Public Affairs
Road safety
Motorists take risks to liven up their journey 
Researchers at Newcastle University found that drivers who didn't find the highways taxing enough were more prone to speeding or overtaking as they sought excitement. As a result the researchers suggest that making roads more complicated by building in more obstacles could actually make them safer. (January 2011)
Collisions with 'killer' trees account for 1 in 12 UK road deaths
Deaths from tree collisions along built-up and rural roads are falling by only half the rate of reduction for all UK road fatalities. This means tree collisions now account for one in 12 UK road deaths, AA research has uncovered. (November 2010)
Daylight saving - Should we wind the clocks forward?
As the clocks go back (Last sunday in October) and many suddenly find themselves driving home from work in the dark, conversations across the land turn to the question of time and the benefits (or not) of winding the clocks forward for lighter evenings all year around. (October 2010)
'Clunk Click' - The AA Seat Belt Report
More than one third of car occupants killed in collisions are not wearing seat belts, according to a new report 'Clunk Click' published by the AA. (October 2010)
Latest road accident statistics - road deaths fall to 2,222 in 2009
As a society we should not accept that 2,222 should die on our roads. We must continue to invest in engineering, enforcement and education to make our roads safer.
(September 2010)
AA evidence to Transport Committee on drink & drugs driving law
Targeting drink and drug drivers may suffer if cuts to police budgets affect frontline staff, according to the AA President, in his evidence to the Commons Transport Select Committee on Tuesday 14 September.
(September 2010)
Switching off streetlights could lead to more crashes and crime
Across the country councils have been switching off the lights and the Highways Agency has switched off some motorway lights. There is a fear that in some areas this could lead to more crashes and crime.
(September 2010)
Police, Camera, No Action: Local people hit back after camera turn off
Government road safety cuts which could result in the 'axing' of thousands of speed cameras have resulted in a public backlash rather than ending the 'war on the motorist', according to the AA.
(September 2010)
Winter Resilience Review
Complacency on the part of some highway authorities, with inadequate systems and inept plans, led to road chaos last winter, according to the AA in response to the 'Winter Resilience Review'.
(July 2010)
North review on drink & drug drving law
The Automobile Association has long been highlighting the hidden problems of drugs and driving so we are delighted that these issues are being addressed and that our verbal and written recommendations on many of these issues are being followed.
(June 2010)
One too many at the barbecue
The Police started a new drink-driving campaign at the beginning of June, and police officers will be out in force during the campaign in a bid to crack down on those who think they can drink and drive and get away with it.
(June 2010)
Driving in sunglasses
Blinding glare caused by a low sun, or by bright light reflecting off snow, puddles, the car in front, or even your own bonnet can be potentially lethal, particularly when driving at speed.
(June 2010)
The dangers of driving tired
People are well aware of the dangers posed by drunk drivers, drugged drivers and ill drivers. But the tired driver is every bit as dangerous, but often ignored as a safety risk.
(May 2010)
New campaign aims to make bikers 'more human' and more safe
Television advertisements showing motorcycles with huge illuminated "peacock's tails" giving their names and some information about the person under the helmet may seem a strange way to make drivers think about motorcycle safety, but it is all based on research into how drivers think of motorcycles and motorcyclists.
(March 2010)
Learning the lessons of the recent severe winter weather
The severe and prolonged snow and ice of December 2009 and January 2010 taught us many lessons and serves as a reminder that many of us, individuals and organisations, should think more about how we can cope better in future with similar conditions.
(February 2010)
Road Zombies
We seem to be developing a new breed of road user with 'zombie' characteristics – isolated from all that happens around them, 'road zombies' and are finding their way into road casualty reports and becoming a new hazard on the road.
(January 2010)
Driving when taking prescription and over-the-counter drugs
Driving while impaired by drugs is illegal and dangerous. While in recent years there has been much attention paid to those drivers affected by illegal drugs, the fact remains that people are killed or injured because of drivers who should not be driving because of medicines they have taken too.
(February 2010)
End of British Summer Time - dark times aheads
October November and December are among the worst months for road accidents. Fog, rain and ice play their parts but all the indications are that it is the darker evenings that really cause the problems.
(October 2009)
Latest road casualty statistics - decline in road deaths but injuries under reported
The AA is delighted to see the decline in reported road death figures released today, and Britain's return to joint top of the international road safety league table.
(September 2009)
Safe Streets - cutting pedestrian accidents on urban roads
The emphasis in road safety is slowly shifting towards cutting deaths on rural roads, but urban roads are still where most accidents involving injury happen. The age and design of an urban road can have a major bearing on its safety and the likelihood of accidents – particularly pedestrian accidents.
(June 2009)
Hanging on the telephone - the AA mobile phone file
Two-thirds of UK drivers expect to go to jail if they cause a fatal accident while using a mobile phone, new AA research reveals and yet 100,000 drivers at any one time use a hand-held phone while driving. Such is the addiction for holding a mobile phone or texting behind the wheel, even though most drivers know they face losing their freedom after a serious accident. The AA has produced a study into the problem.
(May 2009)
A car that can't break the speed limit?
New technology called Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) could be an option on some new cars in the not too distant future and will have the ability to prevent your car exceeding the speed limit. How could it work? What could go wrong? and what do motorists think about it? (February 2009)
New AA charity offers free driver training to reduce teenage road carnage
Young drivers most at risk of crashing are to be given free driver training courtesy of the new Automobile Association Charitable Trust for Road Safety and the Environment launched today.(January 2009)
Crackdown on speeding and drug-driving – AA response to Government consultation
Following the Government's announcement of a consultation into tougher penalties for speeding and drink-driving, the AA has commented that more than two thirds of drivers support the idea of higher penalties for those who break the speed limit by a considerable margin but has expressed concern that large drops in the speed limit, for example 60 to 30, must be clearly signed.(November 2008)
Learning to Drive – AA response to DSA consultation
The AA's reponse to the government's consultation on changes to the way people learn to drive and how they are tested. The key points in this response are how we ensure that new drivers have the right attitude to driving, and that they have learned to drive under all conditions, not just so they can pass the test.(October 2008)
Reflective jackets – road safety at home and abroad
While the AA would not call for drivers to be required to carry reflective jackets in the UK we do think it is a good idea to carry them – and use them if they you have to stop at the roadside.(October 2008)
Off-siding by motorcyclists – a risk to everyone
Over the years drivers have become used to motorcyclists working through any gap in traffic – inside or outside a queue, or down the gap in the middle of a two-lane queue. But a new and much more dangerous habit has started to appear in London – passing the wrong side of these central refuges to get past traffic queues – "off-siding".(October 2008)
Warning triangle and reflective jacket – now compulsory in France
French police may enjoy a windfall from Wednesday onwards as laws requiring reflective jackets and warning triangles in cars become enforceable with fines, the AA warns.(September 2008)
Latest road casualty figures – Human error or deliberate error?
The AA is calling upon all drivers to assess their own driving skills and temperament as loss of control of a vehicle was a factor in a third of all fatal road accidents last year, according to new Government figures.(September 2008)
What we hate – how other peoples' driving irritates
Britons enjoy driving – that was clear from the latest round of results from the 18,500 strong AA Populus panel, the UK's largest dedicated motoring panel. The study showed that 82% of members still enjoy driving, but we all have our pet hates too.
(September 2008)
Careless drivers who kill - AA response to new laws
The introduction on 18 August of severe punishment for drivers who cause death by careless driving or by driving while unlicensed, disqualified or uninsured sends a clear message to wayward drivers: pay attention or go to jail, says the AA.
(August 2008)
New sentencing guidelines - AA comment
We must reduce the number of wasted lives lost through dangerous and careless driving. Hopefully the threat of longer prison sentences will concentrate the minds of motorists and help them realise the dire consequences of even a momentary lapse of concentration at the wheel. (July 2008)
Avoiding Accidents with Deer
Every year between 40,000 and 75,000 deer are killed in collisions on Britain's roads - around 5 per cent of the total deer population. These accidents also kill some car occupants, injure hundreds and cause some £11 million of damage to vehicles. (May 2008)
Pedestrians join zebra crossings as endangered species on UK roads
Great Britain has the third worst rate of pedestrian fatalities on roads out of 10 European countries studied in the latest EuroTest report into pedestrian crossings, released by the AA today. Once population is taken into account, Great Britain kills about twice as many pedestrians as Sweden and the Netherlands. (January 2008)
Surviving motorway delays - 10 tips to help
Recent years have seen people trapped on motorways for long periods, either trapped by the weather or by incidents beyond their control. Drivers need to be ready for these delays, whether on a long or short journey. (January 2008)
Worried about a younger driver? - 10 tips to help
Only a significant minority of young drivers could be considered to be unsafe drivers but it isn't always inexperience - deliberate bad driving, aimed at either "impressing" friends or gaining a thrill through risk taking is a serious concern. (December 2007)
Older Drivers - making them less of a grey area
Three-quarters of men in their 70s now hold a driving licence, 50 per cent up on 20 years ago, new figures show. And within another 20 years, 90 per cent of men aged over 70 will still be behind the wheel. To help better understand this growing area of British motoring, the AA has produced a 10-point guide and fact sheet for anyone concerned about an ageing driver. (October 2007)
UK Drivers Don't Share Euro Enthusiasm for Safety Gizmos
UK drivers, compared to others in Europe, are among the least switched on to the attraction of sophisticated electronic safety in their cars. Only real-time traffic information fires up their desire, research for the AA shows. (August 2007)
Getting the drink drive message across – the new government campaign
This year's summer drink driving televison campaign is now in full swing – with the barman leaning forward and asking "Yes sir?", bursting into a catalogue of the possible consequences of drink driving, before finishing with "So, what's it going to be?" (July 2007)
Young Drivers – About to face new restrictions?
An influential group of MPs is urging the government to raise the minimum age at which drivers can take their test, and therefore drive alone, to 18. (July 2007)
Satnavs and driving – 10 tips to avoid trouble
Driver distraction, blind spots, over-reliance on and blaming the technology for your blunders are the dangers addressed in the first ever driving code for drivers with satnavs, produced by the AA in UN Global Road Safety Week. (April 2007)
Penalty points for driving while using a hand held mobile phone
Since 27 February, drivers caught using a hand-held mobile phone have faced a £60 fine and three penalty points, in a change which the government has planned since the ban was first announced. Higher penalties are possible in courts. (January 2007)
AA's evidence on road traffic speed
Memorandum submitted by the AA to the Transport, Local Governments and the Regions Committee. (January 2002)
Helping the older driver
Older people need to stay mobile and society must support this mobility while ensuring that older drivers don't pose a safety threat to either themselves or other people. Report of an AA/MCAP (Medical Commission on Accident Prevention). (January 2000)
Too close for comfort (brochure)
Accidents alongside Britain's high-speed dual carriageways. (2006)
Loose in the car
The mistakes adults make carrying children. (February 2004)
The facts about road accidents and children
Around 5,000 children under the age of 16 die or are seriously injured on Britain's roads each year. This report identifies how risks change as children grow older. (February 2003)
AA response to the government's speed review
The wrong speed on the wrong road kills around 1,000 people a year. We need to manage speed better. The key lies in defining the right speed limit for each stretch of road. There must be a system that people understand and 'buy into' because they know it reduces death and injury… (September 1999)
Combating drink-driving, the next steps
The key to a further reduction in the level of death and injury due to drinking and driving lies in tackling persistent and high alcohol level drink-drivers… (1998)
Introducing a more structured approach to learning to drive
Younger drivers are about twice as likely to be involved in an accident resulting in death or serious injury. One in five newly qualified drivers will have an accident in which someone is injured in their first year of driving… (June 2002)
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5 January 2011