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If you are hiring a car or van over the Christmas period it might be wise to ask if you can see the service book before taking the vehicle. There have been some warnings issued that some small daily rental companies have cut costs by not having their cars serviced on time, especially those that are keeping cars longer. The larger rental companies tend you only keep their cars for 3 – 6 months but the smaller operators are Read more »

I recently warned about the dangers of not having your car serviced on time from the point of view of safety. We have now had further warnings from manufacturers and leasing companies about the importance of having your car serviced on time. The manufacturers are referring to the potential loss of warranty cover if the car is not serviced ‘as per manufacturers’ recommendations’. The chances of an engine Read more »

There are a number of vehicle recalls each year, some of which are fairly minor causing no more than an irritation whilst others are much more serious which could result in injury. One of the latest recalls was issued by Ford on 29,000 Focuses for a potential overheating problem in the cooling fan to be rectified. The warning read: Focus (potential overheating/fire risk), models from 20/02/04 – 31/05/06. Read more »

Clarion, manufacturers of portable satellite navigation systems, have been highly criticised by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and safety organisation Brake over their new model, the MAP970 which displays text messages on the screen. The criticisms follow a report by the RAC that 39% of UK motorists have been seriously distracted by in car entertainment, sat navs and mobile phones Brake point out that reading text messages whilst driving is Read more »

One of the huge benefits to buying or leasing a new car is that you will be driving a car with all the latest safety equipment fitted. Even the most modest cars have more equipment than they had fitted even just 3 years ago. The most significant for me is the wider fitting of Electronic Stability Control (ESC) also known as ESP. This system has been proven to save more lives than ABS but isn’t mandatory until Read more »

Calls for a total mobile phone ban have come from safety experts following a landmark case. Lynne-Marie Howden, a director and head of sales at business consultancy Insights was found not guilty of causing death by dangerous driving. But she was found guilty of the lesser charge of careless driving which resulted in a 12 month ban and a fine of £2,000. Ms Howden was talking on her hands free phone to a works Read more »

A company called UTAG has launched a new product for use by fleet drivers but may be made available to all drivers in the case of an emergency. The product is a computer memory stick that contains essential medical and contact information in case of a serious accident when time may be critical enabling emergency services to plug in the device and collect vital information immediately. It may possibly save 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 »

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 »

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 »