Alpha Drive

Wasteful council put three speeding signs on tiny cul-de-sac!

nick — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 22:10:10 +0000

A council has been criticised for erecting three speed limit signs in a tiny village cul-de-sac where residents say it’s virtually impossible to speed. The new 30mph signs have been put in the road in Sutton St Nicholas in Herefordshire. However residents say the signs at Millway and the adjoining Willow Rise are completely unnecessary, as it’s virtually impossible to speed on the 25 metre long road. Resident John Hollywell, 67, said he had never seen anything like it during 30 years on his picturesque street, where houses are worth up to £300,000. “It seems nonsensical. It is bureaucracy gone mad,” he said. “Why they have done it we have no idea. It is utterly ridiculous because if someone even went round the bend doing more than 30mph they would go into a house. “It is a storm in a teacup but seems to me to be a total waste of money.” One of the signs was put up right outside his house. He added: “We were not informed it was going to happen. It just happened in the last fortnight. First they came and put the post in and then the 30mph signs appeared. “I would have thought a letter would come round saying it was going to happen.” The 30mph notices were discussed at the latest Sutton St Nicholas Parish Council meeting after residents felt the chances of travelling at that speed in such a small area were virtually impossible. More
(AD Remarks ~ Perhaps they are just following rules and putting the signs up at regular intervals. But it says it all about the way we run the country, that this will happen, and on roads propably very close to this warning signs are lacking when they are desparately needed!)

Youngsters insurance premiums hit by tax increase!

nick — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 21:19:20 +0000

Young drivers could be put off getting car insurance as a result of the Budget’s increase in insurance tax, Tory MPs have warned. The jump from 5% to 6% was criticised by former minister Christopher Chope. He said it could also result in fewer people taking out health insurance putting more pressure on the NHS. Former Cabinet minister John Redwood also hit out at the move, which would raise £400 million a year, saying that the rise would impact already heavily taxed motorists. Mr Chope called for Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) to be frozen for health and vehicle policies. The standard rate is set to increase to 6% from January 4 next year as part of the Budget’s package of measures to cut the deficit. More
(AD Remarks ~ This certainly does not help anyone, let alone the new/young drivers with very high premiums. It may make some youngsters take the risk and drive without insurance, especially as fines when caught are significantly lower than the actual premium!)

Workers paint white lines around dead badger!

nick — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 21:20:19 +0000

THE famous white stripes of the humble badger seem to have been put to an unusual use lately, saving the taxpayer money for paint and council contractors a few seconds on their long days. Reader Kevin Maul was on his way home from work when he noticed double white lines had been painted on an S bend near the county border on the A338. Lying sadly amid the fresh paint, however, was a badger who had breathed his last more than a week before. Mr Maul, who had been posting flyers for his business Lawntender around Fordingbridge and Damerham, said: “I couldn’t quite believe my eyes when I saw him, this poor old badger who had been there over a week. “I’d seen him every day as I went by and wondered if he was going to be picked up. Then on Friday I drove home to see his body between the lines – they had painted the road, but left a gap where he lay.” More
(AD Remarks ~ This shows the strange happenings we have these days! A few years ago, surely the line painters would have removed the poor animal with a shovel in seconds.)

Congratulations Dan!

nick — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:32:49 +0000

Well done on passing your driving test, at your first attempt today, in Bedford, after taking your driving lessons in Bedford with ALPHA DRIVE.

Congratulations and best wishes from everyone at the driving school, as your look forward to many years of enjoyable and safe motoring.

For more information about the taking Driving Lessons contact ALPHA DRIVE on 0800 2118871. We also cover Sandy, St Neots and the local area for driving lessons.

‘Eating English food changed the shape of my ears’ Claims test candidate!

nick — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 21:31:09 +0000

WORKERS at a driving test centre were stunned when an Albanian man told them eating British food had changed his appearance – including the shape of his ears. Lefter Duka, 33, had booked in for a driving theory test but the man who turned up at the reception desk looked nothing like the picture on his provisional licence. He was shorter, stockier and more bearded than Mr Duka – but insisted it was his diet that had altered his look. The real Lefter Duka, from Gloucester, was then prosecuted when he turned up for a driving test himself. Paula Davies, a test centre administrator told magistrates in Gloucester: “We brought up the point that he didn’t look like the photo on the licence and he said that the food here had made him put on weight compared with where he was from. “We said that his ears were different and he said the same thing – that the food was at fault. “We said his eyebrows were much bigger on the photo and he said he had shaved them.” Staff were not satisfied that the man was Mr Duka and they refused to let him take the test. More
(AD Remarks ~ So there really is no truth in the myth that you are what you eat!)

St Helens announced as most car friendly town, London the worst!

nick — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 20:13:40 +0000

St Helens in Merseyside is the UK’s most car-friendly town, while London is the worst spot for motorists, according to research out today. St Helens scored well on such things as petrol prices, parking costs and the number of speed cameras in an assessment carried out by Virgin Money Car Insurance. Telford in Shropshire – rated top for the previous two years – was in second place, with Blackburn third, Dudley in the West Midlands fourth, and Derby fifth. London’s 600 speed cameras contributed to its bottom place, a spot the UK capital has occupied for the last three years. The next least vehicle-friendly town was Manchester, followed by Reading in Berkshire, Glasgow and Watford in Hertfordshire. A total of 65 of the UK’s largest towns and cities were assessed, with the number of car parks and the level of car crime also taken into consideration. More
(AD Remarks ~ With the ever increasing traffic on the roads and all the associated fines and charges in the capital, it may well be bottom of the list for a while.)

Motorists cutting costs leads to rises in MOT failures!

nick — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 22:17:39 +0000

The number of MoT failures has soared as cash-strapped motorists cut back on servicing and maintenance, figures showed. Soaring petrol prices and the recession has seen the number of cars and small vans failing the test rise form 8.4 million in 2006 to 10.5 million last year, according to the Retail Motor Industry. This is equivalent to just over 37 per cent of the total subject to testing and, according to the AA, the figure would have been higher but for the previous “cash for bangers” scheme which saw around 300,000 old cars taken off the road. An AA spokesman said a poll of more than 17,000 members earlier this year showed that one driver in five was cutting back on servicing. “That is a huge amount. The cost of fuel is taking a huge amount out of motorists pockets and they are looking to save money where they can. “These failures could be the tip of the iceberg hiding a motoring underclass who are driving cars with crumbling tyres and brakes which won’t stop a car in time.” “It is clear the recession has been having an impact,” said John Ball, the Retail Motor Industry’s MoT chairman. “People are running to a strict budget and getting pressures everywhere with the price of fuel rising as it has, you are having to absorb that extra cost More
(AD Remarks ~ In the current climate money is always tight, but its pays to make the small repairs when needed. Leaving major problems, may cost more in the long run, and could compromise safety on the road.)

Average motorist lands £283 in fines during driving career!

nick — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 00:08:08 +0000

Motorists will clock up £283 in fines on average during their time in the driving seat, research revealed yesterday. The total punishment for offences by the nation’s drivers, including speeding and parking violations, works out at a staggering £10bn. Those in London rack up the highest lifetime tally, with an average of £680, while those in Northern Ireland tot up only £90. Motorists in the North-East recorded the second highest average at £352. Men lose the battle of the sexes as they are hit with £344 in fines during their driving careers compared to £210 for women. The survey suggests misdemeanours cost motorists £200m in total each year. If that figure is multiplied over a 50-year career at the wheel, then the nation’s total hits the £10bn mark. The research found that 34% of drivers have been fined for speeding at least once and 6% have been caught three or more times. Nearly four in ten have been slapped with at least one parking fine and one in 14 are serial offenders with three or more tickets. The survey of 1,017 motorists for the esure car insurance website found that more than a third of motorists are confused by the myriad of parking rules and regulations. Others admit they do not know many of the other highway laws which could lead to fines. More
(AD Remarks ~ There must be a good ammount of drivers who obey the rules and have never had any fines, so what does that say about some other drivers and their driving?)

High numbers of Deer accidents costing lives!

nick — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 22:32:35 +0000

There are now more accidents involving deer than ever before – and the problem is getting worse. Gary Ennes had only one thing on his mind as he drove his Ford Fiesta home one evening along the A1060 in Essex, with his workmates following 100 yards behind. It was early December and after a long day at work Gary was thinking ahead to a family party planned for Christmas Day. Sadly, he never made it. “The next thing I remember was waking up; I thought it was the day after,” says the 60-year-old electrician, “except that I was in a strange bed…” In fact he was in intensive care and just regaining consciousness after hovering on the brink of death for five weeks. “I woke up in a different year,” Gary says. To the horror of his workmates, a deer bounded across the road and cannoned through Gary’s windscreen before crashing straight out again through the rear window. He was left fighting for his life with nine skull fractures, a smashed jawbone, a brain haemorrhage, a broken wrist and thumb. It took three years of painful operations and rehabilitation before he returned to work. A freak, one-off accident? Sadly not. Gary’s experience is far from unusual and, as figures obtained by Telegraph Motoring show, it’s becoming an increasingly common scenario. Experts we consulted estimate that accidents involving deer on British roads are on the rise by up to six per cent a year. We shouldn’t be surprised; traffic levels are rising and there are more deer than at any time in the past 1,000 years thanks to mild winters and more woodland cover. An average of 15 to 20 motorists die each year after encounters similar to Gary’s. A further 1,100 are seriously injured and some 700 sustain less serious injuries. More
(AD Remarks ~ A much under-estimated problem on the roads. For the drivers there is not much that can be done to avoid the animals, given so little reaction time. Perhaps roads can be protected more from this risk in know areas.)

Learners annoy residents in South Woodford!

nick — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 22:22:15 +0000

Much as they try to be tolerant, the residents of the Firs Estate have had enough of learner drivers stuttering, stalling and kangaroo hopping around their roads. The quiet grid of leafy streets and family homes has been identified as the most popular gathering place in Britain for trainee motorists. Now, locals have had enough and have set up a campaign group to threaten legal action against the local authority to tell the driving schools to go elsewhere. The estate in South Woodford, east London, received hundreds of learner drivers in one day. A recent survey counted 409 in a 12 hour period. The problem started nine years ago when the town became a test centre and has gradually got worse, with more than 100 accidents recorded since 2001. BSM, Kims, Bill Plant, Rudi’s and Eurodrive are just a few of the driving schools clogging up the streets. Learners line behind each other to practise reverse parking, parallel parking and three point turns, with often calamitous results. Parked cars, garden walls, lampposts and trees have all fallen foul of the inexperienced motorists at the wheel. Eddie Blackwell, leader of the campaign group, said several local people had suffered minor injuries while one man was knocked out after a learner driver hit him. More
(AD Remarks ~ New drivers do need to practice somewhere, and these residents were perhaps learning to drive themselves years ago, so there needs to be some tolerance. BUT the problem here is serious as the volumes of tuition cars seems very high, and it seems that instructors are not as professional as they should be if the massive number of crashes is to be believed!)

Dog trapped in car sounds the horn!

nick — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 21:58:28 +0000

A local Labrador helped himself get out of a scorching situation by taking matters into his own paws. Donna Gardner said 11-year-old Max is not just a dog. He’s like another member of the family. “You have to know Max,” Gardner said. “He’s a very smart dog and he just does things that I don’t think a normal dog does all the time.” The chocolate lab proved that a couple weeks ago. Gardner said she took Max with her when she ran an errand, but forgot the dog was still in the car when she returned home. “I came in and started cleaning and about an hour later I heard a horn blow,” she said. Gardner went outside, but didn’t see anybody. “So, I came back in the house and I started cleaning again and the horn blew again,” she said. This time, Gardner said she saw Max sitting in the driver’s seat of her car. More
(AD Remarks ~ Bet he was barking mad to be left in that heat!)

Parish Councillor paints yellow parking lines outside his house!

nick — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 21:47:18 +0000

Fed up with neighbours parking outside his house, Paul Syrett decided he had to draw the line somewhere. So he did – in bright yellow, right outside his property. After dark, the parish councillor set to work with his paint brush, marking out two parking bays to deter motorists from encroaching on his territory. And while taking the law into his own hands attracted the wrath of the local authority, they have apparently surrendered in the face of his refusal to remove the lines, admitting it is not worth wasting taxpayers’ money. Neighbours yesterday expressed outrage at the decision, branding it ‘completely unfair’ on the road’s other residents. Sandie Mills, 42, who has lived opposite Mr Syrett for four years, said: ‘As soon as I moved in he made it clear that those spaces belonged to him. ‘I took him at his word because he seemed so sure. ‘It was only after he painted the lines that I looked into it and was assured by Gloucestershire Highways that they were illegal.’ More
(AD Remarks ~ Perhaps an elected offical should be setting an better example to everyone. Might well be a vote voser for him!)

Bugatti sets production record of 264mph!

nick — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 23:06:56 +0000

The land speed world record for a production car has been smashed by a Bugatti sports car. In a flash of orange and black, the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport achieved an incredible average top speed of 267.8mph – far exceeding the expectations of Bugatti’s engineering team. Bugatti’s chief engineer Dr. Wolfgang Schreiber said: ‘We took it that we would reach an average value of 264mph but the conditions today were perfect and allowed even more.’ It was accepted into the Guinness World Book of Records by officials. More
(AD Remarks ~ Thats some speed. Quite a turn around in economy, from all the green and fuel efficient cars they are trying to develop these days!)

4×4 on the wicket stops play in cricket match!

nick — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 22:36:39 +0000

All afternoon he had listened to the thwack of leather on willow from his garden beside the village green. But when the fifth ball crashed against his window, Neil Cutts decided it just wasn’t cricket. The enraged 38-year-old software engineer leapt into his 4×4 and drove it on to the pitch, scattering players and sending spectators running for cover. Then he parked it in front of the wicket – and refused to move until he got an apology. Astonished officials were forced to abandon the match and ask Mr Cutts to remove his Toyota Rav4 from their freshly mown strip. Eventually the players – who posed for photos with the unlikely addition to the pitch – apologised, and the father of two removed his car. But yesterday the remarkable saga was the talk of the the village of St Helens on the Isle of Wight. More
(AD Remarks ~ Lucky he had a 4×4, wonder if this is the first time it`s been `off road?)

One in ten Learners didn`t know their instructor was a trainee!

nick — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 22:29:56 +0000

The AA has renewed its campaign for transparency over driving schools’ use of trainee instructors, as a new investigation reveals that up to 75,000 learners have in the last year been taught by an instructor they didn’t know was a trainee. In a survey of 2,000 young drivers, only 2 per cent believed they had been taught to drive by a trainee instructor. However, recent figures from the Driving Standards Agency show that trainees make up more than 14 per cent of all instructors. “This means around one in every ten pupils who thought their instructor was fully-qualified, were in fact taught by trainees. With 750,000 people learning to drive each year this suggests there are up to 75,000 learners a year who do not realise their instructor is also learning on the job,” says AA President Edmund King. In a recent AA/Populus survey, fewer than 0.5 per cent of AA members said that if they were given a transparent choice, for lessons charged at the same rate, they would choose a trainee. “Incredibly, driving schools are not obliged to give you a transparent choice. So many charge as if it’s a fully-qualified instructor but give you a trainee. There’s a canyon between what learners think they are paying for and what they get. The official pink badge trainees are required to display is clearly leaving learners none the wiser. Driving schools must be forced to come clean before more young learners are literally taken for a ride.” More
(AD Remarks ~ When you meet your instructor for the first time, they should show you their licence. You can then check the photograph for ID, and that the licence is current. It is the law to display, when giving paid tuition. There is currently problems with cowboy instructors, who don`t hold eith licence, so always be vigilant.)

Single gatso rakes in £1.3 a year in fines!

nick — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 22:28:15 +0000

A campaign group has claimed a speed camera on a Dorset road nets about £1.3m a year in fines despite one serious injury on the road since 1999. Dorset Speed said an average 1,843 motorists a month get a £60 ticket after being caught over the 30mph limit on the A350 Holes Bay Road in Poole. But Dorset Safety Camera Partnership (DSCP) said about 600,000 vehicles pass through the junction every month. It added that “only 0.26% of these drivers were prosecuted for speeding”. Ian Belchamber, who founded Dorset Speed, said the DSCP refused his Freedom of Information request claiming the data would encourage attacks on speed cameras. Mr Belchamber took the case to the Information Commissioner who released the figures. He added that the fines totalled around £108,000 a month, equating to the £1.3m figure. Mr Belchamber said: “Quite obviously, speed cameras are being deliberately used where they are going to get the maximum amount of funds and not where there’s a safety problem. More
(AD Remarks ~ In what seems to be a road with high volumes of traffic and not having a bad record, the camera appears to be a `cash cow` for the authoritites rather than a device to enhance road safey.)

`Free` mobile phone sat-navs rack up huge roaming charges!

nick — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 21:48:38 +0000

Using “free” navigation abroad could cost over *20p per mile in roaming charges 185 mile Calais to Paris trip costs *£24 to £39 in roaming charges one way, *£52 to £78 return journey Garmin, global leaders in satellite navigation**, today revealed the cost of using “free” satellite navigation on your mobile phone abroad. Users can rack up a phone bill more expensive than the cost of their fuel used for the journey. The company found that using one of the most well known turn-by-turn navigation services on a mobile phone generated a bill of £36 in data roaming charges for a journey from Calais to Paris – some 185 miles – meaning a cost for navigation alone of over 20 pence per mile. Garmin’s Head of Communications, Anthony Chmarny said: “Using free satellite navigation isn’t as free as it would like to make out, especially when you are using your mobile phone abroad. Many of the well known navigation products use the mobile phone network to download maps as they go, meaning people could end up with a nasty shock when their mobile phone bills arrive – the costs could be double that of the fuel used for the journey they were navigating. “We tested the route from Calais to Paris four times and each time it came up with the same results: between 12-13 megabytes of data per journey. On a pay as you go mobile phone this meant £36 to £39 to get from Calais to Paris – some 185 miles on a contract plan the cost is a little less, but still equates to £24 to £26 per single journey.” More
(AD Remarks ~ High charges indeed! Buying the Sat-nav units them selves are less than some of the small journeys listed in the report.)

Londoners fined £7.3m by CCTV cars!

nick — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 21:05:10 +0000

Londoners have paid £7.3m in fines in one year after being caught out by CCTV cars which “compromise road safety”, a privacy campaign group has claimed. Currently 24 councils use cars mounted with cameras on masts to spot traffic offences, Big Brother Watch said. The group said these patrol cars were being used by councils to “make money, with road safety only an afterthought”. Lambeth Council, which earned the most at £1.68m, in fines, said its income went towards road safety schemes. Big Brother Watch said it obtained these figures from councils under a Freedom of Information request. Councils issued the fines to 161,000 London motorists between April 2009 and March 2010. Across Britain, 31 councils use the patrol cars and 25 of these issued fines worth £8m using these vehicles, the campaign group said. More
(AD Remarks ~ Another hefty income from the motorists. Its good to hear some councils using the money for road safety schemes, rather than the funds just being swallowed up by the government.)

Italians to ban the over 80`s from driving!

nick — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 21:58:34 +0000

Italian drivers are renowned for their cavalier attitude to the rules of the road. But with one of the highest death tolls in Europe – more than 5,000 last year alone –the authorities have decided something needs to be done. Their solution is to propose a ban on all drivers aged over 80, because they are considered less alert and more easily distracted. Mario Valducci, chairman of the Italian parliament’s transport committee, said: ‘We must look at setting an age limit.’ Currently driving licences must be renewed every ten years until the age of 50, every five years until 70 and then every three years. Drivers-have to provide medical certificates but there is no practical test. More
(AD Remarks ~ Is this group of drivers really the problem? Why not target those who drive dangerously first. The elderly may well be less alert, but they would also be driving much slower, and their years of experience should make the majority safer anyway.)

Trucker pulls out one of his teeth while driving!

nick — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 22:47:11 +0000

A Kitchener truck driver is facing a careless driving charge but on the bright side, his tooth doesn’t hurt anymore. Lambton County OPP say they stopped a big rig driver doing some driving dentistry along Hwy. 402 on Wednesday. Const. John Reurink told the Sun Saturday it’s the first time he’s ever heard of a driver being pulled over performing dental surgery. “I’ve never heard of this sort of thing occurring before,” Reurink said, adding he has stopped drivers doing their make-up, reading a map or talking on a cellphone. “Somebody doing an amateur tooth pulling? That’s a first.” Reurink said it all started June 30 when an officer was on Hwy. 402 in Warwick Township, near Sarnia, and a passing driver pointed him to a tractor trailer being driven “all over the road.” The officer found the eastbound rig and pulled it over. Cops determined the 58-year-old driver was driving so poorly because he was trying to pull out a tooth while he was driving. “The driver was very forthright with the officer,” Reurink said. The amateur dentist of a driver had rigged a string around his hurting tooth and then tied the other end to the roof of the cab, police said. “One good bump and the tooth should come out,” police explained. More
(AD Remarks ~ Wonder if the fine ends up being more than the dental charges he could have paid?)

Listening to sport gives reduces road awareness as much as alcohol!

nick — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 22:35:45 +0000

Many sports fans could be putting their lives at risk during the summer of sporting events by listening to important matches and races on the radio while driving. A new research study released today by Direct Line, commissioned with Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), reveals that motorists’ reaction times are 20 per cent slower when they are emotionally and mentally engaged in listening to sports commentary on the radio while behind the wheel. If travelling at a speed of 70mph, this distraction would add six metres to a motorist’s stopping distance. To put this into context, this increase in distance travelled is 10 per cent further than the additional stopping distance when driving with a blood alcohol level at the UK legal limit (80mg/100ml). During the testing, there were nearly 50 per cent more incidents of hard braking while motorists were listening to sports commentary on the radio, in comparison with driving without any distracting factors. This suggests that the motorists were not paying enough attention to the road and had to make late decisions to respond to the conditions and drivers on the road around them. Worryingly, motorists do not perceive. More
(AD Remarks ~ Anything that takes our attention from the roads is a big problem. If anyone has got a big wager on a race, they would be advised to drive slower while listening, or even stop for a few minutes.)

A18 declared as the most dangerous stretch of road in the country!

nick — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 22:55:04 +0000

Twisting through a rolling landscape of green and vivid yellow fields, the road swoops down into a tight bend then straightens again, allowing the driver to accelerate up through the gears. It is the English highway of car ads and films, the perfect spot to luxuriate in the exhilarating fun of the open road. This stretch of the A18 cuts through picture-postcard Lincolnshire countryside, skirting the edge of the Wolds, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a magnet for walkers, birdwatchers and devotees of wildflowers. Well away from the thunder of the motorways – there are none in Lincolnshire – everything, including the smell of freshly cut grass, combines to give a sense of tranquillity, rural isolation and, not least, safety. This could not be more deceptive. The Road Safety Foundation (RSF) has just published its detailed annual study, funded by the Department for Transport, into the safety of Britain’s roads. The report, the only one of its kind, collates the number of fatal and serious-injury collisions on 2,741 sections of road, and grades each section according to its level of risk. This short, 10-mile stretch of the A18 topped the list as the most dangerous length of road for car drivers anywhere in the country, when collisions involving motorcycles are excluded. More
(AD Remarks ~ A pretty looking road, but deadly in its own way. These roads need to be treated with respect, as lack of vision, can lead to problems happening very quickly, with not just oncoming vehicles, but drivers going off the road as well.)

Lady charged £1,333 to park for 30 minutes!

nick — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 22:51:17 +0000

A mother who parked in a shopping centre multi-storey for half an hour was stunned after returning to her car to discover the bill was a staggering £1,333. Diane Slater had only popped to the town centre to pay some bills and run a few errands. But the 49-year-old panicked when she discovered her half-hour trip had been charged at a rate of £44.43 a minute – or a mind-boggling 74p a second. The car park of the Clock Towers Shopping Centre, in Rugby, Warwickshire, normally charges shoppers 50p for an hour and £1.50 for up to three hours. But the token-operated machine had incorrectly calculated her stay as being a huge 308 days – even though the car park closes at 7pm daily and does not allow overnight stays. Finding herself short of over a grand in cash to pay the bill, she pleaded with the car park’s security guard to recognise the obvious technical blunder. But he initially told her she would have to fork out the money before his common-sense colleague came to Mrs Slater’s rescue. More
(AD Remarks ~ Atleast common sense prevailed in the end!)

Motorway closed by fake arm!

nick — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 22:47:56 +0000

A HALLOWEEN style plastic arm sparked a major police operation off the M62, disrupting thousands of motorists. The drama, complete with a helicopter and police dogs, was caused by a joke shop forearm with fake blood. Today police said it may have even fallen from a passing lorry or car. The saga began when members of the public reported seeing a severed arm lying on an exit sliproad, prompting police to scramble the force helicopter. The slip road approaching Tarbock island at junction 6 was shut down for several hours while scientific support officers scoured the verge with police dogs while the chopper roared over head. Initial reports suggested the police were hunting for a city villain, but by late afternoon rumours began to circulate that a severed arm was the cause of the incident. Eyewitnesses at the scene reported chaos as members of the public wandered around in the road and police cars lined up at the traffic island. More
(AD Remarks ~ It was all quite armless in the end!)

Can I wear sun glasses on my driving test?

nick — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 22:37:03 +0000

At ALPHA DRIVE, we always have lots of questions from our students about various aspects of their driving lessons, the DSA testing process and general motoring issues. Each month we will add a frequently asked question to our ever expanding website. We will generally select the monthly question, but pupils past, present and future are welcome to email question suggestions, and we will endeavour to add answers as the months go.

July 2010 Monthly question: Can I wear sun glasses on my driving test?

For Bedford Driving Lessons contact ALPHA DRIVE on 0800 2118871.
We also cover Sandy, St Neots and the local area for driving lessons.

Information on “Frugal Cars”

nick — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 22:19:15 +0000

 With today’s economy consumers are doing all they can to save themselves money. One great expense the consumers can have might revolve around a vehicle. Many consumers are now trading off expensive vehicles and opting for cheaper models. If you’re in the market for one of these cheaper, used car models, there are many web sites online, that can help you determine where you can find these vehicles.

 One of these frugal used cars that you might want to consider is a Citroen C2, anywhere from 2003 and on. These cars are not only cheap to buy but there also inexpensive to run. Many like the funky and modern look of the vehicle. You will also find that this car is easily manoeuvred within small space is making it a good choice for city driving. There are some drawbacks of this vehicle. Some are dissatisfied with the cheap interior plastics and the light steering but most are pleased with the C2 considering the money they say with this vehicle. Another Citroen model, the C1, is also a frugal vehicle. These models from 2005 and on are generally cheap to run. Like the C2 they also fit in small spaces. Some do complain of the noise the vehicle makes on the motorway.

Read the full article Frugal Cars.

Government to give low carbon car clubs given £40K boost!

nick — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 20:27:14 +0000

Car clubs are set to benefit from an extra £40,000 of Government funding, Transport Minister Norman Baker announced today. The money will be used to support car club development in the UK. Membership of car clubs allows access to low carbon vehicles for short periods of time, often by the hour, on a pay-as-you-go basis. The clubs have increased massively in popularity with the number of members increasing from just 22,000 in 2007 to more than 127,114 members to date. The Government views such schemes as an effective way of tackling congestion, reducing the level of CO2 emissions and improving the quality of life of citizens and communities. Members tend to choose to travel fewer miles by car compared to private car owners and the vehicles they do drive are more efficient. Transport Minister Norman Baker said: “The Coalition Government, in its programme for government, has been clear in its commitment to sustainable travel initiatives such as car clubs to help achieve a greener and more sustainable transport sector. “The figures speak for themselves – each car club vehicle can result in taking 24 private vehicles off the road and the low carbon vehicles used typically emit approx 33% less CO2 than the average car. This is why we are supporting the continued growth of car clubs across the country.” More
(AD Remarks ~ Good new for the very occasional driver, who doesnt want the exepense of owning a vehicle.)

“Stopping Distances” Theory Questions

nick — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 19:37:23 +0000

At ALPHA DRIVE, we are keen to help our students not only with driving tuition, but also with advice on how to develop a sound knowledge of the road. Each month we will add a selection of our own theory questions to the website, helping to further road safety, and theory test preparation.

July 2010 Theory questions: Stopping Distances

For Bedford Driving Lessons contact ALPHA DRIVE on 0800 2118871.
We also cover Sandy, St Neots and the local area for driving lessons.

A537 Macclefield-Buxton is UK’s most dangerous road!

nick — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 22:05:54 +0000

The report lists the UK’s 10 persistently higher risk roads which have shown little or no change since the earlier report covering 2003-2005. Top of this year’s persistently higher risk roads is the A537 between Macclesfield and Buxton, known nationally as the Cat and Fiddle. A 50mph single carriageway, running through the Peak District National Park, the route has severe bends, steep falls from the carriageway and is edged by dry-stone walls or rock face for almost all of its length. It is popular with tourists, heavy goods vehicles and high-powered leisure motorcyclists. Fatal and serious collisions on this section have risen by 127% in the last 3 years rising from 15 in 2003-2005 to 34 in 2006-2008, with most crashes at weekends during the summer in dry, daylight conditions. Police records show that the vast majority of casualties were motorcyclists, from outside the local area, male, and with an average age of 35. More
(AD Comments ~ If you have to travel that stretch of road – take care!)

23% of young drivers admit to racing on public roads!

nick — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 21:38:29 +0000

Young people admit to shocking levels of speeding, frequently with their friends in the car with them, finds research published today (30 June 2010) by charity Brake and FedEx Express. The survey of 2,800 British youngsters by the road safety charity and courier service, carried out as part of their 2young2die campaign, found: •More than half (56%) have been a passenger in a car driven by a young driver at more than 40 mph in a 30 mph limit or at more than 70 mph on a rural road. •1 in 5 (23%) have raced on a public road as a driver or passenger. •1 in 10 (10%) have overtaken another vehicle, at speed, without being able to see what is coming. Young passengers find it difficult to speak out when put at risk by speed, or don’t perceive the risk. More than half (58%) of young passengers who’d been in a car driven by a speeding young driver said they didn’t ask the driver to slow down. The result is tragic loss of young lives. Road crashes are the biggest killer of young people aged 15-24. Young drivers are involved in more fatal crashes and more are killed than any other age group of drivers. A huge 43% of people who die on the road in crashes involving speed are aged 16-25. Many more young people suffer catastrophic injuries such as brain injury or paralysis. More
(AD Comments ~ Some young drivers don`t realise the dangers to themselves and others of excessive speed. On driving lessons they are taught good skills and examiner passes them with the sasme good skills. After the test, young drivers need to still be responsible, at what is still a young age for driving a motor vehicle, but many do not and the high casualty figures show this all too graphically.)

One in ten British roads ‘unacceptably risky’!

nick — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 21:21:03 +0000

As many as 10% of Britain’s motorways and A-roads present an unacceptably high risk to drivers, a major report revealed today. Half of all crashes occur on just one tenth of Britain’s road network, the report from the Road Safety Foundation found. Most of the higher-risk roads are in north west England, Yorkshire and the Humber and the East Midlands, while Scotland has the highest risk rating of all the regions. The West Midlands is the safest region, while the most persistently dangerous road is the A537 between Macclesfield in Cheshire and Buxton in Derbyshire. The report, which covers 28,000 miles of roads, also found that one third of all fatal and serious crashes occur at junctions and that single carriageways offer six times the risk of danger to motorists than motorways and twice that of dual carriageways. Also drivers were seven times more at risk on major roads than on minor ones. More
(AD Comments ~ In this current climate of spending cuts, will their be money available to correct these problem roads?)

US approve design of car that can fly!

nick — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 21:34:45 +0000

The Terrafugia Transition, a light aircraft that can convert into a road-legal automobile, is to go into production after being given a special weight exemption by the US Federal Aviation Administration. The Transition was designed as a “light sport” aircraft, the smallest kind of private aeroplane under FAA classification, with a maximum weight of 1,320lb. But the manufacturers found it impossible to fit the safety features – airbags, crumple zones and roll cage, for instance – that are required for road vehicles into that weight. Uniquely, however, the FAA has granted the Transition an exemption – allowing it to be classified as a light sport aircraft despite being 120lb over the limit. Light sport aircraft licences require just 20 hours’ flying time, making them much easier to obtain than full private licences. The two-seater Transition can use its front-wheel drive on roads at ordinary highway speeds, with wings folded, at a respectable 30 miles per gallon. Once it has arrived at a suitable take-off spot – an airport, or adequately sized piece of flat private land – it can fold down the wings, engage its rear-facing propellor, and take off. The folding wings are electrically powered. Its cruising speed in the air is 115mph, it has a range of 460 miles, and it can carry 450lb. It requires a 1,700-foot (one-third of a mile) runway to take off and can fit in a standard garage. More and video
(AD Comments ~ The ultimate Boys Toy at the moment, but a technology improves, we could many more of these multi-puropose vehicles.)

Nearly a fifth of drivers don`t belt up all the time!

nick — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 21:30:12 +0000

As many as 22% of motorists fail to wear seatbelts all the time, a survey today shows. And around the same number do not put them on when they are travelling as passengers, the poll by insurance company esure found. Based on responses from 1,372 motorists, the survey also showed that 5% have gone on entire journeys without buckling up. Also, one in six does not wear a belt on short trips, while 10% of passengers have to be prompted to wear them by the driver. More
(AD Comments ~ Sealtbelts could save your life, so why do so many not wear them?)

Speed bumps made from recycled tyres!

nick — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 21:16:01 +0000

Rubber speed humps made out of recycled car tyres have been laid on the streets of Leicestershire. The low cost, eco-friendly solution to speed management in the county has saved taxpayers some £15,000 off normal construction costs while reducing the carbon footprint of the region – by being more energy efficient to produce than traditional speed humps. Leicestershire County Council said the new humps will be rolled out at suitable sites across the county following their introduction in Birstall. More
(AD Comments ~ Sounds like a good idea all round!)

Learners charged extra to book their tests!

nick — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:11:28 +0000

The AA is warning learner drivers over online ‘booking services’ that add surcharges of up to 65% to arrange a driving test which learners can easily book themselves. A number of young learners alerted the AA after they unwittingly booked their test through third-party commercial websites that invite learners to enter their details and preferred dates for a Driving Standards Agency test. Learners are then charged over £50 for a theory test for which the DSA charges £31, with the difference being levied as an ‘administration fee’. Some sites add fees of up to £30 to book a practical test – on top of the standard DSA fees of £62 for a weekday test or £75 for a weekend or weekday evening – while bookings for extended tests attract booking fees of up to £40. Simon Douglas, director of AA Driving School, says: “These so-called ‘services’ invite you to type in the same details you would if booking directly with the DSA, only on a different website and at a hugely inflated cost. Some sites include ‘DSA’ in their Google search listings or web page headings, which can make it confusing as to whose site you’re on. More
(AD Comments ~ When you book your test, always make sure you are on the offical site. At Alpha Drive, we always offer to book tests for our pupils, if needed, and many other school would also.)

Motorists consume 4,000 calories a week while driving!

nick — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 22:40:55 +0000

Motorists are eating up to a fifth of their daily calories by snacking behind the wheel on junk food and chocolate bars, a new survey says today. It says the average British driver consumes a whopping 3,960 calories each week at the wheel of their car – equivalent to two days of a woman’s recommended daily calorific intake. Figures released today find that nearly six out of ten of choco-guzzling motorists regularly tuck into their favourite snacks while driving, totting up an average of 410 calories on each journey. A high energy chocolate bar alone contains about 280 calories. According to the Korean car-maker Kia Motors ‘Spare Tyre report’, which analysed British driving habits, UK motorists make nine trips by car each week, grazing on food and drink on most occasions. The report says: ‘Chocolate, sweets and fizzy drinks were revealed as the snacks that most drivers eat at the wheel – the combined calories of a fizzy drink and bar of chocolate totalling 410 calories each time. ‘The combined in-car calories represent 21 per cent of the recommended daily intake for a woman and 16 per cent for a man.’ To work off the effects of their indulgence, the motorists would have to spend an hour on an exercise bike or 30 minutes on a tennis court. The recommended daily calorie intake is 2,500 calories for a man and 2,000 for a woman. When asked about their reasons for snacking at the wheel, the ‘Spare Tyre’ report found that nearly half of motorists eat and drink on the go because they don’t have time at home. Some 1 in 6 of drivers admitted to drinking their morning cup of tea or coffee in the car in order to extend their lie in, while 10 per cent said that they regularly juggle a sandwich with the steering wheel. More
(AD Comments ~ We all need to make time to eat properly, in this health sconcious world. Also remembering that eating and drinking while driving can impair driving skills, making you less safe on the roads!)

Council wastes £130,000 building road crossing over driveway!

nick — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 22:23:20 +0000

A blundering council has wasted £130,000 of public money on a pedestrian road crossing that cannot be used. Bizarrely the puffin crossing was installed months after the same council granted residents Angela and Robin Wray planning permission for a driveway access to their house at exactly the same spot. Officials realised it would be unsafe to use the lights as pedestrians would have to stand at the entrance to the couple’s property. The lights have never been turned on in two years. Meanwhile, Kirklees Council has been fighting an expensive losing battle to try and legally ban the retired teachers from using the drive that they were given permission to build. Officials issued a ‘stopping up order’ to stop the access being used by cars, but Robin Wray, 66, and his wife Angela, 63, successfully appealed the ban at a public inquiry last month. Now councillors are coming under fire for running up a six-figure bill. To add insult to injury, if the council backs down it will cost taxpayers a further £30,000 to remove the crossing in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire. Mrs Wray, a mother-of-three and grandmother, yesterday described the council’s decision to build the crossing at the same spot as ‘sheer madness.’ More
(AD Comments ~ Its hard to understand how lacking in common sense some authorites are, especially at a time when we are all trying to save money, not waste it!)

Figures show that road deaths reach all-time low!

nick — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 20:24:30 +0000

The number of road deaths recorded on British roads fell to a record low last year, according to the latest Government figures. Released by the Department for Transport (DfT), the figures show that 2,222 people died in accidents last year – a drop of 12% from the 2,538 deaths reported in 2008. This represents the lowest annual total since records began in 1926, and a vast reduction on the post-war high of almost 8,000 recorded in 1966. Child deaths saw a particularly marked reduction – falling from 124 in 2008, to 81 last year. Meanwhile, there were 26,096 people killed or seriously injured (KSI), representing a fall of 6% over the previous year, and around 222,000 road casualties – around 4% fewer than 2008. More
(AD Comments ~ If the figures are to be believed this is a step in the right direction. Still more needs to be done though.)

Lady clamped and fined as she tried to do a U-turn in car park!

nick — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 20:08:11 +0000

A motorist had her car clamped while she was still at the wheel. Jessie Martin pulled into the car park to make a U-turn – but two vans from a clamping firm pulled in to block her exit. Two men approached her and ordered her to switch off the engine. When she obeyed, they fitted a clamp to her car. ‘These men just came out of nowhere,’ said Miss Martin, 31. ‘I thought I was getting robbed or something. They didn’t have any uniform on, they didn’t even have badges on. ‘He asked me to turn the engine off because he said something and I didn’t hear him – and that’s when he clamped me.’ Miss Martin said the clampers – from LBS Enforcement – had only pulled on identity badges after they had attached a clamp to her car. The mother-of-four called police and her partner after the clampers warned her the car would be towed and she would be charged £80 for every half hour they kept her waiting for their money. ‘She was in a terrible state when I got there,’ said her partner Michael Jenner, 39, a roofer. ‘She was crying and felt very intimidated. If she had parked then fair enough – but she was only turning around. More
(AD Comments ~ Something needs to be done to tighten the laws so these things don`t happen. But whats go through someones mind to do this to a mother alone with her four children, in the first place?)

Men and women crash differently research shows!

nick — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 22:17:22 +0000

Men and women may continue to argue about who are the better drivers, but one area where there is a clear difference between the sexes is the type of accidents they have in their cars. Research by women’s car insurance specialist, Diamond has found there are certain types of accidents women are more likely than men to be involved in. The list for women includes accidents in car parks, bumps on roundabouts and prangs at traffic lights. On the other hand, male motorists are more likely than female motorists to have a head on collision, drive their car up or down an embankment or hit a crash barrier. Diamond studied data from over two million accidents over five years and found a marked difference between the types of accidents men and women have. Sian Lewis, managing director of Diamond, said: “We hold a vast amount of data on accidents and wanted to see if there was a difference between the sexes. “It soon became clear that there was; women tend to be in more accidents at slower speeds, where cars are close together, while men have more high-speed accidents where it is easy to lose control. “Our research suggests the way men and women drive is different. Possibly men drive faster and more aggressively than women, while women are more easily distracted than men behind the wheel of car.” More
(AD Comments ~ So know we know!)

Crash survivor thanks his lucky clover!

nick — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:49:48 +0000

Medical staff found a four-leaf clover stuck to the back of a young driver who survived a crash which left him speared through the chest by a fence post, it was revealed today. Raymond Curry, 20, was on his way to work when his Vauxhall Corsa overturned and rolled through a fence into a field near his home in Cramlington, Northumberland, on June 13. He was flown to hospital still impaled by the piece of wood, which by chance had missed all his vital organs. Two other posts had pierced his wrecked hatchback, but missed him by inches. An air freshener inside the car somehow ended up inside his wounds, and was later removed. It was at hospital that the lucky clover leaf was found on his back. Mr Curry was recovering at home after having surgery to remove the stake, and part of his bowel, and was too tired to speak. But he earlier told the Evening Chronicle newspaper after the crash that he felt incredible pain and believed he was going to die. “I know how lucky I am to be alive,” he told the newspaper. More
(AD Comments ~ A very lucky charm for this guy to keep hold of!)

Scottish drink drivers to have cars seized and crushed!

nick — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:40:39 +0000

NEARLY 40 vehicles have been crushed as part of a crackdown on persistent drink-drivers. Officers believe the “outstanding success” of the six-month-old scheme could see it extended to first-time drink-drive offenders caught several times over the limit or who refuse to provide a breath test or drive while banned. Under the pioneering Scottish crackdown, prosecutors can seek the destruction of the vehicle of anyone caught twice for drink-driving. Prosecutors have the power to seek to forfeit the vehicle of any driver charged with an imprisonable offence, so the scheme could eventually cover those convicted of dangerous driving and causing death by careless driving. The 39 vehicles seized so far include a £20,000 Audi TT by Grampian Police and a Land Rover Freelander in Edinburgh. The more valuable ones are sold while the rest are crushed. More See also Previous post for punishments around the world
(AD Comments ~ Should make a good deterent. Everyone know drink driving is wrong and illegal, this may ram home the message!)

St Ives car parking space sold for £60,000!

nick — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 20:56:03 +0000

A SINGLE car parking space in St Ives could have become one of the most expensive outside London after it sold for almost £60,000. The tiny plot of land in the town’s much-sought-after Downlong area was snapped up by a local resident for almost £20,000 over the asking price following a sealed bid auction. The cost of the space equates to more than three times the average annual salary in St Ives and is around two thirds of the cost of a secure under-cover parking space in London’s most expensive Park Lane area, currently advertised at up to £90,000. The new owner, who is thought to live nearby in Porthmeor Road, clinched the deal after beating offers from around a dozen hopefuls. Jonathan Payne, branch manager at Bradley’s Estate Agents who conducted the sale, said he cannot recall a parking space commanding a higher price. “I don’t know if it is a record but I cannot remember one going for more,” he said. “Spaces are always in short supply in St Ives and even going back years they made a premium price,” he said. “Downlong has been a favoured location for many years – it is a beautiful part of the world and people aspire to live there.” Mr Payne said the high price reflected the chronic lack of car parking in the old part of the town. The plot of land beside the entrance to the council-owned Island car park was sold two weeks ago. It was advertised for £40,000 but eventually changed hands for a figure “in the high fifty-thousands”. More
(AD Comments ~ That a lot of money for a small bit of land!)

Congratulations Otis!

nick — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 19:17:17 +0000

Well done on passing your driving test today, in Bedford, with just one driver fault, after taking your driving lessons in Bedford with ALPHA DRIVE.

Congratulations and best wishes from everyone at the driving school, as your look forward to many years of enjoyable and safe motoring.

For more information about the taking Driving Lessons contact ALPHA DRIVE on 0800 2118871. We also cover Sandy, St Neots and the local area for driving lessons.

Camera vans target railway level crossing abuse!

nick — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 22:36:15 +0000

Motorists in Scotland who misuse railway level crossings will have their actions recorded by two new vehicles with state-of-the-art cameras. The van and car are the first to be used and introduced by British Transport Police (BTP) in Scotland to monitor safety at level crossings. The car will monitor the central area of Scotland while the van will be based in Inverness and watch the level crossings in the north of Scotland. The vehicles will be manned by two officers each. The vehicles, which can record crossing misuse anywhere in the country, went on show on Tuesday to mark International Level Crossing Awareness Day. Footage can be downloaded and shown to drivers to educate them on the proper procedures at a crossing. It can also be used as evidence following an offence. More
(AD Comments ~ Surely the thought that a fast moving train will crash into you and likely kill you should lead you to be more alert at level crossing, than a camera taking a picture of you taking a risk and sending you a fine. But not for some it would seem!)

Black cars more likely to have crashes research shows!

nick — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 22:00:52 +0000

Black cars are up to 47 per cent more likely to be involved in crashes, research shows. A 20-year study revealed black cars to be the most dangerous – and white, gold and yellow to be the safest. The reason lies not in who is behind the wheel, but in the visibility of their vehicle, say the researchers. Black, grey, silver, red and blue fail to stand out against the background of the road, scenery and other traffic. The team, from Monash University in Australia scrutinise police data on 850,000 accidents for information on the car, they time of day and the type of prang. Commercial vehicles, including taxis and white vans, were excluded from the mix. After trying to take into account the possibility that drivers who take risks might be drawn more to some colours than others, they found black cars to be most accident prone. During daylight hours, they were up to 12 per cent more likely be in crashes than white vehicles, while at dawn and dusk, the figure rose to 47 per cent. More
(AD Comments ~ That`s a long study to work out what we all know, that brighter colours are easier to spot! But if everyone drove responsibly and observed the road, it shouldn`t matter what colour car you drive.)

Booster seat warnings issued to parents!

nick — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 21:53:15 +0000

Child booster seats without integrated seat backs are dangerous and should be phased out, according to consumer group Which?. The group says that through the use of such seats, or no seat at all, 47% of children aged 4-12 are at risk of “serious injury” during side impacts – accidents which it says account for around a quarter of all collisions. By law, children who are under the age of 12 or under 135cm tall must use a booster seat – though a study highlighted last year by Which? found that only 42% of parents correctly understood this. It adds that in a survey it conducted last month of 1,000 parents of children in this age group, 30%, of respondents said that they use a backless booster cushion, while 17% admitted using no child car seat at all. But while backless cushions meet legal requirements, Which? says, parents should be “very wary” of using such seats, due to what it claims is the minimal level of protection they offer. More
(AD Comments ~ We all know that childrens safety is top priority. So with issues like this we could do with more offical advice from government sources, so we know exactly what is the best way to protect children.)

Pink cars used on driving lessons to calm nerves!

nick — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 22:28:45 +0000

BSM, a major motoring school, is using pink Fiat 500s because it claims their paintwork calms learner drivers. The company quotes research showing that pink has a relaxing effect on physical behaviour, reducing anxiety within minutes of exposure to the colour, helping to steady nerves. The pink Fiats will be located in London, Bristol, Manchester and the south-east. According to the Institute of Biosocial Research in Tacoma, Washington, USA, pink helps heart muscles relax, promoting slower and deeper breathing, leaving novices relaxed but alert. This apparently allows the learner to “be in a more receptive state of mind” so that they can absorb and respond to information from their instructor. ntwork calms learner drivers. More
(AD Comments ~ May be a calming car of girls, but many guys wouldn`t want to drive such a car. It might make them more nervous of being spotted, while out on the lesson!)

US cars could soon show adverts on their number plates!

nick — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 20:49:52 +0000

California is weighing whether to allow advert-broadcasting digital number plates on vehicles, in a bid to raise revenue for the cash-strapped state. Drivers could select messages to display and could earn rewards from advertisers that pay the state. The state senate is considering a bill to allow research into the move. At least one firm, in San Francisco, is developing an electronic number plate that would scroll adverts while a car is stopped at lights and in congestion. The company, Smart Plate, holds a patent on the technology but has yet to produce a demonstration model. “We’re just trying to find creative ways of generating additional revenues,” said Democratic Senator Curren Price of Los Angeles, who introduced the legislation to explore whether to adopt the new plates. “It’s an exciting marriage of technology with need, and an opportunity to keep California in the forefront.” More
(AD Comments ~ There will not doubt be many who would welcome this move, but would it distract motorists too much?)

Homeowner interrupted watching TV as car crashes through wall!

nick — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 20:45:43 +0000

A DAD has told how he cheated death after a car smashed through his living room wall and stopped just inches from him. A two-foot long section of the car’s front lights broke off and flew just above David Douglas’s head. He has been told his family’s home is now unsafe to live in and may have to be knocked down. David, 34, looked on in horror as the car crashed into his home as he lay watching The Godfather III. But even though he believes the car was travelling at around 60mph, the woman driver and her two passengers also escaped without serious injuries. David, a security worker, said: “I think it was a purple Ford Fiesta, although the front of it was so badly damaged I can’t be totally sure. “The emergency services told me they don’t know how anyone could have walked away from that accident. More
(AD Comments ~ Lucky escape for the guy. Bring HD to new realistic proportions.)