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National Numbers Articles

Welsh Drivers “Too Fast” According to Children

November 29, 2010
Posted in Number Plate News — Written by matthew.smith

Children from a Welsh primary school are pushing their campaign to get car speeds down for their own safety.

With astonishing figures of approximately one in eight, nine to 13-year-old children struck by cars in Wales, it’s clear to see why their concerns are growing rapidly.

Welsh school children expressed their fears in a survey conducted by road safety charity, Brake, as a part of road safety week.

Brake found that children were deeply concerned about speedy motorists close to home and school.

The primary school in Cardiff is the hub of the growing campaign, after 192 children were seriously injured and 11 killed on Welsh roads in 2009.

The survey results shows that a staggering 72% of children asked, felt that roads near their home and school were dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists.

Angie Smith, from Wenvoe, Cardiff, lost her 16-year-old following a car crash and will do everything she can to prevent similar tragedies in the future.

“I’m supporting road safety week in memory of Kyle and backing Brake’s calls for drivers to slow down – staying within limits and cutting your speed to 20mph around schools and homes could save a child’s life, and it will cost you nothing,” Angie explained.

“If all drivers in Wales made this pledge, our communities would be safer places, and we would help to prevent other families going through the agony we’ve been through.”

The survey also revealed that 90% of traffic outside homes and schools was too fast, with 12% struck by a vehicle whilst cycling or walking.

Brake’s campaigns officer, Joel Hickman, believes that simple changes can make things safer for everyone.

“All drivers have a part to play in making our roads safer for children, and one of the best ways we can do this is to slow down to 20mph or below around schools and homes,” he said.

“If you do, you have a good chance of being able to stop in time if a child runs out in front of you, and you’re helping to make our communities greener, more pleasant, and more family friendly.

“Children in Wales understand the need for traffic to slow down, and are appealing to drivers to make this simple commitment during road safety week.”

There are a vast array of personalised registrations available to choose from, so don’t miss out on the perfect number plate from you.

Just call National Numbers on 01642 363738, and let their expert advisers help you every step of the way.

Beware of Online Vehicle Sales

November 25, 2010
Posted in Number Plate News — Written by matthew.smith

Those who are looking to buy a vehicle online need to be very cautious that the car they’re buying isn’t stolen.

Following a spate of incidents involving stolen vehicles being sold online, police and authorities are warning people to be extra vigilant when parting with their money.

A scheme currently in operation by fraudsters sees stolen vehicles have their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) plates switched with identical vehicles that have been written off and sit in the scrap yard.

VIN plates are individual to every car, and will be checked when police are searching for stolen cars, so swapping the VIN can greatly help criminals to sell stolen vehicles without being detected.

If you’re found to have purchased one of these cars, you will almost certainly lose your car when it is returned to its rightful owner, and it’s very unlikely that you will see your money again.

Authorities are urging consumers to be extra vigilant when looking for a new car online.

There are some key tips that you can follow to make sure that you don’t fall victim to the scam.

Contact the DVLA to check the VIN number with the vehicle history.

Check the VIN plate for signs of adjustment or tampering.

Don’t part with your money without seeing the Vehicle and the VIN in person.

Check if the seller is also the owner; be extra vigilant if not.

Be aware of terms such as “Junk”, “Scrap” and “Salvage” in the advert.

Retain all correspondence with the seller and take a photograph of the seller when purchasing the vehicle.

Follow your common sense; a car is very rarely sold much lower than market value without good reason.

If you’re looking for a great personalised registration that really says something about you, then look no further than the experts at National Numbers, on 01642 363738.

With over ten years experience in getting people the number plate they’ve been searching for, call National Numbers to get yours.

Blackpool Manager Holloway Selling VW Beetle and Number Plate

Posted in Number Plate News — Written by matthew.smith

Blackpool FC’s current and most successful manager of all time is selling his beloved red Volkswagen Beetle on Ebay.

When the car is finally sold to the highest bidder, they’ll even get a number plate which pays homage to the hugely popular boss.

Having been put up for sale on Tuesday, bidding has been frantic and surpassed £800, with fans desperate to win the car.

Without a reserve price, and with 10% of the final price going to the Macmillan cancer charity, the lot will even come complete with two tickets to a Blackpool FC football match.

Holloway is selling with heavy heart, however.

“I don’t really want to sell because the car means a lot to me but that’s what we’ve decided to do and it would be brilliant if it went to a Blackpool fan,” he explained.

“I’d love it if I saw someone driving it around town.”

Put up for auction by a family friend of Ian Holloway, the car was planned for a full revamp by the Seasiders manager.

However, due to their dazzling ascent to the heights of the Premier League, Mr Holloway can no longer find the time to do the work himself.

The official description given on Ebay reads: ”Ian loves this little car and has spent quite a lot of money on it. His wish was to get it pristine but with the success of Blackpool he just hasn’t had time to see his little car reach its former glory.”

“This little car will give someone lots of pleasure… is reliable and will give years of fun.”

The number plate, “OLY 607L” even bears a striking resemblance to Ian Holloway’s nickname, ‘Ollie’.

To get a personalised registration of your own, just call National Numbers on 01642 363738.

Their expert advisers have years of experience in getting people the perfect number plate.

Neighbour Puts Bollard in Own Driveway

Posted in Number Plate News — Written by matthew.smith

A woman with severe heart problems has revealed that her neighbour erected a bollard on their shared driveway, which may prevent paramedics from gaining access in an emergency.

15 years ago, Julie Preston of Mill End, Watford, was diagnosed with the heart condition hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

The medical condition is like a ticking timebomb, with the potential to cause sudden and unexplained heart attacks.

As a result, surgeons operated on her and fitted an “implantable cardioverter-defibrillator,” which can restart the heart if a heart attack strikes.

Following the operation, Ms Preston moved into her new home in 2008 and spent a month without her driving licence and car.

Once she was permitted to drive, the arguments erupted with her neighbour, John Johnston.

The fall-out resulted in her neighbour erecting a metal, hinged bollard in the middle of their shared driveway.

“When I reverse onto the driveway I have to swing the car over to the left slightly and then straighten up, but because of the bollard I now can’t park my car,” Ms Preston explained.

“If my heart were to stop the ICD would kick in and restart my heart, as soon as that happens I have to ring 999 for an ambulance to take me to hospital. If an ambulance came there’s no way a stretcher could get past his car and the bollard.”

Having occupied their home for the past 48 years, Mr Johnson and his wife Chrystal were keen to stop people from taking liberties with the parking rules.

“I built the bollard on my land to stop people driving on my grass and churning it up, the word “shared driveway” has been stretched to include my garden,” Mr Johnston revealed.

“I’ve got photographs of people parked practically outside the front door, blocking the driveway so that we couldn’t even walk down it.

“I bought the deeds to this house in 1978 and there was no garage to access next door. I never signed an agreement to say there could be, or that I would have to share my driveway.”

Thrive Homes, who let the properties have requested for Mr Johnston to remove the bollard.

To get a personalised registration that really says something about you, contact the experts at National Numbers on 01642 363738.

National Numbers have been getting people the number plate they want for years.

Insurance Premium Crippling Motorists

November 18, 2010
Posted in DVLA News — Written by matthew.smith

With insurance premiums at an all time high, desperate measures are being sought to make motoring more affordable.

Several ideas have already been raised, such as increasing the difficulty of driving tests, allowing insurers access to the DVLA database and a review of the Pass Plus scheme.

The suggested changes were put before the Transport Select Committee by several insurers and industry bodies.

A detailed plan was submitted by the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA), including assisting young drivers to find a suitable broker and fining drivers who ignored reminders that their insurance had lapsed.

It was even suggested to consider reducing the legal fees for insurers during civil cases in order to get insurance premiums down.

Graham Trudgill, head of corporate affairs at BIBA, explained some of their viewpoints: ”We think the key priorities for the government should be to introduce Continuous Insurance Enforcement, implement changes to reduce the cost of bodily injury claims and importantly signpost customers to a source of help.”

There have been a number of factors that have driven insurance prices up, including fraudulent claims, uninsured drivers and market withdrawal from several insurers.

Ian Crowder, Spokesman for The AA, revealed how they are in support of the measures set out by BIBA.

“We think for young drivers, who suffer the brunt of the increases with unsustainable premiums, the key is for the insurance industry, road safety groups, the government and education authorities to work together to help young men start their driving careers safely and responsibly,” he revealed.

There’s a long way to go before we can expect any impact on insurance premiums, and time will tell, whether or not the advice raised at the inquiry will be heeded.

There are thousands of personalised registrations for you to choose from, so call the experts at National Numbers on 01642 363738 now, and let them help you every step of the way to finding you the perfect number plate.

Councils Cling on to Expensive Luxury Number Plates

Posted in Number Plate News — Written by matthew.smith

Taxpayers will be aggrieved to learn that many local councils are sitting on extremely valuable number plates, with no intention to sell them.

During a BBC investigation, it was revealed that local authorities in the east of England are in ownership of number plates valued in excess of £1m.

With the public going through such difficult financial times, many are questioning why the local councils aren’t choosing to cash-in on such luxury items.

Growing discontentment amongst taxpayers may lead to local authorities selling personalised registrations to reduce the deficit, such as Northampton Borough Council’s NH1, valued at £400,000.

Northampton Councils boss and Liberal Democrat, Brian Markham, revealed that the council has no intention to sell its valuable asset.

“If we got £400,000 – that’s equivalent to £4 off the average council tax bill for a whole year for the council taxpayers of Northampton,” Councillor Markham explained.

“But that is only one year – next year you can’t sell the number plate again.

“More importantly, that number plate is part of our heritage – not just for the council but for the town – we’ve owned that since the first number plates on cars.”

Several other councils also have valuable number plates in their possession, such as Southend Council, Peterborough Council and King’s Lynn Council.

Essex Council has bucked the trend, however, with officials selling their highly sought-after ‘F1′ number plate for £375,00o and put the money towards advanced driver training for young people.

However, despite Essex Councils best efforts to generate cash, it appears they sold too soon, with the F1 personalised registration currently valued at £5m.

Get a great personalised registration of your own, by calling National Numbers on 01642 363738.

Their friendly, expert advisers have years of experience in getting people their dream number plate.

Crash Victim’s Father Keeps Number Plate

November 17, 2010
Posted in Number Plate News — Written by matthew.smith

A father of a 6-year-old girl from Pretoria, South Africa, has kept the number plate from the BMW that left his daughter seriously injured.

The strange course of action was taken so that the driver at fault would not just walk away, following his crime.

Mr Garland had been a victim of a hit-and-run incident several years prior, with the driver fleeing the incident after knocking him from his motorbike.

“Nothing came of that investigation and the man simply disappeared into thin air. I wasn’t going to let this guy get away with it as well,” Mr Garland explained.

Danielle, his daughter, suffered deep wounds and a brain haemorrhage and is currently recovering from operations in a local intensive care unit, with her mother also recovering from a hip injury.

Following a church visit on Sunday, the family car was struck from the side after the BMW ignored a red light.

“Our car started rolling immediately,” Mr Garland revealed.

“When I looked at my wife, she was bewildered but conscious.

“My daughter was lying in the back of the car. There was blood running from her mouth and her head.”

He released his wife and daughter from their seat belts and pulled them from the car.

“I thought the car was going to catch alight at any moment.

“A passing ambulance stopped to help.”

The BMW driver at fault in the incident made attempts to apologise to Mr Garland.

“I told him to apologise to my daughter.

“I removed his number plate and put it in the ambulance along with my daughter, because I was afraid he would get away with it.

“I walked to the car along with the police and we all saw that the licence on his windscreen had already expired on July 31.

“On Tuesday, when I went to report the case, Sunday’s case number suddenly appeared.”

Officer Blemedie of Sunnyside police station revealed that a case of reckless driving has been under investigation since Sunday.

To get a great personalised registration, look no further than National Numbers.

Their experts have over ten years experience in finding people the number plate they’re looking for.

Just call 01642 363738, and let National Numbers help you.

Businesses Pushed to Make Monthly Driving Licence Checks

November 14, 2010
Posted in DVLA News — Written by matthew.smith

Companies have been warned that they may have to perform driving licence checks, on a monthly basis, for employees who drive as a part of their job.

The advice comes following changes made to the rules on revoking licences by the DVLA, and fleet management software company Jaama believes businesses could be given a rude awakening.

Employees have always been subjected to checks every six or 12-months if they have fewer than six points on their licence and slightly more frequently if they have more than six points.

Recent adjustments by the Home Office have resulted in checks every four weeks.

The DVLA contacted their partner organisation Jaama to explain the situation: “The DVLA will request that drivers surrender their licence for endorsement within 28 days of notification of court conviction. If drivers fail to do so, we will revoke their licence after the 28 days has expired.”

Jason Francis, managing director at Jaama revealed his opinion on the matter: “The change in the ‘concessionary period’ should encourage all companies to increase the frequency of their driving licence checks or face the reality that they may have staff driving with revoked licences and therefore not entitled to take to the road.”

Mr Francis continued: “The likelihood is that with entitlement to drive now being withdrawn after just 28 days many more drivers are likely to find themselves without a valid driving licence.

“Driver licence checking should be a vital component of every company’s occupational road risk management policy. This change in DVLA procedures means that the only option to ensure compliance is to ensure driving licence checks are undertaken every four weeks.

“Our driver licence checking service means that not only is the administrative burden completely removed from customers, but they will have all information on drivers and their vehicles held in one central database, building a combined intelligent profile and highlighting exceptions.”

The best way to get a unique personalised registration at a bargain price is to bid at one of the DVLA’s regular national number plate auction.

National Numbers have expert bidders who bid on your behalf, knowing just how and when to bid to get the best number plate at the lowest price.

The next DVLA number plate auction takes place at Ardencote Manor Hotel and Country Club, Claverdon, Warwick, on 1st, 2nd and 3rd December, 2010.

So why wait? Call them now, on 01642 363738 to find out more.

Short-Sighted Driver Leaves Pedestrians Terrified

Posted in DVLA News — Written by matthew.smith

An extremely short sighted driver from Wales has left the residents of Burry Port crossing the streets in fear every time he gets behind the steering wheel.

Peter Davies, 29, has earnt himself the nickname of ‘Mr Magoo’ from those living nearby due to his extremely erratic driving.

His dream of becoming a motorist came to an end following a 300-name petition, sent to the DVLA pleading for him to be banned from the roads.

However, the petitioners had good reason; Mr Davies had mounted the pavement and careered into a garden fence whilst on a driving lesson.

Mr Davies had been upbeat about his chances of returning to the road with the prospect of laser eye surgery on the horizon, but his dreams came crashing down when told his eyesight was irreparable.

His father , Anthony Davies explained how it looked possible he would return to the roads at one stage.

“We had an appointment with a specialist about the possibility of laser eye surgery,” Anthony revealed.

“Unfortunately, we were told his eyes are now so far gone that the damage is beyond repair. It has taken a while for Peter to get over the ordeal.

“It has been terrible for him, he has finally now accepted that he will never drive or own a car of his own.”

His neighbours were relieved when his licence was revoked in 2006, but as he sought to regain his licence more recently, residents began to fear the worst.

During a police visit to his house, following complaints from anxious neighbours, Mr Davies was ordered to take an eye test, which he failed.

Chairwoman of the Isgraig Residents’ Association, Pam Every, explained her and her and her neighbours relief at the news.

“But I am very sorry that his eyesight is irreparable,” she explained.

“Peter is a lovely boy and he must be gutted.

“However, my main concern has always been his welfare: he could have ended up in a road accident and could have involved other road users.

“So the important thing is that he is safe and so are the public.”

Get a great number plate of your own by calling National Numbers on 01642 363738.

Their expert advisers can help you find the personalised registration you’ve been searching for.

92-Year-Old Passes Advanced Driving Test

Posted in DVLA News — Written by matthew.smith

Age seems to hold no barriers for the determined, especially so for a pensioner in Scotland who became one of the oldest people to pass the advanced driving test.

Archie Scott, 92, from Inverness, passed his original driving test 75 years ago in 1935.

His decision to sit the advanced test was to prove to the DVLA that he was still a perfectly safe motorist.

This record breaking achievement has been recognised as the oldest person in Scotland to have passed the test by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM).

Speaking with the BBC, Mr Scott expressed how he had been very nervous in the lead up to the advanced test.

“My first driving test was very simple,” he explained.

“It took half an hour and as long as I dealt with the gears in a decent sort of way and drove in a fairly straight line I passed.

“The advanced test was 50 minutes worth of driving in and around Inverness – on the dual carriageway and rural roads.

“I was fairly nervous about it all but fortunately I managed to pass.”

It may come as a surprise to many that somebody over 90-years-old would be so capable behind the wheel, but not to IAM.

IAM have conducted vast research on the matter and their findings suggest that older drivers are safer motorists than younger drivers.

Director of policy and research at IAM, Neil Greig, explained their findings: ”This age group make up 8% of drivers but are only involved in 4% of injury causing crashes.

“In comparison, the 15% of drivers in their teens and twenties were involved in 34% of injury crashes.

“We offer our congratulations to Archie, who has proved there’s no age barrier to being a good driver.

“Archie’s feat underlines our policy that re-tests after an arbitrary age should not be made mandatory, rather we recommend people opt for a voluntary reassessment to improve their own confidence and safety.”

There are thousands of personalised registrations available to choose from, but it can be difficult to find the perfect number plate for you.

National Numbers have over ten years experience in finding people their dream number plate, so call 01642 363738 and find yours today.