Halfords Autocentres 2019 Roadworthiness Report…
…Kim Henson has studied with interest this enlightening document.
A very comprehensive new report from Halfords Autocentres (https://www.halfordsautocentres.com/advice/blog/roadworthiness-report) highlights and explains a multitude of facts and figures relating to many aspects of motoring in the UK today. Notably they include accidents, vehicle defects and breakdowns, MoT regulations, the safety or otherwise of our roads, potholes and possible accidents/vehicle damage that they cause, and congestion. It also asks the pertinent questions ‘What can be done?’ and ‘What needs to change’ (to improve matters).
The mass of data (collected from a wide variety of sources) is analysed within this report to draw attention to the problems faced by motorists in their daily lives on the roads, and to suggest what they, campaigners and the government can do to address these issues.
The report, which I found easy to read and fascinating, is presented as separate sections under relevant headings, and contains information that might be surprising to some readers. For example, in the first section on ‘Accidents in the UK’, a graph using Department of Transport data shows the steadily declining numbers of road casualties resulting from accidents, over the last few years. It also makes the point that despite increasing numbers of vehicles and more congestion, deaths on the roads have actually decreased in number since the mid-1960s. Nevertheless, with more than 25,000 people killed or seriously injured last year, our roads are still potentially dangerous places…
It is worth reading the full text of the Report to discover many more interesting facts; in the following text I will mention a few, as examples…
In terms of vehicle defects and breakdowns, the report tells the story that according to Highways England, each year they are called on to deal with more than 85,000 vehicle breakdowns on the road that it looks after. Notably, many of these breakdowns could have been avoided by basic vehicle checks having been carried out. Perhaps unsurprisingly, breakdowns are most likely to occur on a Friday and during the summer.
The section on MoT rules underlines the fact that many motorists do not know about/are not fully aware of the new system (brought into play in May 2018).
In addition, the Report shows that the 2019 Halfords Roadworthiness Quiz showed that many participants (of some 22,387 in total) lacked basic knowledge in terms of the MoT rules, basic car maintenance and road safety knowledge!
The safety of our roads, including some notorious junctions, and the dangers associated with potholes, plus the potential damage that these can cause to vehicles, is also covered in depth.
The question of congestion and increasing vehicle numbers is addressed too.
Under the final main heading of ‘What needs to change?’, among other aspects the Report concludes that drivers need to wise up on the rules of the road and on looking after their vehicles to keep them safe, and the government should properly fund maintenance and improvement of the road network (applying far more money than is currently the case). In addition the Report underlines the fact that traffic congestion needs to be addressed to save time and money for all.
To read the Report in its entirety, please go to: https://www.halfordsautocentres.com/advice/blog/roadworthiness-report