Green Flag breakdown says 21 million cars on the roads are faulty and drivers “ignore the problem” while racking up bills. Drivers are spending an average of £574 per year - a national average of £21.5 billion - on car repairs; and 47 per cent of these repairs could have been cheaper if the issue had been addressed sooner, the research reveals. According to those surveyed, drivers have an … [Read more...]
Education: Road Safety
Welcome to Self-Driving City
Self-driving cars are no longer just a distant dream in the future with Waymo, Uber, Apple and more testing their cars in American cities, with mixed results. The next step? A self-driving city. Whilst the benefits are often highlighted, there are other possible implications on health and the wider society. Here, CAT Autokeys discusses these issues, and how an overreliance on autonomous driving … [Read more...]
Rising concern as more drivers’ report pothole damage
Half of British drivers have sustained vehicle damage from potholes in recent years, they told pollsters for the AA. The AA-Populus poll, which surveyed over 21,000 drivers, found that 92% of British drivers are concerned about potential damage to their vehicle as a result of poor road conditions. This problem has led to more than half (52%) of drivers - or almost 17 million motorists … [Read more...]
Dashcam discounts rare view from insurers
Britain’s major car insurers are failing to offer discounts to policyholders who fit dashcams to record third party incidents, says smartdriverclub. Cardiff-based Confused.com is the only comparison site which asked about a dashcam (shown fitted in Citroen C3) when compiling data and before giving quotes while fellow Welsh insurance business Admiral allowed a 3% premium discount for a … [Read more...]
Blow off the winter blues
It may not feel like spring, but winter's officially over. And this means that many of us are keen to wipe the dust from our bikes and get them into top shape for the sunnier days that we are eagerly waiting for. Richard Gladman, IAM RoadSmart’s head of riding and driving advice, explains the POWDERY checks you should do on your bike before setting off for your first ride of the … [Read more...]
Faults can land you with fines of up to £10,000
Finding a minor fault on your car can be extremely frustrating. However, as tempting as it might be to avoid getting it fixed, it could end up costing you a lot more money in fines, not to mention potential points on your licence, if you don’t get it sorted. But what are the seemingly minor faults that could cost you a fortune? Jonathan Nolan, General Manager at UK Carline, has put together … [Read more...]
eCall safety milestone reached
As of this Saturday, automobile manufacturers will equip all new car types with eCall to automatically dial emergency services in the event of a serious road traffic accident detected by vehicle sensors. The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association welcomed this milestone, which has been made possible thanks to huge investments by the industry. “eCall has the potential to save many … [Read more...]
Newslines 30 March
A year before Brexit kicks in, it is essential that both industry and government do all they can to secure new model production in Britain, said the SMMT. Thousands of jobs depend on a good deal for the auto sector, it said, as new figures from the Production Outlook, predict there will be modest fall in UK vehicle production to 1.729 million in 2018 and 1.713 million in 2019 before production … [Read more...]
Drivers being gassed by thieves
The Road Haulage Association is concerned about reports that criminals are ‘gassing’ lorry drivers before stealing goods from their trucks. In one incident a haulier was parked overnight on an industrial estate in the West Midlands and woke up the next morning to find that thieves had slashed the curtain on one side of the lorry and stolen cargo valued at thousands of pounds. The driver had … [Read more...]
19 Million Easter journeys expected
Drivers are expected to complete nearly 19m separate leisure journeys by car this coming weekend as the arrival of Easter marks the first big getaway of the year. A study of drivers’ plans conducted by the RAC indicates that the largest number of getaway trips will take place on Good Friday with 4.45m individual journeys being taken, closely followed by Maundy Thursday and this coming Saturday … [Read more...]