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Whilst there appears to be a great deal of doom and gloom about, the latest new car sale figures issued by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) to the end of June shows a modest drop of just 1.6% over the same period in 2007. A lot of that was due to the sharp action of the manufacturers to discount cars into Read more »

Having been the first to break the news that the takeover of HBOS by Lloyds TSB would also result in the amalgamation of the two contract hire giants Lex and Autolease many are now reviewing what this could mean to the industry. Whilst the takeover still has to be approved by the FSA and needs shareholder approval both MD’s have said that in the meantime it is business as usual. As both companies are Read more »

A recent conference sponsored by leasing company Lex suggested that drivers and all businesses should consider ways of saving money. They concluded, as I have already suggested, that finance is one important area of consideration along with vehicle choice, emissions limits, fuel policies and for fleets even drink and drugs policies. Nothing very new there then but the interesting debate was over fuel choice. The proposal was that diesel Read more »

New regulations have come before Parliament that will allow Highways Agency traffic officers to authorise the removal of broken down and abandoned vehicles from motorways and A roads. This will give Highways officers similar powers to the police. Could this be the thin end of the wedge? By Graham Hill

The Government has launched a major review of road signs, the biggest for 40 years. Transport Minister, Rosie Winterton, has called upon all motorists to have their say in how Britain’s streets should look in future. The review is aimed at using latest technology to help cut congestion and emissions and keep traffic moving safely and efficiently. The idea is to provide local authorities with new powers to Read more »

If you live or travel around Birmingham you will have seen that work has begun on the £150 million scheme on the M6, M40 and M42 to introduce variable speed limits and hard-shoulder running. Two new stretches of the M6 will be opened for hard-shoulder running during peak periods and variable speed limits will be in force on parts of the M6, M42 and M40. The work is part of a £6 billion investment aimed at Read more »

Well just as we started to rejoice in the steady fall in oil prices and the price war that started last week between the oil companies and the supermarket chains we suddenly saw a massive increase in the price of  crude oil of $25 a barrel on Monday. Now whilst there was an element of manipulation on the markets protecting traders on the futures market from over exposure it has still sent jitters throughout the car industry and concerned drivers (who heard about the rise). Strangely, this massive increase in Read more »

What Car has produced the top ten cars offering the best visibility and the top ten worst visibility. The study was carried out following complaints that visibility was getting worse in new cars. Conventional safety assessments such as EuroNCAP crash tests don’t include visibility tests. Driver safety experts say poor visibility is becoming more Read more »

Tyresafe have launched a digitally animated guide to tyre safety on it’s website to help motorists avoid problems associated with poorly maintained or neglected tyres. Visit http://www.tyresafe.org/videos/ to see the presentations. They are really good, click on each link to watch each short video. Did you know that it isn’t the rubber on the road that keeps you safe but the air in the tyre? You need to watch the videos. By Graham Hill

As we all know it is quite normal for grey clouds to have a silver lining. I am busier than normal as consumers and small businesses look for ways to reduce their vehicle costs as we move closer to recession. For reasons mentioned previously leasing is a great option when times get hard but as fuel prices remain high we are seeing emptier roads. People are taking fewer trips in their cars in order to save fuel although Read more »