Five ways your car is better than your Dad’s

Car technology and design have come a long way in the last forty years, and with constant improvements on hybrid cars and alternative fuel vehicles, this trend is set to continue. Here are five reasons why your car is better than the one your Dad drove when you were a child.



Crash protection

Today’s car bodies are designed to absorb impact energy during a crash. This, combined with seatbelts and airbags, means that today’s cars are far more likely to ensure your survival in an accident than cars built thirty or forty years ago.



Better tyres

When it comes to car tyres, the inner tube is a thing of the past. Modern radial tyres are so puncture-resistant that some new cars don’t even have a spare. An advantage of modern tyres is the increased fuel economy they will give you – as the rolling resistance is vastly reduced.



Emissions

Days of having to roll up the windows when sitting in a traffic jam because of exhaust fumes are largely over. While traffic jams may be more worse because of the sheer weight of traffic today, modern cars produce less than one percent of the smog-producing emissions than cars from forty years ago. And with alternatives like hybrids and electric cars, emissions are getting lower all the time.



Recycling

The best family cars are designed so that all the materials they are made of can be recycled, including the plastic. With fuel economy improving all the time, cars burn less fossil fuel and put out fewer carbon dioxide emissions. Hybrid cars also save on fuel by using a system called regenerative braking, where excess heat from the brakes is used to recharge the electric motor’s batteries.



Avoiding accidents

Even in a panic stop, antilock brakes on cars today allow you to swerve to avoid obstacles, meaning collisions are less likely to happen. Of course, it’s better to avoid sharp braking altogether, but with today’s advanced braking technology, you’re far more protected from the possibility of crashing.

The Perfect Family Car

OK, so here’s the perfect family car:

First of all, it’s just about the safest car there is, not only for its passengers, but also for other motorists and pedestrians – and this has been confirmed by independent, objective testing.

Next, it’s the thriftiest car around – with what are pretty much the best mileage per gallon figures available – which, again, have been verified by independent observers.

Thirdly, it’s green. In fact it’s very green like a hybrid or maybe even an electric car.

Fourthly, the best family car available has lots of internal space, good luggage space, and excellent in-car entertainment systems to keep kids occupied on those long tedious journeys and in traffic jams.

And, of course, it looks the business – with a sleek modern design. That said, it’s not overly expensive to buy but retains its resale value very well.

One of the reasons this ideal family car retains its value so well, is because it scores so highly on reliability indices which are, again, verified by independent objective sources.


So what is this perfect family car? Well of course, it doesn’t actually exist; the above list is a set of hypothetical ideals to aim for when picking out your next family car – roughly in descending order of importance depending on your personal preferences.

Perhaps the car that comes closest to fulfilling all these ideals is the new Honda Insight hybrid?

The car manages 61.4 mpg on the urban cycle, rising to 67.3 in the extra urban cycle whilst the CO2 emissions rating is just 101g/km.

And of course, it’s a Honda – with all the reputation for reliability, safety for passengers, pedestrians and other motorists, excellent re-sale value, and overall superb quality that reputation brings with it.

Why Social Networking Could Be A Risk For Your Teenager

Do you know what your teenager is up to online? You may well be relaxed enough and have enough trust in your child to leave them alone with the computer for hours on end in their bedroom, or even in a more communal space, but do you really know what they're spending their time away from the classroom doing?

If you're like the majority of parents, the answer is quite simply "no". However, the likelihood, we have to assume, is that they're chatting to their friends on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and now perhaps Google+. You may be forgiven for breathing a sigh of relief at that news, but are social networking sites really as safe as we like to think for the teenagers of today?

Sadly, according to Kaspersky, a leading developer of IT security software and the creator of some of the best antivirus software around, social networking sites could be putting our children at risk. A report released recently by the company revealed that "cyber criminals and scammers of all kinds are active across the Internet" and these individuals can pose threats to children and teenagers as they browse online and use instant messaging services or email.

With some malicious online users intentionally manipulating the search engine algorithms so that unsavoury content is pushed further up the ranking results, and some online games actually acting as fronts for nasty viruses that can wreak havoc if you don't have any free antivirus software, it's clear that we should all be taking a more active interest in the online lives of our kids.

Camping: Keeping Mum Happy!

Many mothers are less than enthusiastic when a camping holiday is suggested, seeing it as swapping one kitchen sink for another. In fact it is not so much swapping kitchen sinks as swapping a dishwasher for a washing up bowl on a ground sheet. However, with a bit of planning it needn’t be like that.

With the money that is being saved on hotel bills or cottage rental it should be possible to have some meals out. They needn’t be gourmet affairs. Fish and chips taste better than ever when eaten in the open-air and some sites offer reasonably priced home cooked meals to take away. Paper plates which can be thrown away are suitable for some sorts of meals and, even when there is washing-up to do, you may find that children brought up with a dishwasher actually quite enjoy washing-up camping-style.

When choosing a campsite, make sure that it has access to handy camping equipment such as washing machines and driers, either on the site or in the neighbourhood. Dress code when camping is casual; don’t bother packing fussy clothes that need to be ironed and what’s more, allow your standards to slip! Is that jumper really dirty or could it be worn another day?

There’s no need to make beds when camping. So long as you have a separate sleeping room there is no need to pack away camping mats, sleeping bags and air-beds every day. A quick plump-up of your pillow is all that is required.

Shopping need not be a drag either. If you have room in the car bring all the basics with you, so long as they do not require refrigeration. If you don’t have room you might find that a supermarket close to the campsite allows you to order online before you leave home and collect your shopping when you arrive.