Category Archives: Driving

How to Use the Hard Shoulder

broken down on the hard shoulder

What is the hard shoulder? It’s that strip of concrete that runs parallel to the lanes on the motorway that no-one uses for driving, not even when the traffic is stacked and packed in a jam. The surface area is indicated by a solid white line and it gives drivers of all vehicles, even lorries, enough space to pull over and not disturb other traffic in the event of an emergency.

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Our Top 10 New Year’s Driving Resolutions

new years resolutions

Christmas is out of the way and New Year is upon us. As you hold your dram of whiskey in the air and sing out your allusions to the great Robert Burns, the next thing on the seasonal list is making a resolution. Whilst most people like to make a commitment to personal change – we thought you might want to try something different this year, and look at the way you use your car and drive it around.

We have taken the top ten New Year’s resolutions that are commonly made by residents of the UK, and put our own automotive spin on these self-made promises. See if any of them take your fancy, and allow you to pile on the pies, whilst you put all the emphasis on a change in motoring.

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How to Save Up to 25% of Your Car’s Fuel Bills

hand holding a fuel pump

Many of us are feeling the pinch. The rising costs of fuel and the stagnant nature of UK wages means that most car owners are looking to make those savings where-ever possible. Whilst you cannot control the price of petrol, you can control how much you use and work towards a reduction strategy in four key areas.

In this article, we explore some of the quickest, simplest and easiest steps you can take towards becoming a less fuel dependent motorist, and see some real savings in your pocket.

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A Guide to Driving Abroad

car key travel documents and map for driving abroad

Whether you are thinking of driving your own car on a holiday or hiring a car for a business trip, there are a number of factors you have to take into account when on foreign roads. Everyone knows that each separate nation has varying laws and this is no different on their highways.

Whilst the principles of driving still remain the same, it pays to acclimatise yourself with the specific laws and even the driving culture of your driving destination.

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What does Brexit Mean for Motorists?

brexit

So many people all over the place are spouting different opinions, it’s hard to tell what Brexit means for the country, let alone the motoring crowd. With popular commentators such as Clarkson, who you’d probably have put money on to have thrown in his lot with the out crowd, saying we must stay, no-one seems quite sure what we should be doing, let alone how we should vote. Continue reading

The Differences between Winter and Summer Tyres

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People use their cars less in winter than in the summer. However, over half of all motoring accidents occur during the cold months. Many of these are down to the fact that people overestimate the amount of distance it takes to brake in the cold weather. In many places where the temperatures plummet and there are extreme seasons, car drivers switch to special tyres for this period. What are the main differences between summer and winter tyres, and when should you put them on your vehicle?

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Refilling your Car’s Petrol

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Most modern cars run on petrol or diesel fuel. This is contained in a tank usually located at the rear of the car. It needs to be regularly filled in order for the car to run. In order to ensure the good performance of your vehicle you should always try to keep your petrol tank at least 20% full – any less than this and impurities at the bottom of the tank can get into your engine and damage the pistons. If you suddenly find your car is losing petrol more rapidly than before, you should get it checked out at a service centre as the tank may have developed a leak. The process of filling your tank is fairly easy – it is the same for diesel fuel as petrol – in our example if you’ve got a diesel powered car just substitute the term diesel fuel for petrol.

  1. Take note of where the petrol cap is situated on your car. When pulling up to the pump, unless the unit specifically features long fuel lines you’ll need to make sure that your cap is facing the pump. Be sure to select the right kind of fuel for your car- there is nothing worse than filling a diesel engine up with petrol or vice versa as this can destroy your engine.
  2. Release the cap for your car’s petrol tank. In older cars there may well be a flap over the cap that can be opened manually and then the cap itself can be removed with a separate key. In newer cars there’s usually a special handle, sometimes located by the driver’s door, other times in the glove compartment, which can be pulled to release the petrol cap.
  3. Remove the cap from the car and place it somewhere where you can locate it easily. Most people like to rest the cap on the top of their car or somewhere similar. It’s now just a case of placing the nozzle gun from the petrol pump into the opening and checking that all the counters on the pump are at the zero level before you start pumping.
  4. Squeeze the trigger on the pump nozzle – this should start a mechanical process that will pump the petrol into your tank. Watch to ensure the counters on the body of the pump are going up – indicating the flow of petrol into your tank. There are two types of nozzles. Some have a special locking latch that will hold the trigger in place, then when your petrol tank is full you’ll hear a click and the trigger will automatically release. If you’re using a manual nozzle you should squeeze the trigger until you hear the click yourself.
  5. Finally replace the cap and make a note of the amount of money that’s noted on the display of the pump. Pay the attendant in the kiosk the appropriate amount. Make sure you have enough money before you start pumping petrol into the car as you will have to fill out a number of forms if you cannot afford to pay your bill and return to the petrol station or face legal action.

Personalised Number Plates – “A nice little earner”

Personalised Reg Plate

Last week I was driving on the M6, when a black Bentley swept by majestically and I noticed its rear number plate, T123. I said to myself “nice car, but those number plates must have cost a packet.”.

As I drove along, I started thinking about personalised number plates and the first time I’d ever seen one of these unique vehicle registrations. My mind was cast back to the time when I was a student in the 1970s, visiting my wife’s uncle. Parking my Continue reading

Dangers Of Using Smart-Phones Whilst Driving

Texting and talking while driving
Banned

According to a survey conducted by the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) in March 2012, using a Smart-Phone whilst driving caused 1,690 accidents between 2006-2010. Of this number 110 were fatal, although police believe these figures are actually higher, as there is often no way to check if a driver was using their phone at the time of an accident. With more and more of the UK population owning one of these high-power pocket computers, surely this number is sadly only set to rise. The same report estimates that drivers who use phones

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