One of life’s headaches, especially during holidays, is finding a parking spot. Competition for a parking space seems to bring out the worst in people. So there are two trends that may bring some relief: automatic parking apps that do it for you, or not driving at all.
Automotive
The danger of pot and booze together
Everybody knows driving under the influence of alcohol is dangerous. More recently, Australian police started testing drivers for drugs that are known to adversely affect their driving. Now a recent US study finds drivers with a combination of alcohol and marijuana in their body are five times more likely than sober drivers to cause fatal two-car crashes. Read More
Why and where people break down
There’s never a convenient time for your vehicle to break down but most people break down some time. The most common reason in NSW, according to NRMA, is flat batteries. In Britain, the top reason for AA callouts is tyre-related, ahead of battery faults. Read More
Too many still dying on the roads
Around 1,200 people die on Australian roads each year and 800 are seriously injured each week. Towards Zero recognises there’s no acceptable level of death or injury on the roads. Yet the annual road toll has fallen only 13% since 2010, well short of the National Road Safety Strategy 2020 target of at least 30% drop. Read More
Special bays for manic texters
Texting while driving is dangerous and breaks the road rules in most modern societies today. Even so, many people still admit to texting. It suggests the urge to do it is quite irresistible. WA recently trialled texting bays where motorists were encouraged to pull over and text. Read More
The highs and lows of cycling
Did you know around half of NSW residents have access to at least one working bicycle? The chances are it stays in the garage most of the time. While only 1 in 8 people ride a bike in a typical week, less than a third have ridden it in the past year. Read More
Left handers have more accidents
Children born left handed often struggle more at school. Maybe it’s the smudges on their exercise books from writing with a “crab” hand. Now one UK insurer has found left handers are more likely to cause accidents on the road. They also get 50% more speeding fines and, paradoxically, pass their drivers tests first time. Read More
Horns that quack like a duck
Living on a crossroads in a busy suburb, we hear drivers honking their horns regularly. We even call it “the daily honk”. But what if, instead of the grating klaxon, we heard the quacking of a duck? Read More
Texting kills
Sydney Swans players, Kieren Jack, Sam Reid, Callum Sinclair and Heath Grundy, appear in a funny, new road safety video about texting. The video, Get your hands off it. There’s no excuse., shows younger drivers they must put mobiles right out of sight while driving.
The decline of LPG
It was not so long ago the NSW government was offering rebates for owners to convert their vehicles to LPG. Times have changed. Now there is little incentive to switch to LPG and alternative fuels are available and more appealing. It means LPG bowsers are disappearing from service stations.
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