Environment Minister Edwin Poots has announced the continuation of his department’s road safety seatbelt campaign with sponsorship from leading local insurer, AXA Insurance.

Over the last decade there has been a major drive to improve seatbelt wearing rates, particularly amongst children and young adults.  The seatbelt advertising campaigns and the introduction of tougher new penalties for not wearing seatbelts have played vital roles in bringing about huge improvements.

The Minister said: “The AXA-sponsored seatbelt campaigns have had a significant influence on seatbelt wearing rates and saving lives.

“Prior to the campaigns starting in 2001 Northern Ireland had the worst seatbelt wearing rate in the UK. Now it is the highest – with all-time highs for drivers at 98%, front seats at 97%, and overall wearing at 97%.

“It is estimated that approximately 8 lives would be saved each year, 73 serious injuries and 269 slight injuries prevented if a 100% wearing rate was achieved.”

According to the World Health Organisation increasing seatbelt wearing is one of the fastest ways of reducing death and serious injury on the roads.

The minister continued: “I would especially urge parents to take responsibility for ensuring their children are safely secured while travelling – no matter how short the journey.  This simple action will massively increase a child’s chance of survival in a collision.  There is absolutely no excuse for not doing so.  My message today and every day is clear – NO SEATBELT, NO EXCUSE.”

Director of Road Safety in the Department of the Environment, Deirdre Kenny, said: “The urgent challenge in Northern Ireland is to improve backseat wearing where parents and drivers in charge of children and young people are breaking the law and putting lives at risk by not enforcing the wearing of seatbelts. The wearing rates of 5-9 year olds at 91% and of 10-13 year olds at 92% are most worrying and a reflection on the irresponsibility of a small minority of drivers, including parents, who are breaking the law and putting lives of children at risk.”

Marketing Manager for AXA Insurance, Kieran McCullagh said “There is no room for complacency on the issue of seatbelt usage. Drivers have a legal and a moral obligation to ensure their passengers are protected by a seatbelt. AXA insurance are delighted to support the DOE through sponsorship of the latest campaign and we are confident that this campaign will help to save lives and prevent serious injuries to our customers and drivers at large in Northern Ireland”

Brought to you by AXA Car Insurance Northern Ireland          

So how much was he fined for being caught at nearly two and half times over the legal speed limit?…….£650,000.  Yes you read that right, the motorist is now facing a speeding fine of £650,000.

In Switzerland speeding fines are determined by the speed recorded and by how wealthy the driver is. The driver’s car can now be impounded for a period of 300 days which will cost just over £2160 a day. Ouch!!

At AXA Direct you can get a fast online quote for Northern Ireland car insurance and with prices from £249 you’ll have no big surprises unlike this Swedish driver.

Or if you want to speak to one of our insurance advisers call 0800 282820 or drop into one of our 11 branches throughout Northern Ireland.

Any vehicle entering the drop off / pick up zone will be charged a £1.00 fee and will only be allowed a maximum of 10 minutes in the area. If you are intending to be any longer than 10 minutes you will have to use the car parking facilities. To allow for this Belfast International Airport has doubled the time limit allowed for parking at the lowest rate in the short staycar park.

The new drop off zone means that the airport will now come into line with Government guidelines introduced after the Glasgow airport bombing. Currently the distances between the airport terminal and vehicle zones are not big enough and must be increased. But should passengers have to pay for this?

It should also see an improvement in traffic flow and reduce congestion around the airport terminal.  However what about the roads leading up to the airport? Currently there are cars and buses parked and waiting along the roadside for miles leading up to the airport so when the new £1.00 charge comes in, is this situation just going to get worse?

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think it is fair to ask vehicles to pay to drop off or pick up passengers?

Brought to you by AXA Car Insurance Northern Ireland

 What do you call a Lada with a sunroof? ….A skip.

What do you call a Lada that starts first time? ……. A novelty.

Well what do you call a Lada on the road?……… A Comeback!!

Yes it’s true, after years of being the target of many jokes and criticism the Lada is set to make a comeback to the UK market. Avtovaz who produce the Lada have teamed up with Renault to create a modern redesigned version of the Lada much different to the one we are all used to. But the big question is would you buy one? Is the Lada perception of being unreliable too strong to overcome? With Renault being involved in the re-launch it can only be assumed that the Lada’s design and reliability will be well improved and with a price tag of £5000 it may be too good a bargain to say no to. The Skoda which was also the target of many jokes has had excellent success after being taken over by Volkswagen and now is a car that drivers are proud to be seen in. So can Renault do the same for Lada? We will just have to wait and see. The new models are expected to be in the UK market within the next couple of years.

But you don’t have to wait that long to get a great deal on car insurance. Give AXA Direct a call on 0800 282820, visit one of our local Northern Ireland branches or get a Northern Ireland car insurance quote online to see what AXA can do for you.

 For those of you who have ever visited Paris you will be well aware of how busy the streets are and how much traffic flows through the city.  Even the Mayor thinks it is too much and is planning to permanently close the left bank expressway to all traffic. Currently every Sunday the banks of the Seine are a traffic free zone decreasing congestion levels and allowing pedestrians to enjoy the beauty of the river banks smog free. It may work well on a quiet Sunday but will the permanent closure encourage more people to use public transport or will the congestion just transfer to other areas of the city during a busy working day?

I can’t see Belfast following Paris’ example just yet so for now we just have to accept the fact that we will encounter congestion at some point of our journeys.

But while you are sitting in your car stressed out in the traffic jams at least you can relax about your car insurance….AXA Direct offer great car insurance deals from £249 and if you become too stressed why not leave the traffic behind and escape on an AXA Leisure break, just one of the great benefits of AXA car insurance. Find out more about all our benefits and get a stress free Northern Ireland car insurance quote online. Visit one of our many branches across Northern Ireland or give us a call on 0800 282820

Scientists in Germany have recently revealed and tested a new technology prototype that uses the driver’s vision to steer the car. The technology tracks the driver’s eye movement, then uses this information to turn the steering wheel and steer the car in the direction the driver is looking.

New technology is constantly being introduced to make our lives easier but just how safe would this concept be? What happens if you are distracted and sharply turn your head in one direction…..does the car automatically follow?

Keeping your eyes on the road is vital when driving, even if your not steering your car with your eyes. You should always be aware of the legal eyesight requirements and if you need glasses to meet these requirements, you must wear these everytime you drive.

AXA understands how important looking after your eyesight is that’s why we offer a variety of eye products and services at discounted rates through our AXA Plus Scheme. Have a look at our range of AXA Plus discounts online here. Give us a call on 0800 282820 or visit us an any of our branches across Northern Ireland as AXA also offer great car insurance deals from £249.

No matter how an experienced driver you are accidents do happen and that’s why AXA Direct offer great car insurance deals with many added benefits to cover all situations. Our comprehensive insurance covers windscreen and glass breakage and with our AXA plus scheme you may even be able to reward yourself with an AXA leisure break.
Give us a call on 0800 282820, visit us at any of our Northern Ireland branches or get a quote at AXA online for Northern Ireland car insurance.

As for the learner driver she has already booked her next lesson and is determined to keep all four wheels firmly on the road!!

Call in and meet the local AXA Enniskillen team at 23 East Bridge Street where you will be assured of a friendly welcome and a personal service. Your insurance can be quickly arranged and if you have any questions the team will only be too glad to assist.

With great deals on car insurance from £249 you will be glad you dropped in. The team can also advise on the many benefits and options AXA can offer including the AXA plus scheme and the Open Driving option.
Visit the branch between the following times:
Monday to Friday 9-5pm
Saturday 9-2pm

Or call 0800 282820 Monday to Friday 8-8pm, Saturday 8-4pm.

To view all the benefits which are available and some other great deals you can also visit our Northern Ireland car and home insurance website

And the excuses keep coming!! ‘I was simply sleeping, not parked’ along with colour blindness, bad weather and injured pets which have all been used to avoid driving fines. Where will they stop?

A local council has stated that: “The imagination of some of these drivers is quite impressive, but UFOs and colour blindness unfortunately do not count as legitimate reasons to overturn a ticket.
And there is certainly no excuse for not saving money on your car insurance. AXA Direct offer great deals from £249 and you can get in touch with us in a number of ways. So give us a call on 0800 282820, visit us at any of our Northern Ireland branches  or get a  Northern Ireland car insurance quote online.

Money Tree in Belfast

For those of you who missed the chance to grab some free cash, there is always the opportunity to save money on your insurance with AXA Direct. With car insurance from £249 and great deals on home,  van and taxi cover it will be worth your while to give us a call on 0800 282820, visit us at any of our branches across Northern Ireland or get a quote online here.