Monday, April 30, 2012
Pensioner finally passes her driving test
Some motorists may take months to pass their driving test, others dedicate years to the task. However, one 74-year-old woman has finally acquired her licence – 58 years after her first driving lesson.
Valerie Christie originally started taking driving lessons from her mechanic boyfriend back in 1954. After their relationship ended, the driving lessons stopped too. However, when one of her friends fell ill, she decided to restart lessons in order to help him get to hospital.
Ms Christie said, “It was my friend Thomas who inspired me to do it.
“He had a stroke some time ago and we have to get him to so many appointments. And now if we want to go out for a meal, we can drive there.”
Despite failing two previous tests, she passed on her third attempt with only four minor faults.
Ms Christie is now hoping to take advanced driving lessons to effectively manage night conditions and motorway driving – which may also reduce her car insurance premium.
It just goes to show you really are never too old to learn a new skill.
Photo © kilo_3d via photobucket
Labels: car insurance, driving lesson, driving test, licence, motorway driving
Friday, April 27, 2012
Diesel drivers don’t drive enough
Everyone’s trying to save money, and I don’t blame them.
Times are tough for many people at the moment, so it’s wise to cut down on any costs which can be reduced without having a detrimental effect on day-to-day life or safety. In an attempt to save themselves money in the long term some people have been buying diesel vehicles, believing them to be cheaper to run.
However, statistics from Glass’s Guide, the car valuation expert, shows that in fact the cost of running a diesel car is only cheaper than a petrol car if the driver travels 10,000 miles annually or more.
For some motorists, this isn’t a problem, but a spokesperson from Glass’s Guide states that the organisation knows a large majority of diesel owners are wasting their hard-earned cash.
Reportedly, 8,763,500 drivers of diesel cars drive less than 10,000 miles a year, which means that they would probably be better off with a petrol vehicle.
Potentially, this lot might even be able to save money by getting telematics insurance for low-mileage drivers.
If you think you might be one of the people spending more money than necessary on your car, why not work out how many miles you travel a year? You could save a lot of money, which will allow you to start buying those weekly take-aways again – don’t worry ‐ your secret is safe with me.
Photo © indigoprime via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: car, cheaper, costs, diesel, driver, Glass’s Guide, low-mileage, petrol, save money, telematics, vehicle
Monday, April 23, 2012
Road markings cause bafflement down south
Is a car illegally parked if it encroaches slightly onto a set of clearly defined double yellow lines? That's the question hot on the lips of motorists in the area of Poole in Dorset.
The answer, according to the rule de minimis is that it depends. Apparently the law does not concern itself with issues where a very slight infringement has been made.Where this would leave a driver who parked along the 26 inch long double yellow lines of Poole's Clarendon Road is highly debatable.
What is clear is that this would never have become an issue if the council had not decided to paint double yellow lines in the spaces left vacant by the town's motorists.
In a bid to clarify the matter Poole Council's Senior Engineer said, “Obviously lining contractors often find that there are cars parking in places where they need to paint lines and they paint as much as they can and then return to finish the gaps.”
Perhaps it would have been better for all involved had the workers been granted the right to temporarily restrict access to the road.
However, as the cyclists who've had the pleasure of navigating an eight foot long Exeter cycle lane would testify, the southern council representatives don't seem to mind causing a bit of confusion every now and then.
Photo © dumbledad via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: car, cycle lane, double yellow line, illegally parked, motorist, parking, Poole
Friday, April 20, 2012
In-car caffeine hit
We all know it’s dangerous to drive when tired, and hopefully we all remember that on long journeys the Highway Code states motorists should have a minimum of 15 minutes break every two hours of drive time.
Some of us might be tempted to miss out on these breaks if we’re determined to get to a certain place at a certain time, but this is dangerous behaviour and now one company has invented a gadget that might make us take a break more often. Danish company Handpresso has created an in-car espresso machine called the Handpresso Auto Mobile.
The high-tech drinks maker, which costs around £124, uses the cigarette lighter plug as its energy source and is not a new concept. This is in fact the second version of the gadget – the first of which was made in 2006.
We must state, as the company itself and the Association of British Drivers do, that motorists must pull over somewhere safe before using the machine and drinking their caffeine-boost.
This machine will probably be snapped up by long-distance drivers and coffee-addicts alike. Sadly though, this great gadget’s inventor Henrik Neilson died four months ago, so if you do buy this in-car tech make sure to make a toast to him first.
Photo © gourmet gifts 2010 via photobucket
Labels: Association of British Drivers, break, caffeine, dangerous, drink, drive, espresso, gadget, Handpresso, Highway Code, journey, tired
Monday, April 16, 2012
Family find a unique way of beating fuel duty
The British public have come up with a variety of ways of keeping fuel expenses to a minimum. Some have chosen to drive less. Others have filled their tanks up with whisky (not advisable). However, few would have been prepared to trade their trusty vehicles in for a horse and cart.
A family from Essex have bucked the trend by calling their white and grey Lipizzaner horses into action. They claim that the chosen method of transport for people in the nineteenth and even early twentieth centuries still has a place in today's technologically focused society.Apparently they are far more reliable than both the Kia Sportage and the Nissan Micra to name a couple. They are also reported to offer a more pleasurable off-road experience than the typical 4X4.
One of the horse owners said, “The price of fuel these days is extortionate – it wasn’t that long ago I could put £20 in the Land Rover and it would fill it up to a quarter of a tank, but now it won’t even stop my fuel warning light.
“The horses need feeding and exercising anyway so it just makes sense. In the current economic climate it’s also very expensive keeping horses – but now they are definitely earning their keep.”
Of course the one major downside to travelling by horse and cart is the time that longer journeys can take. With an average speed of around 4mph, a trip between the UK's major cities could take days. However, for leisurely countryside trips there's nothing to beat good old fashioned horse power.
Photo © foilman via Flickr under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: drive, Essex, fuel, horse and cart, Kia Sportage, Land Rover, Lipizzaner, Nissan Micra, off-road, transport, vehicles
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Ferrari driver played a part in the preservation of hedgehogs
A hedgehog in the German area of Lower Saxony may have thought that its days of nesting and nocturnal hunting had come to an end when it looked up to see a Ferrari Testarosta heading in its direction.
However, in a startling turn of events the motorist quickly swerved into a road barrier, allowing the bristly critter safe access to the other side.Fortunately neither the spiky animal or affluent motorist were left with any injuries after the incident. However, the Ferrari was badly damaged and the driver was left having to make a car insurance claim of around £30,000.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the general lack of cross-species communication there has been no offer of thanks from the hedgehog. However, we can imagine that it was particularly happy upon seeing its friends and family later in the day.
As for the driver, he must surely deserve a place – alongside the train driver who saved a Scottish Swan and the bus driver who saved an owl – in the animal kingdom's hall of fame.
Perhaps he'll be offered a helping paw by Sonic, Knuckles or maybe even Shadow if he finds himself in trouble again?
Photo © callocx via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: barrier, car insurance claim, driver, Ferrari Testarosta, hedgehog, motorist, road
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Youngsters prefer to surf than drive
It is a sure sign of the times that youngsters are choosing to connect with each other via social networking websites, rather than in traditional get-togethers. Indeed, recently conducted American research would seem to suggest that boy and girl racers are increasingly regarded as old fashioned stereotypes.
The academics who carried out the study were intrigued to discover that a higher proportion of men and women aged under 30 were in possession of full driving licenses in 1983 than today. Apparently this proves the hypothesis that internet and mobile interaction act as a replication of real-world contact for some youngsters.One might expect parents to be worried about the possibility of their offspring becoming increasingly ‘switched-off’ from the outside world. However, there is some evidence to prove that the older generation have been just as affected by the online bug.
A motoring expert said, “In every other generation, kids had to leave the house to see their friends and now you can do all that online. A car is no longer required. It's the first time we've seen that and that's why it's a little bit alarming”
Perhaps one way to ignite a passion for motoring among the young community would be to develop technologically advanced cars such as the Aiolos Concept or the Kinetia Cuboy. Racing superstars such as Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton could also play a part in generating interest.
Personally though, I think the main problem might be the cost of cover at the moment – luckily we’re here to help with that!
Photo © Dunedin NZ via Flickr under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: car, cover, full driving licenses, Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton, motoring, racers
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Senna's car expected to attract high bids
There has been a renewed interest in the life and times of legendary formula one racer Ayrton Senna since the release of Asif Kapadia's biographical film, and the emergence of the great man's nephew in the motorsport world.
Such is the feeling of awe that one fan recently paid £74,750 for one of Senna's old helmets and race suits. However, the really big news is that an elegant high speed Toleman racing car, driven by Senna during the 1984 Grand Prix season is set to be auctioned off at Silverstone.
It is expected that the vehicle featuring a 1.5 turbo charged Hart engine will fetch somewhere in the region of £750,000. This may seem like a reasonable price to pay for any affluent racing fanatics who have long dreamed of cruising about in an authentic F1 vehicle.
A spokesperson for Silverstone Auctions said, “We are thrilled to bring this iconic race car to auction as it's undoubtedly one of the most important lots we've ever offered.
“It goes without saying that this will be one of the star attractions at the sale as it's a very rare chance to own a much sought after piece of motorsport and Ayrton Senna history.”
For those Senna fans who baulk at the thought of spending all their hard earned money there is the option of the limited edition Senna DVD pack, which comes complete with a 1:12 F1 Lotus Model.
Photo © kemeko1971 via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: Ayrton Senna, F1, Formula One, Grand Prix, helmet, motorsport, racer, Silverstone, Toleman racing car
Monday, April 2, 2012
Driver-inflicted windscreen damage
Imagine the scenario, you're idly cruising along a scenic countryside lane when out of nowhere a suicidal duck comes hurtling towards your car windscreen. Such a scenario may be enough to deter some people from ever taking to the road again.
Rather worryingly the windscreen repair specialists Autoglass have reported that such events occur with some regularity. Indeed, during the last year alone the motoring public have made calls about snowball and pheasant-related damage.
One may well wonder how the call centre staff managed to keep the smirks from their faces when being told about the man who parked in front of a golfer’s tee, or the apparently evil intentions of the most adorable feathered critters.
They must also have struggled to resist a laugh at the expense of the motorist who managed to cause damage by scraping their windscreen with a Susan Boyle CD. Apparently such tales are only to be expected as part of working life at an auto repair company.
The Autoglass Managing Director said, “The UK's potholed and congested roads don't make things easy for motorists, but sometimes it seems vehicle and glass damage is self inflected or the result of freak occurrences.”
Photo © dan taylor via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: auto repair, car, countryside lane, damage, duck, motoring, motorist, parked, road, windscreen