What is AdBlue?

AdBlue is an exhaust fluid – not a fuel additive – and is stored in a separate reservoir topped up via a (usually) blue filler cap located either next to your fuel filler, in the boot or under the bonnet.

It’s a trade name registered by the German car manufacturers association, but is the most recognised form of Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF).

What is AdBlue made of?

AdBlue is a colourless, non-toxic mixture of urea and de-ionised water. It’s not actually blue at all.

Lots of people think AdBlue is made of pig urine – it’s not. The urea used in AdBlue is a high purity man-made solution – pig urine wouldn’t be pure or sterile enough for a commercial product.

How does AdBlue work?

Tiny amounts of AdBlue are injected into the flow of exhaust gases. At high temperatures AdBlue turns to ammonia and carbon dioxide. Inside the SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) catalyst, harmful nitrogen oxide in the exhaust reacts with the ammonia and is transformed to harmless nitrogen and water.

Similar technology has been used effectively for years in buses and heavy lorries.

What happens if I run out of AdBlue?

If you run out of AdBlue while you’re driving, then the engine’s power and performance will be reduced to limit its emissions. Once you’ve stopped, you won’t be able to restart the engine if the AdBlue tank’s empty.

The car will give you plenty of warning that the AdBlue tank’s running low – usually a text warning on the dashboard with around 1500 miles to go followed by an amber warning light.

Which cars can use AdBlue?

Not all car manufacturers use AdBlue technology. But chances are if you’ve got a diesel from Jaguar, Land Rover or any French or German manufacturer, and it was registered new after September 2015, it’ll use AdBlue.

Does my car use AdBlue?

Some older cars or vehicles from other manufacturers use AdBlue too, so if you’re not sure if your car uses it, you can check:

• The vehicle handbook.
• See if there’s an AdBlue filler cap either next to the fuel filler, in the boot or under the bonnet.
• If the model name contains ‘Blue’ or ‘SCR’.
• If you’re still not sure, ask a dealer.

Where can I buy AdBlue?

AdBlue’s sold by petrol stations, garages, motor accessory shops, online retailers and even some supermarkets. If you’re in any doubt that you’re buying the right stuff, contact your dealer.

It’s widely available in 1.5, 5 and 10 litre containers. The smaller packs have a specially-designed neck which allows you to top up the tank without a funnel but without risk of spillage, so why not carry a small container of AdBlue so you’re ready to top-up when necessary?

How long does AdBlue last?

The rate at which you use AdBlue depends on your engine and how economically you drive.

Typical consumption seems to be around a litre of AdBlue every 600 miles but could be as high as a litre every 350 miles. The size of the tank varies too so the range between refills could be somewhere between 3,000 and 12,000 miles depending on the car and your driving style.

This means that most drivers will have to top-up their AdBlue reservoir at least once between normal service visits to the dealer.

Is it safe to drive with the AdBlue warning light on?

It’s not a major safety issue, but if you don’t top up, you’ll eventually run out of AdBlue and you won’t be able to start the car.

When the warning light first comes on you’ll have plenty of time to refill – so don’t panic. Just make sure you don’t put off topping up.

How to reset the AdBlue warning light

There’s no manual way of resetting your AdBlue warning light – the only thing you can do is top up. Once you’ve refilled to the minimum level, the warning light will disappear.

Where is the AdBlue tank?

The AdBlue tank is usually located under the boot floor, where the spare wheel might have been in the past, but it’s more important to know where the filler for it is located. There’ll usually be a small blue filler cap next to the main diesel filler. If it’s not there, then check in the boot or under the bonnet.

What happens if I put AdBlue in the diesel tank?

Putting it directly into your fuel tank could cause expensive damage to your fuel tank, pump and injection system. If you start the engine it’s likely to be an expensive write-off, so don’t touch the ignition.

You’ll need to get the tank drained and the contents disposed of safely before you can refill it. Call us, and we’ll sort the problem out.

What happens if I put diesel in the AdBlue tank?

Don’t turn on the ignition or start the engine and call us for help. If you do start your engine, then the damage could mean that you have to get the entire Selective Catalytic Reduction and AdBlue injection system replaced.

How do I refill the AdBlue tank?

• Follow any instructions given in your handbook or on the pack.
• Your handbook will tell you how much AdBlue the tank holds.
• 5 litres should be enough to make sure your car will restart if you’ve run out completely.
• You may need a funnel depending on where the AdBlue filler cap is located – next to the fuel filler, in the boot, or under the bonnet – and the size/design of the AdBlue pack you’ve got.
• Wash your hands and rinse any spills from the bodywork – AdBlue’s non-toxic but can cause irritation to your skin and eyes and will damage the paintwork.

How does AdBlue reduce exhaust emissions?

AdBlue is added to your exhaust and is mixed with the fumes your car produces – it reacts with nitrogen oxide gas (NOx gas) created by your engine and breaks it down into harmless nitrogen and water vapour. NOx gases cause respiratory problems and contribute to the formation of particulate matter, smog, acid rain and ground level ozone.

Vehicles have to meet strict exhaust emissions limits and the latest standard, Euro 6, is very challenging on Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) limits. Most cars can only meet the Euro 6 standard when fitted with emissions technology known as Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR). This technology uses AdBlue to break down and reduce harmful emissions

Source: https://www.theaa.com/breakdown-cover/advice/adblue

Drivers who can’t read a car number plate at 20m will have their licence suspended in a crackdown by police

Governments need to take actions that will reduce the speed on roads – as well as speed differences between vehicles sharing the same road, a new report has found.

The International Transport Forum* (ITF) report, titled ‘Speed and Crash Risk’, concludes that with higher driving speeds the number of crashes – and the crash severity – ‘increase disproportionally’.

The report points to research which suggests that the risk of death is about 4-5 times higher in a collision between a car and a pedestrian at 50kmh – compared to the same type of collision at 30kmh.

The report recommends that where motorised vehicles and vulnerable road users share the same space, such as in residential areas, 30kmh (20mph) is the recommended maximum speed.

It also suggests stricter enforcement or an upgrade of the infrastructure is needed to compensate for the increased risk related to higher speeds.

The report has been welcomed by the campaign group 20’s Plenty for Us.

Rod King MBE, founder and campaign director, said: “This is yet another report coming to the firm conclusion that 20 is plenty where people live, work, play, shop and learn.

“Other countries have adopted a near universal 30km/h limit for urban and residential streets.

“Over 25% of the UK live in authorities who have also set 20mph as the right urban limit. The Scottish Parliament is considering a bill to make 20mph the limit (with exceptions) for built up roads.

“It’s time to end the postcode lottery on pedestrian/cycling safety and general well-being in our residential and urban places by setting a 20mph default limit for built-up roads across the UK.”

*The ITF is an intergovernmental organisation with 59 member countries. It acts as a think tank for transport policy and organises an annual summit of transport ministers.

Source: roadsafetygb.org.uk/news/speed-has-direct-influence-on-crash-occurrence-and-severity/

Garry Handley, road safety delivery manager for Gloucestershire County Council, is to retire at the end of this month.

Garry says his interest in road safety began when he carried out a study into vehicle safety features while still a pupil at school – which means his actual engagement with road safety has lasted for almost half a century.

Garry’s professional career started at Berkshire County Council, working in traffic management and collision investigation.

Working in schools teaching children to be safe – and demonstrating to them that safety lessons can be enjoyable – was the theme for the first few years of his work, which Garry describes as “some of most enjoyable of my career”.

Garry then moved to Hampshire for a couple of years, taking on a role funded by the county council but based in a district council office. The satisfaction of being “semi-independent and largely my own boss” was a great motivating factor for Garry, and taught him “valuable lessons about self-motivation, politics, priorities and resilience”.

Garry finally settled in Gloucestershire, where over the last 35 years he has overseen a significant reduction in road casualties – with annual KSI figures falling by around 1,000 over that period.

Garry says: “These years have been filled with enjoyment and rewards.

“Firstly, road casualties have significantly fallen over the years and this positive outcome is precisely why I dedicated my working life to improving road safety.

“I’m very proud of some of the initiatives we’ve developed including the Safer Driving with Age Scheme (SAGE), offender re-education programmes which preceded NDORS, and many more initiatives involving community groups and others to help influence and reinforce safe behaviour on the roads.”

Sharing best practice, nationally and internationally, has given Garry the chance to put Gloucestershire on the road safety map.

He was involved in a global driver training conference and has connected through TISPOL with many EU police and road safety colleagues, and has supported road safety in Japan, Australia and Poland, and also with most road safety organisations in the UK

While recognition for efforts was never a feature on Garry’s agenda, involvement in several Prince Michael Road Safety Awards and other national prizes and awards culminated in him being appointed as an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) by her Majesty the Queen in 2010, for his outstanding contribution to road safety.

Source: roadsafetygb.org.uk/news/garry-handley-obe-to-retire-after-43-years-in-road-safety/

Photo: Albert Bridge – licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Licence.

Deploying an additional 1,000 speed cameras on British roads could save up to 190 lives each year, a study has concluded.

The London School of Economics research, published in October 2017, analysed collision outcomes before and after speed cameras were installed at 2,500 sites in England, Scotland and Wales.

The analysis found that from 1992 to 2016, the number of ‘accidents’ fell by between 17% and 39% – and fatalities by between 58% and 68% – within 500 metres of speed cameras.

In addition to the reduction in fatalities, lead researcher Cheng Keat Tang says that adding another 1,000 cameras would produce annual savings of up to 1,130 collisions and 330 serious injuries.

However, the report points out that the benefits of speed cameras are ‘highly localised’ and dissipate over distance – with a slight increase in collisions observed at distances beyond 1.5kms from the camera sites.

The report says this could be due to a ‘kangaroo’ effect as drivers ‘brake suddenly before the camera to avoid fines’ and ‘speed up beyond camera surveillance’.

Cheng Keat Tang said: “Although the study found a slight increase in accidents away from the camera, the overall reduction in road accidents and deaths around the camera more than makes up for this increase.

“Given the huge number of fatal accidents that take place on our roads every year, the introduction of more cameras could save hundreds of lives annually and make our roads safer for users.”

Source: http://roadsafetygb.org.uk/news/speed-cameras-reduce-collisions-and-deaths-study-finds/

Ministers put road safety first as they today (18 January 2018) decided to maintain the period before a cars first MOT test at 3 years.

Highways England has stated that motorists are likely to start picking up fines for ignoring lane closures on smart motorways from spring 2018 (RAC).