Department for Transport UK

The road casualty statistics for Great Britain just released by the Department for Transport (DfT) are worrying in a number of ways, says the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS). They show no reduction in drink-drive deaths since 2010 – remaining at 240 deaths a year and no reduction in total road deaths and a two per cent increase in serious casualties in the past 12 months (to 31 March 2016). Seven police forces, including the largest ones, Metropolitan and Greater Manchester

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) says this week’s announcement by the Department for Transport (DfT) of a consultation on driverless cars is a positive step. As well as setting out regulatory changes to better facilitate the use of driverless vehicles in the future, the document also restates the potential positives from HGV platooning. The document notes that platooning should allow HGVs ‘to benefit from reduced aerodynamic drag and therefore increased fuel efficiency. Platooning could also free

Winners of the European ITS Hall of Fame Award 2016 have been announced by Ertico-ITS Europe. The Awards are an opportunity to highlight the successes of the most outstanding, ambitious and innovative ITS deployments and to reward the people and organisations most worthy of recognition and praise. The Lifetime Achievement Award goes to Professor Eric Sampson, who has had a major impact on ITS development and deployment in his various roles first at the UK Department for Transport, as one of the founders

Transport & Travel Research (TTR) and parent company Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) have secured funding for a pilot scheme to reduce tailgating by business drivers from the Road Safety Trust, a charity that funds research to support its objective of reducing road casualties. TTR is now seeking interest from potential local authority partners that would act as a host for the pilot in their area. Tailgating, or close following, is a widespread concern on UK roads. It makes drivers feel intimidated,

In response to the UK Government’s Fifth Carbon Budget, Freight on Rail says that the Department for Transport must support EU plans to introduce CO2 truck standards to bring HGVs into line with cars and vans. In the UK, HGVs contribute 17 per cent of surface transport’s CO2 emissions even though it only makes up five per cent of road miles driven. Philippa Edmunds, Freight on Rail manager, Campaign for Better Transport said CO2 standards and reduction targets for HGVs are long overdue as truck manufac

Independent road safety charity IAM RoadSmart and safety charity the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) have called for government action following the release of the Department for Transport’s (DfT) reported road casualties in Great Britain 2015. The 2015 figures show there were 1,732 reported road deaths – two per cent fewer compared with 2014. According to the DfT, this is the second lowest annual total on record after 2013. The number of people seriously injured in reported road tr

German transportation modelling specialist PTV Group is working with UK consultants Atkins on a project commissioned by the UK Department for Transport which looks to simulate the potential impacts connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) may have on traffic flow and capacity of the UK road network. The project uses PTV’s Vissim 8 software which enables users to create a virtual testing environment and simulate all modes of transport, illustrating their motion characteristics and mutual interaction. User

The widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles could bring billions of pounds to the UK economy and save hundreds of lives, according to a new report by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, which is calling for urgent Government and industry action to encourage the greater use of autonomous and driverless vehicles. It also calls for urgent resolution of legislative, technological and insurance issues to help encourage the rollout of autonomous or driverless vehicles. Philippa Oldham, head of transpor

Responding to proposed changes to penalties on drivers using a hand-held mobile phone, the Freight Transport Association (FTA) has said that better enforcement is needed before penalties are increased. After consulting with members at its Road Freight Council Meeting in London yesterday, the FTA stated that the use of modern technology and cameras should be able to enable authorities to improve enforcement and provide evidence against those breaking the law. The recently launched consultation proc

The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has welcomed the Department for Transport’s (DfT) public consultation on stricter penalties for using a hand-held mobile phone whilst driving. The DfT is looking for feedback on proposals for increasing the fixed penalty notice level from £100 to £150 for all drivers. It also invites views on increasing the penalty points from three to four points for non-HGV drivers, and three to six points for those that hold a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) licence and commit t