Hello , Happy Easter and welcome to the March issue of Fleettorque, brought to you by Fleetcare!

Using a hands-free mobile phone behind the wheel could be more dangerous than drink driving, according to a new study for the UK's Transport Research Laboratory (TRL).

The research, called 'Conversations in cars: the relative hazards of mobile phones', concluded that chatting to a passenger is less dangerous than making a phone call, because the passenger in the car is aware of surrounding road conditions, whereas the person on the other end of the phone is not. In fact, in some aspects of driving behaviour, speaking on the phone while driving resulted in a worse level of driver impairment than had been shown by drivers who were over the UK's legal alcohol limit (0.8).

To read more visit our website here...

With more people out and about over the holiday season, now's the time to take extra care while driving. Keep our tips in mind and have a Happy Easter on the roads.

Keep your distance: Remember the two-second following rule - note when the vehicle ahead passes a fixed object and start counting - 1001, 1002. If you've reached the object before '1002', you're driving too close and need to slow down to create the two-second space. In poor conditions, add at least one more second and always make extra space for heavy vehicles, motorbikes, bicycles and pedestrians.

Don't speed: Statistics show that the faster you travel, the more likely you are to be involved in a crash and, certainly, the faster you drive, the harder you hit. By driving at 65km/h in a 60km/h zone, your chances of crashing are doubled. Drive at 70km/h and they're quadrupled. At 75 km/h, it's 10 times more likely you'll have an accident, while at 80km/h your odds are increased to 32 times. Make sure you stay well within the recommended limit in every State and Territory of Australia and if driving conditions mean the maximum speeds become unsafe, slow down.

Bad roads: Many drivers treat all road surfaces the same, but they're not. Take extra care when driving on unsealed roads and gravel surfaces as the vehicle's traction is reduced. First rains cause roads to become slippery, and in wet conditions you should allow for more stopping distance than on a dry road. The best advice is to pull over if road conditions are hazardous.

Watch the roads: The view may be lovely but you don't want to get too close! Keep your eyes where they should be - on the road. Stop at designated look-out spots or truck bays to admire the scenery.

Stress-free driving: Cut down holiday driving stress by leaving more time for your journey. If driving conditions become difficult, or you find yourself in an unfamiliar area, you can slow down without worrying that you'll arrive late.

You may have taken part in Fleetcare's Driver Survey in 2007. Fleetcare have just released findings from the survey in their latest media release. The results showed men were more likely to speed than women, but women fessed up to being more likely to use their mobile phones while driving. Read the full press release here...

Even Honda admits that the old model Accord was a little on the boring side, but all that has been remedied with the new, eighth-generation design, which aims to tempt drivers away from the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore that still account for one in 11 of Australia's one million-vehicle new-car market.

Honda have an eye to the US market too, and the sharp styling of the new Accord, coupled with improvements to driving dynamics, equipment levels and safety mean this model could give the others in its sector a run for their money around the world.

There are four models in the new Accord line-up. The basic Accord VTi is priced from $29,990 and comes with five-speed automatic transmission, power windows, dual-zone climate control air-conditioning, alloy wheels, cruise control and a six-stack CD player with an MP3/iPod input jack. Its 2.4-litre four cylinder engine gives consumption of 8.8L/100km, which is the same as the Accord VTi Luxury, priced from $36,490, which also has curtain airbags, leather trim, a power driver's seat, larger alloy wheels, a sunroof, heated front seats and front fog lights.

At the top of the range are the V6 and the V6 Luxury, priced from $38,490 and $46,990 respectively. Both have a 3.5-litre V6 engine giving 10L/100km fuel economy, but the luxury justifies its price tag with a reversing camera, sunroof, satellite-navigation, premium sound system and trip computer.