Do you agree with the proposal to lower the permitted blood alcohol level for drivers from 80 mgs to 50 mgs?

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Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the AA Newsletter. It's been a busy few weeks for motorists. The M50 toll bridge continues to drive people mad, as do high fuel prices. Autumn is closing in and with it has come the return of traffic jams, especially in the cities.

Conor Faughnan, AA Public Affairs Manager

One month into the new barrier free toll system on the M50 and there is good and bad to report...

The road itself is functioning beautifully, with the old regular tailback from the toll booths gone. Having said for years that the barriers were a big part of the problem it's nice to be proved right. But the toll collection system is another matter.

Misreads, billing errors and jammed helplines are driving people mad. Errors are being made in droves, and people all over the country who have never been near the bridge are getting demands in the post for €3 and €6 charges.

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Some things are very predictable. We will have traffic jams in September. It will rain in the Summer. Kilkenny will win the hurling. And at regular intervals, some worthy body or other will recommend extra taxes on cars. This time it’s the Institute of International & European Affairs through its recent report The Climate Change Challenge - Strategic Issues, Options and Implications for Ireland.

People accept that climate change is a reality and we have to deal with it, writes public affairs manager Conor Faughnan. For Ireland, that means using less - a lot less - fossil fuel. But if CO2 and climate change are what you really care about then you would not be looking at private cars. The data does not justify anti-car taxes, especially when these measures have no carbon benefit whatsoever.

The price of petrol and diesel is at long last starting to fall, but motorists are concerned that they are not falling fast enough. We all read about falling oil prices, so why aren't retail fuel prices falling at the same rate?

The AA monitors fuel prices every month and has been looking at this issue for a long time. Are we being ripped off? Probably sometimes, by some garages and in some locations. It's time for motoring consumers to demand better prices...

The car you are sitting in is the culmination of billions of euro in research and development. It is engineered to phenomenally high safety standards, and through its range of on-board safety systems it will try very hard to keep you alive and well. But the only bit of it that touches the road is a few millimetres of rubber. Bald is definitely not beautiful for tyres - so check them now before Winter sets in.

One consequence of high fuel prices is that motorists are more willing to allow their cars run close to empty, according to the AA. The number of drivers who called the AA rescue service because they ran out of fuel is up by nearly 17% this year.

Topaz has launched a new 'clean fuel' product which increases the efficiency of both petrol and diesel by 3%. The fuel uses a special additive - sourced from international chemical giant BASF - which has performed well in field trials. The fuel is safe for use in all vehicles and has been approved by the AA.

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On 25th September the Environment Committee of the European Parliament adopted the report of Guido Sacconi on CO2 emissions from cars. In effect this means the Environment Committee has backed the European Commission's target of an average of 120g of CO2/km for the whole car industry by 2012. Industry representatives had wanted the target to be phased in on a longer timescale.

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AA Online Poll shows strong support for drink drive limit reduction, especially for provisional drivers.
The results of the last online poll of ezine readers showed that 61.1% of people approved of the proposal to lower the drink drive limit from 80mgs to 50mgs. Such a change would bring us into line with most of Europe.
Ezine readers also approved of an even lower limit - 20mgs - for learners. 84.5% thought it a good idea. When asked if they approved of a 20mg limit for professional drivers, 68.1% said yes.