Nearly HALF of women apply make-up behind the wheel, causing as many as 450,000 car accidents A YEAR

- 43% admitted putting on their face while driving cars on the daily commute
- Most commonly applied at traffic lights or in a traffic jam
- Confess they know it is dangerous, but still continue to do it anyway
- Lip gloss is most popular cosmetic to apply while driving - 35% do it
- Average time spent applying make-up before work is 10 minutes
- Just 5% of women don't wear any make-up to work

It is not so much a case of mirror, signal, manoeuvre as mirror, signal, mascara.

Almost half of women admit applying make-up while driving – mainly because they get out of bed at the last minute, a poll reveals.

Some 46 per cent go for last-minute beauty top-ups – most often at traffic lights or while queuing – and 43 per cent say they do it even though they know it is wrong.

Insurers estimate that as many as 450,000 accidents a year are caused by women drivers being distracted while applying cosmetics.

Yet only 14 per cent said using make-up in the car affected their driving, according to a poll of 1,000 women by semi-permanent make-up specialist Debra Robson.

Lip gloss, mascara and lipstick were the most commonly applied products by commuters.

But the reason for their haste is time pressure. A fifth are so rushed in the morning they spend just five minutes doing their make-up.

And it isn't just behind the wheel that women are carrying out an on-the-go beauty regime.

More than six out of ten (63 per cent) put on make-up on the train, and a further 43 per cent on the bus.

The most popular make-up products applied by commuters are lip gloss (35 per cent), mascara (30 per cent), lipstick (25 per cent), bronzer (6 per cent) and eyeliner (4 per cent).

Furthermore, a panicked one fifth (21 per cent) are so rushed they spend just five minutes doing their make-up, while 42 per cent spend 10 minutes and 22 per cent spend 20 minutes.

Only 10 per cent of women spend 30 minutes or more putting on their faces before work, and just 5 per cent don't wear any make-up at work.

Debra Robson, of Harley Street clinic Debra Robson LDN, who commissioned the survey, said: 'We all know putting make-up on in the car is wrong - but nearly half of us do it.

'It's because most professional women do everything in a rush, particularly in the mornings when they are juggling a multitude of tasks.

'That's why so many women are finishing off their make-up routine on their daily commute - whether that is in the car or on the bus or the train.

'Faced with such time pressures, increasing numbers of women are trying semi-permanent make-up.

'It saves vital minutes in the mornings and means your make-up looks great from the moment you wake up.'

Thatcham website opens vehicle safety up for scrutiny

Consumers given a new level of insight into vehicle safety thanks to an upgraded online search function from Thatcham

The vehicle safety, security and repair specialist has released an improved version of the 'My Vehicle' tool as part of a full website overhaul for www.thatcham.org. Searchable vehicle safety information on the system includes insurance grouping, Autonomous Emergency Braking fitment, whiplash safety and the security ratings.

"The website update is a major step forward in bringing Thatcham's online presence up to date, allowing us to deliver a range of exciting, new online features," said Thatcham's Head of IT, Daniel Payne. "The 'My Vehicle' application gives people the ability to find out in-depth information about the safety of either their own car, or one they are looking to buy. With these details users will be able to make a more informed choice on something which can ultimately affect the safety of them and their whole family."

Other new functions include an "Insights, Papers and Research" area where repairers and insurance engineers can stay abreast of technical manufacturing developments on new vehicles and view in-depth reports on the automotive issues of the day. The media will also benefit from a comprehensive and fully searchable news section.

Navigation across the site has also improved as a result of the extensive development and redesign project, which has enabled visitors to quickly find the content they need through a simpler approach to site navigation. Meanwhile, a refresh and rationalisation of content brings the site up to date and accurately reflects the evolving Thatcham Research product and service offering.

"We wanted an engaging, new website with a modern look and feel, but at the heart of everything was the visitor experience." said Daniel. "We know that our website serves a wide mix of visitors including repairers, insurers, vehicle manufacturers, motorists and media outlets – the challenge was in demonstrating exactly how Thatcham's work touches all these groups and making it easy for visitors to find the content they came for."

Existing subscribers to the Technical Helpline service as well as Code 44 data will be unaffected by the change, other than seeing an improvement in overall layout.

Government - increase fixed-penalty roadside fines to £100 and extend coverage to middle-lane hoggers; uninsured driving fine now £300

- Will also penalise those who cut up, tailgate or block the outside lane
- Penalty to increase from £60 to £100 for a range of existing offences
- Include using phone, speeding, jumping lights and not wearing a seat belt
- Fines for uninsured drivers are set to rise from £200 to £300.

Drivers who hog the middle lane of a motorway face £100 fines and three penalty points.

In a crackdown on anti-social motoring unveiled today, a new fixed penalty offence of careless driving will also target those who cut up other cars, tailgate or block a dual carriageway's outside lane.

Ministers are at the same time increasing from £60 to £100 the fines for a range of existing offences.

These include using a hand-held phone at the wheel, speeding, jumping lights and failing to wear a seat belt. All bar the last also carry three penalty points.

Police officers, guided by the Highway Code, will have to decide who is guilty of hogging the middle lane or tailgating – getting too close to the car in front.

They will issue the fines at the roadside. It is likely that only the worst drivers, who misbehave over half a mile or more, will be fined and given penalty points.

Occasional offenders will be given the chance to go on a driving course similar to those offered to speeders.

Edmund King of the AA said middle-lane hogs, tailgaters and mobile phone users were the top three most hated types of driver in a poll of members.
But he said the bureaucratic difficulty and expense of securing convictions would mean only the most serious offenders would be targeted.

"There has to be discretion. If someone is driving for half a mile in the middle lane when the inside lane is clear, then it's a clear case. Under this system it will be easy for a police car to stop you and give you a ticket."

He said using fixed cameras to track tailgaters was technically difficult and had not worked in other countries.

The £100 fines are to be announced in a written statement by road safety minister Stephen Hammond and follow a public consultation exercise last year.

They will apply to motorways, dual carriageways and three-lane highways such as the A3 from south-west London through Surrey and Hampshire, which is notorious for 'middle-lane hoggers'.

Stephen Glaister of the RAC Foundation welcomed the crackdown but insisted tougher fines must be accompanied by tougher enforcement.

"Anti-social behaviour is as big a problem on the roads as it is in wider society. Giving police more discretion to act, and freeing up resources to allow them to do so by cutting procedural delays in court, is good news.
'We are also pleased to see that the stick is accompanied by the chance of re-education for moderate offenders.

"Raising the fine level to £100 is justifiable to tackle the plague of handheld mobile phone use which slows drivers' reaction times even more than being at the drink drive limit or taking cannabis. The police need to target the large number of motorists continuing to flout the law daily."

Last month the Mail reported that Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin was preparing action against antisocial drivers with increased fines.

Mr McLoughlin said unacceptable and potentially lethal behaviour such as texting, tweeting or using Facebook at the wheel was causing fatal accidents.

Hands-free mobile phone use while driving is legal. But the use of hand-held phones has been banned since 2003 and became an endorsable offence in 2007.

Fix Auto advises fleets on end of contract damage

Fleet Managers and business drivers who opt to lease their cars could save themselves having to pay hundreds of pounds when they hand their keys back simply by seeking professional advice on minor damage and subsequent repairs.

That's the view of Ian Pugh, Managing Director of Fix Auto. He says that many drivers of leased vehicles are not fully aware of the financial penalties that they or their companies face when handing back damaged vehicles, and believes the vast majority of damage could easily - and more importantly, cost effectively - be rectified.

The former technician who spent 15 years working in the insurance inspection and assessment sector, stresses that those drivers who are actually aware of the financial burden when handing back a lightly damaged vehicle all too often amplify their situation by using inexperienced repairers. Even worse, some drivers make their own shoddy touch-up attempts to try and hide or rectify typical damage such as scuffs to bumpers, stone chips on bonnets and scratched alloy wheels.

Ian said: "There comes a time when every leased car comes to the end of its contract and has to be handed back.All too often, the first the driver or fleet manager becomes aware of the penalty he or she faces for damage is when they receive a bill - sometimes for hundreds of pounds - once they've handed their keys back.

"Leasing companies are lenient to general wear and tear, but their monthly rental is dependent upon the vehicle preserving a strong residual value, so there is a fine line as to what is or isn't general wear. This can be clarified and rectified by simply having it inspected by a qualified and experienced bodyshop technician who'll be able to provide an instant quote on bringing the vehicle back to showroom condition, if indeed any work is required."

He adds: "Drivers who try to repair themselves or obtain a 'cheap' repair often make the things far worse - they have to remember a leased vehicle is put through a stringent inspection process in order to have a resale value placed on it. A shoddy or poor repair will often devalue a vehicle far greater because it becomes harder to sell at auction or on a forecourt than one which hasn't been touched."

In order to combat the problem and to help company car fleets, more and more Fix Auto centres across the UK are providing services such as free defleet inspections, one day repairs and SMART repairs, alongside facilities such as office space and free Wi-Fi to ensure fleet drivers can keep working while their vehicle is being repaired.

"All Fix Auto bodyshops are fully conversant with industry standard Fair Wear & Tear guidelines, and so are perfectly placed to advise on what does and doesn't need rectifying. We have processes in place to turn around a repair, which includes re-spraying, in a matter of hours and even though we keep a vehicle's downtime to a minimum, we recognise that it is crucial for the driver to maintain productivity - many of our centres are now equipped ensure this is achieved with little or no disruption,"Ian concluded.