The Mover December 2012

www.themover.co.uk ● December 2012 ● The Mover 33NEWS: ON THE ROADPetition launchedto close downvehicle clockersVehicle information expert,HPI, is urging dealers to joinconsumers in the fight backagainst clockers, as it launchesan e-Petition to DirectGovto close down mileagecorrection firms.Across the UK, these companiesare turning back the miles onused cars, helping certainsellers push up the price of vehicles.One in 20 cars checked with HPIshow a discrepant mileage, and thisfigure has risen by 10% in the lastfive years. Dealers need to tackle thethreat of ‘clocking’ head on, as theyrisk unwittingly part exchanging‘clocked’ vehicles and selling themon to customers, putting theirbusiness and their reputation at risk.“Dealers are well aware thatclocking itself isn’t illegal, but sellinga clocked car without declaring itstrue mileage is,” explained DanielBurgess, Managing Director for HPI.“Whilst there is rarely a legitimatereason to alter the mileage on avehicle, Trading Standards estimatesthere are 50 mileage correctionfirms operating in Britain. Some ofthese companies will be exploitinga legal loophole that could helpunscrupulous sellers make a fastprofit at the expense of dealers andconsumers alike. We’re calling fora change to the law and dealersshould be too. Our e-petition will givemotorists and the motor industry achance for their voice to be heard.”Mr. Burgess said that The Officeof Fair Trading (OFT) has calledupon the government for reformtwice before, but still there are nosigns of change. You can sign thepetition at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/40393.● For further information visitwww.hpicheck.com.Try out thesearch facility onwww.themover.co.uk.It’s lightning fast!● The Mirror Monitor camera system is both a reversing camera and a rear view mirror.White vans go hi-techUK vans are set to become the cutting-edge of reversingtechnology, with many new vehicles being fitted withreversing camera monitors built into their rear view mirrors.Blackburn-based VisionTechniques has beenoffering this system forseveral years, and nowmajor manufacturers are beginningto adopt them.Companies such as Ford areoffering digital parking cameras inthe rear view mirrors of new Transitvans to assist with maneuvering.Vision Techniques’ Mirror Monitorcamera system is both a reversingcamera and a rear view mirror. Theultra-compact reversing camerasystem looks like an ordinary rear viewmirror to fool opportunist thieves.Blind spots are a huge problem forvan drivers and cause many costlyaccidents. Steve Perrin, Manager atVision Techniques, said: “Reversingcamera systems in all commercialvehicles are becoming recognised asan important safety feature in theUK. Like most Vision TechniquesYou too canstudy at OxfordFrom March 2013, theUniversity of Oxford launchesits inaugural Oxford LeadershipProgramme: ‘Global Challengesin Transport’, an innovative shortcourseprogramme in sustainabletransport. The programme is run bythe university’s world-renownedTransport Studies Unit (TSU) inproducts, the Mirror Monitordramatically increases vehicle andpedestrian safety.”“Reversing camerasystems in allcommercial vehiclesare becomingrecognised as animportant safetyfeature in the UK.”Steve PerrinThe Mirror Monitor is a 4.2”profile-wide monitor, which can beused on most vehicle types.● For more information visitwww.vision-techniques.com.collaboration with the UKChartered Institute of Transport andLogistics (CILT) and is designed toprovide the leaders of tomorrowwith the necessary knowledgeand expertise, supported by thelatest research evidence, to addressthe complexity of the issuesassociated with making transportsustainable. It is a very broad setof courses so is suitable forprofessionals across many sectors.● For more information e-mailtransport@conted.ox.ac.uk.NEW DFT THINK!CAMPAIGN AIMSTO IMPROVECYCLE SAFETYThe Department forTransport’s latest THINK!Campaign, ‘THINK CYCLIST’,calls on drivers and cycliststo stay safe by looking out foreach other – pointing outthat drivers and cyclistshave more in common thanis often realised.With 80% of cyclists holding adriving licence, and one infive drivers cycling at leastonce a month, they are often the samepeople. The THINK CYCLIST poll has alsoshowed that cyclists and drivers agreeon how to stay safe on the road.Looking twice for each other whenturning or at junctions came out topfor both as the precaution that wouldavoid the most collisions (41% ofregular cyclists, and 35% of regular cardrivers). Both also agree on how tomake things better, with 67% of cyclistsand 59% of drivers saying that givingeach other space on the road was intheir top three ways of making cyclistsand drivers more visible to road users.Road Safety Minister StephenHammond said, “We take the issue ofcycle safety extremely seriously so weare launching ‘THINK CYCLIST’, acampaign aimed at both cyclists anddrivers. With interest in cyclingheightened by Bradley Wigginswinning the Tour de France and ourcyclists’ extraordinary success at theOlympics and Paralympics too, wewant to remind cyclists and drivers ofthe importance of looking out for eachother to avoid accidents. Many peoplecycle and drive and a new THINK! pollshows both road user groups agreethat looking twice at junctions, as wellas giving each other space on the road,are practical things that we can all doto help reduce the numbers of cyclistskilled and seriously injured on ourroads each year.”● DfT wants cyclists and driversto look out for each other.