mr Penning’s plans will not be compulsory because some people who live in rural areas would have a long way to travel for the training. This is good news for David Murray, a driving instructor who teaches people in west Cumbria, from Workington to Maryport, Whitehaven to Cockermouth.

“I think it’s a good thing in theory. It would be very useful, bear in mind that someone can pass their test on the Monday and be on the motorway on the Tuesday, and it’s a lot different driving on the motorway,” he asserts.

“But being out west it would take a long time to get onto the motorway and would be too expensive for pupils. You’d be looking at lessons of around two-and-a-half to three hours. There is already Pass Plus where we do a couple of hours on the motorway, but not many people take the Pass Plus now.”

David has been a driving instructor for five years. Before that he was a long-distance lorry driver.

He adds: “As a lorry driver I’ve seen both sides and I can definitely see the benefits of motorway lessons.

“There are a lot of bad drivers out there; not just young ones who have just passed their tests but people of all ages.”

First published at 11:27, Tuesday, 21 February 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk