After a dreary start, new-car sales finally outstripped those of January 2009 — but only just.

New official figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) show the number of new cars registered in January (16,595) are up 5.04pc on those for the corresponding period in 2009 (15,799).

At one stage they were lagging behind dramatically but a surge in registrations over the past week or so has pushed them ahead.

SIMI director general Alan Nolan said last night the increase was welcome given that the first two weeks of bad weather brought trading to a virtual standstill. “The fact that the month has finished 5pc ahead of last year is a very strong sign that consumers are availing of the incredible value that is available at the moment.”

“While the snow and ice delayed registrations until well into the month, feedback from dealers around the country is indicating that the significant increase in footfall and in actual sales, in comparison to this time last year, is continuing.”

Many vehicles being clamped are being done so by private land owners and residential car park owners.

The new law passed by the Home Office now states that anyone that clamps a vehicle must be licensed and follow the regulations now in place.

Signs that display warnings of being clamped will now have to meet certain visibility requirements.

For those that continue to clamp unjustifiably they may be taken to tribunal and asked to pay compensation, such as taxi fares whilst the individuals car was clamped.

Natasha Simper of Britannia Driving School said: “Drivers that feel they have been unduly clamped, will now be able to voice their concern and may be entitled to compensation.”

New safety fears have been raised about some of the Toyota range, with as many as 2.3 million cars in the United States being recalled.

The Japanese car maker announced the recall after a potential design problem with the accelerator. It was found that the accelerator pad was sticking and not returning to the idle position.

Toyota looked into certain isolated cases and concluded that the floor mat may explain why the problem was occurring. However, there have been over 100 reported incidents, including 17 crashes and 5 fatalities thought to be linked with the faulty cars.

This is not the first recall for Toyota and comes with a huge price, as Toyota tries to recover from last year’s recall which saw its first big loss in 60 years.

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Car insurance costs rocketed by more than 18 per cent last year.

The jump in premiums was the biggest annual increase since costs began to be monitored in 1994.

According to the motoring organisation’s quarterly index, average premium quotes for comprehensive cover are now 18.7 per cent higher than in 2008.

And a study of the cheapest quotes show rates rose by more than 11 per cent last year.

Insurers have been struggling to overcome exhausted reserves while coping with sharp rises in settlement costs and the frequency of personal injury claims.

Insurance fraud is also costing the industry around £2 billion a year, which amounts to £44 on every household’s insurance budget.

One in every 20 vehicles on British roads are thought to be driven by uninsured drivers and claims involving them are estimated to add £30 to every annual motor insurance policy.

MAGISTRATES have punished a Weston man for having a noisy dog – by banning him from driving.

Terence Kingston will not be allowed behind the wheel for three weeks after his dog was heard barking 532 times in a 30-minute period by an environmental protection officer.

The 57-year-old was brought to North Somerset Courthouse after the offence at his Ullswater Close home, which saw his dog woof an average of once every 3.4 seconds.

North Somerset Council’s executive member for environmental protection, Councillor Peter Bryant, said: “While the magistrates may not have imposed a financial penalty they have still inconvenienced him by imposing a driving disqualification, which I fully applaud.”

Before the offence, which took place in July 2009, Mr Kingston had been told to stop his dog making such a racket in August 2008.

But he failed and was fined £875 and ordered to pay £871.44 for two breaches of the noise abatement notice the following March.

A man was stunned when he discovered he had incurred a speeding ticket for his car which was parked outside his home in Nottingham.

The speeding camera located close by to his car has accidently picked up his license number when another vehicle has driven past at 37mph in a 30mph zone.

Mr Buck has now incurred two tickets on two different occasions.

He admitted that it was humorous the first time. To not even have the key in the ignition and receive a ticket is quite an achievement. However, it is slightly concerning that a speed camera is incapable of telling the difference between a stationary vehicle and one travelling at ridiculous speeds.

Unfortunately Mr Buck does not have any other option but to park on the road outside his house. He hopes that the police will examine the process involved in capturing the license plate of those speeding, but for now all he can do is pray that no one speeds past his house!

Potholes created by the icy weather this month are to be tackled by a new repairs drive by Surrey County Council.

An additional half-a-million pounds is to be invested in mending the new potholes after the cold weather made roads more prone to cracking.

The council has vowed to fix at least 200 potholes a day “until the job is done”.

Dr Andrew Povey, leader of the council, said: “For the past week our highways teams have been working around the clock tackling the snow. Now that most of the snow has cleared our top priority is to tackle, as a matter of urgency, the potholes that have been forming all over the county.”

Motoring association the AA has been calling upon local governments to invest emergency funding into fixing the damage done by the snow.

According to the council, more than 25 repair teams are carrying out the repairs and will bring in additional contractors if necessary.

The Highway Code is always being updated, with the roads becoming more and more difficult to navigate around.

In the last two years alone the theory test has seen changes, as it was felt that the previous test was too easy. The test now comprises of 50 multiple choice theory test questions, the pass mark is 43 and the test should be completed in 57 minutes or less.

The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has felt it necessary to publish a Highway Code advert on YouTube to encourage drivers to keep up to date with rules and regulations.

The advert has Comedian David Mitchell as the voiceover and encourages all road users to visit the Britannia Driving School website to brush up on their skills.

Simon Bush of Britannia Driving School said: “Learning is an ongoing process and not just for those who are preparing for the test.”

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A new study by the University of Oxford predicts that the number of cars on the world’s roads in twenty years will double to 2 billion, but that electric vehicles will account for only a small percentage of the overall fleet in the medium to long-term.

The study suggests that car companies are raising false hopes of emission-free motoring in order to continue profiting from large, inefficient vehicles.

The results echo the findings of a recent European report, which found that whilst there were significant potential environmental benefits to be had from a switch to electric vehicles, these were wholly dependent on changes in the way electricity was generated, energy taxed and CO2 emissions regulated.

Current EU legislation contains loopholes that are likely to lead to emissions and oil use going up; ‘super credits’ that enable carmakers to sell up to 3.5 gas-guzzling SUVs for every electric vehicle they sell and still reach their official EU target. Electric cars are also counted as ‘zero emissions’ despite the fact that the electricity they use can come from high-carbon fossil fuels such as coal.

The University of Oxford study concludes that the most effective way of reducing emissions from motoring would be lighter, smaller petrol and diesel cars.

Some car related expenditures increasing in price are a near certainty: petrol prices, fuel duty, and the cost of buying a car. However, it is also thought that the value of some second-hand vehicles will go up quite a lot.

Most of us are aware that when we buy a car and drive it of the forecourt money has already been lost on it.

Depreciation is normally measured as a percentage of the car’s value after three years. However, it is thought that if you choose your car carefully, you can avoid even the smallest loss and actually make a reasonable return.

There are a few rules when choosing your car such as; the response the car received from both buyers and the press, the make and model and how many of the cars were made amongst other things.

Simon Bush of Britannia Driving School said: This is not a get rich quick scheme, but it does allow for individuals to enjoy their car and drive it without the worry of depreciation.

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