Black & Decker have been conducting research into people’s relationship with their cars, and they have come up with some surprising, and worrying, statistics. It seems we spend an average of 27 days a year driving, which adds up to collective total of 700 million days a year. Apparently, we only clean our cars once every 94 days, which results in a total cleaning time of one hour and 41 minutes per car per year. That equates to one minute of cleaning for every six and a half hours of driving.

It seems that we are not unduly concerned at the state of our vehicles, only 12 percent of people questioned expressed any worries about the levels of filth in their cars. It also appears that we are quick to apportion blame. Over one third of respondents blamed their kids, and 12 percent blamed their spouse. One heartwarming revelation is that less than 8 percent of motorists blamed the state of their car on their pets.

Most motorists only clean their car when they know they know that they will be having a passenger. For 2.5 million British motorists, the main incentive for cleaning their car is a first date.

Having revealed the sleazy habits of Britain’s motorists, Black & Decker did further research to see if we are jeopardizing their health through such slovenly behaviour. A spokesperson for Black & Decker said, “We were surprised by the dirty secrets of the British motorist and wanted to find out if they were actually putting themselves at any risk of illness. Our team of microbiologists collected swabs in order to record bacteria levels from key areas like the dashboard and the gear sticks. Although the cars had lots of visual dirt and grime, it became clear that you won’t get ill from driving”.

We may not be prepared to clean our cars, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love them. 14 percent of motorists admitted to giving their car a name, and five percent even by their car a Christmas present.

Nine-year-old Toby Taylor had something of a credibility problem recently. His mother refused to believe Toby’s shouts that a cheetah was eating his bike. Eventually the sceptical mother looked into the garden, only to find that Toby was telling the truth. The cheetah was casually chewing on the tyres of Toby’s bike.

The cheetah, called Akea, had escaped from Hamerton Zoo, Cambridgeshire, and was soon recaptured. Andrew Swales, of Hamerton Zoo, said the cheetah was not dangerous, it was merely playing with the tyres, “Akea was away for a few minutes, visited our neighbour, had his harness and lead put on and returned home. When our keepers arrived in our neighbour’s garden, Akea was happily playing with a bicycle, which must have reminded him of one of his toys”.

Thankfully Akea was more interested in the bike than in its rider.

There is increasing evidence that the green policy adopted by many tyre companies is beginning to bear fruit. The recovery rate for used tyres throughout Europe has now reached 91 percent, a four percent increase on the previous year. This puts Europe near the head of the table for recycling and recovering tyres. The UK recovery rate is even better, having reached 95 percent in 2007.

Throughout Europe, almost 3.5 million tons of tyres were used in 2007. Of these 12 percent went for retreading, and a further 32 percent were used for energy recovery. The big change in 2007 was the number of tyres that were recycled. Recycling is now the fate of almost 40 percent of used tyres. This represents a 25 percent increase over the past decade. In continuance of their environmentally aware policies, European tyre manufacturers are keen to move further towards total recycling and away from landfill.

One result of increased longevity amongst British people is an increase in elderly motorists. It is thought that the number of drivers over 80 will double in the coming decade. Goodyear has chosen to use the forthcoming launch of their OptiGrip tyre to challenge some of the stereotypical images of aging drivers. OptiGrip tyres are designed to give optimum performance throughout their life, and Goodyear has teamed up with the Institute of Advanced Motorists to discover motorists who can make the same assertion about their driving.

Anna Stanley of Goodyear explained, “Mature motorists are often criticised for their driving. However, it is often these drivers with many years of experience under their belts that are able to react well and keep their cool in difficult situations. In developing the OptiGrip tyre we’ve been able to offer motorists outstanding performance, even when their tyres are worn, to ensure that safety is never compromised. We’re therefore looking for older drivers who feel that they are as competent as the day they passed their test, if not better, in order to prove that it’s not just our tyres that continue to perform over time”.

Motorists who respond to the campaign will be invited to a driving day, where they will face a number of tests designed by the IAM, which will determine who is the best mature driver in the UK. Anna Stanley summed up the aims, “We’re expecting the day to throw up some really interesting results and hope to demonstrate that improvement can come with age”.

Last week-end’s Brazilian Grand Prix was the last F1 race for grooved tyres. Changes in the rules mean that in 2009 teams will be forced to drive on slick tyres for the first time since 1997. The return to slick tyres represents quite a challenge for tyre suppliers Bridgestone.

The movement away from slicks to grooved tyres, in 1997, served as a great learning curve for tyre manufacturers. Hirohide Hamashima, director of motorsport tyre development at Bridgestone, looked back at that time, “Developing grooved tyres was very exciting for us as we only had experience of slick racing tyres. We had the challenge of developing a tyre with a hard compound because of the structure and tread profile of the tyre, but one which gave the good grip required for Formula One. From an engineering perspective it has been a very interesting aspect of our motorsport activities. We began testing our first grooved tyres in 1997 with Damon Hill. The first tyres were a modified slick tyre to let us understand the differences and requirements of a grooved tyre. We soon found that the wear rate on the front tyre was very high, and we experienced a lot of graining, so the compound we used for this tyre would have to be a lot harder”.

Hamashima explained that as sole tyre supplier the company’s main aim now is consistency. The tyres for all teams come from the same batch in order to minimize the risk of any team gaining an unfair advantage. The next year offers a tremendous challenge as Bridgestone try to convert their experiences with grooved tyres to suit the new format. “The return to slick tyres means we can apply the lessons learnt from grooved Formula One tyres to slick Formula One tyres,” said Hamashima. “2009 should be a very interesting season.”

As everyone peddles news of doom and gloom it is a pleasant change to receive news that suggests that the recession may not be as bad as feared. EurotaxGlass’s, publishers of Glass’s Guide, have made optimistic noises about the state of the car market in 2009. They say that the used car market will recover first, and that will be followed by a resurgence in the sales of new cars.

Adrian Rushmore, Managing Editor at EurotaxGlass’s, explained, “In the short term, conditions will remain difficult for car dealers, reinforced by the usual seasonal decline in demand that accompanies the latter months of the year. However, we believe the swift and painful downturn we saw in the summer months of 2008 was probably a one-off event. The arrival of the ‘09’-plate next March will clearly be an acid test for both new and used sales, and analysis of the current market indicators suggests there are reasons for cautious optimism”.

Rushmore’s statement puts an extremely positive gloss on the future state of the market, “In the first instance, economists are agreed that the inflation rate has probably peaked, and that by the middle of next year the economy will be almost inflation-free. In the short term, this move will be helped by declining fuel prices and further falls in the Bank of England base interest rate, making a tangible difference to consumer’s household finances. As these pieces of good news are drip-fed into news bulletins, it is quite possible that the knock-on effect will be to inject a little buying enthusiasm into the minds of consumers by the first quarter of next year”.

Makes you feel positively bullish.

A property management firm recently stumbled onto an illegal dump of 16,000 tyres, stashed in a disused railway arch in Ardwick, Manchester. Two recovery companies, Sapphire and Saltire, were called in to deal with the problem, and between them they cleared the site in three days. The tyres were chipped and then sent to a cement works, where they will be used as an alternative fuel source in the manufacturing process.

According to Keith Rodgers of Saltire, “Tyre dumps are not only illegal but a disaster waiting to happen, and we’re pleased we’ve been able to help ensure these tyres were safely disposed of in a quick and environmentally responsible way. This case highlights the vital importance of using a responsible collector who not only has the correct waste collection and disposal licences, but a tried and tested disposal route which tyre retailers and garages can trust”.

With 100,000 tyres being replaced every day, tyre dealers need to be assured of a reliable way of disposing of unwanted tyres. This is increasingly difficult and forms a central role in maintaining a green policy within the tyre industry. Companies such as Sapphire and Saltire offer tyre companies major support in this area. Keith Rodgers underlines their role, “Our nationwide network of sites is purposely designed to support major conurbations such as Manchester so we can deal quickly with the higher numbers of used tyres generated in such highly populated areas in an efficient way as possible, which was vital in this situation where there was a potential health and safety risk”.

At a time when we are all being asked to consider the environmental impact of motoring, a German sports car manufacturer has come up with a green car that delivers minimal eco disturbance without sacrificing performance. The specialist company, Ruf Automobile GmbH, has produced an electric concept-car based on the Porsche 911. The eRUF may look like any other Porsche, but beneath the bonnet the 3.6 litre boxer engine has been replaced by a 150kw/204 hp three phase AC motor, powered by 96 lithium-ion phosphate base batteries.

The eRUF cannot quite outdo a conventional 911, but it performs to impressively high standards. It can accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in less than seven seconds, and has a maximum speed of 225 km/h. It has a range of up to 320km. Designer Alois Ruf points out that in addition to its impressive performance statistics, the eRUF boasts excellent green credentials. It runs at 80 to 90 percent efficiency, compared to the 25 to 30 percent efficiency of a normal petrol engine.

So, it would appear that it is only a matter of time until we can enjoy excellent performance without feeling the guilt of environmental vandalism.

Goodyear Dunlop has received commendations from industry experts for the two PR campaigns they have run throughout the last year.

The 2008 Goodyear Playground Appeal delivered practical results as the tyre company funded a £10,000 playground makeover. The campaign saw Goodyear using its media relations prowess to underscore the company’s green policy and its leading role on family safety issues. Goodyear Dunlop corporate communications manager James Bailey commented, “The Playground Appeal successfully achieved Goodyear’s objective of communicating how used tyres are recycled, providing a basis for Goodyear’s campaign in building safe play areas. By undertaking projects such as this, we’ve been able to construct a platform from which to highlight and discuss the important issue of road safety”.

The company’s second commendation came for its “Thrill of the Drive” photo-project. “Thrill of The Drive” is a limited edition book which sought to encapsulate the essence of exciting motoring. Contributions came from motorists across the country, eventually the 500 submissions were judged with the help of “Photography Monthly”, and the winner was invited to accompany the book’s official photographer to the HiQ British Touring Car Championship. Profits from the sale of “Thrill of the Drive” were donated to the Motorsport Safety Fund.

A recent series of tyre tests have delivered excellent results to the Goodyear and Dunlop brands. The tests, held in Germany and Scandinavia, put winter tyres through their paces, and they will play a significant role in influencing buying decisions across Europe in the coming months. Winter tyres represent about 30 percent of European replacement tyres, so this is a significant sector of the market. These results should boost the profile of Goodyear and Dunlop, both of whom were singled out for praise by the various test panels.

In Germany, AutoBild, Stitung Warentest and Auto Motor und Sport were full of praise for the Goodyear Eagle Ultra Grip 7+, the Dunlop SP Winter Response and the Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3Dm. In Sweden and Finland, Goodyear’s Ultra Grip Extreme took the plaudits.

Arthur de Bok, president of Goodyear’s Europe, Middle East and Africa region said, “Even in a soft economy and market, we believe European motorists will read the results of these tests and choose ’peace of mind‘ when it comes to operating their vehicles in winter conditions. The outstanding performance ratings from these respected independent sources should provide us strong sales traction in Europe”.