As a young teenager in the 1970s I ached for a motorbike and the object of my desire was the Triumph Bonneville. It was not until later that I discovered the bike had been named in honour of Triumph’s 1956 speed record set at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, USA.

Until comparatively recently, buying a diesel car was seen as good for the environment. Choosing diesel was encouraged by government through tax policies and promoted by car makers because it gave a relatively easy route to achieving the carbon reduction targets set by the EU.

In 1984 William Smith, Wilts and Bath Advanced Motorcyclists (WaBAM) advanced rider, as a 30-something callow young man bought a “hot hatch.” and thought he was a brilliant driver, and wanted an IAM RoadSmart red motorist’s badge on the grill, to prove it. Here's his story in our latest blog.

Every year IAM RoadSmart comments on the annual casualty statistics when they are published (usually in June), being pleased when the numbers fall and concerned when they stagnate. This year the publication has been delayed until the full tables are published in the autumn. That makes me suspect the news is not good, but that’s just speculation.

It’s been a bad few weeks for car insurance costs with several stories emerging about record increases in car premiums, up by 11% in the last year according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI). Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart’s director of policy and research discusses whether the government can help hard pressed law abiding drivers by urgently reviewing the compensation system.