Winter Tips Part 1

Monday, 7. November 2011

Most of us are aware that ABS is fitted to our cars and you are probably sufficiently technically astute to know that ABS is a system fitted to your brakes that enables you to brake and steer at the same time, especially important on wet or slippery roads. If you’ve ever used it, it sounds like a machine gun as the brake pads grip the brake disc then let go and Read more »

Car Safety Systems Explained

Friday, 11. September 2009

Whilst on the subject of safety and collision avoidance, I’m often asked what certain expressions mean when I mention them in car specs that I send out in my video car deal of the week. So to help out here are a few quick summaries:

 ABS: Anti Lock Braking system, this prevents the wheels from locking under heavy braking. The disc pads grip the disc, then release then grip again but very fast thus preventing a skid and allowing the driver to steer whilst braking without skidding. It sounds like a machine gun when it operates.

EBD or EBFD: Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, this system varies the amount Read more »

Safety Device That Truly Saves Lives

Thursday, 10. September 2009

If you are not aware of ESP or Electronic Stability Program (also known as ESC Electronic Stability Control) you must be new to my newsletter and never watched one of my new car videos. If you are aware of ESP you will know that I go on about it constantly because I truly believe that it should be fitted as standard on all cars now and not in a few years (2014) as has now been insisted upon by the EC. Around the world 1.4 million people die in Read more »

What Distracts Motorists The Most?

Monday, 3. November 2008

So what’s distracting motorists the most? For the ladies is it the dress shop with that great dress in the window or the little lambs playing in the field or for the men is it that page 3 model who just happens to be walking down the street as you are driving down it or the brand new Aston Martin that you are just about to burn off from the traffic lights? Or of course Read more »

Learn How ESP/ESC Could Save Your Life

Sunday, 7. September 2008

Some good news on the ESC (Electronic Stability Control) front. The EC has moved to make ESC compulsory on all new cars. The bad news is that the system will only be phased in from 2012 and made compulsory from 2014. You will recall that this is the system that checks your speed vs angle of steering and slows you down if you are about to go into a skid, it also applies power and/or braking to the wheels that are gripping. It’s an amazing system that was Read more »

ESP Saves Lives

Wednesday, 25. June 2008

As any of you that have become readers of my weekly ramblings would know I am a great supporter of the safety system ESP developed by Bosch. I believe that it should be fitted in all new cars as it is relatively cheap and would save more lives than ABS. Well, the good news is that Bosch have started work on a new version that will hopefully move them closer to having the system fitted in all cars. The new version integrates sensors for Read more »