Government plans to raise fuel duty by 1p a litre on Friday (October 1) should be shelved, according to the AA.

Although average UK fuel prices have fallen for the fourth month in a row, drivers are still paying £4.36-a-tank more for petrol than a year ago.

A $6 leap in the cost of oil and a weaker pound during the past month have cast a shadow over the cost of filling up in the coming weeks, with the 1p a litre rise in fuel duty to petrol and diesel prices less than a week away.

The average UK price of petrol fell 1.27p, from 116.52 p a litre to 115.25, between mid August and mid September. This time last year, petrol cost 106.54p a litre. Diesel now costs 118.02p a litre, compared to 119.15 a month ago, and is now nearly 11p a litre more expensive than a year ago.

Fuel prices may have fallen during the summer, but businesses should brace themselves for a series of rises with three tax increases in the pipeline.

The average UK price for a litre of unleaded petrol is currently 115.3p with a litre of diesel costing 118.1p, according to fuel price comparison website petrolprices.com.

However, previous Government announcements mean that there will be fuel duty hikes on October 1 (1p a litre) and January 1, 2011 (0.76p a litre), with a VAT rise from 17.5% to 20% due on January 4, 2011.

Combining those tax rises and using current average pump prices as a guide it means that a litre of fuel will rise by close to 5p - at a time when cost management remains the priority for business.

It means the cost of fuel for the average company car travelling 20,000 miles a year will rise by around £120 (petrol) and almost £100 (diesel).

For businesses running an average fleet of 100 vehicles that increase - which excludes any rise due to oil price hikes - will add thousands of pounds to fuel budgets at a time when trading conditions remain tough.

Driver safety technologies such as ABS brakes, parking sensors and airbags are common on new vehicles and have a positive impact on accident reduction.

But, despite these aids, the importance of adopting good driving habits should not be underestimated.

Recent research by Arval has identified that use of technology aids such as parking sensors has led to a 25% reduction in reported incidents across the company’s fleet in the last two years. 

Nonetheless, drivers could be lulled into a false sense of security when it comes to safe driving practice if they become too reliant on technology.

Technology is just one side of the coin and the driver must not get lazy, relying upon such assistance alone to keep them safe and accident free. It is imperative that good driving skills and habits continue to be promoted and encouraged and instances of bad driving highlighted and corrected.

Automotive industry-backed organisation RoadSafe has joined the growing debate over possible changes to the MoT by calling for the test to remain annual so road safety is not compromised.

Last month it emerged that Transport Minister Mike Penning, who is also responsible for road safety, was to conduct a comprehensive review of MoT testing for cars and commercial vehicles later this year.

He told the Retail Motor Industry Federation that he was concerned that the industry was testing low mileage, well maintained cars too often, whilst at the same time missing out on cars and light commercial vehicles that had high annual mileages.

The Department for Transport (DfT) is looking into reducing the required frequency of tests from once a year when a vehicle reaches three years old to fall into line with Europe. As a minimum, European Union law requires vehicles to have their first test when they are four years old and subsequent tests every two years.

However, RoadSafe says such a move will lead to more crashes, caused by poorly maintained vehicles. Testers in the UK identify 8.5 million cars with defects every year. In its own review of the MoT in 2008, the DfT said reducing the test’s frequency would significantly increase the number of unroadworthy cars and casualties.  

RoadSafe director Adrian Walsh said: “An annual MoT is vital for picking up these problems. RoadSafe joins the Tyre Industry Federation, and other campaigners, with a warning to Government, that extending the period between MoT tests will put lives at risk.”