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Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Why one MP is slow and oblivious to the traffic of history
Last century’s achievements in the women’s movement included equal pay rights, maternity pay, the right to stand for election and, in some denominations, the right for women to become priests.
This century hasn’t started badly either, particularly in the world of motor sport. Although we’ve had none of the same important political landmarks we have had Danica Patrick winning a race in the male-dominated world of US Indy Car racing and, quite possibly, a female Stig on BBC’s Top Gear.
But sadly this is a message that hasn’t got through in some quarters. Take the Malaysian MP who recently said that “women drivers are slow and oblivious to traffic”.
His comment has rightfully caused a furore in Malaysia, with one women’s rights campaigner responding, "There are women fighter pilots who are better than men so these comments about slowness and being oblivious are silly.”
Speaking of women pilots, its great to see that women are now allowed to fly on the frontline all over the world.
Although there were many women pilots flying with the RAF in WW2, none saw frontline combat action. This didn’t happen until the 1990s when Jo Salter helped enforce the no-fly zone over Iraq, in the process paving the way for the many who’ve followed her, including the woman who this week, as part of our forces in Libya, became the first female pilot to fly a combat mission in the new Typhoon.
Something tells me these women, all of whom have been through a rigorous recruiting process which picks a select few from hundreds of candidates, are unlikely to be “slow and oblivious to traffic”.
This century hasn’t started badly either, particularly in the world of motor sport. Although we’ve had none of the same important political landmarks we have had Danica Patrick winning a race in the male-dominated world of US Indy Car racing and, quite possibly, a female Stig on BBC’s Top Gear.
But sadly this is a message that hasn’t got through in some quarters. Take the Malaysian MP who recently said that “women drivers are slow and oblivious to traffic”.
His comment has rightfully caused a furore in Malaysia, with one women’s rights campaigner responding, "There are women fighter pilots who are better than men so these comments about slowness and being oblivious are silly.”Speaking of women pilots, its great to see that women are now allowed to fly on the frontline all over the world.
Although there were many women pilots flying with the RAF in WW2, none saw frontline combat action. This didn’t happen until the 1990s when Jo Salter helped enforce the no-fly zone over Iraq, in the process paving the way for the many who’ve followed her, including the woman who this week, as part of our forces in Libya, became the first female pilot to fly a combat mission in the new Typhoon.
Something tells me these women, all of whom have been through a rigorous recruiting process which picks a select few from hundreds of candidates, are unlikely to be “slow and oblivious to traffic”.
Image by miss_rogue via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: women drivers
Cars made of fruit? That’s bananas!
Now, we all know the importance of eating lots of fruit and vegetables, but Brazilian scientists may have taken things a little bit too far.
According to experts, in about two years’ time we might see cars made from pineapples and bananas.
Vehicle body-parts and engine pieces may soon be manufactured using “nano-sized fruit fibres,” says a spokesperson for the project at Sao Paulo State University.
The fibres are light, but very strong – 30 per cent lighter and three to four times stronger than regular plastic”.
This would mean that cars made with these fruit fibre parts could be much more economical with fuel, since the engine would have to work less hard to move the vehicle about.
This might seem like a very strange idea, but we like the sound of it – it’s pearfectly insane, but applesolutly delightful.
According to experts, in about two years’ time we might see cars made from pineapples and bananas.
Vehicle body-parts and engine pieces may soon be manufactured using “nano-sized fruit fibres,” says a spokesperson for the project at Sao Paulo State University.
The fibres are light, but very strong – 30 per cent lighter and three to four times stronger than regular plastic”.
This would mean that cars made with these fruit fibre parts could be much more economical with fuel, since the engine would have to work less hard to move the vehicle about.
This might seem like a very strange idea, but we like the sound of it – it’s pearfectly insane, but applesolutly delightful.
Image by (rinse) via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Friday, March 25, 2011
Possible car-wash calamity
For most of Britain, spring has finally sprung and motorists can finally wind their car windows down and feel the pleasant breeze – instead of putting the heating up full-whack.
However, a reminder to all who are enjoying the warmer weather – if you plan on giving your vehicle a spring clean by running it through the car-wash – don’t forget to wind the windows back up!
It’s amusing to watch this gaffe happening in films or on “You’ve Been Framed”, but we assure you that when you experience it first-hand, well, you and the car-interior are going to get quite wet.
On the plus-side, maybe you wouldn’t need to clean the seats afterwards, and you could skip that bath you may have needed in the evening before going out.
However, a reminder to all who are enjoying the warmer weather – if you plan on giving your vehicle a spring clean by running it through the car-wash – don’t forget to wind the windows back up!
It’s amusing to watch this gaffe happening in films or on “You’ve Been Framed”, but we assure you that when you experience it first-hand, well, you and the car-interior are going to get quite wet.
On the plus-side, maybe you wouldn’t need to clean the seats afterwards, and you could skip that bath you may have needed in the evening before going out.
Image by Ben+Sam via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: car-wash, motorists, vehicle
Stay safe, 'break' fast
I don’t know about you but whenever I miss a meal I find it hard not to become vague, irritable and weak – a bit like Gillian McKeith on her ill-fated and short-lived sojourn on I’m a Celebrity.
This is fine, even if it is a bit unpleasant for, depending on where I am, my family or colleagues. The only problem is when I find myself querulous with hunger either behind the wheel or astride my rather beautiful retro pushbike. It’s simply not safe to drive or cycle while daydreaming about doughnuts or weaving one’s way through a mirage of meringues.
That said, ever since my daughter was born, I’ve been much better about eating meals, even if they are, mainly, my daughter’s leftovers. Because I have to feed her I can’t simply down a cup of coffee before work – I’ve a responsibility to put food on the table.
However, not all women are aware of the importance of being well-fed drivers. A recent study by a cheap car insurance company has found that many neglect to top-up on food and drink while others simply eat the wrong things, such as sugar rich snacks and soft-drinks.
A spokesperson with the insurer commented, “Skipping breakfast and eating sugar-rich foods won’t give you the benefit of slow and steady blood sugar levels or maintenance of energy to get you through the long drive ahead.”
We wouldn’t drive our cars without petrol would we? So why should women drivers risk driving without the fuel they need.
This is fine, even if it is a bit unpleasant for, depending on where I am, my family or colleagues. The only problem is when I find myself querulous with hunger either behind the wheel or astride my rather beautiful retro pushbike. It’s simply not safe to drive or cycle while daydreaming about doughnuts or weaving one’s way through a mirage of meringues.
That said, ever since my daughter was born, I’ve been much better about eating meals, even if they are, mainly, my daughter’s leftovers. Because I have to feed her I can’t simply down a cup of coffee before work – I’ve a responsibility to put food on the table.
However, not all women are aware of the importance of being well-fed drivers. A recent study by a cheap car insurance company has found that many neglect to top-up on food and drink while others simply eat the wrong things, such as sugar rich snacks and soft-drinks.
A spokesperson with the insurer commented, “Skipping breakfast and eating sugar-rich foods won’t give you the benefit of slow and steady blood sugar levels or maintenance of energy to get you through the long drive ahead.”
We wouldn’t drive our cars without petrol would we? So why should women drivers risk driving without the fuel they need.
Image by Upaya via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: woman drivers
Friday, March 18, 2011
Squirrel damage? You must be off your nut!
Many of us women’s car insurance holders love all types of little fluffy creatures available in pet-shops and visible in UK trees, fields and burrows – others don’t – but we may all be united by this amusing tail.
"In 42 years of working in this business, we have never seen anything quite like this,” were the words of garage manager, Jason Perry.
The event in question occurred when a man took his car to have a leaking radiator fixed. On opening the vehicle’s bonnet, mechanics had a surprise. The air intake system was filled with peanuts, and it was all down to one squirrel.
"I couldn't quite believe what the garage was telling me", said the vehicle owner.
"There were literally hundreds of them stashed in there. My mother-in-law regularly puts seeds out for the birds next to where I park the car, so the squirrel must have taken them from there and hidden them in the airbox.”
Apparently, the animal, delighted to have found a safe place for his hoarde, had completely blocked the filter and the garage employees were surprised that the car was still working.
The squirrel could have caused some very serious damage, but this time the cost of the repair, in comparison with more dangerous faults, was peanuts.
"In 42 years of working in this business, we have never seen anything quite like this,” were the words of garage manager, Jason Perry.
The event in question occurred when a man took his car to have a leaking radiator fixed. On opening the vehicle’s bonnet, mechanics had a surprise. The air intake system was filled with peanuts, and it was all down to one squirrel.
"I couldn't quite believe what the garage was telling me", said the vehicle owner.
"There were literally hundreds of them stashed in there. My mother-in-law regularly puts seeds out for the birds next to where I park the car, so the squirrel must have taken them from there and hidden them in the airbox.”
Apparently, the animal, delighted to have found a safe place for his hoarde, had completely blocked the filter and the garage employees were surprised that the car was still working.
The squirrel could have caused some very serious damage, but this time the cost of the repair, in comparison with more dangerous faults, was peanuts.
Image by Jack Fiallos via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: woman car insurance
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Confidence, caution and competence in drivers
I might be gender stereotyping but I can’t help but feel that with some male drivers there’s an assumption that once they’ve passed their test they’ve somehow “arrived” as complete, expert drivers.
Yes, passing your test is a truly important landmark, and rite of passage, and is proof of basic proficiency, but it takes years and years of mile upon mile to truly “arrive” as a driver, and even then it would be a mistake to think that you can’t improve and have therefore stopped learning.
Continuing to work at things is what makes the difference between being “good” and “great”. For example, you’re unlikely to get a cheap car insurance deal if you just plump for the first one that comes you’re way - you’ve got to do your homework.
All great things take work, whether they are relationships and friendships, careers, works of art, feats of engineering or healthy, happy families.
Of course, not all women drivers are immune from the mistake of believing that by simply passing their driving test they have become super drivers, but I’d be willing to bet that in general women are more likely to express a willingness to learn than men - perhaps it’s just because we don’t have the pressure of having to appear macho and omnipotent.
A spokesperson from the Institute of Advanced Motorists says that drivers should think in terms of "professional development and not assume that once they have passed the driving test that is all they need to do for the rest of their lives”.
I completely agree, but that said, it is important to remember the role of confidence. It’s always going to be about finding a balance between confidence, competence and caution, as a nervous driver is unlikely to be a good one.
Image by tejvanphotos via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Yes, passing your test is a truly important landmark, and rite of passage, and is proof of basic proficiency, but it takes years and years of mile upon mile to truly “arrive” as a driver, and even then it would be a mistake to think that you can’t improve and have therefore stopped learning.
Continuing to work at things is what makes the difference between being “good” and “great”. For example, you’re unlikely to get a cheap car insurance deal if you just plump for the first one that comes you’re way - you’ve got to do your homework.
All great things take work, whether they are relationships and friendships, careers, works of art, feats of engineering or healthy, happy families.
Of course, not all women drivers are immune from the mistake of believing that by simply passing their driving test they have become super drivers, but I’d be willing to bet that in general women are more likely to express a willingness to learn than men - perhaps it’s just because we don’t have the pressure of having to appear macho and omnipotent.
A spokesperson from the Institute of Advanced Motorists says that drivers should think in terms of "professional development and not assume that once they have passed the driving test that is all they need to do for the rest of their lives”.
I completely agree, but that said, it is important to remember the role of confidence. It’s always going to be about finding a balance between confidence, competence and caution, as a nervous driver is unlikely to be a good one.
Image by tejvanphotos via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: cheap car insurance
Friday, March 11, 2011
Loving and hating internet shopping
It’s funny the way we all want the best of both worlds.
For example, I’m a real foodie and like nothing more than searching out the best ingredients and turning them into a riot of taste and colour on the plate.
For example, I’m a real foodie and like nothing more than searching out the best ingredients and turning them into a riot of taste and colour on the plate.As such, I sometimes claim to hate the supermarkets and deride them as soulless, impersonal and eerily alike to each other. Yet. I also love them for their ease and convenience and can get withdrawal symptoms when I’m on holiday in places where I have to deal solely with the kinds of independent grocers that, at home, I like to champion.
I want the best of both worlds from my husband too, the poor soul – I want him to earn money and look after me but I also want him to give me space and let me be an independent career woman. Yes, darling, I understand this is very probably why you “never get it right”.
I’m also like this with internet shopping. Yes, I love the way it levels the playing field and democratises the selling process, but I also miss the human interaction and tangible experience that I used to get from going out and buying things directly from shops
Nowadays, if I want to buy a book, a film, a mattress, a car – anything – I don’t just go to the high street and buy the first thing I see, I actually get to compare items from literally hundreds of vendors until I’ve found the right product at the right price. And although I get a cheap deal, is it possible to put a value on the human exchanges I’m missing out on?
One area where I’m certainly glad it’s possible to shop online is the car insurance market. No longer do I have to phone broker after broker and insurer after insurer looking for a cheap quote for woman driver insurance (the kind of human exchange I can do without), like CoverGirl’s customers I just do it online, in minutes, which gives me more time and money to do things that I love – hurray!
Image © jbcurio via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: internet shopping, online, woman driver insurance
Friday, March 4, 2011
Saving you money. Why our aim is still the same.
To read all the headlines this week about the recent European Court of Justice decision to end gender-based discrimination by insurance companies you would think that every last woman driver in Britain has already abandoned hope of ever obtaining a cheap car insurance policy.
Yet, to look closer at the ruling is to discover that women will still be receiving cheaper policies than men all the way up until nine days from the end of 2012.
What happens after this date though is purely a matter for conjecture and no one appears to be able to confidently predict the future. Will the insurance market be fairer? Or will women drivers suffer costlier premiums as boy racers are released en masse onto the streets of Britain, terrifying road users and causing accidents?
What’s clear though is that specialist women’s car insurance is unlikely to disappear, even post-2012.
This is because there is nothing wrong with an insurer aiming its services at those customers it believes it can offer better value to.
So, if you’re one of the many who’ve already saved hundreds of pounds on the price of your premium by being insured with CoverGirl, fear not - we’re not going anywhere and will continue trying to supply the cheapest policies available for responsible woman drivers.
Image © Cedric Puisney via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Yet, to look closer at the ruling is to discover that women will still be receiving cheaper policies than men all the way up until nine days from the end of 2012.
What happens after this date though is purely a matter for conjecture and no one appears to be able to confidently predict the future. Will the insurance market be fairer? Or will women drivers suffer costlier premiums as boy racers are released en masse onto the streets of Britain, terrifying road users and causing accidents?
What’s clear though is that specialist women’s car insurance is unlikely to disappear, even post-2012.
This is because there is nothing wrong with an insurer aiming its services at those customers it believes it can offer better value to.
So, if you’re one of the many who’ve already saved hundreds of pounds on the price of your premium by being insured with CoverGirl, fear not - we’re not going anywhere and will continue trying to supply the cheapest policies available for responsible woman drivers.
Image © Cedric Puisney via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: womens car insurance