New MINI has much more kit that its 60-year old predecessor (Picture MINI)
If you’ve decided 2020 is the year you’ll upgrade your motor, you could be in for a nice surprise. On paper, cars might look scarily expensive. But they’re actually more attainable for most of us than they’ve ever been. And new research suggests they offer better value for money too.
When we buy a modern car, there’s a very good chance it’ll be safer, comfier, more reliable, better equipped, more environmentally friendly and use less fuel than its equivalent from previous decades.
Car maker Mini has found proof of how the real cost of cars
hasn’t really increased over the last 60 years, despite dramatic improvements
in technology.
Parking can be the hardest bit about shopping. Follow our top tips (Picture iStock/BrettCharlton)
Whether it’s Christmas shopping or enjoying the Boxing Day sales, Green Flag research shows the largest proportion of people (46 per cent) will drive. And that means having to park in shopping centres or on busy high streets. Here are our 10 car parking tips for ensuring a hassle-free shopping experience, whatever the time of year.
Research before you go
One of the most wasteful bits of parking is using fuel doing laps of a town centre looking for somewhere to stop. Research where you’re going to park before you go and have a list of parking places in order of convenience.
Where you park
Try to choose a car park that’s been approved by Parkmark for its security. If you’re
worried that a car park isn’t safe, try to park near to the lifts or the exit where
there are likely to be more people around.
Ideally you don’t want to be doing laps of a town centre or car park trying to find a space to use (Picture iStock/Bim)
Check parking times
Some councils suspend charges over the Christmas period to
encourage shoppers. Others don’t. You don’t want to be caught out with a parking
ticket at any time of year, least of all Xmas, so make sure you know where and
when charges are enforced.
Have change
Not everyone’s comfortable using the new style parking meters where you pay using a smartphone app. If you’re not, make sure you have change in the car. If you do leave coins in the car, stash it somewhere it can’t be seen.
Don’t be rushed
Don’t allow yourself to be hassled by other drivers. When you spy a free parking spot, indicate early. If you’re parking on the street or in a crowded car park, you may well hold up the traffic behind. But it’s better to take a few seconds longer to park than to damage your car or someone else’s. Always remember, if anyone’s getting impatient with you, they too will hold up traffic when they park. And you will have been held up by other people parking. In this instance, what goes around really does come around.
Reverse in
When you parallel park, it’s much easier to reverse in than
to go in forwards. Equally, in a car park, it’s usually easier and quicker to
reverse into a bay than to go in forwards. The downside of this is boot access may
not be as easy. But there are two big benefits.
It’s safer because when you leave it makes it much easier to spot hazards such as other cars or pedestrians. And if you’re in a car park, as most people park nose in, it’ll mean your driver’s door is adjacent to the next car’s driver’s side. If there are big cars in small bays, this means you can position your car to give yourself room to get out of the car knowing the driver of the car next to you will have room to get in too. And if you are tight to the car on your passenger side, their driver should still be able to get in.
Perhaps don’t park like this… (Picture iStock/simonkr)
Think about others
If everyone parked in the middle of the bay, how easy life would be. But as we’ve reported, parking bay size isn’t keeping up with the ever-expanding girth of our cars. When you’re stopping in a car park, try to position your car in the middle of the bay if you can. If you leave your car right on the white line, chances are, the person in the bay next to you will have to do the same thing. And there will come a point where bays next to walls or bollards become unusable.
When you’re parallel parking next to a kerb, look at how the
cars in front and behind are parked. If you can, leave some space for the car
in front’s owners to put things in their boot.
Keep valuables hidden
Remember: most car crime is the theft of things from vehicles. If you’ve bought some presents and you’re heading off somewhere else to do your shopping, put them in the boot. That should keep them away from prying eyes.
Equally, a fifth of people asked in our survey said they use
their car to hide presents in. If this is you, make sure you hide them in the
boot.
Remember where you’ve parked
It sounds obvious but in the rough and tumble of Christmas
shopping, it can be easy to forget where you’ve left the car. Most smartphones
have a function that will show you where your car is and guide you back there
using a map. Alternatively, in a multi-storey car park, take a quick snap of
the sign by the door; at least that way you’ll know which floor you’ve parked
on.
Use your smartphone
Use your smartphone as your handy assistant once again. If
you’ve parked on the street and have paid for a certain amount of time on the
meter, set your phone’s alarm. It’s easy to get carried away buying presents
and this will remind you to get back to your car before the parking attendant
can get busy with the ticket.
More electric car charging points feature strongly in all manifestos (Picture iStock/PlargeDoctor)
It may not have escaped your notice that there’s a general
election this week. In the UK there were 45,775,800 people eligible to vote in
December 2018. Of those, latest Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) figures
show 40,861,015 hold driving licences.
With 89 per cent of voters also drivers, what do the political parties have to offer them? We’ve combed the manifestos of the eight parties represented in the UK Parliament until the general election 2019 to see what they’re promising drivers. The parties are ranked in order of the number of seats they currently hold.
If you know what you’re doing it’s easy to steal CATs from exhausts for their valuable metals (Picture iStock/BanksPhotos)
Drivers shouldn’t just be worried about having their car stolen. They’re actually more likely to have something pinched from their car. And that could include the catalytic converter.
Figures from London’s Metropolitan Police reveal that in the first six months of 2019, thefts of this component, which makes up a part of the exhaust system, were nearly double the same period in 2018. We investigate the problem and give tips on how you can avoid being a victim of car (and CAT) crime.
Should you be penalised if you can’t do this and only have cash? (Picture iStock/MartinPrescott)
Drivers who’ve been fined for not being able to pay at cashless
parking meters are being urged to contest the penalty. New research conducted by
the Mail On Sunday has found that around a third of parking meters are now cash
free.
That means drivers must pay with a debit or credit card or
via a telephone hotline or mobile phone app. But what happens if you can’t?
These signs will be springing up around the country (Picture iStock/ChrisSteer)
Whatever you think about the government and local authorities clamping down on pollution with exhaust emissions zones, we can’t escape them. And as time goes by, restrictions are only going to become tougher. We’ve already heard of some customers being caught out and fined for driving in London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ). Read on to find out what you need to know.
Tyres give off particles of different sizes. Even the smoke contains tiny fragments of plastic (Picture iStock/Toa55)
We’re frequently told that cars are bad for the planet. That’s why we’re being pushed towards driving electric cars. But exhaust emissions aren’t the only nasties to come from our cars. Every time we drive, tiny bits of rubber fly off our tyres and into the atmosphere. In some cases, these particles are so small they’re considered to be microplastics. Read on to see if they really pose a threat.
Thursday 20 June was the UK’s Clean Air Day 2019. Organised by charity Global Action Plan, Clean Air Day is the UK’s largest air pollution campaign. It’s been conceived to urge people in Britain to think about how they might reduce their emissions and help improve air quality.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), road transport accounts for up to 30 per cent of particulate emissions in Europe. Much of that comes from the exhaust pipes of internal combustion engine vehicles. Here we reveal how car drivers can reduce their emissions and make every day a Clean Air Day.
Around a quarter of people killed in car crashes aren’t wearing seatbelts (Picture iStock/Skynesher)
Chances are, every time you get into a car you put your seat belt on. More than nine out of 10 of us do. But the small number of drivers who incredibly don’t buckle up in case they crease their clothes are dramatically increasing their chances of dying in a car crash.
The most high-profile victim not properly restrained in a car was Diana, Princess of Wales. But she died in 1997 and road safety campaigners believe drivers need to be reminded of the dangers of driving without seat belts.
Celebrity car fans are a constant feature in the media. But how much attention do you pay to them? Our quiz will reveal how much you know about the automotive obsession of some of the best-known people on the planet. Only household car nut names have made it into our quiz. And we’ve combined celebs who’ve been in the news or on TV recently, such as Paul Hollywood (above), with those you’ll undoubtedly have heard of. So buckle up, celebrity thinking caps on, it’s time to take the test! Continue reading →
