Archive for April, 2009
The AA, Nitrous & Bogus Stats
Apr 8th
You may have seen, all over the BBC, that The AA president, Edmund King, has been banging on about Nitrous Oxide (aka NOS) on the premise that “Modified cars ‘could put lives at risk’”.
It seems that Mr King would like to see legislation which would limit the ability of young drivers to carry out modifications to their cars.
He says:
If you then put [young drivers] in a modified car… then accidents are much more likely to happen.
There’s just one problem with that – it’s complete rubbish. You would have thought that an august institution with a history as proud as the AA would have checked their facts before spouting uninformed opinion to the press (why didn’t they just AAsk us?)*.
Because, since modified car insurance is one of the things we know an awful lot about, and since we keep careful records of things like claims and accidents, we actually know the truth. And the truth of the matter is this:
Young drivers of modified cars are on average 20% less likely to have an accident and make a claim than young drivers in cars with a standard specification.
What are the reasons for this – well there are several:
- Modders are enthusiasts, more knowledgable about cars than their peers
- They love their cars and take special care of them.
- The money spent on their cars is a significant proportion of their income, so they want to protect their investment.
- Modified car owners have also invested a lot of time in their vehicle – the prospect of doing all that work again in the event of a crash is not what they want.
- And in doing the modifications, the owners are getting a good understanding of mechanics, and are more likely to spot any maintenance issues too.
So perhaps, rather than calling for a ban, the AA should start campaigning to make modifications compulsory for young drivers – or more seriously for car maintenance to feature more heavily in the driving test. They should, at least, think before alienating many of the most enthusiastic of the motorists whom they claim to represent.
Good old The AA…
You can always rely on them…
*For that matter don’t AA Insurance Services keep their own data on this sort of thing?
Dave Wilson on Google+The Evolution of the Nissan Skyline
Apr 7th
It’s all been kicking off over at influx, our online car magazine, where a post on the Nissan Skyline’s evolution over the last 52 years.
After someone posted that, in his opinion, the Skyline’s raison d’etre was to:
“flatter the below the belt aspirations of all those who might be challenged in that region”
the car’s fans have been out in force defending the honour of the car which probably comes closer than any other to being the people’s supercar. You can join the debate here, so whether you think the Skyline is the pinnacle of automotive excellence, or agree with Paris, let us know. You can also let us know which generation is your favourite. And if you need Nissan Skyline insurance, give us a call on 08000 83 88 33.
BMW Play the Fool
Apr 2nd
BMW have become renowned in recent years for their annual April Fool’s pranks. This year’s is a classic. Yesterday saw adverts promoting their ‘Magnetic Tow Technology,’ the premise being that a strong magnet would ‘lock on’ to the car ahead and let it drag you along.
As they say “Why burn your fuel, when you can burn someone else’s?”. Click the picture to view a bigger version:
You can view BMWs archive of classic April Fool’s day adverts here. This is where you can find out about previous ‘innovations’ like the “Canine Repellent Alloy Protection” and “Photo Reflective Aural Transmissions.”