Posts Tagged ‘Drive’

What is it Like to Drive a Van in London All Day

Vans

What is it Like to Drive a Van in London All Day

Driving gives immense pleasure to a large number of people in London. While the passion amongst van drivers might remain a constant, the reasons differ.

London is one of the most interesting tourist places around the globe. The opportunity to travel is whole heartedly felt, and the desire to explore places such as national parks, amusement parks, educational institutes, etc. can very easily be fulfilled. Transportation in London includes both private and public transport networks, which encompass rail and road travel.

Even though driving a van may be an interesting option, there are some things that need to be followed by people who drive vans. London has a host of organisations that offer courses in van driving. Many organisations in London offer vans for “Moving and Transport” services to the general public. When it comes to organisations that offer van transport services to the people, they hire only skilled van drivers. There are people who ferry children in their vans to and from schools and earn a living doing this.

There are some rules and regulations that need to be followed by van drivers to keep them and their fellow passengers safe from road accidents. Driving a van might be a new experience for many people, and it is a good idea for these people to know that driving a van is not the same as driving a car or other light motor vehicles, so utmost caution must be in place whilst driving a van.

People who wish to drive a van all day in London need to know of the different issues that are related to van driving. There are many responsibilities that need to be taken care of by all van drivers. First and foremost is to have a valid driver’s license, the driver then needs to follow strict van safety policies framed by the government. It is not advised to drive a van with cargo placed on its roof. Van drivers need to ensure that their passengers wear seat belts and are distributed evenly within the van. Van drivers need to learn defensive driving techniques that prevent them from accidents. It is necessary to place the safety equipment securely mounted in the van and it should be in good working condition. It is also necessary to follow up on the van’s inspection, maintenance and cleaning, which then would then keep the van in good condition, thereby reducing chances of mechanical failures. Van drivers need to familiarise all their passengers with obligatory requirements, such as wearing seat belts, and the passengers also need to be educated on how to contact the driver while the van is in motion. Most van accidents occur due to speeding, so it is necessary for a professional van driver to be an experienced driver who knows the characteristics of the van being driven. Safety tips can be found at sources like wikipedia

It is mandatory in the U.K that all the automobiles need to be insured in order to pay for the expenses that are created because of road accidents. Van insurance is necessary for all types of vans, and it does come in handy in case of any eventuality. There are different types of van insurance offered by wide range of insurance companies, which include short-term van insurance, transit van insurance and commercial van insurance.

It is now easy for people to find the most suitable insurance firm to get their respective van insurance, with the internet being a good source. Descriptions of different types of insurance can be found at this wikipedia resource.

Too Old to Drive a Rental Car?

cars

Too Old to Drive a Rental Car?

As the population in Australia gets older, the problem of renting a car both in Australia and overseas becomes more of an issue. Most car companies will have some kind of restriction if the older generation is looking to rent a vehicle. Whilst you may think that as someone that has been driving for 50 years or more, car rental companies can see you as a major risk to their asset

The Senior Driver Surcharge is payable by senior drivers over &/or between a specific age. This depends on country and/or car rental company. It is just the same as our car insurance companies here in Australia charge a higher premium if you have a driver aged 21 years on the insurance.

The reason why it is charged is because the car rental company sees senior drivers as high risk and they get charged a premium to have senior drivers covered by their insurance company. However, other car rental companies just restrict the driving age so they don’t have to get additional insurance.

To give you a few examples on how it differs between suppliers, let’s take a look at Car Rental in Ireland. One car rental company has a maximum age of 74 years with no surcharge payable. Another car rental company charges a EUR29 incl Tax /day fee for drivers aged between 70-74 years. And, a third car rental company doesn’t charge a surcharge but they require additional documentation from driver’s aged between 76-79 years, as follows -

1) Note from their Insurers stating that they have not been involved in any accidents within the past 5 years.

2) Note from their doctor stating that they are in full health.

When booking your car rental, it is advisable to always be truthful of the age/s of all drivers and ask the car rental company if there are any additional conditions for senior driver’s. Failure to do so may result in you using public transport to get around on your holiday.

Car Rental brokers, such as DriveAway Holidays will be able to advise quickly as to which company is going to be able to accomodate the older driver.

Smart drive iPhone app and $300 installation kit now available

Filed under: SMART, USA

Smart has officially released its new drive iPhone app into the wild. For the low price of .99 in the US (.99 in the EU), Fortwo owners can take advantage of tricks like an integrated Bing search, hands-free calling and streaming audio from over 10,000 internet radio stations. The app also features a local map based on the car’s location. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait for turn-by-turn directions. The company says that it’s currently working on offering navigation, though it won’t be available until later this year. The drive app will also mark the location of the car when you park when paired with the Fortwo installation kit. The best part? All of those features are wrapped up in one app, so you won’t have to go fidgeting through screens while driving.

Unfortunately, to get the most out of the app, Fortwo owners will need to purchase the iPhone integration kit. At 0 plus installation, the kit features a cradle plus all of the necessary wiring to allow the phone to work in conjunction with the car’s computer and audio system. On the shiny side, when customers buy the integration kit, Smart will hand over a iTunes gift car, effectively making the app free. Ok, freeish. Once the Smart Fortwo ED hits the scene, the app will also clue drivers into information like battery life and how long it will take to charge the car — handy stuff. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Gallery: Smart Drive iPhone App

[Source: Smart]

Continue reading Smart drive iPhone app and 0 installation kit now available

Smart drive iPhone app and 0 installation kit now available originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 11:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Drive: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze sails into new era of small cardom

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Chevrolet, First Drive

2011 Chevrolet Cruze – Click above for high-res image gallery

Until now, General Motors hasn’t exactly taken the small-car market seriously. While Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai and Kia have built their empires on the hoods of pint-sized, fuel-efficient transportation, history has shown the captains of Detroit tend to offer up parts-bin afterthoughts. Cars like the Chevrolet Cavalier and Cobalt have left a sour taste in the mouths of buyers thanks to noisy and de-contented cabins, rough engines and build quality that would make a Yugo blush. As a result, Americans have developed a sort of Pavolovian retch when we hear the term “compact car.”

But a new dawn may be approaching – one heralded by a rash of new straw-weight fighters that aim to bring a global small car philosophy to the U.S. GM intends to be part of that party with the introduction of the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, a sedan that, for all intents and purposes, is more of a landmark model for the company than the endlessly-hyped Chevrolet Volt. To get our meaning, you’ll need to throw all of your heinous memories about American-built small cars out the window beginning… now.

Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze: First Drive

Photos by Zach Bowman / Copyright (C)2010 AOL

Continue reading First Drive: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze sails into new era of small cardom

First Drive: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze sails into new era of small cardom originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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V8 Supercar champ in Australia wants kids to learn to drive at age 12. How about you? [w/poll]

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Government/Legal, Safety, Australia

Albert Einstein has commonly been quoted as saying that stupidity (or insanity, depending on your source) is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Which begs the question, with over 100 years of traffic enforcement behind us, why are we still relying on the same methods of catch and punish to modify driver behavior? If it hasn’t worked over the last century, chances are it won’t work over the next. But Australian V8 Supercar champ Jamie Whincup has come up with a zany idea that just might cut down on his country’s driving death toll – education.

In a move likely to draw some knee-jerk guffaws, Whincup is calling for driver’s education to begin at 12 years-old. The tweens in question wouldn’t actually be behind the wheel, but would begin to receive lessons on the components of a car, the effect of drugs and alcohol on your ability to operate a vehicle and the consequences of excess speed. We’re not entirely sure the average pre-teen is going to be able to wrangle enough synapses away from Hanna Montana to make a difference, but we’re all for improved driver education as a means of improving road safety.

Have a look at the story below, then chime in with your own opinion by taking our poll and leaving your thoughts in Comments.

View Poll

[Source: Drive | Image: Matchbox]

V8 Supercar champ in Australia wants kids to learn to drive at age 12. How about you? [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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