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Before I explain how UK roads are the safest in Europe I read a piece by Graham Hope, deputy editor of Auto Express, referring to the same report, in which he referred to a famous joke making the point that the further south you go the worse the driving: ‘What do traffic lights mean in Italy? In Milan they’re instructions. In Rome they’re suggestions. And in Naples? They’re Christmas decorations!’ Hilarious or what? Read more »

Could we see the end to speed cameras in the UK? The debate has raged for years as to the true benefits of speed cameras. Their purpose, we were told, was to slow traffic down in dangerous places to prevent accidents and save injuries and lives but we all know what actually happened! I remember the first time I was ‘flashed’ (ooer missus), it was just over the brow of a hill just as you dropped from the national A Read more »

Our gadget this week is a cloth. If you like your car to look spotless after you’ve washed it but can’t dry it fast enough with a chamois leather to avoid the water spots, help is at hand from Autoglym with their HiTech Microfibre Drying Cloth. Described as a 60cm large towel it soaks up water incredibly quickly, avoiding smears and water spots that are caused by water sitting on the car waiting to be dried off. And it only Read more »

Insurance premiums should start to fall soon as the Government introduces a tough new law next year to clamp down on the 1.5 million uninsured drivers. The legislation will put the onus on the registered keeper of the car to ensure that the vehicle is on cover. This will be monitored via a link between the Motor Insurance Database (MID) and the DVLA with the uninsured automatically fined £100. Andy Drane, Read more »

OnePoll.com has carried out a survey amongst 3,000 male drivers asking their thoughts of letting their partners drive the car. The poll revealed that more than a third don’t feel safe when their ‘other half’ is driving. G makes no comment. Those who didn’t feel safe were asked the reasons why? They responded with braking too late, getting too close to other cars and fiddling with the stereo. Personally I would add Read more »

If you are looking to take out an aftermarket vehicle warranty (that’s a warranty that you take out when the manufacturer’s warranty has run out) you can check to see if the provider has signed into the code of practice provided by the auto watchdog Motor Codes, unless it’s an AA warranty and I can tell you that they aren’t. The code was set up to help customers by ensuring that the warranties provided by the warranty Read more »

The drive in movie is a phenomenon that never really caught on over here as opposed to the USA where it seemed to feature in any movie (did I say movie?) that had young actors and actresses in making the film appear hip and trendy. But thanks to the RAC this is changing this year. They are sponsoring outdoor screenings of car-themed films across London. For details of where you can go and sit in your car and Read more »

As the economy bumps along showing minimal signs of recovery the CVO Survey shows that large companies continue to actively use contract hire as its main method of financing its company cars whilst SME’s continue to blindly use cash, loans and overdrafts. Why should this be? I would suggest out of ignorance. Far too little is understood about leasing for SME’s to make a considered choice so they end up Read more »

This week Graham Hill’s in depth car review focuses on the all new Audi A7. As a broker I absolutely hate Audi because they have the longest lead time of all the manufacturers. This means that if I agree a deal with a client today I will probably have to wait till 2011 before I’m likely to see the money I’ve earned – it’s a bloody disaster! But as a car the new Audi A7 looks simply stunning, both inside and out! It is a 4Dr Read more »

If you’re an avid reader of my newsletter and blog you will have read that you no longer need to have your car serviced by a main dealer in order to maintain your warranty. The rules that were relaxed several years ago that prevented you from having your car serviced wherever you wanted are known as the EU Block Exemption Rules. These rules have just been reviewed again and the rules pretty much left as they Read more »