Figures released by Traffic Master and the RAC Foundation showed that there has been a 12 per cent decrease in the amount of traffic using motorways and trunk routes between January and June in 2008, compared to the same period in the previous year.

Additionally, the stats also showed that drivers that are still on the road are reducing their average speeds in an attempt to conserve fuel. In June 2006-07 the average speed on motorways was clocked at 63.3 mph; figures from June 2008 showed that the average speed had dropped to 62.2 mph.

It appears that the section of motorway that has seen the most dramatic change is the notoriously congested northern section of the M25 London orbital motorway, with traffic jams between junctions 21 and 31 being reduced by a quarter compared with the previous year.

The reduction of traffic levels on major roads is just another example of the misery being suffered by motorists since circumstances have conspired against them. The malaise has come about as a result of the general credit crisis putting the squeeze on everyone’s finances, followed by swingeing increases in road fund licence in the last budget and massive increases in the cost of fuel; all have significantly increased the cost of motoring.

Indeed, the evidence is there in black and white; a cursory glance at any motoring classifieds will reveal a slew of used cars being offered for sale at greatly reduced prices compared to 12 months ago, especially larger vehicles whose car tax and fuel costs have massively escalated. Although it may be bad news for those seeking to cut their outgoings with a need to cut their favourite vehicle loose, those in a favourable financial position will be poised to pick up a nearly new or used car bargain.

Despite the fact that the Chancellor recently delayed the proposed increase in fuel duty, the government recently revived plans to look at road toll charging. With fuel costs reaming high and the spectre of further green taxes being imposed the future looks bleak for motorists, certainly in the short term.

Paul McIndoe writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

Unfortunately it’s not possible to control the weather but it is possible to rein your vehicle under control when cold weather hits and snow begins to fall. When snow lays on the road the amount of grip available to your car is greatly reduced. This significantly changes how your car feels on the road and how it responds to what you ask. Even with the latest gadgets and technology the bottom line still remains that you have far less control over your car when driving in snow and increased care and caution should be exercised.

First and foremost you should avoid driving at high speeds in snowy weather. High speeds plus snow equals disaster, so simply slow down. An important factor to remember is that sudden movements and snowy driving conditions are not a good combination. Due to the lack of grip any sudden movements are likely to be amplified and problems much harder to rectify so it’s better to avoid them in the first instance. Slow and steady wins the race when it comes to driving in snow!

Other factors to avoid include harsh acceleration and sudden braking. Hard acceleration will get you nowhere fast and at best will cause your wheels to spin. It’s best to accelerate slowly and keep your car in as high a gear as possible to avoid wheel spin and losing control. Sudden braking won’t bring you to a halt but will instead cause your brakes to lock and the car to slide and spin. If this happens, try to steer into the spin to avoid making the problem worse. It goes without saying you should allow a greater stopping distance on snow covered roads. In snowy conditions stopping distances are around ten times longer than normal so this gives you some idea of what you are dealing with. Rather than using the brakes, instead take your foot off the accelerator if you need to slow down.

Hills can be particularly troublesome when coated with snow. When driving uphill you should try to select the most appropriate gear in advance as you want to avoid gear changes when climbing upwards. When travelling downhill you should choose third or fourth gear to help reduce the chances of skidding.

A final tip is to be aware of other drivers. Driving lessons in the UK don’t cover areas such as driving in poor weather conditions so many drivers are fairly inexperienced when it comes to driving in snow. It pays to stay aware of others at all times, drive according to the conditions and keeping your distance as much as possible.

It’s better to be safe than sorry and avoiding others should also hopefully help you avoid making any claims on your car insurance.

Paul McIndoe writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

The first thing you should do is keep a good distance from the car in front. It’s advisable to keep a two second gap in normal, dry conditions but in the wet your stopping distance is roughly doubled so you should aim to keep at least four seconds away from the vehicle you’re following. One method of doing this is to pick out a static object at the roadside such as a direction sign or street-lamp and count the time difference from when the front of the vehicle ahead of you passes the landmark until the front of your vehicle goes past the same object. This will help judge your distance, so you can amend your driving style accordingly to suit.

You should always be aware of the possibility of surface water, particularly if you’re driving in an unfamiliar area. Keep your eye firmly on the road ahead and watch out for any telltale signs, such as the traffic in front of you braking sharply. Hitting a patch of deep water at speed will have a dramatic effect on your vehicle’s handling and you could ‘aquaplane’ your vehicle which will cause a complete loss of control, so you should aim to avoid this at all costs by planning ahead as much as you can.

If you do have to drive through deep water, do so slowly in order to avoid a bow wave flooding your exhaust or engine and once through the hazard, test your brakes in order to make sure they’re still working properly, while the friction will also help evaporate any moisture present on the braking components.

Visibility is often a problem when you’re driving in heavy rain. Your vehicle can easily steam up and the spray from the road can also affect your vision of the road ahead. Make sure your demisters are on at a sufficient level to enable you to see clearly, and if you keep a safe distance you can negate the effects of surface spray from the vehicle in front of you. If your vision has become seriously jeopardised then it’s advisable to pull over in a safe place, get your windows cleared or wait until the worst of the weather has passed before resuming your journey.

In addition to taking these precautionary measures, it is important to have adequate car insurance, as other drivers might not be so cautious. Make sure your insurance policy is up to date, but if it isn’t or you don’t have a current policy, then insuring your car through an online car insurance provider can be a quick way to peace of mind.

Paul McIndoe writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

In fact, the RAC estimate that they attended more than 2.5 million breakdowns in 2003, stating that the majority of these could have been avoided by drivers spending a little more time maintaining their vehicles. The top two reasons for drivers needing assistance were the battery being flat or non-serviceable, and tyre problems, both of which can be easily avoided with regular checks.

In recent years, fuel prices have steadily risen, understandably encouraging some drivers to avoid filling up their tank as much as possible. However, ‘lack of fuel’ actually came in 6th in the list of main reasons for breakdowns, highlighting that a thrifty attitude can easily be replaced by an irresponsible one. If this translates to the vehicle upkeep in general, it becomes far more likely that a motorist will encounter problems with that vehicle.

Fortunately, there are a number of easily-performed checks which can be made in order to avoid an embarrassing and inconvenient car problem. The AA suggests that flat batteries are often caused by numerous short-distance trips. In order for those who do not take longer journeys to better avoid the problem, drivers should recharge their battery every few weeks. Modern maintenance-free batteries should bypass this problem altogether.

To avoid tyre damage, a driver should be aware of the optimum pressure to maintain and most garages have self-service air lines for use by motorists. A worn spare-tyre won’t be useful if it is needed in an emergency, so this should be checked regularly too, as should the tread on the four wheels in use. If anything appears as it shouldn’t, a trip to a garage sooner will avoid more trips later.

A car will generally represent a large proportion of an individual’s annual spend. In fact, it is estimated that the average British person will spend £137,126 in their lifetime on running and maintaining a vehicle. Many mechanical failures can be avoided with the right care but, even with a huge amount of regular upkeep, there will inevitably be more serious problems on occasion. It is better to deal with these as early as possible too.

With simple checks being so effective and services such as online car insurance being so readily available, it is worth avoiding the problems early rather than waiting for them to arise and dealing with them when they do. Many of Britain’s drivers are very proud of their cars and even more are reliant on them, so it may be surprising just how easy it can be to make sure they continue to be a best friend rather than an enemy.

Paul McIndoe writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.