News.Scotland.Org

June, 16

Good news for all those pedestrians who were walking down the street with a fear in their mind of being a victim of the rising road accidents in the UK. Coming up with a new idea, a Toyota subsidiary is planning to deploy airbags at the front of the bonnet and below the wind screen in cars. This new addition in cars will help to avoid loads of deadly accidents killing several innocent pedestrians every year.

This major car company has introduced this innovative idea for exterior airbags keeping in view the rising number of accidents. This unique system uses sensors linked to a computer system which constantly scans the road ahead and thus calculates if and when the car is about to hit a pedestrian. In such untoward situations the airbags opens up to cushion the impact. Till now cars do use to come with interior airbags for resistance of the accident to the people driving the car, but this unique idea will be a great addition for all.

If we look at the figures, we can find that about 675 pedestrians dies each year in road accidents and many suffer from injuries. In context of these figures this new exterior airbags will definitely prove to be a great help to some how drop the rate of deaths caused by accidents every year. These airbags are developed by the Nagoya- based Toyoda Gosei, who manufactures airbags and other safety equipments for various car companies around the world. It was known that the company has recently presented its new airbags in the motor show held in Japan where it was appreciated.

The design of the airbags is made making sure it reduces the impact of the accident to the pedestrian. The front airbags will help to reduce the waist injuries in adults and head injuries in children. Meanwhile works are still going on to make sure the airbags can fit in to any car model and can go off at the right time.

May, 20

If you are clue less why suddenly the number of cars in the streets of UK has dropped, then check out the soaring prices of petrol and diesel. Travellers in UK are now-a-days are sweating a lot with the confusion whether to travel or not to travel by their cars, this jump in fuel prices has made the life of travellers restless.

If we look at the prices of petrol we can make out how sharply the rates have gone up this year. Even the petrol retailers association had predicted a further rise in petrol by 5 pence a litre by the weekend. In a poll done by AA which included about 17,500 members found that 16% people have cut short their traveling using cars, other 27% people had slashed their spending on other areas to meet the extra price, while about 21% had done both the ways to meet the increased prices of petrol.

It is said that one of the reasons for the jump in prices of petrol and diesel is the rise in the wholesale price of oil which has affected the retail price of fuel. If we compare the present price of petrol and diesel, we can clearly find the difference in the previous and present price which is further expected to go up. The official figures have shown that the car traffic had suddenly fallen by 2% with this surge in petrol rates. Now all eyes are whether the current trend of petrol and diesel price will drop or will remain the same in near future.

April, 21

To keep a check to the rising numbers of accidents in Scotland police have launched a crackdown on the divers who don’t use to wear seatbelts while driving. It is evident that road accidents has been a serious cause of worry for Scotland since a long time, which so far has claimed many lives.

To bring down the soaring incidents of road crashes a drive was initiated by the Scottish police to watch out for all driving parameters one has to flow on roads. In this drive police patrolling will be put in to action in all most all busy roads to crackdown rash drivers. In one of the survey carried out by the Scottish government it was found that over 11 per cent of the motorist don’t wear seatbelts and over 22 per cent back seat passengers also avoid putting their seatbelts.

It was also known that the over speed at which people use to drive is also a major cause for these road accidents. The study has clearly shown that huge number of accidents has occurred due to the high speed driving. The motorists are not at all following the prescribed speed limits and are not only risking their lives but also of others.

This drive by Scotland police will look into all these aspects and will make sure all road safety regulations are followed by the drivers.

Scotland, Jan 4: Alan Morton the fire engine driver who bump into a car while responding to an emergency call was asked to pay over £3,000 as compensation. The 38 year old fire fighter while on his way to his destination was caught behind a queue of traffic at the signal and the court realised that he drove the vehicle towards a busy junction and smashed into Aisling Bateman’s car as it blocked his path.

The investigation later revealed that the fire fighters were not responding to an emergency call but they were following another crew. The 24 years old Ms Bateman filed a civil action against the fire engine driver to claim the damage incurred by her as she didn’t get any indication about the approaching of fire engine. She also insisted that the sound of the siren was only heard seconds before the hit. She was left with no chioce to get rid of the accident as the fire engine approached too fast.

While in a written verdict Sheriff Elizabeth Jarvie ruled that the fire fighter Morton should be held responsible for his careless driving. Morton was then working with Singhtill Fire Station in Edinburgh was ordered to pay the sum of £3,176 to Ms Bateman as compensation. The incident took place on December 28, 2005.

Earlier during the hearing Morton failed to prove that the siren and lights of the engine was on before the time of the crash. Finally Sheriff Jarvie ruled that it is the carelessness of Morton and the breach of his duty paved way for this crash.

Meanwhile a Fire Brigade Union Scotland’s spokesman said that: “The fire engine drivers can use the red lights as a route clearance sign during the time of emergency. The problem is that if it is green light instead of red light while on official duty then the responsibility is left with the fire fighter.”

Scotland, Dec 15: The parking areas in Edinburgh will cost more than usual as the city leaders are considering an increase in the parking charges as an attempt to codify the parking procedures in the city. The city council is planning to increase the hourly parking rate from £1.80 to £2.

Those who breach the parking procedures will have to pay more as the fine amount is categorised as £60 and £80, it will vary as according to the seriousness of the offence. The decision came in the backdrop of the traffic congestion due to the tram disruption. However the officials are giving more priority to the prime city centre areas that are affected by the huge traffic density. In the George Street the parking spaces are lost due to trams and the officials are managing to overcome this by increase in prices.

The City chiefs stressed that the increase in the parking charges is the option but the final verdict is left with the city council. However the motoring groups are accusing the city leaders for considering the motorist as the cash lending machine.

While responding to this the Scottish policy manager for the Institute of Advanced Motorists said: “It is disappointing that they are considering the parking charge hike without even thinking about the improvement in the service and increase in the parking space.

Meanwhile the report says that in order to cater to the demands of the pay and park areas in Edinburgh. The utilisation rate is 100 percent in the city centre. It has been suggested to increase the on-street parking charges across the city with the exception of the extended zones in 2008/09.

“I don’t understand why they are considering this option along with promoting the city centre as the shopping hub. It is obviously an attempt to gain more cash from the drivers,” said Bruce Young, Lothian and Borders co-ordinator of the Association of British Drivers.

A spokesman of the council said: “It is only an option that is under consideration as part of the budget process. It is still in its crude form it has to be refined further to be considered as the firm proposal.”

All the penalties are currently £60 and the £80 option will be used for bad offences, and there would be an option provided to pay half within two weeks.

Scotland, Dec 3: The parking facility in Edinburgh is made easier as the electronic sign boards make the task simple as it will indicates the parking space availability in and around the capital city. The system is set to function after a seven month long interruption.The project under the urban traffic management and control scheme is budgeted at £1.7 million.

Eleven sign boards will be set to live and it will display the messages of roadwork or other road blocks in an attempt to help the drivers. The entire mechanism will cost around £3milliom is expected to pave way for eliminating the traffic blocks across Edinburgh. With in short span cameras will be used effectively to identify the car number plates to streamline the speed limit. The inputs from all these technical gadgets will help in managing the traffic effectively than ever before.

Last week the city’s traffic light system was completely overhauled by including satellite technology to monitor the vehicles especially buses. The installation of the electronic sign boards was carried out in March and there exists a seven month long delay because of the councils wait for the contractors BT and the installation of the communication equipment by the Scottish Power.

While commenting on this the city’s transport leader said: “The system will equip us to help the drivers to identify the parking areas and further quick alerts to improve their journey.”

The spots identified for the installation of sign boards that give indication of the parking spaces include Haymarket Terrace, Dalry Road, Torphichen Street, Lothian Road, Western Approach Road, Dalkeith Road, Newington Road and the Pleasance.

The council believe that the new initiatives will help in relieving the excess traffic jamming and will convert the parking an easy affair in Edinburgh.

The advanced sign boards will give more specific information than those existing ones that only say the parking spaces are “full” or “spaces”. The signs will also give information about the journey time to reach a particular destination.

November, 23

In a latest survey it was revealed that, the British manufactured cars are one of the most and least reliable on roads. This shocking fact was disclosed after a study on the older car models was done. In this survey Toyota Corolla models manufactured in Derbyshire topped the charts as the most reliable car. It was noticed that this car has been the least complaint car and reported just three faults per hundred models. In second position was Honda CR-V manufactured at Swindon with only five complaints.

The survey highlighted that the Japanese car models were built using a modern state of art techniques in comparison with the UK counterparts. This is quite visible from the study which showed, about six of the top ten most trustworthy cars are UK made Japanese models. Out of this the Land Rover and Jaguar are among the worst ten car models.

The main reason for this is the outdated car manufacturing factories; it also raises a question mark of the highly skilled workers and experts involved in the manufacturing process of these cars. This survey has highlighted the grey side of the British car sector which needs improvement.

Just giving some reasons to cheer for the British car manufacturing giant, the UK based MINI was named the fifth most reliable manufacturer. In the list for top cars the car making giant Honda has six of its different variants sitting quite happy.

Whatever the survey has revealed but still the British car industry has some reason to be happy for. Now one can hope in coming years that the British car manufacturers will improve they will gift some really reliable cars to the UK car lovers.

Scotland, Nov 2: Enormous amount of money was spent on the most speculated rail link project to Edinburgh Airport has been revealed. Major portion of the amount was washed-out for professional services like surveyors, lawyers and engineers.

Half of the total amount was used for technical advice as the project requires ground investigation because the tunnel is proposed to be built under the runway to a new station. £3.2m is used for this purpose. Another £500,000 was wasted for the public relation work of the scrapped Edinburgh Airport Rail Link (EARL) project.

The project was dropped last month owing to the alternative solution concerning a railway station on the Edinburgh-Fife route near the Gogar roundabout. The authorities of TIE, the company that give shape to the project said today that the expense reflects its complexities, but the opposition politicians targeting at the wasted cash.

Meanwhile the transport spokesman Alex Johnstone MSP said: “Government needs to be more switched on when it comes to these sorts of projects because it has been proven that once they start the costs can spiral. The new scheme proposed for Gogar is much more sensible and manageable. It is just a pity that this wasn’t realised before all this money had been wasted.”

While commenting on this Paul Tetlaw, chairman of transport campaign group Transform Scotland said: “Lot of money is involved in this project but it gives hint about the nature of costs involved in these major projects. The professional expense for the transport projects in the UK is higher than what it is in Europe.”

The chairman of TIE, Willie Gallagher, the promoter of the EARL scheme said: “By a parliamentary process TIE was asked to take EARL and it was successfully undertaken. These costs reflect the task of taking an ambitious and complex project to the stage that MSPs could deliberate on it. Other costs involved are those incurred in closing down the project efficiently.”

The EARL project gains more importance during the Holyrood elections, The SNP faced the election on a promise to dump the EARL and the trams, but it stressed on the need for an alternative rail route to the airport. The government was compelled to accept setback on the trams but MSPs stand united on the EARL scheme’s revival.

Scotland, Nov 1: The carbon emission is a grave matter of concern all over the world. Global climatic changes and the green house effects are considered as the after effect of the increasing level of pollution level. The Scottish government’s bid to restrict the carbon emission is gaining momentum, and it will get intensified in the coming years.

A conference was organised aiming to create awareness about the adverse effects of carbon emission and there by paving way for low-carbon economy. The head of the Climate Change Bill Team, Susie Gledhill after attending the conference said: “The man-made climate change was real and it is not a matter for debate, action is needed. Officials are working out ways Scotland could cut carbon emission by 80 per cent by 2050, but it would need a collective effort.”

She further added that: “The 80 per cent target is incredibly ambitious - we want to go down to 20 per cent of 1990 emissions. If you imagine trying to squeeze the juice of a lemon or an orange, it’s the juice out of the last bit that’s the most difficult.”

The conference was organised by consultants BRE. The panel on Intergovernmental Climate Change concluded that human activity is the major cause of global warming and recommended quick action to get rid of the adversities.

Industries are the key role in reducing carbon emission. While commenting on the economic consequences of the drive to cut green house gases, Ms Gledhill said: The Scottish government is well aware of that. We have to be practical about where it is appropriate for us to take a lead. There will always be times when there are things that are crucial and you cannot share with competitors but there are a number of things that are just best practice about how you need to motivate staff to switch off computers and lights and car-sharing schemes.”

Tackling climate changes and carbon emission is not just the responsibility of the government but it is also the responsibility of all of us and a collective effort is needed in this regard to save the world for the future generation.

Scotland, Oct 22: Road accidents are on an increasing mode, youngsters are more prone to road accidents and fatal death. A campaign is to be launched which stress the need to drive carefully. Sports personalities and politicians together will promote this campaign.

Minister Stewart Stevenson MSP, minister for transport, infrastructure and climate change will be joined by Scottish Rugby stars Mike Blair, scrum half and hooker Dougie Hall, at Murrayfield as part of the promotional work.

The campaign highlighting the caption ‘Safe Drive Stay Alive’ will be supported by a national website and a series of hard hitting road shows will be conducted as part of the awareness creating measures. The road shows that have already begun depicting the stories of road accidents, deaths and injuries caused as a result of reckless driving.

This road safety awareness campaign is being organised as part of Scotland’s first ever Alcohol Awareness Week. This campaign will try to remind people about the dangers of drinking and driving. The campaign mainly target youngsters aged below 25 as a statistics revealed that one among three Scottish drivers involved in fatal accident are aged below 25, so the campaign is an earnest attempt to create awareness in this regard.

This campaign initiative by the Scottish Government enjoys support from the fire and police authorities of Fife, Tayside, Grampian and Central Scotland. Last year the police authorities raised criticism against young drivers after a series of accident took the death toll on the region’s roads to 26 as against 14 during the same period the previous year.

Proper awareness about the value of life and the ways in which the road safety could be followed are the main objectives of this campaign. Hope this initiative will bear fruit in the near future to covert Scotland into an accident free zone.