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Yorkshire drink driving ‘text message’ campaign launched

27/02/2009 By Kate L Owen Leave a Comment

Drivers in North Yorkshire could receive a text message from the police this Christmas, in the hope of encouraging them to arrange car hire home. untitled

Road safety campaigners are intent on following up the success of their 2007 drink driving campaign, utilising the latest mobile technology this year.

Police will send the text messages via Bluetooth to motorists in target areas, which may encourage those driving under the influence to pull over and book a taxi home.

John Everson, 95 Alive Road Safety Partnership coordinator, told the York Press: “We hope it will act as another deterrent and prove to drivers that police are looking to catch drink-drivers.

“Last year’s campaign was a great success, but there is still a hardcore who don’t get the message.”

The Road Safety Partnership aims to save one in three lives each year through its campaigning.

It has targeted safer roads throughout York and North Yorkshire by the end of 2010.

The agency was formed in November 2004 and has targeted reducing the number of incidence of killed or seriously injured children by 60 per cent in line with government targets.

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Driven by the New BMW 650i

20/02/2009 By Chandrashekhar Bansode Leave a Comment

Most of us would love to have a chauffeur driven luxury car or limousine on hand to drive us wherever we needed to go without ever having to worry about the mundane concerns of having to control the car we are riding in. Well unfortunately not everyone has the opportunity to have their own hired help on hand around the clock, but what you can have instead is the new BMW 650i which can drive you around almost as effortlessly as a chauffeur.

The latest technology to make it into the BMW 6 Series is Active Cruise Control with Stop & Go Function. This means that – in theory – you can drive around town in your new luxury car, without having to worry about any fancy footwork, or any footwork at all.

The system works by focussing on the vehicle in front and maintaining a safe distance which driving, and pulling up to a stop behind that vehicle when required too. The BMW’s system does of course fall down when there are no vehicles in front of you, and for example, when you are taking a tight corner and your car can no longer see the car in front of it because it has rounded the bend.

However, in steady traffic is has been found to be possible to drive across cities without ever having to worry about a brake or accelerator pedal, if you can handle it. Since the new BMW’s automatic braking and accelerating system is constantly working out its speed and measurements, it knows the exact amount of time it needs to successfully brake, which can sometimes be considered less time that would be allowed by most drivers.

But while the 650i may seem to live dangerously, it can be impatient and if it sits in traffic at a complete stand still for more than two seconds, it will revert to manual operation, but this can be simply reset again when you get on the move. There are also safety features which will correct for other contingencies, for example if the car detects any understeer for example, it can take care of that too.

However, if this all sounds a little too technical, and a little too much like hard work – you do still have to steer after all – there are still plenty of chauffeur driven BMWs out there for hire.

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Elbow set for October Leeds Academy gig

18/02/2009 By Louise Williams Leave a Comment

untitledStaff at Leeds Academy will no doubt be expecting to welcome coach-loads of Elbow fans to the venue for the Mercury Prize winners later this month.

The group are due to perform for one night only on October 18th, fresh from winning the Mercury Prize 2008 for their latest album, The Seldom Seen Kid.

However, there is nothing seldom seen about this Mancunian quintet.

Elbow have also been nominated for no less than two accolades at this year’s Festival Awards, including Best Festival Rock Act and Anthem Of The Summer.

Fans need not rush to make their car hire bookings for the Leeds gig either, because there will be another opportunity to see the group perform in London‘s Wembley Arena on March 14th.

The band’s latest single, The Bones of You, was released at the start of the week and is available alongside a special live version from their Manchester Academy show if downloaded via iTunes.

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Paintball discount for schoolchildren

18/02/2009 By Louise Williams Leave a Comment

PaintballSchoolchildren in Somerset are to be rewarded with tickets to discounted paintball events if they behave well, it has been revealed. 

Somerset Police will be taking children that stay out of trouble in coaches to the outdoor fun days as part of a new anti-truancy scheme.

Those involved in antisocial behaviour will be taken off the scheme.

Sergeant Stuart Bell explained that the new Taunton Youth Paintball Project will complement other measures, including putting up truancy awareness notices.

He told the BBC: “Antisocial behaviour incidents involving young people coincided with the parents believing they were elsewhere.

“The paint-balling course teaches the youths about leadership, team work and the importance of sticking to the rules – whilst having a lot of fun at the same time,” he added.

Police are hoping that the new scheme will encourage parents to get involved and cooperate with authorities to combat truancy, which will in turn reduce the incidence of antisocial behaviour.

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Party night out for F1 champ

18/02/2009 By Andrew Morgan Leave a Comment

Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton hung up his driving gloves for a night out on the town with his Pussycat Doll girlfriend. F1

Hamilton became the youngest man to take the top racing title this weekend and headed out to celebrate in style.

Instead of driving to clubs, the racing ace was spotted hopping from limos and private cars to a number of parties in the Brazilian capital.

Hamilton and Nicole Scherzinger apparently danced the night away until 9am after the driver swooped to victory on Sunday.

However, the sensible driver said how he paced himself and only drank two glasses of champagne over the entire evening.

“I only had a couple of glasses of champagne,” he told a press conference. “I just sat there and took it all in.

“It was a feeling you can’t put into words, to see how happy you have made everyone after all the hard work they have put in, and how satisfied they are.”

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Pride of Britain ‘puts the wind up guests’

11/02/2009 By Kate L Owen Leave a Comment

Those that made coach trips to the Pride of Britain awards ceremony in London last night were treated to a somewhat hair-raising encounter with the stars. KellyB

Several fans were quite literally treated to a brush with fame as a host of glamorous celebrities struggled to control their locks as they made their way down the red carpet.

High wind left a significant cohort of the 100 or more celebrities that descended on the capital for the event with a natural windswept look about them.

Many long-haired beauties, including Tess Daly and Kelly Brook took the weather in their stride as they emerged from their limos and posed for photographers.

Those that weren’t lucky enough to attend the event themselves will be able to see whether the celebrity battle with the elements had any impact once the guests were inside, when the whole event is broadcast on ITV1.

The Pride of Britain awards celebrate the achievements of ordinary Britons every year, with categories including Child of Courage and Princes Trust Young Achiever.

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Negative feedback for Manchester C-Charge

02/02/2009 By Tracy Wilcox Leave a Comment

untitledPlans to introduce a congestion charge in the centre of Manchester have received only a lukewarm response from local motorists, with many expressing their staunch opposition to the proposals. 

In a move that could significantly increase the attractiveness of coach hire among fans of city centre shopping, local authorities are keen to follow London‘s example and impose a daily charge on motorists entering into the designated zone.

However, according to research from Ipsos Mori, of the 81,000 people polled, some 25,813 were opposed to the plans, with just 14,675 expressing a positive response to them.

While the anti-congestion charge campaigners, led by the Stop the Charge coalition, have welcomed the findings, those in support of the initiative feel that the multi-billion pound scheme is still on track to be introduced within the next few years.

One spokesman for Stop the Charge told the Manchester Evening News: “The consultation shows those who know the roads best, drivers who cross the charging zones five days a week, say traffic is just not bad enough to warrant a congestion charge.”

Since its introduction in Central London, the congestion charge has been credited with freeing up the capital’s most famous thoroughfares for public transport and pedestrians, with many shoppers now relying on coach hire to bypass the charge and save money on their trips into the centre.

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Posh ‘turns down’ Scary wedding invite

02/02/2009 By Tracy Wilcox Leave a Comment

Posh Spice Victoria Beckham has apparently turned down a wedding invitation from Mel B.  spice

The singer and her footballer husband, David Beckham, do not plan to attend Mel B’s Egyptian-themed party.

Although Scary Spice married Stephan Belafonte in a secret ceremony in Las Vegas last year, she hopes to renew her vows with a lavish bash in front of friends and family.

The four-day event is to take place in the Egyptian town of Hurghada, with Mel paying for flights and chauffeur driven car hire for her nearest and dearest.

Mel B has reportedly signed a £200,000 deal with OK! magazine for exclusive pictures of the lavish event, which may well be used to fund the all-expensed paid trip for her guests.

This is the Leeds-born star’s second marriage. She tied the knot with Spice Girls backing dancer Jimmy Gulzar in 1998 before filing for divorce in 2000.

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