The rise was due to be implemented in January 2013 and would have sent the price of fuel to over £1.50 per litre and cost the average driver £7.69 per month.

Instead, the price increase in fuel duty has been delayed until April. This move comes as FairFuelUK, the AA, the RAC and The Sun campaigned to prevent this rise and two previous fuel duty hikes. Research previously carried out by the RAC and FairFuelUK discovered that one in sixteen commuters had spent the night in their car to save money on fuel.

MoneySavingExpert.com found that 68% of people questioned have fuel costs at the top of their list of things they most want David Cameron to change for the better.

The Treasury still receives £26.8bn per year from fuel duty despite a freeze on rises implemented last year.

Economists have estimated that as a result of deferring the rise in the cost of fuel, growth will improve and around 175,000 jobs could be created.

It supports this year’s scheme to enable people to walk and cycle in safety.

Many organisations around the country including schools and community groups are taking part and Brake is encouraging companies with fleets to show that they are also committing to road safety.

See http://www.roadsafetyweek.org.uk/ for further information.

A non-profit making national association of solicitors, MASS hopes the code will reduce fraudulent vehicle accident claims and protect genuine claimants.

The code, has five main points:

1. No compensation should be paid out unless the claimant has undergone a medical examination
2. Accident victims should not be subjected to spamming or cold calling from injury lawyers
3. Improved driver training and vehicle safety training
4. Increased deterrents for drivers without insurance
5. Greater security surrounding data protection

In 2009, there were 1.5 million uninsured drivers on Britain’s roads – 20% of which were 17-20 year olds – which cost the industry £500million.

MASS is keen to point out that while it is working to cut fraudulent and exaggerated claims it also wants to protect genuine victims of traffic accidents to ensure they receive the justice they deserve.

Manheim and BCA have both reported an increase in the values of ex-fleet cars going under the hammer during October.

This jump is being attributed to cars being kept for less time and therefore going to auction with fewer miles on the clock. Companies are also putting the onus of responsibility on their employees to maintain and look after the vehicles so they are returning in better condition.

The average value of an ex-company car in October was £6981 compared to £6706 in September – an increase of £185. The most popular vehicles are currently small hatchbacks and medium to large family saloons which are retaining on average 35% of their original price. That is three per cent more than this time last year.

Manheim said that it doesn’t expect the increase in residual values to be on-going and that prices should level off in the New Year.

Tyre manufacturers now have to label their tyres for cars and LCVs with a rating, providing drivers with the information needed to make an informed choice about the type of tyre they require. The ratings cover three areas: grip in the wet (A-F with A being the best), external noise and fuel efficiency (A-G).

Choosing an A grade tyre could mean a fuel saving of £210 per vehicle over the lifetime of the tyre compared to a G grade one. With 3.9 million company vehicles on the roads in the UK, if just 50% of these switched to ‘A’ grade tyres, the annual fuel saving for the UK could reach £500 million.

On the back of that, CO2 emissions would be cut by up to one million tonnes and it would have a positive impact on driver safety. ‘A’ grade tyres can cut a stopping distance by 18 meters at 50 mph thus reducing the number of accidents.

Insurance and repair costs, plus employee time off work all contributes to this figure and the Road Safety Foundation believes the solution is to invest more in road improvements.

The organisation assessed the safety levels of over 27,000 miles of road in the UK and found that 6% of motorways and A roads were an unacceptable ‘high risk’ (based on the number of fatal/serious crashes per billion kilometres travelled), and the local councils had not taken any steps to improve them. These roads are mainly non-primary single-carriage A roads, including the A537 near Buxton and the A5012 near Matlock.

Every day, 70 people are killed or seriously injured in traffic accidents, and 40 per cent of these accidents occur on rural roads. Whilst improvements such as speed cameras, changes to road layout and traffic lights are being made on the majority of the main roads, these rural roads are not getting the same attention due to the comparatively low volume of traffic.

Director of the Road Safety Foundation, Dr Joanne Marden said, “Even a modest ambition to improve these sections of road – and achieve an ‘average’ rating – would save many lives and the economy £20m a year.”

Indeed, on the 10 most improved A roads where changes have been made, there have been reductions in the number of fatal accidents and serious injuries varying from 52% to 74% which has saved the economy around £35m a year.

Figures certainly suggest that more drivers are willing to invest. Nationwide tyre specialist, ATS Euromaster reported an increase of almost 200% in sales of winter tyres last year compared to 2010 and expects to see an additional increase of sixty per cent this year.

This surge in sales could be attributed to local councils announcing that they will be spending less on gritting roads this winter, and a statement from the Federation of Small Businesses advised that each snowy day last winter cost the UK economy a staggering £1.2bn. No wonder businesses want to keep their fleets moving.

But the winter tyres aren’t just for snow and ice, the manufacturers tell us. They also perform well in heavy rain. They are made from a chemically designed compound that remains flexible in temperatures of 7°C or less where normal tyres will stiffen and lose traction.

Tests have shown that on an icy road at 20mph, winter tyres can stop a car 11 metres sooner than normal tyres. And on a wet road at 60mph, the braking distance can be cut by 4.8 metres.

Britain certainly has the type of weather to utilise this latest generation of tyres. The Met office reported that last winter there were 147 separate days where the temperature plunged to below 7°C during peak commuting hours (7-9am and 4-6pm) and there has certainly been plenty of heavy rain to contend with.

The Health and Safety benefits for fleet employees are obvious along with the potential for savings made through fewer accidents caused by inclement weather. But it will be down to each business to decide whether or not to make the change. The Government has no plans to introduce winter tyre laws despite many countries in Europe making winter tyres mandatory and the EU discussing standardised winter tyre rules.

If a company does decide to go ahead, many tyre dealerships now offer to store summer tyres for businesses while they are utilising the winter tyres (for a fee), and they will even organise convenient changeover appointments – at the start of winter and then again in the spring to change back to the summer tyres.

The tyres typically last for 2-3 winters so businesses will need to assess how long they are planning on keeping their vehicles to avoid any wastage. However, with the British summer being a washout, it may be more prudent to keep winter tyres on all year round.

Motorists in the UK currently pay the highest rate of fuel tax in the EU. Fuel duty and VAT makes up 58% of the price paid by drivers with less than 5% going to retailers. In addition, fluctuations in the cost of crude oil are not reflected in the prices paid by the end user.

Of course it is businesses in the transport sector and companies with fleets who are being hit the hardest.

The last three months has seen the UK consumer pay the most it ever has for fuel with the average price of unleaded at £1.40 per litre and diesel at £1.45 per litre.

In response to the slow rate of economic recovery around the world, and pressure from the G7 nations, Saudi Arabia has recently pledged to increase oil production in order to cut fuel prices.

While this reduction would take a while to be passed on to the forecourts due to firms having to buy oil in advance, it is a step in the right direction. Meanwhile, the campaigns against the 3p per litre rise fuel duty, due in January 2013, continue.

-          Drive fewer miles with effective route planning – view historical data to analyse the most efficient route or enter the addresses of where the vehicles need to stop and the system will plan the most efficient route for you.

-          Reduce idling time – daily reports will highlight how long the vehicle has been idling for and where. This can be addressed with drivers to prevent future occurrences.

-          Encourage a more environmentally friendly driving style – driver training and better route planning will give drivers more time to get to their destination, thus eliminating speeding, harsh acceleration, harsh braking and harsh cornering.

-          Choose the right vehicle – MPG reports produced by the software will highlight which vehicles are best for which jobs.

Contact us for further information on: 0800 010 6616

With rising fuel costs, more and more businesses with field based employees are looking to optimise their on-the-road operations and also want to cut costs and want to reduce their carbon output.

Driver safety is now also a priority with Health and Safety legislation such as the ‘duty of care’ for employees who work alone.

And with HMRC clamping down on business mileage benefits, fuel receipts aren’t enough to prove accuracy and avoid fines.

Ensuring that drivers are driving considerately and within the speed limit will cut down on fuel consumption, speeding fines, road traffic accidents and excessive vehicle maintenance costs.

Unauthorised company vehicle use and unscheduled journeys can also be eliminated.

With the accessibility of the software and hardware for vehicle tracking and fleet solutions, backed up with reliable servers and customer service that is available 24/7, there isn’t really an argument against having a fleet management solution installed.