In the madness of the lead-up to Christmas, we found some quirky stories from around the world. While most of the news is bad, there are encouraging signs of Christmas goodwill.
Articles by Corrina Baird
Corrina Baird
Writer and Researcher
Corrina used to lend her car to her kids and discovered what Ls, Ps and demerits mean for greenslips. After 20 years in financial services and over 9 years with greenslips.com.au, she’s an expert in the NSW CTP scheme. Read more about Corrina
Lemon laws would have more juice
Imagine you’ve just bought your dream car, and the first time you go for a drive it won’t start. Maybe this is just one unlucky occasion, or perhaps you are one of the unfortunate people who has bought a “lemon”. Is it time for lemon laws?
Why 40 could be the new 50
You’ve probably heard 60 is the new 70, or 20 is the new 30, but it usually means looking younger. Now speed limits are doing something similar. Researchers from Queensland University of Technology are suggesting a new, local street speed limit of 40kmh – all over Australia.
How we react to paying speeding fines
It would be hard to find somebody who actually likes paying traffic fines. In 2014-15, the NSW Office of State Revenue sent out more than 476,000 speeding fines. Unfortunately, many people in NSW don’t pay them on time:
What about the human factor in driverless cars?
With all the excitement about driverless car technology, is it possible we’re forgetting the human factor?
Cars are more affordable than you think
If you want the cheapest price in the world for a Volkswagen Golf 1.4, then book a plane ticket to India. You will pay the affordable price of $15,195. Of course, it does depend on your wages and cost of living. According to an Auto Express (UK) report, Australia is the third cheapest of 11 countries to buy an average car.
More to buying a car than getting the best deal
A car is one of the biggest purchases many of us make, but it’s not always a satisfying experience. JD Power says 31% of new car buyers consider the deal to be the most important thing. But its recent sales satisfaction survey found buyers focused on deals are less satisfied than the industry average.
Fun with number plates
Once upon a time when travelling on a long trip with children, you might have amused them with number plates. You could look at car registration plates and try to find each letter in the alphabet, starting with “A”. Another game was to try and make six-word slogans using each letter and number on the number plate in front.
Pokemon Gone mad?
People do all sorts of things while driving, even though busy roads are like navigating an obstacle course. Some even play Pokemon Go. Be honest: have you done any of these things while driving?
What about the joy of driving?
It would be unusual if you hadn’t read or seen any news items about driverless cars. Whether they’re called autonomous vehicles (AVs), self-driving or driverless cars, these vehicles do not need a driver. That means you and your drivers licence become redundant.
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