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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 »

If you have had a lease quote from me recently you will probably have had a quote including maintenance, even though you may not have asked for it, especially for cars on low annual mileage. This is because a couple of the leasing companies have gone back to the days of trying to encourage drivers to have their cars serviced on time by making Read more »

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Sometimes I feel that technology has gone too far with some safety and comfort features taking over your driving and control of the car. This was illustrated recently when Mercedes had to recall 18,000 Mercedes M Class because the cruise control wouldn’t disengage when you tapped the brake pedal, as it’s meant to. If you’ve driven a car with cruise Read more »

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Evidence shows that drivers are not attentive 66% of the time. This was revealed by Dr Nick Reed, senior researcher into human behaviour at the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), at a seminar into driver distraction organised by road safety charity, Brake. If it wasn’t such a serious subject I could reveal a few distractions that could easily lead to Read more »

What is going on? After recently reporting that Bentley’s had to be recalled because of problems with the flying B badges on the bonnet Rolls are at it and having to recall 6,705 Rollers from around the world as a result of a wider recall of BMW’s. The problem relates to the brakes fitted on all V8 and V12 models which includes Rolls Royce Phantom models. Other cars affected are BMW 5, 6 and 7 Series. The problem is a possible leak in the power braking system – nice! It reduces the amount of Read more »

Road safety charity Brake carried out a poll to see how much support existed for the dropping of the drink drive alcohol limit from 80mg per 100 ml to 50, in line with most of Europe. Their findings showed a 70% support which has prompted the Government to take action and consider dropping the level which would criminalise the Sunday pint in a country pub according to an article in Auto Express. But they Read more »

 Warnings have been issued, especially to companies who have a duty of care for those who drive on company business, about the new Government campaign to reduce the amount of drug-driving especially amongst younger drivers following research that shows 1 in 10 young male drivers admit to driving after taking illegal drugs. The £2.3 million campaign has been launched which will no doubt be complimented by increased police activity. Road safety charity Brake has also adopted the anti drink and drug driving theme for its Road Safety Week – Not A Drop, Not A Drag – taking place from November 23^rd – 29^th. By Graham Hill

If you buy my book, An Insider Guide To Car Finance, you receive a free book on general hints, tips and safety. One of the things I cover is setting the headrest at the correct height. A very important piece of information as proven by recent research by Brake and Direct Line Car Insurance in which it was shown that 2 out of 3 drivers Read more »

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 »

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 »