Does the Queen have to pay for car insurance like rest of us women? I don’t know – does she know even? Does she have someone who sorts all these things out for her?

I can’t exactly imagine her sitting down at her computer and going through the various car insurance comparison websites – she is, after all, no ordinary woman driver.

One thing we can be sure of is that the Queen has had plenty of vehicles in her lifetime – expensive ones.

Now, as part of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations, we’re going to be allowed to see them. It should be pretty interesting, that’s if you can find the time to head to the Sussex Downs for summer's Goodwood Festival of Speed.

They’ll be plenty to see: limousines, working cars, personal cars, family cars, planes, horse-drawn vehicles, and even toy cars, presumably once the property of young William and Harry.

But does the Queen have to pay for car insurance? Does the Queen get to vote in a general election? Does the Queen have a passport? Does the Queen get a pension? Does she sign autographs? Does she cook her own meals?

I know the answers to none of these questions, but I’m going to work incredibly hard to get an MBE, if only so have the opportunity to ask. But even then, I still might not know.

Labels: autographs, car insurance, comparison websites, cook her own meals, does the queen get to vote in a general election, passport, pension, woman driver, women

Driving lessons can be hard when you’ve got exams to worry about, but one 21-year-old woman driver from Chichester in West Sussex has achieved something very impressive recently.

Not only did she start her lessons at the earliest opportunity, but she’s also sat three difficult exams to become the youngest ever female instructor in the UK!

Impressive huh?

The new instructor states, “I really enjoyed driving as soon as I started learning.

“I really liked the freedom to choose your hours and you can take time off when you need it. It’s quite good money as well and I like seeing the achievement of someone from starting right the way through to the end when they can drive off, confidently. Seeing people go from start to finish makes me quite proud.”

She is currently teaching 14 students, but she doesn’t plan on stopping improving her own driving skills. Apparently she’s thinking about undertaking an advanced driving course.

Well, we applaud her. Some of us at the CoverGirl office were still taking lessons at 21! We can’t imagine having taught anyone ourselves at that age. Congratulations!

Labels: advanced driving course, Chichester, driving lessons, exam, instructor, West Sussex, woman driver

A few weeks ago we told you how you could save money on lunch by making an appetising toast sandwich (which we’re sure you all tried to great success).

This week we bring you the latest in car crash injury prevention technology – a loaf of bread.

One woman driver was lucky enough to have just been shopping when she suffered an accident after aquaplaning into a telegraph pole which flipped her car upside down.

Yes, we know this doesn’t sound very lucky at the moment.

The lucky part is that a loaf of bread she had in a shopping bag in the back seat flew forward and landed between her head and the roof of the car, so that her head was supported and cushioned until emergency crews managed to get her out.

She states, “For some reason, the airbags didn’t inflate so the loaf was the only cushion I had. It saved my life.

“I was trapped for almost an hour. During that time the loaf remained as a cushion and support for my head as I was upside-down.”

We think it’s important to add though, that although this woman was saved by her shopping, you should really put loose objects in the car boot or securely fix them down before beginning a journey. If you don’t, then an item could hit you if you brake sharply for any reason.

Labels: accident, aquaplaning, bread, car crash, emergency crews, injury prevention, loaf, shopping, telegraph pole, woman driver

I pride myself on being an experienced woman driver, however earlier this year I had the unfortunate experience of losing control of my car on some standing water. Thankfully, no-one else was involved or injured and I managed to drive the car home.

However, the damage to my car was quite extensive and I was forced to make a claim on my woman’s car insurance. It was a dark day.

Yet, just a few months later and with a new car in place, all thoughts of the accident were behind me as I journeyed off on holiday with my family to a cottage in the south of England. We were having a lovely time and everyone was getting to do what they wanted to do, so when my little sister said she wanted to go karting, she was stunned and hurt when no-one else in our party wanted to join her.

So, being the loving, caring sister that I am, I said, “I’ll go go-karting with you.”

What could be difficult about it? After all I have years of experience behind the wheel and my little sister hasn’t even thought about taking lessons yet. I even thought maybe I could show her how it’s done.

But no, when we got to the circuit and were suited and helmeted up, we got into the tiny, yet surprisingly powerful, karts and I just froze. As every other participant in our session, including my ungracious sibling, zoomed past me – drifting into corners and zooming down the straights with reckless abandonment – I pootled round the track with all the dynamism of the slowest slow thing...ever.

I even had time to see my boyfriend as he creased up laughing and my dad turning away in embarrassment, and my later protestations that the whole thing brought back dreadful memories of my aquaplaning free-slide into a central reservation barrier were met with derisory guffaws and a chorus of, “Yeah right”s!

No, I can safely say, go-karting is most definitely not for me and I won’t be getting into another of the infernal little machines for a very long time. Well, maybe next year, when I’ll really show my little sister how it’s done!

Labels: woman driver, woman’s car insurance

Why are most men so pragmatic when it comes to Christmas presents?

This year I’ve had both my boyfriend and my father on the telephone practically pleading that I only buy them something “useful”.

I don’t think dad has any idea just how crushing it is to be told that he doesn’t actually like marmalade when it’s garnished his main present for the past three years.

And would you believe that my boyfriend actually implored me not to buy him anything “decorative or superfluous”? Just get me something I really need, he said.

Well, if you want to make Christmas all about what is useful or necessary, I replied, why don’t I just renew your car insurance cover for you? Would that be helpful?

Oh yes, he said, that was just his line of thinking.

Well, darling, I have news for you, if you were a woman driver, this might be possible, but since you’re a man, you don’t qualify for cheap car insurance like I do, so how about a new throw for your sofa, I’m sure you’d like that instead.

Labels: cheap car insurance, woman driver