Industry News from Yes Insurance

Peterborough city council has received praise from the Department for Transport (DfT) for its picture-based road safety leaflet, designed to aid foreign drivers and those with difficulty reading in understanding Britain's driving laws.

The leaflet, which depicts laws like wearing a seatbelt, not drinking alcohol and not operating a mobile phone while driving in pictures, has been selected by the DfT as an example of good practice.

The Basics leaflet, which was initially designed in March, will be promoted in the DfT's forthcoming action pack which provides ideas for other councils to adopt.

The leaflet contains simple phrases translated into Portuguese, Lithuanian and Polish, although it is hoped that the leaflet will be translated into many more languages if it becomes mass produced across the country.

City council road safety manager Beverley Jones said: "Our investigations revealed that there is little information on road safety topics for non-English speaking newcomers to Britain. We hope this leaflet idea may be adopted in other parts of the country.

"We are hoping to develop a DVD version and include it in citizenship courses," she added.

A BBC Inside Out report, in conjunction with the Vehicle and Operator Service Agency, recently illustrated how Britain's transport industry is trying to prevent accidents occurring with foreign drivers operating on Britain's roads.

Van and lorry drivers are advised to make sure they take regular breaks to avoid becoming over-tired and to make sure they have sufficient van insurance in case of an accident.