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Many years ago, when my namesake was racing cars I watched a demonstration by one of the F1 drivers showing how to avoid a skid by rapidly tapping the brake pedal. The driver applied and released the brakes in quick succession which gave greater control as the tyres moved round increasing the grip and avoiding a skid.

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 is the principal that developed into what has now been used for many years called ABS. Thousands of lives have been saved as a result of the fitting of ABS to all cars but now Thatcham have called for the latest brake development to be added to ABS and ESP as standard requirements on all new cars.

The new system known as Autonomous Electronic Braking (AEB) is already available or fitted to 23% of all new cars but Thatcham feels that more should be done by the Government to encourage the fitting of this technology by offering a £500 incentive to drivers that have it fitted.

Thatcham claims that the device would save 1,220 lives over 10 years and reduce casualties by 136,000. So what is AEB? It detects vehicles in front and applies the brakes in an emergency in time to prevent a front to end accident. In the more sophisticated systems the ‘radar’ can detect pedestrians and cyclists as well as solid vehicles.

At the moment if the system is fitted to a company car this will increase the driver’s benefit in kind tax and class 1A National Insurance Contributions, this is wrong according to Thatcham as the device is as much for the benefit of those outside the vehicle as inside.

Thatcham have shown that with AEB third party injury claims drop by 18%, whilst studies in the USA have put the reduction at 26%. Amazingly in Switzerland and Sweden front to rear crashes would drop by 31% and 48% respectively.

Whilst I have seen various claims relating to the benefits of AEB it is clear that this technology, if fitted, could save lives so I’m behind Thatcham and hope that they can convince the Government to do something to encourage the fitting of this life saving technology.

It might also help to prevent some of the crash for cash insurance claims so maybe the insurance companies should contribute something. Just a thought!

Related articles

• New AEB brakes ‘safer’ for cars (bbc.co.uk)

Whilst customers make lease decisions based on headline rates and will argue over 50pence per month there is increased pressure on dealers to save money in order to provide reduced on the road costs. One of life’s irritations for me and some customers is the removal of carpet mats from the standard spec of some executive cars in order to reduce costs.

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 problem then is – do you go to the main dealer and pay up to £180 for a set of mats or nip down to Halfords for a set of one size fits all mats at less than a quarter of the price but with the Halfords mats not fitting as well as the manufacturer’s tailored mats? The answer is neither. A company called Richbrook have brought out a range of tailored mats to fit more than 17,000 models of car.

Buyers can select from a range of colours, patterns, piping and textures to match their car. The range also includes 3mm thick rubber mats. All mats come in a set of 4 and are finished with a backing of abrasive rubber to prevent movement. Model specific fixing points can be added if required. The cost just £39.99. You can see them online at www.richbrook.co.uk Definitely my product of the week. By Graham Hill

One of the main reasons why drivers refuse to consider leasing as an option is the misguided mental evaluation of their car when they eventually part exchange for a new one. By the time reality hits them it is far too late because by the time they learn the truth the car is three years old and they have lost £’000s.

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.

Let me explain. I carried out a not too scientific experiment. I used as an example a Renault Scenic which cost about £15,000 brand new. I asked about 30 people, friends, relations, people down the pub etc. what the car would be worth when 3 years old with 30,000 miles on the clock. The answers ranged from £7,000 to £10,000 with the majority £8,000 – £9,000.

The actual value of that car in the trade and what would be achieved as a part exchange was just under £4,000. Now here’s the problem, when working out the potential cost over 3 years most of those asked would have said that the car would be worth around £7,000, which, after adding interest charges, having taken the car on HP, would have compared roughly with the lease costs over the same period.

However, the truth is that the resale or part exchange estimates were around £4,000 adrift making the lease option much more favourable but as I say you only find that out when you sell the car. Auto Express carried out a similar exercise when they recently asked 12 drivers what they believed their cars were worth (I don’t just throw these things together, it’s called planning) and they came up with similar findings.

They used the trade valuers CAP to come up with the valuations. Other than one lady with an 09 Focus who thought her car was worth £4,500 but in fact it was worth £5,500 all drivers over estimated their car’s true value. One driver with a BMW M3 Evolution was over £3,000 adrift with most other drivers around £1,000 to £2,000 over the true value.

Having said that most cars were 5 to 10 years old so you would expect the estimates to be a little closer to the truth. Philip Northard of CAP said that the reason why many drivers over estimate the value of their car is that when they check on sites such as Autotrader or notice a similar car on a dealer’s forecourt, the figures they see are retail figures and include the dealer’s margin.

Of course you won’t achieve these figures when you take your car into the dealer as a part exchange. The argument over expected future values won’t go away, I’m sure, but I thought it might be worth mentioning if you are considering leasing as an option, you take away all risk in the depreciation and don’t get disappointed when you aren’t offered what you thought your car was worth when you come to replace it. By Graham Hill

The RAC has brought itself up to date by fitting out their patrol vehicles with state of the art diagnostic technology in order to increase the number of roadside fixes it can carry out.

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 RAC has invested £6 million in Scan+ diagnostic software that will enable patrols to interact with a broken down vehicle’s own diagnostic system and on-board sensors to identify faults.

The technology will allow technicians to do a repair on parts that often need electronically adapting before they will operate – even battery replacements need computer ‘coding’ after replacing. No I didn’t know that either!

RAC Technical Director, David Bizley said, ’The RAC has always utilised the latest technological advances to ensure we offer the very best repair for motorists.

RAC Scan+ will give our patrols the very best information from the vehicle’s own diagnostic equipment to enable them to repair the car.’ Over to you the AA!

Most people know that they can now have their cars and commercials serviced and maintained at no franchised garages and still retain the warranty on the vehicle. However, I have always suggested that customers who choose to have servicing carried out by non franchised dealers ask the garage to use manufacturer own parts. I say this as I don’t Read more »

Years ago, when I always bought used cars, and had a mechanical problem I used to dread going into a garage and explaining the fault because I knew I would be met by a sharp intake of breath by the mechanic and ‘Do you want me to do a quick bodge job or do you want me to sort it out properly?’ After which he would explain the problem in technical Read more »

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We have heard of run-flat tyres, they effectively have a hard wall that enables you to continue driving with a puncture as the tyre wall holds up the weight of the car enabling you to drive about 50 miles at 50mph. However, Michelin now have a new tyre that they are about to re-introduce, the self-heal tyre that was a bit of a disaster in a previous launch as Read more »

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Well, I guess the big news of the week, and one I was waiting to break before sending out my deal of the week and updated blog, is the launch of Tesco Cars www.tescocars.com. I have been working as a consultant with Carsite, whose site has been updated to accommodate the new name and Tesco loans. The same procedure is being adopted by the new website as happened under the old scheme with car photos, HPI and inspection reports. The difference now is the addition of 2,000 clubcard points with every car Read more »

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

If you were a visitor to this country driving on our motorways you could be excused for believing that the limit was 80 miles per hour and not, as I believe it is, 70 miles per hour. It seems that Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond supports the idea of lifting the speed limit as our limit is one of the slowest in Europe. However the anti car brigade are Read more »

Just want to give you the heads up on the Graham Hill gadget of the week. When I say heads up I mean that literally. It’s an aftermarket speed display that is projected up on the windscreen so no need to look down at the speedo whilst driving. A mount is held in place by tape and the unit slides onto the mount. The projector is hinged so you can adjust Read more »