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Hands up all those who are aware that Land Rover and Jaguar are now owned by Indian motor manufacturer Tata? I thought as much, even though in a recent report the Times Online referred to the takeover as one of the highest profile Indian takeovers in the UK most people still believe that Land Rover and Jaguar are owned by Ford. As a result of the takeover just 9 months ago one could be expected to Read more »

I know that you are into saving the environment and concerned about your carbon footprint so you’ll be pleased to know that there is a great tool out there which enables you to calculate the carbon footprint of any trip that you make. The site to visit is www.travelfootprint.org When you use the website you can store your results and Read more »

Good to see that Alphabet, the car leasing company, has spotted something in the new tax rules that are to come into force next April that I reported upon many weeks ago. Under the current rules you can only charge to profit a percentage of the monthly rental cost of a contract hire lease once the cost of the car exceeds £12,000 up to a maximum of a 25% disallowance. This variable rate has now been replaced by Read more »

Despite the environmental benefits drivers who responded to a recent survey carried out by Masterlease said that they enjoy their space too much to car share. Masterlease found that 55% of drivers would refuse to car share given the choice. The main reason was drivers want to listen to the radio during their journeys followed closely by people liking the flexibility of their own transport. By Graham Hill

Plans have just been announced to use the hard shoulder on motorways to avoid congestion. The first of the plans was to charge £5 per car to those joining a traffic jam on the motorway by driving along the hard shoulder. Other plans involve the use of hard shoulders on the M3, M4, M5 and M27 as a type of toll lane with sensors mounted on gantries above the motorway to Read more »

Did the measures announced by the Chancellor of the 24^th November have any affect on drivers or the industry? Not much is the answer. The VAT drop on fuel has been balanced out by increased duty but will the duty come off again when VAT returns to it’s current level? It will also have the affect of putting up prices Read more »

As many councils stand to lose millions of pounds following the collapse of the Icelandic banking system they will be looking at ways to recoup some of the losses by cutting costs. One area could be road maintenance and gritting and another could be street lighting in the name of saving the environment. However, the AA has warned councils against the turn off policy Read more »

It is that time of year when safety organisations remind drivers to carry out safety checks to ensure that you don’t find yourself with a broken car or skidding out of control on icy roads. Make sure that you check your tyres and pressures and your brakes. You can have your battery condition checked for free at most battery fitters, better to replace before you get into the car on a frosty morning and find the battery dead. Check the Read more »

A free website was launched earlier in the year aimed at reducing carbon emissions and increasing the efficient use of taxis. The website is www.emptycabs.com . The website is a free message board where anyone looking to book a taxi, to an airport for example, can be put in touch with Read more »

Animal damage is on the increase according to contract hire company Masterlease. During 2007 animal damage cost Masterlease customers nearly £100,000 after vehicles were in collision with a variety of animals from badgers, cattle, deer and pheasants to domestic cats and dogs. The most common collision was with deer, accounting for 28% of all animal collisions. Pheasants caused 21% and badgers 9%. However, the surprising big increase was accidents involving cattle which caused an average of £1,100 worth of damage to each vehicle. By Graham Hill