Duck2Water

Red or yellow or pink or green, purple or orange or blue?

2012-02-13T08:50:00.000Z

Recently a worldwide survey undertaken by a website called Kaggle, which collects “real-world data”, has found that the colour of the car you buy might be less irrelevant than previously thought.

Some people might make fun of drivers who don’t know what model of car they want to buy but know they won’t settle for any other paint job than blue, but the research has proven that potentially these colour-motivated motorists have the right idea.

Reportedly, when purchasing second-hand cars, the colour vehicles most likely to have suffered dodgy repairs or to have been clocked are the yellow ones.

But don’t feel safe buying an outlandishly coloured vehicle yet! When it comes to rarer colours, the riskiest purchases are apparently gold or purple cars.

Your safest bet is orange, according to the data, but stay well clear of any cars which have been modified with extras like fancy suspension and alloys, whatever colour the vehicle may be.

Good luck with any second-hand purchases you make – and remember to perform an HPI check before you hand your money over!

Photo © mlpdesign via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Taxi to my crime den, please

2012-02-10T11:45:00.000Z

Obviously we don’t condone any criminal activities at all – in fact we’re quite against any unlawful behaviour.

However, I think you’d agree that if you are going to commit a crime – burgling for example – then you should think about how you’re going to get away afterwards without being caught.

Two ridiculous thieves in Suffolk didn’t think about this very hard before stealing things from a log cabin in Haverhill which was positioned next to the owner’s home and being used as a recording studio.

One of the men, worried that he was going to be late for a dentist appointment – no joke – had asked his mate to help him with the robbery.

After taking some audio and recording equipment worth around £7465, the pair ordered a taxi and used their real names and gave the ringleader’s real home address!

The taxi driver thought their behaviour and what they wanted transported was suspicious, so he called the police. Around a similar time the owner of the log cabin reported the burglary, and a little later the neighbours of the burglars alerted police to suspicious goods being unloaded.

Needless to say both thieves pleaded guilty to their crimes – they had so much proof of their criminal activities stacked up against them there wouldn’t have been any point pleading innocent.

Honest citizens and police: One.
Bungling burglars: Zero.

Photo © Leonid Mamchenkov via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Theory test troubles

2012-02-06T09:01:00.001Z

If at first you don’t succeed then try, try, and try again.

A motorist from Leicester has clearly taken these words to heart after failing 92 attempts at the DSA driving theory test.

It is unknown when the driver began taking and failing the tests. However, reports have revealed that the unsuccessful attempts have cost £2,852 thus far.

This story has raised such a great amount of interest that it was recently featured on the popular motoring show, Top Gear. The presenters couldn't resist the temptation to have a laugh at the expense of the unfortunate East Midlands motorist.

James Hammond said, “I don't want to be rude, but the man must be an idiot.”

An experienced driving instructor echoed this sentiment by saying, “It's an incredible number of times to fail a test. I've never heard of anything like it.”

Sympathy may be felt by the Wigston motorist who recently failed their theory test for the 21st consecutive time, or the Norfolk lady who acquired her full driving license after 27 years of failed attempts.

The one consoling factor for all of these unlucky drivers is that they may be able to obtain cheaper car insurance than would have been possible if they'd passed first time as a young driver.

Photo © Nima Badiey via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Personalised registration plates to go on sale

2012-02-03T11:40:00.000Z

Going, going, gone! To the proudest fish and chip shop owner in England goes a sought after personalised registration plate, bearing the letters CH11 PPY.

Bids starting at £400 for the YOU 1OST “fun plate”. Any takers? Perhaps the boy racer in the front row?

These are the kinds of questions that may be posed during the DVLA Personalised Registrations sale, at the Stratford Manor Hotel on February 1st.

It is expected that a large number of motorists will be in attendance, some with the hope of securing a pair of HI5 MUM and HI5 DAD plates.

A spokesperson for the DVLA said, “We always manage to come up with an incredible array of personalised registrations to suit all tastes and with reserves starting from as little as £250 this auction is no exception.”

This may seem like a great extravagance, until you hear the Chelsea Chairman Roman Abramovich paid £285, 000 for his VIP plate. He obviously wanted to remind the world of his particularly high status.

Here at duck2water we have been wondering how much would be willing to bid for the IN5 URED plate…

Photo © Ed Callow [torquespeak] via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Welsh drivers demand bilingual parking tickets

2012-01-30T09:15:00.000Z

What would be an English person's response to receiving a written notification of a speeding fine in French. They may tear the letter up, or perhaps even make a claim of mistaken identity.

It should be of little surprise then that a parking ticket issued in the Northern Welsh county of Gwynedd, where more than half the residents speak in their native tongue, has been the cause of confusion and anger for a female motorist.

Indeed, the female driver and her father were so frustrated that the ticket wasn't bilingual that they launched a protest against the demanded payment of £65.

The proud Welsh mother and long time resident of Gwynedd said, “I feel strongly about the parking ticket being issued in English because our first language is Welsh.

“It's what I speak at home. It's not fair that they have issued the ticket in English.”

Such is the outcry against the erosion of Welsh identity that the Gwynedd Councillor for Penrhyndeudraeth has announced his support for her case.

However, the chances of overturning the fine are minimal, as the 1983 Welsh language act does not cover the issuing of documents by private companies.

This case would seem to lend credence to the Lonely Planet overview of Welshness as “a strength of spirit and character which despite centuries of neglect and attempted assimilation remains defiant.”

Photo © snigl3t via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Police spot female driver practicing eulogy

2012-01-27T09:15:00.000Z

After catching a rugby player heading towards the motorway in a golf buggy and a U.F.O doing whatever a U.F.O does above Cardiff, the police could be forgiven for claiming that they’ve seen it all. That is until Scottish officers spotted a woman reading The Bible while driving in Scotland.

Apparently the female driver felt so unprepared as she made her way to a funeral in Perth that she felt impelled to seek holy inspiration. She failed to realise that by perching The Bible on her legs she was placing herself and other motorists in danger.

A representative of the Tayside Police said, “This weekend a road policing unit patrol car travelling on the A90 dual carriageway between Dundee and Perth noticed the female driver deep in concentration and apparently talking to herself.

“As the officials drew alongside the car, the driver was found to be reading from a bible propped up on the steering wheel.”

Although the officers had great sympathy for the woman’s situation they were left with little option but to issue a fine and add points to her driving license. This case should act as a reminder of the dangers of multi-tasking while on the road.

Photo © jmwk via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

The Lamborghini Reventon

2012-01-23T09:13:00.000Z

A lot of us would probably be quite pleased to own a Lamborghini – any Lamborghini at all – but what about the most expensive one ever manufactured?

There are only 20 Lamborghini Reventon’s in the whole world, and Surrey-based company SuperVettura has just recently received Britain’s only model.

Interested?

If you direct your eyes to the photo on the right, you will see a truly desirable car. It can go from 0 to 62 miles an hour in 3.4 seconds, its top speed is more than 211mph, it has a G-force meter on the dashboard, and its design was inspired by the F22-Raptor fighter jet.

The only downside is that it costs £849,000.

Oh – that’s a pity.

Third-hand Nissan Micra it is then. Still, we can dream…

Photo © Daniel Dionne via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Parking metres might not like new coins

2012-01-20T12:35:00.000Z

Planning on getting rid of some loose change in the parking metre? You might not manage.

From this month, lots of new 5p and 10p coins are going to be churned out of the Royal Mint, but they will be slightly thicker than the old versions so they may not fit into certain machines.

Annoying? Yes.

It’s all part of a Government money-saving scheme which will apparently save the Treasury somewhere in the region of £7 million to £8 million a year. The catch is that its estimated cost for councils and industry will be about £80 million over a two year period.

The old coins are made of a copper and nickel alloy but the new ones will be made of steel, which is cheaper since the cost of copper and nickel has increased.

Our pockets may soon be overflowing with five and ten pence coins that won’t fit anywhere.

Photo © millermz via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

The spy car with double standards

2012-01-16T08:48:00.000Z

A spy car which the council claim was deployed with the aim of identifying vehicles being driven along bus lanes, but which some public members say was sent out as part of a money-making exercise, has been caught in the act of violating the road laws.

Pictures of the council vehicle taking spy shots from the vantage point of a loading bay and a road supposed to be used exclusively by commercial vehicles have sparked outrage among the local community of Hanley, in Stoke on Trent.

One local worker said, “I can understand why the council is monitoring the situation, because driving in bus lanes can cause crashes.

“But they should practice what they preach. It's not fair if they're going to fine someone for driving offences and then go and do it themselves.”

A spokesperson for the council responded by saying, “Wherever possible the enforcement vehicles park legally and only park in restricted areas in exceptional circumstances.”

To date the spy car has been responsible for the issuing of 8761 tickets, generating over £196,000 in revenue. However, a number of angered motorists have refused to hand over their money.

The council have been advised to take heed of a similar chain of events, which led to an attack upon a speed camera in Lincolnshire recently.

Photo © Arthur Chapman via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Satnavs send motorists round the bend

2012-01-13T09:12:00.000Z

Have you heard the story about the football loving daughter of the Earl of Spencer being driven to the wrong Stamford Bridge by a misguided taxi driver?

Or how about the tale of a group of schoolchildren who were looking forward to a day out at Hampton Court Palace and actually ended up at Hampton Court in Islington?

The three words that connect these two unhappy stories are ‘satellite navigation system’. Yes that's right, the cutting edge technology that is supposed to be of help to drivers.

In reality the motoring gadgets have caused some people to get lost and others to be involved in near scrapes and accidents.

But the situation could improve if Transport Minister Norman Baker has his way. He is calling for a “satnav summit, where the highway authorities, motoring organisations and satnav manufacturers can map out their ideas for improvements to the system.

Mr Baker stated that “This will help prevent huge lorries from being sent down inappropriate roads and ensure motorists are given the best possible directions.”

Until these plans come to fruition your best bet is to keep a traditional road map in the car. They might be harder to follow than a satnav but at least they won't guide you into a fast flowing river.

Photo © Unhindered by Talent via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Old photos

2012-01-09T09:04:00.000Z

Ah, those were the days – you were young and carefree, with grazed knees, shamelessly wearing clothes your mum bought you, and losing teeth right left and centre (and top and bottom).

It’s nice looking back on old photos and remembering times long gone, but if you can look at your driving licence photo and reminisce you might be in for a £1000 fine.

Apparently, more than 1.6 million UK motorists don’t realise that the photo on their licence has to be renewed every ten years.

Getting a new photo on your licence only costs £20, which is considerably less than the fine, so make sure you check the expiry date and get yours changed if needed.

If you’re too young to be concerned by this, maybe you could make sure that family members are aware of the potential fine and have a look at their drivers’ licences.

As the head of Sainsbury’s car insurance states, “Drivers should also remember that their photo card licence serves as more than just a driving licence. Should they intend to use it as a form of identification for other things such as hiring a car or an internal flight, for example, having an out of date photograph could cause problems or delays.”

Photo © jinterwas via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Icy roads are no problem with the Volkswagen Aqua!

2012-01-06T08:54:00.001Z

Over the winter months many motorists think very carefully before they get behind the wheel and hit the road – rain, ice and snow can all have a negative effect on driving safety, and, to avoid a road accident, drivers sometimes choose to use an alternative form of transport or to not go out at all.

However, a Chinese designer has sought to change all this with the invention of a new super car called the Volkswagen Aqua.

According to reports, 21-year-old Yuhan Zhang designed an all-terrain vehicle which can seamlessly move between different surfaces for a competition run by Volkswagen.

The vehicle is able to drive on sand, water and roads alike and works similarly to a hovercraft. Two engines mean that it is able to hover above the ground as well as moving forward.

Plus, the car is environmentally friendly with zero fuel emissions as it is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell.

The car has been designed with technology which is currently available, but we have a feeling we might be waiting a long time to experience driving one of these!

Back in Blighty

2012-01-03T09:02:00.000Z

Sometimes the greatest dangers are those closest to home.

Spare a thought for the retired couple from London who recently made a 33,000-mile round-the-world trip in their rare and classic 1956 Bristol 405 Drophead coupe.

The “wrinkly gap year” couple had a whale of a time and hardly ran into any difficulty at all. In fact, although they got a couple of punctures, their trip was pretty much incident free.

So imagine their surprise when safely back in Blighty they parked at their local Sainsbury’s only to have someone put a sizeable dent in the classic car – as welcome back to reality statements go, it takes some beating.

''I was just walking back towards the car and I thought 'gosh, that doesn't look right' and there was a large dent in the near-side front wing, someone had obviously overly crocked it parking next to me and put a dent in,'' said one of the pair.

And with £300 worth of damage sustained, it is probable that the incident has resulted in a car insurance claim.

Image © aldenjewell via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

A food-filled Christmas

2011-12-30T09:55:00.000Z

Over the past couple of weeks, here at duck2water we have been getting into the festive spirit of things and, now that Christmas day has been, we have exchanged anecdotes and horror stories of how our individual days went.

From charcoaled turkeys to unwanted gifts of shoe polish, it seems that everyone has at least one outrageous story to share.

However, when it comes to Christmas food, it seems that no one can quite agree on what makes a perfect Christmas. Some of us swear by homemade mince pies, whereas others feel they get a much better deal with the deeper fillings of the shop-bought pies.

The majority of us went for traditional turkey dinners, but one of us went for the controversial choice of a leg of lamb, while another has spent a great deal time trying to convince us all her vegetarian option of a nut roast was actually to die for!

Hmm... the jury is still out on that one!

However, one thing we all seemed to have in common was that we all chose to keep our cars locked away in garages on Christmas day so we could enjoy a celebratory drink or two.

Happy New Year everyone!

Photo © peterjroberts via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

From mobility scooter to Rolls Royce

2011-12-23T08:56:00.000Z

Everyone has a favourite television programme, whether it’s watching a hard-hitting documentary or indulging in a slightly far-fetched crime show. Here at duck2water we are fans of all sorts of different series, ranging from EastEnders to River Cottage to The Sopranos.

However, there is a great-grandfather who loves one particular television programme so much that he has gone to great lengths to create himself a permanent souvenir of the series.

The 74-year-old Thunderbirds fan has converted his mobility scooter into a replica of Lady Penelope’s Rolls Royce. He travels round dressed as the famous chauffeur, Parker, and has even put a model of Lady Penelope herself in the back of the vehicle.

The retired construction worker decided to build the creation to drive in a cancer charity run after a long-running wish that he could drive Lady Penelope around.

He said, “I set about building her Rolls Royce in my garage out of bits of old wood I had lying around.

“People are very supportive when they see me driving around town and I've even been stopped to sign autographs. I love being able to raise a smile for people.”

If only we could be chauffeured in a Rolls Royce on daily basis!

Photo © squeezeomatic via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

World’s preeminent feline philanthropist

2011-12-19T08:50:00.002Z

One cat in Italy is going to have no trouble meeting the costs of his catmobile car insurance quote after this month inheriting £10 million to become the third richest animal in the world – what, £10 million and he’s only the third richest.

His inheritance comes after his 94-year-old owner died, leaving him with a vast portfolio of homes, villas and investments.

The windfall marks a huge upturn in fortunes for the former stray feline, who was adopted by his testatrix only a few years ago.

However, the cash-happy cat is going to have difficulty inheriting the fortune, as under Italian law, cats are not allowed to inherit. As such, a "worthy animal association” is set to benefit, according to lawyers, which will make the moggy the world’s greatest feline philanthropist.

"To be honest the cat doesn't need all that money, he is happy with a saucer of milk and some biscuits,” said lawyers, perhaps a little presumptuously.

The richest animal in the world is the regally-named Gunter IV, a German shepherd worth more than £90 million.

What we’d give to have that fortune!

Photo © [puarmelia] via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Apples from heaven

2011-12-16T08:58:00.000Z

Whether you’re young, old, a woman or a man, there are some car insurance hazards you just can’t plan for.

Yes, what do you do if you’re innocently driving through rush-hour traffic when, suddenly, the heavens open and bombard your vehicle with hundreds of apples.

It may be good news if you like apples, but a cascade of falling apples is undoubtedly dangerous, as it has the potential to obscure vision, cause distraction and alarm drivers.

So spare a thought for drivers in Coventry who recently experienced this bizarre scenario.

"The apples fell out of the sky as if out of nowhere. They were small and green and hit the bonnet hard. There were other cars on the road at the time too and everyone had to stop their cars suddenly,” commented one driver.

"It wouldn't surprise me if some cars were damaged. I know the area well and there are no apple trees around,” he added.

Was it high-flying pranksters or childish, petulant gods playing-up in their heavenly orchard – not according to the Met Office, which says it has a meteorological explanation.

"It's hypothetically possible that a tornado could have picked them up and that they were transported in turbulent air until they fell,” said a spokesperson.

"Essentially these events are caused when a vortex of air, kind of like a mini tornado, lifts things off the ground rising up into the atmosphere until the air around it causes them to fall to earth again.”

Photo © mollyali via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Cycle in style with a Gucci bicycle

2011-12-12T09:17:00.000Z

Sometimes it makes more sense to leave your car at home and jump on a bicycle to get a destination instead. It’s good for you, cuts pollution and significantly reduces fuel costs.

Most of us stick to the same trusty bike we’ve had for years – although sometimes it may need a good dust before it is road or cycling-path worthy!

However, for those eager to buy an upgraded model for the New Year, and also happen to have a few thousand pounds burning a hole in their pocket, Gucci has created two designer bicycles.

A white hydro-formed steel single-speed version carries a price tag of £3,420, or if you’re feeling slightly more extravagant, you can spend £7,650 on the matte black carbon fiber monocoque model.

The brand’s creative director, Frida Giannini said, "The Bianchi by Gucci bicycles perfectly carry forward our codes of luxury while creating a new cosmopolitan aesthetic for those looking to turn heads while on the go."

Hmm, as luxurious as these bicycles sound, we think we’ll be missing these off our Christmas wish lists – we wouldn’t want our cars to feel inferior to a bike!

Photo © chanelcoco872 via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Boost your car speed with a missile

2011-12-09T12:06:00.000Z

When buying a new car, drivers usually take the engine size into account. Some motorists are happy with relatively small engine, whereas others are willing to pay extra for an engine with a bit more bite.

The Indy Boys Inc team from Indianapolis, US, have gone to extreme measures to ensure that their 1967 Chevrolet is the fastest car in town. And by extreme, we mean they strapped a cruise missile engine to the roof.

Now the vintage car is capable of reaching speeds of up to 300mph, as well as firing out 30ft flames which leave an impressive trail of smoke behind the vehicle.

The Indy Boys team have already built the world fastest toilet (yes, really) and a jet powered school bus which can astonishingly reach speeds of 750mph – but parents can relax, this bus isn’t actually used for the school run.

Fortunately the driver of this vehicle only uses the car for shows. We have a funny feeling he’d be hard pushed to find a car insurance provider which would offer cover for a car as modified as this!

Photo © Dave Hogg via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

How much you pay to have your own Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?

2011-12-05T09:15:00.000Z

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is frequently listed when people are asked about their favourite childhood films, but most of these fans settle for watching the film again if they want a reminder of ‘toot sweet’.

However, one dedicated fan decided that he wanted something a little bit more solid to remember the film with. The 30-year-old spent 12 years building a perfect replica of the starring car.

Now, 43 years after the film’s initial release, the replica of the car is set to be auctioned off to the public, and is expected to sell for about £250,000.

The wealthy buyer can rest assured that they will have purchased an authentic replica as the creator ensured that every aspect of the vehicle is identical to the original car, which was famously driven by Dick van Dyke.

We applaud this man’s dedication, but we don’t think that anyone here at duck2water would have the patience to spend 12 years building their dream car!

Photo © Derable via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

The misfortunes of a rocky ride

2011-12-02T12:28:00.000Z

Driving along bumpy roads can’t be described as a pleasant experience – many motorists find themselves driving at the slowest speed possible whilst trying to avoid the biggest and most journey-disturbing rocks and holes.

So, here at duck2water we hate to imagine how it felt for a German driver who managed to land his car on a boulder – and this wasn’t a small boulder by any means!

According to a report, the motorist lost control of his vehicle causing it to spin round three times on the tarmac before landing atop a rather large rock which was in a neighbour’s driveway.

The small sports-car ended up with its rear end suspended it the air while the bonnet remained resolutely on the road.

There’s been no word about how the driver managed to get himself out of the compromising situation – or whether the car has been left in a fit state to carry on with life on the road – but we reckon he should stick to watching car stunts at the cinema rather than attempting to recreate the action himself!

Photo © grendelkhan via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Why blowing up a parking meter is a stupid thing to do

2011-11-28T08:48:00.000Z

Yes, parking meters are annoying, I agree, but blowing them up is a very stupid idea.

Fourteen parking meters have been victim to explosives in Lewes in East Sussex, and it has cost East Sussex County Council around £20,000 to replace and repair them.

Furthermore, blowing up a parking meter could result in an innocent passer by suffering severe injuries.

The East Sussex council, Lewes council and Sussex Police have offered a £1,250 for anyone who comes forward with information relating to the criminal activity.

It really makes no sense causing costly damage to parking meters.

The thing is, parking meters collect money for the council so vandalising them will make the council out of pocket:
One – because it’s not getting any money from those meters anymore;
Two – because it now has to pay to fix or replace them.

Now, here’s the important part. The council keeps public services such as road-cleaning and maintenance going. So, if you blow up parking meters, angered by the fact that the council is ‘taking’ your money, the council will be out of pocket and you’ll find that not as much money can be spent on making services in your area run smoothly.

Basically these parking meter vandals have shot themselves in the foot.

Photo © Nahh via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

The overlord of all 30mph signs

2011-11-25T13:59:00.000Z

Do you get sick and tired of people speeding past you on the road?

Then you might like to the applaud the efforts of one man who lives in the village of Bow in Devon, who has painted a huge 30mph sign on the side of his home.

It’s 4.5 metres high, cost him £100 in red, white and black paint, and took him five hours to complete!

The man’s aim is to remind motorists of the speed limit as they enter the village during Road Safety Week.

I think it’s a great idea and should be a permanent fixture and potentially copied all over the UK, but sadly the Department for Transport has said that the sign is in fact illegal.

However, before you go and camp next to it in protest – neither the Department for Transport or Devon County Council plan to take action against the giant 30mph sign because it’s painted on a private property and the owner plans on painting over it himself on the 5th of December anyway.

It’s a shame really…maybe they could change the legislation against over-sized speed limit signs?

Photo © bengrey via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Illegal tyre-dumper sentenced

2011-11-21T09:13:00.000Z

A man who was illegally dumping tyres in remote locations around the UK to escape having to pay disposal costs at official waste sites has been jailed for 15 months.

The man had dumped more than one million tyres in Essex, Norfolk, Yorkshire, Worcestershire and Lincolnshire in total!

He’d been sneakily disposing of tyres in this way since October 2009.

An estimated 55 million waste tyres are got rid of legally every year in the UK, but it seems this man didn’t want to follow suit even though it only costs an average of 80p per tyre.

Skipping out on paying this small amount doesn’t really seem worth it when there’s a potential prison sentence, unlimited fines, and confiscation of profits awaiting illegal tyre-dumpers.

Not only was this man avoiding fees, but, as the head of waste and illegals as the Environment Agency stated, "Huge tyre dumps are not only an eyesore, but also present a serious risk to the environment and human health.

“Stockpiles are a significant fire risk, as they can burn for several years, releasing dangerous gases such as hydrogen sulphide, hydrogen cyanide and sulphur dioxide.”

At a hearing in 2012 the illegal tyre-dumper will get to know whether he will have the profits of his crime taken and have a fine imposed upon him on top of his prison sentence.

Photo © Adam_Dowty via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Will private cars become a public place?

2011-11-18T12:00:00.000Z

Apparently The British Medical Association is asking ministers to extend the smoking in public places ban to the inside of people’s private vehicles.

Now, although this may sounds outrageous, the potential ban has research backing it which can’t really be ignored.

Reportedly, people in a car with a smoker are exposed to 23 times more toxic fumes than they would have been when in a smoky bar or pub before the smoking ban was put in place in 2007.

Personally I think that there should be a ban on people smoking in their cars when they have passengers, especially children. I know from first hand experience that having someone’s smoke fly at you from the front seat for 10 minutes every 15 to 20 minutes of a long journey is not pleasant.

However, I can also see things from the smokers’ group Forest’s perspective. One of its members has stated, “Legislation is a gross over-reaction. What next, a ban on smoking in the home?”

True…and how would we set about policing smoking in cars when people are constantly speeding on the motorway without so much as a warning?

It’s a tough one.

Photo © Mykl Roventine via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

New walkway in China is not for the faint-hearted

2011-11-14T09:05:00.000Z

Driving on roads which wind their way around cliffs can be a bit scary, but motorists are usually reassured by wide roads and crash barriers which mean that they can focus on driving and enjoy the views from their car.

However, walkers hoping to venture across a sheer cliff face in China are unlikely to take luxury in the same kind of reassurance. A 3ft wide walkway has been created for keen travellers who want to venture across the mountainside.

Although to a lot of people that sounds scary enough on its own, the walkway also sports a 2.5in thick pathway made of glass! So, just in case a traveller was to forget about the 400ft drop below them, they would only need to look at their feet for a swift reminder.

People who choose to brave the path are required to put on shoe covers, presumably so that the terrifying view isn’t ruined by a steady flow of muddy footprints.

Hmm... thrilling as the walk sounds, no one here at duck2water will be venturing to China to experience it for themselves anytime soon!

Photo © bsterling via flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

You won’t make new friends by showing off your wheels

2011-11-11T09:02:00.000Z

When you take the plunge and invest in a new car – whether it be brand new or second hand – it may be tempting to take a quick snap of your new pride and joy and upload the image onto Facebook so all your friends and family can see it.

However, a new study carried out by an online reputation management firm has revealed that this kind of behaviour won’t help you to make new friends. Instead, it is more likely to do the complete opposite!

The study shows that it takes an average of five-and-a-half minutes for a person viewing an online profile to form an opinion of owner, and photos are a vital part of individual profiles.

Shots which reportedly create a positive affect include wedding photos, pictures of children and beach snaps as well as images in which the subject is smiling.

Images which attract a negative reaction include photos of cars, which indicate a “boy racer” personality, bikini snaps, which suggest arrogance, and photos which display rude gestures and general anger.

So, when you do make that big purchase, it might be a good idea to refrain from splashing it all over your Facebook page and upload a nice picture of you smiling on the beach instead – but only if you’re wearing more than just a bikini of course!

Photo © Philip Pessar via flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Getting out of the Google car

2011-11-07T09:11:00.000Z

When you use Google maps you’re probably used to landing in the middle of the road you’ve typed into the search bar and strolling up and down right in the path of the frozen traffic.

But now, Google are adding a new service to their Street View map.

Users will now be able to have a look inside selected shops and restaurants instead of squinting at the building from half-way across the road.

Google explains to companies who elect to have their premises viewable, “We ask that you notify customers and employees of the photo shoot by putting up signs and making announcements about the scheduled photo shoot.

“We ask also that during the photo shoot you inform all persons in the area that a photo shoot is in progress and request that they move out of view.

“We’ll either run the 360-degree imagery through our state-of-the-art blurring technology to blur out faces of any employees and customers who appear in the imagery, or we won’t publish the still photos if people are in view.”

It will be interesting to see how many businesses open their doors to Google and it will be nice to have the ability to finally get off the Google map road.

Now we’d quite like Google to let us walk down some of the enticing little side-streets, alleyways and country-side paths which are still currently out of bounds.

Photo © sanchom via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Jeeves, there’s a commoner towing away the carriage!

2011-11-04T14:50:00.001Z

Having your car towed – if you’ve been unlucky enough to experience this you’ll know – is quite embarrassing.

So the owner of one Rolls Royce Phantom must have been hiding their red face in their hands when the very fancy £300,000 vehicle was dragged away from its parking space in Knightsbridge, London.

But wait! Before you start feeling sorry for them – if you could after reading ‘Rolls Royce Phantom’ – the car was towed because it had no tax disc and no insurance.

Now the owner will probably wish they’d followed the letter of the law instead of trying not to pay the money that they could – let’s admit it – probably afford to spend without any financial hardship.

The Phantom has a 26-speaker sound system, heated leather seats, a refrigerator, heated and cooled cup holders, and a button that retracts the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament from the hands of thieves when necessary.

If we could afford this car – we’d have paid the tax and insurance to make absolutely sure that we didn’t lose the vehicle under such avoidable circumstances.

Moral of the story: Tax discs and insurance aren’t just for the commoners.

Photo © The Car Spy via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Power to the princesses

2011-10-31T09:02:00.000Z

In a landmark decision made by Commonwealth powers it has been agreed that first-born daughters of the British Royal family are going to be allowed to succeed to the throne.

The old succession laws date back more than 300 years and decreed that it would always be the eldest boy born to the monarch who would succeed upon the end of previous reign, but after 16 Commonwealth countries agreed that succession laws should be changed this will no longer be the case.

Previously, only where there were no sons born to a monarch would a daughter be crowned as queen.

David Cameron hailed the landmark change by saying, "The idea that a younger son should become monarch instead of an elder daughter simply because he is a man... this way of thinking is at odds with the modern countries that we have become."

Australia's Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, said, "I'm very enthusiastic about it. You would expect the first Australian woman prime minister to be very enthusiastic about a change which equals equality for women in a new area."

So, if the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Kate, were to have a daughter as their first child, then she could become Queen in precedence of any later siblings who were boys.

And I think it’s about time too – if we’re about to have gender differentiation scrapped in car insurance, then why should boys get a better deal than girls when it comes to ruling the land!

Image © rjrgmc28 via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Put your car on a diet for cheaper car insurance

2011-10-28T09:50:00.000+01:00

Despite the rise in popularity of the compact car, it appears that vehicles are getting fatter because the size of the average driver is increasing.

According to recent newspaper reports, in 1953 a Ford Prefect car was 4ft 9inches wide and its seat cushions measured 18inches long. Today, a 2011 Ford Focus measures 6ft 1inch wide and has a 23inch long seat cushions.

As the world’s bottoms and bellies are expanding cars have become bigger as a result, and heavier too, to cope with the strain of having to transport obese passengers.

And now, it appears, some manufacturers are recruiting volunteers, ranging from slim to overweight, to help them study how today’s larger drivers cope behind the wheel and to gauge what functions and additions their cars need to be equipped with in order to be driven by heavier motorists.

Personally, I think this is crazy, because as the cars get bigger, they will get less efficient and more costly to run, which is unfair on those people who don’t need a reinforced floor in their vehicle or extra tummy space behind the steering.

Hopefully, manufacturers will also see a market for the “healthy-sized” car which will be slimmer, lighter, more manoeuvrable and less hungry at the fuel pump.

And maybe this amazing lightweight vehicle will qualify for cheaper car insurance as well &ndash: now that would be good!

Image © Stefan via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Why advertise on a car when you can use your face?

2011-10-27T10:49:00.000+01:00

It’s not too unusual to spot a few vans and cars sporting advertisements for businesses when you go for a drive. It’s an excellent opportunity for businesses to make themselves known to potential customers.

However, it seems that two graduates have taken this method a few steps further. In order to pay off their university debts, they decided to sell some advertising space they had. Only, rather than using a car or shop window to advertise, they are using their faces.

Having created a combined student debt of almost £50,000, the two grew fed up with the graduate job market and became worried they would start careers they have no interest in.

They plan to make a living for a whole year by using their own faces as advertisements. Companies pay for the two to paint a specific logo on their faces for an entire day.

As the graduates go about their day-to-day life, everyone will be able to see the alternative advertising technique.

The business began at the beginning of October, and the two men are already overwhelmed with their success, making a phenomenal £3,500 in their first ten days.

At that rate it won’t be long until they can afford a fleet of cars and vans to create more advertising space.

Photo © rightee via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Making use of time with self-driving cars

2011-10-25T09:14:00.000+01:00

According to the US car giant General Motors, cars will be able to drive themselves from as early as 2020, and the state-of-art vehicles are thought to be a much safer option than human drivers.

Here at duck2water we find the concept of a self-driving car very strange – for example, if the car drives itself well, does it work up to no-claim bonus car insurance?

However, the technicalities haven’t stopped us from daydreaming about the things we could do while our cars chauffeured us around.

Rather than making time in the mornings to prepare and eat breakfast, we could use the entire time to cook a full English breakfast and indulge ourselves on the journey to work.

Concerns about designating a sober driver on a night out could well be eliminated and trying to spot dark clothed pedestrians at night time would become a thing of the past as the vehicle sensors would automatically detect a person’s presence.

In fact, theoretically, we would be able to read a book, take a phone call, sip a coffee and do our hair without posing any type of risk on the road and saving ourselves heaps of time.

That is of course unless we accidentally hair-spray our book pages together and haphazardly drop our phone in the coffee. That would really defeat the object of using the time to become more organised!

We guess we’ll all have to wait at least another nine years until we can discover the true benefits of self-driving cars.

Photo © ianmunroe via flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Moscow’s first bicycle lane

2011-10-24T09:02:00.000+01:00

Any cyclists living in Moscow, or UK cyclists planning on taking their bike on holiday to the city, may be happy to hear that Moscow has just installed a bicycle lane ‐ its first ever.

Well done Moscow!

It’s the Moscow State University campus’ bike lane and covers a large area, but riders may be very quickly under-whelmed by the efforts of the local Russian authorities.

The two-way cycle lane has so many things blocking it that, as one visiting Russian scientist stated, the lane is “a touching gesture, but absolutely useless”.

There are speed bumps, barriers, drains, kerbs (not lowered), and parked cars obstructing it too because many drivers don’t realise that the lane is only for cyclists and should be left clear for them.

According to one Russian bike rider, authorities would have been better off trying to tackle the bicycle theft problems faced by riders in Moscow. People reportedly don’t have many places to lock their bikes up at safely.

Not a success then…

Photo © jurvetson via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

My car broke – I’ll just print another one

2011-10-21T09:05:00.001+01:00

Still waiting for your printer to finish printing the page you asked it for ten minutes ago? Or maybe your printer is fantastically fast? Either way – would your printer be able to print a car?

We don’t mean 2D. We mean a fully three dimensional vehicle.

A team of engineers has managed to create the world’s first printed car – the Urbee.

It took 15 years to make, is a three-wheeler, two-seater, and has a combustion engine in case it runs out of electricity. (It can charge up from sockets, solar panels, or a wind turbine.) Also, it can reach speeds of 70mph.

Instead of printing out layers of ink on paper, the team has printed out an ultra-thin composite material which is then fused together, meaning that the car ends up being made of one whole shell instead of different parts bolted together as is usually the case in standard vehicle manufacture.

Even more impressively, the engineers believe that the layers the car is made of will not break down for at least 30 years – so it will give other ‘normal’ cars a run for their money!

The project leader stated, “Making things this way could revolutionise how we produce things. It has certainly changed my way of thinking about manufacturing.”

We like the sound of it, and it looks quite good. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely to arrive in car show rooms any time soon because the engineering team is still building prototypes.

Photo © utrebo via photobucket

Super-car scenario

2011-10-17T09:15:00.000+01:00

Note the photo of the sleek expensive McLaren super-car to the right.

Now imagine it in gleaming white fresh off the production line and imagine that you’re working for McLaren and you’ve just been handed the keys to this vehicle (the MP4-12C) and asked to take it for a test drive before it’s delivered to a customer.

(At this point we’d like to add that this car costs £170,000 and only 4,000 will be made throughout the next few years.)

Ok, so you’re driving the super-car on the A320 in Woking, Surrey. Everything’s going great. – keep driving. What a great job you have, testing super-cars. You’re so lucky.

And you just pull out of a lay-by and lose control of the car and collide with an oncoming VW Passat.

Oh.

A nightmare? This was a terrible reality for one McLaren worker recently. Mechanics worked as hard as possible to salvage parts of the expensive vehicle – we wonder whether that staff member managed to salvage their job though…

On the plus side, no one was injured!

Photo © p_c_w via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Does every minute really count that much?

2011-10-14T08:58:00.000+01:00

We all like it when journey times are shorter than we expected, unless we happen to be travelling in a limo complete with jacuzzi, massage therapist, with five-star food available on demand, which doesn’t happen every often.

However, if we’re not in that limo and it’s a matter of being one minute earlier than we would have been, we’re not that energised by the amount of time we’ve saved.

Nevertheless, the Department for Transport seems very pleased that by removing the bus lane from the M4 from Heathrow to London, it has cut the journey time between the two destinations by a whole minute.

That’s 20 seconds more than they had thought previously.

Excited?

Well we found it difficult to throw a party in celebration of it too – but as the head of road safety at the AA highlighted, “At least people queuing to get onto the elevated section don’t have to endure the frustration of seeing an empty lane alongside them.”

We suppose that is a plus, it’s annoying seeing an empty lane and knowing that you can’t use it.

But wait! The lane will be reinstated in 2012 so that the ‘Olympic Family’ can use it to get to their events in good time – so other road users will have that achingly long minute put back onto their journey time soon anyway.

Photo © nikoretro via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Oh ok! – We’ll title this post ‘Trunk Road’

2011-10-10T08:53:00.000+01:00

Usually when there’s a traffic jam it’s because there are road-works or an accident ahead, but that isn’t always the case.

Recently in West Midland Safari Park, Worcs, motorists driving through the animal enclosure had their root blocked by a five and a half ton (about 785 stone) elephant.

Twenty year old pachyderm, Five, must have decided that enough was enough and it was time for a rest on the nice soft…tarmac.

The head keeper said, “There was a bit of a traffic jam which lasted a fair amount of time as Five was out for the count and there are rocks along the road to stop drivers leaving the track.

“I think the sun was getting a bit too much for him and he simply had no energy left and just settled down where he was.

“When I arrived there was a queue of traffic forming and it just got bigger – he's a bit of a character so I'm not surprised he decided to crash out on a road.

“When he eventually woke up I don't think he knew what all the fuss was about. There was a big cheer and he just wandered off looking for somewhere else to sleep.

“We all had a good laugh about it for the rest of the day.”

Well, they did come to see animals. They probably didn’t think they’d be seeing so much of one flank of one elephant for the majority of the visit though.

Photo © Trubble via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Caffeinated car

2011-10-07T09:28:00.001+01:00

Do you need coffee to get you up and running? Well a car which shares that trait with many people has just broken the world speed record for organic waste-fuelled vehicles.

The British-made car, a modified Rover SD1, managed to beat the previous title holder by reaching an average speed of 66.5mph. The vehicle pushed from the top spot, a wood-pellet fuelled car, only managed 47mph by comparison.

The engineers of the caffeine-fuelled car used waste coffee granules which would otherwise be dumped into landfill.

This coffee car isn’t the only one around though. BBC’s Bang Goes the Theory showed a similar vehicle off on their show. It was a Volkswagen Sirocco and it is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the organic waste-fuelled vehicle to have travelled the furthest (London to Manchester).

One of the presenters explained how the car worked. “It’s like an old charcoal burner. The coffee is heated up like charcoal. Then the combustion gases, which are generally carbon dioxide and water vapour, are reduced by hot carbon to carbon monoxide and hydrogen.

“This is then filtered by a cyclone filter and a rock wool filter and cooled down by a radiator. By the end the gas is a lot cooler and cleaner and is piped through to the engine. The coffee gas, the carbon monoxide and hydrogen, goes in the cylinders and the explosion drives the engine.”

Both these cars would be great for coffee lovers. In the morning they could make their brew to wake themselves up, and then go and use the left-overs to wake their car up!

Photo © saturn via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Why fresh food is not always appetising

2011-10-03T08:56:00.002+01:00

In some places in the world the biggest factor on the cost of car insurance is not the risk of theft or the risk of accident with another vehicle – instead, it’s the risk of running into wildlife.

In Britain, it’s most likely to be a fox or a badger or, particularly dangerously, a deer. In Australia, famously, it’s the kangaroo, while in Africa it is likely to be one of many potential candidates, ranging from a monkey to rhinoceros.

There’s an argument that if you get lucky and don’t end up suffering serious injury when you run over wildlife, you should take the animal home and cook it – unless it’s still alive and able to be rehabilitated, of course.

Proponents of roadkill eating say that it’s ethical and, furthermore, delicious. I don’t know about the ethical arguments for eating maimed badger, squirrel or deer, but I’m pretty certain that my wife wouldn’t be amenable if I came home on a Friday night and said, “Good news, I picked up some food on the way home.”

“Oh, did you darling? Where from.”

“The road, literally. I had to unpeel it”

But perhaps she’d be converted, and myself as well, if I took her to West Virginia for this month’s RoadKill Cook-off and Autumn Harvest Festival, where all manner of roadkill will be sampled by local drivers and tourists alike.

What’s on the menu, you ask? Well, deer, turtle, armadillo, alligator and buffalo are just some of the fare on offer.

Image © Michael_Lehet via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Fancy buying a used car? How does £1.6million sound?

2011-09-30T09:44:00.000+01:00

Thinking about saving money by buying a second hand car instead of a brand new one? Well, you definitely won’t be making any savings if you choose the world’s oldest running car! The 127-year-old steam-powered vehicle is expected to sell for a huge £1.6 million.

The 1884 De Dion Bouton Et Trepardoux Dos-A-Dos Steam Runabout, nicknamed ‘La Marquise’, is set to be auctioned off in early October and was manufactured twelve years before Henry Ford assembled his first car.

As well as being problematic to find a car insurance quote for, the vehicle could prove to be impractical for long journeys with a forty-five minute wait for it to generate enough steam to get going (yes – it’s steam powered) and a maximum speed of 38 miles per hour.

Finding a fuel top-up mid-journey is likely to be tricky too as the vehicle is powered with paper, wood, and coal.

It’s fascinating to see how much cars have progressed over the years, we really are spoilt for choice today with so many different brands, colours and sizes to choose from.

The long life of La Marquise is certainly impressive, but here at duck2water we will be spending our money on more recent models of cars.

Photo © futureshape via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Been abducted by aliens while driving? Don’t tell your car insurer

2011-09-26T08:58:00.000+01:00

We at duck2water have often wondered what a close encounter with the third kind would do for a person’s chances of receiving a cheap car insurance quote.

If a driver reported such an encounter would it mean he or she was suffering from potentially dangerous and distracting hallucinations and should be banned from driving?

Would it mean that he or she was actually being stalked by aliens and could therefore be considered to represent a significant car accident risk?

Or would it simply mean that the driver in question had had by freak, random chance an unusual and unexplainable encounter?

Perhaps one Australian car insurance company will now have to be answering this question after reports of a man in the Northern Territory “freaking out” after being “followed” by a “UFO”.

The man was driving in the outback when at about 3:30 in the morning he looked in his side mirror and noticed a light behind him. At first he thought it must be another car.

He explained, "I thought 'geez, they must be driving fast' as I was doing 120km/h.

He added, "When I looked again after a few minutes the light was really bright but it was in the bloody sky."

"I put the foot down a bit more," he said. "Then I looked back again and this time the light was huge and the most brightest light I had ever seen.

"But the strange thing is that the light had like an orange colour to it, but was white at the same time.

"It was about the size of a large car and stayed with me for about 20 or 30 minutes.”

He then became worried that he was going to be abducted, "I said to myself: 'no, no, no, not me, go and take someone else, I am not interested.”

That’s not a question you see on any motor insurance application forms: “Any history of alien abduction or close encounters of the third kind while driving?”

Perhaps it’s a question that needs including…

Photo © tm-tm via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Striker scores car insurance own goal

2011-09-22T11:20:00.001+01:00

Last week Newcastle United forward Nile Ranger was pulled over by police and arrested on suspicion of drink driving – he has been bailed pending the results of a blood test.

There he was, as a young driver and a footballer in a £120,000 modified “bling” car and therefore already considered a high-risk candidate for car insurance when he goes and gets himself arrested.

But his tale of self-inflicted woe doesn’t end there – no, far from it. Because while he was being arrested, Ranger then had his vehicle stolen by a couple of opportunistic thieves – all with the police there in attendance!

A police spokesperson commented, "At 4:53am on Sunday, officers stopped a Range Rover on Clayton Street in Newcastle. The driver of the vehicle, a 20-year-old man, was arrested on suspicion of driving a motor vehicle while over the limit," said a spokesman for Northumbria Police.

"While officers were speaking to the man outside of the vehicle, the Range Rover drove off. Officers stopped the vehicle nearby and two men, 18 and 21, were arrested for being carried by a motor vehicle taken without the owner’s consent.

"The 18-year-old has been released and a 21-year-old man has been charged with driving the vehicle when above the limit and driving with no insurance."

It looks like its expensive car insurance quotes for all concerned, and that’s a best-case scenario, with prison sentence also a distinct possibility.

Image © nyaa_birdies_perch via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Goodbye red lights and fuel-inefficiency

2011-09-01T12:18:00.001+01:00

Want to drive in a more fuel-efficient way? Hate sitting at red lights?

Well, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology may have a way of avoiding red lights and being more fuel-efficient at the same time.

They have come up with an application for smart-phones, called SignalGuru, which, using GPS technology, will help motorists time their approach towards red lights so that they change to green before the driver needs to slow their vehicle to a stop.

This will mean that on top of not having to wait around at traffic lights so often, it will reduce the amount of time the car engine is idling and, as a result, save fuel.

Unfortunately this clever app has only been tested on smart-phones in Massachusetts and Singapore, but the researchers want to make the system commercially available to all drivers in the near future.

Image © http://snow.ipernity.com via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

The motorway in darkness

2011-08-12T13:41:00.000+01:00

Driving at night can be quite dangerous as it is, but the Highways Agency has said that to cut costs the Department of Transport is turning off the lights on sections of some motorways late at night.

For example, the M1 will be plunged into darkness from midnight to 5am between junctions 10 and 13.

The Highways Agency director explained, “Since 2009 we've switched lighting off between the hours of midnight and 5am on 14 carefully-selected stretches of motorways and evidence so far indicates that switching off the lights hasn't had an impact on safety.

“In March this year we also began permanently switching off motorway lights at three sites.

"This is not about wishing to remove all lights from the motorway network. It's about carefully identifying the locations where, under the revised guidelines, we would no longer install lighting.

“The money saved could then be used for other measures on the strategic road network where it would have a more significant safety benefit and potentially save more lives.”

Still, a lot of people are worried that there are many safety issues with turning off the lights on these roads which contain fast-moving traffic.

If you have to go on the motorway when part of its lights have been turned off, just be prudent, and keep driving safely and considerately, and all should be well.

Photo © simongreenuk via Flickr, under Creative Common Licence

Hitchhickerssssss

2011-08-09T08:56:00.000+01:00

Here’s a scenario Indiana Jones wouldn’t have enjoyed one bit!

While travelling along an American highway at 65mph, a family from Memphis, Tennessee, were shocked to see a snake emerge from the windscreen wiper vents on the bonnet of their car before looping itself round one of the wing-mirrors and dropping itself onto the road.

The family were stunned – so naturally they videoed the whole event and uploaded it on YouTube. As you do.

It’s had more than 120,000 views since the family put it on the site last week.

Would you like to add to that number? Well, we’ve embedded the video for your entertainment.

Mostly you can just hear the mother screaming and saying “Oh, my God, Oh, my God”, the young son singing “Snaky, snaky, snaky”, and the dad having a good laugh.

The family think that their reptilian hitchhiker must have been enjoying the heat under their car bonnet, and was disturbed by the vehicle’s movement.

We just hope that the snake made it across the tarmac to safety – because despite how scary they can appear and the father’s short chant of “kill it” at the end of the footage, snakes are largely misunderstood animals who’d rather be left alone than go around biting people.

Driving licence and organ donation

2011-08-04T13:22:00.000+01:00

Reportedly there are around 8,000 people waiting for an organ transplant in the UK, and around 1,000 people die each year (three every day) while waiting to receive an organ.

However, despite the desperate need for organs less than a third of us British folk are on the donation list, so the government is trying to get more people to register by starting up a new pilot scheme.

The government’s thinking it that many more people would join the list if the possibility of doing it was directly presented to them.

"There's a variety of reasons why they don't put their name on the organ donor register,” the clinical director for transplantation at the Department of Health states, “but by far the most common is they just don't get round to it."

For a while now, people applying for their driving licence have been asked if they would like to join, but they had the option of completely ignoring the request. Now their options will be to join the list, explain that they are already on the list, or answer the question at another time.

This way, the people who do not wish to answer immediately will be confronted with it again at a later date.

The hope is that this will double the number of people who join the list, and as a result save many more lives.

Have you been thinking about joining the organ donation list, but just never got round to it? Have a look at the UK transplant website.

Photo © dmxxx_2006 via photobucket

GPS racers

2011-08-01T09:18:00.000+01:00

Sat-navs are meant to be helpful in-car accessories which lower the chance of us getting horribly lost somewhere, while at the same time estimating how long it will be before we reach our destination.

However, new research by a leading supermarket, which also offers its customers car insurance, shows that 7.2 million UK drivers are playing a potentially deadly game with their GPS system.

According to the survey, some motorists are trying to get to their destination in less time than is estimated by the sat-nav.

This dangerous game is being called sat-nav racing, and could result in a car accident and cause people severe injuries or even death.

Apparently, more than 144,000 of these racers admitted to being involved in a road traffic accident or hitting a parked car in the past year.

A spokesperson for road safety charity Brake stated, “Any craze or "game" that encourages speeding is irresponsible and potentially lethal.

“It is putting lives at risk. Anyone who is behind the wheel of a car has a responsibility towards other road users. Beating the sat-nav should not be their first concern.

“It is irresponsible and offensive to people who have already lost their lives in accidents. It is putting even more lives at risk.”

We agree. Getting from ‘A’ to ‘B’ safely is much more important than getting there quickly.

Photo © anemoneprojectors via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

We go bananas for new Beetle

2011-07-29T09:27:00.000+01:00

As someone who grew up with no small degree of reverence for the VW Beetle, a car so iconic and enduring that it was part car, part cultural symbol, I was left feeling somewhat ambivalent with its 1999 incarnation.

Yes, I thought, how exciting, it’s here at last. But hang on a minute… it’s a bit boring and a bit, well, girly.

In fact, what Volkswagen had done, essentially, was take the basic design template for the original Beetle and make it as bland as possible by removing all of the character. Plus it had the naffest and most pointless of all possible vehicle accessories: a flower holder.

Truth be told – I didn’t exactly go bananas.

Now here’s some good news. We at Duck2Water have had a sneak preview of the 2011 incarnation of the Beetle, and it looks good. Not only is it environmentally friendly, fuel-efficient and roomier than the 1991 version, it’s also a lot less girly. It’s not that women won’t like it, it’s just that it’s got a broader appeal.

A spokesperson from VW comments, "We wanted the new model to be a car of today, as well as a design tribute to the original.

"It has a more macho appearance and is a more dynamic driving car. This is not a girly car and we've thrown away the flower holder."

In fact, it all looks so good that I’ve already started saving – it’s thought that the new Beetle will be cheap for car insurance too. Woo-hoo, I really could go bananas!

Photo by helena.40proof via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

A Portsmouth slipway and Fate tempted

2011-07-25T09:11:00.001+01:00

You’ll either feel sorry for the motorist at the centre of this story, or have a good laugh at their expense.

In our office, we’re doing a bit of both…

We may all wish that parking was free everywhere, but most of the time we’ll bite the bullet and pay the price because that’s the sensible thing to do.

However, one Alfa Romeo Spider driver in Portsmouth was so determined to avoid the £2 fee that all his common sense left him and he parked on a slipway almost every day before commuting to London – despite all the warnings to keep the area clear for the fishermen and their boats.

Not only did this irritate the fishermen, one of whom stated, “He's not supposed to be here. This area is only for the fishing boys to load their nets but he still parks here every day,” but it also resulted in karma catching up with him.

In this instance karma decided to take the form of the swiftly climbing tide which slowly dragged the £30,000 car out into the salty waves, watched by policemen who could do nothing to help.

Not surprisingly the owner could not be contacted by the police following this incident, but his son-in-law said, “'He's had the car for a few years and it really is his pride and joy. He will be upset when he finds out what's happened to it. It's ridiculous.”

Let this be a lesson to us all – use a designated parking area and don’t tempt Fate, she may be in a bad mood that day.

Photo © Brian Tomlinson via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

“Same old, same old” motoring show is good enough for us

2011-07-21T11:09:00.001+01:00

Watching Top Gear on Sunday, most of my family were struck by the delightfully droll innovation behind the car-train. My eldest daughter, who, having just left sixth form, recently heard me utter the immortal words, “no, I won’t pay for your rail pass anymore” and has therefore discovered just how expensive it is to take the train into town to go shopping with her mates, thought the idea of train fares set at a thousandth of their current price was “coooool”.

Yet, like many critics stated in their reviews, I watched the programme with an air of slight boredom as, having watched the show’s presenters set caravans on fire in various other episodes, seeing another go up in flames failed to make me grab my sides in mirth.

Instead it was Rowan Atkinson’s slight shift of his eyebrows to give him the air of an imperious Range Rover owner which had me rolling off the sofa with tears falling down my face and left us all in complete awe of the man’s unique talent.

However, in response to The Telegraph’s scathing review of the so-called motoring show and its reliance on “poo jokes and un-PC banter” I will have to argue its corner and spring lithely to its defence because, after a late Sunday dinner, it is the one programme which can unite my family, with its spread of ages and genders from pre-teen-girl to mid-life-man, on our large leather sofas for an hour of united viewing with no-one, not even the 15-year-old, picking up a laptop for Facebook communications or answering a text.

Yes, it appears to strike a chord for all of us, and while the kids love the toilet humour and the ubiquitous destruction of something the presenters find distasteful, my partner loves to dream of owning the fast-cars and I imagine myself meeting Stig and learning to drive like a race-driver without someone screaming from the passenger seat, “slow, slow – traffic lights ahead”.

For all its faults, Top Gear gets a “thumbs up” from me and my family who, in most cases, have such a disparate idea of what is entertaining, and, despite my better judgement, this “same old, same old” programme is always a hit in our house.

Image © nahtanoj via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Algae bio-fuel from the Roman Baths

2011-07-18T09:01:00.000+01:00

We bring you such an interesting variety of car news on this blog – flying cars, boat-cars, ghost cars – and here’s another.

Algae-fuelled cars.

Scientists are at this very moment growing seven different types of algae to determine which would be best as a bio-fuel.

Confused?

Apparently, scientists have found that the Roman Baths, in Bath, have an array of algae growing in their waters and extracting oil from one of the cells in these plant-like organisms could result in a replacement for petrol and diesel.

The idea of running vehicles on algae has been around for years, but there have been two potential problems. One drawback is that algae “are usually happiest growing at temperatures around 25C and that can limit the places in which it can be cultivated on a large scale,” states a PhD student working on the project.

Hindrance number two is that, as researcher Professor Scott states, “One species might produce a lot of oil, but if we can't harvest the algae or break the cell walls easily then the production costs of the bio-diesel will rise and it will no longer be a suitable alternative to other fuels”.

What the scientists are trying to do now is find the best, and most easily mass-produced, algae for the job.

So far they’ve established and begun to grow seven types, but there are many more to be found.

Sounds difficult. We’ll leave them to it and wait for the results.

Photo by bongo vongo via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Up, up and away

2011-07-15T12:15:00.000+01:00

Have you ever wished that, when stuck in a traffic jam or waiting at the longest red light you’ve ever witnessed, you could just press a button and take off Chitty Chitty Bang Bang-style?

Well, we certainly have – and now there’s a car which may one day reach UK shores which could let us do just that.

The Terrafugia Transition has been “sky legal” for more than a year in America already, and now it’s been made “road legal” too it is set to hit USA showrooms next autumn.

It’s going to cost American motorists $200,000 to buy, that’s around £123,800, and it can only go up to 65mph on the road but it speeds over the land below at 115mph once it unfolds its wings and is in the air.

Now, you know how we said that we might be able to one day fly out of traffic jams – well we lied – sorry. The fact is that this “roadable aircraft” needs 1,700ft (around 500 meters) of road for take-off – so you’re unlikely to be able to escape with only 30cm moving space either end of the vehicle…

Ideally someone will create a flying car which can take off vertically like a Harrier Jump Jet, then we’ll really be happy!

Photo by bucket072 via photobucket

Not too good to be true?

2011-07-07T16:28:00.001+01:00

Usually when we hear about some new car which promises to run purely on good feeling and traverse all terrain and double up as a five bedroom house – we don’t expect it to see a saleroom floor at any time during its usually brief existence.

However, we believe that we may finally have found a vehicle which will live up to its manufacturer’s seemingly far-fetched sales pitch.

Gibbs High Speed Amphibian Technology says the Aquada can go from being a road vehicle to a water-borne motor in less than 12 seconds at the press of a button.

So, what has made us believe that this car may actually see the sales floor at some point, you may ask? Well for one thing it was recently seen being driven by a private owner and some friends down the River Great Ouse through Cambridgshire.

It may sound improbable, and it does cost £150,000, but according to witnesses of the floating vehicle the people aboard “seemed to be having a brilliant time,” so we’re sold!

Image by whosuno via photobucket

Ghost car for sale

2011-07-07T16:24:00.000+01:00

A very unusual car is coming to auction on the 30th of July.

It’s a Pontiac Deluxe Six which has been re-panelled with Plexiglas. You may never have seen one before but that would be completely understandable, since it’s transparent.

Yes – transparent – as in see-through.

This vehicle, which has “normal” contemporaries of the metal panelled kind, was created for the 1930-1940 World's Fair in San Francisco, cost $25,000 (around £15,600) to make at the time, and was the first full-sized transparent motor vehicle to be made in the USA.

It was called the “Ghost Car”, and did once have another transparent car to be friends with, but has unfortunately been the only one of the pair to survive through its eighty-or-so years of existence.

At the time it was billed as a vision of what could be on the roads in the future, but it still stands out from other cars today. For this reason, the American auctioneers, RM, expect to see it sold for somewhere between $275,000 (around £171,870) and $475,000 (roughly £296,870).

You only have to look at the RM auctions website to see how special this car is – but unfortunately the steering wheel is on the wrong side – oh, and we’re a little short of that sort of money!

Image by Hugo90 via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Warning: Poor road maintenance ahead

2011-07-01T16:25:00.000+01:00

There are so many potholes on Britain’s roads at the moment that price comparison website Confused.com is petitioning the Department for Transport to introduce a pothole warning sign to be used across the country.

The company has commissioned a common red-bordered triangular sign, and in the centre it has chosen to place the image of a car with one wheel down a hole.

Confused.com decided that enough was enough when it realised, after doing some research, that even if councils had sufficient budgets for road maintenance it would take them about 11 years to fill all of the potholes and generally repair damaged areas of road.

The price comparison company’s chief marketing officer stated, “Although repairing these roads is obviously the long term solution, something needs to be done now.

“Currently the UK’s road signs include warnings for wild horses, wild animals, cattle and even toads but potholes aren’t considered worthy enough. A pothole road sign is a vital step in preventing accidents and reducing insurance claims.”

The AA however, is not so taken with the idea. A spokesperson explained, “It costs up to £100 to put up a sign but £50-£60 to fix a pothole.”

Hmm, now we don’t know what to think. Generally we like the idea of a pothole sign, but money-wise it doesn’t look so appealing.

Well, if you like the scheme, you can always sign the petition. We’re going to mull it over some more.

Image by Mike Willis via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Christmas come early

2011-06-29T13:36:00.000+01:00

Remember the excitement leading up to Christmas and how quickly it’s over?

Yes, we are well aware (despite the weather) that it is June and the summer has only just begun, however, Hamleys toy store has already released a list of toys it thinks will be best sellers come December.

A bit premature perhaps, but we suppose that when you’re in the toy business it’s your business to know such things.

According to the company, it’s toy cars that will be at the top of every child’s letter to Farther Christmas – unless the bad news has been broken to them, in which case they’ll be begging their parents for them instead.

The head of buying at Hamleys has said, "There's a lot that is movie driven this year, with Cars 2, Transformers 3…

"Finn McMissile, with his fully loaded car, as well as the Transformers bumble bee I'd imagine will be sought after this Christmas."

As for the rest of us who can’t get away with rolling toy cars across the carpet anymore, maybe we’ll be lucky enough to be gifted a real road-legal vehicle. We have six months to wish for it – better start now so that the wish builds momentum.

Image by VirtualErn via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Soon electric won’t seem so eccentric

2011-06-24T14:23:00.000+01:00

One of the major reasons people are sceptical of the benefits of electric cars is a fear that this type of vehicle will leave them short.

It’s understandable – I mean, who would want to run out of juice just as they’re on a deserted road in the wilds of Rannoch Moor and a louring sky is closing in?

But slowly, ever since the first generation Prius appeared through to the latest Nissan Leaf, people are being converted to greener motoring.

Just last week it was reported that the founder of the charity Zero Carbon World had managed to drive the 894 mile length of Britain in an electric Tesla car, using only public car battery charging points to keep him going.

Good news is that the car managed to negotiate even the most challenging of terrains and conditions without so much as a hiccup, often reaching speeds of 70mph.

Maybe one day we will all be electric and the petrol pump will be a thing of the past.

Image by NRMAdriverseat via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Day tripper sees red as train offers to take strain

2011-06-21T16:45:00.000+01:00

Transport ministers Mike Penning and Norman Baker have recently revealed plans to overhaul motorway congestion signage by providing motorists with digital “smart” signs which will show them comparison journey times by rail and car.

Now, maybe I have got this wrong, but the last thing I want to see, as an occasional, special-trip-only type of motorway user, as I’m sitting in a three-mile tailback on a hot summer’s day is a gleeful message telling me that I should have gone by train. I have a partner who can do that and I don’t even have to take my eyes off the road to listen to his berating tones.

The signs will also, reportedly, give drivers alternative directions to get them off the motorways and onto lesser-used roads through the country.

Once again I’m puzzled. Wasn’t one of the major reasons for the building of these swathes of concrete through our green and pleasant land a bid to keep cars off the minor roads and out of small villages, the roads of which could not cope with hoards of day trippers all attempting to get to the sea.

So, I bet the occupants of tiny hamlets, and those who have a B road running by their property en-route to a tourist destination, are just thrilled to bits that the honourable members are about to tell people to drive past their houses so that the motorways can run a bit more quickly.

Anyway, as I plan to drive a (supposedly) three-hour journey up several motorways this weekend, I wonder what the trip has in store for me? And if my passenger should dare to whisper anything about alternative travel choices… why, I think I’ll stop at the nearest service station, quietly open the door and tell him he can make his own way to Bedford because I’m going home!

Image © jon smith ’una nos lucror’ via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Don’t always follow instructions

2011-06-17T16:28:00.002+01:00

Here’s a water-based story that warns against paying too much attention to your sat-nav and not enough to the road in front.

In Washington, USA, three women went plunging into the Mercer Slough river in their SUV when they trusted the commanding voice of their GPS system a little too much.

Now it was dark – but if they had the vehicle lights on and weren’t driving too fast, they should have been able to see that they were being guided right down a boat slipway that led straight into the water.

Luckily for the women aboard the newly submerged vehicle, they were able to get out quickly as the Mercer Slough came pouring in.

After that all they could do was watch as their car sunk below the surface – no doubt drowning the engine completely.

A tow truck driver tried to drag the SUV out, but to no avail, and today the police are trying their hand at car fishing instead.

We doubt the car will be drivable after that ordeal.

Don’t get too drawn in by the sat-nav instructions – you have been warned.

Image by Kirrus via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Future super car

2011-06-15T17:01:00.000+01:00

Bored of having to drive on the road?

A 21-year-old Chinese mechanic design graduate has created a sleek space-ship of a car which she claims can drive over road, sand, ice and water!

She designed the super car for a competition which was held by Volkswagen to find a great “go-anywhere” vehicle, and has called it the Volkswagen Aqua.

Apparently it can not only pass from one type of environment to another seamlessly, but has a top speed of 62mph, which may sound quite low but isn’t bad for a vehicle which is supported by airbags and pushed forwards by four fans and a hydrogen fuel-cell motor.

Yes, you read correctly, this fantastically futuristic vehicle also emits zero carbon emissions.

We love the photos and information we’ve seen so far on this car, but we’re a little put off by one aspect.

People getting into the car will go through a hatch at the rear of the vehicle, which is very cool, but we imagine this means there’s no boot to speak of.

So this might not be a great car for going on holiday or to the shops with – oh, and you’re only allowed one friend, since this automobile is a two-seater.

Still, a quick look at the concept pictures of this car will make you forget anything that you were previously concerned about, vehicle-related or not.

Google news from three decades ago

2011-06-07T16:58:00.000+01:00

Google is great! Well it’s certainly useful when you search for something like “James Bond cars” and you get all sorts of information about the iconic vehicles used in the films.

Recently a new tool has sprung up on the news pages so that when you search for something you receive details of archived items about your search term.

And when I put in “James Bond cars” I saw three old news items relating to all things 007.

For instance, on April 5th 1966, the Sarasota Journal was reporting that Prince Andrew was about to take delivery of a model of the secret agent’s Aston Martin DB5, as driven by Sean Connery in Goldfinger, given as a gift by the Buckinghamshire motor manufacturers.

The scanned copy of the newspaper reported, “The prince, third of the queen’s four children, will use the car around the grounds of Windsor Castle.

“Electrically driven, it can go six miles an hour. Its radar operates over a radius of three miles.”

And the queen was reported to have said, “It’s wonderful. Andrew will be so pleased.”

So, there you have it – the internet giving us a little bit of news from over 35 years ago. Yes, Google is great!

Image © zanthrax-dot-nl via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

It’swan long journey to the other side!

2011-06-01T16:43:00.000+01:00

What did the swan say as it crossed the road? Nothing – it was a mute swan.

Sorry! But this is what kind of happened in Birmingham recently when a family of mute swans crossed the busy B4148 dual carriageway.

The two adult swans and their five fluffy cygnets were moving from Plantsbrook Nature Reserve to nearby Pype Hayes Park when they found they had to negotiate the road.

Having wandered onto the highway, they failed to heed the Green Cross Code guidance of “go straight across the road” and decided to have a bit of sit down on the tarmac.

After bringing traffic to a standstill for more than ten minutes, it finally took some brave bystanders to physically lift the swans off the road, depositing them safely on the other side.

One of the swan-movers said, “We grabbed the male swan by the neck and dragged him. The female put up more of a fight, flapping about and making lots of noise.

“We then scooped up the cygnets and took them to the side where they were safe and waddled off quite happily.”

Here at duck2water, although we’re a little intimidated by our big white power-house cousins, we’re glad to hear they were all safe and that some conscientious drivers helped them on the way to their new home.

Image © Neil T via Flick, under Creative Commons Licence

If Shakespeare had written guidance for roundabouts…

2011-05-31T14:52:00.004+01:00

As author Umberto Eco admits in the Guardian that there are books on his personal book shelves that he has not read and probably never will, we ask how many motorists have actually read the definitive motoring book of our time.

Eco asks, “Who has actually read Finnegans Wake – I mean from beginning to end? Who has read the Bible properly, from Genesis to the Apocalypse?"

And here at duck2water, we would like to know how many of us have actually read the Highway Code from introduction to final appendices

According to the Driving Standards Agency, the Highway Code celebrated its 80th birthday in April this year and is, so they say, one of Britain’s best selling and most iconic publications.

On commemorating the first edition of the road user’s guide Road Safety Minister Mike Penning said, "The Highway Code is the official guide to using the roads safely and responsibly. The Code has helped to save thousands of lives over the last 80 years, which is cause for celebration.

"The Highway Code is not just for new drivers, it holds crucial information for everyone from experienced motorists and motorcyclists to horse riders and pedestrians.”

So, as Mr Eco delves through the dusty tomes of his own personal library I shall attempt to find and revisit a memorable read from my own youth. Yes the ubiquitous Highway Code – it should be a valued possession of every road user in the UK.

Image © austinevan via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Losing absolute faith in German engineering

2011-05-27T12:44:00.000+01:00

I’ve always been a great believer in the strength of German engineering. Perhaps I’m just a dupe for national stereotypes, but I’ve always understood it that the Germans just do mechanics and machines better than anyone else.

This is why, way back in 1995, I worked two jobs and saved for that little bit longer so that I could buy a second-hand Mercedes instead of a Japanese or French car. Eventually, after a long European road trip full of mishap and misadventure the old beast finally exhaled its last breath of CO2 just as we hit Munich – it was as if it had been leading me home to die.

The fact that the Mercedes 450 SEL turned out to be something of a temperamental thing, despite being beautiful to look at and a beautiful runner when it did actually run, I always attributed to bad luck and a probably careless previous owner.

So this is why I am surprised to learn that Warranty Direct’s list of Europe’s five least reliable cars contains no fewer than three Mercedes models. As they are so given to mechanical failure and have high repair costs and not inconsiderable car insurance bills, I’m not sure why, despite the many, many allures of classic Mercedes engineering, I am now, as I had planned to, investing in a Mercedes as my next car.

Image © schoschie via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Laser traffic jam removal

2011-05-19T17:05:00.000+01:00

When people say the word “laser”, you probably think of eyes, hair removal, exciting museum robbery scenes and Star Wars.

But from now on – be prepared to also think of road traffic-flow improvements.

A new type of high-tech laser is going to be used by investigating officers to help them take key measurements of crash sites quickly and get vehicles moving again.

At the moment when a road needs to be closed after an accident, officers need to painstakingly go about with a tape-measure so that later they can better determine the cause of the crash and, potentially, who is liable.

However, these new lasers, which sit on top of a tripod and cost about £250,000 each, will hopefully speed up the process and will lead to a better traffic flow across the UK.

The British Roads Minister stated, “There is nothing more frustrating than being stuck in a traffic jam for hours on end.

“But even worse than that is the shocking £1billion cost of those lost hours for our economy. That is why we are determined to improve clear-up times following accidents so we can get our motorways re-opened as quickly as possible.

“Motorway closures in England cost the economy around a staggering £1 billion a year. That is an unacceptable brake on the country's economic recovery and must be reduced.”

Anything that makes going from point A to point B smoother, we like.

Image by dmuth via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Give us a pony and we’ll take you to Holyhead

2011-05-19T13:58:00.000+01:00

What do you do if your car insurance doesn’t cover you to drive with a horse box attached to your vehicle? You take your pony to the train station and try to get it on a train – obviously!

Well, at least that’s just what a man in Wrexham, north Wales, attempted to do.

The man apparently arrived at Wrexham Station’s ticket office and asked for two tickets to Holyhead.

When his request was refused he reportedly replied “I know the law” and promptly led the animal onto the northbound platform, having travelled in a lift up to a bridge across the tracks, and yes, the pony went along for the ride.

Pictures featured in the press show the man as he tries to get on the train with the pony close behind him. However, a conductor was soon on the scene to stop the pair from getting into a carriage.

It is said that there was a brief argument, but eventually man and beast left the platform.

A spokesperson for Aviva Trains Wales explained that they exercised a “no livestock” policy on their trains and commented, “We do allow small animals, such as dogs and guide dogs, onboard but not large animals that could pose a risk to the general public.”

Here at duck2water car insurance, we wonder what the hapless traveller did next – we’re guessing that hitch-hiking might have been problematic too.

Image © Todd Huffman via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Cornish pasty power

2011-05-16T09:16:00.001+01:00

Here we go again – apparently scientists have found a way of partially running a vehicle on oil extracted from, amongst other things, leftover Cornish pasties.

This environmentally-friendly fuel resource would otherwise be chucked into landfill but according to the experts, when extracted from the discarded food products and mixed with diesel it can be turned into greener fuel for motorists.

Reportedly, there are even plans to sell this bio-diesel across the UK at petrol stations!

The company which plans to take on the manufacture of this pasty-juice, Greenenergy, already produces 10 billion litres of biodiesel and normal diesel every year and is investing £50 million in its factory in Lincolnshire so that it can efficiently process the used Cornish cooking oils.

The firm’s chief executive has stated, “We've always tried to find ways of reducing the environmental impact of our fuel and as oil prices continue to rise, it's obviously important to develop alternative sources of fuel.”

Some processed foods are 30% cooking oil, so throwing those types of food into landfill is quite wasteful on the oil front.

We wonder whether petrol stations will only be able to call it Cornish pasty petrol if the pasty the oil originally came from was made in Cornwall. Well – the pasty has achieved protected status now – can’t ignore that!

Image by Gareth_Rogers via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Turning to the dark side – viral video Passat advert at work to sell cars

2011-05-09T17:10:00.001+01:00

Okay, so they missed a trick by not launching it on May the fourth but Volkswagen’s new advert for the Passat model has taken the internet, and car ad enthusiasts, by storm (troopers not withstanding).

The little boy’s futile attempts to use Jedi mind powers to bring objects to life are backed by the thumping theme music from the Star Wars films and take on a tragi-comic quality until the family car mysteriously responds.

I don’t know about you, but I think the ad is great. The diminutive Darth Vader threatens mysterious mischief but cannot even raise so much as a woof from the family’s pet Labrador.

Yet, when dad arrives home in the Volkswagen, the young Jedi Master is able to use his powers to make the car flash and beep (or was it dad’s remote key fob) and the boy’s reaction is priceless.

In terms of selling the car’s prowess as a piece of automotive engineering I’m not sure the ad has much to say, but as a soft-sell brand awareness campaign – with the intervention of the video’s viral presence on social networking sites – its Jedi mind trickery is obviously working.

The Passat is the car I am looking for – I must buy it and go about my business.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, from Swindon

2011-05-06T16:17:00.001+01:00

You have to wonder about how much the driver from Swindon who has 39 penalty points on his/her license must be paying for car insurance.

Most of us live in fear of even accruing a few penalty points, lest we start edging ever closer to the dreaded twelve. This of course is because twelve is meant to be the point at which we forego the right to drive and instead become eco warriors by default – consigned to a life of bus rides, bicycling and train station platform hopping.

We know that the twelve-point rule can be waived, although only in “exceptional circumstances”. The DVLA states that in a “small percentage of cases where the driver has accumulated 12 or more penalty points”, courts can opt not to disqualify.

Even so, 39 points is pretty incredible – how exceptional must this driver’s circumstances be?

Unfortunately, although we are allowed to know some details of the case, we are not allowed to know anything specific that might reveal the driver’s identity.

I thought that I might hazard a guess at theis person’s exceptional identity and search through a list of Swindon’s famous names – it didn’t take long, I could only find one: Billie Piper.

Not convinced that rushing to film the latest series of Diary of a Call Girl might qualify as exceptional circumstances, I confess that I’m stumped. I am, however, tantalized by something I’ve just learned: Ian Fleming author of the James Bond novels lived in Swindon while he wrote such classics as Quantum of Solace. I know it’s a long shot, but maybe, just maybe, the real 007, many times saviour of our planet, operates from a bachelor pad in Swindon. Now that would count as exceptional circumstances…

Image by Stan1ey via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Hot dogs

2011-04-21T08:53:00.001+01:00

As the weather hots up in anticipation of the summer, motorists might want to remember the suncream and a bottle of water for trips out.

However another very important thing to keep in mind are the needs of any canine friends accompanying a driver on a journey.

Dogs might not be able to vocalise the fact that they’re getting a bit too warm and dehydrated, but if your top is stuck to your back and the faint breeze from the window isn’t enough – the likelihood is that your dog is also feeling the effects of the hot weather.

Humans and dogs can suffer from heatstroke, so keep your pet hydrated on a long journey, take breaks so that you can both breathe some fresh air, and find a shady patch to cool down in – even if it’s in an un-picturesque motorway services car park.

The RSPCA are warning car owners of the dangers of leaving dogs in hot cars too. Apparently, within an hour the temperature inside a vehicle can be twice that of the temperature outside, so leaving an animal there could have disastrous consequences.

They may not need suncream – but dogs still need to be kept safe on sunny days!

Image by malias via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Burning up the highway

2011-04-18T16:30:00.001+01:00

A few posts ago we brought you a car which ran on leftover Indian restaurant vegetable oil – now we bring you a 25-year-old wood-powered Chevrolet pick-up truck.

The Finnish vehicle owner has modified his truck so that it now has a wood-burning stove in the back, just behind the rear window.

The car is run on the gas produced by the wood, which is burned in an oxygen-deprived environment. Although this might sound as if it would produce a lot of emissions, in fact this process is relatively eco-friendly and emission-low.

Apparently the vehicle can travel 125 miles on 76.2 kg of wood chips, and if the motorist wants to drive further than that – the pick-up can still fit enough timber in the back for an extra 800 miles, despite the stove taking up some room.

Plus, the man claims that he can still reach a top speed of around 90mph with this unconventional fuel.

After the wood has been burned the ash can be used to make fertiliser, so that nothing is wasted – however one disadvantage is that it can take around 20 minutes for the stove to become hot enough to produce gas and get the car moving.

No last minute dashes to get dinner before the shops close then – or spur of the moment cinema outings just as the trailers are set to begin.

Image by Creativity103 via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Time for the cool bus

2011-04-15T15:36:00.000+01:00

We may not see buses as being exciting and futuristic – but a new Dutch creation could change all that.

The Superbus, now on show at the World Exhibition of the International Association of Public Transport in Dubai, is 15 feet in length (about a standard London bus), has six wheels, can seat 23 passengers, and apparently reaches a top speed of 155mph.

You might think that this vehicle cannot get any better – but wait – it runs using an electric motor and lithium batteries, so it’s eco-friendly too!

Oh, and did we forget to mention that the exterior is futuristic and aerodynamic, and the interior boasts a TV and internet access, as well as one air bag for every passenger?

A former Dutch astronaut, and member of the TU Delft University design team for the vehicle, stated, “The strength to the concept is that the Superbus can drive everywhere where a normal bus can drive.

“It has adjustable height, rear-wheel steering and a turning circle of roughly 10 metres.”

If the vehicle passes inspections by the government in the United Arab Emirates, then it could go into service there, just like any other bus!

If it does pass we’re going over to The Emirates to try it out and experience the most comfortable and stylish bus journey we’ll probably have ever been on – then we’ll send a letter to Boris Johnson explaining how the Superbus will improve London’s transport problems no end!

British pride, it’s… Chinese

2011-04-14T12:27:00.001+01:00

It’s a sad thing that the days of British manufacturing are long gone but it’s also true that these days being a mature and developed nation, invariably means having only very limited heavy industry.

In the heyday of British manufacturing almost all families contributed in one way or another to sectors such as aviation, pharmaceuticals, textiles and tobacco.

Perhaps none was more ingrained in the national identity than motor vehicle manufacturing. Names like Vauxhall, Leyland, Rover, Mini, Metro, MG, Aston Martin, Bentley, Lotus and Jaguar all became synonymous with British pride and excellence in automotive engineering.

These days very little motor manufacturing lives on. Yes, many major names still have a presence – Ford, Honda, Nissan, Mini, Morris and Jaguar Land Rover are just some of the companies which still retain UK vehicle production plants – but it is a scaled down presence and the industry does not employ anything like the hundreds of thousands of workers it used to.

At least Nissan, Toyota and Jaguar Land Rover can lay claim to decent levels of vehicle production, as all produce over 200,000 vehicles a year, but it certainly isn’t the same, particularly when there is only a limited level of British ownership.

Still, that didn’t prevent me from feeling excited at the news that MG is to produce its first completely new vehicle in 16 years. Yes, it is a now a Chinese owned brand, but MG is one of the most iconic of all British brands and the new model, the MG6, has been engineered in Britain and will be assembled over here at the famous plant in Longbridge, the West Midlands. I certainly won’t allow myself to make tired jokes about MG going all MSG.

My first thoughts on seeing pictures of the new vehicle? Well, I’m disappointed to say that I think it looks a bit samey, so I very much doubt I’ll be seeking a cheap car insurance quote for an MG6 any time soon, but I will reserve final judgement until I see it up close and in the metal.

Take that, petrol station!

2011-04-11T09:10:00.000+01:00

One 58-year-old man from Northampton has become so frustrated with fuel prices, and damage to the environment caused by petrol and diesel emissions, that he’s started making his own bio-fuel instead.

The former mechanic uses leftover vegetable oil from various Indian restaurants in his area. He explains, “Indian restaurants have the best vegetable oil because they don’t fry so many fatty meats. I just leave my tub with them and then come back a few weeks later and it is full up. I am looking at some fish and chip shops which only fry fish and chips, no meat.”

Apparently he only pays the restaurants “between 15p and 24p for a litre,” and even after he mixes in a few other ingredients it still costs him less than 40p per litre of fuel.

He adds that, “since 2007 the Government has allowed every home to make up to 2,500 litres of bio-fuel tax free for a year. You will never use this much, it is an excellent way to combat the fuel crisis.”

Although the equipment he uses to make the fuel cost him £350, he is confident that it will soon have paid for itself with all the money he’s saving.

The man is now running his Vauxhall Corsa using home-made vegetable-oil bio-fuel…and we think we’re going to pop out to the Indian restaurant with an empty bucket.

Image by not_so_silent via photobucket

Don’t try to pack too much in this Easter

2011-04-11T08:51:00.001+01:00

The Easter holidays are here at last and for those of us who are lucky enough to be able to afford a holiday, perhaps because we’ve saved on our car insurance, it’s time to pack our bags and load up our cars.

The problem is that, much like overloading your body with sweets, treats and booze, overloading your car with holiday goodies is not very healthy.

New research by a motor insurance company has revealed that many Brits are unaware of the dangers of overloading their vehicles, with 20% of drivers even oblivious to the fact that it is possible to overload a car.

Yet the safety risks are manifold: reduced vision caused by chock-a-blok boots; unsecured items falling onto drivers and passengers and reduced performance caused by over-strained vehicle suspension.

In worst case scenarios, overloading your car this holiday may even cause a breakdown or an accident. So, it’s moderate packing for maximum safety then.

Wherever you are this Easter, may it be a good one.

Image by stringer_bel via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

ducks2water, duck2waters or duck2water?

2011-04-05T15:52:00.001+01:00

Sat-navs are purported to make enough mistakes already without street signs adding to the complications.

One road in Tamworth, Staffordshire has three road names along its 137 metre length – and all of them have a different spelling and no punctuation.

According to Tamworth Borough Council the road was originally called Ingram's Pits Lane from the 1890s to the 1950s.

And despite maps stating that the road is called Ingram Pit Lane, as it has officially been known since the 1950s, there are two other signs on the road which read “Ingram Pits Lane” and “Ingrams Pit Lane”.

So, there’s quite a bit of confusion, still it’s a bit of a silly mistake to make.

One of the residents of a connecting street said, “I don't see why it [the road] needs to have so many [signs] anyway, it's only a small street!"

It’s been a long time coming, since according to inhabitants all three signs have been up for more than 35 years, but Tamworth Borough Council is now looking into sorting the problem out.

Image by Colin_K via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Unleaded, and premium…water?

2011-04-01T15:51:00.002+01:00

Warning: this is not an April Fools – no, really, it isn’t.

A Japanese company called Genepax has apparently created an eco-friendly car which runs on water alone.

Unbelievable? Yes. True? It’s up on the firm’s website and looks thoroughly credible.

On just one litre of water, the vehicle makers claim that the car can run at 50mph for an hour. According to the proud firm, you can even fuel the vehicle with tea or fizzy drinks and it’s emission free!

It works by breaking the water down into its composite parts, using an energy generator located at the rear of the car. Using the hydrogen contained in the liquid, electric power is produced when it enters a generator. also located in the vehicle.

Reports say that inventors of the water-powered car, aim to enter into collaboration with Japanese car manufacturing firms and begin to mass produce it.

Who knows, maybe in a few years water cars will be the norm and we’ll all be complaining about how wasteful those old electric, battery-powered vehicles were. Alternatively, we may all be anticipating a world-wide water shortage.

Image by Greg Reigler Photography via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Our fine four fendered friend

2011-03-25T17:11:00.001Z

I don’t think I’m alone in being excited at the news that Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is set to fly again in a newly commissioned sequel to the original Ian Fleming story.

Despite its pretty dreadful songs, out-dated special effects, convoluted plot and truly sinister, nightmare-inducing villain, the Child Catcher, the film adaptation of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has appealed to children of all generations ever since its release in 1968.

As a kid I saw the film that had been adapted from the book, read the book that was adapted into the film and then read the book that was adapted from the film which had been adapted from the original book. Yes, my head’s spinning too.

And, just to complicate matters, having taken my own kids along, I have now seen the stage musical, which has been adapted from the film which was adapted from the book, which was… well, never mind.

As I imagine it was for many, I didn’t actually love any of the adaptations that much. For me it was never about the narratives, or the characters (the human ones, anyway) – they were all incidental. It was almost all about the car.

As a six-year old boy, I just found something so fundamentally beautiful and compelling about the Chitty, a 1920s Paragon Panther with its hidden wings, innumerable gadgets and real, living character.

Admittedly, by the time I was eleven, I did find some small romantic interest in Truly Scrumptious, which, had I actually watched the film again at 13 might have begun to match my interest in the car.

So, to whoever’s been commissioned to write the sequel, just give me the car, it’s all I want – 300 pages of it and little else.

And, please, give Chitty Chitty Bang Bang cheap car insurance – 300 pages of him being grounded without cover would just be too painful.

Image by cletch via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

In for a penny

2011-03-24T15:35:00.000Z

Good news everyone – petrol costs won’t be going up again for a while since the Budget was announced yesterday!

George Osborne lowered the price of fuel by one penny on each litre from 6pm last evening, introduced the stabiliser so many motorists had wanted for so long, and halted the five pence rise in fuel costs until next year.

Now, a penny less doesn’t sound like much – but at least it’s not a penny more – and as one famous proverb and well-known company says, “every little helps”.

After all, 100 pennies make one shiny pound, and with a pound you can buy almost two whole chocolate bars in most shops – or any one item at your closest pound shop.

Go out and enjoy yourself – don’t spend it all at once!

Image by CJ Isherwood via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Water exciting transport idea!

2011-03-24T11:06:00.000Z

Here’s a story which caught our eye because of our duck and water namesakes.

The Greater London Authority has decided to give the go-ahead to a cable-car which will hang over the River Thames, linking the O2 Arena with the Royal Docks by July 2012.

Apparently the cable-car will be strong enough and quick enough to carry 2,500 passengers an hour, 50 metres over London’s famed waters – or as Boris Johnson put it, people will be “able to cruise the east London skyline via an elegant cable car spanning the mighty Thames”.

According to the mayor, the scheme, which is going to cost £25 million, is a “much-needed river crossing” and will be “a truly exhilarating way for Londoners and visitors to explore our great city”.

Well, Boris is certainly making it sound exciting – we can’t wait to try it out.

Image by Mike_Lawrence via Flickr under Creative Commons Licence

Stifle that sneeze to stay safe

2011-03-17T12:01:00.003Z

There I was stuck with nothing to write about when I was seized by the most violent sneezing fit I have ever experienced.

The whole office was silenced to an awed-standstill as my body became uncontrollably wracked by a staccato series of convulsive sneezes.

When it was over, as well as being left with a huge feeling of relief and release I was also left wondering what would have happened if the sneezing fit had occurred only half an hour earlier, as I was driving to work.

How, I wondered, would I have remained in control of my car?

The answer is that I probably wouldn’t. Because on being moved to Google my curiosity, I found that sneezing fits do indeed cause accidents and even add to the overall cost of car insurance.

Only this week a Welsh woman was cleared of causing an accident as a result of dangerous driving after her solicitor successfully argued that she had succumbed to an involuntary fit of sneezing – legally this is known as a defence of “automatism”.

The solicitor commented, "There are other cases where motorists have been cleared of driving offences when the driver had a bout of sneezing."

From now on I’ll think twice about getting behind the wheel when I’ve got the sneezes.

Image by djcmackay via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

A slur on Slough – surely not

2011-03-11T10:13:00.000Z

It’s hard not to feel for the good folk of Slough. For a long time the town has been inextricably linked in the minds of most Brits with one of the most famous poems in the British language.

Call me ignorant or a foolhardy romantic but when I think of poetry I usually think of quaint conceits and flowery language but late poet laureate Sir John Betjeman certainly didn’t have these things in mind when he composed his ode to the town.

His poem begins, “Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough!/ It isn't fit for humans now,/ There isn't grass to graze a cow./ Swarm over, Death!”

Oh well, at least there’s a reference in Shakespeare to cheer the town up – or not, with it’s single reference describing it as a “mire”. Not quite like being compared to a summer’s day that.

And things have hardly got better recently with the release of a study which shows Slough to be in the bottom five of the list of the UK’s car friendliest towns.

And there is bad news cheap car insurance hopefuls in the town. The same survey revealed that Slough was also in the bottom five for vehicle theft.

But before I drop another news bomb on the town, I think I should let it speak for itself.

A local councilor comments, "It is a shame a survey like this concentrates only on issues which involve the expenses incurred by car drivers rather than the whole experience of driving.

"In Slough we have invested time and money in our road network ensuring the road surface is of a high quality, potholes are filled quickly and our roads are safer for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists."

What, with my car? Not on your nelly!

2011-03-04T16:51:00.000Z

“It was then that I noticed he was in lust,” is, I hope, not something I ever have grounds to say about any encounter I may share with an elephant.

Yet for one 66-year-old Irish motorist, this is precisely what happened when, celebrating his birthday in a South African game reserve, he found himself “hemmed in” by an enormous, amorous and salivating elephant.

The Irishman told press that the elephant “was agitated” and “started to rub himself against the car, breaking the wing mirrors and cracking the windows”.

"When he began to tip the car over I started to get worried,” he added.

Hang on a minute! He began to feel worried only when the elephant began to tip the car over?

Call me a coward but I feel confident that my level of concern would have hit the extreme mark at about the time the frisky dumbo approached the car with a rose clasped in its trunk reciting love poetry. If not that, then certainly at the moment it locked my vehicle in a passionate embrace.

Talk about bad luck… It’s thought to be the first known case of an elephant attempting to mate with a car. Biologists believe that the offspring would have resembled a kind of four-wheeled super-industrial hoover with floppy ears.

Imagine the disbelief of the man’s car insurance company when they caught the claim: cause of accident? Amorous elephant.

Hubcap Hedgerow

2011-02-25T14:19:00.000Z

Being a young driver can be costly, so, if you want to avoid forking out more money for new hubcaps, steer well clear of the A35 in Dorset.

A Christchurch resident had condemned the stretch of road outside his home as one of the worst in Britain for potholes, and it’s not just an empty statement.

He said “I walk my pet dogs up and down the road and there are wheel hubs everywhere.” Adding, “I've driven all over Bulgaria and I've never seen a road in this state.

“It has been like it for over a year.”

Irritated that the local authority has not taken action, the dog-walker has taken to collecting the many hubcaps he finds along the road-side and placing them together in the hedgerows to make an impact and stir the council into action.

The hubcap gatherer says that he has “watched numerous cars, lorries and bikes swerve violently to avoid the potholes over many months” and he thinks that the state of decline the road has been allowed to reach is “disgusting”.

We are happy to report that the Dorset man’s hubcap graveyard has finally caught the attention of the appropriate authority, and a spokesperson for Dorset County Council has said that resurfacing work on the potholed road is due to commence - hoorah!

Image © ButterflySha via Flickr under Creative Commons Licence

Proof that money only brings pain

2011-02-04T16:23:00.001Z

There’s something about big spending that gives me an awful sinking feeling.

Even if I do have the money to spend on an object, whether it is a new bike, new car, new computer or new piece of clothing, it always leaves me feeling a little sick and circumspect.

It is one of the reasons why I could never own a Ferrari, aside from the inevitably exorbitant car insurance.

As much as I can admire the slick, iconic look and high-performance Italian engineering of the Ferrari, I just know that if I owned one I would suffer what I will call performance car anxiety.

Would it get scratched? Would it bottom out? Would I reverse it into a tree? Would it get stolen? What if I was priced out of being able to get the thing covered?

So, pity the poor man who bought a Ferrari two weeks ago only for it to be written off by a big 4x4 which drove up and crushed its bonnet just days later.

The sports car had a mere 500 miles on the clock – ouch!

RCA RTA

2011-01-21T13:51:00.001Z

As a companion-piece to last week’s look at the state of British car insurance marketing I’m moved to present the following viral advert from Romania, which features two women dressed in lingerie crashing into one another on space hoppers.

The advertisement has been so wildly successful that links to it on Google greatly outnumber links to the insurer’s own website – to the extent that it’s hard for me even to be sure what the firm is called.

It could well be ASIROM, Romanian partners in the Austrian VIENNA Insurance Group, and more specifically ASIROM’s motoring insurance division which I believe is called RCA. The letters RCA do get some screen time (without getting in the way of the ladies, of course) along with a Romanian script which various sources quote as saying:

"In case of an accident: get out of the car / and inspect the damage / ask the guilty driver for an RCA insurance policy / fill in the friendly ascertainment form / if you can't reach an agreement, a police officer can settle your dispute / always buy RCA insurance."

Predictably, the viral succeeds in being something most men would want to look at – but as an advert for car insurance, it falls rather wide of the mark for British tastes (mine, anyway).

Here, humour is the preferred sweetener for the bitter pill of rates, deals and telephone numbers normally meted out by car insurance commercials – I’m thinking of the GoCompare singer in his underwear and have to admit that his singing may be preferable.

Image © Bert23 via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Car insurance adverts are getting cooler

2011-01-17T12:26:00.001Z

Anybody who, like me, watches too much television will have noticed that car insurance advertising is enjoying a kind of renaissance at the moment.

Work by the cheap and irritating school of advert making has been replaced over the past few months by adverts which are actually bearable to watch four or five times over - and in a few cases they are genuinely funny, too.

The change was spearheaded by comparethemarket.com’s ‘compare the meerkat’ commercials, which were and continue to be inoffensive slices of cute randomness, seemingly unconnected (but for a spelling mistake) with the drab world of affordable premiums and no-claims bonuses.

The genius of these adverts is a realisation that most people would rather not think about car insurance for any more time than is necessary to buy it. It is enough – in fact, it is preferable - just to mention the brand name half a dozen times so you know what to search for at renewal time.

Next to comparethemarket some mention must be made of the Go Compare trails which, while murderously annoying to begin with, have entered an impressively creative phase of late. The advertising people who came up with the original ‘it’s only a tenner/tenor’ gag have been hard at work transplanting it into a variety of surreal contexts; most recently that of a silent movie.

With the soundtrack stripped down to the tinkling of a western piano, what was really annoying (i.e. the singing) about previous versions of the commercial is effectively muted - leaving a creative and actually quite watchable thirty seconds.

Despite these and other improvements in the general standard of car insurance marketing, I was still shocked by the outright funniness of the new More Than adverts. The joke is so simple and so deftly told, and I can’t help wondering how many people actually get it – but a Morgan Freeman monologue should be something all of us can relate to, right?

If you think about it, this means More Than are targeting car insurance holders who enjoyed The Shawshank Redemption.

For once, a demographic I am happy to be part of.

Image © .reid. via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Did your car suffer whiplash this Christmas?

2011-01-13T16:41:00.000Z

If you’re anything like me and had to make myriad journeys up down the country this winter in order to commingle with various far-flung friends and family, then chances are that you’ve faced the perils of black ice and pothole-ridden winter roads.

These journeys were not helped by the fact that they always seemed to involve a full car, packed as it was with overfed children, oversized Turkeys and overpriced presents.

As such, now is the time to take stock and consider a bit of basic vehicle maintenance. This is because icy roads can cause cars to slide into curbs and potholes may sometimes result in “vehicle whiplash”.

Vehicle whiplash is when the shock of impact causes a car’s wheels to come out of alignment.

Paul Beurain, managing director of Pro-Align comments, “Although drivers may not notice any difference to the way their car feels after sliding into a kerb or other object, it's important that they have their wheel alignment properly checked.

"Even very low speed impacts can cause significant misalignment or damage to components, especially if they occur at an unusual angle. Many workshops across the country are equipped with the latest four wheel alignment systems which can determine in just a few minutes if a car's alignment needs adjusting."

And since having misaligned wheels can cause an accident its best to get them checked out – otherwise it could ultimately have a negative impact on your chances of receiving a cheap car insurance quote.

Image © Alan Stanton via Flickr under Creative Commons Licence

Driving under Paris skies

2011-01-06T12:08:00.000Z

Wow, I can’t wait for my summer holiday in Paris. Already, I’m a big fan of the city’s bicycle hire scheme, Vélib, so am practically quivering with excitement at the prospect of the sister car hire scheme.

As part of the plan, Paris transport bosses will place around 3,000 nippy, battery-powered cars at locations around the city.

For only 12 euros a month and around only five euros per half hour, Parisians and visitors alike will be able to hire one of the French-made, lithium metal polymer battery-enabled vehicles and take it round the city of love.

Great news for a tourist like me is the fact the cars all come with GPS and an emergency call button.

The scheme makes a great deal of sense. After all, a recent study by Paris city bosses revealed that cars in the capital spend 95 per cent of the time parked –: a good deal of the remaining five percent is time spent looking for a parking space.

Although I don’t know what the car insurance arrangements are for the hire vehicles, it seems time may be saved on that front as well.

My super value Christmas

2011-01-04T10:28:00.000Z

Just for once this Christmas I had the good sense and foresight to plan my presents all in advance.

Even a week before the big day I had everything bought, wrapped and bagged and can’t help but feel extremely satisfied with myself. This year I was also clever enough to use price comparison websites to obtain the cheapest quotes for all my gifts – well done me.

But this is the first year I’ve managed to be so organised and it was only a few years ago that I didn’t even shop around for the cheapest car insurance.

The truth was – that just like with Christmas presents – I simply couldn’t be bothered. But there are major savings to be made.

A recent survey by Virgin Money has revealed that British policyholders could save as much £1.5 billion on their insurance premiums – this figure is combined, obviously, unless you’re George Michael, in which case you may well have to spend several billion on your insurance premium.

Apparently, most of us are not willing to shop around on renewal, unless we’re quoted a policy that is more than 7.4 per cent expensive than the one we’re renewing.

I can almost hear my sixth form school teacher saying, “See, I told you so – all good things come with a bit of work and preparation.”

Britain gets ready to go Electric

2010-12-23T14:33:00.000Z

It seems that the tide has finally turned. After years of being written off as either underpowered, a futile token of environmentalism or a silly gimmick, people are at last beginning to accept that the future of motoring might just turn out to be electric.

Whereas electric vehicles used to have very little credibility among the motoring public, with the vast majority deriding them for all of the above reasons, a recent survey by vehicle valuations company Glass’s has found that more than half of motorists are prepared to embrace electric cars, even branding them as the “vehicle of the future”.

Despite this news, resistance still remains, with 28% dismissing them as a marketing gimmick. And in a further sign of how far we still are from all going electric, only 9% say that they would consider an electric car as their next vehicle.

Contrary to popular belief, electric cars have existed in one form or another for over a century now. However, it is only now that they have begun to really take off.

Just this week it was revealed by the transport secretary that the government will be offering vehicle buyers a grant of up to £5,000 to subsidise the purchase of an electric car. It is hoped that the move will go some way to reducing emissions and improving overall air quality

In addition, plans were announced for hundreds of new electric vehicle charging points across the country.

It seems that car insurance companies need to ready themselves for the new breed of electric motorist.

£60 fine is snow joke for motorists

2010-12-20T10:23:00.000Z

Some parts of the UK have been heavily disrupted by the recent snow (Scotland’s seeing its worst winter in 45 years), but in most areas life continues as normal, which has prompted police to issue a warning about snowy car roofs.

Motorists who drive with snow on their vehicle’s roof may be fined £60 and have three points put on their licence.

This warning should be paid attention to. That extra minute or so it would take to brush the snow off from the top of the car, probably isn’t worth £60 and three licence points.

As well as the potential cost, more importantly, it’s dangerous and that’s why police are prepared to fine people as a deterrent. Snow can fall into the road behind you, causing any vehicle following at the rear to have an accident, or, if you have to brake a little suddenly, you may find yourself with a sheet of snow on your windscreen, blocking your view ahead.

So, in summary:

Building a snowman on your car roof – fine.
Driving around with a snowman on your car roof – bad.

Have a safe Christmas everyone.

Christmas time, mistletoe and… a non-alcoholic drink

2010-12-17T12:48:00.000Z

It may be useful to be aware, as Christmas and New Year festivities commence, that the House of Commons Transport Select Committee has made calls for a reduction in the amount of alcohol motorists are allowed to have in their blood when driving.

At the moment, police can arrest people when they find more than 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, but if this new rule goes through the figure will reduce to 20 milligrams.

A large glass of white wine, for women, is enough to take them over the 80 milligram limit.

Even with a blood alcohol level just under the 80 milligram limit, statistics have shown that motorists are still twice as likely to have an accident as someone who has not had an alcoholic drink.

Anyone breaking the new law, should it come into force, will face a possible driving ban of at least 12 months.

Enjoy the festive season, have a great time when you go out, but please, don’t drink and drive - it’s just not worth it.

Image © Roberto Bouza via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Oh Christmas Tree

2010-12-09T09:11:00.000Z

Hooray, it’s December and now all our Christmas decorations can go up, although shops have had them on display since mid-October.

Some of us might be rummaging around the garage or attic for the plastic fir tree, but others will be driving to the nearest Christmas tree farm to get the real deal.

Once you’ve found your tree, and the excitement has died down a little, you may remember that you now have to get the new, festive member of the family home – somehow.

Well, here are some tips to help you wrestle the bushy plant onto your car and get back to enjoying the rest of the holidays.

Christmas tree wrestling

Put on some thick gloves, preferably gardening ones, so that you don’t tear your hands up.
Put a jacket or coat on so that your arms are protected too.
Give your tree a shake to get rid of loose needles, insects and anything else you don’t want to bring into your home.
Cover the roof of your car with a plastic sheet so that paintwork doesn’t get scratched.
Lift the tree onto the roof, trunk end forwards to stop wind breaking branches.
Wind some rope or a bungee cord over and under the tree and roof-bars till the tree is secure – give it a tug to make sure.
Drive home.
Repeat all stages backwards, apart from this one and the one above.

Have fun decorating and beware of old or overheating fairy lights and candles. Stay safe and have a happy Christmas everyone. From duck2water

Leaf at the top of the pile

2010-12-03T12:35:00.000Z

Don’t you wish that for every mile you drove you only spent, say, 2.5p?

This is no longer a pipedream thanks to 2011 European Car of the Year winner, the Nissan Leaf.

It was in close competition with the Giulietta from Alfa Romeo, and Vauxhall’s Meriva, which finished a respectable 3rd place, but it came out on top.

It’s the only electric car to have ever won the award in the competition’s 47 years of existence and judges of the European Car of the Year Awards applauded the vehicle for being the first electric car powerful enough to compete with petrol fuelled automobiles.

Although the Leaf is built in Japan at the moment, in 2013, production of both the car and its batteries should move to Britain.

The Nissan Leaf will be available from 2011, and can be pre-ordered now by those of us who are eager to reduce our carbon footprint in style.

Christmas goodies for your car - that's if you have one

2010-11-29T16:51:00.000Z

For those of you who have not yet got a car – a car may be on your Christmas list. If you are already a vehicle owner you might want to receive some great car gadgets instead.

I get very excited by the prospect of in-car DVD players which attach to the back of the headrests, and then I remember that I’m going to be the one driving and only the passengers will benefit, so I forget all about the idea once again.

Of course, there’s always a SAT NAV. Oh, how I’ve longed for one since they first appeared on the market.

They’re so very useful and – so very bad at reading maps sometimes.

Friends of mine who have them attached to their dashboard or windscreen have many a tale about the SAT NAV’s idea of a shortcut - through a building - or a simple right turn into a dead end.

The problem with any SAT NAV is that the UK is changing so fast it can’t keep up, poor thing!

Chocolate, socks, a new mug and some vouchers? Yes, that will be lovely thank you.

Image © sneakerdog via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Personalised plates can cost a pretty penny

2010-11-26T16:50:00.001Z

Imagine if you had enough money to buy an expensive personalised registration plate. What would it say?

In 2008, Arabian billionaire Saeed Abdul Ghaffer Khouri, from a wealthy family in Abu Dhabi, spent £7 million on a number plate with just one written on it as a numeral. Apparently he said that he bought it because number one was “the best number”.

Reports at the time stated that he had been more than prepared to spend twice as much on the registration.

The proceeds from the auction at which the plate was bought went towards helping victims of traffic accidents, so that makes the expensive price a bit easier to swallow, I suppose.

If you want to enjoy making your own registration plate and dreaming that you’re a billionaire, then here’s a website for you to have fun on.

DemonPlates gives you a realistic image of what your registration would look like, and even lets you buy the end result. A word of warning however, you can’t use the plates on the road unless you already own that particular registration. The company only makes the plates, they don’t sell the numbers.

We even had a go ourselves and here’s what we came up with: DUC2 WTR
Have fun!

Weller, weller, weller, what have we here?

2010-11-18T13:59:00.001Z

Paul Weller has designed a Mini Cooper with rather fetching stripes on it, to help raise money for two charities.

The chosen charities are War Child and Nordoff Robbins and both help young or vulnerable people in conflict-ridden countries.

The Mini alone would cost £15,000 but with all the extras (such as heated seats) added by Weller, which cost £4,000, the car should cost a small fortune – did I mention it was designed by Paul Weller?

I hope whoever buys it finds some very cheap car insurance after having spent so much money on the vehicle itself!

As well as the automobile’s connection to a music legend boosting up the price, the bodywork was hand-painted by Mini craftsmen – that’s craftsmen employed by Mini, not tiny workmen.

Paul Weller’s Mini creation is meant to reflect “the mood and colours associated with the mod era”, said the man himself.

An auction is taking place online, on a special website, and bidding for the funky little vehicle will end on December 11th. Someone will have a big Mini surprise on Christmas morning, maybe?

If you want to see the car, it’s on show in the BMW Park Lane showrooms until it is sold, and if you fancy owning it then bid from the Paul Weller Mini Auction website.

Good luck!

My name is Berlingo, Citroen Berlingo

2010-11-15T15:28:00.001Z

When Renault chose the new moniker for its latest model I bet the bosses didn’t expect to be taken to court, but they were.

So, what would you suppose could cause this uproar? It must have been something blasphemous or perhaps so politically incorrect it could not go unchallenged. Did Renault call their car … All the permutations of WRONG names for a car are flashing through my mind, but I cannot bring myself to type them.

No, Renault called their car…Wait for it…Zoe.

However, no sooner had the seemingly innocuous name Renault Zoe been whispered on the car production line than two French families were heading for the civil courts as they argued that their daughters, aptly named Zoe Renault, would be perpetually mocked and harassed as a result of the car maker’s action.

Apparently, the French take first names very seriously. In the past parents had to pick names from an approved list, but although they are now at liberty to choose any name of their choice for a child, officials can make it difficult for an unusual name to be attached to a baby if they feel it will cause the child to be harmed by ridicule or teasing.

But, in the case of the parents versus Renault, it was the motor manufacturer who won. The judge ruled that he could find no evidence it would cause the children “certain, direct and current harm”.

The families’ solicitor argued, however, that thousands of Zoes, all over the country, would be prone to teasing and certain taunts He suggested phrases such as "Can I see your airbags?" or "Can I shine your bumper?" would be used as any girl named Zoe gets older.

Personally, I think that if this is the case, a clever girl could turn these comments on their head.

The Renault Zoe ZE (zero emission) is an all-electric car, so how about a retort of, “Don’t worry mate, my batteries don’t need charging today.” Or maybe, “No thanks, I don’t need lead in my petrol!”

The Renault Zoe – welcome to the motoring world.