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Satellite Navigation provider, Garmin, carried out a survey into Britain‘s worst roads, clearly of use when trying to avoid long delays to avoid not only the loss of time but also the cost of fuel. The worst road, voted by almost one in three drivers surveyed, was the M25 whilst London was voted the worst city for its confusing road signs, one way systems and road works. On the other hand the A591 between Keswick and Lake Windermere was voted the best road in Britain Read more »

It would seem that as cost of living continues to increase more motorists are attempting to give up smoking but as a result warnings have been issued not to drive if you are taking a drug designed to help smokers to quit. The Government appointed MHRA Pharmacovigilance Risk Management Group warned that the anti-smoking drug Champix could cause adverse effects that would affect the driver’s ability to drive. You should remember that driving under the influence of drugs carries the same stiff penalties as drink driving.

Since the changes to the Highway Code, brought in last year, Churchill Car Insurance carried out a survey and found many drivers unaware of the changes. More than 80% were unaware that playing loud music in cars is against the new Highway Code rules and almost two thirds admitted to eating whilst driving which is against the new rules. The research also found that 30% of drivers think that driving in flip flops or high heels is forbidden and yet this is not the case! That’s a relief eh fellas! You can view the new highway code online by visiting www.direct.gov.uk  scroll down to travel and transport and click on highway code then scroll down again to view all the headings.

Apparently on the new technology front there is to be a new generation Sat Nav available within 2 years. Researchers are developing a new navigation system that alerts motorists to traffic jams and advises of the best avoiding route before they reach the congestion. (Yeah right – I thought that’s what RDS was all about when they tell you 5 minutes after you’ve joined the 12 mile tailback that there’s a bit of a que ahead). Anyway, I’ll stop being cynical and explain that the new system called Read more »

As regular readers will know I am a great supporter of Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and would like to see it fitted to all new cars as it is so much more important than ABS which is now fitted as standard on all cars sold in the UK. The European Commission proposed that by 2012 all new cars should have ESC fitted as standard. However the results of a recent EU wide survey showed Read more »

Just about to travel to or through France, even on a day trip? Then please note that the French have a new piece of legislation making it compulsory to have a reflective jacket on board. In an emergency the jacket must be easily accessible by the driver and must be put on before leaving the car. You need a quick trip to Halfords or you could end up with a fine.

Now for a bit of a technology update: Mazda has started to trial a new vehicle to vehicle communications system that can warn drivers of approaching danger such as approaching traffic at blind bends and intersections. Maplin has produced a do it yourself reversing camera that is powered through your cigarette lighter socket. The screen changes from colour during the day to black and white at night to make the screen clearer. It costs £130. Unipart is currently developing a ‘black box‘ that can automatically alert the emergency services if your car is involved in an accident or stolen. Unipart claims Read more »

Car driving in the UK can be some of the toughest in the world as a result of the spectacular differences in road conditions. Our cars and tyres have to cope with sub zero temperatures in the winter to road temperatures of 35C in the summer. Sudden bursts of rain can cause aquaplaning and the temperature can move by 10C in an hour and yet we expect our cars to cope with all this and never let us down. The sad truth is that the cars can and do let us down as was proven by a recent analysis of breakdowns carried out by the RAC on company car drivers. They also pointed out that Read more »

This week’s unusual fact is that you can inflate tyres with nitrogen instead of traditional compressed air. Tristar Worldwide Chauffeur Services does exactly this with it’s fleet of 630 chauffeur cars. They have done this because of the inert properties of nitrogen and its resistance to expansion or contraction as tyre temperatures fluctuate making it safer than air. According to police statistics 86% of car crashes and major incidents, tyre pressure has been found to be a contributing factor. The company is predicting a 5% cost saving on fuel and tyre life in addition to the safety and environmental benefits. On the other hand Read more »

I can’t believe I’m writing this piece but I felt it should be included. It’s to do with pregnant women and the wearing of seat belts. Volvo, who is the only car manufacturer to have a pregnant test dummy (look – leave it – I’m just reporting it OK) called Linda, it’s true, the bloody dummy is called Linda – good grief. Anyway, Volvo, on a very serious point says ‘car safety for unborn children is rarely documented as foetal injury and deaths often do not show in statistics.’ As a result of extensive tests with Linda they have found Read more »