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A RECENT survey suggested that new drivers should be banned from driving at night, on the motorway and with a car full of friends.

Young drivers’ have a bad reputation and as a result pay large insurance premiums, but is this fair?

Well statistically yes – young drivers are more likely than any other age group to die on the roads, particularly young male drivers. However, to make things fairer several insurance companies are now using ‘black-box’ satellite trackers to see how and when a car is used to help calculate premiums.

Using this system they can offer pay-as-you-drive insurance to cut bills for drivers who stay off the roads during the most dangerous hours. Specifically for drivers under 23 years old they have instigated a special ‘super-peak’ rate covering the most dangerous hours – between 11pm and 5am on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

Putting the costs for young drivers to one side, what can we do to make them safer? One way is driver training. Yes, young drivers have recently had lessons and been through their test but they still have little experience on the road, especially in conditions like night time driving and motorways.

More and more young drivers are completing courses like Pass Plus after their driving test which makes them safer and in some circumstances reduces their insurance premiums.

Another option is to restrict the driver’s vehicle choice as a method of influencing the way that young drivers handle themselves when on the road. For example a reduction in engine size can often mean a reduction in high-speed crashes which is where the higher insurance premiums can act as a real deterrent.

Within the government’s wider road safety campaign young drivers are a key target. However, it is important to resist the temptation to purely single out drivers based on age when in fact experience is the key factor. A 40-year-old driver may fit into a low risk demographic, but if he/she only passed their test last week, they are a considerable risk.

For this reason all new drivers have a responsibility to drive sensibly and within their abilities while they build their experience. Driving is dangerous, road accident statistics back that up, and so I would urge any novice driver, as well as all experienced drivers, to take it easy and drive safely.

Mike Waters is director of market insight at Arval, Europe’s leading fleet and fuel management company.

Used Cars

TWENTY per cent of British motorists use their cars less in winter to avoid driving in the dark.

And older drivers prefer to do their shopping on line because they are afraid to take to the roads at night.

According to research by Saga motor insurance, people who need to travel at night are even prepared to pay extra to avoid driving themselves.

‘Driving in the dark is clearly a worry for a significant number of motorists, and our research shows that people over 50 have fewer accidents than other age groups because they use their experience to adapt their driving to reflect road conditions,’ said Saga chairman Andrew Goodsell.

A NEW consumer guide has been launched giving motorists practical advice on cutting their fuel use, helping the environment and their wallets!

‘Driving for the Future’, launched today by SMMT, tells drivers how to measure their fuel consumption and reduce it. CO2 emissions are directly related to fuel consumption so the less fuel a car uses, the lower its emissions.

Just a few small changes to driving style, such as using the highest practical gear, avoiding sudden acceleration and cutting speed, can all save fuel.

Regularly servicing a car, checking its tyre pressure and keeping the vehicle weight down can each cut fuel consumption by around eight per cent.

‘Driving for the Future’ also offers advice about buying a new car, understanding the CO2-based company car tax system, a guide to cleaner fuels and recycling your car at the end of its use.

SMMT chief executive Christopher Macgowan says: “New technologies, a trend towards smaller cars and diesel engines will see new car emissions continue to fall.

“Following the advice in the guide will help to reduce overall emissions levels. Motorists can save money by cutting their fuel bills while helping the environment.”

‘Driving for the Future’ can be downloaded at www.smmt.co.uk/publications and is available free of charge.

IT’S been a long cold winter away from the racetracks, with only my dirtbike and mud to keep me entertained. Just what the doctor ordered to recover from the agony and the ecstasy of 2007′s Ducati DesmoDue championship.

Yep, it’s fair to say my first ever year of club racing was the most insane thing I’ve ever done. The end of every round saw me either high as a kite or low as a nuclear bunker, with nothing in between.

To recap, in 2007 I went road racing for the first time ever. During the season I racked up several trophies and a decent scar, led a race for eight laps, smashed many lap and race records and even got one ‘Man of the Meeting’ (yes, really…).

Despite missing rounds through crashes and injury, I still managed to finish the championship in the top ten. I am the first (and only) girl to ever get on the podium or lead a race in DesmoDue. And I haven’t even lost my orange novice bib yet.

Did all that REALLY happen? It certainly did. Every morning I wake up to a row of trophies in my new glass cabinet, my post-Assen collarbone’s still plated (you can see the screws through the skin), and it’s taken up until now to get Betty the racebike Ducati 600SS-shaped again after my crash-tastic final round at Cadwell Park (so that was no bad dream then). Yes, Betty’s back in one piece – lighter, faster and for the first time in a long time, completely gaffa-tape free.

We’re competing in the 2008 DesmoDue championship – a one-make series with two classes running separate grids. Class A is for 620cc Ducatis, Class B is for 583cc Ducatis.

This means riders are racing either Monster 620s or 583s, or the old 620SS or 600ss. I’m in Class B, racing a 1995 Ducati 600SS bought as a wreck off eBay and glammed up for the racetracks, against 40-ish other Class B entrants.

I opted for a 600SS last year after a chat with Ducati specialists Baines Racing. It’s the best bike for the job; unlike the naked Monster, the SS lets you tuck under the fairing for best aerodynamics, and it’s the lightest model of the bunch. The series was devised as a cheap way to go racing, so limited changes are allowed and a good power-to-weight ratio is the way forward. Of course, it helps that the rider (me!) weighs a mere eight-and-a-half stone. And I’m making the most of this advantage

But this year things are different. I’ve learned valuable lessons in race craft and limits of woman and machine. I intend using this experience to crash less and maybe even win races – and ultimately end up with a much higher ranking in the championship. Best of all, my racing hero and mentor Ian Cobby who looked after me in 2007 is now entering the championship as my team mate, but in Class A (phew) on a Ducati 620SS. Go Cobby!

Betty is now fully developed and the best bike on the Class B grid. We’re running Maxton suspension, Venhill’s quick action throttle and MHP’s rearsets and twin exhausts.

The regulations are designed to keep things cheap so no engine tuning’s allowed, although a worn rear piston ring means the engine has been re-built by Moto Legends’ Amazing Al. A Dynojet kit and airfilter have sorted the fuelling, and the chassis has been overhauled with lighter parts to slash weight. Isle of Man TT legend Bill Simpson is building a bespoke aluminium tank for Betty. Pirelli’s brilliant Diablo control tyres are a must come rain or shine and tyre warmers are banned.

Going to watch the club racing makes for a great day out. It costs around £12 on the gate, and you get to mill around in the paddocks, speak to the racers and watch some very close racing that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat. The atmosphere is electric.

Of course, if you’re bored with track days and want to take things to the next level, then why not enter a club race? Anyone can do it, and there’s a wealth of clubs and series to choose from. All you need to do is decide which championship to enter, join the club, get the bike, prep it, apply for your ACU licence, and you’re ready to race. For more information, check out www.acu.org.uk.

Here’s the complete calender for the UK’s DesmoDue championship that I’m competing in this season – including a big international round at Assen in Holland. If you fancy coming along to watch, come and find us in the pits and Betty and I will get the kettle on!

2008 New Era Ducati DesmoDue calendar

April 26, Oulton Park (Cheshire)

May 23-25, Assen (Holland)

June 14-15, Pembrey (South Wales)

July 5-6, Brands Hatch (Kent)

August 9, Donington Park (Northamptonshire)

September 20-21, Snetterton (Norfolk)

October 4-5, Cadwell Park (Lincolnshire)

First published Wednesday 02nd Apr 2008

NEW research from Specsavers Opticians shows that one in four drivers fall below the recommended eyesight standard for road safety.

A further one in four said they had never undergone a sight test, and 60 per cent of UK and Irish drivers would get their eyes checked more regularly if it helped to lower the cost of their car insurance.

The survey also revealed that motorists are becoming more concerned with increasing motor premiums. The average comprehensive policy is now at a record high of £834 and, in order to lower the cost of their car insurance, drivers are altering their attitudes and responsibilities towards driving.

I am surprised, in light of these findings; these blindingly daft drivers can actually read their insurance renewal quotes.

Specsavers toured the country as part of its annual Drive Safe campaign, offering vision and hearing screening at each of the road shows, to reiterate the importance for all drivers to go for regular sight tests.

After all, as John Charman from The Highways Agency says: ‘Drivers need to be able to spot and react to a number of situations, such as vehicles braking quickly or pedestrians stepping into the road. This awareness helps reduce accidents involving themselves and other road users.” Uh yes, just a bit John.

The objective of the Specsavers Drive Safe campaign is to significantly increase awareness of the importance of wearing the correct prescription eyewear when driving and also to encourage people to have more regular sight tests.

So lets take a guess at who these offending culprits are. Oh here we go again. The majority of people surveyed were male, 54 per cent in fact, what a surprise, of which 30 per cent did not reach the legal driving standard recommended by the police and Department of Transport. Oh you really are a dim sighted lot at times. This compared to only 20 per cent of the women surveyed. Well-done girls

Additional research on professional drivers showed that 83 per cent of employers do not ensure that their company vehicle drivers have their eyes tested. No wonder these company car drivers zoom around not knowing their front end from their rear!

Sorry, I very very confused here. Surely these male drivers must realise its time to visit the opticians as they fail to see a ‘no-entry’ sign or the car in front is actually a little bit closer than they thought.

I cannot believe they can be so blindingly daft.

CAR maker Nissan has provided an unlikely ‘shot in the arm’ to the healthcare sector by sharing its lean manufacturing techniques with a Sunderland hospital.

Manufacturing know-how normally used to produce 7,000 cars a week at Nissan’s Sunderland plant is now benefiting patients at Sunderland Royal’s new day care unit.

So far the project has halved the time patients spend in the unit from six to three hours by giving them specific appointment times. The number of steps used in patient treatment have been reduced from 29 to 11 after Nissan suggested unnecessary, duplicated checks could be removed.

Now the hospital is looking to extend the partnership and its ward managers are undergoing training that the car maker usually reserves for its manufacturing apprentices.

Brent Kilmurray, executive director of strategy and service development for Sunderland City Hospitals saw the potential for a tie-up during a visit to the Nissan plant.

As well as reducing waiting times, the day care unit has implemented Nissan’s ‘just in time’ delivery to improve stock control and boosted the efficiency of its operating theatre, which is now productive for 73 per cent of the time, which is an all-time high.

AVOIDING A BANUSING a mobile phone while driving becomes an endorsable offence at the end of February – but it’s not the only thing you can’t do when you’re at the wheel.

GEM Motoring Assist has issued a list of things that people can and cannot do while driving a vehicle. It says that apart from using a phone that is not fitted with a hands-free device motorists cannot eat or drink while at the wheel.

The driver can smoke but if both hands are taken off the steering wheel the driver may not be considered to be in proper control of the vehicle. Disposing of the cigarette by throwing it out of the open car window is also an offence.

Fines for using a hand-held mobile can be as much as £1,000 with an increase to a potential £2,500 for drivers of vans, lorries, buses and coaches plus penalty points. It is also against the law to use a mobile while supervising a learner.

For a free leaflet on the new mobile phone laws go to www.motoringassist.com.

ENZO’S SIMPLY THE BESTTHE Ferrari Enzo is the greatest contemporary car that money can buy, according to an independent panel of the UK’s top motoring experts.

The Enzo won pride of place based upon performance, exclusivity, brand heritage and style status in the Zurich Iconic Car Index which was created following an an in-depth analysis of all the cars currently available on the new car market retailing at over £50,000.

The £425,000 Ferrari beat the Porsche Carrera GT into second place with its factory sibling, the Ferrari F599 in third. Other cars featuring in the iconic top ten included the Aston Martin Vanquish S, Mercedes-Benz SLR, Bugatti Veyron and the Bentley Continental GT.

SECURE ORDERFORD has been selected as the sole supplier of a 500-strong vehicle fleet of Transit Connect vans by UK security company Reliance Security Group.

Reliance employs more than 13,000 people in the UK and provides services ranging from security to facilities management for blue chip customers such as HBoS, BAE Systems, BT and FedEx. It also manages business process outsourcing for several police authorities, HM Prison Service and the criminal justice sector throughout the UK.

PHONE A FRIENDFORMER British Rally Champion Alister McRae has launched his own WAP site, becoming the first rally driver to do so. The site, which is designed to work on mobile phones around the world, will enable fans to access new content including videos and competitions.

With the development in mobile communications, both in handset technology and the speed of the networks themselves, websites and content through mobile phones is seen as one of the biggest growth areas for the future.

To visit the site in the UK callers should text McRae to 84070.

PETITION SUCCESSTHE petition against road pricing has notched up more than one million signatures. The closing date is February 20 and the organisers say there is time for it to reach several million by then.

Petition organiser Nigel Humphries of the Association of British Drivers, says: “Road pricing is just another tax and a tax that is unfair, expensive to administer and difficult and inconvenient to collect. It will not improve congestion without large scale investment.”

EVEN SPORTIERNISSAN will be showing the updated 350Z sports model at next month’s Geneva motor show.

With the fitment of the next generation 3.5-litre V6 engine power has risen to 313bhp at 6,800rpm and torque is now rated at 358Nm at 4,800rpm, while the maximum engine speed has increased by 500rpm to 7,500rpm.

To accommodate the new engine the front bonnet has been redesigned and is now reminiscent of the original 240Z with a slightly raised profile.Sales of the revised 350Z will begin in the UK in May.

INFINITI’S ON THE HORIZONNISSAN’S premium Infiniti brand will be distributed in Europe through a dedicated sales and service network that will begin operations next year. Since the brand’s debut in 1989 more than one million models have been sold worldwide, mainly in America but not in the UK.

In the last two years the Infiniti brand has been launched in Korea, Taiwan, Russia, and the Gulf. Next will be China and then Europe.

Question

I have just been the victim of a car jacking incident and am not sure where I stand legally?

Answer

Most insurers will meet the full cost of a car jack claim unless the claimant has completely disregarded their ‘duty of care’ – for example leaving the keys in the ignition of your car while going to pay for your petrol and then confronting the criminal while they are trying to steal your car.

Fortunately, car jacking is still rare even though there has been some high profile media reporting of luxury cars being stolen to order, sometimes through car jacking and threatening behaviour towards the driver.

If anyone finds themselves in such a situation, it is best to try and avoid conflict and potential injury – if they demand the keys, hand them over. The police and insurers will provide the maximum level of support in such cases.

PERODUA claims its bargain Kenari model is Britain’s best value mini-MPV and is enticing buyers with a £500 cashback offer.

The Malaysian car maker has the deal, bringing the entry level GX model down to £5,630 and automatic EZ to £6,430, on offer until March 31.

Perhaps the most persuasive feature of the Kenari is its interior space, which its maker claims is 20 per cent more than in a conventional hatchback.

Passenger access is made easy by the vehicle’s tall doors and plentiful headroom while cargo loading is made simpler thanks to a side-hinged rear door and individual folding rear seats.

Kenari is also well specified for the price with the likes of power steering, electric windows, central locking, twin airbags and CD player as standard.

And the 1.0-litre engine offers handy fuel consumption of 56.5mpg on the Combined cycle, providing a range of 400 miles between filling station stops.

While Perodua has been selling cars in the UK for a decade, it was last year’s arrival of the Myvi that signalled a move more upmarket.

A five-door supermini with bags more style than anything the company has launched before, this neat little car is well built and extensively kitted out yet costs only £7,799 for the manual SXi hatchback and another £700 for the EZi self-shifting model.

Inside, the Myvi seats five passengers in comfort with ample room for heads and legs while there are sensibly placed cup and bottle holders. The switches are easy to use and glow green in the dark.

Features like power steering, driver and passenger airbags, air-con, immobiliser, tilt adjustable steering, remote central locking, electric windows all round and radio/CD player are all included.

Again, running costs are low with 48mpg economy from the 1.3-litre 85bhp engine, the only powerplant on offer.

Buying a new car doesn’t come any cheaper than Perodua’s base model the Kelisa which is based on the old Daihatsu Cuore and, being honest, lacks style with its boxy shape and skinny wheels.

But for a mere £4,995 the entry grade EX version gives you a 1.0-litre engine, twin airbags, power steering, immobiliser and seat belt pre-tensioners. Sadly though, anti-lock brakes aren’t even an extra cost option.

NISSAN has designed a car that it says is inspired by computers and electronic games.

The Mixim is a crowd-puller for the forthcoming Frankfurt motor show and is reckoned to have appeal to younger drivers.

The company says it is a compact vehicle for young drivers who are mostly engaged by their computer and the world via the internet.

The driver sits centrally with two seats either side while the steering wheel and controls are inspired by the interfaces from computer games.

Powered by an electric motor and generator using compact lithium-ion batteries, the car boasts unusually rapid performance combined with a useful range.

One motor powers the front axle and a second drives the rear, giving all-wheel drive.

The wraparound windscreen, which is apparently inspired by the visor of a crash helmet, dominates the front while the flowing roofline and sharply truncated rear aims to create a sporting stance that is unexpected from an electric vehicle.

Diamond-shaped styling cues feature inside and out, notably on the twin air intakes to the rear of the doors and the front LED driving lights, while an upper triangular side window links the roof with the dramatic angular slash that runs through the centre of the doors.

The combined effect is a concept car that aims to be trendy whilst serving the purpose of appearing to address the problem of saving the plant, which is the new public relations priority for all car companies.

MERCEDES has at last issued pictures of the final production version of its sensational SLR McLaren which is due to make its world debut at the Frankfurt motor show in September.

The SLR was first shown as a concept car at the Detroit motor show four years ago, and although its eventual launch as a production model has been an open secret, the German car maker has kept the final design close to its corporate chest.

Until now, Mercedes has only issued shots showing parts of the stunning supercar which blends styling elements from the McLaren Mercedes Formula One racing car with retro features like the gull-wing doors and massive side air scoops which characterised the legendary SLR racing cars of the 1950s.

Other than showing us the pictures, Mercedes still isn’t giving much away about its new grand tourismo machine, however – the accompanying press release spends four pages eulogising about the design with no mention of performance, power units or technical matters.

This slow-burn method of trickling snippets of information out seems a rather odd way of launching a car which is going to be built in very limited numbers and so expensive as to be only within reach of the truly super-rich.