It was noticed in 2006 that professional drivers were five times as likely to catch Legionnaire’s disease as anyone else, and the UK’s Health Protection Agency set out to find out why. They surveyed the habits of survivors of the disease, and of a control group without the disease. It turned out that those who [more...]
The first road traffic signals were in operation in London in December 1868, several decades before the invention of the motor car. Traffic jams were not unusual in London’s bustling city streets with horse-drawn carts and drays, hansom cabs, omnibuses, and pedestrians clogging the city streets. A journey through London was also complicated by the [more...]
The Department of Transport (D of T) in the UK produces detailed annual reports on traffic accidents where a person has been injured. When investigating a traffic accident, police will take report any contributory factors which contributed to the collision. Not every accident will have a contributory factor reported, and some may have more than [more...]
International travellers are sometimes hesitant to drive in another country, but self-drive is a great way to see the highlights of South Africa. Driving is on the left, as in 30% of the world including Japan, Australasia, and the British Isles. Distances are in kilometers, and speeds in kilometers per hour. Your drivers license is [more...]
Traffic Jams: we’ve all experienced them and all hate them. But when did this expression come into use? The first traffic jams probably occurred in the earliest civilizations when farmers carried their produce on carts to sell at the city markets and found themselves all trying to squeeze through the small city gates under the [more...]
Vehicles used on the public road in the UK are required by law to display a small paper printed disc showing that they have paid car tax for the vehicle. It has to be renewed every 6 or 12 months. The car tax disc was brought in by the Roads Act and Finance Act of [more...]
A decade or more ago it was common to see a hand-made sign on the back window of the car ahead saying “Running In”. The car was being driven more slowly than usual, and the sign told you that the driver wouldn’t mind you overtaking them. You don’t see the signs any more, but is [more...]
In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the appalling number of deaths on the roads of Britain were causing great concern to the Government and the public. In January 1934, The Times reported on the ‘slaughter on the roads’ and that in the previous year 7125 people were killed and 216,401 injured on Britain’s roads. [more...]
The best color for a car depends on your needs. Are you most concerned about safety, comfort, appearance or other factors? Where do you live, and where do you drive? The best automobile color for safety is controversial, although every study seems to agree that the most dangerous colors are black and dark blue, which [more...]
Cars are expensive even at the best of times. Here are some tips to improve your miles per gallon and save some money. When driving, anticipate what is going to happen on the road ahead. Looking well ahead – two or three cars ahead – gives you time to anticipate what is going to happen. [more...]