@database Pit_Stop.html
@remark Converted with HTML2Guide ©1997 Mark Harman
@wordwrap
@node MAIN "Pit_Stop.html"
@{"b"} Pit Stop News@{"ub"}
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.".
A car which hit the back of Fritz Hoffmann's car in Berlin, Germany
turned out to be the one he had sold a year earlier - he sold it
because he thought it was jinxed!
Polite billboards in Maryland, USA that said "Welcome to Maryland -
please drive gently.", and "Leaving Maryland - we enjoyed your
company." have been joined by "Just what you dread - Road Works
ahead."
Meanwhile, holiday traffic jams in Maryland are being eased by a group
of state employees which helps motorists who have broken down or been
involved in minor accidents. Patrol members do not compete with the
American AA mechanics, but they do carry supplies of water and petrol.
In Poland, car theives who stole Warsaw bishop Herbert Luthe's
Mercedes, returned it a day later. It had since been cleaned,
polished, and had a full tank of petrol.
Aston Martin is joining forces with the great motorsport engine
builder Cosworth Engineering, who were behind a series of motorway
storming Ford models. Aston, who is now owned by Ford, called them in
to tweak the engines in the Volante, Vantage and the V8 Coupe. As
well as this, the DB7, their most advanced model, will get a rethink
over the next two years, which also includes the mind blowing 400 bhp
plus GT model.
The number of deaths on US roads has fallen - even though speed limits
were raised two years ago. Most states now have a limit of 65 mph,
which was previously 55 mph, and Montana does not have a speed limit.
Squeegee bandits may be very annoying on the streets but they have
gained recognition in print. The roadside windscreen washers are
included in the latest edition of the Oxford Dictionary. Car-jackers,
hotters and rollerbladers have also made it in for the first time.
A Tory MP who backed a "Kill Your Speed" campaign has been caught
driving at nearly twice the speed limit. David Ruffley, MP for Bury
St Edmonds, was fined £550 for doing 55 mph in a 30 mph zone.
The Vauxhall Vectra is the cheapest car in its class to repair,
according to statistics on the cost of repairing real life prangs.
The figures were compiled by fleet car accident management company
Velo using data from 30,000 company car accidents over the last 12
months.
Vauxhall dealers are giving away a book that shows how to adjust your
driving seat to avoid back problems. Nearly two thirds of drivers
covering more than 10,000 miles a year are said to have back trouble
aggravated by the wrong seating position.
Renault has sold one million Twingos in the four years since the car
was launched. The 1,000,000th car rolled off the production line at
Filns in France and was presented to French Lottery winnner Gilles
Rouzauld, who works at the plant. The car is also built in Spain,
Taiwan and Columbia.
The car industry is attacking a government proposal to allow people to
disconnect their airbags. It is claimed the move, prompted by a rash
of child fatalities caused by air bags, will cause 400 deaths a year.
The US Army is trying to reappropriate a Sherman Tank from a citizen
in New York State. He's breaking the rules, the Army says, by keeping
it fully operational and not storing it in a museum.
Ferrari owners will soon be able to opt for a matching Mobile Phone.
Manufactured by Hagenuk, the phone was officialy launched at the
Frankfurt Motor Show.
Land Rover has extended the chassis repair programme from the
Defender to cover the Discovery and Range Rover Classic models. The
scheme allows owners to replace sections of a damaged chassis and
avoid risking a write off, as where before, you were only able to
purchase a full chassis section.
Twenty per cent of British drivers fall below the eyesight standards
required to pass a driving test, according to Specsavers opticians.
Canadian accessory manufacturer On Track (001 604 538 7362) claims to
have solved the problems associated with Gatso proof number plates.
Instead of replacing the plate, On Track supplies a strip of
reflective plastic which covers the original, making it opaque from
the roadside but still readable from directly behind the car.
The US Govcernment is investigationg complaints that the straps of
built in child seats on Chrysler's popular Voyager MPV can trap
children. Chrysler has issued a video with guidance on the proper use
of the seats, which are not yet available in the UK.
British cars have topped the first ever government approved security
league table. The Jaguar XK8 and Range Rover 4.0 litre SE share the
top spot in the 72 car ranking conducted by What Car? using test
procedures approved by the Home Office. At the other end of the
scale, the Renault Clio and 1997 model VW Polo took joint last place,
although VW has since improved the locks on it's 1998 model. VW and
Renault are not alone in performing below par. Of the 72 cars tested,
What Car? found that 64 would fail to meet Home Office guidelines
stating that locks must withstand attack by a thief for at least two
minutes. Full results of the test can be found in the September issue
of What Car?
Although the BMW Z3 2.8 is now offially on sale for £28,115, buyers
who place their order now will have to wait until March for delivery.
Ferrari made its last F50 on 30 July. Destined for an Italian
customer, the barchetta red car was signed off and its numbered badge
attached by Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo at a special
ceremony attended by the F50 assembly workers. Despite making only
349 cars, Ferrari estimates it could have sold 450 F50's to
legitimate buyers.
The Metropolitan police is reconsidering its decision to scrap black
box recorders in police cars after the success of a similar scheme in
Berlin. Senior officers are said to be stunned by the results of the
Berlin pilot scheme, where accident levels have fallen so
significally that the project has been widened to include most of the
vehicle fleet. Accident recorders were removed from Londons police
cars 18 months agao, despite strong evidence that their presence was
also responsible for a dramatic reduction in accidents. Reasons for
the decison were never made public, but lack of funds and interest at
the highest levels were thought to have played a part.
Home Office statistics have revealed that British motorists are more
likely to be victims of car crime than those of any other European
country.
With one in ten motorway deaths occuring on the hard shoulder, the AA
is advising motorists to ensure that they get out of their car and
sit on the verge while waiting for assistance.
A European directive banning the sale of leaded petrol from 2000 could
spell disaster for up to 250,000 motorists. The directive was signed
by the EC environmental council in June and will be ratified by the
European Parliament iun the autumn in a process which inside sources
have descibed as a "formality". Although Greece, Spain and Portugal
have been exempted from the ban until 2005, the Government has
accepted the plans in an attempt to reduce pollution levels. As a
result, leaded fuel will be banned in the UK from January 1 2000,
although classic and sports car enthusiasts will supposedly be able
to purchase four star through a handful of specialist petrol
stations. The remaining 250,000 motorists whose cars cannot be
converted to run on unleaded fuel will be forced to fill up with
unleaded and add cartridges containing lead replacment additives.
Racing Driver Emerson Fittipaldi is launching his own line of cigars.
The smokes will be marketed from a store in his home town of Miamai.
Churchill Insurance was so overwhelmed with queries from customers
wanting to buy the canine star of its recent TV ad that is decided to
start selling them. Priced at £10 for Churchill customers, and £12.50
for non customers, you can order your very own nodding dog by calling
0181 313 3030.
Boffins are testing a wobbly speed hump which jolts speeding
vehicles, but is soft on slower vehicles. The hump is a liquid filled
cushion protected by a rubber mat. Drive over it at low speed and
you'll be fine, but between 20 and 30 mph, the soft centre becomes
rigid. It's currently undergoing testing at the Transport Research
Laboratory in Berkshire.
In Malaysia, drivers convicted of holding a mobile phone while
driving will be banned for six months under new laws. Lsast year,
180,000 motorists were caught making calls on the move.
Meanwhile in the UK, thousands of motorists could soon face being
stopped and fined for using a mobile phone while driving. Although
the Government has rejected calls to ban the use of mobiles on the
move, the Home Office wants police to follow the example of the
Gloucestershire force and pull drivers over. In a two hour trial last
June, it stopped 15 people for driving without due care and
attention, and nine were using mobile phones. Six were fined £20. "We
were looking for people not in proper control of a vehicle," said PC
Gary Shellard. "It was a rainy day and the potential for accidents
was huge." Although safety groups have been calling for a ban, the
Government says existing legislation gives the police enough power. "A
£20 fine is a lot to pay every time you use your phone," said PC
Shellard, "but it would be easier if it was an offence in its own
right.".
Three teenagers have each been given 15 year jail sentences for
stealing road signs in the USA. The youths were found guilty of
manslaughter after three people died in a crash at a Florida junction
from which a Stop sign had been removed.
Fake wolf eyes are being installed next to busy roads at a beauty
spot, to stop deer being killed. When car lights are reflected in the
imitation eyes, they'll startle deer away from the road in the Forest
of Dean, Gloucestershire.
The LA motor licensing department sent a letter to driver Sybil
Mollard saying "We have received a report that you may have decesed.
Please come into our office with proof of identity and evidence that
you are not dead.".
A mechanic has been banned from driving - for the 63rd time! Edmund
Flahive, 38, of Leicestershire, who lives yards from a police
station, was also jailed for the 19th time for breaking bans.
Eastern European countries are seeing red as worn out Royal Mail vans
take to their roads. The bright red LDV 400's are being snapped up in
countries such as Poland and Latvia, thanks to a £200 left hand drive
conversion kit. A Royal Mail spokeswoman said "The LDV 400 is easy to
convert, and has a trusty Peugeot engine. Most of the vans are four
years old with 80,000 miles on the clock, but some have covered more
than 140,000 miles. They are great workhorses.". (Not to mention the
fastest things on the roads!).
Cows on the island of Pulau Langkawi, Malaysia, have been given
plastic reflector earrings to make them more visible to motorists at
night. The earrings are similar to the red reflectors fitted to the
rear mudguards of bicycles.
Volkswagen has improved the security on its Polo hatch (see above)
with new door and steering column locks. The Polo now shares the
Passat's "free wheeling" ignition lock, and the steering lock is
almost impossible to overcome.
Social worker Mary Murray, visiting a Mexico City prison, asked
inmates to help after she locked her keys inside the car - so one
prisoner threw a brick through her windscreen!
Want to know more about about wacky personalised number plates? Who's
Who On The Road, which is published in October, lists details of 6,000
registrations. Publisher William McGee advertised for people to write
in if they had an unusual plate - but the book doesn't reveal prices.
Lazy sales reps and car theives should all be worried by a new spy in
the sky device being secretly installed in cars and vans. Fleet
managers using on-screen computer maps can locate a tagged vehicle to
within 25 yards, and precisely record its movements. The Trantrak
system was developed by Coventry based Technical Telecommunications
International to improve efficiency of delivery fleets. Links to
security systems permit tracking a stolen car. The system also means
no rep can argue he's stuck in traffic if the computer shows his car
is in the pub car park!
Motorists were left fuming after schoolboys broke into a traffic
department depot and put rouge diversion signs up around Lille,
France.
An advert in a German lonely hearts column of a newspaper read: "Small
businessman would like to meet girl with a Porsche, with a view to
marry - send photo of Porsche.".
A thief is in hospital after breaking into a shooting enthusiasts car
in Texas, USA. He thought a metal box was full of money so used a
blow-torch to open it - but it contained 6lb of gunpowder.
Speeding motorists could soon find themselves being slowed down by in
car computers that overide the driver and apply the brakes. Trials of
roadside beacons that send radio signals to the computers of passing
cars, telling them the speed limit, are scheduled to start next year
on the M4. If a car is going too fast, the computer applies the
brakes and the driver will find the throttle won't work if he tries
to speed up.
Police patrol cars in Scotland are being fitted with roof mounted
electronic emergency signals in five languages for foreign drivers.
The 18 messages, displayed at the touch of a button, include Follow
Me, Road Flooded, Accident and Do Not Overtake.
A storm has blown up over a new speed trap beating gadget that its
makers say is so good they'll refund speeding fines if it doesn't
work. The pledge has brought a protest from police who accuse the
firm of inciting drivers to break the law. Northampton based TBS
Industries says its £299 Phazar is legal to use as it doesn't scan or
jam police signals but "soaks up" radar waves so signals can't bounce
off a car. The Phazar, originally designed to enable jet fighters to
outwit missiles, is classed as a reflector, not a transmitter, and
thus escapes the rules of The Wireless Telegraphy Act. TBS put the
Phazar on sale after police traps on the A14 caught 40 speeding
motorists. Inspector Hugh Jones of Northamptonshire Police commented:
"On the A14, we have recorded cars travelling at speeds of up to 130
mph. We want more legislation to help us, but in the meantime it's up
to drivers and the companies who sell this type of device to realise
what the consequences of excess speed can be - the death of someone.".
One of the worlds biggest computer chip manufacturers, Intel, has set
up an in car computing division to put the power of a home PC in a
cars dashboard. The chips will be the brains behind the vehicles
entertainment centre, and allow drivers to make calls or fax
documents by voice recognition technology.
A new non corrosive antifreeze has been developed by NASA. The green
fluid, which can be painted on cars to make it easier to scrape off
ice, uses only ingredients approved by the US food and drug
administartion for human intake, and is totally biodegradable.
In the former Soviet republic, Chechnya, pipelines are being tapped by
drivers who steal the oil within them, and then refine it with home
made equipment to make their own low grade petrol.
Piet Voose, charged with driving a getaway car in a robbery in
Ritterdam, Holland, was released after police realise that he did not
have any arms.
In Turkey, traffic accidents are killing so many people that health
officlas in Ankara want motorists to carry body bags inside their
cars. Over 2,700 people died on Turkey's roads in the first seven
months of this year.
Hollywood celebrities are rushiing to buy pick up trucks in an
attempt to outwit the gutter press. The trucks are being used to take
rubbish to local dumps after a spate of magazine articles exposing
the contents of stars' dustbins.
Paul Catmur is selling the perfect gift for the police officer who has
everything. Paul of Dudley, West Midlands, is asking £12,000 for the
personal registration number COP 999, which he bought in 1973.
The Army is set to sell off a fifth of its Land Rover fleet by
Christmas. The 4,000 Series III Land Rovers - some less than 15 years
old - are being sold through Midlands firm Military Vehicle Spares at
an old air base near Lichfield, even though the new Land Rover
Defenders replacing them will not arrive for another two years.
A drunk driver in Bari, Italy called police on his mobile phone to
report that his steering wheel and pedals had been stolen. He then
rang back minutes later to tell them not to worry, as he'd got into
the back seat by mistake.
A schoolboy wrecked a £28,000 Volvo V70 on a test drive after
convincing sales staff he was a 22 year old businessman. The 15 year
old crashed at high speed while taking friends for a spin in the P
reg car in Somerset.
A TV ad for Chrysler's Jeep has broken the record for the longest
running car commercial. Because the vehicle is parked under 10 feet
of snow and can't be seen, the ad will never date.
Minor traffic offenders in Hawaii, USA can easily get a cop to tear
up a ticket if they have no money for the fine. They just agree to
accompany him to the nearest hospital and donate a pint of blood.
Naughty number plate R4 NDY (RANDY) has not been issued by the DVLA,
despite dozens of drivers offering more than £10,000 for it. The
registration is among 20 R plates to be banned by the authority.
An advert showing a Porsche driver crashing his car after being
distracted by a model has been slammed as tasteless. With the slogan
"Dress to kill", the black and white ads for clothes tretailer Wallis
appeared in women's glossy mags in September. Other ads show a
captivated train guard about to be decapitated by a tunnel wall, and
a man about to drive a lawnmower over a sunbather. But the campaign
has caused outrage. "Death is not a funny subject", said a
spokeswoman for the National Council of Women.
Police are combining forces in an effort to combat a new outbreak of
"bridge bombing". A joint operation between the British Transport
Police and motorway cops is aimed at putting a stop to the so called
bombers who hurl potentially lethal missles from bridges spanning
major roads and railway lines. The move comes after actor Sean
Connery escaped injury when the Range Rover he was driving was hit by
a brick thrown from a road bridge near Chertsey, Surrey. Police
officers are convinced a hardcore of tearaways, some as young as 12,
are behind the attacks. The anti bombing campaign, involving the BTP
and the Central Motorway Police Group responsible for the M5, M42 and
M6 in the West Midlands, begins this month. Officers will target
housing estates close to major road and rail links in a bid to gather
information and make youngsters aware of the dangers of bridge
bombing. Police will also be using more than 60 high definition
cameras sited close to bridges in an attempt to catch the bombers on
film. In July, teenage vandals brought terror to the Midlands after
hurling concrete blocks at cars travelling along the A5 and M54 near
Telford in Shropshire, and the M54 in Staffordshire.
Sports car maker John DeLorean, wanted in Britain for questioning
following the closure of his Belfast factory set up with Government
money, is to be stripped of his luxury American estate and art
collection by a court because of an unpaid legal bill. DeLorean were
mostly remembered for making the car that was featured in the Back To
The Future films, and also of making the bodies from stainless steel,
which does not rust.
Caterham is developing its wildest Rover powered Super Seven yet. The
minimalist Superlight gains an extra 50 bhp from a new 1.8 litre K
series engine, which replaces the current 1.6 litre unit. It will be
launched by the end of the year.
Latisha Wright, 11, from Lynchburg, Virhinia, USA, took her mothers
car on a 50 mile night time drive - and not only found her way to her
aunt's house, but stopped to fill up with petrol.
An horrific Motorway smash which left three dead and 62 injured has
led to 27 driver proscutions. More than 100 vehicles were involved in
the pile up on the fog bound M42 in March. Charges range from causing
death by dangerous driving, to having faulty tyres.
Citezen's Band radio is enjoying a revival in the US as a low cost
alternative to car phones. The CB industry is marketing a new line of
radios for cars, which can be used to get help on police monitored
channels at the fraction of the cost of a cellphone call.
New York detectives placed a metal colander over a car thief's head
and attached it to a photocopying machine by wires. Thinking it was a
lie detector, the crook confessed to stealing 27 cars!
Articles taken from various isues of Auto Express, Complete Car,
Autocar, Top Gear, Max Power, Motor Trader, and various newspapers.
@{"b"}Stephen Graham@{"ub"}
@endnode