The Abarth 124GT shown at Geneva last spring is now available to order. Just 50 will be imported from £33,625 with distinctive carbon fibre roof, 17-inch OZ wheels, Bose sound system and adaptive front headlights. The new VW Touareg has secured top marks for safety from Euro NCAP crash tests. It is the flagship of their range and offers the company’s greatest number of driving … [Read more...]
Education: Road Safety
Drivers rough ride over “humps” law
Around 1,000 speed humps are installed on roads across Wales in a bid to improve safety but they are giving motorists a bumpy ride and are causing ‘too much’ damage to cars, according to a new poll. Research for Wales-based Confused.com revealed that almost half (45%) of motorists in Wales think speed humps, bumps or cushions cause too much damage to cars. In fact, more than a quarter (28%) … [Read more...]
Tougher roadside checks for drivers coming in
IAM RoadSmart has warned motorists that they can expect to be tested for a suite of reasons if they happen to be stopped by the police for any reason. Every driver stopped by police from Thames Valley, Hampshire and the West Midlands in September will be required to read a number plate from 20 metres it was revealed this week. Anyone who fails will have their driving licence revoked there … [Read more...]
Garages profiting from motorists’ ignorance of MoTs
A lack of knowledge surrounding changes to the MOT test in May has left drivers digging deeper into their pockets, according to Green Flag. With just over half of drivers (52 per cent) being unaware of what the test actually involves - 39 per cent opening admitting they don't know and 13 per cent unable to state the correct MOT requirements - a third (31 per cent) of drivers admitted they … [Read more...]
Newslines 4 September
Drivers have paid £11m for speeding, stopping in yellow boxes and driving in bus lanes in Cardiff in the last four years. Cardiff council made £4m from "moving traffic offences" in 2017-18, the highest figure on record while money from parking hit an all time low and the RAC called for better signs to warn drivers and accused the authority of increasing enforcement to make up for a shortfall in … [Read more...]
Fleet car risks poorly considered, say analysts
Risk management of cars is being “given much lower priority” than vans across a wide range of fleets, says management software specialist FleetCheck. The reasons, explained Peter Golding, managing director, were that vans tended to be viewed more as working tools that were often treated roughly by their users, while cars were seen more as personal transport that would be cared for by … [Read more...]
Tradelines 29 August
A survey conducted by road safety charity IAM RoadSmart has found that its members are increasingly disillusioned with the state of the roads in the UK – and feel the Government is not doing nearly enough to tackle the problem. The survey of more than 7,000 IAM RoadSmart members found that the majority think that our roads have become much worse in recent years, that there are many more potholes … [Read more...]
Option packs on cars to be hit in tax move
Individual options are unlikely to increase tax liabilities on new cars under the new WLTP regime, but commonly selected combinations of options will have emissions and tax impacts. This is likely to accelerate manufacturer initiatives to streamline their vehicle ranges and option packages, says Autovista Group, Europe’s leading pan-European automotive pricing experts. “NEDC emissions … [Read more...]
Wales’ bridges need money spending on upgrades
About 40 state-managed bridges in Wales need £5m spent on them to meet current standards, said the Welsh Government. While the Government says they are not dangerous or liable to collapse, some 39 out of 1,263 bridges are substandard and the admission came after the Institution for Civil Engineers in Wales said the Genoa, Italy motorway collapse was an alarm call. An RAC Foundation in … [Read more...]
Speeding Welsh tourist is stopped in his tracks
A Welsh tourist has reportedly been arrested as he tried to leave Dubai in a dispute over £36,000 in speeding fines in a rented Lamborghini. Farah Hashi, 25, from Newport, was caught on cameras in four hours at up to 150mph in the £155,000 supercar. Brother, Adman, 50, told media a deal had been struck to repay about £30,000 raised by family and friends but when Mr Hashi went to fly home, he … [Read more...]