Author: pulp

Simple safety tips for the winter weather

Home / Auto News / Simple safety tips for the winter weather

Gareth Herincx

3 days ago
Auto News

Peugeot-208-driving-n-the-snow

Road safety and breakdown organisation GEM Motoring Assist is urging motorists to take extra care, as more wintry weather hits the UK.

Road journeys are more difficult and treacherous when there is ice on roads, foggy conditions or a fall of snow, so GEM is encouraging drivers to plan ahead and be ready to postpone journeys if necessary.

For those who will need to travel, here are some simple safety tips to reduce the chance of risk, delay and difficulty – and to avoid putting additional strain on the emergency services and breakdown providers who are likely to be at full stretch in winter weather.

  • Don’t drive if you don’t really need to. The easiest way to avoid trouble from winter conditions is to postpone your journey.
  • If you do have to travel, ensure your car is properly equipped for the likely conditions. That’s because if you do experience a breakdown, you will most likely have to wait longer until help arrives. So get a winter check-up completed on your car – or at the very least ensure the battery is in the best possible shape.
  • Listen for weather updates, and plan your travel accordingly.
  • Ensure your windscreen and all other windows are completely clear of snow and ice before you set out. Give your lights and number plate a good wipe, too.
  • Prepare a set of essential items to take with you, including shovel, fully charged mobile phone, torch, ice scraper, food, water, jump leads, first aid kit, warm clothes and a supply of sand or gravel to assist with grip if your wheels are spinning.
  • In winter conditions, keep your speeds down, leave plenty of space between yourself and the vehicle in front, give room to snowploughs and gritter trucks, and be ready for sudden, rapid deteriorations in conditions.
  • Remember that driving in conditions like this is hard work. You are likely to become tired much more quickly than in less challenging conditions. So ensure you build in breaks on your journeys.

“It makes sense to have a plan in place that means you can postpone a journey, or switch to public transport. Agree to reschedule a meeting or a visit if it’s not vital,” said GEM chief executive Neil Worth.

“In that way, you’re avoiding a lot of potential trouble for yourself, and ensuring you won’t be putting additional strain on emergency and recovery crews, who are sure to be at full stretch in the coming days.”

Tags

Gareth is a versatile journalist, copywriter and digital editor who’s worked across the media in newspapers, magazines, TV, teletext, radio and online. After long stints at the BBC, GMTV and ITV, he now specialises in motoring.

Check Also


Gold-wrapped Nissan Qashqai

British-built Nissan Qashqai was UK’s bestselling car in 2022

The Nissan Qashqai was the UK’s most popular new car of 2022, and the first …

NSX TYPE S, ACURA’S LAST HURRAH

Cam VanDerHorst watched the last second-gen – NSX Type S, Acura’s Last Hurrah – being built at Honda’s Performance Manufacturing Center, and blogged about it on Hagerty.com

NSX TYPE S, ACURA’S LAST HURRAHWhen enthusiasts see references to “350/350” the first thing that usually comes to mind is Chevrolet’s venerable vintage 350 cubic-inch, 350 horsepower small-block V8. When Acura talks about 350/350, it’s all about the 350th of 350 NSX Supercars built, specifically the unique second-gen Type S showcased here.

More than a year before Acura announced that it would be ending production of the NSX in 2022, Eric Kobren, a first-gen NSX owner, called his contact at Acura and asked if it would be possible to purchase the last one built. Kobren, who pilots a HondaJet and a member of the Sarasota Café Racers, wanted to own the last one built. Since he drives his cars and not interested in stashing it away and flipping it later, Acura saw him as an excellent ambassador for the brand. And, they sealed the deal. Not long after taking delivery, it was spotted in the wild at a Café Racers lunch, below!

By the time that you read this, the second-generation Acura NSX will already be dead. We were lucky enough, late last year, to attend Acura’s living wake of the final NSX, a highly-optioned, metallic gray Type S with serial number 350/350. We had the opportunity to witness that final car begin its life as a welded aluminum subframe before its slow, methodical journey through each assembly station at Honda’s Performance Manufacturing Center in Marysville, OH.

The death of a supercar is always a sad day. We do not begin to truly appreciate what we treasure most in this world until it is gone. When a beloved celebrity dies, fans, family, and colleagues are ready to offer heartfelt condolences. There’s generally a sense of regret that we never told those we’ve lost just how much they mattered while they were still with us.

Honda’s Performance Manufacturing Center (PMC) is deeply tied with into the history of the second-generation NSX. The factory was designed in concert with the car itself, optimized for the express purpose of building a modern Japanese supercar in the rolling farmland of central Ohio. All things come to an end however, and it was noted during our tour that the PMC is not “the NSX factory.” PMC, Acura maintains, has a long and exciting road ahead of it (more on that later).

Continue reading Cam VanDerHorst’s NSX TYPE S, ACURA’S LAST HURRAH @ https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/we-watched-acura-build-the-final-nsx-supercar/

Limited Edition Vespa 946 For The Year Of The Rabbit

If you like special scooters, then you might want to keep some money aside for the next 12 years, beginning with a limited edition Vespa 946 for the year of the rabbit in 2023.

The Vespa 946 10° Anniversario is being produced in a limited and numbers series of 1000 scooters, and is the first of a new annual edition which will be inspired by the animals of the lunar horoscope. Derived from the Chinese zodiac signs, you may suspect this is an attempt to boost sales in China.

The new Limited Edition Vespa 946 for the year of the rabbit in 2023
The new Limited Edition Vespa 946 for the year of the rabbit in 2023

Further details are due to be released, but you get a refined burnished finish with warm reflections, and a double-upholstered saddle with burnished stitching. The 946 has been the basis of previous special editions, including the Christian Dior scooter, since the model launched in 2013. And generally, the changes are mainly cosmetic, meaning you’ll still get a standard 125cc four-stroke single aircooled engine, clad in retro-inspired bodywork offering 11.7hp.

The year of the rabbit Vespa 946 is the first in a planned series of 12 annual special editions
The year of the rabbit Vespa 946 is the first in a planned series of 12 annual special editions

Other features of the 946 include both ABS and ASR electronic traction control, 12 inch wheels, dual disc brakes, LED lights, and a full LCD dash. And even if you’re not particularly interested in lunar horoscopes, it’ll also work for fans of rabbits in general. Or if you’re building a collection of slightly unusual Vespa scooters.

It's a good choice if you're a fan of rabbits...
It’s a good choice if you’re a fan of rabbits…

Check out our other Vespa news and coverage, including previous special editions, here. And there’s always a huge range of modern and classic Vespas to browse on eBay if you have a hankering for a scooter. Including new and used Vespa 946 models starting from around £5,699.

Related

Pothole-related breakdowns are accelerating

Gareth Herincx

3 days ago
Auto News

Road pothole - RAC

RAC patrols attended nearly a quarter more breakdowns where potholes were likely to blame in the last three months of 2022 compared to the previous three months, according to new RAC figures.

Released to mark today’s National Pothole Day show, the data show’s the motoring services company’s roadside staff went out to an average of 20 breakdowns a day between October and the end of the year – a total of more than 1,800. Faults included damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs and distorted wheels.

This was up from 16 a day over the previous three months (1,462 in total) and was the highest number of pothole-related breakdowns seen in the fourth quarter of the year since 2019.

The threat of a plethora of potholes appearing over the next few months is now very real indeed given how much rain there has been either side of December’s sub-zero temperatures. These are the perfect conditions for creating potholes, as water makes its way into cracks which then expand when it freezes, causing the road surface to crumble.

Research for the RAC’s latest Report on Motoring found that an enormous 86% of drivers have had to deliberately steer to avoid potholes over the past year, a figure that rises to 90% of those in rural areas but only falls to 81% of those in urban locations. Most drivers (55%) also rated pothole repairs in their local areas as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’.

“We fear that by the Spring, drivers will be plagued by a plethora of potholes across the country’s roads which makes journeys uncomfortable and frustrating or, worse still, could lead to very expensive garage repair bills – the last thing anyone wants in a cost-of-living crisis,” said RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes.

“It’s also important to remember that potholes are so much more than just an annoyance, they are a true road safety danger, especially for those on two wheels as they represent a huge risk to their personal safety.”

Check Also


Volvo C40 Recharge

‘Dual fuel’ owners opt for electric over ICE for most journeys

Around a third of electric vehicle drivers run a petrol or diesel vehicle too, according …

JEAN BUGATTI, DREAM MERCHANT

A creative visionary ahead of his time, JEAN BUGATTI, DREAM MERCHANT turns 114 and continues to inspire Bugatti Automobiles’ team in Molsheim!

JEAN BUGATTI, DREAM MERCHANT

Ettore Bugatti’s first son, Gianoberto Carlo Maria Bugatti, was born in Cologne, Germany, on January 15, 1909. In Molsheim, he became known as Jean, the French equivalent to “Gian”.

Having grown up surrounded by a family of visionary artists, Jean benefited from an upbringing that would allow him to flourish as an automotive engineer. It quickly became evident to many that his mind was free from the usual set of norms and design conventions.

“Jean Bugatti was an artist of the highest order that so happened to craft his work in the automotive sphere,” says Christophe Piochon, President of Bugatti Automobiles. “And for that, we can all be thankful, because Jean’s work was extraordinary; his conceptions at the time weren’t just forward-looking, they were otherworldly.”

As a young man, he ambitiously added a new dimension to the Type 41 Royale his father presented to the world in 1926, designing the Type 41 Royale Roadster Esders, an elegant two-seater convertible. And the Esders marked the start of not only Jean’s design journey but the beginning of the Jean Bugatti era of the business, guided by his beautiful designs and ingenious creations. By 1936 Ettore passed the baton onto his son, giving him full responsibility of the company at the tender age of 27.

It’s a clear sign of his confidence and attitude that in the same year he was entrusted to run Bugatti, JEAN BUGATTI, DREAM MERCHANT created a car renowned today as one of the most beautiful ever: the Type 57 SC Atlantic. This car quickly became an iconic reference point that went beyond automotive, taking its place as part of a collective French design movement that was at the vanguard of interpretation: Art Deco.

JEAN BUGATTI, DREAM MERCHANTHis legendary creation would even come to inspire the one-of-one La Voiture Noire1, a modern homage to the Type 57 SC Atlantic. Jean’s legacy, however, would extend far beyond this one car. His daring work and artistry have echoed throughout the ages, influencing the shape and style of Bugatti in the modern age.

Jean’s acclaimed C-line design – visible in models such as the Type 50, above, and Type 57, top,  – has been carried throughout the decades, visible on both the Veyron and Chiron2, becoming a core part of Bugatti’s design identity. Jean’s design work also centered on the use of perfect proportions, the bold center line accentuation and the dropping beltline, used to great effect in the Atalante and Atlantic. His use of duotone colors and the creation of shapely forms designed to reflect light in interesting ways is consistently referenced in the modern world of Bugatti design. There is no doubt that today’s modern line-up of Molsheim’s hyper sports cars is deeply connected to Jean’s visionary ideas.

Jascha Straub, Sales and Design Executive at Bugatti, said: “While working on a car with a customer, as I play with new colors, textures and designs, I always have in my mind Jean’s legacy and his groundbreaking vision for the brand and his way of treating cars as sculptures and setting motion into action even when the design is static. Many of our customers value the heritage of our brand and its visionary custodians so we often seek to accentuate the center line and create combinations of colors that best showcase Jean’s approach.”

While Jean’s light shone brightly, sadly its arc was destined to be short. On August 11, 1939, at the age of 30, Jean tragically died in a car accident not far from the Bugatti factory. But Jean’s light will forever shine upon Bugatti, helping to guide the brand as the future plays out. Even on the company’s latest creation – a unique Chiron model called the Profilée, which goes on auction in Paris on February 1 – Jean’s character and body of work is apparent, gracefully shaping the automotive solitaire with a design that is elegant and timeless.

For more about JEAN BUGATTI, DREAM MERCHANT and the latest ultimate design & performance vehicles, please visit https://www.bugatti.com/