The Toyota Corolla remains at the top of world rankings according to Focus2Move analysis. The pickup Ford F-Series is second, but sales are falling, and the Toyota RAV4 has moved into third place. Almost half of drivers believe an MOT is a guarantee their car will be safe to drive for the next 12 months. A valid MOT certificate only confirms that a car has met the minimum standard of … [Read more...]
Ignorance is a miss, says Green Flag
Ahead of Car Care Week, from the 30 September - 6 October, breakdown cover provider Green Flag has uncovered how many UK drivers are failing to perform basic vehicle maintenance, and how much our motors are costing us to repair as a result. Car Care Week aims to educate motorists on the benefits of regular vehicle inspection, maintenance, and repair, so Green Flag has also released basic car … [Read more...]
Car makers rising concerns over Brexit
European Union car-makers have joined forces to warn of billions of euros in losses in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Groups including the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, the European Association of Automotive Suppliers and 17 national bodies warned of the impact of “no-deal” and the effect on 13.8 million people in the European Union including Britain. Last week, it was said … [Read more...]
Newslines 20 September
If you’re planning to watch the Rugby World Cup games at a club or pub, beware the fact that drink drive accidents markedly increase between 1 and 4pm on a Sunday. Men are the main culprits, mostly younger drivers, says insurethebox.com . New trams on South Wales proposed £738M metro network will not have toilets, it has been learned. Transport for Wales says passengers would be able to use … [Read more...]
All is sometimes not what it seems – beware counterfeits
The Independent Garage Association has collaborated with the Intellectual Property Office to highlight the dangers of counterfeit and consumer supplied car parts within the IPO’s Crime and Enforcement Report 2018 – 2019. The IGA’s section of the report explains how proving the authenticity of a part can be difficult if it is not bought directly from the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), and … [Read more...]
Lower blood limit and more traffic police needed
A Government report this week showed that the number of people killed in road accidents where the motorist was over the drink drive limit has risen 25% in two years. There were 250 such deaths in 2017, compared with 200 in 2015. The number of serious casualties has also increased over the same two year period from 1,170 to 1,380. The latest drink-drive figures from the Department for Transport … [Read more...]
Tougher MoT rules for testing centres
MoTs are about to get tougher for garages. The DVSA is introducing requirements for all testing equipment to be compatible with Government software. New MOT equipment will need to be able to connect to the MOT testing service. From 1 October 2019, anyone buying a new roller brake tester will need to make sure it's a model that can connect to the MOT testing service. This includes … [Read more...]
French police fine nearly 250,000 British drivers this year
It’s official, police in France prosecute more British drivers than any other country! The UK signed up to a scheme in 2017, which allows authorities across Europe to request details of drivers who have broken the law abroad. New figures reveal that France alone has accounted for three-quarters of all requests over the past five months from 18 European countries. The data, obtained by … [Read more...]
Seeing red in green zones abroad
The Green-Zones portal has identified the European environmental zones where infringements are most severely punished and unexpectedly denting holiday budgets. Belgium is ranked 10th and 9th among the environmental zones with the highest fines, whose permanent Low-Emission-Zones (LEZ) are located in Antwerp and Brussels. All vehicles, which are not registered in Belgium or the Netherlands, must … [Read more...]
Youngsters rejecting cars for mopeds
It is encouraging to see motorcycle registrations bounce back with a 4.3% growth in July following June’s decline, said Stephen Latham, Head of the National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA) which represents motorcycle retailers across the UK. Motorcycle registrations rose by 4.3% in July following the double-digit decline of -11% in June. A total of 9,916 machines were put on UK roads last … [Read more...]