Here are some tips from the Good Garage Scheme for driving abroad this summer.
1. Don't assume all road laws are the same. Familiarise yourself with the highway codes in the countries where you will drive. You will be driving on new roads with signs in foreign languages. The more you know beforehand, the more relaxed you will be, especially if you are concentrating on driving on the left.
2. Check if there is any compulsory equipment you need to carry in the car. Some countries require items such as breathalysers, high visibility jackets and warning triangles by law.
3. Make sure you have all required documentation including a check code. The check
code was introduced after the paper licence was no longer required and is valid for 21 days. It allows a hire company to check your
details.
If you need to apply for one, please visit the Gov.UK website link here.
Before you go, ensure your car is in top condition. Visit your local Good Garage Scheme member to have a Holiday Check and ensure your tyres and fluid levels are good to go.
Euro 2016, Wimbledon and the the British Grand Prix are all a distant memory and the weather is finally starting to get us in the mood for Rio.
Your car's engine may be working overtime in the heat and you and your passengers may be a little hot and sticky inside it as well. If you are turning your air conditioning on for the first time or using it more than normal these days and notice a musty smell, it may be a sign to visit your nearest Good Garage Scheme member garage for a Holiday Check.
A 21 point Holiday Check will determine if your air conditioning system is behaving as it should. During winter months, bacteria and mould may have built up in the ducts of the ventilation system and a tell-tale sign is a musty smell in the cabin.
A Good Garage Scheme Holiday Check will also check the condition of the tyres, wiper blades, windscreen and lights as well as the level of the coolant and engine oil.
Why not stop in for peace of mind before the long summer days driving the family begin?
To find your nearest Good Garage Scheme member garage offering a Holiday Check, please visit the website.
IAM RoadSmart has taken the wraps off its latest video advising of the consequences of drivers getting distracted behind the wheel of a car.
The light hearted video stars former McLaren Formula 1 test driver and current Aston Martin GT racer Darren Turner, and shows him at the wheel of a racing simulator trying not to get distracted by a small child, a dog and a ringing mobile phone as he tackles a challenging race circuit.
IAM RoadSmart's video highlights an issue which is proving to be an increasing problem.
The new video aims to highlight a serious issue but present it in an
amusing way, showing that even a professional racing driver could lose
concentration and potentially have a crash.
Darren said: "I
thought it would be easy to ignore a child or a barking dog, and easily
be able to take a phone call and keep driving safely. But this isn't the
case. Losing concentration for even two seconds could lead to pretty
serious consequences."
If a professional driver can have their attention diverted, anyone can.
Figures from the Department for Transport in 2013 found 2,995 cases where distraction in the vehicle was listed as a contributory factor to accidents.
The most recent Department of Transport study shows 1.6% of drivers in England and Scotland were observed using a hand-held mobile phone whilst driving.
IAM RoadSmart surveyed 1,500 drivers with one in ten admitting to causing a crash because they were distracted.
The survey found the most common distractions were:
Children in the car
Changing the radio channel
Back seat drivers
Mobile phone use
Satellite-navigation system
Attractive pedestrians, drivers or passengers
Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart director of policy and research, added: "No matter how good a driver you are, it is very easy to have your focus shifted away from the job in hand.
"We all have things on our mind, places to go and things to do. It's only human. But it is so important to realise driving is a full-time task and not one to be combined with other things.
Multi-tasking is expected in many walks of life, but it simply doesn¹t apply on the road no one can do two things at once if one of them is driving.
Book an Advanced Driving Course with a discount and chance to win simulator time at Base Performance Simulators.
To book an Advanced Driving Course, normally £149, with the 10% discount call 0300 303 1134 quoting reference RACE10.
The 10% discount applies to IAM RoadSmart's Advanced Driver Course only booked by 31 August by phone.
All those booking on this course during this period will be entered into a free prize draw to win one hour of simulator time for themselves and a guest at Base Performance Simulators in Banbury. Date of session is subject to availability.
IAM RoadSmart has a mission to make better drivers and riders in order to improve road safety, inspire confidence and make driving and riding enjoyable. It does this through a range of courses for all road users, from online assessments through to the advanced driving and riding tests. IAM RoadSmart is the trading name of all businesses operated by the UK¹s largest road safety charity, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) and was formed in April 2016 combining the IAM, IAM Drive & Survive, PDS and IAM Driver Retraining Academy. The organisation has 92,000 members and campaigns on road safety on their behalf. At any one time there are over 7,000 drivers and riders actively engaged with IAM RoadSmart¹s courses, from members of the public to company drivers, while our Driver Retraining Academy has helped 2,500 drivers to shorten their bans through education and support programmes.
To find out more about IAM RoadSmart products and services visit the new website www.iamroadsmart.com
The Good Garage Scheme would like to thank IAM RoadSmart for this week's guest blog and encourage motorists to find out more about the Advanced Driver Course.
With just under half a million visitors to its website each year, the Good Garage Scheme periodically asks visitors their views and opinions on a variety of topics in our seasonal polls.
During the past few weeks in the run up to the EU Referendum, we asked visitors to tell us if they were "for" or "against" staying in the EU.
The Good Garage Scheme poll revealed the same outcome for today's referendum results with 65% who took part voting for a Brexit and 35% voting to remain.
We thank those who took part in our survey and now we will all wait to see what happens next.
Take part in our polls by visiting GoodGarageScheme.com and find a garage you can trust.
If you are driving to France over the next few weeks to see some live football matches at Euro 2016, here are some handy tips from the the Good Garage Scheme:
What you'll need
All drivers, including motorcyclists, must carry a warning triangle, hi-visibility jacket and a breathalyser with them. According to French law, you must be able to produce an unused and certified breathalyser
(showing an ‘NF’ number) and it is recommended that you carry two in
case one is damaged.
Seat belts and child passengers
Seat belts must be worn if available and children under ten must travel in a car seat and not in the front passenger seat unless there are no rear seat belts,
or the if the back seats are already occupied by other children under ten.
It’s
the driver’s responsibility to ensure that all passengers under 18 are
properly restrained.
Watch your speed
Speed limits are indicated by road signs, in
kilometres per
hour. These are usually 50km/h (31mph) in built-up areas, 90km/h
(55mph) outside built-up areas, 110km/h (68mph) on urban motorways and
dual carriages, and 130km/h (80mph) on regular motorways. During poor
weather, these limits will change, so be aware of the conditions before
you set off.
Before you go
Make sure your vehicle is in good condition before you set off.
Visit your nearest Good Garage Scheme member garage for a Holiday Check to ensure you arrive safely and in time for the match.
The Good Garage Scheme’s national television advertising campaign began this week with a fantastic line-up of programmes, including the popular Game of Thrones.
The message to motorists showing how easy it is to find a trustworthy garage and read reviews from previous customers will be broadcast across a range of Sky channels during the week.
If you have not seen our TV advert, please click here.
Good Garage Scheme member garage, Field's Car Centre in Woking, Surrey held a successful Ladies Night at the garage in May and great time was had by all.
photos courtesy of Fields Car Centre in Woking, Surrey
So what happens at a Fields Car Centre Ladies night?
The evenings are designed to encourage ladies to come into the workshop environment and learn, in an informal atmosphere, about their car, but the aim is to have a bit of fun while the learning goes on.
The ladies are split into groups and they rotate around several work stations manned by the garage's ‘Friendly team of technicians and mechanics’.
Attendees learn to do for some things for themselves, like checking levels and changing bulbs. changing a wheel and also learn about warning lights, the underside of the car and what’s involved in an MOT inspection.
There is an “Ask any question you like” policy and some great questions come up.
The willingness and dedication of the team make the evening a success. They give of their time and enthusiasm and the ladies were appreciative of how the guys patiently demonstrated, answered questions and tried to explain things simply and clearly.
By holding these evenings Fields are trying to break down the ‘man’s world’ image of the garage. A huge proportion of current customers are ladies. In fact we probably see more woman bringing their cars in or the ‘family's’ car, than we do men!
However, a garage is seen as a male dominated world where ladies tell us they often feel patronised and spoken down to.
These are some of the feedback comments our lovely ladies had to say...
"Brill evening - really useful! Relaxed atmosphere, gave plenty of encouragement to ask questions, will recommend others"
"Very fun evening! I know a lot more and feel more comfortable now, the atmosphere was great - just the right length."
"All the staff were friendly and extremely patient in answering all our questions. I would definitely recommend any lady to come"
"Wow what a fabulous evening! I had no idea what to expect but it exceeded all expectations. A friendly bunch and I learnt so much, thank you!"
"Brilliant, brilliant evening. Thank you guys for a very informative, fun evening. Very helpful for new drivers like me. Kudos to you guys for coming up with the idea. Highly recommend it to every new driver, will see you soon!"
Fame for Richard Field...
Richard Field had a call, out of the blue a couple of weeks ago from BBC RADIO SURREY.
Richard
said, "I received a phone call from BBC Radio Surrey's Breakfast Show
a couple of weeks ago asking if I would I come into their studio and tell their
breakfast listeners about the Ladies Night we are running at Field's Car
Centre. Apparently their Saturday cleaner had seen one of our flyers
and gave it to the producer who thought it was a brilliant idea and why
hadn't other garages thought of it?"
So it was an early
start to Guildford BBC for Richard where he had to demonstrate to the
breakfast host, Suzanne Bamborough, how to change a light bulb. This
was filmed as well as broadcast. Click here to see Richard in action.
With thanks to Mike Field of Field Car Centre for sending the Good Garage Scheme this update. The next Ladies Night is planned for July 7th from 6:30 - 8:30 pm. Limited space available, so please book a place now if you are in the Woking area. Bring a friend, come as a group or on your own. Either way you will be made very welcome. And it’s free! To book a place please contact lynne@fieldscarcantre.co.uk
Using the Good Garage Scheme, you'll find local independent garages you can trust. Be assured every garage listed on the Good Garage Scheme performs car servicing to a strict standard and will have your best interests at heart.
Car Servicing Nationwide - What you should expect.
Car Service - What you should expect ?
When organising a car service, it's important that you establish what the service includes.
Some garages will change only your oil filter, others will carry out a full service. A good garage will follow a service checklist and give you a copy of that completed checklist as confirmation of a job well done. Good Garage Scheme members carry out your service incorporating the Industry Standard Service Checklist.
Does your car need a service?
Most modern cars only need a service once a year, but older cars require a service once every six months. The manufacturer's service handbook will set what is best for your car. The type of service you need will also be affected by how you use your car. For example, lots of short journeys where the engine does not have a chance to warm up properly will probably mean more frequent oil and filter changes.
Running faults and repairs
Ask to speak to a mechanic or technician about the problem. Explain the problem in as much detail as you can. If you can, include when the problem occurs, for example only when engine is cold, or after the vehicle has been left standing.
Collecting your car
Ask to view the old replaced parts and check that
• The bill is for the amount agreed, or is not significantly more than any estimate you were given.
• The work and parts are fully itemised (this will be proof of purchase if a problem occurs as a result of the work or replaced part fails)
• The service record book has been stamped with the garage stamp
Rather than replacing parts that are not fully worn out, a good garage will advise you when they will probably need replacing, based on the way you use your car.
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