New study reveals women are better parkers than men

After years of heated debate, it's official; Women are better at parking cars than their male counterparts!

That's according to a new survey from car park operators NCP which ranked 2,500 random drivers on a range of aspects, including technique, accuracy, and time taken to park a car. These were used to tally a final “parking score” out of 20.

In technique, accuracy and time taken parking, women scored 13.4 out of 20, compared with 12.3 for men.

Although female drivers are slower, with an average of 21 seconds compared with 16 for men, they did better on finding a space, positioning the vehicle, reversing into the space, and ensuring central placing of the car.

Men, on the other hand, regularly 'missed' available spaces in car parks by driving through them too quickly.

The study found more than one-third of women reversed into spaces, which instructors prefer, but only just over one-quarter of men used this method, although men were happier with the position of their cars once parked in a space. Of these, only 29% opted to reposition their vehicle.

Surprisingly, while the women fared better than men in most areas of scoring, only 18 per cent of the women questioned thought they were better parkers than men, perhaps reflecting just how pervasive this gender stereotype has become when it comes to buying cars and driving them.

Motoring costs continue to soar

New research from the RAC has shown that the cost of motoring has soared by 14% over the last year, meaning car buyers are paying an average of £128 per week to run a new family car.

All told, the cost of running a new car for the year was found to be £6,689 a year, which compares unfavourably with the figure of £5,870 only 12 months ago.

The hike in costs is made of a 12.4 per cent rise in fuel prices compared to last year, while the average maintenance costs increased by 8.8 per cent.

Average insurance premiums have risen 14.38 per cent, car finance is now costing 9.85% more, while depreciation (decreasing car valuation) was the factor to rise the most – 16.67 per cent.

The cost index was based on a pool of 17 new cars with the results weighted by their level of ownership. Even taking depreciation and car finance out of the calculations, the day-to-day running costs were up 11.1% to £2,743.

"This year’s cost index highlights the tough conditions being faced by Britain’s motorists,’ said RAC motoring strategist Adrian Tink. ‘With the annual cost of motoring approaching £7,000, the price burden of car ownership is hitting drivers hard.
The increase of almost three times the rate of inflation is crippling drivers’ wallets and something needs to be done to stem the tide."

Blackadder star cheats death forllowing 'super car' smash

Actor Rowan Atkinson has cheated death following a crash in his high-powered McLaren F1 supercar in Cambridgeshire.

The Blackadder and Mr Bean star is believed to have lost control of the £650,000 vehicle which spun off the road and hit a tree before catching fire.

The 56-year-old walked away from the wreckage and was looked after by another motorist until emergency services arrived at the scene.

Firemen tackled the blaze and an ambulance crew took him to nearby Peterborough hospital where he was treated for a shoulder injury.

A spokeswoman for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "Crews brought the fire under control by 8.13pm. They made the vehicle safe and used one hose reel to put out the fire.

"There was one casualty but he was not trapped."

Atkinson is renowned for his passion for fast cars has written numerous articles about different vehicles for specialist car magazines.
As someone who regularly likes to buy and sell a car, his collection changes regularly, he also has a £125,000 Aston Martin Virage, a vintage Rolls-Royce, and an elderly Morris Traveller, which he regularly drives around the Oxfordshire village where he lives in a £1 million former rectory.

Bolton ace quizzed by police after death crash

Alonso: Quizzed by Police in Madrid

Footballer Marcos Alonso has been quizzed by police after a woman died in a car crash in Madrid.

The Bolton Wanderers defender is reported to have crashed a BMW into a wall near Real Madrid's former training complex, not far from the Bernabeu.

One woman suffered fatal injuries and another was seriously hurt. Mr Alonso's brother Miguel and former Real Madrid teammate Jaime Navarro were also hurt.
The emergency services said the car crossed into the opposite lane, overturned and collided with a wall.
Alonso - who was uninjured - allegedly failed a breathalyser test afterwards.
Alonso, 20, has already appeared before an investigating judge at a closed hearing and could face a trial accused of involuntary manslaughter.
In a statement, the court said: "Magistrates' Court number four in Madrid yesterday released the footballer Marcos Alonso Mendoza after naming him as a 'formal suspect' in an alleged crime against road safety, a crime of intoxication, of accidental killing and causing accidental injury.
Alonso, who joined Bolton Wanderers from Real Madrid last summer, was at home in the Spanish capital on a weekend break.
It is understood he had been on a night out with his brother and Mr Navarro when they met the two women.

Webuyanycar.com rapped for 'misleading customers'

Internet car buying company Webuyanycar.com has been slammed by a watchdog for misleading customers with inflated valuations.

An investigation into the company accused the company of offering one price online to lure customers, then offering much less when they turned up to sell.

In all, the Office of Fair Trading found 96% of sellers received less than the valuation and Webuyanycar inspectors were set targets to slash the offer price by as much as 25%.
The OFT investigation covered July 2009 to June 2010.
By August 2010, the company had 114 branches throughout England, Scotland and Wales.
Other concerns highlighted by the investigation included:

• Giving the misleading impression to consumers that their online valuation was only valid for seven days
• Failing to assess customer complaints in a "fair, reasonable, consistent and professional manner"
• Not making it clear that the next working day payment service - which cost customers £24.75 - was optional

The OFT said: "Consumers were given the impression that they would be paid the online valuation if the company's onsite inspection matched the condition entered by the seller online. But once at the appointment, some customers found other factors reduced the price."
Webuyanycar, which made a profit of £5million on latest accounts, insisted it has made changes since "the early days" when "we didn't get it right for every single customer".

Tesco cars launched - but no trade-ins!

Once upon a time Tesco used to just sell groceries. Not content with moving into clothing, petrol, banking and insurance, the supermarket giants have even branched out into buying up old gold.

But, now it has embarked on arguably its most ambitious project yet - selling second hand cars!

Tesco say they are offering RAC-inspected cars for sale at prices cheaper than many existing forecourt prices, due to their lower overheads.
The plan is that the cars will be delivered directly from seller to buyer, with no showrooms, and no sales commissions, etc.
The new site will offer up to 3,000 cars a week, mostly sourced from hire fleets and the leasing business. If you like what you see and buy one, you can pick it up at a handover centre at Longbridge, or for a fee it can be delivered to your door.
But, here is the catch!
There won't be any trade-ins, private sales or free car valuations available through Tesco Cars, and that, added to the inability to inspect the cars personally, will restrict the segment of the market that can be covered.
The launch of Tesco's site on Sunday follows the acquisition of a minority stake in online dealership Carsite. The supermarket group has an option to take full control of the venture over time.