Based on the price increase, it would cost around £60 to fill up a 40 litre petrol tank, the average size of a small to mid size car.
Nationwide Autocentres, the leading chain of independent car servicing and MOT test centres, is offering some simple driving advice to get the most out of fuel fill-ups:
- Check tyre pressure and tread depth to make sure your vehicle isn't working harder to maintain traction or manoeuvrability
- Don't overload your vehicle
- Ensure that your vehicle is regularly serviced as the overall condition of the vehicle can affect petrol used per trip.
- Add Powermaxx fuel system treatment to your tank. (Powermaxx is a tested and certified fuel system treatment that reduces exhaust gas emissions and improves fuel economy).
Duncan Wilkes, from Nationwide Autocentre, said: "Rises in petrol prices affect all motorists, especially in prime driving seasons. As such the only way to offset the effects of increases at the pump is to be more conscious of petrol consumption and adopt fuel efficient driving methods."
Sat nav units top target for thieves
Sat Navs are fast becoming part of the car thieves ‘must have', according
to a variety of police reports from across the UK which indicate one is now
being stolen every four minutes.
These popular driving toys, while revolutionising car journeys have made
the hit list due to motorists leaving them on show either on a dashboard
or back seat, and tell tale sucker marks left on windscreens, which indicate
the driver uses a Sat Nav.
Car stereos and CD players have long made an ideal snatch and grab but security
technology has succeeded in deterring opportunistic thieves due to the incorporation
of removable face plates and other anti theft devices.
Nationwide Autocentres, the leading chain of independent car servicing and
MOT test centres, offers the following advice to protect Sat Navs:
- Remove your navigational unit from your vehicle; don't just put it in
the glove compartment or under your seat. Most of the units offered now
are small enough to fit in a jacket pocket
- Mark your Sat Nav with your postcode, house number or your vehicle registration
number using a special security marker pen
- Put a road map on the side of your passenger seat; if a Sat Nav is not
in plain sight, a road map might give the false impression that the driver
doesn't have a Sat Nav
- Be mindful of sucker marks on your dashboard or windscreen, even if a
Sat Nav isn't visible, an opportunistic thief may still risk breaking a
window to see if one is in the car
Duncan Wilkes, from Nationwide Autocentre, said: "Don't treat your Sat Nav
as part of your car, if you have a removable system, take it with you just
as you would your CDs or phone. Sat Navs are expensive investments so why
take the risk of them being stolen when just a few conscious checks could
solve the problem."
Motor insurance claims say the funniest things
As a nation known for its poor excuses it's hardly surprising that motor
insurance claims can often provide some of the most creative justifications
for hitting other vehicles or worse, pedestrians.
Online motor insurance company Duck2Water has reported some of the more
amusing claims made by its customers:
Accidents with pedestrians
- The guy was all over the road. I had to swerve a number of times before
I hit him.
- The pedestrian had no idea which way to run as I ran over him.
- The car in front hit the pedestrian but he got up so I hit him again.
- I saw a slow moving, sad faced old gentleman as he bounced off the roof
of my car.
Car accidents
- I collided with a stationary truck coming the other way.
- I had been shopping for plants all day and was on my way home. As I reached
an intersection a hedge sprang up, obscuring my vision and I did not see
the other car.
- As I approached an intersection a sign suddenly appeared in a place where
no stop sign had ever appeared before. I was unable to stop in time to
avoid the accident.
- In an attempt to kill a fly, I drove into a telephone pole.
Who caused the car accident?
- On approach to the traffic lights the car in front suddenly broke.
- I had been learning to drive with power led steering. I turned the wheel
to what I thought was enough and found myself in a different direction
going the opposite way.
- An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my car and vanished
- I had been driving for forty years when I fell asleep at the wheel and
had an accident.
The moral of the story, be careful what you write when making a claim as
you will be taken LITERALLY!
