A common debate which has been going on as long as I can remember is whether woman or men are better drivers. If you ask a group of men what they think they are likely to say men are better drivers, however many organisations and insurance provides are specialising in products for female drivers.
A recent survey done by confused.com found that women take longer to pass their driving tests. The average women needs 21 lessons before they are able to pass the test, whilst men take 17 lessons on average. Females were also found to be more nervous before a test so this fact could be down to nerves rather than bad driving.
A study which came up last year found that women take 20 seconds longer to park than men. However it is thought that this is because men have greater spatial awareness and coordination which helps them better assess where the car is moving to.
When it comes to road safety it seems that men have a bit to learn according to figures from the road safety charity Brake. More than 80 per cent of all drunk or drug charges, careless driving convictions, speeding offences and convictions for neglecting traffic signs were brought against men in 2008.
This is probably a debate which will never end but all these facts show that its not just females who need to shop around for car insurance, males should also think about shopping around for the cheapest cover.
If you’ve seen the film ‘Cars’then you might remember the scene where Lightening McQueen ends up caught up in power lines - an entanglement that finally enables the chasing police car to capture him.
Couldn’t happen in real life? Think again - as this news report shows. Far from it being for me to comment on this, but for the record, I will note that according to the police the driver was a woman, a senior citizen, an illegal immigrant and had neither a licence or car insurance!
Anyway, aside from the 4,000 local residents who temporarily lost power to their homes, there was no harm done. She was apparently unhurt and having been released from jeopardy by fire-fighters she was - according to the report - released from custody by the police.
Let’s hope that when she is eventually appears in court, she just gets the bus…
In hindsight, it seems so simple. So why hasn’t it existed before? It’s the square car whose cabin - for want of a better word - and wheels can swivel round (left, right, or 180 degrees) so that when you want to park you don’t need to reverse in to a space using your parallel parking skills, you just swivel the car on the spot and drive straight in. Very hard to explain, very easy to see it in action - just check out this BBC News report of this new Nissan prototype from Japan. Of course I’m not saying I would want one of these - it looks like one of the 1970s SMASH potato robots on wheels, or a bit like a baby Fiat Multipla I suppose - but you cannot help but marvel at the ingenuity of the concept.
A friend sent me this picture - and the following message - both of which he had been sent in turn by his wife from her work where she had been sent it by someone else…Read on, but suspend disbelief as you do…
The message which came with it, which appears to contain someone else’s earlier email exchange - said:
>This is pretty amazing! Can you imagine how all this operates? How do they lock each car in its cubicle for safety.
>WHO CARES. NO ONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND COULD GET IN THERE.
>Talk about German efficiency! The two photos were taken at a new parking garage in Munich. The actual space that the facility occupies is approximately only 20% of a comparable facility with the traditional design that is used primarily in the US. Not only is the German structure less expensive to build, but vehicles are also “retrieved” in less time and without the potential of being damaged by an attendant.
Now, I have no idea if this is for real or just some form of clever digital photo manipulation. I suspect the latter if only because the cars all look too new! If you know any better, please do let me know!
Don’t try this at home, or indeed anywhere unless your name is Paul Swift and you are the professional stunt man of that name!
Mr. Swift is set to appear alongside Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond at the MPH ‘07 Show at London’s Earls Court (1-4 November) and Birmingham’s NEC (9-11 November) where he - and his team of stunt drivers - will be performing stunts including “high speed precision powerslides, J-turns, donuts, two wheel balancing and handbrake manoeuvres in choreographed performances that rival the Red Arrows for death-defying daring.”
Two wheel balancing? That’ll be this then…
Repeat: Don’t try this at home, or indeed anywhere! But do go and see this guy do his thing if you want to! In the blurb about the event it mentioned that Paul’s life insurance premiums eclipse those for helicopter pilots and fire fighters, yet he claims that the only time he ever went to hospital was because of a nut allergy!
For more clips of Paul in action, have a further rootle round You Tube, or else if you must see him live in action then why not book a ticket for the show here.
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