Posts tagged funny
Insurance for Older Women
Feb 11th
There have been a spate of articles recently about insurance for older people, and especially older women. This is an area that is a minefield of prejudice and conflicting opinion.
And whilst there is no doubt that the riskiest group of drivers on the road are the young, it is also true to say that elderly people pose a statistically higher risk to insurance companies than those in their middle age. They are, though, categorically much less dangerous than young drivers, and given this, it is surprising how hard it can be for older drivers to arrange insurance.
Many companies appear to be fearful of health-related issues causing accidents, and there are a number of other factors that appear to be at work. Premiums can be pushed up for all older drivers as slowly worsening reactions and the onset of old age result in, usually minor, bumps and knocks. But premiums shoot up faster for women.
Why is this? In many cases women suddenly take up the majority of driving after years of occasional use, when they lose their partner, or if he suffers health issues. Ladies also have longer lifespan and better health on average are also more likely to have a part time job, volunteer and socialise, which puts them on the road more.
All of this, though, should not stop an older driver from obtaining a competitive insurance quote, and although reports suggest that many mainstream companies are not offering insurance to over 80s, or even over-65 year-olds, there are competitive quotes available and we are able to offer and older drivers insurance quote for as long as you are able to safely drive.
And though younger drivers are much riskier, the unfair stereotypes of older drivers and women drivers being dangerous persist. Don’t look now, but, I think I’ve found the culprit:
Audi’s Green Police are on the Case
Feb 8th
Although everyone seems to be talking about Google’s superbowl advert, another ad that received its premiere outing last night was the latest from Audi. Now, in Europe, Audi aren’t really perceived as a ‘fun’ brand, and their ads tend to be somewhat portentous, with a focus on patents, technology and innovation – Vorsprung Durch Technik and all that.
But American audiences knew they were in for a treat when this teaser spot appeared (And yes, that does mean that superbowl ads are big enough to have their own ads!)
Yes, the Green Police are here, and, with tongue seemingly planted in cheek, they are going to stop you from breaking the planet. Unless you own an Audi A3 turbodiesel.
I love all the attention to detail in this ad, as it simultaneously pokes fun at the green movement, the law enforcement community and US reality TV all married to a Gillette-esque Power Jingle. Despite this it manages not to undermine the environmental messages. And compared to the petrol-engined gas-guzzlers favoured by the American people, a TDi is ultra-green. So much so the the A3 TDi is the current Green Car of the Year (beating the Prius and Insight, presumably on the grounds that normal folk might buy it).
And, of course, if you should need insurance for an Audi, or electric car insurance, you know exactly where to come.
Fine by me
Feb 2nd
Nestling high in the Pyrenees, the sleepy town of Puigcerdà lies just on the Spanish side of the mountainous border with France. The locals, though, will tell you they are Catalonian, and this spirit of independence has recently led the town government to make an interesting decision.
In this country we often moan that the fines and taxes we are asked to pay do not get re-invested in the road network, but the Catalans have come up with an altogether different use for the money they have raised from parking and traffic fines in the town.
“People have the perception that the fines are only to collect, and we want to prove with facts in the case of Puigcerdà this is not so.” claims mayor Joan Planella, “The idea we came up to us when we asked ourselves what we could do to boost civic engagement.”
So what is their brainwave? Simple the haul of fines will be divided up equally between all the local drivers who have managed to avoid being caught doing something they shouldn’t. It does not look like this bonanza will be rivalling the famous ‘El Gordo’ lottery, though, as estimates suggest only a tenner or so per exemplary resident.
Even so, this is possibly the first time motor laws have attempted to use a carrot as well as a stick, and it will be worth seeing how this works out in the years to come.
But I don’t hold out much hope for this Spanish driver getting his cash…
Reverse Parking Nightmare
Jan 19th
It has come to my attention that a certain large energy supplier has told its staff that they must reverse into their parking bays when they arrive at the office. Although this diktat has been issued under the guise of health and safety, the Health and Safety Executive and RoSPA do not seem to agree.
You have to say that although not a major problem for most of us, this peculiar rule will inevitably mean that some employees will have to arrive a good hour earlier. People like this…
Yes, apparently it’s safer…
Our tip, if you work for the company concerned, make sure you have a rock solid car insurance policy!
5 Dumbest Road Signs
Dec 11th
Cambridge City Council is in the news after their long-delayed (mis)Guided Bus network sprouted a particularly idiotic piece of the sign-painters art. As you can see, some clever chap has managed to get the letter N the wrong way round…
In case you think this is a damning indictment of the British education system, rest assured that our American friends are at least as bad:
Even around their educational establishments:
Of course some signs are just pointless in the first place:
And others are changed maliciously. We have a spate of idiots changing 30mph signs to read 80 around here, but if you have the technology you can be much more imaginative:
And web-celeb Dutch ‘hacker’, Max Cornellisse, has some fun with the roadsigns in this vid:
Of course, with all these malevolant pranksters and signwriting dimwits causing havoc on the roads, a good car insurance policy is essential, as while these might seem funny, they could be seriously distracting to road users. A reminder to all of us that we need to use our common sense…
Car Modding – 70s style
Sep 3rd
Image by exfordy via Flickr
The people who make Max Power would probably encourage you to believe that car modifications took off in the 1990s, people have been customising their motors at least since Monsieur Renault decided he could improve on De Dion’s handiwork back in 1898.
Back in the 70s and 80s, bad boys around town wouldn’t be seen dead without a set of Cibiés. Other popular retro modifications included removing the bumpers, ‘shaving’ and ‘frenching’ (removing or recessing respectively anything that sticks out), adding racing stripes and decals
Image by rutthenut via Flickr
(perhaps even Martini or Gulf) and, if performance was your thing, sticking something like a Rover V8 into a Mk1 Escort, or a Porsche engine into a Beetle was a relatively painless exercise, although still not to be undertaken lightly.
But for people with only a passing interest in cars, two modifications from the age of the white dog poo tend to stick in the mind more than all of these, the Dixie Horn – soundtrack to my childhood – and the extra wide wheels, which became known as Carlos Fandango wheels, after a ludicrously exaggerated version of this mod was featured in this cigar ad:
I wonder, with the eighties revival in full swing, how many people will be doing these mods (at least the ones that haven’t been banned by Brussels) to their cars again? One thing is for sure, as long as there are modified cars, people will need modified car insurance.
Funny Van Drivers
May 28th
Image by DerekL via Flickr
Everyone has probably drawn a ‘humourous’ daubing onto the back of a dirty white van at some point in their lives. But gems such as “Clean Me” and “I wish my wife was this dirty” might have been funny once, but you rarely see anything truly original.
Fortunately, the drivers of these vans are keen to show that they have a sense of humour too, as these splendid examples of the signwriter’s art go to show:
This drainage specialist in Surrey tells it how it is…
How’s my driving? Don’t tell anyone!
And this Essex builder seems to be fed up with his van…
Our commercial vehicle department have a wide range of top-notch van insurance policies, and they can help you insure your cool van… whether it’s refrigerated or not.
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.”
Brilliant Insurance Ads
Sep 12th
If only the ads in the UK were as good as these, from Dutch insurance company Centraal Beheer of Appeldoorn. Why can’t Churchill, Admiral and Hastings come up with anything remotely as entertaining as these?
The Cleanest Car in the World?
Aug 29th
Imagine the scenario – while you’re out at the office, you’ve asked the other half to fill up the car at the petrol station and, hey, while she’s there, why not give the car a jetwash?
Something not dissimilar must have transpired here, as filmed by the incredulous occupants of the car behind…
Wonder what her fella said when she got home!
I checked with our claims manager, and he reckons it’s rather unlikely that an insurance company would pay out for any damage caused by this kind of idiocy, so please don’t be tempted to try it yourself.