Latest news with #driving
The Independent
5 hours ago
- General
- The Independent
E-bike murder trial driver ‘was not acting like he had hit someone' after crash
A driver accused of murdering a young mother who was riding pillion on an off-road e-bike was 'not acting like he had hit someone' immediately after the incident, his passenger has told a court. Jordan Hind told jurors at Derby Crown Court that she did not hear anyone screaming or think there was anything underneath the Land Rover Discovery being driven by Keaton Muldoon. Muldoon, 23, denies using the vehicle to murder 25-year-old Alana Armstrong but has admitted causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving. The defendant, of Tuckers Lane, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, further denies causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Ms Armstrong's boyfriend Jordan Newton-Kay, whose right leg was amputated 15cm above the knee after the crash. The court heard that Mr Newton-Kay was riding his black, orange and blue off-road bike with Ms Armstrong on the back that evening, while a friend was on another similar bike. Giving evidence from behind a curtain on Tuesday in the third week of Muldoon's trial, Miss Hind said she was the rear seat passenger at the time of the alleged murder in Batley Lane, Pleasley, Derbyshire. Answering questions from defence barrister Adrian Langdale KC, Miss Hind said she was picked up in a pub car park shortly before the fatal collision at about 8pm on November 26 last year, having arranged to buy £30 worth of drugs from Muldoon. She told the court that Muldoon had asked her for her phone and clothes in text messages in the days after the incident, before texting to say he would hand himself in. Miss Hind, who could not be seen from the public gallery or the dock, said: 'Obviously I had been dragged into something I had not done and I was scared and I wanted it to be sorted.' After accepting that she had lied to police by denying she had ever been in the Land Rover when she was arrested at her home on suspicion of murder on November 30, Miss Hind gave jurors her account of the fatal incident. Describing how the incident started shortly after Muldoon pulled into a lay-by, Miss Hind told the jury: 'I jumped out and got into the back to get (drugs from a coat pocket). 'It looked like car lights because there were two lights. I thought it was police or somebody else and obviously I was panicking, so I laid down and I hid.' Muldoon was still in the driver's seat, Miss Hind told the court, and had driven off pretty much as soon as she had started hiding. 'It was just a normal pull away.' Telling the court she had felt no bangs and had not heard the sound of anything being hit by the Land Rover, Miss Hind said: 'It felt like it was going up grass verges and skidding and things like that.' Mr Langdale asked Miss Hind about assertions she had made to police that Muldoon swore while he was at the wheel and had shouted 'move out of the way' and said he had 'only meant to hit the back' of the victims' e-bike. Asked by Mr Langdale if she could recall precisely what was said, Miss Hind responded: 'I can't be sure of exactly what (was said) but it was around that same sort of thing. 'It comes up to the same thing of him knocking somebody off a bike.' The witness maintained that she had not heard any screaming, that she 'didn't hear anything under the car' and said there had been no attempt to ram the rider of the second e-bike. After pulling over following the incident, Muldoon remained calm, was not aggressive or 'acting like he had hit someone,' the court heard. Under re-examination by prosecutor Sally Howes KC, Miss Hind said she had made an internet search for the latest police news in the wake of the incident because of the comments made by Muldoon. 'I didn't feel anything but him saying that – obviously something had happened. It was just a general wanting to know,' she told the court. The trial continues.
Daily Mail
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Robert Irwin shares his number one fear as an Australian working in the USA: 'Terrifying'
Robert Irwin spends a lot of time working in the USA. And the Australian wildlife warrior, whose mum Terri is American, has shared his number one fear as an Aussie in America. The 21-year-old posted to Instagram on Wednesday to explain that he dislikes driving on US roads while stateside. 'Hey America.. why'd you put the steering wheel on the wrong side?' he wrote alongside a photo in which he was sitting in a car while wearing reading glasses. 'And do fake glasses make it look like I know what I'm doing? Driving here is terrifying' he added. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Robert recently set hearts racing earlier this year when he stripped down to his Bonds in a racy underwear campaign that went viral across the country. He has since revealed the unexpected - and overwhelming - side effect of his new status as an Aussie heartthrob. Speaking to Us Weekly ahead of the Steve Irwin Gala in Los Angeles, the conservationist admitted the fallout from the sultry shoot has been a lot to handle. 'I'm in a scary place right now,' he confessed. 'I've been kinda sorta avoiding the direct message section for a little bit.' It comes after the internet went into meltdown over images of Robert posing shirtless in Bonds underwear - flaunting his ripped torso while cuddling up to native animals including a koala and snake. The thirst was real – and so was the flood of cheeky DMs. But Robert insists the shoot was never about vanity, and everything he does comes back to one thing: his passion for conservation. 'I really thought in modelling Bonds underwear or doing Dancing With the Stars, that sort of thing, I could bring in a whole new audience to listen to my conservation message,' he explained. And he's sticking to that plan - just weeks ago, he announced he'd joined the cast of the US version of Dancing With The Stars, once again showing off his buff bod while cradling a snake for the promo. 'That's how I feel comfortable. That's who I am,' he said. 'It's all about this mission and I've got a real sense of purpose and passion. I got to achieve that.' 'I definitely feel like I'm really lucky that now I've got a whole new audience that I can reach and hopefully just put out a bit of positivity and hopefully say, 'Life's for living at 100.'' It comes after Robert denied the photos from the Bonds campaign have been digitally altered. Robert quickly put paid to the suggestion of digital chicanery, revealing that everything that appeared in the images was 100 per cent real. 'Mate, everything is 100 per cent real,' Robert confirmed during an interview with Karl Stefanovic on Today. 'Everything you see was all there. The spider - that was right there, the beautiful big black headed python that was all there.' Robert continued: 'My abs - none of that was airbrushed. That was a lot of work - a lot of work and very little carbohydrates.' Karl then asked Robert to clarify claims, published by New idea, that mum Terri had a problem with the Bonds shoot as it did not align with the Irwin family-friendly brand. 'Mum was fully on board,' Robert revealed. '[She] used to do bodybuilding so she was actually giving me tips. 'Bindi took a bit of convincing. It was a bit uncomfortable. 'I'm still not 100 per cent comfortable with some of it anyway, but you know what? We did it and you just got to own it and give it your all,' he said. With Robert's steamy shoot setting hearts aflutter across the globe, Karl asked the I'm A Celebrity host how he is dealing with all the attention.
Auto Express
13 hours ago
- Automotive
- Auto Express
Conversation killer: half of drivers admit small talk is becoming a big distraction
Almost half of drivers admit that holding a conversation behind the wheel has caused them to make a mistake, with internal distractions such as this having contributed towards as many as 940 road casualties in 2023. In a survey conducted by the RAC, 63 per cent of drivers said that internal and external distractions have caused them to make an error whilst driving, with just under half (43 per cent) stating that even chatting to a passenger has led to a mistake. Advertisement - Article continues below It's no surprise, then, that in-car distractions are listed as a contributory factor in five per cent of collisions. They also led to 940 road casualties (six per cent of the total) in 2023, including 81 deaths. With this in mind, you might be shocked to hear that only 18 per cent of drivers see holding a conversation as a potential distraction behind the wheel. While 48 per cent of respondents pointed to mobile phone usage as a potential distraction, this is only cited as an influential element for two per cent of cases and casualties. Nevertheless, all distractions, whether they be talking to a passenger or over the phone, can be incredibly dangerous. The RAC's safety spokesperson, Rod Dennis, was keen to remind drivers that while 'the practice of driving is second nature for many of us, our research suggests things we do without thinking in the car have far more potential to cause us to make errors than we might realise. 'Driving is still a very mentally demanding task,' he said, 'especially because we need to be able to react to what's in front in a split-second, so it's important we do everything we can to stay alert and minimise distractions.' All of this follows Auto Express's recent investigation into the potentially distracting nature of in-car touchscreens. While only around a third (30 per cent) of the RAC's respondents think adjusting a car's controls could be an issue, this is something that safety experts Euro NCAP believe is a prevalent issue. Beginning next year, NCAP tests will begin to award extra points to manufacturers that provide physical controls for frequently used functions, with touchscreen-focused cockpits likely to suffer lower safety scores. Come and join our WhatsApp channel for the latest car news and reviews...
Telegraph
19 hours ago
- General
- Telegraph
Chatting at wheel ‘worse than using phone'
Talking to passengers and daydreaming behind the wheel are bigger causes of driving mistakes that may lead to an accident than using a mobile phone, a survey suggests. The RAC, which commissioned the poll, warned that distractions can have 'catastrophic consequences'. More than three in five (63 per cent) of the 2,691 UK drivers surveyed said they had made mistakes behind the wheel because they were distracted. Of this group, the most common self-reported causes of distraction were talking to other passengers (43 per cent) and thinking about topics unrelated to driving (37 per cent). When respondents were asked what they thought were the most distracting things a driver could do, the most common responses were talking on a phone (46 per cent) and applying make-up or shaving (42 per cent). Among those who admitted to making distraction mistakes, just 8 per cent said talking on the phone was the cause, while 2 per cent of drivers blamed shaving or applying make-up. Mistakes included missing a junction, exceeding the speed limit, ending up in the wrong lane or nearly crashing into another road user. Yet almost a quarter (23 per cent) of under-25s said they had been distracted by making phone calls, even though doing so with a handheld device while driving is illegal. More than half (55 per cent) of this age group admitted to breaking the law by doing this. Public wrong about hazard causes Overall, the difference between what drivers believe is distracting and what actually caused a mistake to be made suggests that the public may be wrong about the causes of road safety hazards. Rod Dennis, the RAC road safety spokesman, said: 'Talking to passengers or daydreaming are so common that they aren't perceived by drivers to be big distractions, but our research has revealed they are in fact responsible for most of the errors drivers admit to. 'Although your eyes are on the road, it's easy for your mind to wander behind the wheel, especially on long journeys. 'Distractions can have catastrophic consequences for both drivers themselves and other road users, especially in extreme instances like failing to stop at a junction or at a red light or crossing. 'Driving is still a very mentally demanding task, especially as we need to be able to react to what's in front in a split-second, so it's important we do everything we can to stay alert and minimise distractions.' Almost one in five (18 per cent) of younger motorists aged 17 to 24 said they had become distracted after eating or drinking while driving. Similarly, just over one in 10 of the same age group said vaping or smoking behind the wheel had led to them taking their minds off the road. Interacting with modern touchscreen systems to control functions such as heating, radio and navigation aids also lead to drivers making mistakes, with 26 per cent of the full survey sample saying this happened to them. Safety over convenience Separate Department for Transport (DfT) figures show 940 people were killed or seriously injured in crashes on Britain's roads in 2023 where a driver was found to be distracted by something within their vehicle. Campaigners have long sought to crack down on the use of mobile phones while driving because of their potential to distract motorists from the road ahead. Yet the message of safety over convenience has yet to fully sink in. Earlier this year, rapper Stormzy was banned from driving for nine months after an undercover police officer caught him using a phone behind the wheel of a Rolls-Royce in west London. Manchester City player Erling Haaland was reportedly caught scrolling on his phone while stopped in traffic last September. Doing so behind the wheel still counts as using a handheld device while driving, even when the vehicle is stationary. Similarly, rail minister Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill was reported to police after he was caught doing the same thing in April while behind the wheel of his vintage Routemaster bus, which he was driving during a charity event.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Two thirds of motorists have made mistakes because they're distracted - but the main cause ISN'T their phone
Almost two thirds of motorists admit they've made mistakes while driving because they've been distracted... but the culprit isn't their phone or car's flashy dashboard screens. While road safety groups have raised major concerns about drivers refusing to put down their smartphones despite the threat of £200 fines and six penalty points, and many diverting their eyes to large, convoluted touchscreens, the biggest distraction is not technology but human. A recent poll of 2,691 UK drivers found that talking to passengers (43 per cent) and daydreaming (37 per cent) are the biggest triggers of distraction. The RAC, which commissioned the survey, has warned this could have 'catastrophic consequences' as it is causing unnecessary errors that puts other road users at risk. Some 63 per cent of the panel admitted making mistakes due having their attention diverted away from the task of driving for one reason or another. And while not the biggest cause, tech is having a part to play in driver errors; interacting with modern touchscreen systems to control functions such as heating, radio and navigation has resulted in a quarter of motorists driving poorly. Mistakes triggered by distraction included missing a junction, exceeding the speed limit, ending up in the wrong lane and nearly crashing into another road user. When all respondents to the survey were asked what they consider distracting, the most common response is talking on a phone (46 per cent). The second most common distraction drivers listed is either applying make-up or shaving (42 per cent). However, among those who admitted to making distracted mistakes, just 8 per cent and 2 per cent of drivers respectively said those were the causes. Separate Department for Transport (DfT) figures show 940 people were killed or seriously injured in crashes on Britain's roads in 2023 where a driver was found to be distracted by something within their vehicle. Rod Dennis, RAC road safety spokeman, said: 'Talking to passengers or daydreaming are so common that they aren't perceived by drivers to be big distractions, but our research has revealed they are in fact responsible for most of the errors drivers admit to. 'Although your eyes are on the road, it's easy for your mind to wander behind the wheel, especially on long journeys. 'Distractions can have catastrophic consequences for both drivers themselves and other road users, especially in extreme instances like failing to stop at a junction or at a red light or crossing. 'Driving is still a very mentally demanding task, especially as we need to be able to react to what's in front in a split-second, so it's important we do everything we can to stay alert and minimise distractions.' IAM RoadSmart director of policy and standards Nicholas Lyes believes it is paramount for ministers to updated road safety strategy recognises the importance of improving driving standards overall. 'In vehicle distractions play a huge part in taking minds away from the driving task ahead,' he said. 'We all lead busy lives but being in charge of more than a tonne of metal travelling at speed comes with massive responsibility and it only takes seconds for things to go tragically wrong.' Distraction impact on road traffic collisions According to the most recently available Department for Transport figures, in 2023 there were 1,624 deaths on Britain's roads. Of these, 23 fatalities listed mobile phone use as a contributory factor. In fact, distraction and impairment were cited in 34.9% of all fatal collisions. Only speed (57.7%) and behaviour or inexperience (46.8%) were more common contributory factors in deadly road traffic accidents. Last month, we revealed that nine in ten motorists admit they cannot complete a car journey without being distracted by their phone. This is despite the threat of fines and points on a licence and the increased likelihood of being caught by new roadside camera technology. Just 10 per cent are able to go from start to finish on a trip without using their device in some way or another, analysis of driving data collated from a sample of half a million motorists over the last 12 months and shared exclusively with This is Money revealed. With more than 42million licence holders, it suggests 37.8million are being distracted by their phones behind the wheel. The analysis, carried out by telematics firm IMS, raises yet more alarm bells about technology's impact on road safety. Some 23 deaths on the road in 2023 were either entirely or partly caused by a driver being on the phone. And the development of more advanced and larger touchscreen in new cars is only increasing the risk of driver's taking their eyes off the road. Infotainment in the latest models, which has seen models fitted with enormous TV-like displays on the dashboard, are now a major distraction concern. With growing fears drivers are preoccupied by fiddly touchscreen systems, a study recently named and shamed the brands with the most difficult and convoluted to operate. It found that it can take up to 22 seconds to complete simple tasks on the move - time where a driver isn't entirely concentrated on the road ahead. It comes as manufacturers from next year are threatened with having safety ratings for their vehicles downgraded if simple functions in the cabin are not operated using buttons and instead require motorists to prod through various screen menus.
