More than half of all motorists have been a victim of car crime, but many could not receive insurance payouts thanks to not securing their vehicle properly.

As many as 56 percent of car owners have suffered at the hands of criminals in one way or another, with 12 percent having their paintwork ‘keyed’ and eight percent having something stolen from their car.

However, research by Marks and Spencer Car Insurance shows that as many as 40 percent of drivers risk invalidating their insurance and therefore removing the ability to make a claim by not securing their car correctly when it is left unattended.

Although 60 percent of cars on the UK’s roads are fitted with an alarm, 40 percent say they do not always use it, while 12 percent say they never do. Some go even further with 43 percent saying they sometimes leave their car unlocked.

However, M&S Car Insurance points out that the British Car Crime Survey shows that car crime had dropped by 17 percent in the last year.

Andrew Ferguson, M&S head of general insurance, said: ’’It is good to hear that car crime is falling, however it is always important to make sure vehicles are locked and secure. During the summer months, many drivers unwind windows and leave roofs open – it’s important to make sure the vehicle is secure when unattended, especially as failure to do so could invalidate any insurance claim.’‘

A Swedish motorist is facing the world’s biggest ever speeding fine of £650,000 after being caught driving at 180mph on a Swiss motorway.

The 37-year-old Swedish man was driving at two and a half times the speed limit in his £140,000 Mercedes and police said he was travelling so fast it took him some distance to stop.

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, set to open in 2010, is the world’s first Ferrari theme park and largest attraction of its kind. It will be an intense multi-sensory experience and a must-visit for enthusiasts, fans and families. The Park pays tribute to the passion, excellence, performance and technical innovation that Ferrari has established over the years and represents today. Its iconic sleek red roof is directly inspired by the classic double curve side profile of the Ferrari GT body, spanning 200,000 m2 and carrying the largest Ferrari logo ever created.

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi will host a number of attractions, including rides for children of all ages, providing the complete Ferrari experience: over 20 state-of-the-art attractions, each designed to bring to life a different part of the Ferrari story, including the world’s fastest rollercoaster, travelling at speeds exceeding  200  km/h  and emulating the  thrilling sensation of being in a Ferrari F1 car, or the G-force experience taking passengers on an adrenaline-pumping ride up over 62 m, through the roof and back down again.

The Park is located on Yas Island – set to become a global tourist destination with a wide range of accommodation and entertainment facilities – on the North East side of Abu Dhabi’s mainland. Abu Dhabi, at the crossroads between Europe, Asia and Africa, was chosen as the ideal location to build the Ferrari theme park, motor sports being extremely popular in the United Arab Emirates. Ferrari World Abu Dhabi will offer a unique and intensely fun way, together with a wide variety of Italian delicaciesand of course unique shopping experiences.

The Park is owned by Aldar Properties PJSC, Abu Dhabi’s leading property development, management and investment company. Farah Leisure Parks Management L.L.C, a joint venture between Aldar Properties PJSC and ProFun Management Group Inc. (international leisure facilities management and operating company) will be responsible for managing and operating Ferrari World Abu Dhabi. Ferrari’s key principles of excellence and performance in the context of technological innovation will underpin every aspect of the project.

Implausible though it may sound, Ferrari is serious about hybrids. So serious in fact that Luca di Montezemolo, its president, says every Ferrari will be available with hybrid power within four years, cutting the company’s overall emissions by 35% in the process.

The Ferrari 599 hybrid is the first step down this road, and while it will take a further three years to make it to the showrooms, it’s likely to be worth the wait. Its electric motor puts out 100bhp, boosting outright power to 720bhp from the standard car’s 620bhp, yet because its lithium batteries are flat and slung beneath the floor of the car, space inside the cockpit and boot remains unaffected.

Ferrari is not giving performance figures but, even with the batteries’ weight taken into account, the extra power and, in particular, torque of the hybrid system should cut the 0-60mph time to little more than three seconds and raise the top speed past 210mph.

The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) now offers you a convenient way to keep up to date with news and changes by email alerts. You can sign up, free of charge, for email alerts about specific topic areas that DSA deals with.

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The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has provided some advice to pupils who are finding it difficult phoning through to the DSA to book their driving tests.

In order to get your phone call answered by the DSA, they are advising pupils and ADI’s to use the fast track service and callback assist.

The Registrar of Approved Driving Instructors for the DSA, Charles Morton gave the following tips:

1. Call 0300 200 1122 and dial one of these options:

- all theory tests, dial 11.

- practical car test enquiry and booking (including ADIs), dial 25.

2. If we don’t answer your call after 60 seconds, you’ll be offered callback assist. This will save your place in the queue so you can hang up and get on with your day.

3. You’ll just need to confirm the number you want us to call back on. It can be a landline or mobile, and it doesn’t have to be the number you’re calling from at the time.

4. Speak your name and hang up when you’re told to. We’ll do the rest.

As soon as you reach the front of the queue we’ll call you back. Don’t worry if you’re on the phone when we call as we’ll try three times.

5. If your number’s been engaged and you haven’t heard back from us within 30 minutes from the moment you hung up, you’ll need to go back to step one.

Young people have a more positive attitude to safety cameras than older drivers, according to the latest survey of driver opinions on safety cameras from the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists). The results, published today, show that 17-24 year-olds give the best approval ratings overall while older drivers tend to be the least supportive, with drivers over 45 giving the lowest approval ratings.

Neil Greig, Director of Research and Policy at the IAM, said: “Young people don’t tend to drive as frequently or as far as the average driver, and they have also grown up in a surveillance society, which could explain why they show less objection to safety cameras – older people are more likely to resent being monitored in this way. With this survey we now have 10 years worth of motoring opinion on the most contentious issue on the roads today.

The study also found that women have been consistently more supportive of safety cameras than men, although this support has fluctuated over the years. Support from men has declined from 83 per cent in 2002 to 66 per cent in 2009. “On average, women commit fewer traffic offences than men, so they may see cameras as less of a threat” said Mr Greig.

Very high mileage drivers (those driving over 20 thousand miles a year) were shown to be the least supportive of safety cameras. Mr Greig said: “20,000 miles is an unusually high distance to cover in a year, so the driver would typically be driving on business. Time is money for these drivers, they are more likely to be in a rush so more likely to get caught by safety cameras or be late because of them. They may blame the cameras for being late, rather than their unrealistic schedules”

The data, collected over 10 years, includes opinions on developments in safety camera policy and operations and acceptability of safety cameras.

Safety cameras had a 75% approval rating in 2009, compared with a 92% approval rating in 1999. “Support has declined gradually but consistently over the last 10 years, but overall speed cameras have maintained a good level of approval among the motoring public” added Mr Greig.

“However the firm belief remains that safety cameras are primarily for raising revenue. Until that link is broken it will remain very difficult to convince all drivers that safety cameras really do deliver fewer deaths and serious injuries”

You’ve just got to admire this kind of tenacity.

Cha Sa-soon of South Korea wanted her driver’s license so badly that she had gone to take the written test nearly every single day since April of 2005. Unfortunately, Cha was unable to score the necessary 60-percent score to pass.
Ultimately, Cha ended up taking that same written test about 950 times before managing that 60-of-100 score. Yes, you read that right – this woman took the written test 950 times before earning a passing grade. Like we said, tenacity.

That coveted slip of paper didn’t come cheap. All told, Cha spent more than five million won ($4,200) in application fees over the last four years. Please join us in a silent prayer for safety on South Korean roadways.

For what it’s worth, Cha’s not out of the water just yet – she still needs to pass the actual driving test before being rewarded with a real license. According to local media reports, Cha hopes a driver’s license will improve her door-to-door vegetable-selling business. Good luck!

Two fraudsters who made cash out of taking people’s driving tests for them have both been jailed.

Ali Abdullah and Muktar Nuren sat theory and practical driving tests for up to 43 candidates in return for cash.

Following a detailed investigation conducted by DSA investigators and Greater Manchester Police, Abdullah, 32, and Nuren, 22, were arrested at their homes in July 2008 and charged with conspiracy to defraud.

The pair pleaded guilty to the charge and at Manchester City Crown Court on 14 December Abdullah was given a three-year jail sentence and Nuren was sentenced to one year in jail.

The pair, both from Manchester, carried out the fraudulent tests between February 2006 and June 2008. They conducted theory tests at Salford, Runcorn, Preston, Stockport, St Helen’s and Ilford in Essex, as well as practical tests in Sale, Oldham, Bury, Cheetham Hill, Failsworth, and Redditch in Worcestershire.

A number of driving test candidates have been arrested in connection with the investigation and received police cautions. The DSA will be seeking to revoke all licences obtained by illegal means.

Michelle Moston, Deputy Head of the DSA’s Fraud and Integrity Team, said: “We are very pleased with today’s results because they reflect the seriousness of the crime. People like Abdullah and Nuren, who impersonate at driving tests, present a real risk to all road users, as they provide an entitlement to drive to those who have not been assessed to show that they are competent to do so.

“In addition to obtaining the qualification to drive, many people seek possession of a full UK driving licence to establish proof of identity. Once obtained, that licence may also be used as proof of identity in a variety of other circumstances, such as obtaining state benefits and accommodation, opening bank accounts, obtaining credit cards and even undertaking domestic air travel”

Avanti Driving School were asked by The Sentinel to conduct mock driving tests on two readers, click here for the results.