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We’re getting to that time of year when many start to think about flitting over to France on the pre-Christmas fag and booze run. Some may pop over to Belgium whilst others may make a bit of a trip of it and drive down to Spain or elsewhere in Europe. And not a bad idea, but don’t forget to check the motoring laws for each country you will visit, Read more »

The Department for Transport is about to make us all paperless when it comes to our driving licences. In 2014 the paper part of the latest driving licences will be scrapped, which isn’t a bad thing as most people manage to lose them anyway. The old style licences will be scrapped soon after to be replaced with the photocard versions. The DVLA is Read more »

The number of employees using their own cars for business use, known as the grey fleet, has dropped from 42% a year ago to just 28% now. The findings were the result of a survey carried out by Enterprise Rent-A-Car amongst 400 small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). No reason was given for this dramatic fall, clearly the increase in unemployment had something to do with it, along with the health and safety Read more »

I have been asked on many occasions what a DSG gearbox is. As the question came up in the latest edition of What Car I thought I’d cover it. The simple explanation is that unlike a fully automatic box which has no clutch, just a torque converter, a DSG or Direct Shift Gearbox is an automated manual box with two clutches. Whilst in one gear the next gear is effectively pre-selected which allows for much faster gear Read more »

Since the introduction of free movement throughout Europe it has become possible for drivers to hold two driving licences at the same time, one from his country of origin and another, quite legally, issued in the country in which he now resides. This has led to a situation whereby a driver is convicted of an offence following which his Read more »

There has been a loophole in the law allowing drivers in the EU to apply for a driving permit (equivalent to a licence) in another country whilst having their original licence confiscated following a driving offence. There was already a mutual recognition of disqualification’s between Northern Ireland, Ireland and Great Britain but the European Court Of Justice has ruled that drivers who have had their licences confiscated cannot apply for a driving permit in another EU country. The main problem was apparently between the Czech Republic and Germany whereby German drivers who were banned were crossing the border and applying for a driving permit – but no more it would seem!