News in brief

14th January 2008

Safety camera in view for cyclists

At last, something to stop cyclists swerving out in front of your car. A US company called Cerevellum has invented ‘Hindsight,’ a digital rear view camera for bikes. A 3.5-inch screen slides into a handlebar-mounted holder, while a tiny camera is fitted to the seat post or handlebars. The product is planned for production this year, and is likely to cost £150.

Oil prices soar to record levels

Crude oil has soared to an all-time high of 0 per barrel. It follows hot on the heels of UK petrol prices smashing the £1 per litre barrier in November. The rise is bad news for drivers, especially with a 2p hike per litre in fuel duty already planned for April. The AA says the average price of a litre of unleaded hit a new high of 103.3p at the start of January.

Shame of UK’s tired out drivers

Nodding off behind the wheel could be a far more common problem than first thought. Road safety charity Brake says one in 10 people who drive as part of their job have fallen asleep on the road in the past year. The main cause is insufficient sleep the night before a long journey.