Monday, January 30, 2012
Drivers best off breaking down in Donegal
The Irish are a friendly jovial bunch, right? Well yes, but it seems that these positive characteristics are more prevalent in some areas of the emerald isle than others.
According to the results of an AA survey, motorists in Donegal are particularly likely to pull over and offer a helping hand to the drivers of broken down vehicles. However, anybody who suffers the misfortune of an engine blow-out or tyre puncture while driving through Kildare might have quite a wait for roadside assistance.
Some 40% of people from this Eastern Irish town said that they would drive on by, rather than offer a helping hand.
The proportion of male Irish drivers willing to stop for a car-owning damsel in distress was also fairly low. This is thought to be down to the perception of men being a threat in such circumstances.
And there could be any number of reasons why Irish female drivers also have a reluctance to come to the aid of men in their time of motoring need.
Still, there you have it! Donegal’s the place to be if your car decides to give up.
Photo © dingbat2005 via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: AA, Belfast Telegraph, Donegal, engine blow-out, Irish, Kildare, tyre puncture, vehicle maintenance
Friday, January 27, 2012
Formula One legend says talent should be rewarded
Money can't buy you love but it may help to secure a place in Formula One, according to famous racer John Surtees.
Apparently it is becoming increasingly difficult for youngsters to achieve their big break in motorsport, without substantial financial backing.The ex Ferrari and Mclaren star said, “It's a shame that there is no scholarship system or ladder in place. The only alternative for getting drives is a big bag of gold.”
It had been hoped that with the financial injection provided by Bernie Ecclestone the teams wouldn't have to rely so heavily upon the support of their drivers.
However, questions have been raised about whether Bruno Senna or Vitaly Petrov would have been given their chances in F1 had they not been such marketable names.
The youngsters who have shown promise in the karting world but can barely afford young drivers car insurance must doubt whether they'll ever see their names in the bright lights.
Mr Surtees said, “It would be nice if teams were allowed or persuaded to run a third car, and that car was for someone who had succeeded in the lower ranks.
“Then there is always a space for this ability to feed itself into Formula One without coming up with millions of pounds to sit in a seat.”
Photo © Whiz Kris via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: Bernie Ecclestone, Bruno Senna, F1, Ferrari, Formula One, John Surtees, McLaren, Vitaly Petrov, young drivers car insurance
Monday, January 23, 2012
Tourist information? …Sorry I’ve forgotten
Are you proud to know your way around your area and happy to direct visitors to wherever it is they’ve just asked you directions for?
Well don’t keep relying on your sat-nav when on the road, because you might start to lose the ability to remember the layout of places.
According to researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, in Germany, we remember our way around by creating a mental map.
Our mental map is created, in part, by looking at a real map of an area. However, our mental map is prone to being forgotten if our brain gets used to being guided around with no real knowledge of its location or surroundings.
If you want to avoid losing your mental map, and your ability to create new ones, then you might want to follow the advice given by one of the researchers.
“Look at maps before you start your trip, keep them at hand, but navigate yourself, and try to rely on your memory.
“It will work better than you expect.”
No more sat-navs for us – we’re building up our mental maps! (Although we might turn the sat-nav back on for confusing ring-roads…)
Photo © @boetter via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: directions, layout, location, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, mental map, navigate, ring-road, road, sat-nav, surroundings
Friday, January 20, 2012
High-tech glasses and road safety
We’ve all seen people driving while chatting on their mobiles and been thoroughly disgusted at their reckless behaviour, but some new technology might give us yet another hazard on the road.
A company called Lumus has developed a pair of glasses which can project images onto its own lenses, making email, film, TV and games available to the wearer, centimetres from their eyeballs. It’s a very clever piece of tech but imagine how many reckless drivers might choose to watch a film while on the motorway. They’d probably have some popcorn on their lap too, knowing the ridiculous things they get up to on the road to the detriment of car insurance prices and motorist safety nationwide.
The company’s website tag-line is “Seeing through. Seeing beyond. A vision ahead,” but the problem is that although the images are transparent to allow people to get on with their day while being entertained, if you focus on them the real world behind will probably just become a blur.
Fingers crossed that no-one wears these glasses behind the wheel and that pedestrians don’t get too swept up in the film they’re watching to pay attention to traffic.
Photo © runekrem via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: behind the wheel, car insurance, driving, glasses, hazard, Lumus, mobiles, motorway, road, technology, traffic
Monday, January 16, 2012
IAM fight for hard-up youths
I can remember the thrill of being told that I'd passed my driving test. The stress-inducing lessons were over and I could look forward to cruising the open roads in my Nissan Micra.
It wasn't long until reality set in and motoring became a drain on my limited finances. After paying for the young persons car insurance and filling the fuel tank I was left with barely enough for a cheap meal or game of pool with my similarly hard-up friends.This scenario has become well known amongst the UK's community of young motorists. Indeed, the average cost of insurance for male motorists aged between 17 and 22 has soared to £2,977, far beyond many people's reach.
This issue has become of such concern that the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) have made demands for the government to look into ways of reducing premiums. They claim that youngsters who successfully complete advanced driver training courses should be offered discounts.
The IAM Chief Executive said, “The simplest way to reduce premiums is to prevent accidents. This is especially true for young male drivers who are at most risk of being involved in an accident. We need to start rewarding good drivers by encouraging further training through cheaper insurance”
It will be interesting to see how the government responds to these demands.
Photo © Magnus D via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: advanced driver training courses, driving test, fuel, IAM, Institute of Advanced Motorists, Nissan Micra, premiums, young persons car insurance
Friday, January 13, 2012
Special motoring treatment for Olympic VIPs
It seems like only yesterday that Britain was awarded the Olympic games and yet here we are in 2012, the big year.
Usain Bolt is preparing to give us a special show on the track, Becky Adlington is readying herself for a showdown in the pool, and the environmentalists are getting hot under the collar over the announcement that Olympic VIPs will be ferried bout in BMW's.
Less might have been made about this final point had the event organisers not claimed that these would be the greenest games ever.
However, the London Organising Committee has opened itself up for criticism by subsequently declaring that the luxury, gas guzzling vehicles are to be used as taxis for the elite.
A key member of the London Assembly Transport Committee said, “As we were promised that the 2012 Games would be the greenest Olympics ever to take place, only electric vehicles should have been considered.
“The 2012 Games should have been a big boost to the growth of electric vehicles in the UK, but instead we have vehicles which merely add to London’s serious air pollution.”
The question of whether Olympic dignitaries would happily be driven about in electric cars such as the Toyota Prius or Nissan Leaf is open to debate.
Image © Roebot via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: London, Nissan Leaf, Olympic games, taxis, Toyota Prius
Monday, January 9, 2012
Colds can cause crashes
A recent study undertaken by a young driver car insurance company in partnership with Halfords, and backed by research from Cardiff University’s Common Cold Unit, has revealed that having a cold may be more dangerous than previously thought.
By using telematics technology to monitor driving behaviour in motorists suffering from the sniffles, it was found that driving skills reduced by more than 50%.
Reportedly, that’s the same as having four double whiskies!
As well as having reduced reaction times, and as a result having to brake sharply much more often, the drivers tested were less aware of the road around them and cornered poorly, making them 33% more likely to hit a kerb.
The co-founder of the insurance firm stated, “This small-scale trial provides a warning for motorists. A heavy cold can impair a driver's mood, concentration and judgement.”
Well, that’s a good reason to ask to be chauffeured everywhere when you’re feeling poorly, isn’t it!
Photo © William Brawley via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: brake, Cardiff University, cold, Common Cold Unit, driving, Halfords, kerb, reaction times, telematics technology, young driver car insurance
Friday, January 6, 2012
Is there an end in sight for sat-nav misdirection?
It’s not unusual to hear about outrageous sat-nav blunders, and although I don’t use mine too often, there have been a couple of times where I have had to use my common sense and follow road signs rather than the little arrow on the screen.
However, it has been reported that the Government has plans to tackle those misguided drivers who end up in compromising situations due to a technological error. It will be discussing the out-of-date directions at a summit.
According to the Department for Transport, it can sometimes take months for road updates to be delivered to sat-navs from local authorities, and misdirection has been known to land lorries in side streets and cars into swamps.
At last, this may mean the sat-nav problems are finally addressed and sorted out! Mind you, it’s important that drivers are always careful to think about where they are steering rather than blindly relying on advice from their navigation system.
Photo © Tim Green aka atoach via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: directions, lorries, navigation, road signs, sat-nav, summit, vehicles
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
A holiday with a difference
Fancy a holiday in the new year? How about a trip round the M25, the motorway which has been voted in various polls as the most hated place in Britain?
Well, one bus company from Brighton & Hove Bus will be happy to oblige. For only a small fee it is willing to take paying tourists on a 117-mile round-trip of the M25 for a spot of sightseeing.It all sounds very post-modern – a trip round the London Orbital to satiate the leanings of "lovers of modern coach travel".
Although you could be forgiven for thinking that the tour sounds like a sure-fire commercial disaster, it is actually proven very successful in the past – hence the decision to take bookings once again.
Gaze out your window and enjoy the wonders of Heathrow Airport's Terminal Five, Lakeside Shopping Centre and row upon row of angst-ridden car insurance customers trapped behind the wheels of their vehicles.
Wow, forget Paris, I’ve got a real surprise in store for my girlfriend this coming Valentine’s Day.
Image © timo_w2s via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: car insurance, coach, M25, motorway, sightseeing, tourist