We’ve all known that is is illegal to use a hand held mobile and drive. Although judging by what Ralph Morton, the editor of Business Car Manager  saw last night, the message is routinely ignored.  Ralph has told comparecontracthire.com that two Porsche Boxsters went past him and both drivers were using hand held phones. 

He has also commented on the recent case of Lynne-Marie Howden (43) which has brought into question the certainty of even using hands free phones. Ms Howden was recently convicted of careless driving, fined £2000 and banned for a year after crashing her Mercedes CLK into another car. Unfortunately the other driver died at the scene.

Ralph went onto say  ” And now we have seen that the labour peer Lord Ahmed, has been jailed for dangerous driving after he was involved in a fatal accident on the M1. In the period prior to the crash, Lord Ahmed had been texting on his phone”.

Ralph  said ” The message, if we hadn’t got it yet, is that mobile phones and driving just don’t mix. In fact research suggest talking on a hands free phone is more dangerous than drink-driving”.  Ralph has also found out that a study by insurer Direct Line, carried out by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL),  has found that driver reaction times are 30% slower when talking on a hands free phone than when driving over the alcohol limit.

It is a sobering thought.

The government’s own campaign “Driving for better business” has issued this advice; ” Safety focussed businesses should ban all employees from using mobile phones while driving”.

Comparecontracthire.com advises small businesses to ensure they are comparing like for like rentals, when comparing contract hire prices from several suppliers.

If after running through this checklist one supplier stands out, you know you are comparing “apples with apples”.

With the launch of the new Insignia, Vauxhall says goodbye to the Vectra model, with some amazing contract hire prices, reports comparecontracthire.com, the UK’s first contract hire price comparison site for SMEs.

The following non maintained contract hire rentals, are just some of the selection of great offers for SMEs. All rentals shown below are based over three years, at 10,000 miles per annum, on a 3 payment initial rental followed by subsequent 35 rentals and are exclusive of VAT.  Other terms will be available directly from the site quote engines. Please note that if you are VAT registered, only 50% of the VAT applied to each rental shown, can be claimed back.

As this is also a “run out model” you need to act fast, if one particular offer appeals to you. However,  Vauxhall Leasing will be able to look for alternative cars if your exact choice is not available.

- Vauxhall Vectra Estate 2.0T SRi (Sat Nav) 5 Door @ £236.14

- Vauxhall Vectra Diesel Estate 1.9 CDTi Exclusiv (120) 5 Door @ £207.99

- Vauxhall Vectra Hatchback 1.8i VVT Exclusiv 5 Door @ £191.99 

Robert Wastell, founder of Comparecontracthire.com said ” There are clearly some great opportunities to drive a quality vehicle, with a proven track record, at prices that are really affordable. In the current economic climate, choosing the outgoing Vauxhall Vectra model, provides an excellent opportunity to save money, for any SME looking for their next vehicle”.

Robert went on to say ” The example prices shown are based on non maintenance contract hire. I would also recommend that SMEs look at prices including ”with maintenance” for added protection from future costs, which are all readily available off the site”.

Volkswagen is launching the Caddy EcoFuel in the summer of 2009 in conjunction with the larger Caddy Maxi EcoFuel which is also being launched.  This model of light commercial van is already available on the continent with 7500 models being sold last year.

The biggest environmental benefit of using compressed natural gas (CNG), as a fuel source, is the dramatic reduction in fuel gases. You can also reduce your fuel costs as CNG is approximately 50% less than diesel according to VW.

The engine can be operated on biomethane or CNG and also has a 13 litre petrol tank as a reserve. The vehicle has a 2.0-litre petrol engine, adapted for CNG and has a CO2 emission of 157 g/km. There is no reduction in performance either, with 0-62 achievable in 13.8 seconds and a top speed of 105 mph.

Volkswagen Caddy EcoFuel

With the impending launch of the new SMMT “Van Buyers Guide”, detailing light commercial Co2 emission outputs, Citroen is publicising how green its own LCV range is. Citroen was also the first manufacturer to offer its ultra clean particulate filter on its LCV range.

Citroen offers three sub 120g k/m Co2 emmission LCVs as follows

- The C2 Enterprise van (113g k/m)

- The Nemo 1.4HDi SensoDrive van (116g k/m)

- Nemo 1.4HDi manual 5 speed van (119g k/m)

Their other vans are also offering favourable Co2 emissions as follows

- Berlingo First from 143g k/m

- New Berlingo from 153g k/m

- C-Crosser Enterprise 2.2HDi 156hp DPFS 4×4 van from 191g k/m

- Dispatch from 191g k/m

- Relay from 208g k/m

More van manufacturers will have to start publishing their Co2 figures, enabling customers to see how green their carbon footprint is. Whilst the figures are readily available for cars, vans are more difficult to find and the new SMMT initiative is welcomed.

Drivers risking serious accidents driving on illegal tyres

The National Tyre Distributors Association has reported that when testing 60,000 cars in January 2009 , 7000 were being driven on at least one illegal tyre. They estimate this could affect 3.6 million motorists in the UK, if the figures were grossed up.

The legal minimum tread depth limit in the UK, is 1.6 mm. This must be in a continuous band throughout the central three-quarters of the tread width and over the whole circumference of the tyre.

TyreSafe, the non profit organisation dedicated to raising tyre safety levels, has also found out through their own research that nearly one in ten motorists expect to spend less on tyres in 2009 than the previous year.

This is a false economy as not only could drivers increase their chances of an accident but it is illegal to drive on tyres that are below the minimum requirements. Motorists could face a maximum of three penalty points on their licence and a fine of up to £2500 per tyre.

Further tips on driving on safe tyres can be found at the TyreSafe website.

Race online and win an Alfa MiTo

Alfa are giving online surfers the opportunity to win a £12,000 Alfa MiTo by racing online at 10 different venues on 10 different websites. You can change the venue from the streets of London, to quiet country lanes and really put the MiTo through its paces.

Over the next 6 weeks, until the 10th April, web users can record their fastest scores. Prizes include 90 iPod touch phones, 180 iPod nanos and even a Nintendo Wii. The top prize however is a fantastic Alfa MiTo 1.4 Lusso worth £11,936.

The game can be played at www.mymitorally.co.uk

Contract Hire is form of rental that allows a customer to rent a vehicle for a period of time, normally over three years.

At the end of the contract you hand the car back to the leasing company who then has to sell it. The leasing companies have many ways they sell their vehicles i.e. through auctions, through dealers, through buyback arrangements with the manufacturers and direct to the public.

However not everyone wants a brand new vehicle on contract hire and some people still prefer to buy used cars. The question around this last point is if you want to buy ex-fleet cars direct, where do go?

comparecontracthire.com has just launched a new service allowing buyers to view a selection  of the vehicles offered by some of their leasing partners. The attraction of buying ex-fleet vehicles is the leasing company will have a record of what has happened to their vehicle throughout its life. They will usually have had only one registered keeper as well (i.e. the leasing company).

Robert Wastell, founder of comparecontracthire.com said  ” The site is primarily focussed on providing new business contract hire rentals, compared on line, direct from FN50 companies. However I have often been asked how to buy ex-fleet cars, direct, from the leasing companies.  In order to help our partners sell their ex-fleet vehicles we have created a new section on the site.  Buyers who prefer to buy (or finance) used cars can now see a selection of ex-fleet vehicles at trade prices”.

Volvo DRIVe range

After dramatically reducing Co2 levels and increasing fuel mpg efficiencies, Volvo is extending its DRIVe range to seven models.  The full range will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2009. Currently the DRIVe range only extends to the C30 SportsCoupe, S40 Saloon and V50 Sportswagon.

The DRIVe range will be extended to the XC crossover, V70 and XC70 premium estates and the S80 saloon.  Start/Stop will be available on the C30, S40 and V50 to further reduce CO2 emissions. All new models will be out in the summer and will be equipped with a conventional diesel engine plus manual gearbox for extra low fuel consumption.

Initial CO2 and combined fuel figures are as follows

New Ford Ranger

Ford is showcasing a new Ranger Pick-Up at the Geneva Motor show. The look has been freshened up with a three bar grille at the front, large headlamps and bigger door mirrors.

There is a choice of fuel efficient 2.5 or 3.0 litre TDCi turbo diesel engines. The 2.5 litre TDCi also comes in automatic transmission if required.  The new Ford Ranger will also come in 10 paint choices , five of which are new. Loads of up to 3,000 kg can be towed and the Ranger comes in three body styles namely; Regular Cab, Super Cab and Double Cab.

There will also be a comprehensive trim level offered from the basic XL to the top of the range Thunder and Wildtrak. In both 2 wheel and 4 wheel drive, the Ranger should be on sale late in 2009.