@database Pit_Stop2.doc @remark Converted with HTML2Guide ©1997 Mark Harman @wordwrap @node MAIN "Pit_Stop2.doc" Pit Stop News Cyclists could soon be forced to fit bells to their pedal bikes, under a proposed new Government legislation. Labour's Road Safety Minister, Lady Hayman, claimed she wants to make the bells on cycles a compulsory item to help protect pedestrians. This has been classed as "A matter of priority", although a Conservative Party spokesman has dismissed the idea as ludicrous. More people miss their cars more than their partners, it has been claimed. The survey, commisioned by Green Flag, the breakdown recovery company, state that over half of the drivers questioned said they could not be without their car for more than a day. Only 10 per cent said the couldn't do without their husband or wife. Theives have stolen two high powered rally cars from the World champiuonship team Subaru. The two Imprezas were stolen after a Land Rover Discovery was used to smash through the gates at the Oxfordshire plant, which was then dumped, and the two cars taken away. Over 100,000 drivers who were breath tested last year, failed the test. Poilce carried out the highest ever number of tests in 1996 - 781,000 of them. A car has been built for the man who has everything, including a price on his head, by a British Security firm and Toyota. The Toyota Landcruiser Amazon looks externaly just like the normal £36,000 off roader, but in reality it is a vehicle designed for transporting VIP's who are the target of terrorists. The £160,000 armoured car has controls on the dashboard, marked 'Arm' and 'Fire', which controls the smoke grenades, while Security specialists Scott Broder, has installed transparent armour plating instead of glass. The chassis of the car is made from blast resistant metal, and the super reinforced fuel tank can withstand a 10KG Semtek explosion at 3.5 metres. In case of a gas attack, the vehicle also has it's own air supply. Millionaire Hugh Edeleanu is driving from John 'O Groats to Land's End and trying to break his own speed record, in his Turbocharged JCB Digger. The current record is 34 Hours and 15 minutes. Hugh will drive the Landshuttle digger the 963 miles non stop, except he will stop only for refuelling. US Traffic cops have been donated 9,000 gallons of engine oil by Mobil. the police in Washington need the oil to keep their fleet of cars on the road for the next 15 months. A police detective who had his car broken into, got a letter from Doncaster police offering him counselling with their Victim Support Officer - the post he holds. An AA report has revealed that if you want to avoid a car crash, stay off of the roads on a Friday. That's when the average number of crashes soars to 1,195 and when over 18 per cent of accidents and breakdowns happen. The safest day to travel is Sunday. Italian car maker Alfa Romeo has been forced to recall more than 1,000 cars because there are fears that the drivers air bag could deploy accidentally. All of the new 1.6 and 1.8 and many 2 litre models of its 145 and 146 series are to be recalled, which is 1,302 in the UK alone. The airbag could explode if the underside of the car is hit hard, as there has been one case already. Do you fancy owning a Ferrari for a week, or a Porsche for a month, or even a Vauxhall Tigra for life? Avis, the car rental company, is running a competition that allows just that. Everybody who hires a car from them., and is over 30, will automatically be entered into the competition. In a desparate bid to cut down on 40,000 deaths every year, US road safety groups want a legislation that forces parents to put children under 13 in the back seat. In the US, high speed police car chases could soon case to happen. There is uproar over them as an average of 300 people are killed in the US as a result of these chases. The Maricopa Indians, a tribe in Arizona, USA, have objected to a highway which crosses their land, being named after movie star John Wayne. The indians are upset because they disagree about the way their ancestors were portrayed in his films. A road in Shipton, Shropshire was closed recently after a car accident. A van was buried when a lorry overturned in front of it, and shed its load of potatoes. The lorry collided with a car, overturned and shed its load over the Escort van was engulfed in the landslide. It`s female driver was injured and taken to hospital. The other drivers in the incident were also slightly hurt. Jaguar has ceased production of its legendary V12 5.3 litre engine after 26 years. The original unit was launched with 272 Brake horsepower (BHP) in the E-Type in 1971. Today, their next generation 4 litre V8 engimne, as used in the new XK8 coupe, has more power - 290 BHP and it also has better economy. To try and sell more models, Ford has now introduced leather interiors in all Scorpios as standard, in an attempt to make the slow selling model more appealing. The Jaguar XK8 has broken all records with the company by outselling any other sports car in the campany`s history. 5,500 coupes and convertibles have been sold in the first four months of 1997. Half of these vehicles were sold in America, and about a quarter of them were sold in the UK. Volvo, who have at last got rid of their staunchy, box car like image, will be releasing high performance versions of their S40 and V40 saloon and estate models in the autumn. The 150 mph T4 versions, which have a 1.9 litre turbocharged engine, which produces 200 BHP, will do 0-60 mph in just about seven seconds. Prices for thre range will start from just under #20,000. Jeep, the US manufacturer, is recalling every right hand drive model sold in the UK since their launch in January 1993. There is a possible weakness in the steering box mountings which must be checked by supplying dealers. This affects 19,000 vehicles, but the 1997 Cherokee, which is on sale now, is not affected by the recall, as the possible fault has been rectified. An American driver, Archie A Arnold, recently died. Before he died, however, hewanted to have a little fun, so he told his friends and relatives of his wishes. When he died, he wanted two parking meters erected on his grave, as he hated them and the meter maids so much. They duly granted his request, and set them permanently to expired! In the USA, Peter Nunn`s petrol station has bebbed 171 times in four years. Peter, from New York, says that he has given up trying to call the police each time he is robbed, as he is too embarrassed. His phone has also been stolen! The little known supercar from Nissan, the Skyline GT-R, is finally to be released in the UK. The £50,000 supercar, which has a 2.6 litre, 24 valve engine and is blisteringly quick, capable of warp speed, will be released after the London Motor Show in October. Potential owners will have to be quick, as only 100 will be available in the UK. It features include four wheel drive, electronic rear wheel steering, and it has been called "one of the great driving experiences" by Nissan. It also holds the record for being the only production car to have lapped the notorious German F1 track, the 14 mile Nurburgring in less than eight minutes. Sybil Mollard received a letter from the LA motor licensing agency in the USA recently. It read "We have received a report that you may be deceased. Please come into our office with proof of identity and evidence that you are not dead.". Saab, the Swedish car maker, is recalling every car in its 900 series as there are fears that the throttle may stick. The recall will probably affect 20,000 cars in the UK, leading to 170,000 worldwide. Saab stress that no accidents have occured, although 10 cases were received in America. The official word is that a build up of corrosion on the throttle housing could lead to "unintended acceleration." Defective parts will be replaced with brass components, which are non corrosive. This ironically comes after their recent newspaper advertising campaign in which the 900 set the world endurance record by driving 25,000 at 140 mph. The advert stated "You'll never need to do it - but it's nice to know you can.". Stephen Graham @endnode