inside

THEOWALCOTT

GADGETS DRIVING HOWLERS MY FIRST DRIVE MORITZ VOLZ

BIKESV CARS

interview

THE YOUNG ARSENAL AND ENGLAND STAR TALKS ABOUT HIS ROAD TO SUCCESS

Girl Racer

DRIVING HOWLERS MY F

cer

CASHBACK

MAKING BIG MONEY SAVINGS!

Issue 03

CONTENTSissue 03

06 Gizmos and gadgets The technology that’s stuffed into cars these days is bamboozlingly mind boggling - have a look for yourself...

08 Licence to thrill Wowee - England’s top gun Mr Theo Walcott is here to tell us all about passing his test, his own car and what he thinks of other motorists...

12 Cashback Learn how to make BIG savings! It’s a well known fact that we’re all stoney broke so here’s some wickedly useful tips on how to save cash!

14 What women want Girls speak out about blokes’ driving!

16 Drive of your life: Jason Roberts Jason Roberts speaks out about road rage - what’s he like when he gets angry??? turn to page 16 to find out!

20 Driving howlers Sad, sad stories about how some crazy dudes have wrecked their cars. Read on and make sure that it never happens to YOU!

22 Girl Racer Trackside action with Heather Johnson who talks about life in the fast lane...

26 Insurance special Loads of facts and ditties about the big bad world of car insurance...

28 My first drive Premiership stars tell all about their first cars.

30 Drivers v Bikers We hear from Bikers and Drivers about who they think causes all the crashes...

32 Pedal Power Top German footy star and green cyclist Moritz Voltz gives a damn funny explanation about his weird and wacky way of life.

36 In the news What’s happening in the world of motoring.

39 In the drivers seat… Villa’s giant defender Zat Knight talks about the car he drives and why he thinks so many young drivers crash their cars.

Welcome to the latest edition of everyone’s favourite driving magazine “Rev.uk” and wowee what a treat we have in store for you!

Well I love driving - and I love footy - so what could be better than a driving mag that’s full of footy players. We’ve got little Theo Walcott who’s gonna tell us all about passing his test and what annoys him on the roads...

And we’ve got everyone’s favourite German - Fulham and Ipswich’s Herr Moritz Volz. He loves riding a bike but has a confession to make...He failed his driving test first time around - oops!

And there’s a whole lot more - so read on guys - it wouldn’t be the same without you!

If you want to tell us anything or say what you think then email us at roadsafety@sandwell.gov.uk

Road Safety Unit, PO Box 42, Lombard Street, West Bromwich, B70 8RU Email: john_billington@sandwell.gov.uk Tel: 0121 569 4270

DRIVING HOWLERS

THEO WALCOTT

MORITZ VOLZ

CASHBACK

GIRL RACER

REV.uk 05

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THE DRIVERLESS CAR - WELL I NEVER!And of course there’s the ultimate…the driverless car!!! Our old friends the Bods at Carnegie Mellon University and General Motors have developed a working prototype that uses cameras, lasers and radar guns to judge the position and speed of other cars, the info is fed through an onboard computer to make sure the car keeps up with the traffic, knows when to stop and when to go!

So there you have it my friend - our list of all the latest nifty, dinky and downright breathtaking inventions. The only downside is that they could make people worse drivers - if you think the gadget’s going to save you then you might actually drive faster or not look where you’re going.

So let’s just forget about them all shall we????

gadgets

GIZMOS & GADGETSWe have a look at some of the latest gizmos, gadgets and funny things with wires sticking out, that can be fastened to a new car to make it safer, whizzier and even more ultra - swoopy.

Smooth, slick and shiny!Well here’s a truly bonza idea - whilst it won’t do much good if someone runs their Landrover Freelander along your nearside on Sainsbury’s carpark, Infiniti’s scratch Shield paint will maintain a glossy appearance for years, and it can actually undo minor damage in days. Now wouldn’t that be nice...

Have you ever wanted to look all round your car when you’re trying to get into that tricky parking space between a Mr Whippys ice cream van and a Fiat Grande Punto 1.2 Active Hatchback 5 door with a gang of onlookers closely watching at the kerbside? Well the

Infiniti Around view monitor could be just the job for you!

With cameras mounted on each side of the car, it gives you a cool 360-degree view of exactly what’s around your car - mmm tasty!

ONE FOR THE KIDDIESNow this could prove useful, very useful... just imagine that you’ve been conned into spending the day looking after your snotty nosed nephew. Once you’ve lost your mind watching CBeebies and the Noddy Christmas special you could pop him into your Volvo V70, adjust the back seat that turns into a rather nifty booster seat and cruise on down to the zoo to watch the feeding time for the 3 toed sloths - what could be better?

HEARTBEAT SENSOR

Here’s another winner from the boys at Volvo. This nifty little gizmo will let you know if there’s a deranged madman waiting in your Volvo S80 for you when you return to it after a hard day’s shopping. It can also do a few less exciting things like tell you if it’s locked from about 100 metres away. What will they think of next???

TELL YOUR CAR WHAT TO DO!Now you can get all your in-car gizmos operating by just telling them to switch on and do their thing - power beyond your wildest dreams!!! Ford amongst others has included this system.

Sync allows drivers to control Bluetooth phones and MP3 players with a USB input using voice commands - it can even read text messages.

DROWSY DRIVER WARNINGIt looks like some manufacturers are working on a “you’re about to go to sleep aren’t you?” system which can read your eyelid movements or tell if your grip on the steering wheel is loosening and give you a damn good slap - which you’d richly deserve as you shouldn’t need a machine to tell you that! Well actually it will probably just beep, rumble and flash a few lights.

NOW THEY’RE TAKING OVER!!!Not to be outdone some brainy bods and boddesses at Stanford University are working on a car that will use things like camera detection of face movements, voice analysis, and sensors in the steering wheel to see what sort of mood the driver’s in. It will then use this to tell you what music to listen to, what to eat, what it thinks of your driving and even take over if it decides you’re not good enough behind the wheel!

Well call me old fashioned but I thought that’s what girlfriends were for!

s es

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EYES IN THE BACK OF YOUR HEADLook out - you’re gonna crash!!!A crash warning system sounds an alarm and flashes lights if you’re about to crash. Some even tighten your seatbelt. When a crash is about to happen it puts the brakes on automatically with increasing pressure.

Look where you’re going mate!Lane departure Prevention technology warns you if you start to wander across lanes. It flashes a light or even vibrates the steering wheel. One version by Infiniti now even corrects the car itself by gently braking selected wheels. You can always switch it off if you’ve had enough of its interfering ways.

FLASHY OR WHAT?

IT’S ROCKET SCIENCE!BMW decided to go the whole hog and be even flasher than normal and call in NASA to help trial the BMW Hydrogen 7 - the first-ever hydrogen-powered luxury car.

Apparently it’s the high energy density of liquid hydrogen that allows the space shuttle to be accelerated into space that runs the car. This can reduce CO2 emissions by 90%.

The engine can run on liquid hydrogen or petrol and swap easily between the two.

TV, TV AND MORE TV - HURRAAAHHHH!!!Let’s just imagine that you’re out for the day in the old Chrysler minivan with a car full of kids. How it’s happened we’ll never know... but hey they’re losing interest in “I spy” and things are about to turn nasty - what do you do?

Well thanks to the sheer cunning of the Chrysler techies, you can shut them up by offering them Sirius Satellite TV, watch DVDs or play video games on rear swing-down screens.

Adaptive headlights - Points your headlights in the right direction when you go round the bend!

REV.uk 07

TOLICENCE

THRILL Theo Walcott passed his

theory test at the first time

of asking, but it was only

when he walked out of

the test centre that the

fun really began...

REV.uk 09

THEO WALCOTT: WHAT MAKES HIM SPECIAL? Here renowned Sports Psychologist, Watt Nicoll, contemplates what makes Theo, and others like him, so special.

Although I’ve never worked with Theo Walcott myself, I have worked with Wayne Rooney and the two are very similar in the success they’ve achieved at a young age.

As we all know, Wayne is now a global superstar but, in his early days at Everton, he was almost identical with his colleagues in terms of physicality. However, Wayne had absolutely nothing but football on his mind, he couldn’t have cared less whether he had a car or anything like that. I imagine that Theo would have been exactly the same, utterly focussed on his football, something that would have been reflected in every single aspect of his life.

So, is it wrong to say that a footballer like Theo is ‘naturally gifted?’ Well, yes and no. Everyone is gifted with the body they are born with, it is how you use that body and framework that makes the difference. If you are lucky enough to have been born with a body that is capable of athletic discipline, you still have to put a huge amount of work in to your success. Although you might naturally be better coordinated, no one is born with an understanding of a

perfect first touch, all these things have to be learned through practice, repetition and incredible commitment.

If you go in to any football academy you might find 12 or 15 boys who all have the potential to go on and become something special. However, other factors then interfere, conceit comes in to it, a loss of focus, early success, all these kind of things interfere with a player’s mental approach. But someone like Theo Walcott just has complete focus, and that’s nothing to do with intelligence as such, it’s just about commitment, mental strength and focus.

What makes that player appear so special on the pitch is the simple fact that their focus is absolute. Compare Theo and Wayne if you will to older players who have complicated relationships or any number of other concerns outside of football, their focus is divided and as a result they don’t play consistently every game. I can guarantee you that when Wayne Rooney or Theo Walcott step over that white line, the only thing they are thinking about is winning… every ball, every tackle, every second of that game.

The lives of truly great players revolve 100 per cent around football and, like anything in life, success requires complete focus and commitment.

Theo Walcott’s just your average 19 year old - he comes from Newbury, still lives with his mum and dad, drives a VW golf

and supports Liverpool.

He also plays for Arsenal and England, has a girlfriend who has appeared on the cover of “Hello” and when he was transferred three years ago became the most expensive 16 year old in the history of the English game. He was even due to have a walk on part in “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” but was too busy with his day job!

Theo’s driving theory test wasn’t exactly normal either. OK, so he filled in his questions and passed first time. Nothing unusual about that you might say, but the fun began when he finished and picked up his mobile. Whilst Theo was sweating over his stopping distances, it had been announced that he was in the England squad for the World Cup in Germany. Quite a shock especially as he had never even played in the Premiership.

“I was the last person to find out that I got into the World Cup squad because you had to turn your phone off and put it into a locker. I had so many text messages after the theory test, I’ve never had so many! But I didn’t have a clue

why! Then my dad called and said, ‘You’re in the England squad!’ He was at the petrol station down the road and I just ran towards him - it was a great moment.

“I enjoyed learning to drive because after all the years watching my dad take me to training, I got the chance to do it myself and it was a brilliant moment when I passed it first time.”

Obviously if you’re part of the England set up, and making a few quid from your Premiership wages then surely you go down the Beckham route and stuff your sizeable garage full of top notch Ferraris, Porsches and Aston Martins. So what did England’s young hero go for?

“A Golf R32 because it wasn’t flash but still what I wanted in a car and my squad number was 32 and that was the main reason really.”

This season Theo has changed squad numbers to wear the famous number 14 previously filled by Thierry Henry. So it’s just as well that he’s a down to earth calm guy who’s unaffected by superstar status. But surely having wild eyed

defenders trying to kick 6 bells out of him has made him a more aggressive person. Is he an aggressive driver?

“My family would agree with me - it’s just the little things that annoy me driving, like not saying thank you and there’s always an idiot on the road that can’t drive and there’s the dangerous ones which could upset anyone. Not so much aggressive as a driver - I just get annoyed.”

So why does he think that so many guys his age crash their cars?

“I think its just down to showing off and not being experienced enough to make the right decision. I think you need to give yourself enough time and space so if you need to change your mind you still can. Keep to speed limits and be safe not showing off.”

“I enjoyed learning to drive because after all the years watching my dad take me to training, I got the chance to do it myself”

REV.uk 11

We’re told that driving a

car is something we all

should do. But with the massive

rise in the price of petrol it’s

worth thinking about using

other ways of getting around.

So if you want to leave the

petrol station with no more

than a drink and a cheapo

mag then it’s worth thinking

about the alternatives...

Come to think about it some

cars take around £50 to fill up.

That’s enough cash to go to a

rockin’ good concert, kebab

and chips for you and nine

others and get a taxi home...

If you do drive there’s lots of

ways to cut your costs...

Choosing your carFlying off the forecourt in a flash new red Ferrari may be what you’ve dreamt of since starting your driving lessons, but it will cost you big time in the long-run! The type of car you buy will determine how much you pay for insurance, petrol and repairs - so choose wisely!

We’ve all heard the rumour that size doesn’t matter - well with your car it really does! Small cars weigh about half that of a larger car and so will cost you about half as much in liquid gold AKA petrol!

Ok, so you may not be an Eco-Warrior desperate to preserve the planet for your future children and their childrens’ children, but choosing a green car can

Driving styleSometimes it pays not to be Lewis Hamilton!

You can actually save a massive wad of cash if you drive slowly and smoothly! All you need to do is accelerate nice and gently, brake gradually and avoid stopping and starting all the time. If you drive fast into queues and then keep slamming on the brakes you’ll waste all your precious petrol. If you can, avoid rush hour and road works.

Choosing the right gear will save you fuel costs, so always drive in the highest gear that doesn’t labour the engine to make fuel savings of up to 40%!

Speed limits may be there for our safety, but

driving within the speed limit can save money as well as lives. In fact

you could get 100 miles more out of your full tank by driving at 55 mph instead of 70!

Even if you’re not a slave to fashion, it’s well worth planning your wardrobe for long journeys. Air

conditioning uses loads of your valuable fuel and opening your windows when you’re travelling at higher speeds (over 40 mph) increases your car’s drag, which means you’ll be using about 10% more fuel!

You may ignore your mum’s orders to keep your bedroom tidy, but fail to regularly de-clutter your car and you’ll feel the pinch in your wallet - all that junk in your trunk can add extra weight and that means more costly fuel to keep it moving!

Next time you head down to the petrol station check your car’s tyre pressures. Under-inflated tyres not only wear

quicker (which means forking out for new ones!), but they also increase drag and therefore (yes, you’ve guessed it!) petrol use.

Without boring you with the technical stuff, it’s wise to service your car regularly. Clogged air filters waste serious amounts of fuel by blocking air flow, but are relatively cheap to replace - you’d be mad not to!

Save your cash - save the planet!Ok, so you’ve been pressured into being ‘green’ (to save the planet) and healthy (to save yourself!) but we all know there are those times when you just have to use your car! With fuel prices spiralling out of control and your insurance costing more than your car’s worth, we wanted to share some money-saving pearls of wisdom (to save your wallet!).

p yis

d

Go green!

save you loads of cash NOW!

Check out the difference between the fuel consumption of these cars:

VW Polo BlueMotion - 74 mpg

Nissan Micra 1.5 - 60 mpg

Renault Clio 1.2 - 50 mpg

Suzuki Swift 1.5 - 40 mpg

Vauxhall Corsa 1.4i - 40 mpg

VW Beetle Cabriolet 2.0 - 30 mpg

Land Rover Range Rover 4.2 V8 - 17 mpg

Lamborghini Murcielago - 13 mpg (taken from www.vcacarfueldata.org.uk)

Insurance companies love green car drivers and reward them with cheaper policies, the taxman also loves them and gives them free car tax on some car models plus the fuel costs less - it’s win-win!

Love your car!

REV.uk 13

It’s a fact that more women aged 17 - 19 die as passengers

than as drivers. But it’s also a fact that some guys think it’s impressive to speed, take risks and generally drive like morons to impress their passengers - male or female.

So we asked the girls what they hate about the way some blokes drive...

When they get sooooooooooooooo

close to the car in front or don’t stop til

they almost hit them. It literally makes

me scream!

Tailgating, how does this get you there faster?

Road rage and talking to the other

drivers when he knows they can’t

hear him. Telling me what they

should be doing

I hate men who drive Cabriolets and insist on having the roof off in December, high winds and rain. Women know what a cabriolet looks like and if you can’t tell it’s a cabriolet with the roof on, its a naff car anyway.

The fact that they just won’t take any

sort of ‘advice’ on how to drive and

they would rather get lost for 5 hours

than to let a woman tell them where

to go. Ugh. And they can’t take any

criticism, even if it is constructive.

Stupid egos.

‘You’re too close to that car, I coulda done that better, are you gunna be able to park this?, u can see that car can’t you?, do you know where you’re going?, I bet you can’t do that, your car’s not very powerful, my car’s better, you need to clean out your car,’ list is endless...

He never thanks anyone for giving

way... I always get embarrassed and

want to do it for him. Goddammit it’s a

pet hate and really annoys me :)

LOL! Because women know how to navigate.

I realised long ago that it’s ok to

criticise a man’s home, it’s ok to

criticise his girlfriend, it’s even ok to

criticise his football team, but you

must never, EVER, criticise his driving.

Oh my god, the list is endless:

how they drive up someone’s *** to get them to move, driving too fast with a child in the car, how they think they are brilliant at it, how they take risks too much, how they try and out do every other driver, thinking they know the route when they have no idea, short cuts...

everything in fact hahahaha x

My bf takes all kinds of ‘short cuts’ that take 20 mins longer... It drives me insane!!

My ex used to race around skinny

little country roads boasting about

the many crashes he’d had in similar

situations. Your girlfriend does not

want to have to consider wearing

flame retardant clothing and a racing

helmet every time you want to go for a

drive out in your Corsa.

A lot of men seem to think that putting your foot down is some kind of art form and it takes a real genius to accurately do it, especially in front of his “best mate.” Driving fast is easy, anyone can do it BUT it doesn’t impress us ladies! To drive skillfully and smoothly is far more difficult to do!

60mph in a car on black ice is also

not a good idea. You are not the Stig!

Driving to conditions is important. Not

only do you risk putting a good old

dent in that brand new car if you lose

it, you risk putting a good old dent

in that really scary bloke’s car you

just raced off the lights AND really

annoying that rather lovely looking

young lady you’re carrying as a

passenger. We don’t want to lose any

limbs or puncture any vital organs!

Racing. It reminds me of the sort of thing a primate would do behind the wheel of a car. The amount of times I’ve been in the passenger seat and I’ve heard the famous words uttered: “I can have him.” It may be a kick for you but your girlfriend doesn’t care that you’ve just “turboed your car and stuck those fabulous brembo brakes on it.” She would like to get home in one piece. Ta :)

My ex used to mess around in the most

ridiculous places. Islands and traffic

lights. It was all about how quick

his car was not about getting across

the island / traffic lights safely. He

ended up driving OVER a huge island

because he was in too much of a rush.

He was fine, car wasn’t. At least he

was till I dumped him!

Try and remember how you would feel if your girlfriend was driving YOUR car. If we started racing other women off the lights, bowling over old ladies with their shopping trollies, racing around country lanes in a similar fashion to that of James Bond I’m pretty sure you’d be tearing your hair out!

Remember, as a passenger we have

no control over the car so we need to

trust you to look after us 110%.

My ex used to race around skinny little country roads boasting about the many crashes he’d had…

What Women Want…

REV.uk 15

REV: How old were you when you learned to drive and did you pass first time? JR: I passed my test when I was 19, I passed second time, but not too many people know that! REV: What was your motivation for wanting to pass your test? JR: I wanted the independence of being able to get around, that was my main motivation.

REV: What was your first car? JR: It was a Vauxhall Calibra, I remember it cost me £4500 from a very good friend of mine. I always loved driving in his car so when I got a chance to buy it off him I was very happy.

REV: So can you remember how it felt to have passed your test and to have your own car?

JR: It was fantastic, total freedom. I could go out when I wanted to and had my complete independence, so I remember it was a great feeling.

REV: Studies have shown of course that young men who have just passed their tests are the most likely to have an accident, why do you think that is? JR: It’s a little bit of bravado I think. When you’ve just passed your test you feel on top of the world and a bit like a World Rally driver for a couple of years, like you’re invincible. But at the end of the day there’s just as much responsibility on you to be a responsible driver because once you’ve got your independence and everything, that’s great, but the world can be a dangerous place.

REV: Have you ever had an accident or been affected by a driving accident in the past?

YOUR LIFE :DRIVE OF

JASONROBERTS

JR: I haven’t, thank God. But my father was in a pretty bad accident, so I do know just how dangerous the roads can be and how careful you have to be. He came off the road and hit a tree and we were told to say goodbye to him a couple of times, it was that bad, he was at death’s door for a while. That brought it home to us, really of just how careful we all have to be. I think I’ve always been a safe driver, but definitely even more so after that accident.

REV: What lessons do you think you’ve learned over the years? JR: Well, I try to keep the speed down and I think I’ve learned to drive more responsibly and to make the right decisions wherever possible. Of course you’ve got even more of a responsibility to do so when you’re driving a powerful car. I also think that it’s very easy to pick up bad habits and you do develop your own style of driving after a while, some of it can often be negative

too, so you’ve always got to try and bear in mind the things that you’ve been taught.

REV: What do you drive yourself now? JR: I drive a BMW but I’m always aware of the fact that when you’ve got a powerful car you have got to be that little bit more careful, because they can really move.

REV: What comparisons, if any, can you draw between the mindset you need to get behind the wheel of a car and the mindset you need when you’re on a football pitch? JR: Concentration and control, those are the two main mental comparisons really between football and driving, you can’t do either well without them! I try my best to be cool and calm on the football pitch but of course, as we all know, football is a very emotional game and sometimes your emotions can get the better of you. Whenever that does happen though your concentration goes and you’re not

Interview by Tim BeynonInterview by Tim Beynon

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R

lJ

tapodvda

Young, wealthy and

extravagant; the

stereotypical image of a

top flight footballer is one that

encompasses fast cars and

luxurious lifestyles. However,

although Porsches, Ferraris and

BMWs are par for the course

for today’s multi-million pound

players, driving can often be as

pressured for them as it is for us.

So, to find out what life behind

the wheel is really like for a

Premier League superstar, Rev

joined Blackburn Rovers’ front

man, Jason Roberts, to discuss

his automotive history and how

he deals with the stresses and

strains of life on Britain’s roads.

Blackburn Rovers’ striker, Jason Roberts, gives a personal insight into

his driving history and reveals how he stays calm behind the wheel.

REV.uk 17

REV: And what about distractions in the car, a lot of accidents happen when youngsters are driving with a car full of passengers. How do you deal with that when you’re driving? I imagine being a dad and having the kids in the back is a challenge? JR: I just try and remain as focussed on the road as I can. You can only do one thing at a time and if I need to I’ll pull over and deal with whatever needs to be dealt with. Again though, there’s just no point in getting stressed.

REV: Drink driving – one drink, two drinks or no drinks? JR: No drinks for sure.

REV: What advice would you give to a 17-year-old lad who has just passed his driving test? JR: Just to be sensible, don’t try and do too much, be safe and remember what you’ve been taught.

REV.uk 02

“MY FATHER CAME OFF THE ROAD AND HIT A

TREE AND WE WERE TOLD TO SAY GOODBYE

TO HIM A COUPLE OF TIMES, IT WAS THAT

BAD, HE WAS AT DEATH’S DOOR FOR A WHILE.”

performing at your best, it’s the same when you’re driving.

REV: How do you deal with pressure when you’re playing and when things, or other players, really wind you up? JR: Well you’ve just got to try and remain cool. The thing that winds me up most is not winning, I like to win and football is a results game after all, so not winning always gets to me.

REV: Have you ever let your emotions get the better of you on the pitch and then looked back on it and thought, ‘hang on, what have I done there?’ JR: [laughs] Every other week!

REV: Off the pitch, are you an emotional person, do you get stressed? JR: Much more on the football pitch than in my everyday life, I try to always keep it in check and I’ve got better at that as I’ve got older, but it can be hard at times.

REV: And in the car, ever had a bout of road rage? JR: Do you know what, I really don’t get wound up in the car. I’ve always been calm behind the wheel, there’s just no point! If I’ve got to be somewhere and you’re stuck then the way I see it is that you’ve just got to wait your turn, what is the point in getting wound up when you can’t do anything about it?

THE JASON ROBERTS FOUNDATIONThe Jason Roberts Foundation was

established by the striker in May 2007.

A registered charity, the Foundation

aims to provide a range of sporting

opportunities for children and young

people in the UK and in Grenada.

Holding a special place in his heart,

Roberts played his international

football for the small Caribbean

island, home to his family. Having

spent most of his life in the UK,

however, the Foundation has become,

as he told us, his way of giving

something back to both countries.

“It’s not really about creating great

footballers as much as about creating

people who believe in themselves,”

he said. “It’s basically using football

to connect with young kids. Football

is the hook through which we can let

kids know that they can do whatever

they really want to do in their lives.’

Working in partnership with

individuals, existing establishments

and commercial sponsors, the

Foundation has a number of key

overall objectives to create new

sporting, educational, health and

social opportunities for young people

in the UK and Grenada.

You can find out more about The

Jason Roberts Foundation at

www.jasonrobertsfoundation.com

REV.uk 19

DRIVING HOWLERSWRECKING YOUR CAR IS SOMETHING OF A COMMON PROBLEM AMONGST NEW

DRIVERS. FILLING UP WITH THE WRONG FUEL, NOT CHECKING THE WATER, NEVER

CHANGING THE TYRES - I COULD GO ON... THESE ARE SOME OF YOUR WORST

MOTORING MAINTENANCE DISASTERS…

BUNNY TROUBLE I bought some long pieces of wood for my rabbit run - they were a real bargain! Put the front seat down, closed the boot and oops - broke the back window with the wood...

A CRACKING TIME... One morning me and my mate were late for work but the night before had been freezing so the car windshield was all frozen up. After a bit my mate had an idea, it was to put hot water on it. I admit that I thought it was a good idea at the time so I got a jug full of boiling water and not thinking, just threw it on the car windshield. As soon as it hit it I realised it wasn’t such a good idea after all. I heard a loud ‘crack’ and it left a massive crack through

TYRE BASHER! Hitting kerbs is the worst thing I’ve done. I had to replace

the tyres long before they

should have been worn out. The messed

up alignment

caused uneven

tyre wear and they had to be replaced. Plus I then had to also

pay to get the tracking fixed. I try

much harder to not hit any kerbs now. When

I do hit a kerb or something,

WINDSCREENS

the centre of the windshield, it cost loads to fix and I was completely broke...

I get the tracking fixed before it wrecks the tyres.

YOU’VE BEEN HAD! I was stopped at a roadside police check - they put 3 points on my licence for having just one dodgy tyre. I’d already got 3 points before so I lost my licence!

TYRES

HOW MANY 2 CHANGE A LIGHT BULB? My Dad kept going crazy cause I was driving round with only one headlight working. I bought a spare but didn’t get round to fitting it.

Big trouble when I was out with my mates and the other one packed in - none of us knew how to change it. Had to ring my Dad up - he went mental at me in front of all my mates - felt like a complete prat...

LIGHTS

NOT THAT ONE! I put screen wash in the radiator once (the bottles looked similar and the garage light was broken).

The absolute worst is brake fluid on the paintwork of your car. In 4 or 5 hours it will have eaten through the paint and contaminated the metal underneath so it cannot be rectified by re-spraying. It’s very very bad.

ANTI-FREEZE PETROLRED FACED ON THE FORECOURT! We were on our way home one time and we stopped to fill up. It was a new car and we couldn’t open the petrol cap no matter what we did. We got 2 different people to try and help us before calling a recovery guy who fixed it in 2 secs, it turns out we were turning it the wrong way! How embarrassing!

GOIN’ NOWHERE! My motorbike wouldn’t start, me an’ a couple of my m8s were convinced it was electrics so started to fiddle about and check all the wires etc. Eventually I had to phone someone to come and pick up the bike because it wouldn’t go, turns out it had no petrol, oops lol!!

OILTOTAL DESTRUCTION Topped the oil up and forgot to put the cap back on. I drove half a mile and realised when blue smoke started coming out of the engine. I left the engine bay covered in oil thinking “it’ll burn off.” Within 2 days I’d lost the cam belt and alternator belt :)

“I WAS STOPPED AT

A ROADSIDE POLICE

CHECK - THEY PUT

3 POINTS ON MY

LICENCE FOR HAVING

JUST ONE DODGY

TYRE. I’D ALREADY

GOT 3 POINTS

BEFORE SO I LOST

MY LICENCE!”

WHAT A DIPSTICK My mate is spoilt by his mum, who buys all his cars. The one car he had for eleven months and twenty days and then it seized up, the engine was completely knackered. He had forgot to put any oil in at all...now they all call him “dipstick”.

BE WARNED! I once had a car that had a problem with the oil warning light - it kept flashing to let me know the car was low on oil, even though I knew it wasn’t so I began to ignore it, thinking everything was ok. Then one day the car broke down and the RAC towed my car to a garage, where it was discovered that the engine had seized up because it had completely run out of oil!! I had to have the engine replaced and it cost a fortune.

WHERE THERE’S SMOKE... I put way too much oil in my car and everytime I started it, loads of black smoke came out. Also giving it to the mechanic up the road to do a homer on it, instead of a proper mechanic. He was useless and charged a fortune.

THERE’S FIRE! Set it on fire when putting oil in it lol and putting diesel in a petrol company car was quite bad too...

REV.uk 21

RGG ACERHeather Johnson is 21, goes to Uni and loves nothing better than spending her weekends careering round a race track at breakneck speeds in a customised Nissan Micra...

GIRL RACER

REV.uk 23

I’ve been involved in motorsport since I could walk. For as long as I can remember my Dad used to compete

in a form of motorsport called autotesting; which involves memorising, then racing a set route around a car park, marked out with cones using both forward and reverse gears as quickly as possible. It is also about accuracy as any cones hit incurs a 10 second time penalty, so sometimes it is better to go two seconds slower and not hit a cone than go two seconds quicker and hit a cone and incur a 10 second penalty. As soon as I was old enough I would marshal at autotests, mainly time keeping with an adult overseeing to check I did it correctly. I also used to go along to other events such as stage rallies, hill climbs and production car trials.

When I was 16, I arrived home from school one day to find that my Dad had bought a rally car! That was when I decided that I wanted to have a go at co-driving. The co-driver’s job is to read the map and tell the driver where they are going whilst calling out bends / corners (and how sharp they are), “splits”, “merges”, “chicanes”, etc. They may also give advice on how to drive the track such as “kerbs either side, be careful”, or “oil on the track, slow down”, they also look out for any marshals signaling a potential hazard, or any cars which have lost control or broken down so they can tell the driver as much information as possible.

In the March of that year myself and my Dad went to Three Sister’s Race Track in Wigan to compete in our first stage rally. It was rather scary as it was the first rally for me as a co-driver and for my Dad as a driver! When we were sat on the start line I had all these images of crashing and the car bursting into flames going on in my head and that first stage is still a bit of a blur! All I know is that I managed to call it correctly and that my Dad managed to drive it correctly as we were the fastest car in our class for that stage. The rest of the day went the same way and at the end of my first rally I came back with a

trophy for the first co-driver in my class! Pretty impressive!

After that I went on to co-drive for my Dad as much as I could whilst still doing college work and working at my weekend job. Then I decided that I had had enough of telling him where to go and how to do it, I wanted to have a go at driving it myself! So, myself and another member of our motorsports club did our BARs course, which is quite similar to a driving test. The first bit involves completing a paper test on the different signs and procedures on a stage rally and the second bit involves driving a car around a track to show that you can control it. Once I had passed this (first time!) I applied for a rally licence. Then it was time to compete on my first stage rally!

Again, I remember sitting on the start line picturing myself stalling as I tried to set off and that’s about it as the rest of the first

stage was a bit of a blur and I’m pretty sure I didn’t breathe until I crossed the finish line, but I had a great time. The rush of adrenaline was brilliant and I loved it! The rest of the day went well until the last stage when I didn’t see some petrol on the track and ended up spinning and coming to a stop against a wall of tyres facing the wrong direction! But I started my engine turned around and finished my last stage! My second rally went a lot better. I managed to come second in class and beat about 9 cars, which considering that my car is a 1000cc Micra is a very good result! I also managed to beat a 1300cc Micra on 2 out of 12 stages!

During the last 5 years while I have been competing in motorsport I have also taken part in autotests and autosolos (like an autotest but done in a normal road car

without reversing), and been part of the organising team of several road rallies. I really enjoy being part of motorsport, I don’t mind marshalling and if it wasn’t for marshals we wouldn’t have any events to compete in, but I love competing, the atmosphere is fantastic and nothing compares to the adrenaline rush you get! Also as a young female I love beating middle-aged men and have them ignore me just because I’m better than them!

What was it like when you had “real” driving lessons? I hated having real driving lessons, didn’t like being told what to do and how! My instructor once told me that “speed bumps are there to slow you down”...

Did you pass your test the first time? Of course...all the best drivers do!

What car do you drive? A purple 1000cc Micra called Pollyanna!

Doesn’t being involved in motorsport mean that you go tearing round the roads? I don’t really feel the need to do it. I just find it amusing that “boy racers” think they are big and clever with their spoilers and fancy rally accessories and yet wouldn’t know how to compete in a rally if their life depended on it!

Has rally driving made you a better driver? Yes as I know I can control the car under more circumstances, I also have a much better spatial awareness and more experience

So why do you think so many people your age crash their cars? Because they try to do things they aren’t experienced enough to handle, like racing or overtaking as they feel they have to prove something. They then aren’t big enough to admit defeat and slow down and so end up crashing!

Are you a terrible passenger? Sometimes....it depends who’s driving and how they are driving!

I LOVE COMPETING, THE ATMOSPHERE IS FANTASTIC AND

NOTHING COMPARES TO THE ADRENALINE

RUSH YOU GET!WANT TO KNOW MORE?If you are interested in Rally driving and want more info

then go to: www.anwcc.org or www.formula1000.co.uk

WHEN I WAS 16, I ARRIVED HOME FROM SCHOOL ONE DAY TO FIND THAT MY DAD HAD BOUGHT A RALLY CAR!

REV.uk 25

What’s hot and what’s not? Here’s the highs and lows of car insurance – what can help reduce your premium to an

affordable amount? And what baddies just push it higher and higher to infinity and beyond?

Pass Plus can reduce your premium by up to a

whopping 35%!

Being involved in an accident which

is your fault will result in you losing your

no claims bonus – a serious no-no for any young driver

Points on your licence will send your payments

sky high – some insurance companies won’t touch you with a

bargepole!

Modified cars can be bad news – you will pay more for your insurance

if the modifications made will make your car more likely to be stolen, broken in to, or increase your chance of being

involved in an accident

Keeping your car safe and secure can reduce

your payments

No claims bonus – OK so you are just starting

out – but even one years no claims can shave a huge amount off your

premium

Shopping around for your car insurance can

save you ££££s – Visit a price comparison

website such as confused.com or

tescocompare.com or use a broker

Buy a car from a low insurance group – check out www.parkers.co.uk/ insurance for a list of

cars within low groups

Being a named driver on someone else’s policy when you are in fact the

main driver is known as insurance fronting

and is illegal. If you are the main driver of the car you must take out insurance of your own

INSURANCE SP£CIALLike it or not car insurance isn’t cheap for new drivers but it’s worth ringing

around and checking price comparison sites to get the best price.

Before you hand over your hard-earned cash to the dodgy-looking car dealer, get on your mobile and give an insurance company a call. That bargain 3 litre turbo diesel hatchback with front and rear spoilers and big-bore exhaust may end up costing you a serious packet in your monthly premiums.

So you’ve got your first year’s driving under your belt. You’ve avoided wrecking your car and have now reached the Holy Grail of one year’s No Claim Discount. It’s easy enough to accept your insurance company’s renewal quote, but shopping around could save you a packet! Insurance companies simply love new business and may be prepared to offer you a great deal to poach you away from their rivals!

Before you hand over y h d

SdanNaqua q

ntoaw

When you’ve finished your driving lessons -

what do you do? Well sign up for some more

of course! Sounds crazy but if you take the 6

modules you will get experience of driving

at night, on motorways and in all weathers.

It will usually set you back about £150, but

it’s worth it as it can slash your first year’s

insurance premiums by up to 35%

One insurer (CIS) even gives you a one-year

No Claim Discount.

www.passplus.org.uk

Pass Plus

ove

One in five new drivers will be involved in an accident within the first year of passing their test - sorry to scare you, but it’s true! Driving safely will not only keep your pride and joy free from ugly bumps and scrapes, but you’ll also be rewarded in the long-term by your insurance company with no claims discounts of up to 70%

ot fi t ’’

NFU Mutual gives a £100 discount for signing up to their ‘Safer Driving Agreement’. You’ve got to promise to confirm your destination in advance; to drive only between agreed times of the day; always wear a seat belt, never use a mobile etc etc. The only problem is that your parents have also got to sign the agreement too! Keeping your car in a garage and fitting a car alarm or immobiliser will help reduce insurance costs.

Promise to be good!

REV.uk 27

NO.2 DEAN KIELYFACT FILE Club: West Bromwich Albion Position: Goalkeeper Date of Birth: 10/10/70 Place of Birth: Salford

REV: What was your first car?

DK: A three-door Fiesta Super Sport.

REV: How old were you when you bought it? DK: I was 17. It was before the XR2 came out so it was a bit of a dream car back in the day. It was black with a big red stripe down the side and had huge alloy wheels. It also had a red-and-white check interior. It was beautiful. I really liked it. It wasn’t brand new. It was something like a W-reg and cost £1,695 from a local garage.

REV: What attracted you to it and what

was its best feature? DK: I really liked the look of it. It was a sporty model. At 17, having just passed my test, I was just trying to be a boy racer!

REV: So did you ever crash it?

DK: I once crashed it into the side of a house. It was a total accident but cost a lot of money to get it repaired!

REV: So what happened to it in the end?

DK: I had it for about 18 months before I swapped it for an XR3.

REV: What do you drive today?

DK: An Audi S5 and a Range Rover. I like them a bit more than my first car!

NO. 1: JONATHAN GREENING FACT FILE Club: West Bromwich Albion, Captain Position: Midfield Date of Birth: 02/01/79 Place of Birth: Scarborough

REV: So then Jonathan, what was

your first car? JG: It was a red Ford Fiesta 1.1.

REV: How old were you when you got your

hands on it? JG: I was 19, mind you it took me four driving tests to pass! It was a three-door K-reg Fiesta and I had to pay really high insurance because I was a professional footballer. The car was worth about £750 and the insurance was about two grand! I can’t even remember where I got it from. I think my Dad found it for me. It was very old at the time and needed a new exhaust. It didn’t even have a petrol cap! I had to buy a green push-in one myself. I used to wonder whether it would get me back to Scarborough from Manchester every weekend!

REV: What was its best feature? JG: The best feature was probably the radio. It didn’t have a CD player. It had a cassette player, but that didn’t work so I just made do with the radio.

REV: Did anything unusual, funny, bizarre or otherwise memorable happen to you

in the car? JG: I once went to pick up a Chinese takeaway after a game and drove into a lamp post. It was the most expensive Chinese I’ve ever had! The damage cost about £600 to fix. Also, I’m sure I’m the only player to win the Champions League final while driving a Ford Fiesta!

REV: So what happened to the Fiesta

in the end? JG: I sold it after getting my Champions League win bonus following our last-gasp win over Bayern Munich in Barcelona in 1999. I bought a Grand Cherokee Jeep with my bonus – my first proper car!

REV: What do you drive today? JG: I’ve got a seven-seater Jeep Commander for me, the missus and my three kids.

Everyone remembers their first car. For most of us our debut in the motoring world involved

a clapped out banger, bought for pennies or handed down from family members. The odd dent or ding gave added character to it and, although other road users gave you a wide berth, it represented the freedom you’d been looking for. No parent or instructor in the passenger seat, total control of the stereo and an endless network of roads ahead of you.

Like your first steps as a toddler, your first girlfriend or your first pay packet, your first car represents a defining moment in your life, and one worth remembering.

While many of our wealthiest professional footballers drive around today in cars that average one mile to a gallon, most of them started out in wheels more familiar to us all. So, in the name of research, we asked a number of players to ‘fess up’ to their first cars and, being good sports, we got some interesting results.

NO.4 SAM RICKETTSFACT FILE Club: Hull City Position: Defender Date of Birth: 11/10/81 Place of Birth: Aylesbury

REV: What was your first car?

SR: It was a Red Ford Fiesta

REV: How old were you?

SR: I was 17 years old, I remember it cost me £2000 and I bought it from my sister

REV: What attracted you to it and what was its best feature?

SR: Well it was my only option, it was simply that or nothing!

REV: What happened to it in the end?

SR: I just sold it on.

REV: What do you drive today? SR: It’s a bit different, a BMW 6 Series.

NO.3 ANDREW TAYLORFACT FILE Club: Middlesbrough Position: Defender Date of Birth: 01/08/86 Place of Birth: Hartlepool

REV: What was your first car?

AT: It was a Renault Clio

REV: How old were you?

AT: I was 17-years old and I got it from my local garage for £8000

REV: What attracted you to it and what was its best feature?

AT: It was sporty looking, a proper boys’ car

REV: What happened to it in the end?

AT: I wrote it off after only two months!

REV: What do you drive today?

AT: An Audi R8 and a Range Rover

Forget the Range Rovers, Bentleys and Ferraris, Rev asks some of our most popular football players – including two of West Brom’s biggest names – for the lowdown on their first cars.

Words: Tim Beynon

My First

DRIVE

st cars.

GOLDEN BALLS AND RUSTY DOORS!Today David Beckham reportedly drives a Ferrari 575, Ferrari F430, Lamborghini Gallardo, two, yes, two Bentley Arnages, a Porsche 911 Turbo, Rolls-Royce Phantom

and an Aston Martin V8. However, although his garage today resembles

a Monte Carlo car park, it was once home to his first love, a humble Ford Escort.

Wayne Rooney, meanwhile, may

well be one of the most recognizable players in the world - putting his face to some of

biggest selling products around – but when he

turned 17 he only had eyes for his first car, a Ford SportKa. Pictured with it at the time, on

the corner of the pitch at Goodison Park, the then Everton youngster said:

“It’s just a huge relief to have passed my test and I’m looking forward to driving myself to training in my new car. All I have to worry about now is the season ahead, starting with a huge

game against Arsenal this weekend!”

Little did the England front man know at the time that the goal he would score in

that match against Arsenal would take

him to the top of the world game. Sadly, however, the Ka didn’t go with him!

NO 2 DEAN KIELY

GAToTTdLatw9191

REV.uk 29

“When a bike is involved then it’s usually the biker’s fault. Lets face it you don’t buy a bike to drive at 30mph and sit in traffic do you? Bikers always go on about how bad car drivers are but they should stick to the rules just like everyone else.”

“If they want us to give them the same room as we would a car, then they shouldn’t pull into a gap a car can’t pull into. They’re all a bunch of hypocrites who think the rules they want everyone to go by don’t apply to them.” “I think we need tougher laws to make bikers be seen

more easily. We have seatbelt laws, helmet laws, child seat laws, why not laws on protective clothing?”

“I ride... and drive but there are some idiots on bikes. Like the one I nearly hit who was bunny hopping his Vespa down the main street.”“The behaviour of some bikers on country roads is nothing short of suicidal.”

“The worst is when you’re overtaking and a bike gets right behind you. You know if you brake or make any sort of mistake they’ll be straight into the back of you.”

“It is always a wonder where all those learner motorcyclists go after passing the test. During lessons you see them signalling,obeying speed limits and stopping at stop signs. After they pass all we see is cutting drivers up, racing traffic lights, undertaking, racing each other - I could go on...”

“More often than not when there’s a crash the driver hasn’t seen the biker. Cars pull out in front of you all the time - they just don’t look...”

“I think that everyone who wants to drive a car should be forced to ride a motorcycle for 2 years before they can start driving. This way drivers would be a hell of a lot more observant of not only motorcycles but every other road user that they normally fail to see. I think that the majority of car drivers are the most dangerous people on the road.”“Most drivers have no regard for bikers, they don’t even see us a lot

of the time, some even resent the way we can move through traffic and pull out slightly to stop us getting past, others try to pass us at any cost so they can tell their mates in the pub they just blew off a BMW or whatever.”

“This morning I was nearly wiped out by a muppet overtaking. He was coming towards me on the phone doing over 80. I can tell you that the urge to turn around and kick his head in at the next lights was really quite strong.”“Many car drivers would get a shock if they rode a motorbike. This is because many

It seems like everyone thinks it’s the other person’s fault when they have a crash. Bikers and drivers are no different. This is what some of them had to say about each other...

thi k it’ th th ’ f ltthi k it’ th th ’ f lveryone thinks it’s the other person’s fault h Bik d d ih Bik d d ih Bik d d ive a crash. Bikers and drivers are no

y p

h t f th h d t b tt f h h d t b th t f th h d t bs what some of them had to say about

drivers bikers

So what’s the

Around 25% of motorcycle deaths were crashes that didn’t involve

another vehicle.

Of the remaining 75% almost half involve a car driver looking but failing to see.

In 2007, 588 motorcyclists died and 6,149 were seriously injured in road accidents.

Motorcyclists are just 1% of total traffic, but account for 19% of

all Britain’s road deaths.

v

truth?

car drivers have little or no respect for people on motorbikes, even though bikers are amongst the most vulnerable road users.”

“The first thing that really irritates me is car drivers pulling out from side roads. The majority of bikers are very careful making this action as we have more of a price to pay if we crash. There have been many times when I have had car drivers stare straight at me and pull out in front of me.” “Another thing is indicating. Many car drivers seem to think we are psychic! Let us know where you are going please!”

REV.uk 31

POWERPEDAL

Interview by Tim Beynon

POWERH

aving spent much of the past

eight years plying his trade

in London – firstly for Arsenal

and then more successfully with

Fulham – Moritz Volz has built

up a reputation as a committed,

attacking defender with undeniable

professionalism and Premier

League pedigree.

Off the pitch, however, he has also

built up a reputation as one of

football’s nice-guys, often playing on

his German roots to amuse the media

and entertain his growing army of

fans. Indeed, a quick glance at his

website – www.volzy.com - is enough

to glean an idea of the eccentricity

that has endeared him to so many. I

mean, how many other professional

footballers pay homage to David

Hasselhoff on their personal website,

a website that is accompanied by

a bespoke version of the Sting

classic – retitled ‘A German in West

London’ – in which one of the lines

refers to him cycling down the Fulham

Road with a sausage in his hand?

A renowned cyclist, however,

Volzy has shunned the sports

cars and Chelsea tractors of his

contemporaries, opting instead for a

fold-up bike to pedal his way around

the streets of London and Ipswich.

So, we just had to find out more…

Ipswich Town star, Moritz Volz, has rejected the traditional sports cars and

luxury 4x4s of his footballing peers, opting for two wheeled transportation

instead. Rev caught up with the affable German to find out more.

REV.uk 33

at, then phone for assistance and wait for a mechanic MV: Most definitely A as I have two left hands and no clue about mechanics even though I passed A-Level Maths on it.

REV: You’re commuting at the moment from London to Ipswich. How’s that going? MV: I mostly use the rail, because I can relax and read and eat, but occasionally I do take the car for convenience. Both take about the same time and it’s just a bit too far to cycle!

REV: Have you ever been in a road traffic accident? MV: Not with other cars involved, but I once spun around on a wet road and faced traffic. That was scary.

REV: Away from football, and from the roads, are you environmentally friendly? If so, can you give us an example of eco-friendly Volzy? MV: I’m trying in some ways to do my bit, but I’m not nearly as good as I could be. It’s often hard to get out of bad habits. I use organic produce when possible, don’t

get disposable shopping bags and drink tap water at home, and a few other little bits.

REV: Are you a good or a bad loser? MV: I don’t like losing at all, but I don’t lose the plot when I do and throw my toys out the pram. I guess I have had enough times to practise since I left Arsenal five years ago!

REV: Tell us something we don’t know about you? MV: I’d like to have a dog sometime.

REV: Favourite film, book, television programme and historical figure? MV: Meet the Parents is a film I like a lot, anything John Grisham will do for books right now. The Office was fun to watch and if you are talking figures, maybe Heidi Klum, if that’s what you mean!

REV: And finally, if you could banish one person off the face of the earth, who would it be and why? MV: The devil, for obvious reasons, or any of the left wingers who have given me a torrid time over the years. Not many then!?!?

REV: What was your first car? MV: A silver Golf

REV: If your car broke down would you: A – Call for assistance straight away and wait for a mechanic

B – Lift the bonnet, locate the problem, fix it and drive on

C – Lift the bonnet, stare at the engine, pretend you know what you’re looking

“I DID WELL BUT FAILED MY FIRST ON A REVERSE BEND AND PASSED

THE SECOND TIME ROUND ALTHOUGH MY DRIVING WAS AWFUL”

REV: Moritz, you’re famous for your fold-up bike but, having come from the nation that brought us the sleek lines of the BMW, the efficiency of the Audi and the well loved eccentricity of the VW, how come you prefer two wheels over four? MV: I can’t stand queuing and being stuck and that hardly ever happens on a bike. I also see much more of places when I cycle away from the main roads. It’s only really when the weather changes suddenly and I get soaked that I wish I had taken the car! But, saying that, in summer it can be a rather pleasant experience too. REV: From a cyclist’s perspective, what annoys you most about drivers in the city? MV: Abuse when they think I’m holding them up and when they don’t leave enough room between them for me to manoeuvre through them at lights.

REV: But do you own a car today? MV: I’m still waiting for a sponsorship deal, so I’ll keep this one open for the moment.

Anyone can feel free to fill this gap though!

REV: Who are the best drivers, Germans or English? MV: Cars or bikes? In fact, I think Germans are better at both, as seen in Formula One and the Tour de France many times.

REV: Do you sing when you’re driving? If so, what are your three favourite all-time driving tunes? MV: I love to go full out on a tune when I’m driving, after all there is not much else to do. As for my three favourites, I’d go for:

Smile like you mean it - The Killers The garden - Van Tramp Our house - Madness

REV: What’s the most bizarre form of transport you’ve ever taken? MV: A police riot van.

REV: How did your driving test go? MV: I did well but failed my first on a reverse bend and passed the second time round although my driving was awful. I think it’s always a bit of luck ie. “who does your your examiner support?”

REV.uk 35

Feathered friends strike backWe’re all too aware of the damage that cars do to the environment but now it appears that birdlife in Britain is doing its bit to show motorists that they can’t have it all their own way...

A study from Zurich Insurance has found that an astounding 89% of motorists have endured a direct hit from the skies. 38% of drivers claim it has left permanent damage on their paintwork.

How they discovered all this I’ll never know but apparently you’re less likely to get plopped on if you’re driving a green car than a silver one.

So if you want to keep your paintwork nice and shiny and beat the peril from the skies, try not to park underneath trees and don’t wipe your paintwork but rinse it off with carbonated water as soon as you take a hit.

Well we’re all dead excited about the future prospects of technology and the car.

Like you can talk to it and it’ll do exactly what you command. Cool eh? Power beyond your WILDEST DREAMS!!! – but hang on here’s a bit of techie stuff that does exactly the opposite...

The government is in talks to begin testing technology which breathalyses drivers before allowing their engines to start. And like everything - it’s already happening in America so it’s only a matter of time before it arrives here....

It’s a fact that drink driving also causes accidents the morning after. Alcosense found that 51% of UK drivers had

unknowingly driven over the limit the morning after having a drink the night before.

A record number of women in the UK have been caught drink-driving, with offences up by 60% over the past decade. By contrast, the number of male offenders has begun to fall.

Twice as many people die on rural roads as on urban ones, and inexperienced, young drivers are one of the main reasons for the difference. A study by the Institute of Advanced Motorists reveals that drivers aged 17 to 25 are twice as likely to have serious crashes on country roads as those aged 60 and over.

Men are far more likely than women to be involved in serious crashes on rural roads.

in the news

The car’s in charge!

A new scheme in JANESVILLE, USA puts a CarChip recording device in young drivers’ cars. The information can then be downloaded and viewed by their parents! This gives them all sorts of incriminating info - such as how fast you’ve been going...

The next thing you know they’ll be checking out your MySpace blog - where will it all end???

Well perhaps in Surrey where eleven year olds helped police catch and interview speeding motorists. The kids asked the drivers, who were all driving at more than 36mph in a 30 zone, why they were speeding outside their school.

Corsa, Corsa Corsa!!!

Facebook shock

Vauxhall’s Corsa has come out top in a survey by Carcraft to find the UK’s fave first car.

The girls put the Corsa top followed by the Clio, Fiesta, Ka and Punto. Amazingly the men actually agreed putting the Corsa first followed by the Clio, Astra, Focus and Punto.

DRINK DRIVE HOAXPOLICE and teachers who told a group of high school students in California that a group of their classmates had been killed in road smashes had to admit it was just a hoax when the teenagers became hysterical with grief.

The fake announcement was part of a road safety campaign meant to scare the students off drink-driving.

Students cried, some felt physically ill and others were completely overcome.

Teachers had to tell the students it was a hoax who then turned their shock into anger and started screaming at teachers.Those who were slow to hear that it was a hoax then had the added shock of seeing their “dead” friends turn up for class.

Go it alone!A study carried out in Tel Aviv has shown that young men especially drive badly and take more risks when they have friends in the car.

More evidence that peer pressure can often drive young them to act rashly was contained in a study released this week that says it is a major factor behind road accidents.

They are also less likely to fasten their seatbelts, drive too fast and overtake other cars when they are joined by their mates.

Almost one in five 18 – 24 year olds got into a car last Christmas believing the driver was over the limit, according to an online survey of 1000 Facebook users.

About 570 people died last year in the UK as a result of their own or someone else’s drink driving.

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Sudoku

How to play The object of Sudoku is to fill in the 9x9 grid so that each row, each column, and each of the nine 3x3 boxes contains the digits 1 through 9.

IS IT YOUR DAD’S FAULT?Research by Norwich Union has found that road rage is most likely to occur among inexperienced young drivers aged 18-29, with three in five (61%) admitting to a personality change behind the wheel. What’s more, nearly two in five (39%) young drivers blame their parents for their erratic driving behaviour, saying they inherited their road rage tendencies from seeing them behind the wheel.

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REV.uk 37

in the news

Did you know that a driver who covers his car with car stickers is more likely

to jump out of their car and smack you round the head?

That’s the amazing finding of Colorado University psychologist William Szlemko.

Drivers of cars with stickers, personalised licence plates and other “territorial

markers” are far more likely to use their car to express their rage, including everything from blaring their horn, tailgating and even leaping out of their car to confront other drivers.

It doesn’t even matter what the sticker says - yup it could be “Save the Whale”, “My other car’s a ferrari” or “I’ve been googlewacked!” - their car is their territory - so you’re in big trouble if you upset them!

Apparently the non-sticker brigade get mad too - but they just count to 10 and exclaim: ”Well personally I wouldn’t have cut in front of me at 90” or “I appear to have been rear-ended - I’m actually rather upset about this.”

Watch out for the car sticker!

Well, at least the war

on the environment is

going well

Squirrels - nature’s

speed bumps

Honk if you love peace and quiet

Always remember

you’re unique, just like

everyone else

CAUTION: I drive just like you!

Never miss a good

opportunity to

shut up.

I want to die in my sleep like my grandfather.... Not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car....

How Can I Miss You if

You Won’t Go Away?

Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups

Of all the things I’ve lost,

I miss my mind the most

Rock is dead. Long live paper and scissors

Knowledge is power,

and power corrupts. So

study hard and be evil

The more you complain the longer God makes you live

What if the hokey

cokey is really what

it’s all about?

Here’s our list of some of the car stickers that are out there:

word search H Y U N D A I R O Y A L E N F I E L D Z A A Z A U D I E P E U G E O T M V R A N R M U A G Z U N A T O Y O T S T A E I E L A S I O A T A T T A L J O E T M L H B E H I M E M A U O A I L I R P A A S A S Y A B J M R E L E H S R O P R I S Y T E D S M E O A S T O N M A R T I N E R S D A S W E R M A G U S T A I R M I R H U E V E S P A I V N O R C A D I L L A C B C I A O R F B E N T L E Y E U S C T I A R D I T E L O R V E H C F O M I D I N R E S K O D A R R T O R O C U P K E S I U M O C I T A C U D M L E N O H U L I H I L N I S S A N C O N R V V D L Z O K G P L A T N U S T A D A E W O O A U R A R I A H R A U G A J G G B R T I R S E S O A H Y O X H U M M E R D U D I U D A A B G X F E R R A R I E O S S E L P A N W M G U L N E T R O N L M S U N N B Y S A A I A M I T S U B I S H I N O G A W S K L O V

Agusta

Dodge

Lexus

Saab

Alfa Romeo

Ducati

Lotus

Seat

Aprilia

Ferrari

Maserati

Skoda

Aston Martin

Fiat

Mazda

Smart

Audi

Ford

Mercedes Benz

Subaru

Bentley

Harley Davidson

Mini

Suzuki

BMW

Honda

Mitsubishi

Tata

BSA

Hummer

Morgan

Toyota

Cadillac

Hyundai

Nissan

Triumph

Chevrolet

Isuzu

Peugeot

TVR

Chrysler

Jaguar

Piaggio

Ural

Citroen

Jeep

Vauxhall

Daewoo

Kawasaki

Proton

Vespa

Daihatsu

Kia

Renault

Volkswagon

Datsun

Lamborghini

Reva

Volvo

DeLorean

Land Rover

Royal

Enfield

Yamaha

ZAT KNIGHTASTON VILLA’S GIANT

DEFENDER, ZAT KNIGHT,

TALKS TO REV.UK ABOUT

LIFE IN THE TOP FLIGHT, HIS

BELOVED FERRARI AND WHY

HE THINKS YOUNG DRIVERS

CRASH THEIR CARS.

REV: Footballers are known for having

some really smart cars but it doesn’t

mean they can be any less careful

when they’re driving does it? ZK: No, if anything it means you have to

be more careful. Some of these cars are

really powerful and it can take time to

learn to drive them well. Every driver has

to be aware of danger when driving and

no-one is above the law of the roads.

REV: Do you enjoy driving? Have you

learned any lessons on the road whilst

you’ve been driving? ZK: I do enjoy driving, I’m lucky enough to

own some really special cars. I don’t think

I’ve learned any specific lesson but the

more you drive, the more you pick up to

keep you, your passengers and other road

users safe.

REV: What’s your favourite car?

ZK: My black Ferrari 430.

REV: Have you ever

been in a

road

accident? ZK: Yes, but fortunately it wasn’t serious.

REV: Why do you

think that so many young blokes are

involved in road accidents? ZK: The freedom you get when you

have your first car is a real rush, I can

understand why so many young men want

to show off to their friends and show how

fast they can go but driving fast is the

easy bit, it’s controlling the car and being

familiar with driving and the road ahead

that makes you safe. Maybe it’s the lack of

driving experience combined with driving

too fast that causes the accidents.

youyou

IN THE DRIVER’SIN THE

SEAT WITH…

REV.uk 39