Observers for the firm found when watching roundabouts and junction throughout the country almost 40,000 vehicles where drivers were not wearing seatbelts.

On top of this almost 10% of all traffic was judged to be going too fast when negotiating the junction, AA President Edmund King said: “AA Streetwatch observations show that 5% of drivers are still not wearing a seatbelt despite this contributing to 30% of road deaths.

“Many of those un-belted were taxi and van drivers who should be aware that they are potentially more at risk due to their higher mileage. It is of great concern that 5% of drivers still haven’t got the ‘cluck,click every trip’ message.”

Surveys conducted before the actual investigation found that over 80% of AA members expected there to be 5% of people using mobile phones whilst in control of a vehicle. However the actual results reflected that less than 0.23% of people were using phones without ‘adequate’ hands free provisions.

Across the pond in the US schemes have been implemented in schools to make people aware of the dangers that are faced by distracted driver. Back in the UK vehicle leasing and contract hire firms warned how warranty, insurance and any leasing agreement would be voided should a driver be caught or involved in an accident where they were on a mobile phone or not wearing a seatbelt.

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On its debut year back in 2007 the 207 was the bestselling car in Europe and has been billed as the eventual replacement to the bestselling 206.

Reviewers have complemented the solid feeling of the 207 and also how with the right engine it’s phenomenal value for money.

Statistics have shown that the 207 has an ‘incident rate’ of just 6% and costs on average £331 to get back on the road in the event of one. As an estate car the 207sw is aimed at families for which safety is paramount and these statistics will only strengthen Peugeot’s reputation.

Since its inception Peugeot have prided themselves on the safety of the 207 its six airbags as standard gave the vehicle a distinct advantage when it obtained the companies highest ever scores in the EuroNCAP safety tests.

In recent years Peugeot 207sw leasing has become a lot more popular both due to the benefits associated with leasing and the smaller initial costs compared with buying the car outright or on finance. Some of the attractive options associated with leasing include the ability to change vehicles after a set contract. A lot of leasing companies also offer services and minor repairs inclusive of the monthly costs.

When looking at leasing a car industry experts have recommended getting as many quotes as possible and exploring as many options as you can, as with everything different companies offer different package and may not cater specifically to your requirements and needs.

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The survey by road safety group GEM revealed that this and talking on your mobile phone whilst driving is responsible for causing the most accidents on the road. Two thirds of motorists also voiced concerns about driving in the middle lane when the left lane is available saying that it should be more strictly enforced.

The final list of the ten offences is:

10-  Stopping on the hard shoulder when there is no emergency.

9 – Use of the outside lane by HGV.

8 –  Speeding.

7 – Driving too slowly.

6 – Entering a motorway from slip road with adequate consideration or signals.

5 – Driving on the hard shoulder to avoid traffic.

4 – Changing lanes with adequate observations and signals.

3 – Driving in the middle lane when left hand lane is empty.

2 – Driving while using a mobile phone.

1 – Tailgating.

Concerns were raised about all the above issues by business contract hire customers who as regular users of the road felt they were more likely to be at risk.

David Williams CEO of GEM said:

“Drivers need to make sure they are taking every precaution if they are planning to use a motorway and be fully aware of the dangers. We believe that bad motorway driving such as tailgating and driving in the middle lane when the left hand lane is empty should definitely be more strictly enforced.”

Adding:

“It is this kind of careless driving that can lead to frustration, annoyance and possible accidents.”

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The company announced this amidst rumours they would be operating a contract hire style program where owners would have to rent the battery from Ford at an extra subscription based cost.

Managing Director of Ford UK Nigel Sharp said:

“We’re waiting to see how the market reacts to other electric cars, but we are sure leasing batteries is not the way to go, the Focus must be sold as a conventional car would be.”

The reason behind Ford’s original proposal to lease the batteries was to lower the initial cost of the vehicle, recent feedback based research has found the a large majority of the public would be put off buying any brand of electric vehicle due to the price.

Ford will be playing their trump card with the release of the electric Focus, the battery takes half the time of the current crop of electric vehicle to recharge and they are also targeting a range of 100 miles off a single charge.

Contract hire is becoming more and more popular especially given the increasing costs of maintaining a car and it’s not hard to understand why Ford had this idea, The Independent newspaper even recently endorsed leasing vehicles urging would be leasers to make use of sites like Leasebam.

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Of course if you are a business owner, and many Mercedes drivers are, the increase in VAT will make little difference as you can claim 50% of it back, although the private lease market may be different.  So Mercedes car lease is likely to remain popular and in fact may be the driving force within Mercedes new car sales this year.  If new car sales drop, like they did 2 years ago, then used values will rise, which again will keep those Mercedes car lease monthly payments down. If there is going to be a survivor, Mercedes is likely to be it.

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To add to the uncertainty parties are not talking much about individual industries or markets, just a better Britain a they put it. So will each party see the motor indusrty, something to be invested in, or will we do what we have done since the 60’s, just allow it to be controlled by the economy, hence no real British owned factories anymore.

So the contract hire business like many others we suppose will sit and wait to see how the business owner and consumer will react to what might be a new part and a new chapter in British politics. We can’t remember when political decisions made such a big difference in purchase decisions and the car lease industry  will hope that leasing will be norm and buying second.

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It does desribe the benefits of search for car lease through a site like leasebam that does not publish any out of date or exagerated car lease prices

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Chrysler has announced that no more Chrysler cars are available for car lease here after. The company announced total withdrawal from car leasing. However, existing lessees who own Chrysler cars need not worry, as they are not affected. Ford has also announced that an increase in price of SUV and truck leases will have to be managed by its dealers. BMW is also making efforts to make rigid leasing conditions that would bring some profit to the company.

Residual value of the car after the lease term is very important in a lease contract. Even though the car is used by someone else, residual value made it possible to reuse the car. Cars naturally have depreciation value and because of the increased gas prices, larger models are suffering a lot from depreciation. Experts never estimated that the value of such cars would reduce so much in the future. Finance companies are facing a huge loss because the residual value of cars after leasing is very less.

Car companies and finance credits made profits taking advantage of residual value in the cars. As the residual value decreased so much, there is no opportunity for the companies to make profits with leasing. Thus leasing which was seen as a win-win situation for car companies and car owners has now become a burden for car manufacturers. This is the major reason for car companies to withdraw or partially abandon car leasing option.

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