Car Articles

It has been brought to my attention that more than 40,000 uninsured drivers are out on the roads in the North East of England.  In some areas, it has been noted that almost one in five cars will be without any sort of cover at all, whilst arrests have reached a peak in the Northumbria area – with a quadrupling of arrests for driving without cover since 2004.

Safety campaigners are keen to point out the relevant statistical ‘facts’ too – that uninsured drivers are ten times more likely to drink-drive and three times more likely to be convicted (not just arrested there) than your standard, insured citizen.  Not surprising really is it, if someone is quite happy to break the law with regard to insurance, I doubt they’d have a qualm about the legal requirement to drive with due care and attention either.

In the North East alone, there were 3198 crashes involving uninsured drivers.  I’m sure you’ll all agree that is actually quite a high number – especially just for one area of England.  So why do people do it?  Well for one thing, there’s the usual excuse of ‘well my car’s insurance is actually more than the car’.  This is worrying on two levels.  First of all, if you scrimp on the few hundred quid it’ll cost for your (s)crapmobile, exactly how often do you get it serviced?  Do your brakes work?  Are your tyres at the legal tread depth?  No, I didn’t think so.

Secondly, if people feel that there’s no point in purchasing insurance, they’re sorely mistaken.  There are a good number of reasons, but here’s the main one.  Protection.  Insurance can be costly, there’s no doubt about it.  But have you ever taken a look at a liability case where someone has caused the death of another?  Well this will carry a jail sentence, along with a near-unlimited fine.  Insurance gives you legal protection in the face of a lawsuit for whatever reason involving your vehicle.

The protection afforded by insurance also covers you.  Quite often, good insurance will allow you to drive another car (this is more useful than it at first may seem), cover any valuables you may have in the vehicle or even provide you with breakdown cover through a third party.  All very valuable no?

Of course criminals come in all shapes and sizes and that’s exactly what uninsured drivers are – it is after all illegal to drive a vehicle without insurance.  So what sort of person might do this?  Well first of all, you have the young ‘just passed’ driver.  Their reasoning is normally the one above – cost.  However, I’ll say this.  If you can’t afford all the costs of a car (this includes fuel, oil, serving and insurance) then DO NOT GET ONE.  Cars as a mode of transport are a privilege not a right.  Because you have a driving license you don’t have a license to break the law.

Another type of driver that may not have insurance is the ‘not so savoury type’.  Granted, sometimes people may borrow a car very quickly, but there are others who may ‘borrow’ a car for a longer time.  They are also more likely to be driving unsafely remember – so we’re better off without them on the road too.

Foreign drivers, unfortunately, don’t always come along with the correct level of insurance.  Apparently, cops are told to take just as hard a line with them too – whether this happens or not I won’t speculate but once again, they are braking the law.  They need protection and so do the rest of us on the road.

So what might happen if you get caught?  New powers mean that the police can legitimately seize uninsured vehicles anywhere if found to have been driven uninsured, or if uninsured by the registered keeper.  New technology means that the law-breaker is much more likely to get caught.

What’s the bottom line?  There are a few things that you need in life if you’re going to drive.  The first is a license for the type of vehicle you’re going to drive.  The second is a safe, regularly serviced vehicle.  The third is fuel.  The final essential is insurance.  Don’t leave him without it.

Do you know someone who bangs on and on about how modern cars or rubbish?  Or how about the bloke in the pub who claims that his old Triumph TR-7 is better than anything else on the road?  It always interests me when this sort of argument crops up - not least because I think they are wrong but also because nostalgia has a place and you should be aware that is all it is.

Modern cars are wonderful, wonderful creations.  They are, almost without a doubt, better than anything else we’ve produced historically.  In every area I’m going to look at, you’ll see that not only should you be pleased with your modern car - whether it’s an Aston Martin or a Kia - and you should understand that it is a technological and engineering marvel.

Safety
In years gone by, a crash was bad news.  Far worse news than these days, where you’re more likely to be crying over a scratched bumper than you are anything else.  Back in 1970, 7,500 people were killed in road accidents.  In the year 2000, there were less than 4,000 even though there was more than double the amount of cars on the road.

Granted, anyone killed on HM’s highways is a tragedy, but these days cars are without a doubt much, much safer than previously.  Air bags, Safety cells, crumpling single-use bumpers and 3 point safety belts all work hard to help us reach B just the same way as we left A.

Technology
Driving has been made much easier due to a number of new technologies that have been pushed to the forefront of design.  These include ABS and traction control - two race-style developments that mean handling a car is easier.  It can also help you out in a tight spot and stop an accident happening in the first place.

Modern technologies have also made it possible to set up a car to have impressive dynamics at any given speed - such developments include the F1-inspired paddle shift and double clutch technology to handle lots of power.

Materials
The horrendous ‘plastic dash’ not withstanding in very cheap small cars, generally speaking the materials used these days are more sophisticated.  Whether this is the use of lightweight aluminium sub-frames carbon fibre roofs it is clear that modern advances have helped to make a modern vehicle lighter, better handling and prettier.

Exterior
Modern cars aren’t just designed by an engineer - a marketing team also designs them.  Whilst for some that might sound like a nightmare, for others it is very clearly a dream come true.  The reason for this is that there is literally something out there for everyone - whatever your need, style or choice.  Granted there are a lot of bland cars out there, but with everything from the Aston Martin DBS to the Fiat 500 you are certainly spoilt for choice.

A complaint of a certain generation tends to be that new cars have no ’soul’.  Well, whilst your retro-mobile is cool, my BMW M3 offers absolutely wild performance and style in the same package.  It also stops me from looking like I’ve reached a mid-life crisis early.

Comfort/Entertainment
These days we’re doing more and more miles in our cars - something which manufacturers are keenly aware of.  So much so that many motors are now set up to be an almost home from home, with DVD players, cooled gloveboxes for food, cubbyholes for toys and above all space.  None of this would be available in an unmolested oldsmobile and you won’t enjoy the bumpy or too-hard ride in one of those either.

Power/Efficiency
In years gone by, cars were lighter.  They were far less safe as well, as we also covered.  These days, cars are heavier, but they get much bigger engines.  This is fine though, because they emit far fewer gasses on the whole to pollute the planet with.  Not only that, but diesels are far more planet-friendly and a lot less noisy too.

Conclusion
It’s clear from the points above that you’ll find a lot more joy out of investing in a modern motor than a true ‘oldie’, even if it’s what you’d call a modern classic.  With those in mind, here’s a list of the modern cars that I think we should salute as some of the best of their type:
Ferrari F430, Porsche Boxster, BMW 3-series (saloon), Fiat 500, Lotus Elise, Mazda RX-8, VW Golf.

I’ll look at some of the above in further detail in the near future to let you know just why they are so good.