Defective tyres can cause crashes. (Picture © TyreSafe)
Latest official figures show that dangerous tyres were a factor in a third of the casualties caused by defective vehicles. Department for Transport statistics revealed that defective vehicles were responsible for 2855 casualties in 2013. Dangerous tyres contributed to 968 of those, or 34 per cent. Continue reading
Volvo was one of the pioneers of Autonomous Braking (Picture © Volvo)
From 2015 new cars must have Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) if they’re to get a maximum five-star rating from Euro NCAP, the independent crash-safety organisation. The aim is to encourage car makers to fit as standard the system that slows or stops a car automatically if it detects danger.
Read on to find all you need to know about an exciting new technology that could slash the number of accidents on British roads. Continue reading
Toyota had to recall millions of vehicles including the Prius (Picture © Toyota)
Cars are by far the most complicated mechanical good consumers can buy, each consisting of around 12,000 components. Sometimes one or more of those parts goes wrong, either because they’ve been designed incorrectly or the materials used in them aren’t up to the job. Often this will result in the car being recalled for corrective work by the manufacturer; there were 480 notices served in 2013 on all vehicles from motorbikes to lorries. Here’s what you need to know. Continue reading
Franchised garages know their particular brand intimately (Picture © Mazda)
Having your car serviced regularly and according to the maker’s schedule is vital to ensure you enjoy trouble-free motoring. But how do you find a garage that’s going to do the right job for the right price? Follow these tips. Continue reading
Not every young driver can afford a new car… But whatever they choose, the smaller and safer the better (Picture © Peugeot)
Being a young driver is a tricky business. Not only do they have the astronomical cost of fuel to contend with but they also get stung on the price of car insurance. And then of course there’s the purchase price of the car to consider as well. But there are some steps youngsters can take to cut the cost of driving.
Here’s what the DPF looks like (Picture © Vauxhall)
Not many drivers know what a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) is – until it costs them serious money. And replacing one can cost £1000 or more. Green Flag attends a lot of cars that have broken down with DPF problems and they are caused by one primary factor: the DPF is clogged with soot because the driver has ignored the warning lamp. Here’s everything you need to know about the DPF dilemma. Continue reading
When the worst happens, how much protection will the car you’re in give you and your family? It’s a question every parent will have asked at one time or another and you don’t have to take the car makers’ word on how safe their cars are. Continue reading
(Picture © Foxy Lady Drivers Club)
Few drivers leave the house expecting their trip to be interrupted by a conked out car. A breakdown normally comes out of the blue and in the middle of a journey, often leaving people stranded at the roadside – a potentially hazardous environment.
So ahead of the summer holiday rush to the road (this year more Brits are expected to opt for a staycation, thanks to the good weather) it’s important that drivers know what to do in the event of a car breaking down and how to take care of themselves and any passengers. Here are my tips for ensuring everyone stays safe until professional assistance arrives.
Keep the kids entertained with in-car games (Picture © Peugeot)
As any parent knows, road trips with the family during the school holidays rarely lend themselves to a restful time. Research is required if weary families are to find ways to keep kids in cars occupied for hours at a time when they’d rather be running around burning off energy.
Fortunately, we’ve done the leg work for you. Here is a selection of the best in-car games and accessories that will help keep journeys as peaceful and harmonious as possible. Continue reading
Nearly half of towing related crashes happen in summer (Picture © TyreSafe)
Thousands of the drivers who tow caravans and trailers will end up being stranded by the roadside this summer. According to figures from the Highways England, there were nearly 5000 towing-related incidents in 2013 with almost half happening between July and September.
The primary causes of accidents and breakdowns include overloading the caravan or trailer, a mismatch with the towing vehicle, burst tyres and poor towing technique. Highways England spokesman Andy Withington said: “We encourage anyone towing during the holiday season to prepare before they set out and take a few simple steps once they are on the road to avoid becoming involved in an incident.”
Highways England’s advice is to: Continue reading
Car parking (© Ford)
Every year millions of parking tickets are issued in the UK. And that means drivers are forking hundreds of millions in fines. But there’s good news for anyone who’s had the little plastic packet stuck to their windscreen: a significant proportion are successfully challenged.
Buyers are urged to buy only EuroNCAP five-star cars such as the Volvo XC90
Drivers can’t do anything about lowering the cost of fuel, but they can drive more economically to save money. And so it is with car insurance: by law, we must all be insured, but there are proactive steps drivers can take to reduce the cost of cover significantly. That is good news, because insuring the car is estimated to make up around 15 per cent of an average driver’s yearly running costs, according to CAP Automotive, the vehicle valuation experts. Here are a dozen top tips to follow which can help reduce your insurance premium.
Parking ticket on windscreen (© ronfromyork / Shutterstock)
We asked four motoring experts what they thought of the Government’s four-fold increase in fines for speeding on motorways. Continue reading
If you care about your car, or more to the point, about how much it will be worth when the time comes to sell it, you need to know about what will devalue it. From smoking inside to letting kids run riot, there are many ways to inflict lasting damage that will put buyers off your motor. Here are the top 10 that drivers would do well to avoid.
shutterstock / Fotosenmeer
Breaking down could make your bank holiday weekend memorable for all the wrong reasons. But the vast majority of breakdowns are avoidable. Less than five minutes spent checking your car over at home could save you the time and potential hassle of breaking down by the side of the road. Continue reading
Gone are the days of taking an engine to pieces and tinkering with oily bits of metal to extract more performance. Now a wide number of specialist companies can reprogram your engine’s Electronic Control Unit. It’s a process commonly known as ‘chipping’. And companies that do it frequently claim the procedure can result in improved performance, with as much as 30 per cent more power and 10 per cent more fuel economy. It typically costs around £200, but is it money well spent?
Like a check-up at the dentist, your car’s annual MOT test comes round quicker than you expect and can be a painful experience. It can also be more expensive than many drivers anticipate.
Last year, a staggering 40 per cent of the 26.9m cars that took the annual MOT failed. That’s more than 10 million vehicles. Of those, more than 3.5m were pulled up for having dodgy lights, something that could easily have been checked by owners before the test.
Here are the most common reasons for MOT failure (in 2012/2103) and a guide to carrying out your own pre-MOT test to minimise the chances, aggravation and cost of flunking.
It has been called the great pothole plague. An estimated nine million vehicles sustained pothole damage in 2013, leading to around £1.2bn worth of repair bills. With an estimated £10.5bn maintenance backlog on roads across England and Wales, there’s no quick fix.
So what should drivers do if their vehicle suffers damage caused by a pothole? Tyres, wheels and even suspension are routinely ravaged. But if your vehicle suffers such damage it is possible to make a claim for the cost of repairs against the highway authority. Follow these steps: Continue reading
© Vauxhall
If your car is redundant for most of the working week, it’s likely to be a money burner. But with a little legwork it’s easy to turn it into a money earner. Here are 10 ways of using your car to generate income ‑ without resorting to mini cabbing or pizza deliveries! Continue reading
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