For some older drivers, the prospect of taking the car out in order to go shopping or see friends is can be stressful – a stress inspired by the risk of having a collision or suffering a car breakdown. But new research being carried out at Newcastle University is aiming to use technology in order to make driving easier for older motorists.

As part of the £12 million “social inclusion through the digital economy (SiDE)” project, led by the university, new ways are being sought to reduce stress encountered by senior drivers. The “DriveLAB” – a technology laden electric car developed by the university – has navigation tools, intelligent speed adaptations and night vision systems.

The data gathered by this system, along with information taken from older drivers directly, is pointing towards ways that technology can be used to make the driving experience easier.
The project is driven by the fact that so many older people rely on their car in order to carry out the basic tasks of life, but also as a way to maintain social contact with the world. If a driver feels compelled to reduce the amount of driving they do, or even give it up all together, there is a risk that that person can become isolated.

Among the technology being developed are night vision systems for aiding night-time driving and a specialised sat-nav system.

Volvo. Surely one of the world’s car brands you would least associate with the need for breakdown insurance. Indeed, this reputation for reliability has been the mainstay of the brand’s attraction for many decades. But with reliability comes connotations of being old-fashioned and not quite as ‘sexy’ as other car brands.

But how important is it to be sleek, exciting and modern? Very, if you look at what Volvo has been up to. The new V40 model is a prime example of where Volvo wants to be going over the coming years. You can still see the classic Volvo lines in this new car, but it is distinctly sleeker and more futuristic than older models.
Of course, Volvo would be crazy to try to shed its ‘sensible shoes’, safety-conscious image totally, but by combining a unique and very modern approach to its design with a focus on safety, it is appealing to the biggest car market on the planet: China.

The middle class Chinese want a car that both demonstrates their status in the world, and keeps their family safe. Thus, the new Volvos could feed this need very effectively.
Add to this, Volvo’s intention to set up manufacturing facilities in mainland China (via a partnership with its Chinese owner, Geely) and you get a real sense that Volvo – like many other car makers – sees its future in China.

It’s not known exactly what, if any, car breakdown cover will be protecting London 2012′s official vehicles, but BMW, who is providing these modes of transport will of course be hoping that no such cover will be required. It is not the question of reliability of the official vehicles that has been troubling BMW, but rather how environmentally-friendly they are.

The German automaker has come under heavy criticism from Green campaigners for providing 4000 high powered vehicles for the Games. The vehicles will be used to ferry VIPs to the various venues in dedicated lanes. Instead of such high powered vehicles, campaigners have suggested that VIPs use only electric cars or even use public transport.
While the use of public transport by VIPs might constitute an unnecessary security risk, the electric-only idea might be thought to hold some water.

But BMW has struck back fiercely, arguing that all its vehicles fall within the London 2012 Organising Committee’s guidelines on CO2 emissions. In fact, they say, the average CO2 emissions for each vehicle is 116 grammes per kilometre (g/km), which is the same as Ford’s modestly-sized Ka.

The figures appear to refute criticism from the Green lobby, despite the size and high power behind London’s Olympic fleet.

One man who’s never been a stranger to the profession of vehicle recovery is Britain’s best known (and probably only) super-hero, James Bond. Some might say the term super-hero is a little over the top, but how else would he have survived about 24 separate car crashes with nothing more than a squint tie and a slightly annoyed blonde by his side?

While his escapades would have certainly kept a great many vehicle recovery providers in long trousers over the years, the world of insurance might not have looked upon the UK’s greatest intelligence asset with quite so much fondness. Indeed, any attempt to benefit from a no claims bonus might be viewed with a great deal of suspicion.

The savvier of insurers might confront him with video evidence of dozens of high-speed crashes involving Aston Martins, high-end BMWs and submarine Lotuses.
Using the video’s freeze-frame, an unperturbed Mr. Bond might casually bring the insurer’s attention to the fact that the Aston Martin was driven by a sarcastic but handsome looking Scottish type, the BMW by a distinctly different chap, probably of Irish descent by the look of him, and the submarine Lotus by a smug-looking toff with a permanently raised left eyebrow. These men, Bond would say, are all different.
The befuddled insurance man would reluctantly concede that all these men were indeed different, and that yes Mr. Bond, your no claims bonus is still in one piece, even if 24 luxury sports cars are not.

One has to question whether investing so much time, money and effort into facial reconstructive surgery and name deed-poling is quite worth the joy of maintaining one’s no claim bonus. Worth a try I suppose.

There are some motoring situations that even the most advanced breakdown insurance provider might not be able to help a vehicle owner with. Someone’s $376,000 Lamborghini Aventador bursting into flames for no apparent reason is probably one of them. Unlikely, you might think, but that’s precisely what happened to an online business millionaire in California recently.

The rear left tyre of the Aventador in question reportedly burst into flames, causing the driver to promptly stop the car and escape, before the entire vehicle went up in flames. Highway 73 in the San Joaquin Hills area was the setting for the incident – an explanation for which has not yet been provided by Lamborghini.

Fire crews were called out to attend the scene, but there was little left to salvage of the £200,000 vehicle.
The aftermath of the fire was recorded on video and posted to Youtube. It can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w__otZn4RGQ

While the sports car maker is yet to comment on possible reasons for the fire, there are likely to be a few concerned faces in the board room of Lamborghini; if vehicles that cost more than a quarter of a million dollars start going up in flames, the overall cost of a recall would surely cause significant damage to the firm’s bottom line. But it is early days, and many current and would-be Aventador owners will be watching out with bated breath for Lamborghini press statements in the coming days and weeks.
With luck, this is simply a one off and not a model-wide issue.

The combination of driving and camping has long been a popular way to enjoy Europe for a little bit less. Countries like France and Germany have many hundreds of high quality campsites that are nearly always significantly cheaper than their hotel or hostel counterparts. Here are our top 5 tips for camping.

1. It may sound a little obvious, but setting up your tent before the sun goes down is very wise. Anyone who’s tried to set one up in the twilight or pitch dark will tell you this is not a fun situation to be in. Therefore, give yourself plenty of time to locate the camp site once you’re in the desired area.

2. Choose a good quality, appropriate sleeping bag. When the sun goes down in most parts of Europe, it gets cold, so having a sleeping bag that can ensure you and your family stay warm is essential. If you’re going in early spring or late summer, it might be wise to choose an extra thick sleeping bag. Ask at your local camping store for more information.

3. Leave no trace. For anyone who loves the environment, this should be easy to do. Ensure you leave anywhere you camp just as you found it. If you’re in a more wild setting, this is especially important. Try to keep campfires small. Do a final check around the campsite before you leave to ensure no rubbish or waste is left behind.

4. If you’re planning on doing a lot of hiking or walking, the right clothes are essential. Even in summertime Europe you may be hit by a rainstorm, so waterproofs might be a good idea. Invest in some good quality hiking boots with absorbent lining if you plan on taking to the hills a lot.

5. Make sure you don’t get lost. This should be easy in popular camping areas, but if you go wandering in wilder spots, you may benefit from a map, compass and GPS. But make sure you know how to use them before you go!

For additional peace of mind, and if you don’t have an annual European breakdown policy, consider taking out short term European cover before you set off.

Over the last few years a new market within the motor industry has emerged – namely that of the SUV – and for some old European brands, it has helped keep them afloat. But why has the SUV captured the imagination of so many car buyers in such a short period?

It certainly isn’t because SUVs put less pressure on a drivers annual breakdown cover – although they may or may not be more reliable and durable.

As with so many questions relating to the automotive landscape, one has to look East. China in particular has fallen in love with the SUV, providing the main driving force behind new models from brands like Mercedes-Benz and Ford.

But within the general SUV market, there has been a big increase in demand for luxury or sports SUVs. Brands such as Porsche with its Cayenne model and Bentley with its post-code sounding EXP 9F, have demonstrated a more useful side to these prestigious, showy marques.

Could it be that the sports car owners of the eighties, nineties and noughties are dwindling in number? To be replaced, at least in part, by family-minded Chinese entrepreneurs?

It is a hard question to answer. Many of these luxury SUV purchases may be a second car, to sit alongside a sports car that already resides in the garage.

Whatever the answer, with news that Lamborghini too is introducing a new sports SUV (in the form of the Urus), this ever-growing market has plenty more surprises in store for us.

‘It can’t get any worse’. It’s a phrase that has no doubt passed through the minds of many motorists many times and yet it keeps on arising. You guessed it, petrol prices are moving again and not in the desired downward direction.

The average petrol price has risen to 142.48p per litre, after a short but welcome pause. Diesel is averaging at 147.88 per litre, just a little less than last week’s record price.

Another nasty statistic is that since the year began, petrol has gone up by 10.23p and diesel by 7.32p per litre.

Oil speculation is outlined as one of the primary reasons for the continued rise. It is thought that rising prices are reducing demand for petrol, resulting in what is effectively an over-supply.

Some quarters are saying that the government should do more to tackle price speculation and increase transparency in the markets.

But will the powers in control help the hard up families which are spending more on petrol to get to work every week than they do on food? Time will tell..

Fingers crossed pressure on the government will force them to do something, but until then, the only affordable aspect of motoring looks to be taking out a vehicle recovery policy with startrescue.co.uk.

UK drivers are increasingly turning to low emission, high fuel-efficiency cars, according to the motoring organisation, the SMMT. It said 46.8% of cars sold over 2011 gave off less than 130 grammes of CO2 per kilometre – an impressive figure when compared to 2007, when just 10.6% of cars fell into this category.
The overall average emissions from new cars bought in 2011 was 138.1g/km.

Given the rises in fuel prices and insurance costs, it’s little wonder that Britain is turning to greener technologies in order to lighten the burden on the household wallet. While all-electric or petrol-electric vehicles may well lead the way in future emissions drops, it is advances in petrol and diesel engine efficiency that has brought about this improvement.

With tough EU targets for emission drops (below 130g/km by 2015, followed by below 95g/km by 2020), the pressure is on to ensure that emissions continue to fall. Motorists, however, will no doubt like to see their fuel bills drop as a priority. Fortunately for all involved, both emission drops and fuel efficiency go hand in hand.
Finding ways to lower driving costs such as employing less fuel-intensive driving techniques and investing in fuel-efficient technologies – not to mention choosing affordable car breakdown cover insurance from startrescue.co.uk – will no doubt continue to be at the forefront of many a motorist’s mind.

If you’re one of our motorbike breakdown cover customers, you may well already be aware of the release of the MV Augusta F3, which is ready to buy now. A thrilling looking super bike that arguably has a lot to live up to, given the quality of its predecessor, the F4. So what does the motorbike world make of the new F3?

As far as the styling goes, it is, if anything, even more beautiful than the F4. The overall design, seating comfort and general pedigree of this bike, has been lauded by motorbike journalists across the world. Internally, however, the bike doesn’t quite cut it. The jury has returned and most agree that the electronics on the F3 have not been finished to an acceptable level.

The bike has been accused of dreadful fueling at low revs, due to the fueling maps which are, even according to the manufacturer, not yet ready. The word is that as it stands, the F3 has been calibrated for the race track, not the road.

As time goes on, there is optimism that these fueling issues can be fixed, with the potential result that the F3 becomes one of, if not the, best bike in its class. The current version can be snapped up for a very reasonable £10,000.