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Motoring’s season of [bad]will

A study by Halfords Autocentres suggests that motoring goodwill has been in short supply this Christmas. The research found that drivers are concerned about the levels of impatient, aggressive and inconsiderate driving – which they say increases at this time of year.

Almost a quarter of motorists (23 per cent) who took part in the research said they felt that unfriendly, bad tempered behaviour – such as failing to allow drivers out at junctions, lane hogging and not indicating – is a major issue during the winter months.

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  1. Distractions cause nine per cent of accidents
  2. Cost of fuel is motorists’ biggest worry says BCA research
  3. Bridgestone research reveals driver cut backs
  4. New drink-drive campaign launched
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Tyre [buyer] aging

The question of how long it is before a tyre reaches its sell by date is a familiar subject. A few years ago this column covered the rising age of tyre company directors and raised the question of what this meant for individual succession plans in particular and the market in general. But there is one specific type of “tyre aging” that we (and to the best of my knowledge) no-one has ever touched – how the tyre trade pitches its products and services towards “older” consumers.

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  1. HiQ’s Carr promotes campaign to remove new MOT surprises
  2. "Scrapping annual MOTs could cost 50,000 jobs" – Pro-MOTe
  3. 4 million over-70s driving in UK
  4. One in five drivers is over 65
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4 million over-70s driving in UK

We have all heard that the average age of the population is getting older, but did you know that there are already 4 million over 70s on the roads currently? The statistics appear to show that this proportion is going up. According to the RAC Foundation, the number of people over 70 who hold valid driving licences passed four million for the first time in the last quarter.

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  1. Tyre [buyer] aging
  2. One in five drivers is over 65
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NHS can save money by checking tyre pressures, states Michelin

After visiting South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to test the pressures and condition of employees’ tyres, Michelin calculated the NHS Trust could save almost £22,000 per year if all employee vehicles in the Trust’s 2,000-strong fleet were driven with tyres at the correct pressure.

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  1. Millions ‘Thrown Away’ On Under-Inflated Tyres, says Michelin
  2. Bib Kits Up for Phase 2 of Michelin Ad Campaign
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  4. Goodyear and Swinton join forces to lower the cost of motoring
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Year-to-date car registrations overtake 2012 full-year total

SMMT figures reveal that new car registrations rose seven per cent in November to 159,581 units, the month’s best performance since 2004. 2,111,819 cars have been registered for the year-to-date, up 9.9 per cent and already ahead of the 2012 full-year figure of 2,044,609. This means that the car market is on target to hit the SMMT forecast of 2.25 million registrations for 2013.

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  1. September surge in car registrations
  2. Private registrations boost June car sales
  3. New car registrations touching double digits across the UK countries
  4. New car registrations drop -4.4 per cent in weakest ever ‘new plate’ September
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Tax discs to go: Chancellor bins 92-year old system

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Just under a century after its introduction, Chancellor George Osborne has announce announced that tax discs will be withdrawn in favour of the electronic register already in operation. Of course, this doesn’t mean an end to vehicle excise duty (VED), just the system by which it is administered. An increase in the use of ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) equipment is expected in order to enforce the paperless tax regime. The changes due to take effect in October 2014.

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Related news:

  1. Report raises safety fears on UK road markings
  2. Michelin launches Taiwan Green Guide
  3. BBC examines the safety of part-worns
  4. 3rd plenary points to a bigger and more valuable Chinese tyre parc
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TMD friction overhauls Mintex brand

TMD Friction given its Mintex brand a facelift including a global roll out of new brand identity, packaging and advertising.

According to the company, the strapline ‘Braking With Tradition’ plays on words to reflect the company’s commitment to safer braking whilst alluding to a programme of continuous product development that safely stops the cars of millions of families across the world.

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ATS guarantees five year charge on batteries

ATS Euromaster is offering a new range of premium batteries for cars and light commercial vehicles, available with a five year warranty. The Platinum Prestige Plus batteries give motorists and fleets added confidence that their battery will meet or exceed original equipment specifications and deliver reliable performance over a longer life. According to the company, […]

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Volvo voices support for winter tyres, snow socks

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Louise Thompson, protagonist in the scripted reality show ‘Made in Chelsea’, was recently recruited by Volvo for an event even more gripping than the E4 series. Volvo Car UK invited her to Tamworth Snowdome to demonstrate the effectiveness of winter tyres for driving in snow. There Thompson was confronted by a pair of Volvo V40 D2 hatchbacks, identical save for the fitment of winter tyres on one and standard summer tyres on the other. Thompson’s challenge was to drive each car up the Tamworth Snowdome’s ski slope to the summit. The results were as expected.

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Related news:

  1. Get a Grip with Winter Tyres warns Retailer
  2. HiQ Chapel Ash inaugurates seasonal tyre hotel
  3. Vauxhall offers winter tyres through MasterFit network
  4. Michelin survey shows UK resistance still strong against winter tyres
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3rd plenary points to a bigger and more valuable Chinese tyre parc

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The hybrid communist/capitalist system makes the Chinese political environment an odd one for those doing business inthe People’s Republic. As well as booming demand for imported brands (many of which are manufactured domestically), the strange combination of top-down legislative rule-issuing combined with crypto-relational give-and-take means success is as much about knowing the people and protocol as it is about having your numbers straight. So when the ruling communist party announced a string of apparent liberalisation measures, you can imagine why Chinese middle class and the businesses employing them (as well as courting their custom) inclined their ears.

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Related news:

  1. Cooper Tire gives Chengshan option to buy, values CCT at US$435 million
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  3. Tax discs to go: Chancellor bins 92-year old system
  4. UK car manufacturing at 10-year high
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Discounted MoTs led to fee freeze, says Minister

In a recent speech Roads Minister Robert Goodwill indicated that the number of garages that reduce the MoT test fee influenced his decision to freeze the maximum charge until 2015.
He said, “Some of the decisions taken to reduce the cost of motoring this week have not been popular such as freezing the MOT fee. But I know that many test stations discount the fee. In fact only 12m of the vehicles on the road paid the full fee.”

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Related news:

  1. MOT fee freeze “unsurprising” says IAAF
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/by

Why no winter tyres

Road safety charity the IAM is offering weekly motoring tips from Britain’s top advanced driver, Peter Rodger. This week (31st October), he advised motorists on preparing their cars for the cold season, saying: “Now is the time to give your car a once-over before winter conditions take hold. Bad weather can strike suddenly and more […]

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Related news:

  1. IAM launches winter driving campaign
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  4. HiQ Chapel Ash inaugurates seasonal tyre hotel
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Pirelli supports Tyre Safety Month with Burton College classes

Pirelli has held a number of tyre safety classes at the local Burton and South Derbyshire College. The initiative ran as part of the manufacturer’s support of TyreSafe’s Tyre Safety Month this October, and aimed to educate students on the importance of tyre safety and checking tyre pressures.

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£2.6 billion savings expected from road agency reforms

Motorists are set to benefit from a more effective road network and will have a greater say in how their roads operate. Turning the Highways Agency into a government-owned company will improve efficiency and reduce running costs, with taxpayers expected to benefit from savings of at least £2.6 billion over the next 10 years.

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Amateur repair jobs costing UK motorists – Halfords

A Halfords survey has suggested that amateur repair or maintenance jobs often have costly consequences. Motorists and householders pay out an estimated £300m a year in order to correct mistakes made by family and friends trying to perform small tasks on cars, with one in six people left regretting accepting help. Maintenance blunders include elementary mistakes involving car batteries, and more serious errors such as using the wrong oil. Almost half (45 per cent) of those who subsequently had to employ an expert were left with a bill of over £100.

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