Category: Opinion

There has been a lot of criticism of space-saver spare wheels in some quarters. Much of it unjustified and ill-considered in my opinion. Space-savers are wheel/tyre combinations that are significantly narrower and slightly smaller in diameter than standard units. Their main reason for existing is to give more room in the boot. Firstly, because of the increasingly large tyres being fitted to modern cars. Secondly, as people move down to smaller cars to save fuel and reduce emissions they like to retain as much interior space as possible. Space-saver tyres… Read more

Had a long bus ride the other day and took a look at some of the habits of drivers with whom we were sharing the road. Some of the things I saw were truly horrifying. In particular the people you have to call ‘passengers in the driver’s seat’. Drivers who had left in a bit of a rush, so had brought their meals along with them are a real worry. Watching one guy doing an accidental lane swerve whilst taking the wrapping of his hamburger had me in fear of… Read more

“It’s easy to spot the worst drivers on the road,” said the noisy bloke at the barbie, “They are the ones who always drive with two hands on the steering wheel.” I must admit this stunned me. Regular readers will be well aware that I am forever preaching, “Always keep two hands on the wheel, two eyes on the road and all of your attention on driving.” Any other way of driving increases our chances of avoiding crash, or at least minimising the effects of one. It’s easy to ignore… Read more

I’m amazed by the number of people who ask my opinion about self-driving cars. Even friends and neighbours who have little or no interest in cars or driving often bring up the subject of autonomous cars. With the question, “When are they coming?” being asked pretty early in the conversation. Self-driving cars seem to be the dream of those who regard cars purely as a way of getting from point A to point B. Not surprisingly, they are hated with a passion by keen drivers who love nothing more than… Read more

The Volkswagen Group emissions cheating scandal has again brought up the argument that emissions and fuel consumption testing should be done in the real world, not in laboratories. Which sounds good in principle and I can understand why the general public is calling out for it. However, there are far too many variables in the real world so comparisons between vehicles require identical testing, which can only be done inside a building where temperature and weather are under control and cars are driven in an extremely accurate manner to follow… Read more