Never let a crisis crash go to waste.

As background, first read Longrider's post, and then this article at the BBC, both posted two days ago.

The BBC wasted no time in getting rent-a-quotes from the RAC Foundation, a physicist at the Cavendish Laboratory (based at Cambridge University), the Transport Research Laboratory, the Department of Transport, the Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents, the road safety charity BRAKE and only quote one source, the Institute of Advanced Motoring to put the opposite point of view.

* The BBC is arguably a fakecharity

* The RAC Foundation was hived off from the old RAC when it demutualised. The 2010 accounts suggest that it is indeed independent, as it's only source of income is investment income from the £20 million legacy it got when it was hived off, the question is why the old RAC saw fit to make such a donation (i.e. was it a condition imposed on them before they could demutualise, like the Lloyds TSB Foundation or the Northern Rock Foundation?).

* The Cavendish Laboratory appears to be The Department of Physics of Cambridge University.

* The Transport Research Laboratory's Our Customers tab states: "We have robust partnering relationships with many government organisations in the UK and internationally as well as with many private organisations. Key customers include the Department for Transport, the Highways Agency and Transport for London as well as Shell, QinetiQ, O2 and Pfizer, to name but a few."

* The Department of Transport is of course a government department. It was called the 'Ministry of Transport' when the MOT test was introduced, which we now ought to call a 'DOT test'.

* The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents 2011 accounts are fairly scanty as to sources of income. Pages 19 and 20 list some of other bodies who have 'supported and sponsored' them, which includes NHS Health Scotland and NHS Scotland (are they two different things?), the Department of Transport, the Department of Education, The Scottish Government and the Health and Safety Executive, The Welsh Assembly Government, The Department of Health, Social Services & Public Safety in Northern Ireland, The Department for Business Innovation and Skills, Strathclyde Fire and Rescue, The Department of Health, TRL Ltd (which is no doubt an offshoot of the Transport Research Laboratory). Quote: "RoSPA is committed to working in partnership and is most grateful for the help and support of the Government departments and organisations listed above, without whose assistance much of the Society’s work would not be possible."

* BRAKE is a fakecharity.