Snow-ly Does It!

With the sudden appearance of snow and the sub-zero temperatures of a true winter finally arriving, here are a few suggestions people have made to help get your vehicle moving safely in the morning.

Getting into the vehicle:

The first moment of frustration is often trying to get your key in the lock. Even if you can get the lock to work, you may still find the door won’t open. The rubber seals around the door retain moisture and consequently freeze up. Result? Helpless frustration.

Spraying the seals with a silicone spray (or a thin layer of vaseline) before the cold weather starts (yes….I know….who bothers to think ahead?) prevents the water from absorbing into the rubber and… hey presto….easy opening.

As for the lock itself.… spraying a dash of de-icer onto the key, before inserting it into the lock, is said to alleviate the problem. Failing that, gently pre-heating the key can be a viable alternative.

Seeing out of the vehicle:

Nothing (to me at least) is as annoying as a frozen windscreen. The tedious hand-numbing scraping is just one chore too many in the morning. However, while you may be tempted to create just enough clear glass to be able to see, think again! New rules brought in last year mean you face a hefty fine if all your windows are not kept clear, or if your vehicle’s roof is still showing a covering of snow!

A bowl of warm (not boiling) water can be a speedy solution to clearing the glass but be careful. If the air temperature is too low, the water will re-freeze as you are starting to drive; if the water is too hot, you risk cracking your windscreen.

Similarly, de-icers are OK for clearing a thin covering of ice but they can also re-freeze.

Starting the engine:

Just as you would allow yourself a ‘warm up’ period if you are about to exercise, so you should allow your vehicle’s engine some time to adjust before setting off.

The oil in a cold engine tends to be thicker and the fuel doesn’t burn as efficiently. More energy is normally needed from the battery to turn the engine over.

While it is tempting to start the engine and leave it idling so you can nip back inside your house for a quick cuppa, you are likely to return to find someone has ‘borrowed’ your vehicle whilst you were gone.

Various ‘experts’ recommend you should start your engine, wait for about thirty seconds, and then drive off slowly (if safe to do so) remembering that cold engines emit much more pollution than warm ones. A cautious start also helps you to identify any icy patches before they have you skidding into trouble.

Probably the best tip of all…..allow yourself even more time to set off on a cold winter’s day and think warm!

Safe Driving!!

How Not To Be A Courier – Lesson One!

All couriers have their ‘off’ days – but it seems some have days more ‘off’ than others!

However, at Candy Carriers, all our ‘by air’ deliveries are guaranteed to travel using a plane!

Virtual Courts Giving Drivers Longer Hangovers!

With today being the first day of December and with only three working weeks left until Christmas, the season’s celebrations will soon start to escalate.

Almost everyone gets invited to a party of some sort and the temptation is always present to use your car by reasoning that ”I’ll only have one drink” or “if I drink I’ll get a taxi home”.

Of course, that ‘one drink’ can often lead to ‘just one more’ and that’s when the temptation to gamble often takes over and thoughts like: “the police will be too busy to stop me”, “I am only going to use the back roads” or “I may have had a couple but I feel fine to drive” are likely to enter the head. Decisions always seem easier with a little help from our friendly little ‘alcohol devil’, but the hangover can now last a very long time.

The police, here in Kent, have just launched their Christmas drink driving campaign with a total zero tolerance policy towards anyone stopped, who is either over the legal limit or has been taking drugs.

In past years, if you were stopped and found to be over the limit, it was often weeks before you actually appeared in front of the magistrates to hear your fate. However, this year, things are very different.

Police have announced they will be making full use of ‘virtual court’ technology, where those charged will immediately appear before a magistrate, via a video link, and sentencing will be instant. This means you could lose your licence before you even begin to sober up.

A Kent Police spokesperson stated that around one in six deaths on Kent roads is caused by someone driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. He concluded by saying:

‘I would like to urge people to think about their actions, stay safe and be responsible.’

It seems to be reasonable advice if we don’t all want to wake up with more than just the usual party headache!

Wishing you all lots of happy (and safe) partying!!

Fuel Theft – Not Quite Robin Hood!

With the average price of a litre of fuel hitting £1.38 (65% being taxation) for diesel, it is perhaps not too surprising that a growing number of people are prepared to pay for an alternative supply that isn’t legal.

It is, therefore, not that hard for an enterprising criminal community to make a healthy profit by offering highly reduced pricing.

According to a report on the BBC’s Panorama programme  last night, almost a third of all car crime is now accounted for by fuel theft and other related fuel offences.

One illegal supplier in Northern Ireland was said to have been making £22,000 per month by selling stolen diesel from a lock up garage, before his premises were raided, and closed down, by the authorities.

Several legitimate petrol forecourts in the midlands have reportedly been visited during their hours of closing, by criminals who used empty fuel tankers to drain the garage’s main fuel tanks before the garage staff re-opened for business the next morning.

The police have issued a warning that the price of using cheap illegal fuel could turn out to be ultimately much more expensive than the saving. Owners of vehicles caught using illegal fuel – particularly ‘cleaned’ red diesel – will probably have their vehicle seized and face an on the spot fine of £500. In addition, the chemicals used to convert red diesel are likely to severely damage the vehicle’s engine.

The motoring correspondent and campaigner for FairFuelUK, Quentin Willson, says he can understand the dilemma motorists face, particularly when they are in business:

”To be good…and law abiding and go bankrupt or to steal fuel, and I’m not for a minute condoning that, but to be in such a situation I have to say, I’ve got to steal fuel to keep my business going.”

One thing seems certain: with fuel prices continuing to rise, the illegal fuel market is one industry that will continue to thrive, given the present economic conditions!

Speeding To A Stop…

The Secretary of State for Transport, Philip Hammond, has announced plans for a consultation on raising the speed limit on motorways from 70 mph to 80 mph.

Whilst we must all welcome any new initiative that will save time in our daily lives and ease congestion on the roads, is this the correct way of achieving it?

First reactions seem to be divided.

At a time when we are being encouraged to be more ‘environmentally aware’, it seems strange to be advocating something that could increase fuel consumption by almost 20 percent. But, of course, increased fuel consumption also means increased fuel tax revenue for the government, when many motorists have either been forced to reduce their car usage or given up driving altogether.

The minister claims his proposal will de-criminalise ‘perfectly decent people’ who are regularly breaking the law by driving over the 70mph limit. Critics argue those same drivers will just push the boundaries even further.

Whatever your view on the proposed change, it will not have any effect on the heavy goods traffic whose maximum speed will remain the same, and it will not stop the inconsiderate ‘lane squatters’ we so regularly find holding up the flow of traffic.

Most importantly, it is unlikely to have any effect on the regular traffic congestion zones like the Dartford Crossing, or the M6 around Birmingham and beyond.

It seems that if the change does becomes law, one thing is guaranteed:

We will all be getting nowhere faster!!

A Thorn In The Side Of Motorists?

Police from Clackmannanshire in Scotland have been criticised for using unfair tactics against motorists, after photos of them hiding in bushes, with a radar gun, were taken by a local resident.

A spokesperson for the police has been quoted as saying:

‘These photos do not show them using the handheld radar at the moment the photos were taken. When officers use the handheld radar they are clearly visible to oncoming motorists.’

Which, if true, generates and even more interesting question:

What exactly ARE two police officers doing hidden in the undergrowth?

All answers on a postcard please…….!!

pictures ©Central Scotland News Agency Ltd and Mike Day

We need to fill our holes with finance!

“A time bomb of tatty tarmac” is how the present state of our roads has been described by one national vehicle recovery firm.

Despite the boasts of local government stating how it has been pouring resources into getting the damage, caused by the weather of the last two winters, repaired efficiently, what we have really seen is just a ‘patch up’. In many places, the roads have already deteriorated into being as bad as they were before the ‘repairs’ were started.

With the present financial austerity measures in place, county councils no longer have the funding available to provide a quality, lasting solution.

The Asphalt Industry Alliance has recently estimated that at least £10.6 billion is needed to return our roads to their original state.

When you consider the thousands of jobs that are dependent on a viable and efficient road network it seems a small price to pay.

We have no alternative to using the roads for delivery of our food, our manufactured goods and our rescue services.

Surely, now is the time for our central Government to stop looking the other way and to start taking action?

If it doesn’t, signs like that above could become a regular sight on the verges of our roads!

Caught On Camera…

Driving can be a frustrating pastime and there will always be some road users who can cause us annoyance.

However, the driver featured in this video took things to extremes when he became involved in an altercation with a cyclist:

 

 

It is a shocking incident to watch and according to an article in the Guardian, the police failed to trace the driver until the cyclist posted the video of the incident on various social media outlets. Subsequently, the driver and his solicitor attended a police station where he was arrested on suspicion of assault.

The moral of the story seems to be:

• Be patient with other road users at all times
• Beware of cyclists, for they may be wearing a helmet camera!

Driving Can Be A Real Pain – In The Back!

Even if you consider yourself to be physically fit and in good health, driving on today’s roads can be particularly stressful on our bodies – and I am not just thinking about the M25’s Dartford Crossing on a Friday afternoon!

The relentless need to concentrate on those around us and the physical actions of braking, changing gear and accelerating mean we can rarely just relax and enjoy the journey; we are constantly tense.

When we are tense, we are placing extra stress on the area at the bottom of our spine.

Welcome to the sore back!

If we drive everyday for long periods, it is quite likely the problem will get worse.

While it is important to try to find the most comfortable position from which to drive, no two vehicles are designed the same and no two people are alike. This means vehicle manufacturers are constantly battling to supply us with the ideal driving position.

In a recent survey it was revealed that a third of men drive with their legs fully stretched, while almost a third of women sit too close to the steering wheel. Neither of these positions is ideal.

According to the experts, we should pay careful attention to our posture, listen to our bodies and adjust the seat so that we have our legs stretched just enough to still be able to reach the steering wheel with slightly bent arms. Ensure that as much of your thighs are supported by the seat as possible. This immediately helps to reduce the strain on our backs.

Also, we should try to take a break from driving every two hours (even if it is just for five or ten minutes)to allow our muscles to re-stretch and release some of the tension we have accumulated.

That of course is in the perfect world, but if you do suffer from a back problem it is recommended that:

You resist the temptation to go to bed and instead, try to stay active. This will help to ease the affected muscles.

You avoid being overweight

You try to take regular exercise to keep supple.

Failing all of the above…… I would recommend you avoid roads like the M25 on a Friday afternoon!

Happy driving!

Secure Air Cargo

The events of the last few years have exposed growing concerns over the vulnerability of air cargo to terrorist incidents.

All airfreight now has to comply with government-regulated security requirements.

In the UK, these are regulated by the Aviation and Maritime Security Act 1990. This means that all airfreight consignments must now either be screened or originate from a Department for Transport(DfT) accredited known consignor before being loaded onto an aircraft.

The consignments of accredited companies can then be treated as ‘known cargo’ and not ordinarily subject to other security vetting before being loaded onto the aircraft.

Candy Carriers’ drivers are all fully qualified, having attended the comprehensive Air Cargo Security Training Programme and are certified to carry your ‘known cargo’ consignments directly to the airlines.

Our customers appreciate that their transportation and delivery time is kept to the minimum and that we are available 24/7 to collect directly from them and deliver to airports throughout the UK, adhering to your strict deadlines.

• Door-to-Door Service
• Certified Air Cargo Security Drivers
• Direct Delivery to UK Airports
• 24/7 Service