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- Published 17/03/2010 00:00:00 in Motoring and Car Insurance
Hoping to qualify for a No Claims Bonus on your car insurance? Then, if the results of a new poll are anything to go by, it might be a good idea to avoid the countryside, with motorists voting it far more distracting than giant billboards of David Beckham in his underpants or even the famous Wonderbra series of advertisements.
The Zurich Connect-sponsored survey found that people thought Beckham was just slightly more distracting than roadside graffiti and nowhere near as interesting as shop window displays.
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- Published 17/03/2010 00:00:00 in Motoring and Car Insurance
More than two-thirds of motorists support moves to lower the legal drink-drive limit, a survey has revealed.
As many as 71% of drivers polled agreed the current drink-drive limit of 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, or 35 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath, should be cut. More than half (55%) said the limit should be 20mg or lower, while 16% favoured a 50mg limit - the figure in operation in a number of EU countries.
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- Published 17/03/2010 00:00:00 in Motoring and Car Insurance
A refresher driving course would benefit nearly half of motorists, a survey has found.
The AA/Populus poll of 12,231 AA members identified the group who would gain the most from such a course as being drivers who have been off the road for a long time, and whose driving skills may have gone rusty.
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- Published 16/03/2010 00:00:00 in Motoring and Car Insurance
Police officers who were out on a campaign to educate drivers stopped a motorist who was driving with her bonnet wide open.
Officers from Dorset Police were working on the No Excuse campaign to tackle bad driving habits and cut accidents when they spotted the 53-year-old woman peering through the narrow gap. She was driving to a garage to have her faulty bonnet fixed.
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- Published 16/03/2010 00:00:00 in Motoring and Car Insurance
Nearly three-quarters (73%) of people would inform the authorities if they were concerned about driving standards of elderly friends or relatives they know, according to a latest survey.
The Institute of Advanced Motorists' (IAM) survey also revealed that almost seven in 10 back the idea of re-testing motorists older than 70.
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- Published 15/03/2010 00:00:00 in Motoring and Car Insurance
One in five owners of a car over ten years old has said they are thinking about scrapping their ageing motor and buying a new one through the government’s scrappage scheme.
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- Published 15/03/2010 00:00:00 in Motoring and Car Insurance
More than a quarter of drivers in the UK do not know how old their vehicle is, according to a new survey.
The poll carried out by Auto Trader showed that 26% were unable to identify the month or year in which their car was registered.
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- Published 12/03/2010 00:00:00 in Motoring and Car Insurance
Police are questioning 11 people following an investigation into an alleged "crash for cash" insurance scam.
The 10 men and one woman were arrested in Lancashire and Greater Manchester on suspicion of fraud.
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- Published 12/03/2010 00:00:00 in Motoring and Car Insurance
An espresso-powered car has been cheered through Manchester's streets at the end of an eventful 250-mile journey, which saw it overheat several times, although it did not actually break down.
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- Published 12/03/2010 00:00:00 in Motoring and Car Insurance
The coldest winter for 30 years has witnessed insurers pay out more than £650 million in weather-related claims, a trade body has revealed.
The Association of British Insurers said 335,000 claims had been made between December 18 and January 13 when the country was hit by heavy snow and freezing temperatures. Of these, the biggest area was car insurance, where firms paid out £395 million on 268,400 cases.
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- Published 11/03/2010 00:00:00 in Motoring and Car Insurance
A comprehensive car insurance scheme could help TV host Jem Stansfield prepare for the threat of breakdown as he readies himself for a 210-mile road trip - in a car fuelled by 10,000 espressos.
The Bang Goes The Theory presenter is driving from London to Manchester to test an experimental car that runs on coffee grounds. The vehicle converts the substance into flammable gases, which fuel the engine instead of petrol.
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- Published 11/03/2010 00:00:00 in Motoring and Car Insurance
More and more drivers will opt for used cars again as the government's "cash for bangers" scheme ends, it is claimed.
Carsite.co.uk found the value of good quality used cars rose as the ending of VAT reduction and the scrappage scheme pushed the price of new vehicles back up to former levels.
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- Published 10/03/2010 00:00:00 in Motoring and Car Insurance
The car scrappage scheme was not only beneficial to motorists and car sales, but the environment also, it has emerged.
A study by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) found new cars got greener last year, with the 09 and 59 plate vehicles emitting 149.5g of CO2 per one kilometre last year - a 5.4% drop on the figure in 2008.
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- Published 10/03/2010 00:00:00 in Motoring and Car Insurance
Around £2.85 million was paid out in insurance claims to motorists in February because their cars were damaged by potholes.
Insurers dealt with the equivalent of 1,900 claims over pothole damage, AA Insurance said. The firm added that the number of motorists claiming for damage done by potholes had gone up by around 600% in three years.
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- Published 10/03/2010 00:00:00 in Motoring and Car Insurance
Motorists across the UK are being urged to vote in a campaign to find the country's best garage for car services and repairs.
Run by Motor Codes, the campaign has already received more than 4,000 votes from people across the nation.
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- Published 08/03/2010 00:00:00 in Motoring and Car Insurance
A new survey published has shown that 47% of women drivers think they have a poor sense of direction.
The poll carried out by courier company Boxby.co.uk showed that around a quarter of women get lost while driving.
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- Published 08/03/2010 00:00:00 in Motoring and Car Insurance
Scottish officers have crashed hundreds of police vehicles into walls, tree branches and parked cars, causing hundreds of thousands of pounds of damage and potential car insurance claims.
Only a small number of the hundreds of collisions since 2008 occurred while police officers were responding to 999 calls and forces across Scotland said few officers have been suspended, fined or even reprimanded.
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- Published 05/03/2010 00:00:00 in Motoring and Car Insurance
UK drivers have endured recent petrol tax increases up to five times higher than in other European countries, a new reported has found.
Since the Pre-Budget Report at the end of November 2008, the burden of fuel duty and VAT on a tank of petrol in the UK has gone up 11.46%, compared with just 2.23% in Austria, the AA said.
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- Published 05/03/2010 00:00:00 in Motoring and Car Insurance
Sales of new cars increased by 26.4% last month compared with February 2009, it has been revealed.
And with figures showing that 68,686 cars were sold, it may be a busy time for insurers with many people seeking a new, competitive insurance deal.
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- Published 04/03/2010 00:00:00 in Motoring and Car Insurance
The Government has proposed new road safety measures which could see mobility scooter users being forced to pass a "fitness to drive" test.
The measures aim to reduce the number of accidents and may require users to have insurance.