We all know the feeling in summer; you can’t wait to get out on the road in your car and drive with all the windows down in the sun, catching some rays…

But you won’t be the only one heating up this summer; your car is more likely to overheat now than ever. Here are some top tips to avoid this catastrophe:

– Turn off the air con, turn on the heater: I know it sounds ludicrous, but the AC will use up lots of energy from the engine and is a likely candidate to push the vehicle over the edge. Using the heater (somewhat paradoxically) helps draw heat away from the engine as it drives hot air into the cabin. The engine will cool down, but the cabin of the car will heat up… but hey, that’s what windows are for.

– Be aware of the main causes of overheating – leaks, faulty wiring, burst hoses, pumps or damaged thermostats are the most common causes. Scheduling your vehicle in for regular maintenance will help eradicate these issues.

– Ensure you have plenty of coolant in the car – I know this sounds obvious, but the most prominent cause of overheating is lack of coolant. And we are not talking about only in the engine – It is always a good idea to keep a spare bottle in the boot, just in case of emergencies.

– If all else fails… pull over. Whilst this may prolong your journey time, a short break of half an hour or so should help to drastically cool your engine, usually sufficiently enough to allow you to complete your journey. One relatively long break will certainly save you more time than several repeated stops, so cut your losses, and pull over before your car is too hot to carry on.

Follow these guidelines, and hopefully you will be able to keep both your car, and yourself cool this summer.

Safe driving from Britannia!

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The government is set to give the go-ahead to researchers to test their self driving car on roads.

Universities and science minister David Willetts is pushing for a change in the law to allow driverless cars to be used on UK roads and says he has already successfully lobbied the government to allow researchers from Oxford University to test such a car on public roads.

The Oxford project uses a modified Nissan Leaf electric car fitted with cameras and sensors to help control the car, and expects to be able to take the car on public roads soon.

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The government is to set up dedicated traffic courts in England and Wales to free up magistrates courts.

The traffic courts will prosecute some of the 500,000 minor motoring offences that pass through the courts each year. Every police area is expected to have one of the courts by April 2014, hearing up to 160 cases a day.

Jurisdiction will be limited to the 90% of cases where motorist admit guilt-drivers who plead not guilty will still be dealt with by magistrates as before.

Emily Smith of Britannia Driving School said: “The justice system must respond more quickly to the needs of victims and local communities, and these specialised courts seem to be the answer.”

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With the price of fuel rising as we speak, the only logical way of making your money go further in the world of modern motoring is to make your fuel go further. Here are our top tips for driving in a more economical fashion:

– Ensure your car is serviced regularly. Whilst this may be a hassle, things such as replacing your oil or checking your tyre pressure have been shown to have a dramatic effect on fuel costs. An under-inflated tyre will cause more resistance and therefore cost more in fuel, and always ensure that you top up the tyre pressure when carrying heavier loads.

– Remove excess weight. This doesn’t mean get on a treadmill. Your car will work harder to carry more weight, which will take more fuel. Make your car as light as possible by removing surplus items from the boot and back seats, or roof-boxes. This will also help you to stay streamlined, which will benefit your fuel consumption.

– Plan journeys. If you get lost or are forced to drive around aimlessly to find somewhere, you are wasting fuel unnecessarily. Plan ahead, save time, save fuel, save money.

– Drive smoothly. Accelerate gently, ease your car to a slow stop rather than a harsh brake, and you will save fuel, as well as reduce the risk of accidents. Also try to keep the car in motion- repeated stopping and starting the vehicle will have a detrimental effect on your fuel levels.

– Drive responsibly – Change gear earlier than you are used to. The recommended rpm to change gear at is around 2,000 for a diesel car or 2,500 for petrol.

– Reduce non-essential usage. Have a window open if at all possible, and save the AC for motorway driving. Keep electrical loads off to reduce fuel consumption and you will see your money go further.

– Turn the engine off if you expect to be stationary for more than three minutes. Ignore the myth that turning off the engine and back on again will use more fuel –this simply isn’t true.

– Drive legally. Specifically, this refers to speed limits. Not only is it highly dangerous to speed in your car, the higher your speed, the more fuel you will use. A difference of as little as 10mph can mean as much as 25% more fuel usage.

Follow our tips for more economical driving, and see your car go further along with your cash.

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Pedestrian safety measures should look for separate solutions for adults and children, according to a report commissioned by a parliamentary advisory group for UN road safety week.

“Stepping Out”- seeks to highlight the importance of treating various types of pedestrian differently, claiming that children and adults have different collision characteristics.

The report also found that although overall numbers of pedestrian deaths and serious injury figures had dropped significantly from 19,035 in 1980 to 5,605 in 2010, the proportions of deaths and serious injuries in the overall number of accidents have levelled off at 22.9%, compared with 22.4% in 1980.

Emily Smith of Britannia Driving School said: “We need to design our roads and streets around people, acknowledging the realities of human behaviour.”

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Road safety is something that most of us have heard before. You may of seen it on the news, from your parents or from a social network, everyone goes on about how important road safety is but does anyone know what it really is? The government are saying that because young drivers are inexperienced on the road, they are the main cause for deaths and injuries,  a study that was recently carried out by Admiral car insurance shows “17 and 18 year old motorists are twice as likely to have a road accident as someone in their 30’s” but is this just labeling all young drivers to be bad drivers? What do you think?

Send your opinions in via the comment box!

Transport secretary Patrick McLaughlin has announced that fines levied on drivers caught texting will double to £90.

The number of penalty points associated with the conviction will remain at three, despite calls from the Metropolitan Police commissioner for an increase.

Making the announcement, the transport secretary admitted that he had once used his mobile phone to make a call while driving, but that he would never do it again.

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A study by Kwik Fit has disclosed that motorist are increasingly skipping scheduled servicing and maintenance on their cars while at the same time spending more than £1.8bn on cleaning products.

The company said that those motorist who were most likely to put off maintenance were also the most likely to spend the most on car cleaning.

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A new survey has revealed that many drivers believe that drink driving is still acceptable.

The poll, conducted by the AA and Populus, a professional research agency, that questioned 19, 589 adults, suggests that as many as seven per cent of drivers consider themselves more than capable of operating a car without any problems after having several drinks – despite over 200,000 people injured or killed on UK roads per year (2011), with around 250 of these related to alcohol-related accidents .

Roughly 32% of fatal car crashes are also said to have involved an intoxicated person.

Over one in ten drivers in Wales consider it “normal” behaviour to drive home after a few drinks, whereas those in London are most likely to admit being drunk behind the wheel.

Around five per cent of over-65’s still maintained the relatively old-fashioned belief that a capable driver would still be able to drive correctly – despite the hindrance of having alcohol in the system.

Evidence has shown that even the smallest amount of alcohol in the system can lead to cognitive impairments such as a delayed reaction time and a decreased ability to multi-task – an essential part of driving.

So if you’re going out tonight, it’s time to make a choice: drive and stick to soft drinks, or leave the car at home.

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Driveways are the most expensive parking spaces in the country, according to Europcar.

Motorists are spending 11% of their monthly income on motoring and ownership costs, but 66% of them are using their vehicles for less than an hour a day, trying to cut down their usage as much as they can.

The results show motorists who can’t imagine life without a vehicle but are being forced to avoid driving as much as they can.  More than half of those questioned said that public transport couldn’t replace their car.

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