Most UK drivers could make the switch to an electric car with no impact on their motoring lifestyle, according to the results of a new survey carried out by Peugeot. Research found that British drivers will travel an average of 79 miles over the Christmas period (often one of the longest drives of the year) – a distance well within the capabilities of the majority of mainstream electric vehicles. Peugeot said that more than a third of respondents said they would be “comfortable doing all of their Christmas travels between 23 December and 2 January” in an electric vehicle, despite the fact that EVs currently make up just 1.4% of the UK car market. The results also show that two thirds of drivers will make at least one stop during their Christmas journeys, during which an EV’s battery could be considerably topped up by a motorway rapid charge point – with which most new electric vehicles are compatible. Aside from the feasibility of ownership, Peugeot said that swapping into an electric vehicle would save the average motorist from emitting nearly 1.6 tonnes of CO2 over Christmas. The manufacturer has just launched its e-208 electric supermini in the UK; it offers a claimed range of 217 miles and is available to order from
Origin: Report: Most British drivers could feasibly swap to an electric car
Drivers
BTCC 2019: BMW drivers hit trouble in title battle
The battle for the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship took several dramatic twists at Knockhill, with title contenders Colin Turkington and Andrew Jordan both involved in dramatic incidents. Jordan had entered the weekend trailing his fellow BMW 3 Series driver by 30 points, but a race two win – combined with an incident for Turkington – moved him to within four points of the lead. But Jordan’s luck changed when he was taken out of the final race, with Turkington salvaging tenth to restore his lead in the standings to ten points. The title contenders didn’t take all the attention. Local star Rory Butcher took pole position at the circuit his father owns, and followed up with victory in the first race. The Honda Civic Type R driver led Jordan throughout, and survived a side-by-side battle with the BMW man on the final lap. Dan Cammish finished third in his works Civic, with Turkington fourth. The BMW’s rear-wheel-drive helped Jordan grab the lead at the start of race two, with Butcher soon coming under pressure and losing second to Cammish. Butcher then found himself under pressure from Turkington, with the championship leader eventually battling past at the first turn. Butcher tried to regain the spot with a late move at a tight right-hander, but made contact with Turkington, pitching the BMW into the gravel. Butcher held on to finish third behind Jordan and Cammish, but was later penalised five places on the grid for the final race. Having finished tenth in the second race, Audi S3 driver Jake Hill drew pole position for the reverse grid finale, and duly controlled the race throughout, surviving a safety car restart to take his first BTCC win ahead of Josh Cook (Civic Type R). There was more drama behind, with Adam Morgan battling up to third in his Mercedes A-Class ahead of Chris Smiley (Civic). Jordan was involved in some early contact, but his race ended in disaster when Senna Procter spun his Subaru Levorg ahead of him. Jordan was unable to avoid the spinning car, and was pitched into the gravel and out of the race. From the back of the grid Turkington was able to battle up to tenth, scoring some valuable points to rebuild his title lead with six races remaining. The next event is at Silverstone on 29
Origin: BTCC 2019: BMW drivers hit trouble in title battle
Pink auto insurance card goes digital for Ontario drivers
Traffic is blurred in a timed exposure on the Gardiner Expressway during the evening rush hour in Toronto, Ont. on Wednesday April 30, 2014.Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/QMI Agency Ontario drivers can now carry electronic proof of their auto insurance on their smartphones or other devices.Finance Minister Rod Phillips says the pink paper insurance slip isnt being eliminated yet, but being able to display the information on a phone can save drivers from rummaging through their glove compartments.He says there will be a one-year phase-in period, when insurers will have to issue a paper card in addition to the electronic option if it is requested.Phillips says the electronic cards will feature safeguards that wont allow them to be altered or edited, and privacy concerns are top of mind.Drivers will be responsible for making sure their phone can display the proof of insurance, even with a poor signal, drained battery or damaged screen.The Insurance Bureau of Canada says consumers have digital options in other sectors such as banking and retail, so auto insurers are pleased their customers will have the same
Origin: Pink auto insurance card goes digital for Ontario drivers
Drivers startled by their cars auto-braking for no apparent reason
Technology, such as Volvos pedestrian- and cyclist-detecting City Safety system, is no substitute for keeping your eyes open and paying attention.Volvo Automatic braking may be cutting down on crashes, but its also scaring drivers when it doesnt work as its intended, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.The National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) has received more than 400 complaints about automatic emergency braking systems in the past three years, with drivers reporting that their vehicles either hit the brakes when there wasnt a risk of a crash; or brakes not coming on when there was a risk. The systems can often be confused by non-threats such as shadows or signs.The newspaper reported that 14 of these complaints involved a crash, most of them caused when the vehicle braked suddenly and was rear-ended by another vehicle. Three crashes resulted in injuries, but there were no fatalities.One driver said the vehicle unexpectedly hit the brakes on the highway, with the driver losing control and crashing into a guardrail. Other said their vehicles braked on railway crossings. Nearly 180,000 vehicles have been recalled in the U.S. since 2015 to fix issues with their emergency braking systems.Depending on the manufacturer, the systems use cameras, sensors and/or radar to see objects ahead, which can include vehicles, cyclists, pedestrians or large animals, and apply the brakes if they detect that the driver isnt reacting quickly enough. They are considered an essential component in the development of self-driving autonomous cars. The U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) said that the rate of rear-end collisions is 50 per cent lower in vehicles equipped with emergency braking, and that it will prevent 28,000 crashes and 12,000 injuries by 2025.NHTSA agrees but said the technology isnt uniformly defined and can vary in how it works, and that drivers are often confused because automakers use different names for their proprietary
Origin: Drivers startled by their cars auto-braking for no apparent reason
Drivers stuck in Toronto traffic get out to play a little highway soccer
There are many ways to fight the tedium that comes along with standstill traffic. The right podcast can make hours seem like minutes. If you’re not moving, there are loads of smartphone games. Or you can go old-school and read. Like, paper, remember?But what if you’re sick of every podcast, haven’t read a ‘book’-book in a decade, and have already earned three stars on all the Angry Birds levels? Two drivers who found themselves in such a situation, stuck in traffic somewhere on the 401 in the Greater Toronto Area, decided to take the unplanned interruption to sneak in a little play time. 401 got people playing soccer❌😂.#hwy401 #401 #sarpanch #toronto #brampton #mississauga pic.twitter.com/BG0KkvdXy7 401_da_sarpanch (@401_da) August 18, 2019The Twitter video posted by the self-proclaimed “OFFICIAL HIGHWAY 401 TRUCKER PAGE” and captioned “401 got people playing soccer” shows a man in a tee-shirt and jeans kicking around a ball with another guy wearing a suit. A road sign reads “All lanes closed ahead,” and around them traffic sits motionless. Well, why not stretch the legs and kick a ball around a bit if you find yourself on a road that’s behaving like a parking lot? Come to think of it, with the way the 401 runs, we could probably organize a highway soccer league. That’s legal, right? Just try not to hit any cars,
Origin: Drivers stuck in Toronto traffic get out to play a little highway soccer
Kelowna teen clinches F4 driver’s title in style
Marco Kacics next race weekend is a big one; hell be competing in an F4 support series race during the Formula 1 weekend in Austin, Texas in early November.Submitted If there was any doubt about Marco Kacics white-hot competitive desire it was dispatched in heroic fashion in one of motorsports most iconic corners.The Kelowna rookie hot shoe made a breathtaking left-hand pass in the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca on the last lap to win the 10th race of the 2019 F4 Formula Pro USA series, and in doing so clinched the drivers title. In Lewis Hamilton-like domination, the 16-year-old won seven of the 10 races for the Doran Motorsports Group (DMG), capping an incredible rookie season for the SoCal-based team with two races still remaining.What made the pass all the more impressive is that Kacic would have won the drivers title with a runner-up result, but the racer in him wanted to take the checkered.I knew I had to finish second to win the championship, but I really wanted that final win so heading up the hill, I thought, you know what, Im going to do it, Kacic said on the phone from Kelowna. I went for it, it stuck and I got through.Granted, it wasnt quite as epic as Alex Zanardis Corkscrew pass of Bryan Herta in the 1996 PPG Indy Car World Series racestill regarded as the greatest overtake in motorsports history but Kacic certainly cemented his reputation as an up-and-comer to watch in the open-wheel racing world. Marco Kacic (far right) celebrates clinching the 2019 F4 Pro Championship at Laguna Seca with (left to right) team mechanics Adam Geczi and Sergio El Cabezon and race engineer Brandon Reed. Submitted Marcos father Danny said that his sons F4 rookie campaign has been a dream season, but not without its challenges.Its been a difficult year, because as you know racing is really expensive, Danny said. Every race was a challenge with the finances, but we made it to every race.Francois Doran, for one, is thankful for that. The DMG team principal said that as a new team his goal heading into the first race weekend back in March at Sonoma Raceway was to simply to finish every race. When Marco put the DMG car in the winners circle at both races, Dorans expectations changed slightly.I realized we legitimately had much more pace than expected and our mindset, goals and vision for 2019 had to change, and we became optimistically cautious every time but we knew we could win every single race with Marco in the car, Doran said from the teams Southern California headquarters. Thats a great feeling to have.Kacic reciprocated that sentiment.The team was incredible and obviously such a big part of it, he said. Everyone worked so hard. Due to those financial stresses mentioned by Danny, Marco will be skipping the final two races of the season, but will be piloting the DMG racer in a support series race during the U.S. F1 stop in Austin, Texas in early November.I cant wait for that, Marco said. Its going to be so cool.As to plans for next season, the natural step up the North American open-wheel ladder for the Kelowna teen is F3, and Doran has hinted hed like to make that step with his race team too.Said Marco: We know what we want to do for next year, it really just depends on what we can do for sponsorship. As always is the case with motorsport, it comes down to the funding.If and when Doran fields an F3 team, it would seem hed love to have Marco in the seat.Very simple, this kid is serious and dedicated. This isnt a fun gathering for him, its his job. His mindset is already the one of a pro athlete. He thinks, trains, acts, carry himself and most importantly drives like a professional
Origin: Kelowna teen clinches F4 driver’s title in style
Lorraine Explains: Deadly motorcycle crashes, and the drivers who cause them
A motorcycle driving by cars on a city street.Getty Two weeks ago, at 7:30 am, a motorcyclist in Burlington, Ontario suffered life-threatening injuries when a car turned left in front of him. Later that night in the same city, a motorcyclist was killed when an SUV turned left in front of him. The next day, an Oakville driver was charged with making an unsafe left turn, causing a motorcyclist to be violently thrown and severely injured; the rider and bike ended up 40 metres from the point of impact.The same weekend in New Hampshire, seven members of a motorcycle club – the Marine Jarheads, made up of Marines and their spouses – were killed when a pickup towing a flatbed crashed into them on the highway. The 23-year-old driver has been charged with seven counts of negligent homicide, though his driving record was already a disaster. He’d been charged with operating a vehicle under drugs/alcohol in May (cops found a crack pipe on him) and he had a rollover in Texas earlier in June. His licence should have been revoked, and the Registrar of Massachusetts’ motor vehicle division (where the trucking company he drove for operates from) has resigned.Ive taken so many advanced driver training courses over the years, Ive lost count. But the motorcycle training I took remains the most memorable, the most sobering, and the most valuable. You truly understand just how vulnerable you are, no matter how much bike you buy, no matter how much you invest in leathers and safety gear, no matter how much you spend on a helmet. You learn to drive as if everyone around you is going to kill you, because some of them are.As for the idiots who insist on weaving in and out of traffic on their crotch rockets, theres a famed biker adage seemingly lost on the young: There are old motorcyclists. There are bold motorcyclists. But there are no old, bold motorcyclists.Motorcycles have been on our roads about as long as cars have. This is not new. Motorcycles change, vehicles evolve, safety improves everything gets better, it seems, except how we interact with each other.Eight years ago I cut a motorcycle off, and I wrote about it. I didn’t mean to, he was speeding, but it didn’t matter. A life was at stake. I was shaking as I wrote it, and reading it again is still just as visceral as when it happened. I heard from riders around the country, and braced myself for the fallout. Instead, I got thank-yous. Not for nearly hitting one of their own, but for admitting I’d made a mistake and put him in danger. Apparently, riders are not used to drivers owning up to their own mistakes.The first three crashes at the top of this article shook me, too. Any motorcyclist will tell you that someone in the opposite direction making a left turn puts them on even higher alert. Left turns, in general, are one of the most deadly moves we make every day, but they make anything smaller – a pedestrian, a cyclist, a motorcyclist – nearly invisible. A New York City Department of Transportation study sums it up thus: “Left turns are more dangerous than right turns for three main reasons: left turns can be taken at a wider radius, which leads to higher speeds and greater pedestrian exposure; the driver’s visibility is partially obscured by parked cars and the vehicle’s A-pillar; and left turns are more complicated than rights, and require more mental and physical effort (‘driver workload’) than right turns.”Drivers can be so focused on finding their break in a flow of traffic that they fail to see pedestrians in a crosswalk, or other smaller oncoming traffic. I don’t know precisely what happened in those Burlington instances, and the police are asking for witnesses, but the onus to prevent a crash is on the person making the left-hand turn. Unless those bikes were going an excessive speed, one life was needlessly ended and one forever changed. Safe riders will try to maximize their visibility to you. They will ride behind you to the left, so you can see them in your rearview mirror. Multiple riders will ride two abreast.The MTO states, “(a)ll motorcycles must have a white light at the front (headlight) and a red light at the back (rear or tail light) and these must be used at all times of day and night.” You’ll even see some motorcycles with a modulating headlamp – it’s pulsing – in the daytime. It helps makes drivers more aware. Sensors kick in to keep the beam steady at dusk. The slaughter on the New Hampshire highway was just flat-out murder. New Hampshire doesn’t have a helmet law, and their slogan is “Live free or die.” I was there the weekend so many members of that club were wiped out, and it is prime season for motorcycles and RVs. The winding two-lane blacktops throughout that part of the country are spectacular for driving, and we saw countless bikes. The only time I noted a helmet-less head was in town, which was stupid. Those members of that club came from several states, and in every picture posted on the internet of the club (and there
Origin: Lorraine Explains: Deadly motorcycle crashes, and the drivers who cause them
Most IPace drivers only need two charges a week according to Jaguar app
Most I-Pace drivers only need two charges a week according to Jaguar app The Go I-Pace app monitors car usage to see how an EV would fit user needs Almost 90% of potential Jaguar I-Pace owners could cover their weekly mileage with a maximum of two charges per week, according to data gathered by the company’s Go I-Pace app. The app measures daily car use, and helps show users how an I-Pace would fit their driving needs. Information from those already using the system show that 87% of drivers would only need two full charges a week to cover their required mileage, while 52% of drivers would only need to charge once a week. More than 35,000 trips have been logged by the app, with an average user covering 216 miles per week, and an average journey of 8.4 miles. Jaguar’s I-Pace has a WLTP range of 292 miles on a single charge. Joanna Hewitt, Digital Innovations, Jaguar Land Rover said: “The Go I-Pace app was designed to demonstrate how EV ownership can benefit drivers, particularly in understanding journey impact on range and how often they would need to plug in. Looking at the data we have had so far it is clear to see that not only is I-Pace ownership cost-effective, it is extremely convenient too.”
Origin: Most IPace drivers only need two charges a week according to Jaguar app
Government proposes night-time ban on new drivers
A new graduated licence system in the UK could ban new drivers from the road at night as the Government seeks to improve road safety. The system, which the Department for Transport (DfT) says is being considered by ministers, would impose more stringent restrictions upon newly qualified drivers in an effort to reduce the number of crashes on Britain’s roads. Figures suggest that one in five drivers have a crash within a year of passing their driving test. The DfT claims a ban on night-time driving, as well as a statutory minimum learning period and a passenger age limit, could help to reduce this figure. It remains unclear how long after passing one’s test the restrictions would be in place. Current legislation means new drivers are automatically banned after accumulating six points in their first two years on the road, as opposed to the usual 12 points. Similar schemes are already in place in parts of the US, New Zealand, Australia and Sweden. In California, for example, learner drivers must undergo 10 hours of night-time training and be accompanied by a guardian no younger than 25 until completion of the first of three mandated ‘steps’. Nicholas Lyes, head of roads policy for the RAC, backed the proposals, saying: “Young drivers sadly are overrepresented in road traffic collisions so we welcome plans to improve their safety. Graduated driver licensing has the benefit of providing a more controlled environment when learning how to drive.” Despite offering support to the plans, Lyes suggested any new law must not inhibit young people’s job prospects, arguing that it “must be balanced so it does not disadvantage young drivers who need to use vehicles for night work”. The proposed scheme forms part of the DfT’s road safety action plan, which will be published in full later this week. Road Safety Minister Michael Ellis said: “We want to explore in greater detail how graduated driver licensing, or aspects of it, can help new drivers to stay safe and reduce the number of people killed or injured on our roads.” The most significant recent change to the driver qualification process came in 2017, when students’ ability to operate and follow a sat-nav became a central part of the driving
Origin: Government proposes night-time ban on new drivers
Government proposes nighttime ban on new drivers
A new graduated licence system in the UK could see new drivers taken off the road at night, as the government seeks to improve road safety. The system, which the Department for Transport (DfT) says is being considered by ministers, would see more stringent restrictions imposed upon newly qualified drivers in an effort to reduce the number of crashes on Britain’s roads. Figures suggest that one fifth of drivers have a crash within a year of passing their driving test. The DfT claims a ban on nighttime driving, as well as a statutory minimum learning period and passenger age limit, could help to reduce this figure. It remains unclear how long after passing one’s test the restrictions would be in place. Current legislation means new drivers are automatically banned after accumulating six points in their first two years on the road, as opposed to the usual 12 points. Similar schemes are already in place in parts of America, Australia and Sweden. In California, for example, learner drivers must undergo 10 hours of night-driving training and be accompanied by a guardian no younger than 25 until completion of the first of three mandated ‘steps’. Nicholas Lyes, head of roads policy for the RAC, backed the proposals, saying: “Young drivers sadly are overrepresented in road traffic collisions so we welcome plans to improve their safety. “Graduated driver licensing has the benefit of providing a more controlled environment when learning how to drive,” he added. Despite offering support to the plans, Lyes suggested any new law must not inhibit young people’s access to jobs, arguing that it “must be balanced so it does not disadvantage young drivers who need to use vehicles for night work”. The proposed scheme forms part of the DfT’s road safety action plan, which will be published in full later this week. Road Safety Minister Michael Ellis said: “We want to explore in greater detail how graduated driver licensing, or aspects of it, can help new drivers to stay safe and reduce the number of people killed or injured on our roads.” The most significant recent change to the driver qualification process came in 2017, when students’ ability to operate and follow a satnav became a central part of the driving
Origin: Government proposes nighttime ban on new drivers
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