Vans, Cars and Leasing

Fuel availability for motorists outside Scotland will not be affected by the potential shutdown at the Grangemouth refinery, assures the Petriol Retailers Association (PRA). The strike, which is planned for next Sunday and Monday (27, 28 April), seems more likely to go ahead following the breakdown of talks last night between the Unite union and Ineos, the owner of the Forth-based refinery.

“If the shutdown does occur, the effect on supply in Scotland will be limited due to the sheer volume of fuel already in the supply chain,” said Ray Holloway, PRA director.

“If motorists in Scotland buy their normal fuel requirement, any inconvenience ultimately caused by the industrial dispute at Grangemouth will be minimsed.

“It is still not certain that the refinery will close, and even if it does the fuels already in storage will remain available for distribution to forecourts across Scotland.

“It is bulk-buying of fuel that will ultimately be responsible for any shortages.

“Even if supplies are not interrupted, if motorists buy more than their normal requirements, they will be putting abnormal pressure on the road delivery services of the oil industry in Scotland.

“Forecourts do not have unlimited storage facilities. If they are prematurely drained of fuel stocks due to bulk buying this will lead to consumer inconvenience while they are refilled.

“Fuel suppliers have planned for these circumstances and by working with the Scottish and UK Governments will be able to ensure forecourt retailers requirements continue to be delivered by road tanker.”

Drivers’ lack of understanding of the links between CO2, taxes and fuel costs could be hitting fleet budgets as well as their attempts to reduce carbon emissions

A survey of more than 2,000 drivers, most of whom were company car drivers, found that only 17% think that they will save on fuel costs if they change their driving habits to produce less carbon dioxide

The survey, carried out by Alphabet, also found that just 15% of drivers plan to drive a lower-CO2 car in future to save on tax.

In addition, 88% of drivers were still ignorant about how much CO2 their car emits, and 76% do not know what Vehicle Excise Duty tax band their car falls into.

“Our survey suggests that eight out of 10 drivers are vague about the financial advantages of reducing CO2,” explained Mark Sinclair, director Alphabet.

“This implies that fleets are unlikely to benefit from cost savings offered by running more efficient vehicles unless they have strict policy guidelines in place to ensure that employees drive greener cars.”

For example, drivers who opt for cars emitting 145g/km of CO2 instead of a typical 165g/km stands to cut their fuel use by 12% and their company car tax by 20%.

Their employer would also benefit from lower business mileage costs and NI, and future savings through lower VED and from more advantageous writing down provisions on cars emitting less than 160g/km of CO2.

“It is clear that much more needs to be done to make drivers aware of the links between CO2 and the costs of motoring - particularly the amount of fuel they use and the taxes they pay,” said Mr Sinclair.

People working with families, community leaders, health professionals and teachers are being offered free half-day training course aimed at helping to save children’s lives on the roads.

After the training all those who attend will be in a position to give life-saving presentations to parents with young children about the risks they face and offer practical advice on using roads safely.

The training covers topics including correctly restraining children in vehicles, safe driving and keeping children safe on foot and bike.

Everyone who attends the training course will receive free resources, including a colourful flip-chart, hand outs for parents and advice on how to give an effective presentation, as well as on-going telephone support from Brake.

The ‘Stay Safe Family Promise’ road safety training is available through the FedEx and Brake Road Safety Academy.

The academy targets the most at-risk road users, including children, by training volunteers and professionals to deliver road safety presentations within their local community.

The training is available across the UK and can be set up in-house.

The Highways Agency is researching potential sources of driver distraction that occur outside the vehicle (e.g., accidents, advertisements, etc).

The study includes a survey to gather the views, experiences and perceptions of drivers on this subject.

Those interested in taking part in the survey online, use the following link: http://www.highways.gov.uk/knowledge/17859.aspx

It will take approximately 10 minutes to complete and everyone who completes the survey is eligible for entry into a prize draw to win one of two prizes of £100 of shopping vouchers for a store of your choice.

Responses are confidential and will only be used to further the study research.

The closing date for the survey is Wednesday 27 February 2008.