Pride and Prejudice

Here's a short piece of footage that I filmed at Paris Pride last month:

It was a brilliant atmosphere.

So, if someone told me that there was a car show especially aimed at gay people, I would be interested in going along.

Oh look!

And, of course, they've held it at Gaydon.

Autocar have the details here.  It was called Petrol & Pride.

I particularly like the fact that they had awards for "the gayest car" and the "the butchest car"

The comments section at the bottom of the story was both disappointing and heartening.  The few who chose to disparage the event, or even the existence of the story, were quickly shown up by responses from people with brains.

And no, I'm not LGBQT+

Not that I would feel insulted if someone thought I was.

I'm not even MGBGT

Safety First and Last

Drive.com.au have this story today about car safety features.

Apparently drivers hate them.

I think it's mostly the lane assist and the warnings about exceeding the speed limit.

My car has both.

But it's a 2020 car so I switched off the lane assist when I first got it and the speed warning is just a subtle flashing of the speed limit indicator in the head-up display and speedo centre which is very easy to ignore.

No bonging.

Worldwide legislation has decreed that all newer cars have to have these things mush more annoying, harder to switch off and for them to switch themselves back on when you restart the engine/ignition.

The story is about a survey by AAMI, who seem to be a major Australian Insurer, about safety features drivers are turning off and why.

Although the "why" is obvious.

Apparently, AAMI have a bloke called Steve who is their "Motor Insights and Operations Manager" and he seemed surprised at how many drivers were switching them off.  He seemed to be encouraging people not to do this but his arguments were not exactly convincing:

“We're really encouraging people to understand how these safety systems work and learn how to use these and get the best out of them so it can be safer for you and all other road users.”

“If you're picking up a new car, spend that time to actually get the dealer to show you how these features work.

“They'll spend time with you to help you understand those features, which will then enable you to build trust and confidence in using them.

"These systems are there to help you, not replace you."

Car reviews are now pointing out how annoying these features are and which cars are best for mitigating the annoyance.

Which sort of defeats the whole purpose of the annoyance in the first place.

I asked Google AI about this - it was more helpful than Steve:

Easily Deactivated Systems:

Peugeots, Renaults, and Nissans:

These brands are often highlighted for having systems that can be easily turned off with a single button press or a combination of button presses, allowing drivers to quickly and efficiently disable driver assistance features.

Citroën:

Similar to the above, Citroën is mentioned for placing buttons for these systems conveniently close to each other, allowing for easy, simultaneous deactivation.

Hyundai and Kia:

These manufacturers have also incorporated a press-and-hold function on some steering wheel buttons, achieving a similar result of quick deactivation.

Systems that are Less Intrusive or More Easily Managed:

Volvo:

Volvo's driver assistance systems, particularly the lane keeping system, are often praised for being well-calibrated and only activating when truly necessary, reducing the need for frequent deactivation.

Volkswagen:

Volkswagen is mentioned for having a speed limit warning system that is quiet and unobtrusive, making it less likely to be a nuisance.

Skoda:

Skoda's systems are noted for staying off even after the car is restarted, which is a feature not always offered by other manufacturers.

Audi:

Audi's safety systems are mentioned for being subtle and effective, with features that can be easily curated or turned off. 

It seems to have got this information from an article in the Daily Telegraph but I'm not going to link to it because:

a) It wants your email address before it will let you read it

b) It's The Daily Telegraph

Anyway, the moral of this is, if you want people to be safer, don't make the safety systems that are annoying and therefore unsafe.

Pottering About at High Speed

Saw this story today and thought to myself, "What an excellent opportunity to put a picture of Emma Watson on my Blog."

Basically, she's "Done a Wilman"

She's got a 6 month driving ban by speeding while having 9 Points on her licence.

I don't understand how you can get caught speeding FOUR TIMES.

Surely after the first couple of offences you'd be on your best behaviour.

And yet she wasn't the only Harry Potter star who was banned in the same Court on the same day for the same thing - Zoe Wanamaker was done too.

The BBC used the story to talk about the forthcoming HBO TV version of Harry Potter.  Despite it having John Lithgow and Nick Frost in it, I won't be watching.

It doesn't state what vehicle Wanamaker was driving but Watson was in a blue Audi.

No mention of a blue Anglia.

Underwhelming

What we have here is a van hogging the middle lane being overtaken by another van going about 2mph faster.

I'd have been going at about the speed limit.

The Golf driver was in a hurry.

So who's fault is this dodgy manoeuvre?

Excuse the cheesy music - that's Simon Mayo's fault.

Sizing it up

Remember when Ford Sierra estates were big cars?

They aren't any more...

It looks positively tiny next to that Mazda 6.

And next to my car.

Here's some dimensions for you according to Google's AI thingy:

The 1988 Ford Sierra Estate (station wagon) had a length of 4,531 mm (178.4 in), a width of 1,727 mm (68.0 in), and a height of 1,367 mm (53.8 in). 

The Mazda 6 saloon has a length of 4,870 mm, a width of 1,840 mm, and a height of 1,450 mm. The wheelbase is 2.83 meters.

Meanwhile my car...

The 2020 Volvo S60 has a length of 4761 mm, a width of 1850 mm (excluding mirrors), and a height of 1437 mm.

Perhaps the more relevant ones though are the supposedly smaller Fords of today...

The Ford Focus Estate has a length of approximately 4,668mm (183.8 inches) and a width of 1,979mm with mirrors, or 1,844mm without mirrors. The wheelbase is 2,700mm. In terms of boot space, it offers 575 litres with the rear seats up and 1,650 litres with the rear seats folded down.

You get a lot more info on the Focus and it's bigger than the Sierra - while the Fiesta...

The 2025 Ford Fiesta is approximately 4040mm long, 1735mm wide, and 1476mm high.

Wider - and not a lot shorter.

And Google AI uses American spellings so obviously isn't intelligent enough to realise I'm sat in England.

But a 2025 Fiesta definitely wouldn't stand out on the M53 in 2025 - here's a closer look.

And the driver looked a bit like Dom Chinea.