The Best Car Finance Blog In The World

Currently when you reach the age of 70 you have to renew your driving licence. However, according to the Department for Transport this should be extended to the age of 80 in order to reduce DVLA costs and make it more efficient.

Thinking of a change but unsure as to the best way to finance your car? Then you need a copy of my car finance book, Car Finance – A Simple Guide by Graham Hill. Click on the link below to buy the best car finance book on the market, available as a Kindle Book and Paper Back.

Following a review, on behalf of the Government, the DfT concluded that we should change the rules to bring the UK in line with Europe who already have a renewal age of 80. At present there are over 4 million motorists over the age of 70 which represents a substantial amount of administration at renewal time, so by extending the renewal date the admin costs will be cut significantly.

But safety campaigners object to the proposal on the grounds of health and safety. In fact they suggest that there should be increased controls on the elderly not less which could cost lives. I don’t agree, not least of which as I am edging my way towards 70 I don’t really want to have to renew my licence.

Department for Transport (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

On the other hand the government could take the savings and fix a few more potholes which would prevent many more accidents than extending the licence renewal dates! By Graham Hill

Related articles

• Cost-cutting Coalition to let pensioners drive till they’re 80 without renewing licence (mirror.co.uk)

How safe do you feel driving to work on a Monday morning? If the statistics produced by swiftcover.com are anything to go by you should feel less safe than any other day of the week. According to their 2013 claim data drivers were more likely to have a driving incident resulting in a claim on a Monday (17%) than any other day of the week.

Thinking of a change but unsure as to the best way to finance your car? Then you need a copy of my car finance book, Car Finance – A Simple Guide by Graham Hill. Click on the link below to buy the best car finance book on the market, available as a Kindle Book and Paper Back.

You are 36% more likely to have a windscreen claim on a Monday than any other

A car crash on Jagtvej in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

day, their statistics showed that the average was 10,000 on a Monday compared to the daily average of 7,922. Monday also sees a rise in single vehicle incidents, i.e. a car that hits a bollard or lamppost with no other vehicles involved. So what are the reasons for this higher number of incidents on a Monday?

Maxine Tighe, head of motor claims at swiftcover.com, suggests that it is the result of bleary eyed motorists recovering from the weekend and trying to get back into work mode lacking concentration. They found that whilst Monday was a bad day for single vehicle collisions Friday was the worst for multi-vehicle collisions as people dash home for the weekend, especially during the rush hour mayhem.

The weekend is safest as there are fewer cars on the roads. On the other hand loss of keys, vandalism and theft all rise on a Saturday and Sunday as cars are more at risk parked outside homes. How very very interesting swiftcover.com! Yawn!

Here is an interesting scam that is apparently on the rise. Crooks are buying cars from dealers, often using stolen credit cards, then selling the car privately to an unsuspecting buyer. When the dealer realises that the payment has bounced the car is listed on the Police National Computer (PNC) and the police alerted that the car has been stolen.

Thinking of a change but unsure as to the best way to finance your car? Then you need a copy of my car finance book, Car Finance – A Simple Guide by Graham Hill. Click on the link below to buy the best car finance book on the market, available as a Kindle Book and Paper Back.

Following this, and often with the use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (APNR) Cameras the police apprehend the innocent driver and confiscate the car. But there is a question mark over the legality of this confiscation. If a crook stole a car from say a car park and sold it to a third party title doesn’t pass and the owner has every right to recover the vehicle.

However, if a car is sold by someone who has HP on the car and the buyer wasn’t aware of the HP at the time of purchase then he is regarded as an ‘Innocent Buyer’ and title passes but what happens if the car is bought with a credit card and therefore subject to finance does title pass?

The question for the police to answer is, ‘Has the car been obtained by fraudulent means or by theft?’ Theft is clear cut – title does not pass but where the transaction is fraudulent then title can pass to the innocent buyer. The problem for the buyer is that it can be hard to trace whether the car was stolen or not.

You may be able to locate the last owner but he may have sold the car privately, to a dealer or through auction and it could have passed through several hands before ending up on a dealer’s forecourt from whom the car was either fraudulently purchased or stolen.

As always you should  check with HPI to see if the car has been written off or on finance when buying privately, also if the person selling you the car isn’t the person to whom the car is registered check the previous owner and find out who bought the car from him and check that title has passed. Better still lease a new car from me – so much easier and trustworthy. By Graham Hill

Back in the 60’s, when I lived in Slough, obviously we are talking a very young age, they came up with a unique traffic calming system on the A4 that ran alongside the huge industrial estate.

Thinking of a change but unsure as to the best way to finance your car? Then you need a copy of my car finance book, Car Finance – A Simple Guide by Graham Hill. Click on the link below to buy the best car finance book on the market, available as a Kindle Book and Paper Back.

They had a series of traffic lights, about 8 I believe, and if you stuck exactly to 30mph you would breeze through the lot without stopping, much to the joy of the locals and much to the annoyance of them there strangers just passing through.

My dad would be sitting at the lights and a boy racer would turn up on the outside lane with his supped up Cooper S, sitting at the lights whilst revving the piston rings out of the car and glancing over at my dad who would have a bit of a wry smile on his face. Lights change to amber and the Cooper S is off like brown smelly stuff off a shovel.

Next set of lights he would be sitting there whilst the old man sedately cruised by at 30mph just as the lights turned. And so on and so on. Why have I shared these joyous memories with you? Because technology has finally caught up nearly 50 years later thanks to Audi. They have brought out a traffic light recognition system that they say could put an end to waiting at the traffic lights.

The system works via the in car’s Audi Connect which creates a link between the car and the local traffic light network. The system displays a required speed that the driver must stick to in order to smoothly glide through each set of traffic lights.

The system is apparently developed and ready to go. Can’t wait! Oh, and if you are driving down the A4 and the traffic calming is still operational I’d love to know. Drop me a line! By Graham Hill

Related articles

• Audi’s Innovative Traffic Light Assist (auto2014.wordpress.com)

Road markings are in a terrible state of repair. So says a report prepared by the Road Safety Markings Association (RSMA). Yep there is actually an association for road markings. They explain that nearly 50% of lane markings on major roads need replacing with only 16% of motorway lines considered to be excellent.

Thinking of a change but unsure as to the best way to finance your car? Then you need a copy of my car finance book, Car Finance – A Simple Guide by Graham Hill. Click on the link below to buy the best car finance book on the market, available as a Kindle Book and Paper Back.

The study was carried out over 2,500 miles of English roads which came to the conclusion that pot holes are not the only issues on our roads. The report suggested that 52% of markings on motorways, 42% on dual carriageways and 48% on single carriageways should either be replaced right now or scheduled as a matter of urgency.

National director of the RSMA, George Lee, said, ‘It’s shameful that half England’s road markings are so worn out.’ The worst road in England isn’t far from me, the M3 between Bagshot and Camberly in Surrey where they found 94% of white lines in need of work.

As usual the Department for Transport kicked out a spokesman who explained that the country’s roads were among the safest in the world, and that the Highways Agency took prompt action to repair markings as part of a planned maintenance strategy.

Apparently not Mr DfT spokesman or there would have been no need for the sodding report! Good grief, when will we ever see action rather than excuses? By Graham Hill

M65 Junction 5 - geograph.org.uk - 1187545 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I hope, like me, you understand the need to cone off road works on motorways for the safety of those who work on the roads. I don’t even mind the mile or so of cones, aimed at slowing down the drivers before the actual road works begin, having read some absolute horror stories of workers, killed or maimed by drivers trying to jump one extra place on the road before being forced over by one lane.

Thinking of a change but unsure as to the best way to finance your car? Then you need a copy of my car finance book, Car Finance – A Simple Guide by Graham Hill. Click on the link below to buy the best car finance book on the market, available as a Kindle Book and Paper Back.

Having had the misfortune of having a flat tyre on a motorway and being forced to stop on the hard shoulder whilst cars and trucks come pounding past, even at 70mph, made for one of the most frightening experiences in my many years of driving. So I understand the need for worker safety but when I start throwing toys out of the pram is when I am travelling along the long stretch of M25 restricted to 50mph followed by a long stretch of A23 at the end of the M23 restricted to 40mph when there is no bugger working. In fact I am often, at 3.00 in the morning, the only driver for miles but I still have to stick to the road work restrictions for fear that the average speed cameras report me for doing 10mph over the restricted speed.

Even when I’m convinced that the cameras aren’t able of taking pictures or measuring your average speed at night. Having suffered these constraints for a couple of years already I was very pleased to see that the Highways Agency were considering introducing variable speed limits on sections of motorways being worked upon.

English: Road works This is a road works at this location, in time for summer driving. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The new average speed limits would be assessed on a case by case basis but it is expected that limits could be raised at off peak times and times when no one was working on the restricted section of road. About bloody time! By Graham Hill

We are back onto speed limits. A new study, carried out in Denmark over the last 2 years by the Danish Road Directorate, has concluded that higher speed limits on not just motorways but also single carriageway rural roads makes roads safer and saves lives.

Thinking of a change but unsure as to the best way to finance your car? Then you need a copy of my car finance book, Car Finance – A Simple Guide by Graham Hill. Click on the link below to buy the best car finance book on the market, available as a Kindle Book and Paper Back.

They increased the limits on rural roads from 50mph to 56mph which resulted in fewer accidents. Slower drivers were observed to drive faster and faster drivers actually dropped their speed by 1mph. This resulted in less frustration and less overtaking as the differential between the fastest and slowest drivers decreased.

On sections of their motorways where speed limits were increased from 68mph to 80mph 9 years ago fatalities also dropped. The Alliance of British Drivers suggested that the latest moves by the Government to restrict speed limits further could be a step in the wrong direction following these findings.

A spokesperson for the Transport Research Laboratory was a little more cautious and said that the findings were ‘interesting’ but was more interested in the risk of injury rather than the risk of a crash which is what the report focused upon.

I can see the argument for higher speed limits on motorways, certainly after certain times at night when there are fewer cars on the road but not sure about single carriageway rural roads. It will be interesting to see if the Government takes this up. By Graham Hill

Whilst catching up on some of the stranger things to come out of the budget I noticed that the pound coin is about to change. Well when I say ‘about’ I mean in 2017 when it will be launched. I have seen the design and if you are as old as me you will immediately think of the thrupney piece.

Thinking of a change but unsure as to the best way to finance your car? Then you need a copy of my car finance book, Car Finance – A Simple Guide by Graham Hill. Click on the link below to buy the best car finance book on the market, available as a Kindle Book and Paper Back.

It’s the usual bronze colour but it has 12 sides and has been described by the Rotal Mint as the most secure in the world. However the new design comes at a cost as all vending machines will have to be modified at a cost. According to the British Parking Association, the cost to local authorities of the modification to their parking metres will be £50 million alone.

However, they also said that this will give the authorities the opportunity to upgrade their machines to also accept credit/debit cards at the same time. The move has been instigated by the Treasury because 4% of all £1 coins in circulation are counterfeit and this is already costing local authorities a fortune as banks refuse to accept them.

Personally I’m confused as I can’t see that making the £1 coin 12 sided makes it any less capable of being replicated. If there was some hidden ingredient in the metal that made it detectable I could understand it but it’s a lump of metal that has either been stamped out or forged (that’s metal forged not as in illegally forged – oh you know what I mean).

Royal Mint X Mirai Suenaga (Photo credit: Danny Choo)

So I can’t see how it will stop the crooks? Obviously the Royal Mint knows more about these things than me! By Graham Hill

Related articles

• Forging into the future: Royal Mint is combining history with technology (dailymail.co.uk)

I actually invented the domestic smoke detector. It’s absolutely true, I was working in a large fire alarm company called Sound Diffusion at the time. They sold their equipment for cash although most was leased and hence this is where my background in leasing started.

Thinking of a change but unsure as to the best way to finance your car? Then you need a copy of my car finance book, Car Finance – A Simple Guide by Graham Hill. Click on the link below to buy the best car finance book on the market, available as a Kindle Book and Paper Back.

After chatting to an engineer about our smoke detectors that all had to be hard wired into a central control panel I found out that the amount of electricity required to maintain a detector on standby was incredibly small. In the first instance whilst doodling one day I came up with a light bulb that above the light was a smoke detector.

I then ‘developed’ the idea further to a battery driven unit. I showed our chairman at the time and it was dismissed as not saleable. He explained that consumers never expect catastrophes to happen, ‘it always happens to the next door neighbour, not to us.’ was his conclusion. A year later a company brought out a stand alone smoke detector for £29.99 and a matter of months later Black and Decker brought out theirs for £9.99.

In the words of Del Boy I could have been a millionaire! So why have I explained my flair for coming up with amazing ideas? Well I have just been reading about the latest announcement regarding electric cars. A series of quick charge units have opened up across the centre of the country, referred to as the Milton Keynes Crosslink.

There are 14 of these charging points capable of charging a car in 20 minutes, located in Cambridge, Bedford, Milton Keynes, Buckingham and Oxford. Now I don’t know about you but I still wouldn’t feel comfortable relying upon these points to get me home in the same way that I might hope to find a service station open at 11.00 at night.

And frankly I don’t consider 20 minutes as a fast charge when I can fill my car up with diesel in 2 minutes. So have we really found the answer to the problem? I don’t think so! Hence my invention! Don’t laugh! First of all it requires all batteries that are used in electric cars to be standardised in terms of size. We also need standard fittings into which a battery could be slotted into close to the ground (the batteries are bloody heavy).

You then enter a drive through bay and with the speed and precision of a group of F1 mechanics someone comes out with a trolley type jack and removes the fitted battery whilst making a note of the electricity reading on a visible dial on the outside of the battery. A freshly charged battery is is then slid into place, locked in place and the car is good to go.

The car drives up to a payment booth, pays for the electricity that he has used, as shown on the old battery, and he is good to go. If the F1 mechanics are anything to go by a driver could be through in about 5 seconds. There you go problem solved! Oh and the old battery goes straight back on charge on a rack of fast chargers. Brilliant or what? By Graham Hill

Flooding on our street (Photo credit: jessicafm)

We saw the sad pictures on TV following the floods in various parts of the country. People’s homes were wrecked with thousands of pounds of damage caused to furniture and possessions.

Thinking of a change but unsure as to the best way to finance your car? Then you need a copy of my car finance book, Car Finance – A Simple Guide by Graham Hill. Click on the link below to buy the best car finance book on the market, available as a Kindle Book and Paper Back.

But what about all the cars we saw up to their bonnets in muddy water. Many would be subject to insurance claims and be paid out with a large number being written off according to the AA. And if a car is written off they are subjected to some very stringent rules before, if ever, they are allowed back on the road.

But it would seem that many drivers either didn’t make a claim or couldn’t because their policy didn’t cover them for flood damage. They simply dried the car out, maybe changed the carpets and have been selling them privately or through auction, possibly ending up on dealer forecourts.

Amazingly 70% of all cars that have been submersed in water are written off due to engine damage or electrical safety problems. Water can also seriously damage air bags and catalytic converters, something you may not notice when buying a used car. So be very careful if you are buying a used car, you might find yourself buying an ex flood damaged car. By Graham Hill