Usually, a trip in the family car, long or short, can cause a great deal of “excitement” for some pets. This can become a dangerous distraction for the driver and dangerous for a rambunctious pet in a moving vehicle. Before setting out on a trip with your pet, be sure to follow these tips:

• Restrain your pet – This is perhaps the most important tip because it keeps your pet from sitting in your lap or obstructing your vision. If you can, use a pet-specific seatbelt or a crate to keep your pet in one spot. If a seatbe

Read more…

Premiums across the Province have shot up by almost 73% in the last two years, with younger drivers worst hit and typically paying more than double the price for being legally on the road than in 2009.

The Council wants the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to grant it permission to examine the market in Northern Ireland, and is inviting consumers to give their support via an online petition.

Those taking the trouble to log on get the opportunity to tell their own story regarding the purchase of car insurance, with both the petition and anecdotal evidence eventually gathered up and submitted to the OFT.

The Northern Ireland Assembly’s Justice Committee can also expect to hear from the Council, as it demands a full examination of the impact on premiums of the costs associated with claims.

The watchdogs chief executive, Antoinette McKeown, comments: “The average yearly car insurance premium is now £923.90 and with the increasing cost of fuel the Consumer Council is concerned it will force some people off the road altogether, or lead to an increase in motorists driving illegally without insurance.

Historically residents of Northern Ireland have paid on average £300 more for their car insurance than in the UK generally.

In addition, they have faced the highest price within the UK for petrol, diesel or both, every month so far in 2011.

Whilst you are towing your caravan you are covered by your motor insurance policy and so you may wonder whether caravan insurance is worth the cost, but as soon as the caravan is un-coupled this is no longer the case and not really worth the risk.

It is estimated that around 3,000 touring caravans a year are the target of crime. This includes anything from the actual caravan being stolen through to personal items being stolen from within the caravan itself.

Read more…

An eighteen-year-old motorcyclist is fighting for his life in the Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria after he was struck by a heavy goods truck at Fountains Circle this morning.

The cause of the accident and the series of events leading up to it remain unclear and will form the subject of a South African Police Force investigation. Common cause information indicates that the motorcyclist entered the traffic circle and was struck by the heavy goods vehicle. The force of impact saw the man thrown from his motorcycle.

Netcare911 advanced life support paramedics arrived at the scene to find the rider in a critical condition, having sustained significant abdominal trauma.

Read more…

As cold weather once again closes in, many will leave their cars unattended whilst they defrost and warm up, but the ABI is advising motorists to stay with their cars and not run the risk of theft.

Last year there was a spike in thefts of cars that were left running but without their driver in sight.

In addition to the risk of theft, leaving a car unattended with the keys in the ignition could invalidate insurance policies.

ABI Director of General Insurance Nick Starling warned motorists to never leave their cars unattended whilst waiting inside for it to defrost and get warm.

In the recent harsh winters police have recorded a surge in such crimes, and two years ago a gang of thieves known as The Ice Bandits received custodial sentences.

Police spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Vincent Mdunge, said eight of them were also held for alleged fraudulent claims – that have not been paid out – of R92 million.

“The SAPS was inundated with reports of alleged fraud from the RAF forensic investigators who became suspicious about the number and the exorbitant claims that had been received from certain claimants.

Mdunge said Percy Kali, 47, of Chatsworth, was arrested on Sunday. He ap

Read more…

Instead, the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill could be a charter for the insurance industry to print money at the expense of injured individuals, the group claims.

Concerns have also been voiced by the Motor Accident Solicitors Society (MASS) whose chair, Donna Scully, says: “The Government has completely missed the target here.

She adds: Worse still, it has hit the wrong targets namely the seriously injured, those injured at work or in a public place and, indeed, all genuine claimants.”

Apil and MASS are therefore calling for personal injury clauses to be scrapped from the Bill in favour of:

1. A b

Read more…

Some-one called my offices today and told me that the car strap clip is illegal. See below and advice if this is true? This device helps to stop children from getting out of the car straps in their baby car seats.

I did my research when developing the product but I will need confirmation from an expert like you if it is ok to market to the public.

Ever wonder what those nifty shapes emblazoned on the front and back of your automobile are supposed to mean?  I mean really, what do two over-lapping ovals have to do with the Japanese auto maker Toyota?  The wonky ‘h’ used by Hyundai sort of makes sense to me and the masculine blocky ‘H’ of Honda is also logical because both auto makers used the first letter of their company name to create an easily recognized logo.

Really, a logo is supposed to create brand recognition in sort of a short hand, visual way. It is the advertising equivalent of making an ‘x’ for your mark instead of a full signature.  Logos are very effective. Not many peopl

Read more…

According to research from LV= car insurance, one in 10 pedestrians are likely to be crossing the road while using a mobile gadget, although one-third of those doing so will agree that their ability to cross safely is extremely impaired because they are distracted.

Mobile phones, and smartphones in particular, would appear to be the most absorbing devices for pedestrians, so the problem is likely to get worse with the number of smartphone users in the UK having risen 41% in the last year, to around 20 million.

Like most addicts, those unable to tear themselves away from their gadgets whilst en-route appear to be underestimating the dangers they face.

In fact, some gadget addicts were unaware of the direction of traffic at busy junctions and many seemed to blindly follow other pedestrians rather than making their own judgments, the research revealed.

Read more…

Insurance and motorbike licenses – what’s the deal?

When it comes to car insurance, we all know the rules – the car must be registered and licensed, the driver must have a valid license, and when and how the vehicle is used and stored affects both conditions for cover and premiums.

But what about bikes? In South Africa, all motorbikes – regardless of the size and use – must be licensed and registered. Furthermore, the riders of bikes used on public roads must be licensed i.e. in posses

Read more…

Before taking out any policy, you need to ask yourself whether or not you would be able to work without your van and whether its absence would impact upon your earnings.

Read more…

One man sustained serious injuries and a two men sustained minor to moderate injuries after a collision between a truck and a bakkie occurred on the N3 west bound, about 100m before the off ramp to the Pavilion this morning.
ER24 and SAPS Search and Rescue arrived on the scene and found the bakkie facing oncoming traffic but up against the Armco barrier in the left hand lane.

The passenger side of the bakkie was complete mangled piece of metal. The truck had left the road and was found down a 50m embankment. Members of public had already rushed down to the truck to make sure the occupants of the vehicle were okay.

SAPS Search and Rescue used the Jaws of Life to extricate the driver from the bakkie.

Read more…

The summer drive brings lot of frustration especially on busy days as many motorists are seen on road making the road congested and traffic moving slowly. The popular routes remain occupied by crawling traffic which makes it difficult for the car owner to reach the destination on time. The British road network is burdened heavily during the summer which increases the risk of any car damage and collision so it is wise to drive at safe distance and specified speed to control the car easily.

The biggest complain made by 70% of the motorists during summer drive is getting stuck behind any tractor or slow moving caravan.

Read more…

77% of all drivers have inadequate cheap car insurance. This is generally because they fall into one of two categories. E

Read more…

Arrive Alive road safety partner and Fleet Manager Eqstra is sharing a few suggestions with clients about safety at accident scenes.

Hopefully you can help me or send me in the right direction. I have a Code B license for a car but want to get a motorbike license for a large bike. Would I have to undergo the testing to get another learners license before I can apply for my motorbike license? And generally how long does the whole process take?

Answer:

Yes you would require a code 1 Learner’s Licence .

I believe that the LL bookings are in abundance and you could get a booking with 2 weeks at most driving licence testing centres across the country.

The advanced Ctrack™ telematics technology enables Discovery to achieve its objectives of measuring and rewarding good driving and reducing the cost of insurance through positive change in driver behaviour. All drivers have the opportunity to review and improve their driving habits based on actual driver behaviour reports produced as a result of Ctrack’s Intelligent telematics technology and Discovery’s proprietary algorithms to develop a scientific measure of driver behaviour.

“Discovery started a process to identify a technology and business partner and ultimately selected Ctrack. Our technol

Read more…

Sometimes the customers are not able to get an insurance claim even in emergency due to the non generous claim procedure of the provider. The insurance company blames the customer for not revealing some facts to the provider which are actually not even related with the claim.

Read more…

Control Instruments Automotive Ltd have launched the widely-anticipated Gabriel Safari HDP shock absorber for SUV’s and 44 vehicles.

The HDP range, as with other Gabriel shock absorbers, is locally designed and manufactured for local off-road conditions and will be available at all major fitment centres and retail outlets during June 2011

“The Safari HDP is a robust big-bore shock absorber specifically designed for extreme South African off-road conditions and comes with a three-year unlimited kilometer warranty, the first in SA for a 44 shock absorber,” said Sean Staley, executive manager – marketing, at Control Instruments Automotive.

“The HDP is a clear indication of Gabriel’s market leadership in product design, development and expertise in local manufacture.”

The HDP addresses the 44 enthusiast and 44 work-horse markets. It is specifi

Read more…