Britains roads can be treacherous; every journey, even popping to the shops, requires drivers to concentrate hard and take in hundreds of facts, processing them instantly to avoid accidents. Every obstacle and danger must be registered by the brain so that action can be taken instantaneously. From the motorbike approaching from the right at a roundabout, to the bus that looks like its about to pull out without signalling, the human brain needs to be on top form and your vehicle needs to be roadworthy and responsive in order to avoid major calamity.

There are literally millions of vehicles lining our highways every day, around 22 million to be more precise. More than 151 billion vehicle kilometres of journeys take place every year on England's road network alone and there are a whopping 4,818 miles of road to be covered. Its hardly surprising then that accidents happen quite frequently. Just one momentary lack of concentration can lead to a serious accident involving loss of life and serious personal injury. In fact there are a some roads notorious for their danger factor. Number one on the list is the A989 near Dalwhinnie in Perth and Kinross, number two is the A537 between Macclesfield, Cheshire and Buxton in Derbyshire and the number three is the A12 near Romford in Essex. We may rate our roads as the safest in the world, carrying a third of all traffic we only see one eigth of all accidents, but we still endure massive loss of life every year. The UK statistic for death and serious injury on our roads in 2001 was 34,764.

The European Union wants to cut road deaths in half by 2010, by introducing a variety of new road safety measures which will make the roads a less perilous place to be. Along with trying to adjust driver behaviour, vehicles will be made safer and road infrastructure improved. The hope is that the incident rate for car accidents will drop dramatically.

Education

High risk groups such as truck and coach drivers and male car drivers under 25 will be targeted for new safety education schemes. If behaviour is highlighted as a major cause of death on the highways then it is thought that dangerous drivers will rethink their attitude to the road. One of the new technologies that could support this initiative is the implementation of tailgating cameras to spot people driving intentionally or unintentionally close to the car in front. People who feel that speed cameras encourage a George Orwell 1984 type society will have to brace themselves for a raft of new motoring equipment that will tell police how they are driving and will encourage speedy prosecutions.

Nowhere to hide

The future is bleak for law breakers who are set on making the roads less pleasant for everyone else. Police will be able to spot uninsured motorists with a number plate recognition system that feeds into DVLA data bases and video cameras, to tell an officer who is insured and who is not. Evidential breath testing equipment will be introduced next year for roadside use and passive sensors will be able to detect the presence of alcohol in the immediate area. In order to protect the public from drunk drivers and those without insurance the police are willing to crack down without repent. If youve had a drink and are pulled over by the traffic cops then youre in trouble. Thats if your car starts in the first place.

Safe hi tech cars

New technologies are being researched and developed all over the world by clever people who are concerned about the dangers of getting behind the wheel.

Drink driving may soon be wiped out by the introduction of alcolocks in all vehicles. This nifty device means that before the engine will even start, the driver will have to breathe into an alcohol detector to prove to the car that they are sober. This has the potential to save lives and change the future of motoring. In 2002, 560 people were killed when one or more driver or ride was over the limit. If drivers cant start their car without a breath test then these figures might fall.

The speeding issue could also be a problem of the past, while cameras will remain; speed freaks may have difficulty in reaching break neck speeds anyway. Intelligent speed adaption will keep cars within the legal speed limit. If an accident does happen, aerospace technology may be the key to finding out what happened. Black boxes similar those found in aircraft can record details of how a car was being driven in the moments leading up to an accident. These might also be used to implement new pay as you go schemes for car insurance.

On the road

The roads will soon become home to a variety of traffic calming technologies that will catch out even the slightest deviation from safe driving behaviour. In the future speed cameras will monitor over a distance rather than taking a snapshot of a drivers speed. Tailgating cameras and seatbelt detection cameras will appear on gantries. If drivers dont belt up and keep well back from other motorists they may face fines and worse. Lane sensors will detect whether someone has overtaken on double white lines and some discussion has taken place over the last few weeks about the introduction of speed cameras in cats eyes. So maybe the nine lives of a cat can help to save the lives of countless UK drivers?

What to do if you do have an accident

We have a little while to wait before all of these strategies are rolled out in the UK. In the meantime it will certainly pay to drive carefully and to keep in mind that road traffic accidents are estimated to become the biggest worldwide killer by the year 2020. If you are caught up in a road accident then you might be entitled to make a personal injury claim for accident compensation. You can get free legal advice at www.wheelsatonce.com or you can call on 0800 78 38 846 to learn more.

So the future is bright?

It looks like the UKs roads may become safe once more. If the illegal activities such as drink driving and speeding are reduced then hopefully driver behaviour will change. If everyone works together to rein in change, then Britains roads will become less of a hazard.

-ENDS-

Wheelsatonce provides help to hundreds of people who have been involved in a non fault accident. They can organise a compensation claim, a replacement car, repairs to your car and will also get your recovery and storage account paid.

Visit www.wheelsatonce.com or call 0800 78 38 846

Editorial notes: Wheelsatonce www.wheelsatonce.com provides compensation to people who have been involved in an accident that was not their fault.

Author: Sophie Evans http://www.wheelsatonce.com Call 0800 78 38 846 for more details

¶ 7:18 PM 0 comments

Sam was the youngest of our children. I had begun to expose him to the outdoors and the shooting sports at an early age. What other youngster could say that he had shot his daddys pistol at age six? Every time that Sam touched a gun he was under intense scrutiny. Safety was the primary concern. He began to accompany me on my deer hunting trips. We had a cabin located in prime hunting territory where deer were abundant.. The usual things happened on those occasions. Sitting in a tree with his dad was not enough. He would talk and use the tree trunk for a drum set on most hunting trips. Singing was his number one priority on these excursions. I never saw any deer on my trips to the deer stands with Sam. It really did not matter. Time well spent with my son was far more important than venison.

School came. Sam developed other interests. I volunteered for coaching duties in football and baseball. He belonged to the band for a short period. There was school work and athletics. The spare time that he had left was devoted to fishing. Fishing at dads stock tank was a number one concern for him. Time flew . The next thing I noticed about Sam was that he was growing into a young man.

A very good general purpose deer rifle was given to him. It sported a scope that matched the integrity of the rifle. We made a trip to San Saba to hunt deer. He had the opportunity. He told me later that when the deer came into his sight picture he began to shake. Welcome to deer hunting. Sam lost interest to a degree after this hunt.

Sam's rifle was lost. I loaned him another. I had obtained this rifle in a purchase over the internet. It was a good and sound used Marlin in 30-30 caliber. Sam became interested in going on a hunt one more time. I gave him about 100 rounds of ammo that I had hand loaded. Practice sessions began in earnest. When he shot up the given ammo I loaded him more. One day he was handling the rifle in our cabin and it came apart. He brought me 4 or 5 pieces and the gun. He did not have a clue on the procedures required to put the pieces back together again. My wife took the rifle and extra parts to the local gun smith. It would be 4 months before he would have time to repair the Marlin. She brought the rifle home and I repaired it myself.

I had booked a hunt at one of the local game ranches. The reasoning for this departure was that I did not want Sam to sit in a stand for days and lose interest again. We were at the ranch before day break. I had booked a hunt for axis deer and hogs. The hunt was to last two days. My aunt died and plans were changed . Extra time was needed to go back to the big city for the funeral. We began to transverse the ranch. A big ram came into view. Sam's first shot was low. The second shot was on the money. The ram went down without taking a step, succumbing to a single shot. We next approached a beautiful 8 point white tail buck. One shot and the buck was down. Sam's confidence was growing in leaps and bounds. The hog never knew what hit him. Sam and the guide approached the downed hog. The guide put his boot on the neck of the hog without interference. The hog exploded with an intended end run to the safety of the trees. Sam's shot was true. The hog was stopped in it's tracks. Sam walked up to the hog and the hog jumped up and tried for the forest again. Sam's third shot was terminal. Hogs are tough critters to bring down.

Sam has the meat. The ram and 8 point are at the taxidermists. His new wife is undecided about where to put his trophies. She mentioned something about me storing them at my house. It is all in the right training. She will eventually come around.

Stephen Graham- Writes articles from his own life experiences.

http://huntn-n-fishn.blogspot.com

http://buckskinnews.blogspot.com

http://goodstuffintexas.blogspot.com

¶ 3:16 PM 0 comments

Every child wants a trampoline, even many adults. However, keeping your trampoline safe for everyone to use is of the utmost importance. It is important that you have an understanding of all parts of your trampoline in order to maintain it properly and keep it safe for all users, the younger or older.

You may not even consider it, but trampoline springs are extremely important when it comes to trampoline safety. In fact, many people often only consider the fabric of the trampoline and rarely any of the other parts when thinking in terms of keeping safety in mind.

You have your choice when it comes to trampoline springs. You can opt for competitive springs or recreational springs, both have their differences. A competitive trampoline spring is typically used for competitive uses, such as in sports or training. These springs are generally much more expensive than their recreational counterparts, but last far longer in terms of replacement.

Recreational trampoline springs are used for those who have nothing else in mind than to have a great time on their trampoline, which is a big majority of those who use the trampoline. Typically, those who purchase a trampoline want nothing more than to just jump, perform stunts, and have a good time. These trampolines typically come with springs that are cheaper and do not last near as long.

How do you know when to change your springs? Well, trampoline safety dictates that when you remove the fabric for cleaning, replacement, or for storage, and you notice that the springs do not bounce back to normal size and shape, it is time to replace them.

Again, while trampoline safety is a big issue for many people, it is important to consider more than just its use to keep the users safe, it is extremely important that you consider the condition of the functional parts as well.

The author strongly suggests you check your trampoline over for damage. If you find that your trampoline is not safe for use then head over to http://trampsprings.com for assistance getting the best deal on Trampoline Springs

¶ 3:12 PM 0 comments