ABTA is joining the call for tourists to stay safe on foreign roads, after an alarming report published by the FIA Foundation and the Make Roads Safe Campaign, which reveals that road crashes are the main cause of tourist death and injury while holidaying abroad.

ABTA is advising holiday makers to take sensible precautions when driving abroad and to make sure they are aware of local driving laws and road conditions.

According to the Make Roads Safe campaign report, 25,000 international tourists are killed on foreign roads each year.

While the numbers of UK tourist road traffic injuries are relatively low and have to be put in perspective, just a small percentage of the 60 million who travel abroad each year being affected by fatal road accidents; however the figures show that road safety on holiday is clearly an issue to be taken seriously.

With travellers and holiday makers often driving in unfamiliar surroundings and sometimes on the opposite side of the road to what they are normally used to, extra care is clearly advisable while driving on holiday.

ABTA and the Federation of Tour Operators are also issuing a Code of Practice for transport providers to improve road safety, which its members have distributed to many of the suppliers they use.

ABTA’s Nikki White explains: “Although statistically the chances of being caught in a road accident whilst on holiday abroad are small, accidents can and do occur.

“Many ABTA tour operators work closely with local companies providing transfers and car hire arrangements to operate appropriate safety standards.”

ABTA advises seeking comprehensive information on how to make your experience of foreign roads as safe as possible.

As well as experiencing poor levels of road safety abroad, tourists are particularly vulnerable on foreign roads because of differences in road user culture, and also due to their own risk taking behaviour while abroad – for example hiring motorbikes without a helmet.

Even in Europe tourist deaths account for between 5-10 per cent of the total road fatalities in some countries.

David Ward, FIA Foundation Director General, says:

“Tourists and international travellers expect and demand the highest standards of safety when they step on an aeroplane to travel on holiday. But once they leave the arrivals lounge, tourists are left to fend for themselves in an often dangerous environment.”

The FIA Foundation, which is sponsored by FIA, the international automobile federation, warns of the dangers of unsafe roads, poorly maintained vehicles and bad driving habits such as a lack of seat belts while travelling abroad.

Their report warns that tourist deaths on the roads, currently estimated at approximately 25,000 a year, could almost double to 45,000 by 2020 and triple to 75,000 by 2030.

Road deaths are the number one risk to tourists so the advice is clear do not panic but take sensible precautions and extra care if possible when travelling in a foreign country.

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Millions of people have been helped in Haiti due to the goodwill of British citizens.

The UK public has raised £101 million for Haiti disaster relief efforts, with the money funding emergency assistance to 1.2 million people affected by the devastating earthquake which hit Haiti earlier this year.

It has been six months since the earthquake and relief efforts are still ongoing but due to the generosity of UK citizens donating to relief aid charities, millions have already been spent, helping the most urgent needs of survivors.

UK charities coordinate disaster relief funds via the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), made up of 13 member agencies who come together to provide humanitarian aid in times of severe crisis.

These include Action Aid, British Red Cross, Christian Aid, Help the Aged, Islamic Relief, Oxfam and Save the Children.

The DEC has already spent over £30 million on essential aid in Haiti, such as food, water and medical treatments, as well as sanitation, emergency shelter, livelihood support and basics like soap and water containers.

More still needs to be done though to provide long-term development including infrastructure work and investment in jobs.

DEC Chief Executive Brendan Gormley says:

“It is clear that we are only at the beginning of what will be a long and painful journey but that I know DEC member agencies are committed to do whatever is necessary to support the people of Haiti.”

People need jobs to pay for rent on properties that need to be repaired or rebuilt at sites that have yet to be cleared.

“In 35 years of humanitarian work I have never seen such a challenge confronting survivors of a natural disaster and the DEC agencies which are trying to help them, said Mr Gormley.

“Shockingly, our provision of emergency latrines and clean water means that many people now have better water and sanitation services than before the quake.

“One measure of our achievement is that there has been no major outbreak of potentially deadly diseases such as measles, cholera or diarrhoea.”

Providing decent shelter in a city stuffed with millions of tons of rubble is proving to be very difficult.

The earthquake was so devastating largely because it hit Haiti’s desperately poor capital, Port-au-Prince, where 86 per cent of the people were living in poorly constructed slum housing.

The earthquake affected some of the most already desperately poor people in the world.

Even before the earthquake only half of the people in Port-au-Prince had access to toilets and only one third of the population had access to clean tap water.

DEC funds will be spent over three years in total but many Member Agencies will stay on well beyond that period using funding from other sources.

Many funds are also being raised from international Governments through the UN Flash Appeal but that appeal has still not reached its target.

However, due to the kindness of charity donations, many lives have already been saved.

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Although yesterday was the official start to a five day walkout of British Airways staff, it appears that enough people made it across picket lines and into work, that the airline company could run a full schedule of flights. Talks between the Unite union and BA collapsed over the weekend after the two continued to wage war on one another. It was thought that over half of British Airways flights from Heathrow would be affected, although flights from Gatwick would remain unchanged. Despite the hype and number of staff not making it to work, the contingency plans were met and minimal disruption was felt.

Unites co leader Tony Woodley spoke to the media on Saturday saying, “Let’s stop the inconvenience to the British travelling public… Let’s get the travel back on for our people and let’s finalise a deal hopefully over these next couple of days.”

A row broke out however when elements of the discussions were allegedly leaked onto Twitter by fellow co leader Derek Simpson. The latest round of strikes are in protest of travel perks taken away from employee’s who took part in the walkouts in March. There is an ongoing dispute over pay, jobs and working conditions.

Although talks have not yet resumed and no deals have been made, at least this is a positive sign that staff are turning up for work and allowing passengers to arrive and depart with only minor interruptions.

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The effects of the volcanic eruption in Iceland have caused inexplicable expense, stress and heartache for thousands of British travellers and holidaymakers worldwide. This has been exasperated by the fact that the majority of insurance companies refused to pay out over the disruption. Aviva, a leading insurance company has decided to incorporate a new insurance policy into their travel insurance package. Holidaymakers will now have the option to ‘add on’ additional cover to protect them against cancellation caused by the volcanic ash as well as terrorism. Cover will cost between £5-£10 per person depending on the trip and will provide up to £5000 of cover. Policy holders will have to attempt to recover the lost monies from their holiday provider before making a claim, however the new insurance is likely to at least give travellers a little sigh of relief.

The ‘add on’ cover will be available from 1^st June for new customers. Existing policyholders looking to renew will be able to buy the additional cover from that date.

Travel Manager at Aviva, Jerry Finch spoke about the policy saying, “We appreciate the need to provide protection for additional risks that have not been previously covered by insurance. So we have broadened our cover beyond the impact of volcanic ash on flights to include any reason for airspace, port or airport closure. This would include examples such as terrorism, prevention of terrorism or even a pandemic situation, such as bird flu.”

He added “This should help customers feel more confident of their position as they look either to go on holiday soon or plan to book one later in the year. We are providing our customers with the freedom to choose the cover they feel would be right for them.”

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For forty years rail companies have neglected some of Yorkshires towns and cities. Finally Grand Central is to resume service to Bradford, Halifax and Pontefract with three return services a day. Trains will depart from London’s Kings Cross station and chug their way up North, starting this Sunday. The privately owned company has created thirty new jobs and aims to ad further strings to its bow if all goes to plan. Tom Clift, Grand Central’s managing director said, “We want to carry on reaching parts of the network which others haven’t reached. If this works, we have other towns in mind which lost their trains to London even longer ago.”

Of course the towns that will be reached by the new West Riding line are over the moon at the development. The mayor of Bradford, John Godward said, “Every year we increase the number of things in Bradford for people to come and see, and we want to make that experience as easy as we can, as well as enjoyable.” The Labour MP for Halifax, Linda Riordan said it was “something we’ve been after for years”.

There’s no doubt that the new line will open many doors for the Yorkshire towns. Okay, so it is too long for a commute to London, but it will allow for interesting day trips and for families to come together more easily.

Grand Central opened a similar line in 2008, running services between London to Sunderland, Heartlepool and Eaglescliffe.

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The classy looking Routemaster takes us back to a bygone era with its open platform and staircase at the rear, enabling travellers to hop on and off with ease. Unlike the old style busses, the new version, due to be launched in 2012 will have the familiar double doors making access easier for disabled passengers and those with buggies. The new fleet will also of course be hybrids made of lightweight materials, making them 40% more efficient than the diesel buses already on our streets.

The mayor of London spoke of the buses, saying, “This iconic new part of our transport system is not only beautiful but also has a green heart beating beneath its stylish, swooshing exterior. It will cut emissions and give Londoners a bus they can be proud of, complete with cutting-edge design and the freedom of an open platform.”

Boris Johnson has been the capitals mayor since 2008 and part of his manifesto was have these ‘green’ buses running on London’s streets in time for the Olympics.

“I expect to eventually have hundreds of these on London’s roads, and for cities around the globe to be beside themselves with envy for our stunning red emblem of 21st-century London.”

I can’t say that I’m entirely sure where the money is coming from to fund the new transport system, but in theory it is a good idea. We have already replaced the majority of the awful ‘bendy’ buses with brand spanking new double deckers. Now could be the time to replace what’s left of the old crumbling fleet with the new hybrids.

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