Driving comfort zone leads to danger close to home

IT'S a commonly held belief that most car accidents take place close to home, so one leading car insurance specialist wanted to find out if it was true, and the results are overwhelming.

elephant.co.uk asked 3,800 customers involved in collisions how far they were from home when they occurred. It found that almost one in three took place less than a mile from home, with a further third taking place one to five miles from home, meaning that two thirds of accidents took place within five miles of home.

Brian Martin, managing director of elephant.co.uk, said:- “Our research suggests that many drivers appear to be in a comfort zone when driving close to home on familiar roads, hence why such a large proportion of accidents occur there. It’s so important to keep a full level of concentration when driving, whether you’re just popping to the shops or starting or ending a longer journey. These results emphasise this even more.”

elephant.co.uk also looked at what type of accidents people had most frequently when close to home. When looking at a distance of under a mile, the most common incidents included:-

► Hitting parked vehicles
► Crashing whilst driving out of a minor road
► Reversing into a vehicle
► Hitting a wall

Brian continued:- “It’s interesting to note that the type of accidents people most commonly have close to home happen at lower speeds and involve less impact. In fact, these accidents could involve people simply manoeuvring in or out of their driveway. However, any accident is undesirable and certainly something you want to avoid so it’s vital people stay alert and avoid complacency when driving close to home.”

VEGETABLE VIGILANTES TAKE FOOD SECURITY INTO THEIR OWN HANDS

PLOTTERS get potting, planting and pigs to turn self sufficient.  Fed-up Brits are taking food matters into their own hands and growing in their gardens.  Rising prices and uncertainty over supermarket quality have seen more people digging up their lawns and planting veg instead.

That’s according to jobs website ejobdone.co.uk which has seen a surge in requests to convert private gardens into cabbage patches and pig pens.

“There has been a clear upturn in people wanting to be self-sufficient.  Cost is clearly an issue as people are tightening their belts but more and more people are also concerned about the quality of food they are getting in the supermarkets.  People want to know what is going into the food that they eat and are doing it themselves. With allotments harder to get, that means sacrificing the garden, but it’s one price that people are willing to pay.” says Kelly Sallows, founder of ejobdone.

As well as requests for gardeners to convert gardens into growing concerns, carpenters are needed for chicken coops and pig stys the website has also seen people wanting sheds to create extra living space in their homes.

“After a miserable summer, it’s no wonder people want to make the most of what they’ve got and make the garden productive rather than pretty.  If demand keeps up, we’ll dedicate a section of ejobdone.co.uk to self-sufficiency to help people harvest from home.”

Is buying British patriotism or practicality?

NEW information obtained by the Countryside Alliance has shown not even 10 Downing Street can tell how much of food served at the Prime Ministers official residence is British.

In response to the request for “the proportion of food which was procured by official residences for official functions in the past twelve months and which was domestically produced”, The Cabinet Office (responsible for No.10 Downing Street and Chequers) admitted “There is no information on whether the proportion of food procured in the past twelve months was domestically produced.”

The failure of No. 10 Downing Street to record and monitor the amount of British food being procured for official functions is contrary to Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’s, recent exhortation that if people “want a strong, thriving successful farming industry – if you want to support the industry in Britain – buy British”.

The findings follow Gordon Brown’s statement last year “Everybody knows that British bacon is best”, despite the Cabinet Office, of which the Prime Minister’s residence and office are an “integral part”, had failed to buy any British bacon in 2007-08.

Countryside Alliance Chief Executive Simon Hart commented:- “The Government needs to practice what they preach. It is time for our government to support the countryside in the most simple of ways – by buying British. There is no excuse for key government residences not being able to tell us how much of the food they are procuring and serving at official functions is British”

Disabled students in the North West face university challenge

DISABLED students from across the North West are being penalised when choosing a university, as revealed by an undercover investigation. Nearly half of universities surveyed in the North West don’t have rooms for hired carers, forcing disabled students to live at home rather than with their fellow students.

As the count down to Clearing begins a group of young disabled campaigners today published University Challenge - a guidebook which highlights the difficulties they face when trying to access a university education. Their investigation revealed that 20% of university inter-campus transport is inaccessible to disabled students.

University Challenge is the 2nd report in the Trailblazers’ Inclusion Now! campaign. The Trailblazers are the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign’s nationwide network of 16 to 30-year-olds who fight for the rights of young disabled people.  As well as providing top tips for future disabled students applying for higher education, University Challenge exclusively exposes a series of alarming revelations about the provision of disabled support within universities in the North West:-

► The Clearing System disadvantages disabled students as it leaves less than a month to choose a preferred course and university as well as look at access, accommodation and care packages.

► 20% of universities in the North West do not run a disability equality scheme.

► 80% of all university teaching rooms, study rooms and libraries in the North East are not fully accessible to students with a disability.

► 60% of universities do not provide a freshers’ guide to the university for disabled students.

These results come eight years after the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act came into force, suggesting that despite Higher Education Institutions providing lifts and ramps where the architecture allows, they are still failing to provide an inclusive environment for disabled students.

The Trailblazers will be operating a freephone hotline service on A-level results day to help other young disabled students negotiate the Clearing System and make decisions about which university to attend. [See Forward Planning Note]

Speaking about University Challenge, 19-year-old Trailblazer Ambassador Jessica Berry, who studies at Manchester Metropolitan University, said:- “Universities need to understand how to make it easier for disabled students to have the same great experience as any other student - attending university is one of the biggest decisions anyone makes.

I knew that because of my disability I would have less choice and it would to take longer and a lot more planning for me to decide on the right university. That doesn’t even include the extra struggle to get all of the care arrangements in place.  We hope that University Challenge helps other disabled students to make easier, more informed decisions about the university that best suits their needs.”

Sir Bert Massie CBE, former chair of the Disability Rights Commission, Muscular Dystrophy Campaign vice president and lifelong disability rights campaigner, said:- “As a young disabled man I was fortunate in benefiting from a university education and I know what a huge difference it can make. Those of us unable to work with our muscles must use our brains.  I applaud the Trailblazers for their hard work in drawing attention to the improvements that still need to be made – and fighting to ensure equal access to higher education. University Challenge will be a useful resource and that will see more disabled students studying at university. ”

Commenting on the Trailblazers’ report, Phillip Butcher, Chief Executive of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, said:- “Every student has the right to make their choice of university based on academic and social concerns, rather than because of the practical facilities available. It is vital to ensure all students have access to the same opportunities. 

Through this initiative the Trailblazers’ have compiled a very useful guide filling the gaps of information that will benefit other disabled students embarking on university life.  It’s time for the Government to take urgent action and improve services for disabled students across the country.”

The young campaigners are now calling for a meeting with Lord Mandelson, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Minister for Higher Education, David Lammy MP, where they can present the findings of their investigation and call on the Government and local authorities, together with higher education institutions, to work with them to review their recommendations.

For advice and tips from our Trailblazers please call our Clearing Hotline on FREEPHONE 0800 652 6352 on Thursday 20 August 2009 from 12-3pm or email us at trailblazers@muscular-dystrophy.org