Motoring Newsbriefs

Oct 13 2009 Maurice Glover

SET FOR OCTOBER ACCIDENT FESTROAD accidents are set to rise by 15 per cent this autumn as drivers fail to adjust to the change in conditions.

Accident management company Accident Exchange says drivers are not modifying their driving styles to suit the weather.

'October delivers some of the worst driving conditions of the year as the weather changes and the clocks go back, but motorists tend to remain in summer driving mode.

'Historic data leads us to expect 15 per cent more accidents this month compared to the average for the previous six months. Drivers need to remember that stopping distances on wet and slippery roads can double those of dry conditions and that a vehicle travelling at 40mph will need up to 72 metres to come to a stop,' says spokesman Gordon Grant.

Last year, Accident Exchange reported more vehicle accidents in October than any other month - approximately 9 per cent of all incidents for the year.

SMART IDEA FOR ROADSIDE RE-CHARGEAN ELECTRIC smart city car is helping a British firm come up with new ideas in keeping battery-driven vehicles charged up at roadside facilities.

But data collected by Elektromotive, a leading provider of recharging solutions, will be fed back to the car maker as it moves toward series production of the model next year.

The UK firm specialises in the installation of charging facilities in car parks, business premises and homes and is thought to be able to supply invaluable user information to Mercedes-Benz, the manufacturer of smart.

'We will report back on the car's battery performance, reliability and range. The shift toward zero emissions motoring is fast gathering pace and it is vital that fully compatible recharging infrastructures for EVs are put in place across Europe.

'With daily access to a smart electric drive we will accelerate the real-world evaluation of new charging technologies, such as fast-charging solutions for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. Working with a major manufacturer also enables us to have an input into how future EVs will operate, especially in terms of battery performance,' says the company.

BERLINGO GOES HOMECOMPACT motorhome builder Romahome has chosen the latest Citroen Berlingo as the basis for the third generation of its conversions.

The new R25 carries on the tradition of one piece monocoque bodies that started with models built on the Citroën C15 from the mid 80s and followed by the original Berlingo.

ALTO GOES ISLAND HOPPINGSUZUKI has proved that small cars are capable of making big trips after two of its Alto supermini models completed a 2,112 mile marathon drive through New Zealand's North and South islands and back again.

Manual and automatic versions of the city cars were driven from Auckland to Invercargill, then onto the Bluff - the most Southerly point - before making the return journey back to New Zealand's largest city.

Average consumption of the three-cylinder, one-litre models over the six-day run was 63.8mpg for the manual version and 56.5mpg for the automatic.

'Plenty of New Zealanders think you need a big car for journeys longer than going to the supermarket, but we have just proved that any prejudices about small cars can be put aside,"said a company spokesman.

HUMMER'S ON CHINESE MENUPRODUCTION of the Hummer vehicle is set to continue following the acquisition of GM's all-terrain brand by one of China's largest privately-owned engineering companies.

Financial details of the deal have not been disclosed, but the purchase by Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery is expected to secure more than 3,000 manufacturing and retailing jobs in the US.

MORE THAN PISTON CHATTERMOST car drivers admit to talking to their cars, according to new research findings.

A survey by used car website motors.co.uk revealed that 75 per cent of motorists chat to their cars as they drive.

'The rise in the popularity of in-car sat navs could explain why more drivers have become comfortable communicating with their cars," says a spokesman.

'But not all car talk is idle chatter. Some luxury models like the Jaguar XF now have a voice activated command system and the Mercedes E-class has a voice warning to tell drivers about upcoming road signs.'