Should you re-sit your driving test after the age of 70? If you think not, maybe this will make you change your mind.

A 100 year old man known as Mr Carter was driving his Cadillac near a primary school in Los Angeles, California, when he reversed and hit eleven people, including nine children.

Some of the children became trapped under the car and were badly hurt, passersby did try to get the drivers attention but it was too late.

Mr Carter spoke to a local news station and said: “My brakes failed. It was out of control.” When asked about hitting the children, he said: “You know I’m sorry about that…my sympathies for them.”

Police believe that he was parked in a grocery shop nearby and when pulling out of the car park drove on the pavement rather than pulling into the street.

Mr Carter is now 101 years old and still holds his driving licence.

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We jump in the car to go to work, we load up the car when we have done our shopping, we use the car for the school run, and we happily sink into the car when it’s raining outside. We love our cars. That is of course, when they are working ok. When they’re not, our life can seem to fall apart a little.

It makes sense then that you know of a mechanic that you can use should anything happen to your car. Don’t wait for your car to break down before you contact one. We all know someone who has used a mechanic and they are usually very forthcoming on their opinion of the mechanic. They let you know if they were good or bad, overpriced or if they charged fairly. So ask around and see what others are saying.

That way, when something does happen to your car, you will know where you can go to get it sorted.

Toyota is yet to recall even more cars, this time totalling anything up to 7.4 million across many different models.

As one of the world’s biggest-selling car company, you would think after the catastrophe in 2009 when they had to recall 12 million vehicles and received fines from US regulators they wouldn’t see another fault on this scale.

Popular models such as Yaris, Corolla and Auris are included in the recall after a faulty window switch was found.

Up to 2.47 million UK drivers are thought to be affected.

The fault appears to pose no safety issues but customers will be contacted to arrange for their car to be checked and should it need fixing should only take around 40 minutes.

The customer services director for Toyota GB, Steve Settle apologised to customers and said: “What we’re talking about is the power switch on the driver’s door and there is a very, very outside chance that there could be melting inside the switch…But there are some vehicle agencies around the world that interpret melting as fire. We’ve no evidence of fire and our engineer testing of this item doesn’t reveal any chance of fire.”

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Motorists in Berkshire are taking a big risk when they remove safety barriers on Thornford Road, Headley which are there to show the ford is closed.

Back in April Jonathan Gammon died and his wife had to swim to safety when their car was submerged in 5ft of water in the ford. The council closed it just after this incident.

In a statement the authority said: “We recognise that the closure will cause come people inconvenience by having to drive around the traffic diversion routes, but it is important to maintain the safety of the travelling public.”

The council now plan to install larger barriers in the hope these can’t be moved.

Simon Hiscock, who works nearby, said he has had to rescue dozens of people. He said: “There are big red signs saying road closed and there are barriers, but people are driving through them.”

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Have you noticed how the mornings are rather wet?

The heavens have opened and the downpour just keeps coming. How does this affect car drivers? Driving in the rain certainly changes the driving conditions.

For one thing, you notice that the roads seem a lot more busier. Then you have the issues of steamy windows. You will also find that your stopping distance increases.

Before you set off your journey give yourself a few minutes to prepare. I find it useful getting out of my wet coat when I’m in the car. Then get your ventilation going, open the windows a little so the air is flowing. There’s nothing worse than having windows that you can’t see out of. When you’re on your journey be prepared for the extended stopping distances. Most people aren’t aware that the rain makes such a big difference but it does.

Finally, be calm. Yes, the rain, for some reason makes people a little bit more inpatient on the roads, but we can’t do anything about them. We however, can stay calm, drive safely and enjoy our journey.

The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM’s) say that the cost of learning to drive is greater than the average income that young people take home.

Young people are having to look for other ways to fund getting on the road including loans and help from family.

It has been estimated that the total start up cost is more than £12,000 what with licences, tests, tax, MOT, the car itself, fuel and maintenance.

Unfortunately this is having a knock on effect on employment opportunities for young people. With so many young people out of work, not driving is affecting their chances of getting a job.

It is hoped that insurance companies will start helping younger drivers, by rewarding those that take post test training such as Pass Plus.

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Jumping in the car and setting off on a 5 hour drive is something that causes dread to many people. But this needn’t be the case. Taking a short time to plan your trip can relieve a lot of anxiety. Here are my tips for planning a long trip.

Firstly, get a satnav, the 90’s are over. You don’t need to rely on a map and someone to navigate you anymore. Satnavs are widely available, affordable and really easy to use. For those of you that have smart phones, you can download a navigation app on there too. I much prefer to use a satnav when driving instead of listening to a passenger who thinks they “know” how to get there.”

Check over your water and oil levels. There’s no use setting off on a trip if your liquids aren’t topped up. This only takes a few minutes to do. If you’re setting off when the weather is brutally cold, you will want to keep you are your family warm. Moreover, make sure you have enough petrol. Yes, you are likely to pass service stations on your motorway, but it makes sense to top up before you go. If you think you will need to top up on petrol during your route, check which service stations you will be passing.

It’s also worthwhile checking that your indicators and brake lights are all working okay. Just get someone to have a look whilst you push down on the brakes and test the indicators.

Finally: have good music. A long distant drive can get a bit mundane. You will some entertainment so remember to pack your favourite cd. If you can, let someone else drive for part of the journey. This will give you a break and a chance to take in the sights.

Driving insurance companies in Britain are calling for new drivers to face driving restrictions but also to face rigorous driver training, including starting six months earlier than the current age of 17.

The Association of British Insurers say: 17-24 year olds are responsible for a disproportionately high number of crashes and claims.

Insurers are looking for a number of changes including:

A graduate licence for new drivers, which they will hold for six months after passing the test

Newly qualified drivers to be restricted, including not driving between 11pm and 4am

Young drivers would be able to start their tuition from 16 and a half

No blood alcohol allowed during the first six months

Road safety minister Stephen Hammond said: “We are already working with young people, the industry and other key stakeholders to identify what can be done to ensure that newly-qualified drivers are properly prepared and drive safely.”

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A survey asked parents aged between 25 and 75 years what their most memorable car journey was and below are the top three answers:

1. Driving your new family home from the hospital following the birth of your child
2. Driving your partner to the hospital for the birth of your child
3. Setting off on your first family holiday

Other emotive drives featured in the top 10 answers included; picking up your first family pet, your children leaving home and your child’s first driving lesson.

Interestingly both males and females voted the same top answer, driving home from the hospital as their number one memory.

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“Use both hands on the steering wheel.” We say this comment a lot. We say it often. But, for some people it doesn’t stick. After a few safer turns they quickly revert back to old habits. That is, when they come to turn a corner, both hands will cross over. Or, sometimes drivers even try and use one hand!

Using both hands gives you much more control over the vehicle. People often think that they only need to use both hands when they are driving at a high speed, such as when you’re on the motorway or driving a long a dual carriageway . But that’s not the case. You always need to be in control of your vehicle. That means, whether you are driving slowly or not. Why? Remember, situations happen all the time and you can’t account for when they may happen, you need to prepared for them.