Back To The Future Day Gets People Talking

For any film buff, Back To The Future is pretty much a stonewall classic. Hover boards, body warmers, Michael J. Fox and that car are synonymous with the eighties, childhood and wild imagination.

Earlier this week was the day Marty McFly and Doc Brown jumped back to the future in 1989. But with rain covering many parts of England, was the day really as good as we thought it would be? Well, yes!

Labour MP Sadiq Khan certainly appealed to the 2020 electorate when he pledged to freeze fares for flying cars. “Don’t go #BackToTheFuture with the Tories,” he tweeted, before making his promise.

Austria, meanwhile, went one step further by legalising hover boards. Although hover boards are still ridiculously hard to get hold of, you can zoom around Vienna on yours anytime you like. And you don’t even need a special license! And, no, you can’t borrow mine.

Pizza Express also got caught up in the party atmosphere by inventing an instant pizza. OSV baulked when they were asked to eat it.

Cab-hailing startup Uber proved they’re more than just black cab antagonists by teaming up with Pepsi to give people the chance to bag a ride in the iconic DeLorean. If you were savvy enough on Wednesday and needed a cab between 10am and 3pm, you could have hailed one from Uber and possibly have been lucky enough to have got picked up in one of them! One OSV fan we spoke to was super lucky. Maggie of Enfield said: “I wish they’d have told me they were picking me up in a DeLorean. It was disappointing because I had lots of shopping from Tesco and was only travelling a mile down the road to my house. It was exciting but it was all over after 2 minutes. The driver offered to take me to Birmingham, but I didn’t want my cottage cheese to go warm.”

@Richmond Police were mindful to remind the public that going back to the future is actually illegal in the UK and tweeted that “anyone travelling at 88mph hitting a pole, causing a power cut & stopping the town clock will likely receive a fine & points!”

A more sobering thought, though, was one that @HenryPryor had, who pointed out that the average UK house was just £34,655 back in 1985 when Marty was still a cheeky chappy. Today, it is £202,859.

Finally, when we asked an OSV fan whether he had ever gone back to the future in his Citroen, he said he fell asleep in it once and woke up on a different day. “Does that count?”

No.

Van Drivers Confused Over Speed Limits

Van fleets are said to be “walking a legal tightrope” as confusion about speed limits reign.

Fleets have found that dealers are offering them two different speed limits when it comes to their sub two-tonne vans.

In The Highway Code, it is stipulated that two tonne vans can travel up to 60mph and knock spots off 70 on motorways and dual carriageways.

But The Highway Code also says that good vehicles weighing less than 7.5 tonnes cannot smash the 50mph barrier on single carriageways.

Moreover, they are not permitted to go over 60 on dual carriageways or 70 on motorways.

The problem seems to be arising from dealers who are confusing the terms “car-derived vans” with “commercial vehicles”. Both have different speed limits.

Manufacturers are aware of the ongoing issue and will work with dealerships to find a resolution.

One former van driver we spoke to said that all the confusion gave him a nervous breakdown and that he has had to retire from driving vans altogether. He is now the happy driver of a second-hand Datsun. “It may look like a piece of junk but I know where I stand with it.”

His wife, Sandra, had concerns: “I used to be married to a van driver. Now I’m married to a second hand car driver. I’m not what you’d call happy but we’re getting on with things.”

His teenage son, Elroy, also had concerns: “Everyone knows that driving a van is a symbol of Freudian masculinity. I’ve spoken to my dad about it. He knows my position on this.”

Diesel Cars Are Bigger Pollutants Than Buses and Trucks

Two reports released this week have revealed that your average modern diesel car releases more toxic pollution than a truck or a bus.

Data has revealed that there is effective technology available that would decrease pollution, but that car manufacturers are guilty of not actually implementing it.

In Norway, diesel cars are producing a staggering FOUR times the amount of NOx emissions produced by trucks and buses, while even supermini cars in London are polluting several times more toxicity than your average HGV.

One SmartForOne driver told us she was shocked by the findings: “I’m basically a walking pollutant, aren’t I? I told my kid off the other day for spraying his Lynx everywhere and look what I’m doing. I’m a mess.”

NOx pollution is thought to kill up to 23,500 people per year in Britain, and the startling revelations found in the reports come hot on the heels of the notorious VW scandal.

Car manufacturers have technically done nothing illegal this time around, though, but they are still killing us off bit by bit.

According to the government, failing to reduce NOx emission means that road transport is “by the far the largest contributor” to “illegal levels of NOx”.

Liberal Democrat MEP Catherine Bearder has condemned it as “disgraceful that car manufacturers have failed to reduce deadly emissions when the technology to do so is affordable and readily available.”

Three Peeps Die Every Day On Country Roads

Motorists are being warned to be more careful than ever on country roads, as new figures reveal that 3 people die each day on rural roads.

Data released by The Department For Transport showed that 1,040 peeps were killed on our rural roads in 2014.

348 were mortally wounded on bends.

The data also shows that 1/4 of drivers openly confess that they brake too late on bends.

The problem is worse among youngsters, with 1/3 admitting they brake far too late when approaching a bend. 1 in 10, meanwhile, have confessed that they often cross into the opposite side of the road to take a turn more rapidly.

THINK! is now launching a new campaign aimed at encouraging drivers to brake before a bend. They are also working with farmers to develop helpful hazard features that will prompt drivers to slow down.

Road Safety Minister Andrew Jones had this to say: “Every injury and death on our roads is a tragedy and that is why the new THINK! country roads campaign is so important. We want the public to anticipate potential hazards on the road when driving in the countryside, to watch their speed and take care when approaching a bend.”

Ferrari Prepares To List Shares

Ferrari began a public share offering this week, giving investors the chance to buy a piece of the iconic sports cars.

Ferrari’s parent company, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, floated a tenth of Ferrari’s shares on Wall Street, with the hope that the company will be valued at $10billion.

Only 9% of the company is up for sale, with a further 1% going to underwriters.

The prime reason for all this is that Fiat Chrysler are trying to raise some cash to fund some rather ambitious plans; they are looking to expand both Maserati and Alfa Romeo.

Selling part of Ferrari will also help FC to ease some of its debt, as they will be due $2.55billion from Ferrari.

Moreover, both Ferrari and Fiat Chrysler are worth more as separate companies than as combined ones.

And while some commentators have already suggested that the public offering comes at a period of stagnant economic growth, others have suggested that the lure of exclusivity will raise interest.

Although Ferrari’s success on the Formula One racing track has been poorer in recent seasons, Ferrari still witnessed net profits of $300million over the last year.

Furthermore, its net revenues have grown 7% year on year in the period from 2005 to 2014.[vc_column width=”1/4″]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[vc_column width=”1/4″]