The days of driving your child to school could soon be at an end if clean air campaigners get their way.

The Swap The School Run For A School Walk report, submitted to the government, outlined 21 recommendations to make it easier for children to walk to and from school, including a call for a ban on cars at the school gates at drop-off and pick-up times.

Government in the dock

UK charity Living Streets, whose mission is to achieve a better walking environment and inspire people to walk more, has delivered a report to the Transport Minister, Jesse Norman, asking for the government to take urgent action to improve the walk to school.

Jenni Wiggle, Living Streets Director of Local Impact said “We would like to see more local authorities working with schools to ban people from driving up to the school gate – adding to air pollution, congestion and road danger during drop-off and pick-up. Walking to school not only improves our air quality but is a great way for children to build more exercise into their daily lives, helping them to arrive to school healthier, happier and ready to learn.”

Only last week The European Commission announced that it will refer the UK government to the Court of Justice of the European Union for continuing to ignore levels of air pollution.

New figures from the Department of Transport have shown that cars used for the school run account for one in four cars on the road at peak times. This comes only one year after a joint investigation by the Guardian and Greenpeace’s UK’s journalism project Unearthed announced that thousands of children were being subjected to threatening levels of air pollution outside teaching and care facilities.

Killer statistics

• Over 1,000 nurseries in England and Wales, which look after 47,000 babies and children, sit within 150 metres of a road that is breaching legal limits of NO2 from diesel traffic.
• Air pollution causes long-term health issues and debilitating diseases and results in 40,000 premature deaths each year in the UK.
• A study of 11,000 children in the US confirmed that children living within 500 metres of busy roads had reduced lung growth compared to children living over 1,500 metres from such roads. It also establised that children exposed to high levels of NO2 had a higher chance of getting asthma.

Diesel vehicles most responsible

Leaders of eight cities with a serious air pollution problem labelled the government’s new clean air plan as inadequate. Campaigners said a ban on petrol and diesel cars from 2040 wouldn’t help the thousands of people dying every year from illnesses linked to deadly exhaust fumes.

Elżbieta Bieńkowska, Industry Commissioner, said: “We will only succeed in fighting urban air pollution if the car sector plays its part. Manufacturers that keep disregarding the law have to bear the consequences of their wrongdoing.”

A spokesman for the Department for Transport said: “We are determined to make cycling the natural choice of transport for people of all ages and backgrounds, and we want to increase the number of children that usually walk to school. This government recognises for those living in rural areas there may be few alternatives to driving to school, which is why we are also investing £3.5bn in green transport [and] encouraging the uptake of electric vehicles, which will also improve air quality.”

Children are extremely susceptible to air pollution as their exposure is often greater and they absorb and keep pollutants in the body for longer, say experts.

Alison Cook, Director of Policy and Communications at the British Lung Foundation said that toxic air is linked to asthma and chronic chest problems, and damage to the lungs in early age is irreversible. Illegal levels of pollution around schools is worrying, and while banning cars from school gates will help reduce pollution in classrooms and playgrounds but will that make a big enough difference? Ms. Cook added that action on local and national level is needed to help people move to cleaner forms of transport such as walking, cycling and public transport.

Rosie Rogers, Senior Political Advisor at Greenpeace said: “Ministers’ apathy on this issue so far has been nothing short of a dereliction of duty. Michael Gove should swiftly come up with a clear plan to tackle the diesel vehicles responsible for most roadside toxic pollution and an outright ban on the sale of petrol, diesel cars and vans from 2030.”

Changing the tradition

For years parents have done the school run with many walking their children to school on a daily basis, talking to other parents and getting the latest information from the teacher. In more recent years, thanks to Ofsted ratings, parents are driving their children out from their local schools to ones that are rated higher in the hopes of ensuring their child has a better education.

Could one simple change that the campaign has missed out on be sticking to a school within walking distance of the house? Most people growing up walked to school unless they were in rural areas, and then some got the bus. There are often grants for families with young children who need bus passes and some counties offer minibus service for primary school age children.

Do you do the school run? Are your children affected by air pollution near their schools? Do you agree with the proposed ban? Let us know in the comments.

Understanding the choices and options regarding how we fuel our vehicles now and in the years to come has always been relatively straightforward; unleaded, diesel or AFVs (Alternatively Fuelled Vehicles).

Buyers take advice and guidance from authoritative sources, and when encouraged by incentives from the Government, those choices become easier. Just as we’re now encouraged to buy hybrid or all-electric, there was a time (in recent memory) that the same applied to diesel – we were actively encouraged to take the diesel option.

Research tells us that diesel perhaps may not be the saviour of the internal combustion engine, even with such giants as Bosch actively working toward better solutions, society is in crisis, with worldwide legislators introducing a raft of changes without any definite plan.

Banned from cities

One such example of ‘no clear plan’ is the recent placing of signs within the city of Hamburg, Germany, that are banning the use of diesel on two major roads within the city. Despite the signs being placed in readiness for a ban, no clear outline or structure has been issued as to what diesels will be targeted – everything but the current Euro 6 compliant vehicles? Or Pre-Euro 5?

Critics are saying that it is nothing more than a gimmick; the two roads in question just happen to have air monitoring stations on them, and there is the issue that any detour would likely lead to extra miles being added to a journey, therefore, more pollution.

Here in the UK, we’ve already seen a surfeit of owners that have been penalised for following the Government’s advice, which now leaves them facing punitive taxes, both directly and indirectly, and yet the Business Secretary, Greg Clark has insisted “there is still a place for diesel”.

Road to Zero

With the confusion in Germany, and the ever-changing opinions regarding the use of diesel here in the UK, is it any wonder that new car sales have slumped by 8% over the last year? Or that diesel sales in particular are down 32%? Some cynics may say that Clark’s statement is a rather ineffectual push to boost sales of new cars, but until a clear strategy is in place, the market will remain deflated.

Despite the lack of clarity, or set policy, other organisations are looking to implement measures targeting diesel vehicles also; Richard Cairns, Headmaster at the independent Brighton College, has recently spoken of targeting environmental issues. He plans on creating a working group, made up from the school’s sixth-formers to investigate the effects of diesel, and he’s not ruled out the banning of teachers and parents using diesel cars from entering the site.

Has the government rushed ahead?

Trying to make sense of the where the legislation is at is a minefield. We know that certain documents have been leaked regarding the Road to Zero policy, we also know that some statements made are baseless and mean very little – the banning of hybrids that can’t manage 50+ miles on electric power only in 22 years means nothing.

But what with diesels? It seems that the world is against them, and yet our Business Secretary has made a bold statement saying they’re not yet dead, and he sees a future for them. To quantify the statement, he has said that it could be a further option, perhaps for long-distance haulage, but surely that’s not an acceptable answer?

How will this affect you?

Logic tells us that buying a diesel right now isn’t the sensible choice, and given the slump in sales numbers, it would seem that buyers agree. However, it’s looking more likely that these proposed regulations are ‘fluid’ and very likely to be different in a year, never mind in ten or even twenty years.

Germany is the first country in the world to set an outright ban like this, and other European cities are set to follow, but again, it seems possible that the ban is potentially more of a political move, rather than one to help with air quality, this is purely about showing their commitment and ‘hardline’ stance – a little style over substance if you will.

If you own a diesel, there is no doubting that you’re going to see an increase in the cost of ownership, but as always, there are things that you can do to minimise that expense. If you’ve already registered with PetrolPrices, download the app to give you a clear understanding of where to find the cheapest fuel in your locale while you’re on the go.

Keep an eye on supermarket price wars or discount vouchers, they can save you approximately £5 per fill, this could equate to around £260 per annum as an average. Of course, make sure your car is mechanically up to the job – no sticking brakes, slipping clutch, dirty air filter or flat tyres.

Aside from that, we’re all just waiting to see which way the Government is leaning, once things have been clarified, we’ll be sure to tell you.

Do you feel that the government are deliberately muddying the waters? We can’t see a clearly defined plan or strategy, do you? Should we just forget about fossil-fuel and embrace the future of electricity and PHEVs? Let us know in the comments below?

With up to 12 million UK motorists receiving a fixed penalty notice every year, a new study carried out by independent registration company Regtransfers shows which areas of the UK fixed penalty notices are being issued the most and why.

The eye-opening results, taken from official government data sources, cover offences from speeding to failing to stop at a red light and shows just where we can find our nation’s worst drivers.

Crime hotspots

The study covers 2.7 million police-issued penalties in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland throughout the tax year of 2016-2017, with the data showing the number of driving offences per 10,000 drivers registered within each police force division. The combined data from City of London Police and Metropolitan Police forces show results for London as a whole. Despite Scotland using several, local police forces recorded data present as one police area.

The figures, compiled by Regtransfers, highlight the locations with the highest number of offenders caught and punished for seven of the major driving offences.

These offences are:

• Careless driving
• Insurance and licence offences
• Not wearing a seatbelt
• Parking offences
• Running lights and ignoring road signs
• Speeding
• Using mobile phones at the wheel

Avon and Somerset take the lead for the worst driving, with 197,692 fixed penalty notices issued overall. That’s 1,785 driving offences for every 10,000 drivers over the twelve-month period.
The ten worst areas for all driving offences per 10,000 drivers are:

• Avon and Somerset: 1,785
• Cumbria: 1,455
• Warwickshire: 1,410
• Norfolk: 1,388
• Bedfordshire: 1,385
• Northamptonshire: 1,231
• Humberside: 1,148
• Lincolnshire: 1,124
• West Yorkshire: 1,120
• Merseyside: 1,107

Whether this means that the police in these areas are particularly vigilant or the people driving in these areas are more willing to take risks while driving is unknown, but the stats do prove a point that in certain areas of the country there are more fines than others, even if the population size is similar.

Drivers fined every two-and-a-half seconds

In 2017 the RAC Foundation found that drivers receive a fixed penalty notice every two-and-a-half seconds, meaning around 13,000 motorists get fined each day. In a year it is estimated that one-third of the 40 million drivers on our roads will receive a fixed penalty notice for something.

The introduction of fixed penalty notices (FPN) for careless driving offences came into force in August 2013. The concept of having a fixed penalty notice is not a new one as FPNs have been used for minor parking offences since 1950 in Great Britain. In more recent years FPNs have been used for other driving offences such as careless driving, ignoring road markings and others as dictated by the Road Traffic Act.

Driving offences

Careless driving offences include driving under the influence of drink or drugs, middle lane hogging, overtaking dangerously, and tailgating. Scotland came out worst in this category with 11,890 fixed penalty notices issued for careless driving last year, equalling to 36 fixed penalty notices per 10,000 drivers.
With 45,940 fixed penalty notices issued for offences such as driving with a provisional licence without a supervisor and L-plates, driving while underage, driving without at least third party insurance, or driving without a licence at all, Scotland also scored highest for fixed penalty notices here with 139 FPNs per 10,000 drivers.

Drivers in Essex held the place for highest number of seatbelt offences, resulting in 47 fixed penalty notices per 10,000 drivers (or 5,819 issued for the year). Offences cover not only failing to wear a seatbelt while driving but for failing to have the correct child restraints for children under the age of 14.

Gwent motorists are more likely to receive a fixed penalty notice for parking offences, including parking in a prohibited spot, parking in a resident bay without a permit, parking in a pay-and-display area without a valid ticket, and parking on double yellow lines. Drivers in Gwent received 6,500 penalty notices between 2016 – 2017 or 178 fixed penalty notices for every 10,000 drivers.

As this data is only for fixed penalty notices issued by the police, expect figures to be much higher when including parking penalty notices issued by local councils and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).

Fines not deterring people

The greatest number of fixed penalty notices issued for running red lights and ignoring road signs or markings occurred in Leicester with 8,675 fixed penalty notices issued. This works out at 131 for every 10,000 drivers. Offences included in this category are failing to follow traffic signs, or with the direction of a traffic warden, and driving anywhere else but on the road.

With the most common driving offence throughout the entire UK being speeding, the worst offenders are Avon and Somerset motorists, clocking up 184,65 speeding tickets in last year. Whether from exceeding the statutory speed limit on public roads or motorways, these motorists are being caught and punished for 1,657 offences per 10,000 drivers.

The smallest penalty for speeding you can expect is a £100 fine and three penalty points added to your licence. You could receive a driving ban if you receive 12 or more penalty points within a three-year period. With 62% of motorists admitting to speeding in 2017, it seems that the heavy fines in place are still not deterring people.

Drivers most guilty of using their handheld devices while in charge of a vehicle are those in London, with 25,872 penalty notices given to drivers over the twelve months period. Averaging at 52 offences per 10,000 drivers, the offences cover making or receiving a call while behind the wheel (using hands-free devices is still legal) or for any use of a mobile phone while the engine is running, even when stationary.

Severe penalties and tough fines

The punishment for receiving a fixed penalty notice depends on the seriousness of the offence. If you’re issued one, you may receive a fine or a fine and points on your licence. Fines paid within 28 days won’t result in any further action and in some FPN cases, you can receive a discount by paying within 14 days of receiving the notice.

If you dispute the offence, you must go to court where if found guilty, you’ll receive a heavier fine than if you had taken the original fixed penalty notice.

While many motorists will argue that even the most careful drivers get caught out in a driving offence in their lifetime, drivers can avoid the more obvious offences such as using a mobile phone while driving.
In March 2017 the law changed, doubling the penalty for motorists caught using a mobile phone while driving, with drivers now expect to receive six points on their licence and a £200 fine. The reduced number of fixed penalty notices issued for mobile phone use being due to the new legislation is up for debate.

How does your area’s driving behaviour compare? Have you ever received a fixed penalty notice and if so, did you think it was fair? What changes would you make to the current laws? Let us know in the comments below.

Just when you thought ‘future-proof’ motoring meant going hybrid or all-electric, rumours have been leaked regarding the Governments ‘Road to Zero’ strategy, which is looking at banning the sales of certain new hybrids from 2040, along with diesel and unleaded.

Currently, there is no defined list or parameter regarding the ban, although it’s thought that Road to Zero will target plug-in hybrids that offer less than 50 miles of travel on electric power only, which would mean most of them on sale today.

In fact, it’s been estimated that 99% of the hybrid cars sold today would not be allowed under the proposed legislation.

Knee-jerk reaction

A recent study has described the UK’s air quality as a ‘national health emergency’, so it’s entirely possible that the ‘leaked’ proposals are to combat that. However, a statement from the Department of Transport states “it is categorically untrue that the Government is planning to ban the sale of hybrid (and plug-in hybrid) cars in the UK by 2040. The Road to Zero strategy is yet to be finalised and has not been agreed by ministers”.

As to the reality of the situation, it’s entirely possible that the Government could take this action, but is this more a question of being seen to do something, rather than looking to introduce heavy-hitting measures against cars?

Hybrid-powered cars have been around for decades, the first true hybrid dates back as far as the 1900’s (Lohner-Porsche Elektromobil), but in more recent times, the car that started it all was the Toyota Prius, introduced back in 1997.

The purpose of hybrid

Putting aside performance cars, a hybrid vehicle has been designed for one purpose only, and that is to offer something ‘greener’ for the average motorist. If you wanted economy, there are dozens of cars that will outperform a hybrid in terms of pure MPG, and some cynics may say that manufacturers are jumping on the bandwagon in response to the CAFE legislation (Corporate Average Fuel Economy).

Hybrids have been designed to travel only short distances on electric power but making a vehicle travel further than 50 miles on battery power alone is easy, just ask Elon Musk. The technology is available, manufacturers are already looking to extend the ranges of most of their hybrids anyway, so is this shocking headline anything more than the British Government beating their chest and proving their green commitment to the world?

Mike Hawes, Chief Executive of the SMMT says “unrealistic targets and misleading messaging on bans will only undermine our efforts to realise this future, confusing consumers and wreaking havoc on the new car market and the thousands of jobs it supports”. Surely the number of industry experts who are warning the government on this matter should be raising flags to the Environment Secretary? At this time of change, the car industry needs stability as the transition to an electric world starts.

Long-term effect

Technology changes day-to-day, the legislation does have to keep pace to a degree, but announcements such as this “Hybrids will be banned!” effectively means nothing today. We have another two-decades before we face the ban, isn’t it likely that as a natural progression, hybrids will be able to travel further than 50-miles?

The bigger question should be regarding infrastructure, and how that will affect us. It’s clear that fossil fuels are on the way out, motorists are slowly coming to terms with electrification – just 5.2% of all new vehicle sales this year have been electric, although that number is steadily rising, but while we will be encouraged to go green, just what are the logistics?

Over two-thirds of households in London have no access to off-street parking, being able to access a charging spot could be more difficult than parking outside your own home, and while there are new technologies in development, who foots the bill?

Charging an electric car in public costs around £10 for an 80% charge on average, including subscription costs, connection fees and monthly recurring fees. It is a necessity for an electric vehicle to have an overnight plugin spot as using the public speed charging points can be harmful for the battery with long-term use.

How will this affect you?

Until an official announcement has been made, there is very little that we can do with the information. Whether the Government do/do not ban certain hybrids in 2040, it’s unlikely that any car purchase decision made today will impact any driver in 22 years time.

With that said, gaining a better understanding of where the legislation is heading could sway your purchasing choices later on, keeping abreast of the situation is as much as you can do right now, and we’ll be updating this article when more information is released, so keep checking back.

The pace at which technology moves and changes means that banning hybrids that can’t reach 50-miles is a complete non-event, but given that Government can introduce legislation at any point, maybe we’ll see that target change.

It seems that while stating that banning the sale of new combustion engine cars by 2040 was a very strong message that provided the Government with real environmental credentials, if this change is also announced as official policy it feel like it may hinder efforts rather than improve the situation.

Do you think announcing a ban on the sale of new hybrid engine cars now 22 years beforehand is worth doing? Would it even influence buying a hybrid car now? Let us know in the comments.

Roadworks are one of those things that we all grudgingly accept on our roads. But a new report shows that more than nine in ten of these roadworks are delayed and a chief cause of the delays is blundering local councils.

Misfiring roadwork plans

Official figures have been published that show the extent of disruption around the UK caused by roadworks that take longer than they are planned. Drivers across England and Wales suffer from the equivalent of 128 years (or 47,000 days) of overrun roadworks every month.

And at the heart of the problem is councils and utility firms who start work but then don’t finish it on time for various reasons. In some cases, the projects are planned for days and end up running for weeks, causing massive disruption to drivers.

The government has already had a crackdown on utility companies to ensure that they are more organised and punctual with their roadwork plans. But the report shows that it is local councils that are behind many of the problems leading AA president, Edmund King, to accuse them of ‘taking their eye off the ball.’

Shocking figures

The England and Wales Performance Scorecard, compiled by the Highway Authorities and Utilities Committee, looked at a range of details about roadworks. Some of the most shocking figures to come from it included that road repairs carried out by local councils or their contractors were three times more likely to overrun. This is compared to work done by energy, water or telecoms companies.

Another problem is that workmen working for the local councils are often less likely to repair the road surface after the work is done to the required specifications. On roads already suffering from huge pothole problems, this simply adds more frustration for drivers.

An example being the roadworks carried out between April to July 2017. These lasted for 4.2 million days or 68% of the total roadworks carried out. But they were responsible for 132,000 overrun days or 94% of the total delays.

Compared with this was utility forms who carried out 1,965,000 days of roadworks which were equivalent to 32% of the roadworks. And they were responsible for just 9,000 overrun days.

Work carried out

Local councils tend to carry out a variety of work on the road including resurface and filling in potholes. They also are responsible for changing road layouts and adding ‘traffic calming’ measures such as speed bumps. These projects can be more prone to delays than other types of projects which can cover some of the overrun days.

Utility companies are more likely to dig up roads to repair infrastructures such as water mains or gas pipes. Or they may open roads to lay new pipes or to upgrade broadband infrastructure.

Examples of the problem

There are plenty of examples of the problems caused by overrun roadworks and the chaos they can cause. The A3 near Guildford saw one lane closed at the beginning of May when roadworks overrun, and a contractor vehicle then broke down. The problem led to drivers having a delay of 55 minutes on their morning journey as an exit slip road was also closed for roadworks.

Another example of chaos came from the M4 in mid-April. The motorway was closed westbound after roadworks took longer than expected. When they were due to open at 6am, a resurfacing lorry then broke down, causing major delays. To make things worse, mild temperatures meant the road surface wasn’t ready for use. To add to the misery, an accident with a car and lorry then made the situation even worse for drivers.

Adding to the problem

The problem of overrunning roadworks has a knock-on effect towards dealing with another huge problem drivers are facing around the UK – the problem of potholes. The harsh winter, including the infamous ‘Beast from the East’ weather front, has caused the problem to worsen dramatically and local councils are already struggling to deal with it.

According to the RAC, the period from January to March this year saw a 2.3% increase in the number of call-outs associated with pothole damage including broken suspension springs, damaged shock absorbers and distorted wheels. This is double the rate for the previous three months and equated to over 5,500 cases.

The problem led to the government allocating an extra £100 million for councils at the end of March. But if the local councils are having so many problems with projects overrunning, the question has to be – can they get around to fixing the potholes, even with the extra money?

Necessary evil

There’s no doubt that roadworks are a necessary evil that is crucial in keeping the road network operating. But as the AA’s Mr King pointed out, delayed roadworks waste time, money and test the patience of drivers. And while utility companies have traditionally been blamed for the problem, these new figures show that a greater problem lies with the local councils.

A Local Government Association spokesman said that councils tend to do ‘longer-term roadworks’ that are more likely to overrun and claim that comparing data with private companies is misleading.

Have you ever suffered due to overrunning roadworks? Was it due to a utility company or a local council project? Let us know in the comments below

Pedestrians who are elderly or young, visually impaired, deaf or use headphones while walking are at risk of being hit by electric and hybrid cars due to how quiet they are at low speeds. This is resulting in calls for them to be issued with noise generating technology that will alert pedestrians who may not otherwise notice them coming.

Although the EU is introducing rules which state that these cars must be fitted with low-speed alerting sounders, will it be too little too late with the Government’s push to get more of these environmentally friendly, but silent, vehicles on the UK’s roads?

Electric vehicles are ‘Silent Killers’

The biggest call for electric and hybrid cars to be issued with technology that creates a sound comes from road safety group SteerSafe who have branded these vehicles as ‘Silent Killers’ because vulnerable people cannot hear them approaching which puts them at risk of being hit.

This includes the elderly, the blind, children, the deaf, headphone wearers, and those who are preoccupied or unwary and unable to take in what is happening around them.

SteerSafe is headed up by founder Christopher Hanson-Abbott OBE who gained his OBE for services to safety in transport when he made the first reversing alarm for large vehicles 40 years ago. He has stated that he would like ministers to set an example to the rest of Europe by being the first country within this continent to make noise emitting technology on quiet cars compulsory.

Over in the United States, they are already ensuring that all new hybrid and electric cars make noise at low speeds to help to keep pedestrians safe.

Although the EU will be making it mandatory for car manufacturers to fit these devices to new cars from 2019, with all electric and hybrid cars already on the roads being required to have a sounder retrofitted by 2021, SteerSafe feel that this is not good enough as these ‘Silent Killers’ are already causing a risk on the roads.

British engineers have been working on creating a sounder for quiet vehicles for over five years, with most designs being speakers which are fixed to the car and work in the direction that it is travelling so that the noise doesn’t annoy those who are not in the vehicle’s path.

A variety of sounds have been tested, including the whine of an old electric motor, the rumble of a petrol or diesel engine, and computerised squawks, and the sound would be emitted when the vehicle was travelling at 19mph or slower when there is little or no noise from the wheels on the road

The rise of electric cars

Due to the Government investing hundreds of millions of pounds in trying to increase the number of environmentally friendly vehicles on the UK’s roads, and offering tax breaks to those who drive one, there was a 40% rise in registrations of these cars last year and 45,400 new cars sold on the road by the end of 2017.

It is also expected that these figures will rise due to the fact that no new petrol or diesel cars will be sold after 2040. In addition to this, leaked details of the Government’s ‘Road to Zero’ policy make it sound like any vehicle that can’t travel 50 miles on electric alone will also be banned from sale, and this includes all of the hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles that are currently on the market.

Although many people are in favour of driving a vehicle which does not damage the environment, it is vital that the issue of how they put vulnerable people at risk is taken seriously as the amount of accidents is simply rising with the number of these cars that are being driven.

Accidents caused by quiet cars

In research carried out by the charity, Guide Dogs for the Blind in 2015 they found that people are 40% more likely to be hit by a car that makes little or no sound in comparison to a petrol or diesel model and that there was a 54% increase in incidents with quiet cars between 2012 and 2013.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also back this up with their statistic that 2,400 pedestrians are injured every year by quiet cars, and that issuing sounders would put a stop to this high number of incidences.

Guide Dogs manager James White has pointed out that they are totally in favour of increasing the number of eco-friendly cars on the roads, but that more has to be done in order to make them safer.
Since electric cars are so quiet at low speeds, the only thing to suggest is as a pedestrian is to become hyper-aware at road junctions and crossings. Look in all directions when crossing and of course, make sure that you abide by the road traffic regulations and cross when the road signs are green in colour.

Are you concerned about the risks caused by quiet electric and hybrid vehicles? What noise do you think would be the most effective at alerting pedestrians about the vehicle’s presence? Let us know in the comments below.

Diesel fuel has been firmly in the crosshairs of the government and environmental campaigners for a number of years now, and December 2017 saw a record fall in sales for new diesel cars – down 31% from the previous December.

The reason why diesel, in particular, is being targeted is down to emissions; the combustion process produces Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), which include Nitrogen Dioxide, Nitrous Oxide and Nitric Oxide. Studies have shown that long-term exposure to some of these will significantly increase the risk of respiratory problems, and Particulate Matter (from diesel) has been shown to cause cancer.

Here in the UK, there were 11,940 premature deaths attributed to nitrogen oxide last year, and a further study put Oxford Street, London as the second highest level of nitrogen oxide pollution in Europe.

Test Bed Driving

Manufacturers have to prove their product emissions through the use of a test bed – an engine dynamometer or rolling road, which in theory, works well. Anyone in the automotive trade will tell you that these don’t simulate real-world driving conditions, and ‘driving’ a test vehicle in a cell that’s perfectly controlled (heat, humidity, load, speed, air pressure) doesn’t put the same demands on the engine or drivetrain.

This can lead to such situations that Volkswagen found themselves in back in 2015, although whether that was a deliberate abuse or genuine mistake, only Volkswagen know, but new European legislation was passed in 2017 that required new cars to be tested with RDE (Real Driving Emissions).

The Bosch Breakthrough

The regulation currently states that all new cars should emit no more than 168 milligrams of NOx per kilometre under urban, extra-urban and motorway driving, but that is set to be tightened further in 2020 – the target is 120 milligrams.

As one of the world’s best-known fuel-injection (FI) manufacturers, Bosch has developed a new FI system that could see the revival of diesel once again. In a recent statement, they say that 13 milligrams of NOx per kilometre is entirely possible, with no loss of economy and performance, and no increase in CO2 emissions.

They go on to say that even in the most extreme of conditions, they’re averaging just 40 milligrams per kilometre – still under a quarter of the current limit, regardless of weather, temperature, traffic or speed.

The system uses a combination of advanced fuel-injection technology, newly developed air management systems, and intelligent temperature management to make this possible, but Dr Volkmar Denner, Bosch CEO still believes there’s further development to be done with increasing reliability on artificial intelligence (AI).

Denner’s vision is to create an engine with virtually no impact on ambient air; no significant particulate or NOx emissions, for both unleaded and diesel engines.

Future Planning

We often see plans to reduce emissions, improve mpg, boost power, but they tend to be a statement of where a company wants to be heading rather than what they’ve been doing. In this case, the technology and components are available now, off-the-shelf, ready to be picked for a production run.

As to what this means to the sales price remains to be seen, but Bosch has said that it wouldn’t necessarily mean an increase to the price for a consumer, but as with any technology, it’s usually the end-user that pays for development.

So if you have diesel car that you know is high polluting, what can you do?

Waiting for the system to become commonplace isn’t really viable – despite what Denner says, manufacturers will have their production schedules in place for some time to come, so the reality is that we may not see the new wonder Bosch system fitted to a productionised car for at least a year, perhaps longer. Can we wait another year? Or does that mean all purchases are put on hold until it is on a production vehicle?

Nor do we know how viable it would be to retrofit this new technology, or even if it’s at all possible? There are over 12 million diesel cars registered in the UK, and while the newer diesels may be ‘clean’, it will take a number of years to replace all 12 million.

There’s very little you can do right now to change things, but you can at least ensure that your vehicle is working to the best of its abilities – making sure your particulate filter is clean is perhaps the biggest step, but the rest of it is regular, good practice; correctly inflated tyres, clean air filter, regular oil changes are just common sense and will help to keep your car running as it should.

It’s great to see that manufacturers are still pushing development of fossil-fuelled vehicles and that the death knell that appeared to be imminent might just have been postponed for now, but we’re still in the dark when it comes to plans. Of course, we could end up with further segregation for cars, but in all reality, unless the technology becomes widely adopted, and recognised by the government, this could be just a little too late.

With society knowing about the dangers of diesel, do you think that it’s possible that this could turn things around? Would you even look to swap from an unleaded vehicle to diesel if this became common practice?