A drop in the number of post-scrappage new car sales in Germany has led to worries about the effects on the UK market when the scheme finishes at the end of this month.

Germany, which was once Europe’s largest new car market, suffered a 28.8 per cent decrease in new car sales in February this year once the government scrappage incentive scheme stopped in the country.

Italy outsold Germany last month, boosted by the scrappage initiative it still has in place.

Throughout this year, schemes which were implemented to provide short-term boosts to new car sales, will be phased out in the UK, Spain, Italy and France.

Overall European new car sales have been boosted by the success of the initiatives, according to JATO Dynamics.

The UK registered a 26.4 per cent increase in new car sales compared with February last year, according to the leading provider of data and information to the automotive industry.

Some manufacturers have had to finish the scrappage scheme early in the UK, after running out of their allocated allowance of cars.

Orders have been suspended by Fiat, Audi, Volkswagen, Hyundai and Kia already, just under two weeks before the official end date.

Exchange and Mart, the new and used car retail website, is attempting to clampdown on fraudulent car sales on its site.

In a bid to reduce the number of fraudsters selling virtual cars, the site is checking data on vehicle ownership before it can be advertised.

Anyone registering a car for sale on Exchange and Mart has to supply the first registration date of the vehicle or the keeper change data.

This is the latest way the website is trying to improve security measures so used car buyers can be confident in the site.

A number of fraudsters have been advertising used cars on websites, claiming they are out of the country then getting the buyer to transfer money for the imaginary car to be imported back to the UK.

Frank McCaffrey, managing director of the website, which posts adverts from just £5, said used car buyers have to be vigilant about the risk posed by "online fraudsters advertising virtual cars".

He added that the site hoped to cut down on fraudulent transactions by implementing the new security checks.

Kia Motors is extending the scrappage scheme benefits with its own initiative, called the 7 Year Switch.

Owners of cars between seven and ten years old can trade in their old car for a brand new Kia, taking home a seven-year warranty and saving up to £2,000, on selected models, too.

The scheme is only running until the end of March, which is when the government-funded initiative is due to end too.

Kia is one of the manufacturers no longer accepting orders through the scrappage scheme as it has sold all its allocated car allowance already, two weeks before the scheme’s official end date.

The manufacturer’s newest model, the Venga, has a £1,500 saving with the 7 Year Switch, which means the compact offering fresh design and large interior space, costs just £9,995 on-the-road.

Kia’s Picanto, the smallest car available from the brand, boosting low emissions levels of just 114g/km, is on-the-road for only £5,135.

AlcoSense, which produces morning-after alcohol breathalysers, advises drivers not to drink and drive because there is no way to avoid a positive police breathalyser test.

In the wake of the drink-drive prosecution of rugby star JPR Williams, the company has released a list of common breathalyser cheat tests, warning that none is effective if the driver is over the limit.

Strong coffee after drinking does not sober a driver, no matter how much is consumed, caffeine does not have the effect of restoring judgement either.

As JPR Williams discovered, sucking a copper coin or putting metal in the mouth does not trick a roadside breath test.

Actually making the breath reading higher than it is, some people wrongly believe holding their breath will lower the reading.

Hunter Abbott, chief executive officer of AlcoSense, said if someone has been drinking "there is no escaping a positive result".

He said the best advice to drivers would be not to drink and drive.

This advice has been echoed by road safety charity Brake and insurer Direct Line. They are currently campaigning for a significant reduction in alcohol level limits for drivers.

The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) has honoured the achievements of skills providers in the industry at its annual dinner.

As part of the IMI’s Skillmiles scheme, which was implemented by the organisation two years ago, the institute recognised the support given by businesses and individuals to skill development in the automotive sector.

The awards are given to those who are committed to improving skills within the industry as a way of acknowledging the support they give and pay tribute to them.

Winners in the six award categories were presented with their awards at the event, which was hosted by the executive chair of the institute, Sarah Sillars OBE.

The Honda Institute won in the large company category and in the sole trader section, John Taylor was rewarded.

Skillmiles is a points-based initiative from the IMI, which rewards points to businesses and individuals that support the institute’s objectives to improve skills.

Non-financial contributions, such as people taking time to improve industry skills, receive points, as do financial donations, which are seen to further the IMI’s cause.

More government action is needed to combat drink and drug-driving, the results from a survey have shown.

The implementation of a drug-driving law was supported by 92 per cent of drivers surveyed by leading road safety charity Brake and insurance company Direct Line.

At present, prosecutions for drug-driving only take place when the police can prove there is evidence of dangerous driving.

A new anti drug-driving law which enables any driver under the influence of drugs to be prosecuted, was backed by those questioned.

Some 71 per cent also support stricter drink-drive limits, believing that the current 80mg of alcohol per 100ml blood limit is too high.

Drivers are five times more likely to crash with alcohol in their systems than with none, research has shown.

A reduction of the limit to 20mg of alcohol per 100ml has been called for by Brake and Direct Line, which is the level already in place in Sweden.

More than half of the participants in the survey supported this view.

An official review conducted into the drink-driving levels in England and Wales is expected to recommend that the limit is lowered, in line with the majority of European countries, to 50mg per 100ml.

A "radical overhaul" is required on UK road travel to prevent future gridlock, it has been reported.

Suggested changes include staggered commuting, car-sharing and more home working to help reduce congestion, according to a report from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).

The CBI also recommended adopting American-style yellow school buses to reduce traffic during the school run.

Estimates from the CBI, which aims to create conditions in which all businesses in the UK can prosper and compete, say that congestion costs the UK economy around £8 billion a year.

Vehicle traffic has increased by a quarter over the last 20 years and the CBI predicts that the cost to the economy could be more than doubled by 2025 if current problems are not addressed.

The confederation suggests in its report that road pricing is introduced on new roads, with tolls implemented on both motorways and A-roads, in an effort to tackle excessive congestion.

Some 96 per cent of businesses want the government to prioritise reducing rush-hour traffic congestion and for there to be "fresh thinking" in terms of implementing initiatives aimed at tackling traffic, according to a survey conducted by the confederation.

Admiral Group insurers are breaching the Race Relations Act, according to Which? magazine.

On average, 18 per cent more was charged for the car insurance premiums of a driver who had not lived in the UK from birth.

The consumer magazine commissioned legal advice, which concluded that the insurance group discriminated on the basis on national origin, which owns Bell, Diamond and Elephant, among nine other brands, breached the act.

However, Admiral Group, which insures more than two million customers worldwide, claimed that in its experience, policyholders who have not spent their whole life living in the UK have a worse claims experience.

It said it does not assess premiums based on race, colour or religion but when the policyholder moved to the country.

Which? obtained quotes from insurers in the Admiral Group and 15 other car insurance providers, using the same scenario and details each time but changing whether the applicant was born in the UK or not.

AA Financial Services is advising people to "cash in their banger" and take advantage of the scrappage scheme before it finishes at the end of March.

More than a fifth of AA members surveyed by the organisation said they were thinking about scrapping their car in the scheme.

Only four per cent of those questioned had actually traded in their car already, despite 22 per cent of the 13,489 members being interested.

According to the Department of Business Innovation and Skills, at the beginning of the month there were 24,000 scrappage registrations still available.

However, some manufacturers have already stopped orders due to their funds running out. These include Kia, Fiat and Audi.

Mark Huggins, director of AA financial services, said people should take advantage of the scheme before it ends of March 31st.

Currently ten-year-old cars are worth £2,000 under the initiative, but once it ends, people could get less money than this, Mr Huggins warned.

SEAT has launched a new dedicated Fleet Business Centre, which furthers the brand’s aim to become the fleet manufacturer of choice.

Designed to work as an extension of its fleet and business sales team and dealer network, the new centre has been established in order to better customer experience of SEAT.

The new facility promises to provide customers with a first class level of service and intends to develop relationships with both new and existing clients.

Offering phone and online support, the new centre is designed to make its fleet operations more accessible as well as ensuring customers that service and quality are priorities for the brand.

Everything from pricing information to technical data will be available from the dedicated fleet centre.

SEAT is not only committed to customer service but also to the environment and improving the emissions produced by its vehicles.

The brand has launched an Ecomotive range of cars all of which boost significantly fewer carbon emissions without compromising on the power, performance or aesthetics of the car.